Card House Dreamer
Summary: Megan Reeves' life is being torn apart, piece by agonizing piece.
A/N: I haven't written a songfic in a while, so I thought it would be a good way to get over my writer's block so I can get back to 'Till Death Do We Part (which is a Numb3rs/Mentalist crossover, just so you know! Look for it on my profile!) Just so you know, the song is Card House Dreamer by This Providence.
Quick warning! THERE IS CHARACTER DEATH! I just let this story take me where it wanted to, and originally, I had no idea what it was going to do. THIS is what happened. I apologize to all Larry lovers.
Disclaimer: Numb3rs and all related characters and themes belong to CBS. The song Card House Dreamer belongs to This Providence.
My world is falling apart
I was a fool, I never saw it coming
Oh no, no
My life is a card house
A delicate construction
With no regard for the wind
The day started out simple. It was just a normal day at the office. Drive to work, work, drive home from work. That was how it was supposed to be.
Too bad it didn't work out that way.
When she got to work, she immediately knew something was wrong. There was no noise. No voices. Just silence. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She just didn't know what.
The floor was almost empty. She didn't even notice the cluster of people gathered around Don's desk at first. But when she did, her heart dropped to her stomach. Something had happened. Something bad. Something very, very wrong.
She rushed over to the desks, pushing past Colby and David. Relief flooded through her. Don was fine. He was just sitting there, and Megan was so relieved that she barely even noticed the worried look on his face. At first.
He looked up, and his eyes were sad.
All he said was, "Larry."
No. No, no, no, no, no!
Everything's changing
Oh, everybody's changing
And I don't know how much more I can take
"What?" she whispered. Don understood without asking, though Colby and David seemed a bit confused.
"I don't know," he said quietly. "I just got off the phone with Charlie. They're at the hospital."
Hospital. Oh God. Oh crap. Oh my God, what the hell happened?
"Is he..." she started.
"No," Don said. "He's alive. For now."
Oh God. No. Not Larry. Not him. Please, God, no! Why him?
"For now," she echoed, her voice flat, emotionless.
"Yeah," Don said quietly. "For now."
David put a hand on her shoulder, and Liz gave her a quick squeeze on the hand. Colby squeezed her arm.
Don did something completely out of character. Yet it still managed to comfort her more than the other reassurances the team had given her.
Wrapped in his embrace, Megan hugged him back and sobbed.
I though I had everything under control
I couldn't have been more wrong
I thought I held my world in my hands
Until it broke and I awoke from this foolish dream
When Charlie called, Megan wasted no time in answering it. It didn't matter to her that it was Don's phone that rang. She just had to know.
"Charlie," she breathed.
"Megan?" Charlie sounded confused. Then he seemed to shake it off. "Megan, I-"
"How is he?" she demanded. Quickly getting over the initial shock of knowing, Megan had redirected all of her energy into finding out everything she could.
Charlie hesitated.
No. Don't hesitate. Tell me he's okay. I don't care if it's a lie. Just tell me.
"I... I think you should come down here," Charlie said quietly, voice breaking.
No!
Megan squeezed her eyes closed, not letting the tears drip out. "How bad?" she asked weakly. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Don.
"It... it's bad," the younger Eppes brother responded. "I... I think you should just come down here."
No. No. No! Larry, no...
"Which hospital?" she asked quietly. Charlie listed off the name woodenly.
"I'll be there in ten," she promised. Then she hung up.
For a moment afterward, she just stood there. Then she turned and sobbed onto Don's shoulder again.
I put so much of myself in everything else
Yeah in everything else
It was a dream come seemingly true
Torn at the seams, revealing a nightmare
True to her word, Megan arrived at the hospital with time to spare. Don had ridden in the car with her. He hadn't asked, just followed her down to the parking lot and climbed in the passenger seat.
She asked quietly for Larry's room number, and the woman at the front desk, seeming to realize that she could break into sobs any minute, despite the silent but comforting presence at her side, gave her a smile and answered in an equally quiet voice.
They had to take the elevator up three floors. Once they reached the top, Megan wove in and out of the hallways until she found Charlie standing with Amita and Alan in front of the room the nurse downstairs had told them.
There was a doctor with them.
And the doctor's face was apologetic.
No. He's fine. She's just messed up the surgery. He'll be in the hospital longer. But he'll be fine.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Maybe it will actually happen.
Silently, she and Don made their way over, Don's hand always present on her shoulder, ready if she needed another hug.
I thought I had everything under control
I couldn't have been more wrong
I thought I held my world in my hands
Until it broke and I awoke from this foolish dream
"Hi," she whispered brokenly to Charlie and the other two.
Larry should be here.
The doctor turned to her. "And you are..."
Don answered for them. "Don Eppes. Megan Reeves."
The doctor seemed to understand the broken sound in Megan's voice, and acknowledged it with a nod.
"Professor Fleinhardt..." the doctor started.
"Larry," Megan whispered. "His name is Larry."
The doctor nodded. "Larry's condition is very unstable. His heart is reacting badly to the trauma, and I'm afraid of what might happen if we don't reverse his arrhythmiasoon."
"Will he..." Amita trailed off, then cleared her throat and tried again. "Will he live?"
Yes, oh wise doctor. The million dollar question. Will he live?
The doctor sighed. "It's up to him."
Oh God, please let him be a fighter.
Once the doctor left, Megan turned to Charlie. "What the hell happened here?"
I thought I had everything under control
I couldn't have been more wrong
I thought I held my world in my hands
Until it broke my heart
Everything I loved had changed
A car accident. A damn car accident! It was so... so wrong. She couldn't picture Larry behind the wheel as the car sped forward, crashing against the other one, airbags inflating, his head snapping back...
Stop it!
She sat in a plastic chair outside Larry's room, unable to bring herself to look in, let alone go inside with the others.
Don sat with her. She didn't understand why he was here. But he was. And it was more comforting than anything else anyone had said or done all night, including Amita's kindly, warm hug that lasted far longer than Megan had expected.
He had barely spoken the entire time, but now he did. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
She sniffed and wiped her red, bloodshot eyes. "No," she whispered pitifully.
He pulled her close with one arm, then wrapped the other around. "It'll be okay," he promised. "Don't worry."
She pulled away. "Why are you doing this?" she whispered.
He frowned. "Doing what?"
"Staying here," she said. "Comforting me. Hugging me. That's so... not you."
"You need someone right now," he said quietly. "Granger's no good at this crap, and David wouldn't know what to do. I've been on your side before, remember."
His mom. Of course.
"Thank you," she whispered quietly.
He stared at her seriously. "Anytime, Megan."
Coffee and cigarettes can't save me, no
It's a hope where there's no chance of a hope in the world
That I'm hoping for
It wasn't not much later that the beeping started. It was frantic and loud, and Megan couldn't get it out of her head.
The doctors rushed in, wheeling a giant cart, and Charlie and Co were rushed out. But minutes later, the doctor from earlier appeared, wiping her forehead. She walked over, eyes sad.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "We did everything we could."
NO!
Once again, Don held her while she cried.
She helped Alan and Charlie plan the funeral. Open casket, so everyone could say goodbye. It was a silent event. More people came than she expected. Not just their little group, but dozens of academics she didn't recognize or had never met. Or both.
Then one night, she couldn't sleep, so she called him, and they met at a bar.
That night, she fell asleep in Don's bed.
I thought I had everything under control
I couldn't have been more wrong
I thought I held my world in my hands
Until it broke and I awoke from this foolish dream
When she woke up, the first thing she noticed was that this body, the one she was pressed so tightly against, was warm. She could hear, and feel, a strong heartbeat thumping against her ear, which was pressed against his bare chest.
It had only been two weeks since Larry had died. And two minutes since the guilt had started gnawing at her. What was she thinking, sleeping with another man so soon after he was gone? She had to be completely stupid!
Yet she hadn't been able to help herself. Don had stayed by her side the entire time, comforting her every time she needed it, just as he'd promised. There was something different about Don. Something that brought out a softer, more caring side of him that she doubted many people were allowed to see and live.
And now she was pressed against him, listening to his heartbeat and thankful his body was still warm. Not like-
Shut UP!
The memory of what she had shared with Larry was still tender. It was still hard to wake up in the morning and remember that he was gone and he wasn't coming back.
But Don came back. Every night, he showed up at her apartment to comfort her. Hell, he'd even stayed up through one of the stupidest chick flick DVD's Megan owned and held her while she sobbed as the credits rolled at the end.
Guilt gnawed once more as she wondered if she was using him.
Then his eyes blinked open slowly, and he whispered, "Morning beautiful."
I thought I had everything under control
I couldn't have been more wrong
I thought I held my world in my hands
Until I it broke my heart
Everything I loved was flawed
A/N: Like I said, there was NO planning involved in this one. I just let the story go where it wanted. All I knew was that it would be about Megan, and it had to involve her getting hurt somehow. Hope you like it. Drop me a line if you did! Or if you didn't! Just review!
Off to take over the world,
Crazy Girl