I obviously own nothing – neither Numb3rs or the characters.

This is my first Numb3rs fic and I have never been a great speller so I apologise in advance for the mistakes you will undoubtably find. More chapters to come as I find the time. Please review if you have a moment, I always love to receive feedback.

...

Alan put the paper bag full of groceries down on the table in the entrance as he rubbed at his chest. The tightness that had been building for the better part of the morning was peaking. He pulled at his shirt, undoing the top button, as sweat broke out on his forehead and his breathing grew sharper, shorter. His chest was constricting and cutting off air. His left arm felt numb as pain shot through his chest. With a strangled half cry half gasp Alan's knees buckled. He caught at the table to stop himself but with no strength in his arms he slid sideways onto the floor bringing the bag of groceries and the lime green bowl that adorned the table with him.

...

"But if you just look at the calculations" Charlie protested hurrying along at his brother's side trying in vain to show the pages of endless numbers to him. Don barely glanced at the pages as he strode towards the front door.

"What's the point Charlie? You know I don't get any of this" Don replied restraining from rolling his eyes with difficulty, "just cut to the chase. All I need to know is how it helps with my case."

Charlie flicked quickly through the pages a frown of irritation and concentration on his face, "If you look at these probabilities you can see these two locations are the most likely."

"You've been able to narrow it down to two?" Even after years of experience with Charlie's remarkable math Don still sounded incredulous.

"Well if you'd looked at the calculations you'd see how I got there" Charlie replied trying hard not to sound like a sulking five year old.

Don grinned and clapped him on the shoulder, "I'll take your word for it Chuck, nice work."

He reached for the door just as there was a crashing noise from inside, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of something smashing.

Don flashed a quick glance at his little brother who was looking confused before he flung open the door stepping out of the sunlight into the darker interior of his child hood home. "Dad?" he called and almost immediately his eyes found him. "Dad!" Don shouted running forward to his father's side. Alan was unconscious as his boys fell to their knees beside him, his right hand still across his chest from where he'd clutched it in obvious pain.

Tears filled Charlie's eyes as he rested his hand on his father's shoulder. He glanced up at his older brother, shocked and scared, seeking reassurance. Don was digging in his pocket, his face white, his hands shaking as he emerged with his mobile phone. In the first few seconds of Don's call to emergency services Charlie realised from Don's broken voice that whatever comfort he was hoping to get from his big brother wasn't going to come. Don was just as freaked as he was.

...

Don paced not far from the nurses station. Alan had been taken beyond the double glass doors hours ago and still no news had come. The nurse at the desk had been at first sympathetic and understanding but as the hours passed and Don continued to pester her for news every five minutes her patience had slowly but surely waned. With a sigh Don leant back against the wall and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He couldn't banish the image of his father lying on the floor. The groceries spilled across the floor, the shards of the lime green bowl beside him. Shattered just like Don's confidence. The thought that Alan might one day not be there had never entered Don's mind. He'd always seemed so strong, so unconquerable, undaunted. The voice of reason, a source of comfort. But in one moment all that had come crashing down, that comfort had disappeared. Don didn't even know if his father was still alive.

With a sigh of frustration and anger Don dropped his hands and pushed off the wall turning to begin pacing again. Coming down the corridor towards him was a dark haired woman. Her long black hair was pulled back from her striking face in a high pony tail. Her neat dark pants, white pressed shirt, and thin dark jacket were crumpled from travel but still complimented her slender form. Her size was misleading, Don knew first hand just how much strength was contained within that small frame. "Jessy!" Don exclaimed and the woman striding down the corridor towards him glanced up and smiled gently. "Hey Don" she said as she reached him.

Surprised he stepped forward to meet her and pulled his cousin into a tight hug. Such an intense relief and happiness filled his chest as he held her that he was forced to blink rapidly to keep the welling tears from falling. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his words slightly muffled by her hair.

"Charlie called me" Jessy said pulling back and glanced up into his face, her big green eyes full of worry and concern. "I got the first flight out, how is he?"

Don shook his head helplessly, "I don't know, they won't tell me anything" he said hoarsly, "I don't even kno-" his voice choked off as he couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't voice the thought that maybe Alan had died.

"Screw that" Jessy said and stepped past him walking straight up to the nurses desk. "Hey, Paula is it?" Jessy said reading the nurses name badge. "Great, Paula, maybe you can help us out" she continued before the nurse could reply. "I'm Jessy Eppes. My uncle, Alan Eppes, was brought in here a few hours ago, i'm sure you've spoken with my cousin" she waved a hand absently over her shoulder in Don's direction. "Now Paula, you seem like a reasonable person and the thing is he's been cooling his heels now for hours so how about you find out how his father is doing? And if you can't find someone who can?" Jessy added as Paula opened her mouth the protest. Jessy just smiled sweetly, her green eyes blazing, and after a second the nurse nodded looking slightly dazed.

"I'll see what I can find out" Paula murmured standing and moving away out of sight.

Don watched in silence and some of the tension slowly faded from his shoulders. Jessy was here now. She wasjust one of those people that had that ability to make everything seem like it was going to be okay. She was so confident, so in control, no matter the situation she always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. That was one of the things that made her such a good FBI agent. As kids Don and Jessy had been really close. While everyone was marvelling over and looking after Charlie, Don had been left pretty much to his own devices. Jessy had been the one who'd been there for him. Two years younger, they'd spent most hours out of school together. She was the one who helped him train for baseball, who'd listened to his many complaints about his family. She was closer than a cousin, she was his sister. She'd moved with her mother to New York when she was sixteen. They'd stayed in contact and of course she had visited whenever possible. Jessy was the closest thing to a best friend he had, they were so similar, cut from the same cloth, was it any wonder they'd ended up choosing the same career?

"She's not gonna tell us anything" Don muttered as Jessy joined him again.

Jessy snorted, "She wouldn't dare come back without knowing something."

"Exactly. We won't see her for hours." Jessy laughed and the sound helped warm some of the numbness that had settled in his stomach.

"Don!" a voice called and Don spun to see Agents David Sinclair and Colby Granger, identically suited out, almost running towards him.

"We just got in and saw the message" David said as they reached him.

"We came straight over" Colby added concern filling his voice, "how is he?"

"We're just finding that out" Jessy cut in before Don could reply, "stay with Don would you, i'll be right back." So saying she turned, and before Don could protest, had disappeared through the double doors that were clearly marked prohibiting non hospital staff entry.

"Who was that?" Colby asked looking after her seemingly undecided on whether to look confused, amused or irritated.

"My cousin Jessy" Don replied running a hand wearily through his hair.

"Where's Charlie?" David asked.

"Downstairs somewhere, Amita took him to find coffee."

"What happened?" Colby asked in his usual blunt way his tone unintentionally sharp with worry. The whole team loved Alan, he was like a surrogate father, there hadn't been a time when Alan hadn't been there for each of them at one time or another.

"I don't really know" Don muttered running his hand through his hair again in a familiar gesture, to those who knew him best, of irritation and anxiety. "We just walked in and he was on the ground. The paramedics said heart attack but we haven't heard anything since they brought him in."

"I'm sure he'll be fine" David said squeezing his boss' shoulder reassuringly, "anything we can do?"

Don wanted to ask them to wait with him but was unable to articulate such a personal, weak sounding request. Instead he cleared his throat and unable to make a sound ended up simply shaking his head.

Silence fell as they waited. They seemed to be waiting beside some kind of thoroughfare upon which hospital staff were hurrying up and down. Don hated every second of it. He'd always hated hospitals, the sounds, the smells, they just brought back bad memories. In his history hospitals had never been associated with anything good. After what seemed like hours but could of only been five minutes the doors opened and Jessy came back out.

Don pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against and took half a step towards her.

She nodded in answer to his unspoken question, "He's gonna be okay Donnie" she whispered.

Don made a strangled noise in his throat and pulled her into another hug. Only his awareness of the two burly FBI agents behind him stopping him from bursting into tears.

"They've taken him up to the ICU" Jessy said, "do you wanna see him?"

Don nodded and went to follow her but froze mid step, "Charlie" he muttered glancing back behind him reluctantly.

"We'll find Charlie" Colby said quickly while David nodded, "you go ahead."

...

"He'll be a bit groggy for a while" Dr Wylder said, "and he'll need a lot of rest. It'll be slow going but we expect a full recovery."

Don exhaled slowly, "Thanks Doc" he breathed as the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach slowly receded, "can we see him?"

"One or two at a time and only for a couple of minutes we don't want to overwhelm him" Dr Wylder replied, "he's still a very sick man."

"You go" Jessy said pushing Don forward, "I'll wait here for Charlie."

Don pushed the door open slowly and stepped softly into the dimly lit room. Alan's eyes were closed, a nasal cannula secured across his face. The extremely light blue of his hospital gown blending with the pure white sheets of the hospital bed.

Don crept closer to the bed and stood looking down at his father. He looked so fragile, and Don hated to admit it, old.

Alan's eyes blinked open and blearily focused on his eldest son.

"Hey pop" Don said gently stepping closer to the bed. Alan's hand was resting on top of the bed spread and almost without realising he was doing it he had reached out and covered it with his own.

"Hey Donnie" Alan his voice hoarse but a twinkle in his eye as he lifted the corner of his lips in a weak half smile.

"How you feeling?"

"Felt better" Alan chuckled but his attempt at humour fell flat when it left him gasping for breath.

"Hey just take it easy Dad alright?" Don said worry flaring again as he tightened his hand on Alan's, he tried to smile "you'll get me kicked out."

There was the sound of voices outside and the door opened to admit Charlie and directly behind him, Jessy.

"Dad" Charlie cried rushing forward and Don quickly stepped back making room for his younger brother. "How are you?"

"I'm fine Charlie" Alan replied calmly though he looked exhausted, "don't worry about me." He glanced past Charlie and smiled in happy surprise, "Jessy?"

"Hey Uncle Alan" Jessy grinned leaning forward to kiss his forehead, "If you wanted me to come visit you only had to ask."

The entrance of the nurse prevented Alan from answering. She smiled warmly at them all, "Mr Eppes needs his rest now" she said kindly but firmly, "you'll be able to see him again in the morning."

"Alright Dad we'll see you in the morning" Don said patting his father's shoulder gently, "just rest okay?"

"Don't worry about your boys uncle Alan, i'll take care of them" Jessy smiled.

Alan smiled back but his eyes were already drifting closed as he sank further back into his pillows. Don, Charlie and Jessy left the room as the nurse finished checking his IV.

Amita was waiting outside with Colby and David as the Eppes' left Alan's room. "How is he?" Amita asked moving into Charlie's arms.

"Alright, he's sleeping now" Charlie said tiredly.

"Okay, so first things first we need to get some food into you boys" Jessy said, "I'm willing to bet you haven't eaten anything all day and no Charlie, hospital coffee doesn't even count as coffee let alone food." Charlie grinned ruefully. Jessy looked around at them all. Don, Charlie and Amita looked exhausted from having spent the entire day at the hospital as emotional wrecks. The two FBI agents who had turned up also looked tired, and no wonder if they'd just come in from an assignment. "I didn't introduce myself before" Jessy said holding out her hand to the nearest agent, "I'm Jessy Eppes."

"Colby Granger" the agent replied shaking her hand. Though he held her's only gently she could feel the iron strength in his grip.

"David Sinclair" the other agent said also shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you" Jessy said sincerely. She'd heard about them from Don of course but meeting them was something different. Jessy didn't like second hand information. She liked forming opinions based on first hand knowledge, things she could see and judge for herself, no editing. And the way these two burly agents had come rushing over to the hospital after hearing about Alan spoke volumes about their characters. "Well if i'm going to be fixing dinner for this lot you might as well join us" Jessy offered, "we can celebrate."

"Celebrate what exactly?" Don asked his voice slightly harsher than he intended.

"That today has ended this way" Jessy replied, "and not another."

Colby grinned, "I'll drink to that."