Day 6: "Hold on"
A/N: I may have been thinking about White Collar a lot lately so have this random short Neal whump drabble that I just shitted out at random.
Peter's heart stopped at the crack of gunshot echoing from the very alley Neal had said he was entering in pursuit of their suspect.
"Neal!' Peter cried out. He ran faster, praying his CI was unharmed and that the gunshot was just another miss they could laugh about later. As he rounded the corner his heart dropped and his feet ground to a halt. There was a body on the ground and it wasn't moving.
"Neal," he whispered in shock.
Peter ran forward and fell to his knees next to the prone man. He rolled Neal over so he laid on his back and stifled an outcry at the sight. Blood was already covering his chest turning his bright white shirt into a gruesome crimson. "Dammit Neal. Can you hear me? Neal!" Peter gently slapped the younger man's face.
"Pe'er," Neal said, his face twisting into a grimace.
"God, I told you to wait. Why didn't wait for me?" Peter asked as he peeled off his suit jacket and wadded it up before pressing it firmly onto the fishing wound. Neal let out a cry of pain as soon as Peter pressed down.
"I know. I'm sorry, Neal. I know it hurts but I have to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding."
"I'm here, Neal. Just breath. You're gonna be okay. Hold on."
"Boss!" Peter turned his head to see Diana running towards them.
"Diana call an ambulance!" Peter shouted, not taking his hands off of Neal. "Now!"
"What the hell happened?" She asked.
"Neal's been shot. We need an ambulance."
Diana pulled out her cell and started dialing. Peter's attention was pulled away from her when he felt fingertips ghost across the skin of his wrist. He looked down and saw Neal was trying to grab his wrist.
"Pe'tr," Neal said weakly. "'m tired."
"Stay with me Neal. Hold on. Don't you dare fall asleep. Just hold on until the bus gets here. It's gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine." Peter increased the pressure he was putting on the wound and glanced at the growing amount of blood on the ground around them in fear.
"Sorry...I didn't wait...He was...getting...away."
"We'll talk about that later. Just focus on staying awake okay?"
"Mmkay," Neal said before his eyes fluttered closed and the light graps he had on Peter's wrist released.
"Neal? Neal!" Peter tried to get his attention but Neal was out. Thankfully his chest still rose and fell feel as he breathed. Biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying, Peter focused on stopping the bleeding until the ambulance arrived.
He didn't know how long he kneeled there on the ground, blood pooling on the ground and seeping between his fingers. He kept a steady pressure on Neal's chest as he watched the man's pale face, silently praying to whoever would listen that Neal would make it.
Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder and he tore his eyes away from Neal's pale face to see Diana standing next to him.
"The paramedics are Peter. You need to pet go and let them do their job."
When had the ambulance arrived? Peter thought. He reluctantly let go of his now blood soaked jacket and stood on shaky legs, backing up to let the medics in. Diana kept a hand on Peter's back offering silent comfort and Peter was grateful for her presence but his eyes were only on Neal.
The paramedics made quick work ever getting Neal ready for transport. As they wheeled Neal down the dark alley, Peter followed closely behind. When they reached the ambulance and put Neal inside Peter ran up and demanded entrance. "I'm going with him," he said, not waiting for a response but climbing up without waiting for an answer.
Peter sat down next to the stretcher and gently took hold of Neal's limp hand as the ambulance started rolling down the street, sirens screaming.
"Hold on, Neal. Just hold on."
