Rating: PG-13 or T .
Disclaimer: Numb3rs not my property, Don't own the characters, just playing with them for a bit, and then I'll return them slightly used. Oh, not making any money off of this venture.

A/N: An idea that won't leave me alone, so I decided to post. A work in progress, but I promise I will finish, just not when. Don faces a difficult time when a case he is working on goes horribly bad. Doesn't handle it well, so can family help when the unthinkable happens. Just a piece that is looking at the brothers relationship.

Thanks Rittenden for helping me to improve my writing skills and PhlebotomyGirl for a medical error that needed fixing. Any other mistakes are all mine. Thanks for the encouragement for me to keep writing otherwise, I might have stopped. I don't mind constructive criticism, but will ignore flames. Okay on with the first chapter.

Sip,
A slow burn as the cool liquid slid down his throat.

Sip, Sip.

Desperately trying to forget. Closing his eyes, wishing everything could be erased.

Gulp, sip.

Seeing the image over and over, sealing fate as a lifeless body fell to the ground. The soulful eyes – the wonder and magic that would never again be expressed.

My fault! If only I had reacted differently, everything could have been different. What if…I should have…

Guzzling down the beer and angrily throwing the empty bottle against the wall.

Crash!

He stared in fascination as the bottle shattered into pieces no longer whole… complete. Remembering a life that was no longer whole. No longer breathing. Clutching another bottle, continued his vigil.

How many beers? He couldn't remember. Lost count. Who cared… no longer a reason to care. A beautiful youthful soul snuffed out, and he might as well have pulled the trigger himself.

MY FAULT! Damn…

Sip.

Fighting against the desire to cry as a lone tear escaped to freedom, rolling down his cheek. He couldn't cry… wouldn't cry.

Sip, Gulp, Guzzle.

The cool liquid, satisfying and yet… not. Hopeless, it was so stupid…it shouldn't have happened!

Tears rolling down his cheek. Fighting the urge to sob, to allow himself to cry.

Control, even now maintained, knowing that if he gave in, allowed himself to give in it would be over. Wishing he could turn back time, could believe in magic, but knowing this time it was all illogical.

Sip, Sip.

It should have been me! I was older. Too young… so much to live for and now it was too late. Age didn't matter…I'm the responsible one…It was my job to protect. If anyone should have died, it should have been me. Not…

A knock interrupted his thoughts. Still, he made no move to answer the door.

"Go away...You can't fix this...No one can..."

Sip.

Another knock, more persistent and a hollering of his name.

"Don!" Banging on the door continued. "Don, I know you're inside. Don open up. Please!" A voice pled.

Go away, I don't want to talk with you! At least not right now. I need time. Time by myself. If I ignore him, he might just leave. No way... someone told him. Thinks he has to fix this, but how do you fix this? Funny the stuff you remember after someone dies, when it's too late...the images that won't go away. The eyes, hair...the smile...all gone because I failed...I failed...

"Don" I'll kick this door in, I swear. If you don't open up, I swear I'll kick the door in!"

Damn!

Don rose slowly and unsteadily as he stumbled to the door. Carefully, he braced himself against the door frame before inhaling a deep breath to steeled himself against the barrage of questions that he knew that would come his way. Slowly putting up the barricades, hiding behind his carefully constructed walls, making sure the mask was in place and immovable. He opened the door and let Charlie in, without saying a word. Energy spent. Stiffly he stumbled back to the couch, picked up his beer - resuming his vigil.

Sip.

Charlie, your eyes, man do you know how much it hurts to see you right now. Her eyes...they're haunting me… because you remind me of her. You're the last person I need to see now, but I can't say that...goes against big brother rules...

Sip, Guzzle.

Now that Charlie is in, he stood unsure of what to do next. Slowly, he took it all in, seeing everything including the empty bottles. Wondering - how can he help? He understood that Don was hurt and blamed himself. The mystery to solve was - why? Racing to find the right words, yet failing at every turn.

Damn it, Don, it wasn't your fault, You, can't blame yourself…terrible stuff happens sometimes…but instead of blurting out the words in his mind, he stated, "Don, I'm sorry." Standing close, yet feeling so far away, afraid to sit next to him. Hesitantly trying to avoid invading his space. Watching, wondering "How can I help?"

Don doesn't look up, he just took another sip. Finally a sigh, "Charlie, not now." Pleading eyes. "Please, go. I can't do this right now."

"Don, you can't be alone, you know that. That's why David called me. I don't want to interrupt Dad's business trip, but I will...You shouldn't be drinking. Either let me stay or come home with me. You can keep me company until Dad gets back." The words rushed out of his mouth, stuttering and hoping and praying to discover the right words.

Forcefully, more sure of himself as he knows he is on more solid ground. "The doctor said, you had to stay with someone, remember? You promised David you were taking a cab to my house, but you never showed up."

Charlie continued, "You lied...so I had to come over. I want to remind you - the reason they let you go was because you would be staying home with me." Anger - guilt - pushes him to do the unthinkable. Charlie grabbed the bottle out of his brother's hand and smashed it against the wall, all the while shouting, "No more - and you're coming home with me...Now!"

Don barely acknowledged his brother. For a second, shock registered on his face before he once again schooled his features shut, wondering: when did his brother become so demanding?

He stood, wobbled, wishing to impress, instead noticing how his energy fled. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed, on the floor. Charlie tried to catch him, but he isn't in the correct position and watched in horror as Don's head hits the coffee table.

Blood…So much blood everywhere…. Racing to grab a towel and desperately trying to stop the flow of blood. Frantically, he called for an ambulance….

"Don, you've got to fight," God he's not breathing, He's not breathing….

Time stood still. Charlie struggled to remember any information that could help him with this situation. A person only has four to six minutes before they suffer some kind of brain damage. "Don come on breathe…okay…you can do this." Charlie initiated the mouth to mouth.

"Don, please." Charlie cried when he saw his brother breathing on his own. "Thank God, stay with me. Open your eyes…I know you can do it. Don the paramedics are here…Got to let them in." Charlie opened the door and permitted them to enter. Then the unthinkable happens, Don stopped breathing again.

His worse nightmare coming true as he watched helplessly as the EMT's struggled to bring his brother back from death's door.

BeeeeeeeeeeeeEEP…a flat line.

"We're losing him! Clear!"

Charlie doesn't even hear himself scream as the words escape his mouth. "NO! God, no!"

Then the blessed sound of a heart monitor, telling everyone that he was alive. Don was alive. Unconscious but alive.

A strange voice penetrated his brain. "Sir, how much alcohol has he consumed?"

Disoriented… numbers flying around his mind… buzzing… demanding that he escaped into the safe luxury of his numbers. Fighting to stay present. Knowing his brother needed him – was depending on him.

"I don't know, I just got here. He's smarter than this, he shouldn't have mixed alcohol with his injury. I know he was hurt, but not really how. Please, help him."

"Okay, he's stable for now. Lets roll!"

Resisting the urge to grab his hand, instead he shouted, "I'm coming with you!"

8 minutes. For 8 minutes, Don has been unconscious.

A/N: When I first wrote this I did it in present tense because I hoped to create the urgency that it was happening now. I redid it in past tense for the first chapter. Does it work better in present or past tense?

Thanks for reading even if you don't leave a review, but Don gets sponge bath for ever review you leave. Not sure who would enjoy it more! :)