White Collar: An unofficial novel - part 9

Burning aliases

Without a word, Peter followed the ambulance taking Mozzie to the hospital. Neal sat in the passenger's seat beside Peter, totally perplexed that someone had wanted to kill his friend. Maybe it was random, but by the witness' statement, it did not feel like it. Moz may not have a legal bone in his body, but he was nonviolent, just like Neal. They did not leave that kind of hate behind them.

"It must be connected to the music box," Neal said. There was no other explanation. Peter did not reply.

The ambulance in front of them stopped and Peter let Neal off to follow Mozzie inside. He was soon guided away from the commotion saving life and left in a waiting room with the paperwork.

'Full name' he read on the form. All he knew was 'Mozzie' and he was certain that was not his real name, nor a name he wanted in any records. He smiled as he wrote a name he was quite sure his friend would agree with.

Peter joined him and could not help peeking at the form.

"Ivan? Don't tell me he has Russian origin."

Neal shrugged.

"None that I know of."

"So his name isn't Ivan?" Peter asked. Neal preferred not to answer. "You come up with an alias just like that? Oh, don't answer that. I know you do."

Neal could not help a slight smile.

Then it was time for hours of waiting. It was night by now though they did not see much of it. Jones came by with decent coffee. Elizabeth joined for an hour and brought sandwiches. Neal loved her for it, but he was not hungry. She was not motherly enough to insist.

At last, a doctor joined them, telling them that the patient, Ivan, should live.

Neal and Peter visited Mozzie's room, where he lay in a bed, unconscious, connected to a row of equipment making sure he stayed alive.

Neal watched the world outside through the window by the bed and thought of Sara and how she had felt when everyone thought she was dead. The world moved on as if nothing happened.

"Neal..." Peter's gentle voice behind him. "We need to go." Neal did not move. He could just as much be chained to the bed. He would stay. "He's in a medically induced coma. There's nothing you can do for him here. But there's something you can do out there." Neal blinked and faced Peter. What? "Come on."

Peter watched Neal by Mozzie's bed. The kid's friend in the bed was a criminal. The kid himself was a criminal. Still, violence seemed so far away in their world. These two were obvious proof that you did not need violence to get what you want.

Neal was probably right in his conclusion that the music box was involved.

"Neal..." he said, calling the kid's attention. "We need to go." He got little or no reaction. "He's in a medically induced coma. There's nothing you can do for him here. But there's something you can do out there." He had the kid's attention now. "Come on." He walked out of the hospital room, certain that Neal would follow.

They got in the car and Peter headed towards the office.

"The hospital," the kid started and paused.

"Yes?"

"It's outside my radius."

And naturally, he wanted to visit Mozzie.

"Let me know when you want to visit and I make sure you get there." Peter was in no mood to hand out more favors than that to a con-man who officially was under house arrest and had been close to killing a man less than twenty-four hours ago.