Title: Down to Earth
Author: Evenstar656
Summary: Don finally comes home, and Alan and Charlie try to get him to talk about what happened
Spoilers: Minor references to previous episodes, nothing major
Author's Notes: YOU NEED TO READ NOT QUITE HEAVEN FIRST! I had many requests to continue the story and expand on the family's feelings. This was a spur of the moment post so this isn't betaed, so there are probably some mistakes…forgive me, I am only a mere mortal!
Down to Earth
Don slowly lowered himself into the plush cushions of the couch, letting out a deep sigh of relief.
"I'm gonna take your stuff upstairs, Donny," Alan started up the steps.
"Alright," Don sank deeper into the cushions and closed his eyes.
After a little less than two weeks in the hospital, Don was finally home.
He was exhausted and with his ribs and lungs healing, it took all the energy he could muster to walk the short distance from the car to the couch. The constant throbbing and fatigue kept him doubtful of his doctor's promise of regaining his strength.
"You alright, Don?" Charlie asked carrying in a few bags of groceries.
"Yep," Don said without opening his eyes.
"Are you hurting?" Charlie set the bags down in the kitchen.
"Just a bit."
"Hang on a sec and I'll get you a pain pill," Charlie hurried since Don rarely admitted that he was in pain.
Charlie came back with the pill and a glass of water. Don hastily took the pill and drained the glass of water.
"Is the pain that bad?" Charlie looked worried.
"It comes and goes, it'll pass in a few minutes," Don noticed Charlie's concerned expression, "I'll be fine."
Charlie squeezed his brother's shoulder and went into the kitchen to unpack the groceries. Don remained on the couch, thinking about his mother and what she'd said to him.
"It was my time to go. You guys didn't need me anymore."
"We did need you."
"No you didn't. If I hadn't left then you and Charlie would not have become closer."
Once Charlie was finished, he went back into the living room to find his brother staring out of the window.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Charlie sat down next to his brother.
"Nah, I was just thinking about what happened," Don brought his gaze back into the house.
"Want to talk about it?"
"No thanks."
Charlie sat there for a second trying to find a way to get his older brother to open up, "Don you're going to have to talk about it eventually."
Don looked at his younger brother, "I know I'm just not ready yet."
"Are you ever going to be ready?"
"One day. Can you help me upstairs?" Don was avoiding the inevitable conversation.
"Sure," Charlie gave into Don's deflection.
Charlie and Alan were sitting downstairs watching the evening news. Don had eaten a light supper and fallen asleep. Alan was working on puzzles in his sudoku book while listening to the news. Charlie was slumped over the arm of the couch reflecting about what his older brother went through.
"Did Don see mom?" Charlie caught his father's attention.
"What do you mean?"
"While he was in surgery, remember he said 'mom' when he was waking up?"
"Oh, I'm not sure what he saw. You know, you're brother isn't one to open up."
"I know that, but what do you think? There have been articles that patients near death see their loved ones."
"It's possible; he's probably not going to tell us anything."
"Why would he do that?"
"He thinks he'll seem weak and vulnerable."
"How come you understand Don so much?"
"He is my son. Also if I was in that situation, I would not want you or Don to see me that way."
"Will he ever talk?" Charlie sighed.
"Eventually, he just has to wait for the right time."
"I hope so." Charlie mumbled to himself.
Several days later Charlie caught Don looking at one of their mother's pictures that was taken right before she got sick.
"Did you see her?" Charlie asked.
Don jumped and put the picture down, "Don't scare me like that, buddy."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
"I know, it's alright," Don slowly walked back to the couch.
"Do you need something for pain?" Charlie saw Don's face scrunch up as he sat down.
"I'm okay right now; it doesn't hurt as bad today."
"That's good, you're making progress."
"Yeah, at this rate I'll never get to go back to work," Don smiled.
"You will, your doctor said it would be awhile."
Don sat there, the smile gone from his face.
"Are you okay, Don?"
"Yeah, I'm just getting tired."
"Do you want to stay down here or go back upstairs?"
"I'll be good here."
"Okay, yell if you need anything," Charlie walked to the garage.
"Charlie?" Don said.
"Yeah," Charlie stopped at the doorway.
"Thanks."
"No problem," Charlie smiled as he knew Don was starting to open up, and went into the garage.
The next few days went by slowly for Don since he couldn't do much of anything. He'd resorted to sitting outside by the pond, watching the koi. The pond was one of the last few places he felt that he could be close with his mother. He'd realized how close things came to him not being there.
Charlie stood at the window watching his older brother.
"He'll talk, just give it some time," Alan said as he fixed sandwiches for everyone.
"He seems….he seems so off," Charlie turned to his father.
"I know, what ever happened must have touched something deep. Why don't you take this out there to him? He may want to talk, you just have to keep trying," Alan handed Charlie a tray with a sandwich, water, and Don's pills on it.
"Yeah," Charlie took the tray to Don.
"About time, I was actually getting hungry," Don smiled as Charlie sat the tray on the small table beside the lawn chair.
"See, I told you, you're making progress," Charlie was delighted to see his brother's appetite returning.
Don swallowed his pills and chased them down with water. After setting the glass down he took a big bite out of the sandwich, his favorite: turkey, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and mustard. Charlie pulled up a nearby chair and sat down.
"You remembered the mustard," Don said while chewing.
"Yep. The staff at the Hotel de Eppes tries to please its guests."
"Does that mean I have to tip the bell hop?"
"I only take cash."
"I'm going to remember that next time you need something," Don used his arm to wipe away some mustard.
"It's a nice day out here," Charlie looked up to see big fluffy clouds.
"It is. I think it's supposed to rain tomorrow."
"I wouldn't know. I don't spend all my time in front of the TV."
"Hey, it's not like I have anything else to do."
"Did you know that eventually you can pick out a pattern that the fish follow?"
"Is this something like bending spaghetti?"
"Yeah, I guess I'll spare you the lecture."
"Thanks."
A long silence followed as Don finished his lunch and watched the koi. There was one fish that swam around and came back to another fish. The two fish did the same thing for what seemed like an eternity.
"I see one now, those two fish," Don pointed to the two koi that always returned to each other.
"Yeah, I saw that too, they always come back to each other. Maybe they're trying to tell us something?"
"Like what?"
"Maybe we need to talk," Charlie carefully brought the subject up.
"It seems that way," Don realized he was going to have to talk eventually.
"You saw mom didn't you? When you …"Charlie couldn't say 'died'.
"Yeah I did," Don surprised his brother. "We spent hours together."
"Was she happy?" Charlie pushed further.
"Yeah, she missed us all. It was her when her picture fell."
"I'm sure that's coincidence."
"I wanted to stay, but she didn't want me too."
Don's last statement took Charlie's breath away, "You wanted to stay?"
"Yeah, I couldn't feel anything. Everything was perfect; I didn't want to go back and have to go through all that pain. I was with mom, and I didn't want to leaver her again."
"But you came back to us?"
"Yeah, I knew you and dad would be okay, but I just couldn't leave you guys. Mom had only been gone for a few years and I knew how that would tear you guys up if I left. I was ready to move on, but you guys still needed me."
"So you stayed for us?" Charlie's eyes were tearing up.
"Yeah, I had too many reasons not to go."
"Do you regret it?"
"No, sometimes I miss mom, but then I think about what I still have," Don took his younger brother's hand.
"I'm glad you didn't leave us…you didn't leave me."
"I'm glad too buddy."
Charlie's tears were streaming down his face, he tried to wipe them away but more kept coming.
"Come here," Don scooted over.
Charlie went over to his brother and sat down next to him, laying his head on his brother's shoulder, "I don't know what I would've done without you."
"I'm here now, and that's what matters. I intend to stay here for a while to make sure you let dad have a life."
Charlie sat there sobbing into his older brother's shoulder. Don rubbed his brother's back until the sobbing had stopped.
"Will we see mom again?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, it'll be a while though."
"Will she forgive me for not spending time with her?"
"Yes."
Alan watched from the kitchen as Don finally opened up to his brother. He smiled and continued what he was doing, knowing that he and Margaret raised two fine men.
Awww wasn't that sweet! I hope you enjoyed!
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