CHAPTER 36

The first thing that Neal became aware of when he woke up, was the uncomfortable feeling in his arm.
It didn't exactly hurt, it was just a very uncomfortable, strange feeling.
He looked over at his arm, that had been propped up on a big pillow, and grimaced as he realized that today hadn't been just a dream, like he had hoped.
Neal slowly got out of the bed, careful not to accidently jostle his injured wrist.
He then made his way downstairs in search for Peter or Elizabeth and soon he heard both of their voices from the kitchen.
He would have thought that one of them would have gone back to work by now but apparently, they had both decided to stay at home, which made Neal feel both happy that they were willing to stay home with him and a little guilty since it was because of him that they were missing their important work.
The adults were clearly in the middle of a discussion but he couldn't really make out all of their words, if only he could sneak a little closer then he would be able to hear them better.
Satchmo's sudden bark caused Neal to jump and the conversation in the kitchen to end before Neal had the chance to get closer.
The dog rushed over to Neal and happily greeted his little friends, completely unaware of the fact that he had ruined the boy's plan to eavesdrop.

"Hey sweetie."

Elizabeth greeted as the adults emerged from the kitchen to see what the dog was barking at.

"Are you hungry?"

She then asked and when Neal responded with a nod, she disappeared into the kitchen again to fix something for him to eat.
Peter nodded towards the couch and Neal turned around to see a big, fluffy teddy sitting on the couch.

"Your friend Sara was here and she left a gift for you."

Neal walked over to the couch and grabbed the teddy that smelled of the perfume that Sara's mother used to wear.
He hugged the teddy tightly to his chest while feeling a little bummed over the fact that he had missed his friend's visit.
Elizabeth soon returned with a sandwich and a glass of juice and Neal put the teddy on the chair next to him before sitting down and starting to eat his sandwich.

Neal quickly noticed that the adults were acting weird, they were trying to be discrete but it was obvious to Neal that they were having one of their silent conversations.
They were also glancing over at Neal once in a while, looking like they really wanted to say something but were waiting for him to finish eating.
He tried to eat his sandwich as slowly as possible, not sure if he would like whatever they wanted to talk about.
Eventually he finished his sandwich and just like he had expected, Peter suggested that they moved to the couch since they wanted to talk to him.
Neal didn't see any other choice than to nod, grab his teddy and then walk over to the couch.
He thought back to the last week or two, trying to remember if he had done something bad or something that the adults didn't approve of.

"Don't worry bud, you're not in trouble."

Peter told him as if the agent could read his thoughts and Neal felt slightly calmer as he sat down in the middle with Peter and Elizabeth on each side of him.
It was quiet for a couple of seconds, the adults were having yet another one of their silent conversations, before Elizabeth finally told him what this was all about.

"We had a little conversation with Sara when she was here and she told us what really happened at the jungle gym today."

Neal looked down at his teddy, not daring to look them in the eyes, while wondering why Sara would tell them about it and put him in a situation where he was more or less forced to talk.

"Sara also told me that if you talk then she would talk too."

He looked up at Elizabeth again, not believing her words since Sara had been one of the kids that had been the most afraid, but he didn't see any signs that she was lying.
If it was true that Sara would talk too then it would seem more believable and if they talked then maybe more kids would dare to talk.
That was really all that he need to finally let this weight of his shoulders because he was getting real tired of carrying it.

"Curtis pushed me off the jungle gym."
"Curtis? Isn't that the kid that you pushed?"

Peter asked and Neal nodded.

"He's been really mean to me, he's mean to everybody. On my first day he tripped me and he told everyone to not play with me, then he made a girl cry and tripped her that's why I pushed him and then today he was mean to Sara on the jungle gym and I went up there to save her and that's when he pushed me."

Neal rambled on until he ran out of breath and he didn't even notice that tears had started to roll down his cheeks, until he stopped rambling.
The adults stayed silent as they took in everything that he had told them and then he was suddenly lifted up from his seat and placed in Peter's lap.
The agent put an arm around him and Neal leaned against his chest, finding comfort in being close to Peter, while Elizabeth gently grabbed his good hand.

"Why didn't you tell us before, honey?"
"Curtis' mom is the principal and she kicks kids out of school if they try to tell the truth."

The adults looked at each other and Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief before she established eye contact with Neal again.

"Oh honey, she can't do that."
"She can't?"
"No."
Neal suddenly felt very stupid for believing the lie, especially since he had questioned it in the beginning.

Neal had thought that Peter would have been the one to go into full agent mode and call the school but instead it was Elizabeth who went into a protective mama bear mode and called the principal, talking to her in a calm but angry tone.
Neal was sitting in Peter's lap, the man rubbing his back in a comforting matter, while they both watched Elizabeth pace.
Eventually the call ended and the anger disappeared from her face and was replaced with a caring, loving look.

"She's going to talk to Curtis and we're going to a meeting at the school tomorrow."

Neal smiled at the thought of the bully finally getting consequences for his actions and the rest of the kids finally getting the safe school environment that they deserved.
Elizabeth sat down on the couch again and grabbed his good hand, placing a gentle kiss on it.

"Sweetie, I want you to know that you can come to us with anything. It doesn't matter what it is, just please tell us if something's wrong, alright?"

She told him and the genuine caring look on her face made him want to cry over the fact that he had ever been stupid enough to believe that they wouldn't believe him.

"We will always be there for you and help you with anything."

Peter chimed in and Neal didn't think that he could talk to them without starting to cry like a little baby, so he just nodded.

"How about we eat some ice cream and watch a movie?"
Peter suggested and Neal nodded again.

With a big bowl of ice cream, a warm blanket wrapped around his body, the 101 Dalmatians playing on the TV, a big fluffy dog on the floor and with one adult on each side of him, Neal felt more cozy and safe than ever before.
Neal glanced up at the adults and smiled as he realized that he had two people and a dog that would do everything they could to protect him from all the evils in the world.
He had never had that before, not even his mother had protected him from his father.
Neal didn't believe that this would last forever, he knew better than to believe that something this good could last forever, but he was determined to enjoy this as long as he possibly could.

"Thank you."

He said and both of the adults looked down at him, with a slightly confused expression on their faces.

"For what, kiddo?"
"For protecting me and taking care of me and for making me happy."

Neal saw how both Peter and Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears and then Peter put his arm around him while Elizabeth leaned over and kissed him on the top of his head.

"Thank you for making us happy."

Elizabeth answered.