Thicker Than Water

Tony picked up his phone on the first ring. He saw it was an unfamiliar number, but it was a New York area code. "Agent DiNozzo."

Diana didn't know how she was going to deliver the news. "This is Agent DiNozzo."

"Yes, Agent Barrigan." Tony said, recognizing her voice. "How may I help you?"

Diana hesitated for just a moment. "Tony…Neal's been shot."

Tony just stood, opened mouthed for a moment. By this time his team members had realized something was going on. They waited, patiently, for Tony to get off the phone.

"What?!" It was all Tony could manage.

Diana swallowed. "He's…he's in bad shape. Peter told me to call you. Said if you wanted to see him…." Diana paused. "I don't know much else. Peter and El are at the hospital now. He just said you needed to come."

Tony nodded. He put down the phone, still stunned. He looked up at Gibbs. "I need to go to New York, Boss. Neal…Neal's been shot. They're…they don't think he's gonna make it."

Gibbs nodded. He could see the pain in Tony's eyes, and he knew that Tony thought of Neal as his little brother. "Go, Tony."

Tony nodded and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. "I'll call." He started towards the elevator

"Soon, DiNozzo, I'll be waiting." Gibbs replied.

Tony turned and nodded just before he got on the elevator.

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Tony's plane landed in New York City several hours later. He hailed a cab and told the cabbie the name of the hospital Diana had given him. He called Gibbs to tell him he had gotten there okay, and that he was on his way to the hospital. He promised to call back, later, when he knew more. Tony quickly found Neal's room, but panicked when he saw that the bed was empty. He looked up and down the halls until he spotted Peter and El, talking with the doctor.

El was the first person to see Tony. She went over to him and hugged him, tightly. "We're glad you're here."

Tony returned the hug. "I went to Neal's room, he's…."

"He's in surgery. That's what the doctor is telling Peter about now." El replied. "I'll let him explain it."

Tony nodded and he and El waited for Peter's conversation with the doctor to be over.

Peter looked at them both and sighed. He shook Tony's hand, and they exchanged brief pleasantries.

"When they first brought Neal into the ER, he wasn't stable enough for the surgery. They did all they could to stop the bleeding. But the bullet is so close to his heart, they just couldn't chance it until his condition stabilized. They have been watching him closely." Peter explained. "His blood pressure finally dropped enough that they could risk going in."

Tony nodded. "But he could still die?"

Peter sighed. "The bullet is just so close to his heart…."

"Hon." El said, reaching up and kissing Peter on the cheek. "Neal will be in surgery for a few more hours. I'm gonna go home and take care of Satch. I'll bring you both back something to eat."

Peter nodded. "Thanks, Hon."

"Thanks you, El. But you don't have to…." Tony replied.

El touched Tony's arm. "It's my pleasure. And it really is no trouble." She paused. "I'll see you both soon."

Peter and Tony sat down in the waiting room outside Neal's ICU room.

"How…how did this happen?" Tony asked.

Peter looked up at Tony. Peter knew that question was coming. He had been over the whole thing with Hughes over the phone. And he had been wallowing in his guilt ever since.

Tony could see Peter's turmoil. He was most likely blaming himself for things that could not possibly be his fault.

"Peter..."

Peter shook his head. "He's my responsibility, and I let him down." He explained. "I told him to stay put. He…we were chasing an armed suspect. I didn't want him to be injured." Peter shook his head at the memory. "We couldn't find the guy. We come back through, were I left Neal. And there he was, lying on the floor with a bullet in his chest." Peter paused, trying to control his anger and pain. "I guess he came back through. He knew Neal was unarmed, so the guy came back through and shot him."

"Peter, you…." Tony started.

"He's my responsibility, Tony. That's it…my responsibility!" Peter emphasized. "And I let him down. I let him down so much it could cost him his life." He stood and started to pace the room.

Tony looked at Peter. He understood the kind of guilt Peter was feeling. Lord knows he had felt it enough himself. And he also knew that there was nothing he could do or say that would help. Tony stood up, excused himself, and started looking for a cup of coffee.

June had joined Peter, and they both were sitting in the waiting room when Tony returned with his coffee.

"Hello, Darling." June said, getting up to greet Tony. She hugged him tightly.

"Hi, June." Tony said, returning her hug.

June looked up at him. "Do you have a place to stay?"

Tony shook his head. "To be honest, I haven't given it much thought. I came straight here from the airport."

June nodded. "I figured as much. You'll stay with me. You'll stay in Neal's apartment. He won't mind, and the house is just so…empty when he's not there."

Tony nodded. "Thank you. I accept. I really appreciate that. Though I don't think I'll be there very much."

"You'll have to sleep in a real bed and eat real food sometime." June replied.

El returned a couple hours after she left. She had brought enough food for them all, including June. They sat and ate in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

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Neal was wheeled out of surgery an hour after El returned. He was placed back in the same room as before. Neal's doctor and his nurses descended on the room immediately, checking IV lines and vital signs.

Neal's primary doctor stepped out of the room after he had completed his exam to talk to Peter and El. Tony and June joined in, with Peter's permission. "Mr. Caffrey did very well during surgery. The bullet was removed. There, luckily was no damage to his heart."

Peter looked visibly relieved, as did the rest.

"But he is weak. The surgery was very hard on him." The doctor continued. "We have induced a coma state. We'll reverse it in a couple, three days."

"Coma?" Tony asked, concerned and surprised.

"The body needs time to rest and to heal. He will heal a lot faster this way. That is also why we placed him on a ventilator. His body needs the extra assistance right now." The doctor paused. "The nurse will let you in in a few moments."

They all nodded, but they were far from understanding all that was going on with Neal at the moment. The mere thought of Neal being in a coma and on a ventilator terrified them.

Peter and El were the first ones to go in. The sheer amount of machines around Neal's bed seemed to form an almost impenetrable force field around Neal. But El managed to snake her hand through the mass of wires and tubes that were connected to Neal. She gently brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. She then moved her hand down to hold his.

"Hey Sweetie, its Elizabeth." El leaned in as close to him as she possibly could. "Get better, Sweetheart. That's all we need you to do, get better."

Peter wrapped his hand around Neal's forearm. "I'm sorry." He said his voice full of emotion. "I am so sorry."

El looked at her husband. She could see his pain, and she knew he blamed himself. But she didn't know it was affecting him the way it was.

"Peter?"

Peter shook his head.

"Hon, this…was an accident. Neal knows that." El replied.

"Really?" Peter said, letting some of his bitterness come through. "Really? Because I don't know what Neal knows because Neal is in a coma."

"Hon." Elizabeth hugged her husband. She knew none of the bitterness and anger were directed at her or at Neal. "Neal needs you right now. He hears this, he's gonna think you're angry with him. He's going to think he did something wrong."

Peter sighed and nodded. He went over to the bed. "Neal, if you heard what I just said, I'm sorry. I just need you to open your eyes and get better." He paused. "Please."

El and Peter exited the room after a few more moments and Tony and June went in.

They both took hold of Neal's hands.

"He looks so small, just lying there." June observed.

"Hey, Kid." Tony said, kneeling down and whispering in Neal's ear. "It's Tony. Diana called me and told me what happened. I'm going to stay in town for a while, until you get better."

Tony spent most of the next three days at the hospital. El and Peter were in and out. El had a big wedding event that had been planned for months. She had to make sure it went off perfectly. And Peter was back in the office, spending his work hours trying to find the man who shot Neal. And Tony only left the hospital to go to June's to shower and to change clothes.

Tony had kept Gibbs up to date as much as possible during his time in New York. It was just, so much, a waiting game.

Peter sat with Tony in the IUC waiting room. They had been made to leave by the nurses who needed to bathe their patient and change his bed.

"Neal said you two met in military school." Peter said, trying to open up a discussion.

Tony nodded. "He showed up about a year after I got there." Tony paused. "Man…he was an angry kid."

"Angry?" Peter asked. He couldn't remember if Neal had told him anything about that or not.

"He thought his mom had just dumped him off there. She didn't want to deal with him anymore. She was too into her drugs and her boyfriends." Tony explained.

"Do you know when he last saw his mom?" Peter asked. Neal had not said much.

"I always assumed it was when he finally just left home for good." Tony replied. "He's never really said much about her. And I'm sure he told you the same thing he told me."

Peter nodded.

"I don't know, Peter." Tony commented. "He just…when I talk about my mom, he doesn't say anything. I get the impression he doesn't know where she is, and he doesn't care."

Peter nodded again.

Both men were quiet for a moment.

Peter broke the silence. "I have wanted to ask you this since I met you."

Tony nodded. "How could I be friends with Neal? How could we be as close as we are?" He replied, smiling. "I know. It's like oil and water at times, Peter. But, to be honest, we are a lot more alike than we are different."

Peter just kind of stared. Tony's last statement surprised him.

Tony smiled, seeing Peter's confusion. He went on to explain. "We were both sent away to military school for essentially the same reason. Tony paused. "We were angry kids. We both had 'absentee' parents. We both use our charm and our looks. We're impulsive. We're somewhat reckless. We are fiercely loyal to our friends, and we will do anything within our power to protect them. Plus, we both give our bosses, or in Neal's case, handlers, a hard time. I'm pretty sure I'm the reason Gibbs has developed a taste for bourbon." Tony said, only half-jokingly.

Peter smiled. He could see all that. "How did you find out about Neal?" Peter asked, meaning his criminal life.

"It was a big shock, actually, when I first found out. We'd kept in touch. And he would send me postcards from all these different places. He told me his 'job' allowed him to travel a lot." Tony paused. "He was never too specific on what the job was, what he actually did. I didn't push. I was just happy he seemed to be doing well. And he apparently kept up with me. He showed me a scrapbook he was keeping. All the times I had been in the paper, for anything. He had cut the article out. He was so proud, he said, of me making detective after just a year in Baltimore. He just…he said he knew I wouldn't, couldn't be proud of him. And he said that he just somehow thought I always knew." Tony grinned and shook his head. "So anyway, I was sitting at my desk one day looking through the wanted posters on my computer. I saw a familiar face. But I didn't recognize the name. I did a check on Neal Caffrey, as you did, and found out he didn't exist before Neal turned 18. I'd kept it to myself for so long after I found out, years and years. It was finally just a relief to just talk about it, to acknowledge what we both knew."

Peter nodded, thought he didn't quite understand it all.

"Peter…Neal is probably the smartest person I have ever met. He has so much talent. He's…he could have done, he could have been, so much." Tony lamented.

Peter could hear the anguish in Tony's voice.

"I know, in part, why he did the things he did. He never really told me a lot about his dad. And again, I didn't push him. Maybe I should have, but I didn't." Tony replied. "But, you know, sometimes I wonder if he even knows what he threw away. I wonder if he even realizes…." Tony shook his head.

Peter nodded. "I think he's beginning too. I really do."

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El sat down beside Tony in the ICU waiting room. She handed him a sandwich she had brought. She took in his appearance.

"Go to June's, Tony. Get some rest." El implored. "I'm here now. I can stay until you get back."

Tony looked at her. He scrubbed his hand over his face and then through his hair. He had gone to June's a showered and changed clothes this morning. But he had not slept well last night. The hospital chairs were uncomfortable, and it was just too noisy for him.

"I'm fine. I can sleep anywhere." Tony looked at the chairs and sighed. "….occupational hazard."

El grinned and shook her head. "These chairs are hard even for Peter to sleep in, and he knows all about that…occupational hazard."

Tony smiled. "You got me." Tony paused. "I just wanted to thank you and Peter for last time…the invite. I had a really good time at your place. I appreciate you including me."

"Peter tells me I'm a good judge of character. And I can usually tell a lot about people pretty quickly. Of course, the homemade cannoli was a nice bonus. But I…we liked you immediately. Peter liked you the first day he met you. He told me the joke you made about Neal's anklet in the office."

Tony smiled at the memory. He had asked Neal of he could see his anklet. Tony had then asked Neal something about being zapped if he went outside his invisible fence. "That was the first time I had actually seen Neal in years. I…we had kept in touch, of course. And we were still lying to each other, even then, about what we each knew. He told me, later, he always assumed I knew about it, about everything. He was relieved everything was out in the open. He was glad we were finally being completely honest with each other."

El nodded. "That is one thing Peter really admired about Neal. He doesn't lie when you ask him a question."

Tony smiled again. "You just have to know which questions to ask."

El smiled. "He's found that out too."

Tony nodded then stood up and stretched. "I'll see you in a few hours. Thanks, El. "Neal is really lucky to have the two of you watching out for him. And I really appreciate that."

"He's been a challenge."

"He's worth it, El."

El nodded and watched Tony leave. She then got up and headed to Neal's room.

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Tony was very startled when he opened his eyes. He looked around Neal's apartment not really recognizing it for a moment. He heard noises and slowly got out of bed. He was dressed in one of Neal's pajama bottoms and he was bare-chested. H found a T-shirt and pulled it on before joining June on the balcony.

"I should have been up and to the hospital hours ago." Tony said as he sat down with June to enjoy breakfast.

June looked at him over the rim of her coffee cup. "You needed the rest, Darling."

"So you are responsible." Tony said, grinning.

"No conspiracy." June admitted. "I just turned off the alarm clock and let you sleep."

Tony looked at her. He must have been tired. He didn't even hear her in the apartment, at all. He was normally such a light sleeper, which worked well for him, given his occupation. Tony gave her a look.

June shook her head. "Don't worry, Darling. Peter called. The doctor is going to bring Neal out of the coma tomorrow morning, around 10 a.m." She put her hand on his arm. "You haven't missed anything."

Tony sighed. "So, he is getting better. At least he's getting better."

June smiled and squeezed Tony's arm. "He is. Neal is coming back to us."

Tony looked at June. "I wanted to thank you for being so good…so kind to Neal. I think this is the first time he actually feels like he has a home. He's loved being here…living here."

"He's made my life interesting. That's for sure." June admitted.

Tony smiled. "That's what he does." He said, and then he chuckled.

"He's made this big old house not feel so empty. He's given it a new life." June explained.

Tony nodded. "You want to know how the cop and the con became friends."

June shook her head. "Not exactly, Neal's told me his perspective. I would love to hear yours."

Tony smiled. "Like I told Peter, we are not as different as people might think, as they might believe we should be."

"That surprised Peter?" June asked.

"It did." Tony replied.

"I guess he doesn't see it then." June stated. "I guess he doesn't realize…."

Tony didn't speak, waiting for her to continue.

"He and Neal are so much alike. The amount of loyalty they show one another. They are both extremely stubborn. And they demand the truth, but then, they each keep their secrets."

Tony nodded and finished his coffee. "I've got to get to the hospital. I'll see you there later?" He stood to go get dressed.

June nodded.

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Neal's primary doctor came in around 10a.m. on the third day and took Neal off the medication that was inducing the coma. He had pushed Tony out of the room so he could give Neal a thorough exam before he discontinued the medication. He then came out and spoke to everybody.

"It could take Mr. Caffrey anywhere from 1 to 5 hours to wake up. I'm leaving him on the ventilator so he can have that little extra time to heal." The doctor explained. "He may try to fight the tube in his throat, that's normal. Just call the nurse as soon as he wakes up. We'll remove the tube as soon as possible."

Neal opened his eyes about 3 hours later. Tony heard Neal's heart rate increase and jumped up from his chair. He moved into Neal's range of vision and whispered in his ear.

"It's nice to have you back, Kid." Tony studied Neal's face. He saw the panic in Neal's eyes. Tony moved one of his hands to Neal's head. Tony stroked his hair trying to calm him. He gently placed his other hand on Neal's chest. Just to let Neal know he was there.

Peter and El were also in the room. El pushed the nurse call button as Peter went out into the hall to find Neal's doctor who had left the room only moments before.

"Neal…you need to let the machine breathe for you, stop fighting it." Tony said in as calm a voice as he could.

Neal didn't seem to hear him. Neal's heart rate was still high, and he seemed to be trying to reach for the tube.

Tony easily pushed Neal's hand down. "Neal!" Tony said a little louder than was probably necessary. But it got the desired effect. Neal seemed to see him and hear him for the first time. "Let the machine breathe for you, stop fighting it." Tony repeated. "Look at me." He commanded.

Blue eyes quickly found green ones.

"You're in the hospital. You've been out for a few days, but you're gonna be fine. The doctor is going to take the tube out as soon as he can. You're gonna be fine." Tony repeated.

The two just looked at each other for a moment.

"Blink twice if you understand me." Tony requested.

Neal blinked two times. But he was confused about something else. He didn't understand Tony being in New York.

"Diana called…." Tony started as the nurses and doctors entered the room.

Tony started to move away from the bed but found he couldn't. Neal had grabbed his shirt and was holding on tight.

"I have to get out of the way, Neal. The doctor is going to take out the tube." Tony explained.

Neal's eyes pleaded with him as he tightened his grip on Tony's shirt.

The doctor recognized his patient's fear. "It's okay, Agent DiNozzo, you're fine. We'll work around you, just stay there and talk to Mr. Caffrey. It'll probably make things a little easier for him."

Tony looked at the doctor and nodded. Meanwhile, Peter and El had been ushered out of the room. El took the time to call June back to the hospital. They both watched from the observation window.

Tony bent down and began to talk to Neal again as the doctor pulled out the tube. He told Neal to exhale, and the doctor pulled the tube out quickly. The exercise left Neal exhausted and hurting, he moaned as soon as the tube came out.

Neal then looked at Tony. He opened his mouth to speak but his throat was sore. He felt like he needed to cough to clear it. But his chest hurt so much, he didn't dare try it.

"Peter had Diana call me. She said I needed to get here…to see you." Tony explained. "June has been nice enough to let me stay with her."

Neal opened his mouth to speak again. This time he was a little more successful. But he only managed a couple words. He was so weak. "What…happened…?"

Tony shook his head. "We'll talk about that later. El and Peter are waiting to see you. And June is on her way here."

"…chest…hurts…." Neal stated.

"I know, Neal. I'll ask about some pain medicine." Tony pushed the button for the nurse.

"…glad…here." Neal said.

Tony smiled. "Me too, Neal. Me too."

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"You're going to lose your job. You've been here for weeks." Neal said as Tony helped him into June's house. Neal sighed as he looked at the stairs he had to still go up.

"June doesn't have an elevator?" Tony asked, having no idea how he was going to get Neal up to his apartment.

"No, unfortunately not." Peter said. He and El had followed Tony and Neal in, carrying Neal's belongings and medicine.

"Oh!" June said, coming around the corner. "I had wanted to be waiting for you when you got here. But I had a few more things to do." June explained. "Neal, you will be staying down here, in the suite, as I call it. There is a sitting area and a bathroom attached." June turned and led the way. They all followed.

June stopped at the doorway to the room. "I had some of your things brought down for you, just to make it feel like it's your space. If you need anything else, let me or the staff know."

Neal nodded and smiled; extremely grateful he didn't have to tackle the stairs. He took off his jacket. And since he was already dressed in pajamas, he just kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed. He was asleep in minutes.

June disappeared into the bathroom. She returned with a glass of water. June than sat down on the edge of the bed. El saw the water and searched through the bag she had carried for Neal's pills. She read the labels and shook out a couple pills from each bottle. She sat down on the other side of the bed. El put her hand on Neal's shoulder and gently shook him awake.

Neal opened his eyes.

"You have some pills to take, Sweetie." El replied.

Neal nodded. He took the pills from El and put them in his mouth. He then took the water from June. He drank just enough to get the pills down. He then sank back down into the bed and closed his eyes.

They all exited the bedroom, leaving the door open so that they could hear Neal if he needed them. They all went to the sitting room and made themselves comfortable.

"I had the staff bring your things down too, Tony. I figured you would be sleeping on the chaise or the pullout couch. I'll make sure you have some blankets and linens." June replied.

"You are too kind, June. You opened your home to me. I…it means a lot." Tony stated. "I hadn't really planned on getting a room. I knew I wouldn't be there much, if at all. I was just kind of hoping Neal would be put in a room with a bathroom with a shower."

June nodded. "I know how much Neal means to you. I can see it. I know he thinks of you as a big brother. So, as far as I'm concerned, you're part of his family and that makes you very welcome here."

Tony smiled and nodded.

"We'll be back later." Peter said to both June and Tony. "Neal will probably sleep for a while. We need to go check on Satch. And I need to drop by the office and catch up on some work…give everybody an update." He and El then left.

Tony and June nodded. Tony headed into Neal's room and June headed into the kitchen to make them all a little bite to eat.

Two Weeks Later:

Neal walked in the door just moments before the workday began. He went to his desk and deposited his hat. He then headed up to Peter's office. And if he was being honest with himself he was a little disappointed by the lack of reception he got. He was wondering why there were so few people at their desks.

"Morning, Neal." Peter replied then he returned to his work. Neal was a little bummed, he sank into one of the chairs in front of Peter's desk.

"Anything exciting?" Neal asked, referring to whatever case file Peter might be working on.

Peter shook his head. "Nah, just another mortgage fraud." Peter looked up at Neal. "I need a file from the conference room. Will you go and get it for me?"

Neal stood and nodded, pouting just a little. He opened the door. He was surprised to see every member of the division crowded around the table. They had sit out a huge breakfast buffet and even had a huge cake that said "Welcome Back, Neal.'

Peter walked in behind him. "So what do you think? We missed you, Kid."

Neal smiled and nodded. "Thank you, guys. Thank you all. This is…this is awesome."

THE END

END NOTE: This was just some shameless Neal whumpage. I hope you enjoyed. Jackie.