Author's Note: Okay I finally managed to update (woop)
Unfortunately I, yet again, did not have the time to edit this properly because I am very stressed right now but wanted to get this up before I have to focus on my next deadline.
I actually had no idea what to write for this (that being said if anyone have any good ideas pls let me know) but I watched another show where a character got shot and I felt like writing this.
I know next to nothing about medical stuff, I've just used what I've read in other fics or seen on shows so there will probably be inaccuracies.
MAN DOWN
Peter's day started out as any other, he woke up, took Satchmo for a walk and then had breakfast.
Elizabeth rushed off to an early meeting and Peter dropped Neal off at school before he went to the office.
Once at the bureau they continued working on a case and thanks to an informant, they got a location where their suspect were working on another forgery.
It was supposed to be a simple arrest, Peter and Jones were supposed to go inside, arrest the guy for his multiple forgeries and then be back at the bureau before lunch.
The suspect, unsurprisingly, decided to run when they came inside but he barely made it a meter before Jones tackled him to the ground.
Jones was trying to put handcuffs on the struggling man while Peter stood by, ready to assist if needed.
The other agent had just managed to get the cuffs on when a man suddenly emerged from another room and Peter instinctively raised his hands when he saw the gun in the man's hand.
According to the informant, their suspect was supposed to be alone so Peter had holstered his own gun, believing that it wouldn't be needed.
The guy with the gun started to shout at them to let his friend go, his shaking voice revealing that he was nervous.
Jones barely had the time to register the man's presence before the nervous guy decided that they weren't moving fast enough and he aimed the gun right at Jones' head.
Without even thinking, Peter leaped forward in order to push Jones aside.
A gunshot rang out and for a second Peter thought that they had made it until he shifted slightly and felt an intense, burning pain in his chest.
'Well that's not good' he thought to himself before he collapsed on the ground.
He could feel Jones moving and then another gunshot was heard and he feared that Jones had been shot too until the other agent appeared in his sight of vision, holding a phone in his hand and shouting something about an ambulance.
Peter let out a loud groan as Jones put his hand on the wound, pressing down on it.
"Stay with me, Peter. The ambulance is on the way."
Jones said, trying and failing to keep his voice steady.
He tried to stay awake but he felt himself slip away more and more.
A sudden thought appeared in his mind, what if he died and would never see his family again?
He needed to let Elizabeth and Neal know how much he loved them.
Peter opened his mouth and tried to tell Jones but the only sound that came out was a painful grunt.
Jones lips were moving but he couldn't really make out what he was saying.
His last thought before he slipped away into unconsciousness was that he wished he had given Elizabeth an extra kiss and that he would've hugged Neal a little tighter.
-
There was a knock on the door, interrupting the peaceful music that was playing.
For today's art class, Mrs. Fisher had put on some music and told everyone to draw whatever the music made them feel or think of.
Another teacher walked into the room and quietly made her way over to Mrs. Fisher, Neal lifted his head for a second to give her an annoyed glance before he continued with his drawing.
Many of the other students had a hard time focusing and was trying to whisper to their friends or were fidgeting but Neal managed to emerge himself in his work completely.
"Neal."
Mrs. Fisher interrupted his process and he looked up, jumping slightly as she had made her way over to his desk without him noticing.
"You need to pack your things, your mom is here to pick you up."
She told him, in a low voice, and he frowned, no one had told him that he was going home early today.
"Why are you leaving now?"
Sara asked him while he gathered his things but he just shrugged, he couldn't even guess.
He whispered a goodbye to Sara, and even said goodbye to Alex, before he left the classroom.
Elizabeth was standing in the corridor outside the classroom and Neal sighed when he approached her.
"We were drawing, 'Lizbeth. I was having fun!"
He whined to make sure she knew that she had interrupted his favourite class of the day.
Elizabeth forced a small smile and just then Neal noticed that her eyes were filled with unshed tears and she was holding an arm around herself, in a self-comforting way.
He looked up at the teacher who had interrupted the class and followed him outside, and noticed that even she looked sad which caused him to get a bad feeling.
Before he had the chance to ask what was going on, Elizabeth crouched down in front of him.
"Your dad got shot today and-"
She informed him, her voice breaking, before pausing in order to control her emotions.
At first Neal just frowned, he wondered how his dad had gotten shot in prison.
He knew that prisoners weren't allowed weapons, so did the guards carry guns?
Neal had no idea.
Elizabeth tried to say something again but had to once again pause and that's when Neal realized that she wouldn't be this upset about James being shot.
She wasn't talking about that dad.
Peter and Elizabeth had recently started to refer to each other as "your dad" and "your mom" when talking to Neal to make it a little easier for him to get used to calling them mommy and daddy.
As soon as it clicked which dad she was talking about, his mind flashed back to when Mozzie had been shot and had fought for his life and then he thought back to his mother's death.
He didn't think he could handle losing Peter too and just the thought of it made it hard to even breathe.
Tears filled up his eyes and Elizabeth reached out for him and pulled him in a tight hug.
"We're going to the hospital, okay?"
She said, her voice breaking yet again, which calmed him down because that meant that at least Peter wasn't dead...yet.
"He's going to be okay."
Elizabeth added and it sounded like she was trying to reassure herself of that too.
The drive to the hospital was painfully long, Elizabeth spent the entire ride trying not to cry, probably afraid that if she started to cry then she would break down completely, while Neal sat in the backseat, his mind constantly taking him back to Mozzie's shooting.
When they arrived at the hospital they were told to wait in a smaller waiting room that was empty, apart from Diana and Jones.
Diana got up to greet Elizabeth while Jones stayed seated, his head buried in his hands, looking absolutely defeated.
There was a small playarea in the corner but Neal had no interest in playing right now, instead he just walked over to Jones.
As he approached the agent lifted his head and he could see tears rolling down the man's cheeks.
Neal had never seen Jones cry before and the sight made him feel even sadder.
"Hey buddy."
Jones greeted, his voice sounding weak, while he forced a small smile.
The boy didn't answer, instead he more or less forced himself up onto Jones' lap and then put his arms around the agent's neck, hugging him tightly.
"He's going to be okay, Jones."
He said, mimicking Elizabeth's words from before.
Jones put his arms around Neal and hugged him back, the agent's body shaking slightly as he started to cry again and Neal allowed the tears to fall from his eyes as well.
It felt like they sat their for an eternity, Neal remaining on Jones' lap while Elizabeth had allowed herself to cry as well and had been comforted by Diana, before a doctor finally came to see them.
Neal had a hard time understanding everything the doctor said but he understood enough to know that there had been a surgery that went well and that Peter was going to be moved to a private room. They waited for a couple of minutes more before the doctor came back and allowed Elizabeth and Neal to go see him.
The room was just down the hall from the waiting room but the walk there felt like it took hours.
Neal had his hand tightly in Elizabeth's and when he stopped in the doorway, he forced her to a halt as well.
He saw Peter in the hospital bed and for some reason it felt even scarier to see Peter like this than it had felt with Mozzie.
Ever since he first met Peter, Neal had seen him as this big, brave and strong FBI agent but right now, in the bed surrounded by equipment and wires, he looked small and pale and nothing like his usual self.
He felt like a different person.
Elizabeth let go of his hand before she crouched down and put her warm hand on his cheek, her thumb gently wiping away a stray tear that had managed to escape.
"I know it looks scary, honey. Do you want to wait outside for another minute?"
Neal thought about it but then quickly shook his head before he took a deep breath and slowly approached the bed.
The first thing he checked was if Peter was breathing, he would never forget the stillness of his mother's chest, and was comforted by the steady movement.
He stood there and looked at him for a couple of minutes and soon he didn't find it as scary anymore.
"When will he wake up?"
"They don't really know, sweetie."
Neal wasn't satisfied with that answer so he reached his hand out and gently shook the agent.
"Peter wake up."
There were no response and he shook him again.
"Wake up, daddy!"
Neal said a little louder but let out a disappointed sigh when Peter remained sleeping.
Elizabeth pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down before she took her husband's hand and giving it a gentle kiss.
"You should listen to your son."
She said, trying to laugh but instead the tears started yet again.
At first they didn't want to let them stay past visiting hours but after the agents had flashed their badges and Neal had flashed his puppy eyes, the nurses allowed them to stay.
Elizabeth did try to get one of the agents to bring Neal home or at least to June's house so that he could get a good night's rest in a proper bed but the kid refused to leave.
The agents stayed in the waiting room while Elizabeth sat in the uncomfortable chair until she eventually fell asleep.
Neal carefully climbed up in Peter's bed and curled up next to him, a nurse came in shortly after that and she told him to not be in the bed.
He flashed her his puppy eyes again and the nurse sighed and made him promise to be careful before she left and he could fall asleep next to Peter.
The next day June showed up, bringing a big bouquet of flowers and a card.
Mozzie had decided not to join since he avoided hospitals if he could but he did call Elizabeth's phone and had a long conversation with Neal which managed to momentarily distract the boy from his worry.
The day went by slowly and they all more or less felt like they were in a trance.
As another evening came Neal sat in Elizabeth's lap as she read out loud from one of Peter's favourite books, just in case he could hear them, and eventually he was lulled asleep by her soft voice.
Neal stretched before he slowly opened his eyes, letting out a yawn as he looked around.
He expected to see the boring white walls and feel the sterile smell sting his nose but instead he saw blue walls and it smelled like home.
It took him a couple of seconds to realize that he was in his own bed but once he did relief spread through his body, it must have all been just a bad dream.
He got out of his bed and sprinted out of his room and into the adults room, ready to jump into their bed but stopped abruptly when he saw that the bed was empty.
Neal frowned and looked around, the dim light from outside told him that it was early morning which meant that they should be sleeping.
Maybe they had woken up early for some reason and gone downstairs to get breakfast?
Neal ran downstairs, expecting to hear Peter or Elizabeth tell him not to run but the reprimand never came.
As he made it downstairs he saw someone asleep on the couch while Satchmo was on the floor next to the couch, licking his paw.
Satchmo stopped his licking and wagged his tail when he noticed the child's presence but Neal ignored the dog and instead walked closer to the sofa.
As he got closer he identified the sleeping person as Mozzie and when he looked over at the kitchen, he saw that it was dark and empty, the Burkes were nowhere to be seen.
The hope that the whole thing had been just a nightmare disappeared and was replaced by a frustration that Elizabeth had sent him home while he was asleep and couldn't protest.
What if Peter woke up now and Neal wasn't there?
He gave the dog a quick pat on his head before he turned to Mozzie and gave him a light slap on his arm.
"I deny everything."
The man said groggily as he sat up, looking around him in confusion before his eyes landed on Neal.
"What's up, kid?"
"Take me back right now!"
He ordered, stomping his foot at the end of the sentence.
"Sorry, kid. I've got orders from Mrs. Suit, she-"
"Fine, I'll go myself!"
He said and started to walk towards the door but Mozzie flew up from the couch and grabbed him before he made it to the front door, he knew that the kid was serious, he had gone to the hosptial on his own to visit Mozzie after all.
"Okay, I will take you back but only if you take a shower, change into some fresh clothes and get some food into you, alright?"
Neal wanted to get there right now but he knew that there was a greater chance of him being sent home again if he showed up wearing the same clothes and not being fed, so he nodded.
He took a quick shower on his own, with Mozzie hovering outside the door in case he needed any help, and then he changed into a couple of jeans and a comfortable grey hoodie with a green t-rex on it.
Neal then practically inhaled the food that Mozzie gave him, thinking that the faster he ate, the faster he would get back to the hospital.
Mozzie let the dog out in the backyard so that he could take care of his needs before they could finally leave.
They took a cab to the hospital and Mozzie immediately grabbed Neal's hand, he wasn't sure if it was to keep Neal from running through the corridors or if it was to comfort Mozzie.
Elizabeth was standing in the waiting room, nursing a cup of coffee, when they arrived.
She looked terrible, it looked like she had aged a couple of years, she had bags under her eyes, her hair was a mess and she looked like she might collapse any second now.
"Mozzie, I told you to keep him home for a while."
Elizabeth said, in a tired and annoyed tone, when she saw them.
"Sorry, the kid's stubborn."
She let out a sigh and shook her head, mumbling something under her breath.
"I wanted to stay here, not go home!"
Neal pointed out to Elizabeth and she sighed again, a hand reaching up to rub at her temple.
"You needed proper rest, sweetie."
"Don't send me home again!"
Neal said, yet again stomping his foot and Elizabeth opened her mouth to answer but then closed it, too tired to argue with the child.
"To be honest, you look like you need some proper rest yourself and a change of clothes."
Mozzie pointed out and she looked down at herself, taking in her own appearance.
"Go home and rest, mommy."
Neal told her, his tone much softer than before, and Elizabeth glanced over at the room Peter was in before her shoulders slumped and she nodded.
"Okay but I'll come back in a few hours."
She ruffled Neal's still damp hair before she walked over to Jones, who was refusing to leave until he knew his boss was okay, to make sure that he could watch Neal since Mozzie was desperate to get out of here.
Elizabeth and Mozzie left and Neal walked over to Jones, who still looked defeated.
"Hey, kid."
He greeted and Neal once again climbed up onto the agent's lap, sensing that he needed the comfort right now.
"He hasn't woken up yet, so you didn't miss anything."
The agent updated him while he enveloped the kid, hugging him tightly.
"Your dad saved my life, you know?"
Jones said and Neal, who hadn't been told exactly what had happened, now understood why Jones was so sad and didn't want to leave.
The agent proceeded to tell him how the gun had been aimed at his head but Peter had pushed him out of the way.
"I'm glad he saved you, I like you Jones."
Neal told him and the agent's grip around him tightened.
Elizabeth ended up sleeping for longer than she had expected so when she returned she was a little stressed but at least she looked well rested and changed clothes.
Neal was curled up next to Peter when she returned and he shook his head, answering the unspoken question and her face fell before she sat down in the chair.
She sat there for an hour or two before she got up to stretch her legs and get some coffee.
Meanwhile Neal fought to stay awake but found it hard to keep his eyes open, this whole ordeal was making him exhausted.
He decided that a quick nap might not hurt and he was almost asleep when a low, barely audible moan reached his ears.
Neal opened his eyes, wondering if it was just his tired mind playing tricks on him but then he felt movement next to him.
Peter seemed to be waking up, he let out a soft grunt before Neal could see his eyes open and the kid sat up.
The lights seemed to bother Peter because he had to blink a couple of times before he could keep his eyes open and once he could do that, he looked confused.
"Daddy!"
Neal said and put his face in his field of vision before he put his arms around the man, carefully hugging him before he straightened.
"MOMMY! MOMMY!"
He yelled which caused Peter to flinch and Neal realized that he was being too loud.
"Sorry."
"Neal."
Peter croaked, his voice low and hoarse.
"You got shot Peter but you're okay now."
He said just as Elizabeth came into the room, she looked like she was about to scold him for yelling but when she noticed her husband's brown eyes watching her, she forgot all about it.
She rushed forward and gave him a kiss before she rushed back to the hallway calling out that he was awake and soon the other agents as well as a nurse came into the room.
Jones lifted Neal from the bed, the child protesting loudly, to give the nurse some space to do some tests.
Once the nurse had left the room, they gave Peter some water to soothe his dry throat.
"Do you remember what happened?"
Diana asked and Peter seemed to think for a couple of seconds before he nodded.
"Yeah, second guy with a gun."
He answered, his voice still hoarse but sounding somewhat better than when he had first woken up.
"I can't thank you enough for pushing me out of the way. You saved my life."
Jones said, tears glistening in his eyes, as he reached out and gently patted his boss' shoulder.
Peter gave the other agent a tired smile.
"You would've done the same for me."
He then turned to Elizabeth and Neal.
"I love you both"
He paused to take a small sip of water before he added
"More than you could ever know."
Peter was so incredibly thankful that he had survived so that he could tell them that.
Elizabeth smiled at him, a few happy tears rolling down her cheeks, and took his hand in hers, squeezing it tightly.
"I love you too, hon."
Neal climbed up on the bed again, careful not to accidentally cause Peter any pain.
"I love you too, daddy."
Neal said as he reached out and ran his small fingers through Peter's hair, just like the adults used to do to him when he needed comfort.
Peter and Elizabeth shared a fond look since Neal hadn't actually said those words to any of them yet.
Peter yawned and closed his eyes and within seconds he was asleep again.
Neal was a little disappointed that he had gone back to sleep but he had learned from when Mozzie got shot that his body needed the rest.
"When can he go home?"
He asked, making sure to whisper so that he wouldn't disturb.
"I don't know sweetie, but he'll have to stay here for at least a couple of days."
Neal nodded before he curled up next to Peter again, ready to take that nap.
Jones left the room to call and update June while Diana left to update the agents at the bureau.
Elizabeth sat down in the chair again, watching her two favourite boys sleep, and smiled to herself, finally believing that everything was going to be okay.
After the weekend Elizabeth forced Neal to go back too school, which he wasn't too happy about, but at least he got to spend the entire afternoons at the hospital before he was forced to go home.
Peter got better and better for every day and after a little more than a week at the hospital, the doctor felt that he could be sent home with very strict orders to be on bed-rest and to avoid any demanding physical activities.
Jones and Neal went to the hospital to pick Peter up while Elizabeth stayed at home and prepared the couch for Peter since he had been told to avoid stairs for a while.
Jones decided to cook dinner for them all and Diana, June and even Mozzie came over to eat and to visit Peter.
When the guests left they watched a movie before Elizabeth took Satchmo for a walk while Peter made up a bedtime story to tell Neal.
Once he had finished his, pretty crappy, story Peter thought Neal was asleep but then he heard the kid mumble
"Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"I was really scared."
Neal confessed, his head was resting on Peter's chest and he was comforted by the sound of the agent's beating heart, each beat a confirmation that he was still alive.
"I was really scared too, buddy."
"You're not allowed to die, daddy."
Neal mumbled before he yawned.
"Love you too much."
He added before he succumbed to sleep.
Peter was left surprised and incredibly moved by his words and he made a vow that for Neal's sake he would do his very best to stay alive for as long as possible.