And here were is my next un-beta'd chapter. this one took a little longer because I'm not that good at writing the hospital scenes. The ideas just don't come to me as easily as other scenes. I tried to get it right and there will be a few more hospital scenes to come. And Mozzie will make an appearance! Yay!

Alright, enough of my babbling, on to the story!

Peter watched the mostly steady rise and fall of Neal's chest as he slept to reassure himself that his CI was still ok. It was a great relief for him to be safe again.

The guilt seemed to hit him full force when Neal's doctor told him the extent of his friends injures. He didn't seem to blame Peter for not saving him in time, but the guilt will still be there for a while.

Peter thought about visiting the animal that did this to Neal many, many times, but he knew that hurting or killing Keller would have too many repercussions. The bastard just wasn't worth it. Not in the long run anyway. It would be satisfying to punch the smug smile off his face though.

Peter wasn't sure if he would want to push for the death penalty for Keller if it was still legal in New York. Death would be too painless. A lifetime in prison wouldn't even begin to equal what he put Neal through, but it would be better than a quick death.

Neal seemed to freeze up when he mentioned Mozzie, but Peter didn't know why. He was just making a joke about breaking out of the hospital then he zoned out with a haunted look on his face. Though Peter couldn't blame him for loosing himself in his own mind after what happened. Maybe he'll ask the little guy about it when he comes around.

Neal had said that he didn't remember much of the rescue, so did that mean that he didn't remember much of the other things that happened to him? It would be a mercy. Peter considered asking the young man when he woke up, but didn't know if he should bring it up.

Hughes wanted Peter to put the anklet back on, but he didn't know how Neal would react to having something around his ankle after what happened, so he told his boss that Neal wouldn't run. He still wasn't very satisfied with that so Peter said he would watch Neal while he was at the hospital and put in on when he left. Hughes finally agreed to that offer.

Peter's attention was brought back to the present when one of the machines hooked up to Neal started beeping, causing Neal to startle awake. He looked around frantically then stared at the door like there was some untold hell on the other side.

Before Peter could try to calm Neal down, the door opened and a nurse walked in. She smiled politely and greeted them, but by Neal's reaction you'd think she just told him that she was here to kill him.

He let out a heartbreaking whimper and tried to scramble away from her, but he hit the side rail on the bed. With nowhere to run, he switched from 'flight' to 'fight' and tried to strike the nurse when she moved closer. She managed to move away in time and Peter quickly got out of his seat to try to calm Neal down.

"Neal, it's me. It's Peter. You're safe now," he said while holding out his hands in a placating manner and staying far enough away from Neal so he didn't feel as threatened or didn't try to attack the agent.

The nurse stayed farther back and looked like she was about to call in reinforcements, but she waited to see if Peter could talk Neal down.

Neal still looked at the nurse with a terrified look on his face, but when he looked at Peter, he looked less afraid and like he wanted to believe the words.

"No one is going to hurt you anymore," Peter said and slowly moved closer.

As he approached, Peter could see Neal's eyes focus back to the present. "Peter?" Neal asked hesitantly.

Peter nodded and moved to take Neal's hand. When Neal didn't move away or try to attack, Peter picked it up, careful of his thumb and fingertips, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Neal squeezed back and relaxed in the bed. Making contact with Peter must have helped bring him back to reality as he looked like he came all the way back to earth with that touch.

Neal wiped his free hand across his face and sighed. He looked over to the nurse and gave her an sheepish smile. "Sorry about that," he said to her.

She smiled back and only hesitated slightly then went over to one the machines and pressed a few buttons. "Don't worry about it," she said and did a few more things to the machines then left.

Neal watched her the whole time, but turned his attention back to Peter when she left. "I blame the drugs for making me think she was... Someone else," Neal said. He was trying to make a joke or divert the attention from the real reason he freaked out, but obviously didn't want to say Keller's name. With good reason.

"What time is it?" Neal asked as he took his hand away and tried to look like he wasn't just freaking out a minute ago. If anyone came in now, they wouldn't have a clue about what had just happened. He wasn't called one of the best con-artists for no reason.

Peter looked at his watch to see what the time was. "Almost seven," he said.

Neal nodded. "When am I leaving?" He asked and Peter noticed his eyes darken a little.

"If you pass all the tests the doctors are going to run on you, maybe later today," Peter said. "You seem to be excited to get out of here," he said teasingly, but that got an even worse response from Neal.

He turned away and looked at the blanket covering him. "I just don't want to be here anymore," he said quietly.

Was it the confined feeling? After being held prisoner how Neal was and as long, it wouldn't be surprising. He probably wanted to be somewhere familiar too.

Peter didn't know what to say to that, so he changed the subject. "Jones is thinking about getting a dog..."

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