(Author's Note: Wow, we're at chapter 4 already! I'm glad you've all been enjoying the story. I know this chapter is a lot shorter than chapter 3, but I wanted to leave a sort of cliffhanger at the end…so let me know what you think! Enjoy!)

Patience did not come easily to FBI Agent Peter Burke, but he usually managed to keep it together. Not this time. Not when his best friend's life was questionable. Not when he didn't know if the man who he sometimes thought of as his son was in the operating room, struggling to survive the accident that Peter had caused, would make it. After all, they were Peter's words that had driven Neal to the edge of that building.

Peter was pacing the tiled floor of the hospital waiting room anxiously awaiting news about Neal's condition. Elizabeth sat in one of the hospital chairs, one foot tapping, looking up hopefully every time a nurse walked by. Four hours had passed and there was still no news on Neal. It was 11:30 at night. The Burkes should have been exhausted, since it had been a long day for both of them. But they didn't feel any fatigue, just distress. Peter had approached one of the nurses, asking if she could update them on the status of Mr. Neal Caffrey.

"I'm sorry sir; he's still in the operating room. We'll inform you of his condition as soon as he is moved to a room."

June had called Peter anxiously at 10:00, asking if he knew where Neal was, as he had said he would be home at 8:00.

"June…he's in surgery right now. He fell off the roof of a building…We don't know too much about his condition."

The older woman had desperately wanted to come to the hospital and be with the Burkes, but she was watching Samantha all week and couldn't leave her at home by herself. Peter assured June that it was alright, and he'd call her as soon as he learned more about Neal's condition. June also told him that she would call Mozzie and tell him what was going on, as he had been concerned.

It was now past midnight. Peter had lost track of how many coffees he and Elizabeth and consumed, but they were still awake. And waiting.

At long last, a nurse walked in. "Mr and Mrs. Burke? Your friend Mr. Caffrey is out of surgery, but he's in critical condition. For now, he's in the intensive care unit. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes, of course we would!" Both Peter and Elizabeth had jumped to their feet as soon as the nurse had walked in, and now they followed her as she led them to Neal's room.

Peter knew Neal was injured badly. He had seen the accident, known that the man had gotten beaten up pretty badly.

Elizabeth had also realized that Neal was definitely going to be in pain. There would be broken bones for sure, and IVs.

But neither of them could ever have imagined how Neal looked when they walked into his room.