One of the Best
Disclaimer: White Collar belongs to Jeff Eastin and USA Network & Dr. Cal Lightman of Lie to Me belongs to FOX (not a crossover, just a mention)
A/N: I think it's great that there was support for both Peter & Elle's viewpoints in the reviews. I think they both made valid arguments!
Also, I think it would be really great if Peter had Dr. Lightman interview Neal… that would be one interesting and hopefully revealing conversation. However, I'm not smart enough to come up with it. : ( Both shows just amaze me!
Chapter 6
Elle found herself wandering around Central Park with no specific destination in mind. The tears were still rolling down her cheeks, and she felt her anger at Peter slowly dissipating as she walked. She had just wanted him to understand that she wanted what was best for Neal and she didn't think telling him about his past was going to make him feel better. She felt guilty now that she had mentioned Kate and the plane explosion. She just wanted Neal to be happy, have a good job, a home and family and someone that loved him. While she knew in her heart that Neal really did love Kate, she had learned enough from Peter to suspect that Kate did not share the same feelings. She felt sorry for Neal; losing a love was never easy, but now that he had no memories, she wanted to help him make new ones, encourage him and do everything she could to prevent him from ever going back to his old lifestyle.
Elle suddenly realized she had no idea how long she had been walking; she was getting a bit tired, so she found a bench to sit down and rest for a moment. She wondered if Peter was even worried about her or wondered where she had gone. She checked her cell phone, but she didn't see any missed calls. She wasn't really sure she wanted to apologize to him yet anyway; he always thought his way, the FBI way, was the best.
##
Elle still had had not returned. Peter realized this probably meant that she was even more upset than he had thought. He also admitted to himself that he probably shouldn't have been so defensive, but for some reason he had this super-protective sense with all things concerning Neal, and he was feeling really guilty about the whole situation anyway. After all, it was his fault that Neal was in this predicament anyway, he should have done something more to protect him. Peter had come up with several scenarios, but still wasn't sure what the best course of action was. He was willing to concede that Elle had been right in one and only one instance; there really were only two conditions on which his agreement with Neal had been based: 1) Help the White Collar division catch other criminals or 2) go back to jail. Peter regretted that there were no other options; there was just no contingency plan for something like this. He just had to think of some way that Neal could be of use without having to go undercover, before Hughes decided Neal wasn't worth the trouble. An agent could just take some leave; use long term disability, but in Neal's case things were different; he wasn't an agent, and their agreement was contingent on Neal's ability to solve cases.
Ever since he had gotten back from suspension, Peter had been under even closer scrutiny by Hughes and the higher ups regarding his deal with Neal. In their eyes, Mentor had never existed, and Neal had tried to escape. To them this proved he was capable of getting out of the tracking anklet and was willing to run, even with the threat of going back to prison over his head. Now that it looked like Neal could be out of commission for an extended period of time, Peter was trying to figure out how to convince Hughes that they shouldn't just abandon him as a consultant even though the FBI wouldn't be obligated to keep him on if he wasn't consulting on cases. Peter hoped that after the whole Mentor controversy he would still be able to pull in a few favors to help Neal, but he figured that it was going to cost him any goodwill he had left. He couldn't afford to be wrong about this.
##
As Elle was walking home, she realized that as tired as she was, she simply wouldn't be able to sleep without checking on Neal. She was worried about him, and clearly Peter wasn't concerned about where she was anyway. She considered just sleeping at the hospital; at least there was someone there who appreciated her presence even if she wasn't who Neal thought she was.
##
Peter decided he needed to visit Neal to get his mind off his fight with Elle; even Satch laying on his lap and licking his face wasn't helping him shake this guilty feeling about their fight. He was also hoping that by talking to Neal he would somehow be able to figure out what to do without getting himself in further trouble with Elle.
When Peter arrived at the hospital, a nurse was checking Neal's vital signs and changing various bandages. She turned around when Peter entered. Peter recognized her as Holly, another nurse who checked up on Neal when Shari, Neal's regular nurse, was off.
"Hello Agent Burke, good to see you again! Neal here is doing much better."
Holly had a really perky grin that seemed to lighten up the room even though it was dark outside.
"Thanks, Holly. That's great news."
Peter really was trying to be friendly, but one glance at his partner and Peter honestly didn't think Neal looked any better; he didn't notice any less equipment attached to Neal either.
Holly finished her routine by taking Neal's blood pressure and scribbling it on her chart, and then headed for the door.
"Bye!"
Peter nodded at her. He was aware Neal's eyes were following his every move, but he still hadn't spoken.
"I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here."
Peter looked for a reaction, but still there was just a silent stare.
"My name is Peter Burke and I'm with the FBI."
Peter pulled out his badge to show Neal. Neal's eyes studied the badge, but still said nothing, and Peter didn't see any trace of recognition.
##
Neal saw the tall man come in while Holly was taking his vital signs and changing his bandages, which she seemed to do way too often for Neal's liking. He realized he wasn't fond of waking up in the middle of the night either just so someone could make sure he was okay. Neal had to admit though that he would rather have Shari or Holly in the room than to be alone with the tall man, but he was afraid to voice his feelings on the matter.
"I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here."
The tall man looked down at him as if waiting for an answer. Neal thought that was a pretty dumb statement seeing as he was obviously lying in a hospital bed and the only time a cop would come to see you is when they wanted to ask you questions about what had happened.
"My name is Peter Burke and I'm with the FBI."
The tall man finally had a name. He pulled out an official looking badge and held it up where Neal could see it. Neal scanned it and it looked official enough for him. He was feeling very uneasy wondering why the Feds, instead of the cops, were so interested in him. Neal looked back up at Agent Burke's face and found the agent staring back at him. This guy was really creepy Neal thought. He wished the agent would just go away and leave him alone, it wasn't like he had any information he could give the Fed anyway.
Peter had finally decided that no matter what Elle said he wanted to stick to the truth as much as possible, just in case Neal's memory came back. He was, however, not quite so sure he wanted to reveal Neal's actual reason for working with the FBI just yet.
"Your name is Neal Caffrey. You work with me at the FBI. You're my partner and consultant. We solve cases together."
While Peter didn't get the response he was hoping for, he was pleased to notice that Neal's eyes got bigger and his mouth opened to form an "o" clearly indicating Neal's surprise at the statement.
"Do you remember any of our old cases?"
Peter was trying to start a conversation to see what kind of reaction Neal would have to the information and if he could possibly jog Neal's memory.
"Do you remember a painting that had been stolen from a residence that we investigated? It was a Haustenberg."
Still no response from Neal, but his eyes stayed focused on Peter.
"It was entitled 'Young Girl with Locket.' We were able to recover the painting and it was returned to the Channing Museum who laid claim to it saying it had been stolen from them years before."
Peter didn't mention that Neal had actually stolen the painting in question, but was trying to probe to see if Neal would remember any other details, including the painting's beautiful owner.
Neal still just stared at him with a blank look.
It had crossed Peter's mind that this could possibly be Neal's greatest con ever if he could actually convince everyone that he didn't remember anything. Peter wasn't sure what exactly that would gain him, but Peter just couldn't let it go; he had to see if there was any kind of reaction that flickered across Neal's face, anything that wasn't completely innocent. Neal couldn't possibly know that the tracker had been taken off because it interfered with the hospital equipment. Peter knew that Neal, in his current condition, wouldn't be going anywhere for a long time; he just wasn't so sure if Neal was completely aware of that.
It occurred to Peter right then that he could really use the services of Dr. Cal Lightman to read Neal's expressions, but then he would have to admit out loud (again) that he didn't totally trust his partner and he was already in enough trouble with Elle over his comments.
Peter looked down at Neal, painfully aware of the IV drip, the oxygen flowing through a tube to his nose to ease the stress on his lungs and chest, and the heart monitor that was monotonously droning on. He couldn't be mad at Neal, his heart was just breaking looking at the condition he was in, but he didn't understand why Neal wouldn't talk to him. There weren't any tubes in his throat, and Holly had specifically told him Neal was getting better.
Peter's thoughts were interrupted by a door creaking; he thought it was much too soon for another checkup for Neal and was stunned when he saw who it was.