White Collar: The Nightingale

Chapter Thirty-two

Peter woke from a light sleep and fluttered his eyes open. He was getting tired of waking up and staring at the white hospital ceiling. He wanted to go home, he wanted to spend the night in his own bed with Elizabeth. It had been almost a week since he'd talked to Mozzie and there had been no trace of Neal, Hsing, or the Nightingale since. Peter was surprised how hurt he was that Neal had decided to run even though deep down he couldn't blame him.

"You snore like a drunken sailor with asthma."

Peter jolted at the sound of Neal's voice. He looked over and found the young con man lounging casually on the ICU couch. Dressed in a black three piece suit with a white dress shirt and a gold tie he looked much more like himself than the last time Peter had seen him.

"How does Elizabeth ever get any sleep?" Neal asked.

Peter didn't answer, he was having trouble actually speaking. He wasn't fully certain that he wasn't just hallucinating. He looked over at his morphine to make sure it was still just at a slow drip. As if to prove he was real Neal got to his feet with a slight wince of pain and walked over to Peter's bedside.

"Seriously, Peter, you should have that looked at while you're here. I think you have sleep apnea."

Neal slipped his hands into his pant's pockets and looked down at Peter expectantly. Still wary Peter reached out and touched Neal's arm. Neal gave Peter a confused look.

"Neal?" Peter finally asked.

"Hi, Peter."

"'Hi'?" Peter repeated incredulously. "That's all you have to say for yourself? 'Hi, Peter'?"

"What should I say?" Neal asked innocently.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"I had some more uninvited guests." Neal replied as he gingerly rubbed at his temple that was still bruised. "Yakuza, some rival family. I don't really remember all the details, they hit me pretty hard."

"They kidnapped you?"

"...let's just say they forced me to leave."

Peter knew Neal's trick of semantics to avoid out right lying. However he found in this particular case he didn't care. Peter looked Neal over and felt that something seemed out of place with him. He realized that for the first time he was seeing Neal without his usual full confidence. If Peter didn't know any better he'd say that Neal actually looked nervous.

"I'm glad you're safe, Neal."

"So...you're not going to have me arrested?"

"I'm sure you have a perfectly good excuse for everything you did." Peter sighed.

"I do. I even gave myself in to Marshal Garret. I honestly figured he'd drag me back to prison, or lock me down on house arrest again. Instead he gave me a new anklet, and then he drove me directly here without me even asking."

"Really?"

"He said something along the lines of me being your problem now and that neither one of us deserved any better, or that we deserved each other. Something along those lines, I wasn't really listening. I get the feeling he really doesn't like me."

"You basically ruined his career."

"I can't help it if I was better at my job than he was at his."

The previous brush with uncertainly had instantly vanished from Neal's body language. Like a puppy who'd been forgiven for chewing on the furniture Neal looked like he was ready to go looking for more trouble again. Peter wished he had half Neal's energy. He was still having a hard time believing that he had just come back on his own free will.

"Why didn't you go with her?" Peter asked suddenly.

"Go with who?"

"Cut the crap, Neal. I know Hsing was with you, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you helped her and the Nightingale get home. You had a perfect chance to run."

"I don't think I'd fit in in Japan." Neal said dismissively. "I'm not really a sushi guy."

"You love sushi." Peter corrected.

"I do." Neal admitted. "You really thought I'd run?"

"It crossed my mind."

"You should know me better than that by now, Peter." Neal said with more pain in his voice than he actually felt. "I couldn't go with Hsing. I already have a woman in my life, I couldn't just leave her."

"Her?"

"New York...I love her, she loves me."

Peter narrowed his eyes at Neal as he tried to determine if he was being serious or not. Neal's expression remained stoic for a moment. Eventually he smiled and made a noise as if he'd just remembered something important.

"What's wrong?"

"I have a present for you." Neal announced proudly.

"Oh?" Peter said warily.

Neal nodded and reached into his jacket's interior breast pocket. Peter's heart nearly stopped when Neal pulled the bright Sapphire Waterfall out of his jacket. Neal admired the necklace for a moment before offering it to Peter. It took a moment for Peter to recover enough from the shock to reach out and take the glittering necklace.

"Neal...wha...where did you get this?"

"I stole it." Neal answered with a shrug.

"You stole it?"

"No, wait, not 'stole'. I...um...what is the word I'm looking for?"

"Recovered?"

"That's it." Neal smiled blindingly. "I recovered it."

"Of course you did."

Peter took a breath to ask more questions about how Neal came about possessing the Waterfall, but he decided against it. Staring down at the necklace he suddenly realized just how far Neal had come in the past two years.

"I'm sorry I doubted you. I should have known from the very beginning of all of this that you wouldn't just leave."

"Everyone seems to think that I'm like a bird in a cage, or a dog on a leash, or even a fox trying to keep his tail. But I don't feel like any of those things."

"That's good...I guess." Peter said confused.

"The point, Peter, is that I didn't come back because I felt obligated to, or to avoid punishment. I've never felt like your prisoner."

"Never?"

"Okay, maybe once or twice..." Neal chuckled. "I'm still glad I came back."

"So am I." Peter said. "Although, you still have an amazing amount of explaining to do, but it can wait."

"Good, because it's a long story."

"Did Mozzie tell you I was alive?"

"I had to press him, but he did."

"Would you have come back if I hadn't survived?"

Neal went to answer, but then realized that he had to think about it. Peter waited patiently for Neal's response. Neal thought he knew what Peter wanted to hear, but he decided to tell him the truth anyway.

"No." Neal said quietly. "No, I don't think I would have."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Telling me the truth. Although it seems like there is still work to do."

"You've got two more years to change me." Neal mocked.

"I don't want to change you, Neal." Peer said seriouly. "I just want to help you redirect your talents. So far I think it's working."

"Oh? How do you know that?"

"You're standing here..."