Misconception
– Chapter two –
A/N: mistakes are mine.
1234-1234
Alan reached for the phone and dialed his son's number.
"And?" Charlie found his voice again.
Alan shook his head. "Nothing. I'm calling David. You try Colby."
1234-1234
Don managed to stay conscious most of the ride to the hospital, much to the EMT's surprise.
"Keep talking to him," the dark-haired paramedic ordered Colby, "He seems to recognize and react to your voice."
Colby nodded in reply, he wanted to do something but felt a little helpless.
"Don? Can you hear me?"
Don only groaned in reply.
"Don?"
No response.
"He's lost consciousness, but we're almost there," the EMT informed him.
Colby felt comforted by the fact that he could still hear Don's heart beating steadily on the portable monitor.
1234-1234
Don thought he heard a sound. He couldn't be certain, but it seemed real. Again. A voice, maybe. He couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, he didn't need to know yet.
The second time he heard the female voice, he couldn't just ignore it any longer. He silently ordered his eyes to show themselves. He tried, but his eyelids didn't want to cooperate and stayed glued shut.
The voice which kept calling his name was both persistent and annoying. It made his headache intensify. His head wasn't the only part of his body screaming for attention.
"Agent Eppes? Can you open your eyes for me?"
He opened his eyes for just a second and instead of keeping them open he squeezed them shut again and furrowed his brow.
"Donnie?" He recognized his father and could clearly make out the worry in his dad's voice.
He attempted to open his eyes again.
"That's it," the female voice encouraged.
He hated hospitals with a passion, but knew they existed for a good reason. He couldn't complain, so instead he gave his father a tired smile.
Alan grabbed the fingers of his left hand and gently squeezed them. Don could feel the IV there, but he couldn't care less. He enjoyed his dad's comforting touch. He moved his gaze to the female doctor.
"What's the verdict?" he croaked, directly to the point.
She gave him a quick smile. "You're not going to feel very lucky for the next couple of days, but I can assure you that you are an extremely lucky man."
She was right about one thing, he didn't feel very lucky, his entire body hurt.
"The bullet went straight through your shoulder. The damage is minimal but you've lost quite a lot of blood."
Don looked down, suddenly interested in his bandaged right shoulder. His arm was on his chest, bandages firmly keeping it in place. He couldn't help feeling a bit nauseous.
His doctor kept explaining the damage. He picked up the words physical therapy and could've been worse.
Her voice trailed off when she saw his green complexion. He figured that she must've reached for something because he felt something hard against his chin only a few seconds later, right on time. His stomach emptied its content. Somewhere in the distance he could feel his dad squeezing his hand.
She helped him lie down again, his head against the pillow.
Before he could bribe his father into telling him what had happened the older Eppes stopped him. "Shhh. Rest, son. You need it. I'll be here when you wake up."
He did feel exhausted and noticed that he could no longer keep his eyes open. He gave in to much needed sleep.
1234-1234
As promised, his dad was right there when he woke up again. Alan just wasn't awake. When he turned his head to the left, his eyes spotted his little brother typing away on his laptop.
"Chuck," he called Charlie's name.
Charlie jumped a little when he heard Don's voice. He looked up and found his brother's brown eyes staring at him.
"Dad fell asleep?"
Charlie nodded. "Finally. He was worried."
"I'm guessing that's an understatement?"
Charlie nodded his head for a second time. He closed his laptop and took in his brother's appearance. Don looked pale. He also noticed pain lines on his brother's face.
"Do you want me to call the doctor or a nurse?"
"Not yet. I want to stay awake a little longer. Sounds like dad isn't the only one who's worried," Don quickly changed the subject.
"Don, we thought you were dead."
Don's eyes widened. "Who gave you that idea?"
"The news."
Charlie felt bad for bringing it up, his brother needed to rest and here he was, sharing the worry. Don had always worried about others, especially his family.
"Colb's okay, right?"
"He is. The… man you've been looking for, Arthur Bellows, died in that alley." Man didn't sound right to Charlie's ears. "Colby promised to drop by one of these days," Charlie added in attempt to get rid of the foul taste the name had left in his mouth.
Realization dawned on Don. "One of these days? When am I getting out of here?"
"When the doctor says you can leave," Alan cut in. He'd just woken up and had clearly heard the last part of their conversation.
Don threw a desperate look at the math professor.
"Don't look at me like that. You're on your own here. I won't suffer dad's wrath if I don't have to."
"Where are you going?" Don asked his father when the older man got up.
"I'm going to get the nurse. You're not going to admit you're in pain, even when it's pretty clear."
"I'm fine, dad. A little sore, but fine."
"Fine. Exactly my point." He muttered something unintelligible and left the room.
"Robin?" Don decided to ask his brother. He missed her.
"She should be here tonight." Charlie could see that the FBI agent liked his answer.
Don tried to get a bit more comfortable in bed and closed his eyes against the weariness threatening to overwhelm him.
"You're going to zone out again?"
"Hmmm," Don admitted, "as soon as they give me the good stuff."
tbc
A/N: I know I said 'two chapters', but for some reason I just kept writing last night and it felt appropriate to end chapter two here. This means that you're getting a third chapter/epilogue (at least three more 'scenes'). *nods*
Remember, reviews make me happy.