Russ aimed the gun at himself and fired. He fell to the ground heavily and David ran up to him. Quickly, David took Russ' gun. Don, shocked, looked between Charlie and Russ. Seeing that Russ was the one hurt, Don ran to the man.
"No! You do not get to die! You don't get off that easy." Don ripped off his coat and pressed it to the man's chest. He found the pulse he wanted and kept applying pressure.
Russ laughed weakly.
Don gritted his teeth as he angrily applied pressure to Russ' wound. Pressing harder than needed, Don caused Russ pain with his pressure.
Charlie had fallen to the ground the same time Russ did. When he saw Russ raise his gun again and when he heard the shot, Charlie's heart had stopped beating. Fear coursed through his veins at the image. Now that Russ was laying on the ground, Charlie wanted to get as far away from the man as he could. Too panicked to stand up, he backed away from the man, still on the ground. He backed into Colby's legs. The agent knelt down beside Charlie, gripping his shoulders supportively.
"Charlie, are you okay?" Colby asked when he moved in front of Charlie.
Charlie's eyes were focused on Russ and Don. Since he wasn't getting a response, Colby assessed Charlie's body for injuries. It soon became obvious that he'd been shot in the leg and Colby used his jacket as a bandage.
Megan stood over Russ, watching Don clot the bleeding.
"Did someone call an ambulance?" Don barked angrily.
"I did, Don. I had already called one in for Charlie," Megan responded.
Don froze. "Charlie?"
Don stopped helping Russ as he pushed away from the man. Seeing his brother's frightened form beside Colby, Don stood and hurried over to his little brother. David took over helping Russ.
When Colby saw Don coming, he stepped away.
"Don's coming, Charlie," Colby whispered before he left.
Charlie looked up gratefully at his older brother. Don's worried gaze focused on his brother.
"Buddy, are you okay?" Don asked hurriedly as he sank to his knees in front of Charlie.
"I'm... I'm okay."
Don nodded. "That's good."
Don looked over Charlie a moment, and then the fear started again.
"We gotta keep pressure on that." Don forced Colby's jacket tighter against Charlie's leg, making his brother cry out in pain.
"I'm sorry!" Don said immediately. Scared, Charlie backed away from his brother.
"Buddy, I'm so sorry. I just... you got shot. I can't... I don't... I won't let you die, okay?"
Don's tear-glazed eyes were enough to convince Charlie of his brother's sincerity and his obvious fear. Charlie allowed Don to come closer and apply pressure back onto his leg. Weakening, Charlie laid back against the hard pavement. Don held onto Colby's jacket with one hand and with the other, he gripped his brother's forearm supportively.
Colby stood awkwardly between Charlie and Don and Megan, David and Russ. Seeing Charlie laying limply against the pavement with no cushion under his head, Colby decided to go back to Charlie.
"Here you go, Whiz Kid." Colby lifted Charlie's upper body and let Charlie lean against his shoulder.
"Thanks, Colby," Charlie said quietly.
Don and Colby's eyes met, and Don nodded, giving Colby his silent thanks. Colby smiled and nodded in return. He put an arm around Charlie's shoulders to hold him in place while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
Charlie closed his eyes as he tried to forget about the pain. He reached his hand out for his brother, and Don took it in his.
When the ambulances arrived, Don left with Charlie, while David went with Cartman. Charlie's wound wasn't serious, but he would need stitches and bandages. Also, he started showing signs of shock, so the EMTs wanted to be safe by taking him to the hospital.
At the hospital, Charlie rested fitfully on the bed. His leg had been stitched and bandaged, and he'd been given pain medication. The doctor didn't think he was going into shock, but wanted to keep him overnight for observation. Don sat in the chair beside his brother's bed as Charlie squirmed back and forth.
"Would you sit still?" Don asked with a chuckle as he leaned forward. He tried to make eye contact with his brother, but Charlie just kept moving from one side to the other.
"I can't."
"You need to. You're going to hurt your leg, Buddy. Just lay down. Get some sleep."
Charlie did pause in his stirring, but because of the absurdity of Don's words. He turned to face brother, and looked at Don with frightened eyes.
"Sleep? You think I can sleep? How am I supposed to sleep when that man is in the same building as me? For all I know, he could be across the hall, or in the next room. I can't sleep, when I know if he gets the chance, he'll come back to finish the job. He's still alive, Don. I can't just sleep peacefully knowing that."
Don swallowed hard, forcing the lump in his throat away. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He felt uncomfortable under his little brother's gaze, as though Charlie expected him to have the answers.
"You... you can sleep, Buddy. I'm going to be here. I won't leave you. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you."
Charlie closed his eyes tightly. He gripped the thin sheet covering him, holding it in his fists. Despite his closed lids, a tear slid down his face, falling off his chin. Don dried the wet trail with his hand, causing Charlie's eyes to open.
"It's okay, Buddy. You're safe with me."
Charlie gave his brother a weak smile. He reached out and grabbed his brother's hand. Don squeezed reassuringly, smiling at his brother. Charlie breathed deeply, then closed his eyes, to finally get some sleep.
A soft knock on the door was enough to jar Charlie. Don looked up to see Colby standing in the doorway.
"Hey, guys. I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"We're good," Don answered, stealing a glance at Charlie.
Colby smiled. "That's good. You going to be okay, man?" He directed his question to Charlie.
"I'm all right. Thanks." Charlie forced a smile for the agent.
"Don, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Charlie's panic-filled eyes were enough answer for Don.
"If you have something to say, you can say it in front of Charlie."
Colby shifted nervously. "Considering Cartman's past crimes, Megan sent a team to Cartman's house. We found a body."
Charlie's eyes grew large, filled with fear. He grabbed his brother's arm. "Don!"
"Sh, it's okay." Don turned for a moment to calm his brother. He kept his grip on Charlie's arm. "Male or female?"
"Female. She's still unidentified, but judging by the way she looks..."
"It's Jessica, isn't it? It's his daughter." Charlie's heart skipped a beat. Colby and Don both looked at Charlie.
"Oh, God," Charlie breathed. Feeling sick, he doubled over, holding his knees as he took on the fetal position. Each breath was loud and shaky.
Sensing his brother's impending panic attack, Don got up from his chair. Stepping in front of his brother on the bed, he grasped Charlie's face in his hands.
"Charlie, listen to me. Listen to me! This was not your fault, okay? We don't know that it's Jessica. Just calm down."
Haggard breathing came from Charlie as he looked up at his brother, terror written all over his face. He had failed Jessica. He didn't save her. It was all his fault!
As Don still held his face, Charlie gripped his brother's wrists. Staring into Don's eyes, Charlie spoke.
"It's Jessica. I failed her." Looking off to the side, Charlie remembered something. He let go of his brother's wrists and slipped out of Don's grasp for a moment. If it was Jessica, Russ would be a murderer. He'd go to prison for years. But now, he was still here. Still in the same hospital as him. Russ would never get another chance to kill him if he didn't do it tonight.
Charlie grabbed a handful of his brother's shirt. "Don, he's going to kill me! He's going to kill me!"
Don framed his brother's face with his hands and brought their faces close together. He touched Charlie's forehead with his as he locked gazes with his brother. "You're not going to die, do you hear me? I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Seeing the fear was still in his brother's eyes, Don let go of Charlie's face and brought his little brother into a tight embrace. Charlie reacted desperately as he clung to his brother with all the strength he had.
Awkwardly, Colby left the room, leaving the brothers to be alone. His heart hurt for Charlie. After seeing that, Colby decided he would stay at the hospital until Charlie went home. He wasn't going to risk Charlie being right.
Alan exited the elevator and looked around for a familiar face. Finding Colby, he ran to the young agent.
"Colby! Where's Charlie? Where's Don?" he asked frantically.
"They're in that room over there," Colby answered calmly, pointing out the room.
"Thank you!"
Alan nearly jogged to the room. When he came in, he found his sons hugging. Charlie's death grip on his older brother appeared to be painful to Don, but no complaints were heard. Don stiffly turned his head to see his father.
"Dad. What are you doing here? I thought you were in San Francisco on a consulting gig."
"And you think that's more important than family?" Alan stepped closer to his sons. Charlie's face was buried in his brother's shoulder when Alan patted him on the back.
"Charlie? Let go of your brother."
Charlie shook his head, refusing. Don turned his face toward his brother, and whispered in his ear.
"I'm not going anywhere, Buddy. You can let go."
Charlie pushed back so he could see Don's face. When his brother gave him a reassuring smile, Charlie was able to let go.
"What happened, kiddo?" Alan asked as he brushed Charlie's hair back with his hand.
Charlie looked at Don, his eyes pleading.
"Dad, can we talk outside for a second?" Don suggested, standing up. Seeing Charlie's fearful look, Don leaned down toward his brother.
"I'll be right outside the door, I promise."
Charlie nodded. He would be okay.
Don squeezed Charlie's hand briefly before he went outside to talk to his father.
"So? What's going on?"
Don sighed. "Dad, Charlie got shot."
"What?" Alan exclaimed.
"It's just a graze, he's fine. You saw him. But Russ Cartman tried to kill him."
"Oh my." Alan covered his mouth with his hand.
"There was a standoff, where Russ held Charlie at gunpoint. He ended up surrendering, but at the last second, he shot himself. He lived, but he's going to be facing some serious jail time. Plus, we found a body at his house."
"A body?"
Don looked off to the side and then back at his father. He licked his lips nervously. "We think it might be Jessica."
"No!" Alan leaned against the wall for support. That would kill Charlie.
"Dad, Charlie is terrified. He thinks Russ is going to try to kill him again, and that Jessica's death is all his fault. I need some time with him tonight, okay? It might not be safe for you to be here. So, please, go home. I know you want to be here, but I can handle this."
Alan looked at his oldest son suspiciously. He smiled and shook his head. Don was as stubborn as his mother. He gave a small chuckle.
"Okay, Donny. You take care of this."
"Thank you."
Alan put an arm across Don's shoulders and squeezed before walking back into Charlie's room. Charlie was waiting patiently for their return.
"I'm going to head home, kiddo. Okay? I'll be back in the morning to help Don bring you home."
"Okay." Charlie forced a smile for his father. Alan leaned down and hugged his son, then stood and left.
After a long period of silence, Charlie turned to Don.
"What did you say to him?"
"Excuse me?"
"To Dad. What did you say to him? You know he doesn't leave that easily."
Don smiled. "I told him I'd take care of things."
"That's it?" Charlie raised an eyebrow, still looking suspicious.
"That's it. Now, you need to get some sleep."
"What about you?" Charlie asked as he pulled the covers up to his chin.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay up tonight, and sleep the day away when we get you home. Okay?"
Charlie looked guilty. He didn't want to force his brother to stay awake all night, but it did make him feel better. "Thanks."
Don smiled. "No problem. Get some sleep, Buddy."
Charlie smiled as he closed his eyes. He put his trust in his older brother. If there was anyone to protect him, it'd be Don.
Well, well, well. It's going to be longer than two chapters! LOL I wasn't planning that, but now with the body, I need to expand some more. So, I'll see you soon!