Disclaimer: White Collar and the characters borrowed for this story are the creative property of Jeff Eastin. This story was written and shared solely for the enjoyment of other White Collar fans. No copyright infringement is intended.
Forged Friendships
Chapter 5 – Inhalation Therapy
Elizabeth exited Neal's room and quickly retreated down the hallway into the privacy of the restroom. Her cold hands, wet with perspiration, consciousness spiraling backwards as she closed the door and turned the lock. Leaning with all her weight against the heavy wooden door, she allowed herself to slide downward onto the cold tiled floor. With each intake of air, she could feel her body shutter as the exhaled breath escaped her lips. Leaning forward, she crossed her ankles and drew her knees up against her chest, tightly wrapping her arms around them, hugging her body. She sat silently, tightly enveloped, her cheek resting on her knees, tears slipping down and streaking her cheeks.
This was Elizabeth Burke, normally a strong independent woman, giving yield to her empathetic heart. She closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the images that permeated her thoughts but her mind refused to let go. Again, she saw, Neal's deeply bruised chest, permanently scarred by the surgical incision that followed the arch of his rib cage extending down his side, tubing escaping from the wounds. Her whole body shivered at the unwelcome thoughts. She had helped to support his injured body and calm his fears. Why was she now the one in pain and trembling behind closed doors?
She leaned her head back against the door tilting it sideways until it rested on her shoulder. Above her head, she heard a light tapping sound on the door. "Mrs. Burke are you in there?"
Elizabeth sat on the floor blindly tracing the grout lines with her finger, not wanting to respond, not wanting to admit that her stable facade was cracking.
The door vibrated against her back as the tapping came again, a little louder this time. "Mrs. Burke are you okay?"
Elizabeth pressed the palms of her hands flat against the cold floor and pushed herself up. "Crystal, I'm okay. Just give me a few minutes."
The concerned nurse could hear the sink turn on and water splashing. "If you want to talk, I'll be at the nurses' station."
Elizabeth could hear the footsteps moving away from the door to her temporary fortress. She braced herself against the rim of the white porcelain sink, her head canted downward, dark hair spilling forward into her face. The person in the mirror was nearly a stranger to her with hair hanging loose and limp around a pallid face. She leaned in closer meeting a reflection of puffy red eyes shadowed in dark silhouettes. With a sigh, she twisted her hair back, tucking it into her collar, as she leaned forward to splash more cold water on her face.
"Elizabeth, snap out of this! You can do this! You have to do this!"
She grabbed another scratchy paper towel from the dispenser and blotted her face dry, opened the door and stepped back out into the hallway.
Crystal was casually leaning against countertop at the nurses' station, yo-yoing her ID badge up and down on a retractable reel. She reached over the counter and stole another M&M from Stephen's snack mix. "Mrs., Burke, come have a seat. We were just taking a break." She stepped forward and offered her a chair at the end of the nurses' station. Stephen smiled at Elizabeth and got up from his chair. "Have some of my wife's homemade snack mix before Crystal eats all the M&Ms out of it." He strolled past the desk whistling the theme to the Andy Griffith Show as Crystal shot him a mocking glare. "He knows that drives me nuts."
Stephen return a few minutes later carrying a small can of ginger ale from their cooler and whistling another old theme song. "Here Mrs. Burke, sorry our soda selection is pretty limited in ICU. Want a straw?" The large soft-spoken nurse extended his hand holding out a bendy straw.
El accepted the soda and took a small sip, "Thank you," she looked down, mindlessly twirling the straw in the can, "I am not sure what's gotten into me."
Crystal rested against the edge of the desk watching Elizabeth, "I know it is hard having someone you care about need this amount of medical intervention. You really were a big help earlier and I realize that you saw more than you were planning on. At first it all looks pretty scary."
The RN shifted from the edge of the desk to crouch beside Elizabeth, "Your friend is doing really well."
Elizabeth looked directly into Crystals eyes, "What about his fever?"
Crystal smiled reassuringly, "Dr. Turner has requested some lab tests and has sent an order for us to give him Caldolor. This is an IV medication that will help reduce his fever and work in conjunction with the Morphine to help reduce the pain. His doctor isn't overly concerned at this time but we will be keeping a close eye on him", she reassured. "He is still sleeping. You should go get something to eat and take a little break."
Elizabeth nodded in agreement, "My husband is in the cafeteria. Can you tell me how to get there?"
Crystal turned and pointed down the hallway. "Get on the elevators at the end of this hall and go up to twelfth floor. There are signs with arrows to direct you from there."
El walked down the hallway and boarded the "B" elevator taking it up to the twelfth floor. As she exited the elevator, she followed the yellow arrows that directed her to the entrance of the cafeteria. Everything on this floor was tastefully decorated for the upcoming holidays. She stopped to admire the beautiful tree at the end of the hallway. A small sign on the wall advertised that the ornaments were available in the Nightingale Gift Shop. "Hmm, I will have to stop and get something for Neal. It is his birthday."
She continued into the cafeteria entrance and picked up a tray and some flatware. Above the cart of trays were display boards advertised the various food court options. The warm aroma in the air made her stomach rumble with hunger. She entered the food court area and headed for the deli counter. Leaning over she peered through the glass case, actually impressed by how nicely the food was presented. She looked up to place an order.
"I'll take a tuna salad on a croissant with lettuce and tomato and one of those fresh fruit plates, please." The food service worker smiled and passed the plates over the top of the glass case. Elizabeth smiled back, a little self-conscious of her tired and wrinkled appearance. As she walked to toward the line of coolers, she reassured herself that her weary appearance wasn't unusual in a hospital. She slid the cooler door back and selected a bottle of mineral water.
Peter glanced up as El approached the table carrying the tray. She pulled out a chair and quietly sat down. Her husband immediately noticed the puffy red eyes and extended his hand across the table, "El honey is something wrong?"
She rubbed her neck with her fingers and rolled her head to the side and back, "Peter, you have to find whoever did this to Neal! He was awake for a little while and he doesn't remember anything. It is really hard to see him so vulnerable. He was in so much pain. It actually frightened him when the nurses wanted to shift his position in the bed."
Neal Caffrey was always cool and confident. It was nearly impossible for Peter to think of the master con artist as weak and frightened and certainly never vulnerable. "How is he now?"
"He is running a fever and was feeling nauseous. The nurse gave him some medicine to calm his stomach and it made him sleep."
Peter slid his chair closer to Elizabeth and wrapped her in his arms. "El, we'll get whoever is responsible for this attack. I just sent Jones and Cruz to interview someone we believe was with Neal the night of the assault." He leaned his forehead against El's soft hair and kissed her cheek, not wanting to let go of his beautiful amazing wife.
El picked up a straw and placed it the bottle of mineral water, taking a long sip as she picked at the fresh fruit salad on her plate. "Peter, I don't think that Neal has been eating much lately. I could literally see all the vertebrae in his back when the nurse turned him. I hadn't realized just how thin he'd become since Kate. Lately, I've noticed that he's been wearing more layers. He must have had some of his suits taken in so it wouldn't be so noticeable."
Peter nodded, "Most days he finds a reason not to go out to lunch. Once he is better, I will have to make sure he goes with me.
The short break away from the stress of the ICU was doing them both good, taking advantage of the time to talk and shore up their frayed emotions. They shared the sandwich and the fruit plate but before they could get up from the table, Peter's phone rang.
El leaned over, "Honey, I saw a little gift shop down the hall, I want to stop and pick up something for Neal. I'll meet you in ICU."
Peter kissed Elizabeth on the cheek and pulled his phone from his pocket. "Okay, I better take this call."
Elizabeth emptied the tray and head down the hall. The Nightingale Gift Shop was a small gem tucked away in the corner of the busy urban hospital. Outside the entrance was an antique flower cart filled with beautiful plants, fresh cut flower arrangements and balloons. El leaned in to enjoy the aroma of the Christmas jonquils, their fresh paper white ruffles filling a rustic basket. Smiling, she turned to admire the elegant garden angel that greeted shoppers as they entered. Literally, every inch of the shop was filled with lovely things, cards, books, candy, candles, jewelry, knickknacks and stuffed animals. Much of the merchandise was targeted for woman or wasn't allowed in the ICU.
Elizabeth headed for the display of FurKins, the wire baskets spilling over with the humorous creatures. She was holding a gray porcupine with blushed cheeks and wispy eyelash fur when Peter approached her from behind.
"El, your niece Stacy doesn't need another FurKin. The last time we visited, I fell asleep on the couch and she tried to bury me in them. Besides I thought you were shopping for Neal and the last time I checked, he was a grown man."
El turned around with a wide grin on her face, ignoring everything that her husband had just said. "This is perfect. What do you think?" She handed the stuffed creature to Peter who immediately drew his forehead into a scowl.
"What's this thing suppose to be?"
"It's a porcupine! See"
Peter turned the tag and read – Peter the Porcupine. "Nooo! … Nooo!"
She continued to grin at her husband's expense, "Neal needs a little levity in his life."
"Come on El. Look over there …. a nice travel mug and a card?"
He stood glaring down at the blushing porcupine. "He's gonna show this thing to Jones and Cruz." Elizabeth snatched the FurKin from his grasp as Peter rolled his eyes. "Not gonna hear the end of this."
Elizabeth added a syringe shaped pen to her purchase and box of mints. They left gift shop with El smiling and swinging the gift bag on her fingers and Peter following by her side. The elevator bell pinged as they reached the 8th floor. Peter gave El a gentle nudge as they exited and she started to giggle. He glanced over at his wife from the corner of his eye, "Must be sleep deprivation."
As they approached Neal's room, they notice for the first time, the door to room 811 was closed and the nurses' station was vacant. Elizabeth's stomach lurched as Peter cracked the door open.
A nasal sounding voice announced, "Inhalation Therapy, give me five!"
Peter and El looked at each other with astonishment, "Mozzie?"
A short balding man wearing dark blue scrubs stood facing away from the door. "I said give me five!"
"Unbelievable! What on-line school granted you another degree?"
Mozzie turned and faced the Burke's, "Oh, I assure you that this one is a complete ruse Mr. Suit, solely for the purpose of gaining access to our mutual friend here." Mozzie raised his eyebrows above his glasses and shifted his gaze over to Neal.
"You had better not have touched anything."
"Humph, touched anything, you have got to be kidding! You do release that the prion that causes Mad Cow Disease can't be killed by the current standard for both steam and cold chemical sterilization and that's just the one that they're acknowledging!"
Mozzie crossed his arms and shifted his gaze down toward the plastic bag of yellow liquid hanging on the lower bed railing and smirked, "Well I see they're at least keeping him well hydrated. He is in for a real surprise when he finds out the origin of that tube!"
Peter sighed and ran his hand back through his hair. "Just how long have you been here?"
"About 10 minutes." Mozzie lowed his voice and reached over to touch Neal. "He looks pretty bad … Seriously, how is he doing? "
Elizabeth looked up from her notepad, "He is running a fever but the nurses say his vitals are stable. He was awake earlier and tried to talk to me but he became nauseous and was in a tremendous amount of pain. The nurse gave him some medicine to quiet his stomach and it made him sleepy. I guess he hasn't awoken since I left over an hour ago."
Mozzie shivered and shook his hands as if they were tingling. "It's eerie seeing him like this. I've known Neal along time and we've gotten into some scrapes but nothing this serious."
Neal mumbled and turned his head to the side wrinkling his forehead. "Umm, Vvio-let.
Mozzie reached and gently touched Neal's arm, "Hang in there buddy," picking up his clipboard and spirometer, he motioned for Peter to step out into the hall. "We need to talk … in private."
Peter leaned over and squeezed El's shoulders. "We'll just be down the hall. Come get me if he wakes up."
Neal's paranoid friend motioned for Peter to follow him down the hall. "I don't trust public places for sensitive conversations." Mozzie glanced behind them as they slipped into one of the doctor's On-Call rooms.
Peter sat down on the bed across from Mozzie and placed the profile on Dr. Nesbit between them. "Well a doctor's private On-Call room is a pretty obscure place." Peter nodded toward the folder, "What can you tell me about Violet?"
Mozzie looked up at Peter with an air of mock surprise. "So you know about Violet then." He picked up the folder and skimmed the profile. "Wow, other than that being a really unflattering photo of Violet, I would say that you have most of the facts."
Peter clenched his jaw in refrain, "Just tell me what I don't know."
"Would you like me to start with "Once upon a time"?" he scoffed.
Peter exhaled loudly but refused to acknowledge the comment.
Mozzie cleared his throat and dropped the sarcastic tone. "Okay then, you already know that Neal and Violet are friends. What you don't know is …. It has been almost 5 years since they've seen each other. Neal had been, " Mozzie motioned an air quote, "AWAY"
Peter raised his hand and motioned for Mozzie to move the story along.
" and Violet isn't always well. She arranged to come set up your Crime Lab's new test instrument this week, so she could be with Neal on his birthday. On Friday night, he picked her up at The Mansfield and they attended a patron's only opening for the Monet Water Lilly exhibit at the MoMA, followed by dinner at La Genouville."
Peter propped his feet up on the bed and leaned back, "Man I am paying him way too much."
Mozzie continued, "Oh no, she is from money, old money and I would be lying if money didn't come into play with this true love story."
"I can just bet. So what, now that her husband is out of the picture Neal sees an opportunity?"
"No way! Her husband was Neal's first partner. They met when Neal tried to con Violet out of some patented chemical coating. Neal and Bryan, his partner, stayed with Violet at her Connecticut estate under the guise of being art restorers. Neal allowed himself to become very close friends with Violet and then couldn't go through with the con. Bryan seeing that the con was falling through decided to try to salvage the job and pretended to fall in love with Violet. Neal tried to intervene and it dissolved their partnership. "
Mozzie stood up and leaned against the heating unit. "Bryan married Violet to gain access to her money and patents. The coatings she developed were intended for use in art restoration but also had obvious other disreputable uses. Bryan made a quick deal with art forger Marcus Glassenger, who desired the coating to make his forgeries appear completely authentic."
Now looking out the window, Mozzie rubbed his hands together warming them over the heating vent as he continued. "Neal double-crossed his ex-partner by swapping formulations and some of Glassenger's forgeries were ruined. Glassenger blamed Bryan and he arranged for him to have … well, let's just say an unfortunate accident. Neal knew that Glassenger could be violent and has been very protective of Violet ever since."
Peter nodded, finding it interesting that the young con man purposely botched a job and dissolved his partnership in favor of a friend.
Mozzie walked back over to the bed and sat on the edge. "Violet told me Neal left for June's sometime after midnight. She was suppose to meet Neal at the cafeteria in your building Saturday morning, before finishing the installation of the new test instrument. She got worried when Neal didn't show up and contacted me."
Peter swung his leg over the side of the bed and sat up. "Mozzie, where is Violet? I know she is not at her hotel because I sent Jones and Cruz over there this afternoon. "
Mozzie stood and gathered his things from the bed, "How about some coffee? Italian roast, you know the place. Say around 7:00?"
Author Note: I want to thank all the readers of my story for the kind reviews. This is my first FanFiction and I appreciate any comments that will help with my writing. Please continue to let me know what you think. – SK Musings