Chapter 5

Neal's recovery was slow. His physical therapy was painful. He was very weak, stiff and sore from lying in the bed so long. The coma had lasted nearly a month. Each day spent under the watchful eye of June Wellington. El was not able to be there absolutely every day. But, she came as often as she could and stayed as long as she could, sometimes bringing her work with her to occupy her during the long hours at Neal's bedside, waiting for him to wake up. Peter popped in to see Neal, on occasion. He never stayed too long. And he avoided going into the room, unless he had happened to pick a time when June was not there, and that didn't happen often. He would then sit and talk to the young conman for a moment or two. But, then he would hurry and leave, not wanting to see June. He didn't want to cause a scene, knowing that it would upset Neal.

Peter got the names for the agent and the prison official who had leaked the information that had nearly gotten Neal killed. The agent was given a 5 year term. It doesn't sound like much, but five years in Riker's is like 15 years anywhere else. Especially when you were being verbally and physically threatened from the moment you enter the prison because everyone in the whole place knows you were a former FBI agent. The guard didn't fare any better he was also given five years, and also at Riker's. And the guards promised Agent Burke to make sure that the former guard knew what it really felt like to be a prisoner.

Peter paused outside the conman's hospital room door. He knew that June was in there, he could hear the two talking. The agent stood outside the room for a moment. He knew that both of them knew that he was standing there.

"Come in, Agent Burke." Neal said. He had seen Peter's shadow just outside the door.

Peter was caught. He appeared in the doorway. "Neal, I…."

"I'd better go." June said standing. She really had no desire to talk to the agent, or to hear what he had to say.

"June..." Peter started.

"June, please stay." Neal asked June as he took her hand.

June turned and looked at Neal. She squeezed his hand and resumed her seat.

"Neal, this…I'm so sorry for what happened. You were to be in an isolated area, completely away from other inmates. I just…that guard." Peter said, trying to explain something that was essentially unexplainable.

June shook her head. "Don't lay all this on a guard. Somebody had to tell him about Neal's work with the FBI. Somebody had to…."

Peter just looked at her for a moment. "You think I would do that? Do you really think that I would do that?"

"Before all this happened I would have said no, Agent Burke." June stated. "But now…."

"I didn't…!" The agent protested.

"What I can't figure out is your motive." Ms. Ellington said.

"There is no…there was no motive, June." Peer said shaking his head. "I would never have…."

They stopped arguing and turned their attention to Neal when they heard him moan. They then saw him put his hand to his chest. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the pain.

"I think you should leave now, Agent Burke." June said, then turned her attention to Neal.

"Neal…." Peter pleaded.

Neal shook his head. "Go…just go!" He said through the pain.

WC WC WC WC WC

Neal Caffrey was a non-topic between the Burkes these days. El went to see him as often as she could. And she told Peter how things were going with him. But, as happy as Peter was that Neal was getting better, he was just as sad that he would never get back the great relationship that he had had with the conman. The agent knew that Neal would never trust him again. El took Peter's sadness as indifference and callousness towards Neal. She didn't understand it and it made her very angry.

"I don't get you." El said. "What is with the sudden change in attitude?"

Peter stared at his wife. "What?"

"I tell you about how good Neal is doing, how he's improving, and you act like you wished that he hadn't made it."

Peter stared at his wife. "What? No, El…no. I'm glad Neal is getting better. I really am. It's just…I can never get back what we had. And I miss that. I miss him, El. I considered him a friend.?"

"You're not even going to try?" El asked.

Peter sighed. "I have…I…it's just…Neal doesn't want to see me. He…and June…. She's down-right hostile."

El went to her husband and slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest.

"I tried my best, El." Peter explained. "I did my best to get him into a part of the prison where he would be the safest. I tried to make sure that the prison officials knew how…valuable he had been to us for all the information he had given us. I emphasized that Riker's contained several prisoners that Neal had helped put away. I made absolutely sure that they knew that, so that they take extra precautions with him." The agent sighed. "But, despite it all, despite everything…they got to him. They still got to him."

El looked up at her husband. She could see the pain in his eyes. And she wanted to take that pain away. But, she didn't know how. She shook her head. "I don't know what you can do."

Peter looked down at her with determination in his eyes. "I do."

TBC

What will Peter do? Stay tuned! I will try not to make you wait so long next time. And, thank you all for your continued support with your reading, alerting, and reviewing. JL