Caffrey Flashback

Chapter 22: Family Ties

Jacobi Hospital, ICU waiting room. Thursday evening. February 26, 2004.

After Peter announced that his team believed Neal's Flashback overdose had been an attempted murder, he watched Henry, most worried about his reaction.

It wasn't a big surprise when Henry came to his feet and started to swear. He paced, ran his hands through his hair and finally stood still to say, "If someone tried to kill Neal, I will tear them apart."

In waiting rooms of a major hospital like Jacobi, there were always people milling around. Peter had tuned out the other families and staff passing by, and hadn't been paying attention to the couple walking toward them. But this couple stopped, flanking Henry. The man had steel blue eyes and the bright silver hair that some people got instead of ordinary gray. The woman had green eyes and golden hair that Peter guessed was colored to cover gray. She kissed Henry's cheek and said, "I'll help."

Noelle stood up. "Peter, Elizabeth, I'd like you to meet my parents: Irene and Edmund Caffrey."

###

Elizabeth watched Neal's grandparents with awe. Tall and slim like Neal and Noelle, they moved with a grace that belied their age. They zipped through meeting and greeting everyone with the aplomb of seasoned diplomats. Without seeming rushed, and yet barely two minutes after arriving, Irene insisted on being taken to Neal. In a charming voice like Neal's on a con, but with a hint of a southern drawl, Irene politely deflected all attempts to fill her in first on Neal's condition and what had happened to him. Instead she zeroed in on Henry as the most likely to comply with her wishes. She took Henry's arm and smoothly turned him in the direction of the ICU saying, "I've been on pins and needles since your mother called us in January to say she'd spoken to Neal. You asked us to be patient till he was ready to meet us, but there are limits and I've reached mine. We're going to see him now, come hell or high water."

El hoped to be like Irene someday. Curious to see what would happen, she told Peter she was going to the restroom, which was conveniently located on the other side of the ICU. She'd be able to follow the family on their way to see Neal.

"They don't like visitors during their evening shift change," Henry warned, but he started walking.

"Let them try and stop me. No one gets between me and my family," Irene said. "I stood by and let the Marshals take that dear boy away, and that will never be repeated."

"Even you can't hold back death," Henry said, his voice becoming shaky. "Mom told you he might not make it, right?"

"You wait and see. If it comes down to that we'll give the grim reaper a run for his money. He might win, but at least I'll see my grandson first."

Noelle walked beside her father and asked, "Did she tell the pilot to fly faster because her grandson needed her?"

"She restrained herself admirably," Edmund said. He held Noelle's hand. "I can't believe we're finally about to see Neal again after all of these years."

"Mom always believed he would come back to us," Noelle said.

Edmund shook his head. "No matter how many times I told her we had to be realistic and not hold out false hopes... I swear, if anyone can will Neal into surviving, it's your mother."

"Before you see him, you should know..." Noelle swallowed. "He looks a lot like David."

There was a hitch in Edmund's stride at the reminder of his son, the Air Force pilot who had died last year. He squeezed Noelle's hand.

Henry had reached Neal's room. He waited at the entrance while his grandparents went inside.

El heard Edmund gasp, but Irene seemed to ignore all of the tubes and machinery surrounding Neal to focus on her grandson. "Oh, Edmund, he's beautiful."