By the Book

Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Morning After

Hospital, New Haven. January 1, 2004 – Thursday morning, very early.

Neal sat on a bed in the emergency department. He'd put his shoes and suit jacket back on, and was waiting for a wheelchair. He'd tried asking what Henry had said to Peter, and then Peter had gone silent. That worried Neal a bit. Henry could be unpredictable.

Finally Peter asked, "Do you regret anything you've done, Neal?"

He pondered that a moment. "I didn't notice Kate had a gun. I honestly didn't think to check. I should have paid more attention."

"No. That's not what I meant. I'm not asking about this assignment. I want to know if you regret any of those crimes you confessed to before coming to work for me."

"Oh. Well, that's –"

"Mr. Caffrey," said a male voice he didn't recognize. "If you'll sign here, we'll get you checked out."

Neal took the pen he was handed and signed the form. He was ninety-percent sure he signed his real name, and not Charles D'Arcy.

"All right then, Mr. Caffrey, let's get you into the wheelchair."

"Should I pull around the main entrance?" Peter asked.

"Yes, sir. No rush. We'll take it nice and slow."

Neal swayed a bit as he tried to stand. The nurse grabbed one arm to steady him, and Peter stepped forward to grab the other side.

"Easy," Peter cautioned. When Neal was safely in the wheelchair, Peter said, "I'll see you at the car."

###

As soon as Peter entered the waiting room, Clinton Jones stood. "Hey, Agent Burke, is Caffrey going to be okay?"

"Yeah, they're bringing him out now. Give me the car keys, and we'll drive around to meet them at the front entrance." He paused. "You know, you don't have to call me Agent Burke all the time. Peter is fine." Jones followed him outside. Peter started the car and said, "You were going to look into Henry Winslow."

"I did a basic background check. Nothing popped as suspicious."

"Do a deep background check. I want to know everything I can about this guy. I need to know what he's up to."

"You're the boss." Jones noticed the boss was tired. Well, what did you expect? The man took his responsibility to the FBI and to his team seriously. He'd spent the evening worrying about getting a warrant to search the Sinclair home, only to learn it wasn't Benny they needed to go after. He worried about getting Collins out safely, only to learn Collins hadn't really been kidnapped. And he had been worrying about a new guy on his first undercover assignment, only to learn Rice was taking huge risks with the guy's safety, and that the new guy himself was willing to take equally huge risks. Oh, and add in a cat burglar for fun. No wonder Peter seemed wiped out.

They got Caffrey into the front passenger seat, reclining it so he could rest. Agent Wiese was staying in Connecticut to continue working her case against Wickham, and wouldn't be joining them for the return trip. Jones offered to drive, and Peter surprised him by agreeing. "Stop when we're near the state line," Peter instructed. "We'll get some coffee and I'll drive the rest of the way."

Peter settled into the back. Jones adjusted the mirrors and then got underway. In the rearview mirror, he could see Peter's head bob. He was asleep, or nearly there.

Caffrey was clearly exhausted, but fighting it. He was rubbing his face, blinking his eyes, stretching his limbs to stay awake.

"I would've thought you'd be asleep before the boss. Why are you fighting it?" Jones asked.