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aragarnaTitle: Hush Little Baby
Author: Aragarna
Genre, rating: hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, family, gen, PG13
Characters: Peter, Neal, Diana, Theo
Spoilers: up to 5x13. Story goes AU from there.
Word count: 3700
Summary: As they're victims of a car accident during a snow storm, Peter tries to keep Theo safe and warm while Neal and Diana go get help.
Author's Note: This is my entry for the H/C Advent. Many thanks to the awesome![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
citrinesunset for the beta work. The amazing art cover is of course from our favorite artist kanarek13. This story was written before the beginning of season 6, and therefore is now kinda AU, assuming El actually went to DC.
Peter stopped at the red light and glanced into the rear-view mirror at baby Theo, sound asleep in his car seat at the back of the car.
The visibility had notably decreased since they left Washington and Peter couldn’t wait to reach the more urban landscapes of the city. He didn’t like driving in such bad conditions. Heavy snowflakes were falling relentlessly from the sky, catching the beam from his car lights, and now that night had fallen, Peter could barely see a hundred feet ahead. Driving back and forth between New York and DC in those conditions was no fun and he couldn’t wait for this winter to be over.
They had had a great weekend though. He had invited Neal to join, and with El they had visited the Museum of Air and Space on Saturday and had a lovely lunch with the Berrigans on Sunday. Diana had been visiting her parents, and had taken advantage of the boys driving down to tag along in the car with baby Theo.
Now Peter was driving all the New Yorkers back up to the city, and he was feeling the Sunday night blues. Peter really hated Sunday nights these days.
The light turned green and, cautiously pressing the gas pedal, Peter moved the car forward through the crossroad. Suddenly, a movement caught his eyes on his left and he barely had the time to realize that a car was rushing in his direction, at full speed and all lights off, before it crashed against his car. Peter briskly turned the wheel, but it was too late. Diana screamed. A fraction of second, the world seemed to stand still, and then there was the impact. The shock was terrible. Peter felt the car being projected sideway as his head was hurt violently on the side. Everything became hazy and thick. Shock, pain. And through the deafening silence that settled after the crash, Peter heard muffled sounds.
“…ke sure he’s dead.”
“They’re several people in the car. Is that his wife? Shit, nobody said anything about a baby. I don’t kill babies.”
Peter heard gunshots, a scream.
“Let’s get out of here!”
Peter tried to move and get a glance at the people outside, but his body didn’t seem to be responding. He couldn’t make his surroundings, and slowly he drifted into darkness.
He was drawn from unconsciousness by a piercing sound striking through his skull and brain. Peter pressed his eyelids shut, hoping it would stop. It didn’t. Slowly getting more alert, he identified the piercing sound as being from Theo, who was screaming his lungs out right in his ears. Peter opened his eyes and raised his head. It hurt like hell. He let go a short moan and slowly looked around. In the dark, he could barely see anything. He guessed, more than he saw, Diana on the passenger seat next to him, holding Theo close against her chest, rocking and shushing him.
“Peter, thank god, you’re awake,” she said.
Peter groaned. “You okay?”
“More or less,” Diana said.
“Theo?”
“Very much alive if you ask me…” Neal croaked from the backseat.
“Neal, are you hurt?” Peter asked as he tried to turn in his seat to look at his friend. He immediately regretted it as a sharp pain radiated through his left leg. He hissed through his teeth.
“I don’t think it’s too serious,” Neal said.
“Did they hit you?”
“No, but the front seat did. I don’t think they actually shot a single round. I guess they weren’t expecting any resistance.”
Peter looked at Diana, confused. She held up a firearm. “I hope I got one of those bastards.”
“Are they gone?”
“It seems so,” Neal said.
“It’s hard to tell if Theo is hurt,” Diana said, a vivid distress audible in her voice. “He keeps screaming, but I can’t tell if it’s from pain or scare. The baby seat seemed to have protected him well enough, but….”
“It’s gonna be okay,” Peter said, sounding more confident than he felt.
He reached for the inside light switch on the ceiling. A bleak light shined through the compartment. Peter blinked against the sudden light.
Checking on Theo, he didn’t see any obvious sign of injury, which didn’t mean there wasn’t. His mother though, was another story. There was a dark red patch of blood on her right temple, where she must have hit the passenger window.
“You are hurt,” he said.
“It’s nothing,” she countered. “I’m much more concerned about you. You lost consciousness for a bit.”
Peter had to admit he didn’t feel that well. He still felt foggy and slow, and there was a sour pain riding through his whole body. But he didn’t want to think too much about it. His head was throbbing and he tried to palp his scalp. He felt the warm stickiness of blood. He withdrew his hand and the sight of the blood on his fingers made him wince.
He looked over at Neal, ignoring the protests from his whole body as he moved again on his seat. Neal was holding a hand over his nose and his face and shirt were covered in blood. Peter felt his heart squeeze.
“Nosebleed,” Neal twanged. “I hope it’s not broken. Not sure about the rest. Some things hurt.”
Peter’s anxiety spiked. Taking a better look at his situation and the damages to the car, he realized how squeezed he was, pressed on the gear stick by the crushed door. He barely had any room for his legs, and when he tried to move them, something seemed to hold his left leg back, causing an excruciating pain. Peter clenched his teeth and gripped the wheel tightly to refrain a scream. He glanced sideway at Diana, who was looking at him with serious concern. Peter did his best to relax, but he had to admit Diana was probably right. He seemed to have taken the hardest blow from the hit.
He reached for his cell, in the inside pocket of his jacket. The phone didn’t seem to have suffered much from the wreck. The screen lit up, but there was no signal. He felt a shiver run between his shoulder blades. There was fog coming out of their mouths. Three out of the four side windows had been blown and the icy air was taking away all warmth at a dangerous speed.
“We need to get some help,” Peter urged.
“I haven’t seen much traffic around here,” Neal stated.
Peter tried to remember their location. “There should be a gas station in about 2 or 3 miles.”
They all exchanged meaningful looks. It wasn’t impossible, but in this weather, it was still chancy. It was probably still their best chance though.
Peter tried to force open his door with a push from his shoulder. “I’ll go, you stay put.”
“No!” Diana and Neal shouted in chorus.
Peter tried to extricate himself out of his seat, but the pain radiating from his leg got so sharp that he had to bite his sleeve not to scream. He closed his eyes and rested his head on headrest, breathing heavily.
“I’ll go,” Neal said.
“It’s dangerous,” Diana countered. “You shouldn’t go alone. Plus, I’m the one with a gun.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“She’s right, Neal,” Peter said.
“You can’t go with Theo!” Neal protested.
“I’ll take care of Theo,” Peter said.
Diana held her son even closer, looking from Theo to Peter, then to Neal. Theo’s screams had subsided into more normal sobs. She continued to rock him gently, pondering the right course of action.
“I don’t know, Peter….”
“I’ll go on my own, you three stay there,” Neal said as he moved toward his door.
Diana’s glare stopped him short.
“Diana,” Peter said softly. “Go with Neal. Give me Theo. I’ll keep him warm. You know it’s the best solution.”
“What if they come back?”
“I doubt it, but in any case, I have my gun in the trunk, just give it to me on your way out.”
“And what if….”
Her voice trailed off but Peter understood. What if he passed out again.
“I’ll still keep him warm. It’s safer for him here with me, than outside.”
Peter took his hands out, and, reluctantly, Diana gave him Theo. Peter took the baby. A little awkward, he sat Theo sideway on his lap and tugged him against his chest, wrapping him inside his jacket. Diana handed him Theo’s blanket and he covered him as best as he could. Diana made sure his feet and hands were well tucked in and the little woolen hat properly adjusted on her son’s head.
“It’ll be fine,” Peter said encouragingly. “Now please, go. It’s time.”
Diana and Neal forced open their doors, letting an icy draft of air whirl inside the car. They both shot Peter and Theo one last glance, and shutting close their doors, they left, heads tilted against the wind, walking closely side by side. Quickly, they disappeared, swallowed by the snow into the darkness.
Peter shivered. Theo was sobbing in his arms and he started to rock him gently, putting a soothing
hand at the back of his little head.
“It’s gonna be okay, kiddo,” Peter said, as much to reassure himself as to calm Theo. “Mom and Uncle Neal are gonna get help.”
Peter started singing the only lullaby he could remember, Hush Little Baby, that his mother used to sing to him when he had trouble falling asleep.
“Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat…”
Not remembering the next verses, Peter hummed the rest of the song, until Theo finally stopped crying.
Everything went quiet. The snow-muffled silence was making Peter feeling uncomfortably isolated, the only sound being the wind blowing through the broken windows, whistling its sinister cold, and wrapping around the two sole beings trapped in their so ill-insulated cage.
“You know, your mother is a hell of an agent,” Peter told Theo. “She’s tough. And smart. She’s grown so fast. I still remember her first days in the division. She was so young – not that she’s old now, but you know, fresh out of the academy. And yet she already had that confidence. She’s just incredible, your mom. On her first day, in the office, she wanted to go on a field operation. Most probies are too happy to have to fill all the paperwork, stalling the moment they’d have to start actual grown-up work. But not Diana. She was all grown-up already, or she seemed to be, to me, at the time, compared to the other fresh recruits. But now I can see how much she’s grown.
“She’ll make a great Supervisory Agent, with her own team. I can’t wait for the day I’ll give her that promotion. I sure hope I’ll be the one to promote her, like I promoted Jones earlier this year. I’m so lucky to have such a great team of people. So talented. And loyal. We make a good team. Of course there’s Neal too. He’s part of the team too, even if he’s not an agent.”
Peter sighed. “I’m going to miss him, when he’ll be gone… I kinda hope he’ll stay with us. He could still be a consultant if he wanted to. He’s good at it. See, I’m surrounded by so many smart and talented people.”
Peter paused for a second, getting aware of the randomness of his ramble. But Theo seemed to enjoy it. Or, more likely, the simple sound of his voice was soothing him. So, Peter went on, trying to ignore the cold slowly gaining through the layers of clothes. He squeezed Theo a little tighter against him.
“You know, I always get credit for catching Neal using Kate, but it’s actually Diana who was the very first to suggest it. Until then I hadn’t dug much into her. I knew they’d pulled some cons together – probably with Mozzie too – but she wasn’t a big catch. Neal was obviously the brain and leader of the team. He was the one I had to catch. But your mom suggested to look into Kate, and that was a hell of a good idea. Kate was definitely Neal’s Achilles’s heel.”
Head bent against the wind, they walked in silence, following the edge of the road. At first they walked side by side, but then Diana suggested that one should walk in front, protecting – a little – the other from the wind and snow, like racing cyclists. She took the first shift.
They both had their hands tucked in their coat’s pockets, and a scarf partially covering their faces. Neal had even accepted to put on a woolen hat that he had found in Peter’s trunk. In this wind and cold, that was a much more appropriate protection than his fedora.
The bite of the cold wind was brutal. His body was shaken by violent spams of shivers, and his throat was sore from the cold air he was breathing. But they kept going, silent, resolute.
The bite of the cold was getting more and more pressing. Peter shifted his hold on Theo. His hands were getting numb. He blew on his free hand to warm it up, then he reached for Theo’s. They were cold too and Peter blew on them. Theo moved his fingers and tried to grab Peter’s mouth.
Peter chuckled, and blew again on the little hand. Theo smiled. Peter blew gently on Theo’s face, making him frown. The baby chuckled, so Peter blew again, making him frown and chuckle again.
“Aren’t you a crazy baby,” Peter said, readjusting the tiny hat to make sure it covered properly Theo’s ears. “But it’s good to hear you laugh, kiddo.”
They played for a few minutes. But then Theo got tired of it. His eyelids seemed to become heavy so Peter readjusted the blanket over him and started rocking him again, singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game for a change.
He sang for a few minutes, but it seemed that the cold was gaining over, reaching his bones. The silence had also become thicker, harder to break, and a song wasn’t enough to fill it. It wasn’t enough to prevent Peter from reflecting on the precarity of their situation, an infant of just over a year old and an injured man, stuck in a crashed car, in the middle of nowhere.
Peter’s chest suddenly tightened and he clenched his teeth to prevent them from chattering.
Neal took over for Diana at the front of their peloton of two. It felt like they had been walking for a very long time, but he didn’t dare to look at his watch, because he was afraid to be discouraged, and because that would mean taking his hand out of his pocket.
He focused on the rhythm of their steps to maintain a regular pace. One, two, one, two.
After going up a slightly raising path, they reached the upper point of the area. Neal stopped and took his phone out of his pocket. There was a faint signal up there. Diana squeezed against him and tried as best as she could to block the wind as Neal dialed 911.
The sour pain in his left leg had become more persistent, despite the cold making his limbs numb. His muscles were stiff from fighting against the cold, and fatigue was slowly but surely rising. Despite being tugged against him, Theo had to be cold too. Peter felt so cold himself that he couldn’t imagine his body was producing enough heat to share with the little guy.
“Hold on, kiddo,” he murmured. “I’m sure they’ve found help by now, they should be here soon.”
The truth was, he had no idea how much time had passed. All the dashboard electronics had died with the crash, and reaching out for his watch or phone seemed too much of an effort.
“They should be here soon…” he repeated, leaning his head against the headrest and closing his eyes – just for a minute, to rest his throbbing head for a moment…
“Let’s go back,” Diana said between her clenched teeth after Neal ended the call.
Neal tucked his phone and his hands back in his pockets. “The gas station is closer now, it’d be safer.”
“I need to check on Theo.”
“It’s a long walk back, and then we’ll all be freezing to death in the car.”
“I need to know that Theo is alright”, Diana said fiercely. “Help’s on its way anyway.”
“Diana,” Neal tried, but he knew he wouldn’t convince her.
“I’m going back, feel free to go to the station.”
Neal sighed and joined Diana in the long walk back to the car.
Peter was startled awake by the loud noise of doors being slammed shut. He shook the torpor that had gained him over and saw Diana in the passenger seat. He didn’t dare move to check the back, but Neal’s heavy breathing told him he was back too.
“Help’s on its way,” Neal said.
“How is he?” Diana asked, bending over to check on her son.
Peter looked down at Theo. “Probably cold as hell.”
Diana grabbed Theo and squeezed him in her arms. The baby didn’t react, the faint cloud of condensation forming around his mouth the only sign that he was still alive. Dread tightened Peter’s chest. Looking at Diana rocking him gently, Peter hoped that little Theo would be alright, that the heat he gave him would be enough. He felt so helpless. He should have done more, but what, he wasn’t sure.
He tried to fight the lethargy, but his headache had gotten worse and he felt dizzy. He closed his eyes again.
“How long for help to arrive?” he asked in a faint voice.
“They said they’ll try to send a chopper. It should be any minute now.”
“Good,” Peter whispered. “Good…”
The antiseptic smell was the first tell. Then he recognized the sounds: monitors beeping, muffled sounds of intense activity beyond the door of a quiet room, whispers. He was at the hospital. He was lying in a bed, under a heavy cover, and he was feeling deliciously warm and relaxed. Peter slowly opened his eyes, giving them time to adjust to the bright light.
Looking to his left, he caught sight of Neal, awkwardly sleeping in a chair, wrapped in a mountain of blankets. Next to him, Diana was rocking a small pile of blankets that Peter assumed to be wrapping Theo.
Peter’s heart tightened, remembering the cold and Theo being all lethargic when Diana had come back. He was so little and so vulnerable. Peter looked carefully at Diana. Her forehead was patched up. She looked exhausted, but otherwise composed enough. It had to be a good sign. Plus, Theo was in her arms, and not in a hospital bed, like he was.
Fingers gently slid against his and Peter looked to his right. Elizabeth was smiling tenderly at him. “Hey, Hon,” she said softly.
“Hey, Hon,” he said in a croaked and weak voice that didn’t sound like him at all.
“Oh, look who’s finally awake,” Neal said.
“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” Diana added.
Peter wanted to retort that he had just caught Neal sleeping, too, but he didn’t have the energy to make such a long sentence, so he just looked at them all, gathered around him, and his gaze settled on Elizabeth.
Were they back to Washington? Or had he been out long enough that Elizabeth had time to come to New York?
“They called me late last night from the hospital,” she said, reading his mind. “I took the first train to New York.”
She passed a hand through his hair and her fingers lingered at the small of his neck, behind his ear. Her other hand hadn’t released his and, looking into her eyes locked on his, he could see the remains of a deep worry behind the relief to see him awake.
“I’m sorry, Hon,” he said.
She smiled fondly at him, tilting her head in that so adorable way. “It’s okay now,” she whispered.
Peter looked back at Diana. “How is Theo?” he breathed.
Diana smiled. “He’s fine. He had a slight fever and they monitored him through the night, but he’s awake and alert now. Thank you for what you’ve done for him, Peter.”
Peter shrugged. “I didn’t do much, unfortunately. You guys did the hardest part.”
“You did the most important thing. Theo is fine and that is thanks to you.”
She offered to let him hold Theo and Peter took him in his arms, looking inside the wrap of blankets at the little boy. Theo looked at him and raised a hand.
Peter gently blew on it and Theo giggled.
“It was good team work,” Peter admitted with a smile.
He looked over at her and then at Neal, with an inquiring look.
“We’re all fine,” Neal said. “And you’ll be too. You have a double fracture to your leg, and a concussion, but nothing too serious.”
Peter looked down at the big bulge on the cover, made by his casted left leg. That meant a few weeks of desk duty for him, but all in all, they had all been very lucky. He still needed to report that someone had tried to kill him. He shivered at the idea that someone had been stalking his every move and had planned on killing him on his way back from a weekend with his wife.
He looked at Elizabeth and felt a lump in his throat. He wasn’t sure how much she knew but didn’t want to worry her any more.
“I’ve heard about the men trying to kill you, Peter,” Elizabeth said.
Peter turned to Neal and Diana who both sent him an embarrassed and guilty look.
“Don’t blame them, I’ve overheard the conversation with the police. We’ll talk about it later. For now, I’m just glad you’re okay. That you’re all okay.”
“Me too,” Peter whispered, smiling as Theo squeezed his finger in his tiny hand.
The End.
Author: Aragarna
Genre, rating: hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, family, gen, PG13
Characters: Peter, Neal, Diana, Theo
Spoilers: up to 5x13. Story goes AU from there.
Word count: 3700
Summary: As they're victims of a car accident during a snow storm, Peter tries to keep Theo safe and warm while Neal and Diana go get help.
Author's Note: This is my entry for the H/C Advent. Many thanks to the awesome
citrinesunset for the beta work. The amazing art cover is of course from our favorite artist kanarek13. This story was written before the beginning of season 6, and therefore is now kinda AU, assuming El actually went to DC.Hush Little Baby
Peter stopped at the red light and glanced into the rear-view mirror at baby Theo, sound asleep in his car seat at the back of the car.The visibility had notably decreased since they left Washington and Peter couldn’t wait to reach the more urban landscapes of the city. He didn’t like driving in such bad conditions. Heavy snowflakes were falling relentlessly from the sky, catching the beam from his car lights, and now that night had fallen, Peter could barely see a hundred feet ahead. Driving back and forth between New York and DC in those conditions was no fun and he couldn’t wait for this winter to be over.
They had had a great weekend though. He had invited Neal to join, and with El they had visited the Museum of Air and Space on Saturday and had a lovely lunch with the Berrigans on Sunday. Diana had been visiting her parents, and had taken advantage of the boys driving down to tag along in the car with baby Theo.
Now Peter was driving all the New Yorkers back up to the city, and he was feeling the Sunday night blues. Peter really hated Sunday nights these days.
The light turned green and, cautiously pressing the gas pedal, Peter moved the car forward through the crossroad. Suddenly, a movement caught his eyes on his left and he barely had the time to realize that a car was rushing in his direction, at full speed and all lights off, before it crashed against his car. Peter briskly turned the wheel, but it was too late. Diana screamed. A fraction of second, the world seemed to stand still, and then there was the impact. The shock was terrible. Peter felt the car being projected sideway as his head was hurt violently on the side. Everything became hazy and thick. Shock, pain. And through the deafening silence that settled after the crash, Peter heard muffled sounds.
“…ke sure he’s dead.”
“They’re several people in the car. Is that his wife? Shit, nobody said anything about a baby. I don’t kill babies.”
Peter heard gunshots, a scream.
“Let’s get out of here!”
Peter tried to move and get a glance at the people outside, but his body didn’t seem to be responding. He couldn’t make his surroundings, and slowly he drifted into darkness.
--------------------------------
He was drawn from unconsciousness by a piercing sound striking through his skull and brain. Peter pressed his eyelids shut, hoping it would stop. It didn’t. Slowly getting more alert, he identified the piercing sound as being from Theo, who was screaming his lungs out right in his ears. Peter opened his eyes and raised his head. It hurt like hell. He let go a short moan and slowly looked around. In the dark, he could barely see anything. He guessed, more than he saw, Diana on the passenger seat next to him, holding Theo close against her chest, rocking and shushing him.
“Peter, thank god, you’re awake,” she said.
Peter groaned. “You okay?”
“More or less,” Diana said.
“Theo?”
“Very much alive if you ask me…” Neal croaked from the backseat.
“Neal, are you hurt?” Peter asked as he tried to turn in his seat to look at his friend. He immediately regretted it as a sharp pain radiated through his left leg. He hissed through his teeth.
“I don’t think it’s too serious,” Neal said.
“Did they hit you?”
“No, but the front seat did. I don’t think they actually shot a single round. I guess they weren’t expecting any resistance.”
Peter looked at Diana, confused. She held up a firearm. “I hope I got one of those bastards.”
“Are they gone?”
“It seems so,” Neal said.
“It’s hard to tell if Theo is hurt,” Diana said, a vivid distress audible in her voice. “He keeps screaming, but I can’t tell if it’s from pain or scare. The baby seat seemed to have protected him well enough, but….”
“It’s gonna be okay,” Peter said, sounding more confident than he felt.
He reached for the inside light switch on the ceiling. A bleak light shined through the compartment. Peter blinked against the sudden light.
Checking on Theo, he didn’t see any obvious sign of injury, which didn’t mean there wasn’t. His mother though, was another story. There was a dark red patch of blood on her right temple, where she must have hit the passenger window.
“You are hurt,” he said.
“It’s nothing,” she countered. “I’m much more concerned about you. You lost consciousness for a bit.”
Peter had to admit he didn’t feel that well. He still felt foggy and slow, and there was a sour pain riding through his whole body. But he didn’t want to think too much about it. His head was throbbing and he tried to palp his scalp. He felt the warm stickiness of blood. He withdrew his hand and the sight of the blood on his fingers made him wince.
He looked over at Neal, ignoring the protests from his whole body as he moved again on his seat. Neal was holding a hand over his nose and his face and shirt were covered in blood. Peter felt his heart squeeze.
“Nosebleed,” Neal twanged. “I hope it’s not broken. Not sure about the rest. Some things hurt.”
Peter’s anxiety spiked. Taking a better look at his situation and the damages to the car, he realized how squeezed he was, pressed on the gear stick by the crushed door. He barely had any room for his legs, and when he tried to move them, something seemed to hold his left leg back, causing an excruciating pain. Peter clenched his teeth and gripped the wheel tightly to refrain a scream. He glanced sideway at Diana, who was looking at him with serious concern. Peter did his best to relax, but he had to admit Diana was probably right. He seemed to have taken the hardest blow from the hit.
He reached for his cell, in the inside pocket of his jacket. The phone didn’t seem to have suffered much from the wreck. The screen lit up, but there was no signal. He felt a shiver run between his shoulder blades. There was fog coming out of their mouths. Three out of the four side windows had been blown and the icy air was taking away all warmth at a dangerous speed.
“We need to get some help,” Peter urged.
“I haven’t seen much traffic around here,” Neal stated.
Peter tried to remember their location. “There should be a gas station in about 2 or 3 miles.”
They all exchanged meaningful looks. It wasn’t impossible, but in this weather, it was still chancy. It was probably still their best chance though.
Peter tried to force open his door with a push from his shoulder. “I’ll go, you stay put.”
“No!” Diana and Neal shouted in chorus.
Peter tried to extricate himself out of his seat, but the pain radiating from his leg got so sharp that he had to bite his sleeve not to scream. He closed his eyes and rested his head on headrest, breathing heavily.
“I’ll go,” Neal said.
“It’s dangerous,” Diana countered. “You shouldn’t go alone. Plus, I’m the one with a gun.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“She’s right, Neal,” Peter said.
“You can’t go with Theo!” Neal protested.
“I’ll take care of Theo,” Peter said.
Diana held her son even closer, looking from Theo to Peter, then to Neal. Theo’s screams had subsided into more normal sobs. She continued to rock him gently, pondering the right course of action.
“I don’t know, Peter….”
“I’ll go on my own, you three stay there,” Neal said as he moved toward his door.
Diana’s glare stopped him short.
“Diana,” Peter said softly. “Go with Neal. Give me Theo. I’ll keep him warm. You know it’s the best solution.”
“What if they come back?”
“I doubt it, but in any case, I have my gun in the trunk, just give it to me on your way out.”
“And what if….”
Her voice trailed off but Peter understood. What if he passed out again.
“I’ll still keep him warm. It’s safer for him here with me, than outside.”
Peter took his hands out, and, reluctantly, Diana gave him Theo. Peter took the baby. A little awkward, he sat Theo sideway on his lap and tugged him against his chest, wrapping him inside his jacket. Diana handed him Theo’s blanket and he covered him as best as he could. Diana made sure his feet and hands were well tucked in and the little woolen hat properly adjusted on her son’s head.
“It’ll be fine,” Peter said encouragingly. “Now please, go. It’s time.”
Diana and Neal forced open their doors, letting an icy draft of air whirl inside the car. They both shot Peter and Theo one last glance, and shutting close their doors, they left, heads tilted against the wind, walking closely side by side. Quickly, they disappeared, swallowed by the snow into the darkness.
-----------------------------------
Peter shivered. Theo was sobbing in his arms and he started to rock him gently, putting a soothing
hand at the back of his little head.
“It’s gonna be okay, kiddo,” Peter said, as much to reassure himself as to calm Theo. “Mom and Uncle Neal are gonna get help.”
Peter started singing the only lullaby he could remember, Hush Little Baby, that his mother used to sing to him when he had trouble falling asleep.
“Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat…”
Not remembering the next verses, Peter hummed the rest of the song, until Theo finally stopped crying.
Everything went quiet. The snow-muffled silence was making Peter feeling uncomfortably isolated, the only sound being the wind blowing through the broken windows, whistling its sinister cold, and wrapping around the two sole beings trapped in their so ill-insulated cage.
“You know, your mother is a hell of an agent,” Peter told Theo. “She’s tough. And smart. She’s grown so fast. I still remember her first days in the division. She was so young – not that she’s old now, but you know, fresh out of the academy. And yet she already had that confidence. She’s just incredible, your mom. On her first day, in the office, she wanted to go on a field operation. Most probies are too happy to have to fill all the paperwork, stalling the moment they’d have to start actual grown-up work. But not Diana. She was all grown-up already, or she seemed to be, to me, at the time, compared to the other fresh recruits. But now I can see how much she’s grown.
“She’ll make a great Supervisory Agent, with her own team. I can’t wait for the day I’ll give her that promotion. I sure hope I’ll be the one to promote her, like I promoted Jones earlier this year. I’m so lucky to have such a great team of people. So talented. And loyal. We make a good team. Of course there’s Neal too. He’s part of the team too, even if he’s not an agent.”
Peter sighed. “I’m going to miss him, when he’ll be gone… I kinda hope he’ll stay with us. He could still be a consultant if he wanted to. He’s good at it. See, I’m surrounded by so many smart and talented people.”
Peter paused for a second, getting aware of the randomness of his ramble. But Theo seemed to enjoy it. Or, more likely, the simple sound of his voice was soothing him. So, Peter went on, trying to ignore the cold slowly gaining through the layers of clothes. He squeezed Theo a little tighter against him.
“You know, I always get credit for catching Neal using Kate, but it’s actually Diana who was the very first to suggest it. Until then I hadn’t dug much into her. I knew they’d pulled some cons together – probably with Mozzie too – but she wasn’t a big catch. Neal was obviously the brain and leader of the team. He was the one I had to catch. But your mom suggested to look into Kate, and that was a hell of a good idea. Kate was definitely Neal’s Achilles’s heel.”
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Head bent against the wind, they walked in silence, following the edge of the road. At first they walked side by side, but then Diana suggested that one should walk in front, protecting – a little – the other from the wind and snow, like racing cyclists. She took the first shift.
They both had their hands tucked in their coat’s pockets, and a scarf partially covering their faces. Neal had even accepted to put on a woolen hat that he had found in Peter’s trunk. In this wind and cold, that was a much more appropriate protection than his fedora.
The bite of the cold wind was brutal. His body was shaken by violent spams of shivers, and his throat was sore from the cold air he was breathing. But they kept going, silent, resolute.
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The bite of the cold was getting more and more pressing. Peter shifted his hold on Theo. His hands were getting numb. He blew on his free hand to warm it up, then he reached for Theo’s. They were cold too and Peter blew on them. Theo moved his fingers and tried to grab Peter’s mouth.
Peter chuckled, and blew again on the little hand. Theo smiled. Peter blew gently on Theo’s face, making him frown. The baby chuckled, so Peter blew again, making him frown and chuckle again.
“Aren’t you a crazy baby,” Peter said, readjusting the tiny hat to make sure it covered properly Theo’s ears. “But it’s good to hear you laugh, kiddo.”
They played for a few minutes. But then Theo got tired of it. His eyelids seemed to become heavy so Peter readjusted the blanket over him and started rocking him again, singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game for a change.
He sang for a few minutes, but it seemed that the cold was gaining over, reaching his bones. The silence had also become thicker, harder to break, and a song wasn’t enough to fill it. It wasn’t enough to prevent Peter from reflecting on the precarity of their situation, an infant of just over a year old and an injured man, stuck in a crashed car, in the middle of nowhere.
Peter’s chest suddenly tightened and he clenched his teeth to prevent them from chattering.
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Neal took over for Diana at the front of their peloton of two. It felt like they had been walking for a very long time, but he didn’t dare to look at his watch, because he was afraid to be discouraged, and because that would mean taking his hand out of his pocket.
He focused on the rhythm of their steps to maintain a regular pace. One, two, one, two.
After going up a slightly raising path, they reached the upper point of the area. Neal stopped and took his phone out of his pocket. There was a faint signal up there. Diana squeezed against him and tried as best as she could to block the wind as Neal dialed 911.
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The sour pain in his left leg had become more persistent, despite the cold making his limbs numb. His muscles were stiff from fighting against the cold, and fatigue was slowly but surely rising. Despite being tugged against him, Theo had to be cold too. Peter felt so cold himself that he couldn’t imagine his body was producing enough heat to share with the little guy.
“Hold on, kiddo,” he murmured. “I’m sure they’ve found help by now, they should be here soon.”
The truth was, he had no idea how much time had passed. All the dashboard electronics had died with the crash, and reaching out for his watch or phone seemed too much of an effort.
“They should be here soon…” he repeated, leaning his head against the headrest and closing his eyes – just for a minute, to rest his throbbing head for a moment…
---------------------------------------------------
“Let’s go back,” Diana said between her clenched teeth after Neal ended the call.
Neal tucked his phone and his hands back in his pockets. “The gas station is closer now, it’d be safer.”
“I need to check on Theo.”
“It’s a long walk back, and then we’ll all be freezing to death in the car.”
“I need to know that Theo is alright”, Diana said fiercely. “Help’s on its way anyway.”
“Diana,” Neal tried, but he knew he wouldn’t convince her.
“I’m going back, feel free to go to the station.”
Neal sighed and joined Diana in the long walk back to the car.
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Peter was startled awake by the loud noise of doors being slammed shut. He shook the torpor that had gained him over and saw Diana in the passenger seat. He didn’t dare move to check the back, but Neal’s heavy breathing told him he was back too.
“Help’s on its way,” Neal said.
“How is he?” Diana asked, bending over to check on her son.
Peter looked down at Theo. “Probably cold as hell.”
Diana grabbed Theo and squeezed him in her arms. The baby didn’t react, the faint cloud of condensation forming around his mouth the only sign that he was still alive. Dread tightened Peter’s chest. Looking at Diana rocking him gently, Peter hoped that little Theo would be alright, that the heat he gave him would be enough. He felt so helpless. He should have done more, but what, he wasn’t sure.
He tried to fight the lethargy, but his headache had gotten worse and he felt dizzy. He closed his eyes again.
“How long for help to arrive?” he asked in a faint voice.
“They said they’ll try to send a chopper. It should be any minute now.”
“Good,” Peter whispered. “Good…”
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The antiseptic smell was the first tell. Then he recognized the sounds: monitors beeping, muffled sounds of intense activity beyond the door of a quiet room, whispers. He was at the hospital. He was lying in a bed, under a heavy cover, and he was feeling deliciously warm and relaxed. Peter slowly opened his eyes, giving them time to adjust to the bright light.
Looking to his left, he caught sight of Neal, awkwardly sleeping in a chair, wrapped in a mountain of blankets. Next to him, Diana was rocking a small pile of blankets that Peter assumed to be wrapping Theo.
Peter’s heart tightened, remembering the cold and Theo being all lethargic when Diana had come back. He was so little and so vulnerable. Peter looked carefully at Diana. Her forehead was patched up. She looked exhausted, but otherwise composed enough. It had to be a good sign. Plus, Theo was in her arms, and not in a hospital bed, like he was.
Fingers gently slid against his and Peter looked to his right. Elizabeth was smiling tenderly at him. “Hey, Hon,” she said softly.
“Hey, Hon,” he said in a croaked and weak voice that didn’t sound like him at all.
“Oh, look who’s finally awake,” Neal said.
“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” Diana added.
Peter wanted to retort that he had just caught Neal sleeping, too, but he didn’t have the energy to make such a long sentence, so he just looked at them all, gathered around him, and his gaze settled on Elizabeth.
Were they back to Washington? Or had he been out long enough that Elizabeth had time to come to New York?
“They called me late last night from the hospital,” she said, reading his mind. “I took the first train to New York.”
She passed a hand through his hair and her fingers lingered at the small of his neck, behind his ear. Her other hand hadn’t released his and, looking into her eyes locked on his, he could see the remains of a deep worry behind the relief to see him awake.
“I’m sorry, Hon,” he said.
She smiled fondly at him, tilting her head in that so adorable way. “It’s okay now,” she whispered.
Peter looked back at Diana. “How is Theo?” he breathed.
Diana smiled. “He’s fine. He had a slight fever and they monitored him through the night, but he’s awake and alert now. Thank you for what you’ve done for him, Peter.”
Peter shrugged. “I didn’t do much, unfortunately. You guys did the hardest part.”
“You did the most important thing. Theo is fine and that is thanks to you.”
She offered to let him hold Theo and Peter took him in his arms, looking inside the wrap of blankets at the little boy. Theo looked at him and raised a hand.
Peter gently blew on it and Theo giggled.
“It was good team work,” Peter admitted with a smile.
He looked over at her and then at Neal, with an inquiring look.
“We’re all fine,” Neal said. “And you’ll be too. You have a double fracture to your leg, and a concussion, but nothing too serious.”
Peter looked down at the big bulge on the cover, made by his casted left leg. That meant a few weeks of desk duty for him, but all in all, they had all been very lucky. He still needed to report that someone had tried to kill him. He shivered at the idea that someone had been stalking his every move and had planned on killing him on his way back from a weekend with his wife.
He looked at Elizabeth and felt a lump in his throat. He wasn’t sure how much she knew but didn’t want to worry her any more.
“I’ve heard about the men trying to kill you, Peter,” Elizabeth said.
Peter turned to Neal and Diana who both sent him an embarrassed and guilty look.
“Don’t blame them, I’ve overheard the conversation with the police. We’ll talk about it later. For now, I’m just glad you’re okay. That you’re all okay.”
“Me too,” Peter whispered, smiling as Theo squeezed his finger in his tiny hand.
The End.
