"Do we really have to do this now?" Alan asked wearily as he perched on the edge of the old, uncomfortable waiting room chair.

"I know this is a bad time," David acknowledged. "But we really do need to get a statement about what happened."

"But Don-"

"It's going to take some time while the doctors check him out and treat him. And I know you'll want to see him as soon as they're done, so let's go ahead and get this out of the way. Please, Alan?"

"Fine," the older man sighed as he leaned back in the chair, idly brushing his fingers over the bandage on his head. The paramedics had taken a moment to assess his injury once they'd made sure Don wasn't in immediate danger. The ride to the hospital had been long enough that the medics had cleaned and treated his head by the time they reached the emergency room, assuring him the wound wasn't severe enough to warrant his own hospital stay. Now he glanced nervously at the clock, wondering just how long it would be before he could be with his oldest son again. "Where do you want me to start?"

"At the beginning," David replied. "When your kidnapper first took you."

"Of course," Alan shook his head. "That's so obvious." He gave David a sorrowful look and wrung his hands in his lap. "I'm not really all together right now."

"No problem – I understand completely."

"Thanks." Alan leaned forward in the chair again, his brow furrowing as he thought back to the day Doug has shown up at the house. "I was doing some yard work in the back – setting up the sprinkler. The hose was kinked up because Charlie never takes the time to roll it up like I've showed him and I was so intent on trying to get it straight that I didn't hear him behind me until he put a gun to my head."

"Who?"

"Doug," Alan whispered. "Of course I didn't know it at the time – just that I was in a very bad situation. Then he grabbed my arm and told me we were going inside or else. He shoved me through to the living room and into a chair and then tied my hands and feet. I tried to ask him what he wanted but he forced a rag into my mouth and taped it in place."

"Did you recognize him at this point?" David inquired.

"No," the older man shook his head sadly. "I thought he was just some stranger off the street and that maybe this was a home invasion. Then he smiled – gave me chills the way his face looked – and said we were going to wait on Don and Charlie to join us. That's when I really got scared." Alan rubbed a shaky hand over his face and took a deep breath. "Must have shown in my eyes because that's when he laughed and asked if I really didn't recognize him. I shook my head and he got really angry. Said it may have been a long time, but that I should never forget family."

"Did that jog your memory?"

"No, but when he said he always thought Charlie-boy and I were better than that… That's when I knew. Only one person ever called Charlie by that name."

"Douglas Banks?"

"Yeah," Alan nodded. "Our old friend Doug. I tried to indicate that I did remember him, but he just growled that I should save it. Maybe later I might be able to prove that I was sorry I'd forgotten him. Then he sat on the couch and turned the TV on like everything was perfectly normal. I tried to ask what he wanted through my gag, but he told me to hush. Said we'd have time for talking once Charlie got home."

--

"So the Murray comment was an attempt to warn Don?" Megan asked softly as she watched the nervous young man seated across the table from her. As soon as they'd reached the hospital, she'd told David to take Alan's statement in the waiting room and she would take Charlie's in the cafeteria. She'd ushered Charlie into the deserted area and motioned for him to take a seat while she made one quick call. Once she'd told Larry that they'd found the Eppes – all three alive – she'd bid him a quick goodbye and joined her friend at the table.

"For all the good it did," Charlie whispered. "Don didn't understand, but Doug did. That's why he hit Dad over the head – as a punishment for what I did."

"You did what you had to do," Megan firmly stated. "Nothing wrong with that. Don'll be proud of your quick thinking."

"Not upset that I got Dad hurt?"

"Your father's fine, Charlie. You were in a tough situation and you followed your instincts." Seeing the lingering doubt in his eyes, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know Don will be proud of you."

"Thanks," he whispered as he studied the smooth, polished surface of the cafeteria table. "I felt so guilty though. And even more guilty as we sat there waiting for Don to show up. Doug just stood behind the front door and smiled at us like he was the happiest person in the world. I was so scared because I had no idea what he wanted with us, especially Don. They'd never really known each other – just met once at Thanksgiving dinner and that was strained to say the least."

"Strained? They weren't comfortable with each other, or clearly didn't like each other?"

"Doug seemed… unnerved when Don came home. I kept telling him Don was a great guy and that he'd like him, but Doug never listened. He'd insist that Don shouldn't have left home and gotten a job where he was out of touch with us for so long – that wasn't how you treated your family. I… I was a little hurt back then that Don didn't seem to keep in touch, but I never thought it made him a bad person."

"And Doug did think that?"

"Yeah," the professor sighed. "I just gave up trying to convince him and played peacemaker the whole time Don was home. When he went back to New Mexico, Doug seemed to go back to his old self. I never realized that he would…" Charlie shook his head and hunched his shoulders over the table. "I should have realized something was wrong back then – we never would have had to go through this."

"It's not your fault, Charlie," Megan told him. "He might not have liked Don, but I don't think Doug was the same person back then. Something happened to change him and unfortunately he saw you and your father – and Don – as his way to get what he needed."

"A family," the young man breathed. "He actually thought he could get rid of Don and we'd all be one big, happy family again." He looked up at the agent with an expression of utter despair. "That's just crazy, though. How could he ever think we'd want that? Especially after he made us watch him when he…"

Crap, she thought. So Colby's right – Banks did make them watch while he tortured Don. She very quietly replied, "He was a very disturbed man, Charlie. There's no way of knowing why he thought the way he did."

Charlie shrugged and went back to examining the tabletop. "He enjoyed it," the young genius breathed, his voice almost cracking. "You could see it on his face when he was hurting him." The professor slid his gaze back to Megan's face as he pleaded, "Why, Megan? Why did he have to hurt Don?"

The agent remained silent, knowing that whatever answer she gave wouldn't be able to take away his pain.

--

"Do you really need all the details?" Alan asked, his voice strained and desperate.

"If you can manage it, yes," David nodded. "I know it's hard, but we need to be able to close this case out as quickly as possible."

"I don't know if I can… It was so hard living through it the first time… I'll try." Alan took a deep breath and in a very halting voice – pausing several times to maintain his composure – he slowly related every bit of torment Doug had put his son through. When he had finally related the last detail, Alan was wide-eyed and shaking so David gently grabbed his shoulders and steadied him.

"I know how hard that was," the agent whispered, wondering how he'd managed to keep his emotions in check as Alan had spoken. "But it's over now – you never have to go through that again."

"Except when I sleep," the older man countered. "Those images are in there to stay, I'm afraid."

"We'll find someone for you and Charlie to talk to," David promised his friend. "To help you deal with them, okay?"

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but right now all I want is to see Don."

"As soon as the doctors are through, I promise we will." He leaned Alan back against the chair and patted his shoulder. "It shouldn't be too much longer."

"I hope you're right," the weary man said as he closed his eyes and willed time to hurry up.

--

"How'd you escape?" Megan asked.

"We tricked him," Charlie told her. "We made him think that we didn't want Don – that we wanted to be with him again."

"That was a very smart thing to do," she praised him.

"It was so hard, though. To make him believe it we had to act like we didn't care what happened to Don. The last time he was hurting him, I had to not look or move while he hit him with that damn hose." He traced invisible patterns on the smooth surface of the table as he tried to distract himself from the memories. "Once he left, we told Don how to get loose and called him to us. He was in so much pain but he made himself move toward our voices. And then…" His voice broke and he flattened his hand against the table, rubbing it back and forth over the area he'd been tracing as if he could erase what he'd been through.

Megan covered his hand with hers and leaned over the table so that she was only inches from his face. "Go on, Charlie."

"He came back," Charlie whispered despairingly. He brokenly told her about the last beating, about going to the house and having to pretend he was looking forward to spending time with Doug, and then how he and Alan had locked their captor in the cellar and escaped.

"Way to think on your feet."

"I was desperate to get to Don and get him away from Doug," he explained. "I wasn't thinking – just acting on instinct." Charlie continued relating the details of their escape right up until Megan had shown up.

"Thank you, Charlie," Megan said as she squeezed his hand. "I know that was hard, but that's all I need from you so we can get this case closed." At his weak nod, she pulled him to his feet and out of the cafeteria. "Let's go see if the doctors are finished."

--

"Knock, knock," Colby called as he poked his head into Don's hospital room.

"Hey," Don grinned at his friend as he approached the bedside.

"Man, is it good to see you again," the agent told his boss, trying not to openly stare at the bruises and welts that swirled across Don's uncovered chest.

"Missed me, did you?"

"Are you kidding?" Colby teased. "I was terrified that Megan was going to wind up being my new boss."

"There are worse things in life," Don joked back.

"I suppose, but I can't think of any right now." He motioned to a chair, silently asking if he could have a seat. At Don's nod, he pulled up the chair and took out his notebook. "I know you're eager to see your family but you know the drill. I was hoping to get your statement first."

"Right," Don nodded. "Well, I was out of it a lot of the time. Don't remember too much."

"Anything you can tell me is fine."

Don nodded and related the past few days, starting with the phone call from Charlie and going all the way through to Megan's appearance at the van. Colby maintained a neutral expression, even when Don spoke of the various torture sessions he'd been though at Doug's hands. When his friend had finished, Colby noticed the pinched look at the corner of his eyes. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Don assured him.

"You look like you're in pain," Colby countered as he reached for the call button.

"No," his boss stopped him. "I want to be lucid when I see my family. Then I'll let them dope me up." Seeing the doubtful expression on the other man's face, Don smiled again. "I promise."

Colby warned, "I'm not afraid to check up on you"

"Granger," Don growled. "Give it a rest."

"Alright," the younger man agreed. He had one last thing he wanted to discuss with Don before Charlie and Alan showed up and he wasn't quite sure how to approach it. Finally Colby decided that being direct might be the best way to go. "You are planning on talking to someone about this, right?"

"Why?" Don shrugged, wincing as his aching shoulders protested. "It's over with."

"You and your family went through a very traumatic event," Colby quietly pointed out. "You need to deal with it before it deals with you."

"I appreciate your concern, Colby, but I don't see the need."

"You were tortured," the younger man responded. "It may seem like it's over, but there are nasty little lingering effects that will show up soon."

"Really?" his boss asked dryly. "And here I was thinking Megan was the psychology expert on our team."

"I had a friend that went through this," Colby informed him. "In the war. He got captured and they tortured him for information. He survived and made it back home and thought he was okay, too. Thankfully the Army makes you see someone after an event like that, so he got help before it got too bad."

"Fine," Don sighed. "I'll think about it when we get home."

"One more thing?"

"Only one?" the injured man asked with a heavy sigh.

"Take Charlie and Alan with you when you go."

"No way," Don vehemently shook his head. "I won't put them through that again."

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but it will help them to be there with you. That I do know firsthand." At Don's inquisitive look, Colby told him, "I was there when they hurt my friend. It was hell to watch and I thought it would be just as bad to relive it at his therapy session with him, but I was wrong. Going to therapy with him was the best thing I ever did and it made our friendship even closer once we'd dealt with it."

"Really?" Don asked, this time without any trace of sarcasm.

"Really," Colby nodded. He watched as the injured man thoughtfully chewed his lip and then nodded.

"I'll think about it."

"Good. And you've always got my number if you need me."

"Thanks, Colby."

"Anytime. Now, let's see about getting your family in here."

--

"Donny!" Alan joyfully greeted his son as he rushed to his bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," he answered truthfully.

Charlie pulled up two chairs for him and his father. "What'd the doctor say?"

"That I'll be fine," Don smiled. "No major injuries."

"Details, son," his father pressed as he took a seat in the chair.

"Lots of bruising and a couple of infected gashes, not too badly though. He gave me some antibiotics to take and said it should start to get better in a day or two."

Charlie eyed one of the deeper cuts on his brother's chest, held together by butterfly bandages and inflamed around the edges, and wondered what Don's back must look like. He pointed at the angry bruising around the agent's rib cage and raised an eyebrow. "What about that?"

"A couple of bruised ribs," Don told him. "Nothing a little rest won't fix."

"And the bruising over your kidneys?" the professor asked as he remembered the wicked looking injury to his brother's lower back.

"Again, just bruising – no damage to the kidneys themselves." He smiled at his family and chuckled. "I told you there's no major injuries."

"Knee?" Charlie asked, deciding to ignore his brother's comment and do his own interrogation.

"Swollen and bruised, just needs some rehab."

"Your legs?" his little brother continued as he remembered the sound the hose had made as Doug beat Don.

"Do I have to get the doctor to show you my chart?" Don sighed. "I'm fine, guys."

"We're just worried, Donny. Humor us?" Alan reached out and gripped Don's hand in his and frowned at the expression that crossed his oldest son's face. "What?"

"It's nothing," Don quickly shook his head.

"What?" his father insisted. He squeezed Don's hand in support and immediately felt his stomach knot as Don stared forlornly at their entwined fingers. "You can't feel that, can you?"

"The doctor says that's perfectly normal after being suspended by your wrists for so long," the agent said as calmly as he could. "The feeling should come back in a day or so."

"'Should'?" Charlie repeated.

"Yeah," Don mumbled as he avoided their gazes.

The professor was about to ask what would happen if it didn't, but decided to focus on being positive. "Of course you'll get feeling back, Don. Now, about this rehab – you can do it outpatient?"

"Yes," the injured man nodded happily. "They're releasing me tomorrow morning and we can go home. I just have to meet with a physiotherapist and get my schedule set up."

"That's good, Donny," Alan rubbed his son's forearm and nodded. "It'll be good to go back home."

"Can we, though?" Charlie suddenly asked. "I mean, isn't the house a crime scene?"

"They should be done with it by now," Don assured him. "Especially since we've been found and our abductor is dead."

"I'll ask Megan to make sure it's okay," Alan said. "And if it's still off limits, I guess we can stay at your apartment for a few days."

"Gentlemen," a nurse smiled as she peeked into the room. "I'm afraid visiting hours are over for the night. Come back tomorrow morning?"

Charlie leaned close to his brother and grabbed his arm just above his lightly bandaged wrist, not wanting to be away from Don again any time soon. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed his father copying his actions and he gave the nurse an imploring look. "Please, we need to stay."

"Our family has been through a lot," Alan added. "We need to be together now."

"I'm not supposed to bend the rules," she stated with a wink. "But if you were to stay very quiet and let our patient sleep, I don't see how I would know you were here."

Charlie promised, "You won't hear a word."

"Okay, but if anyone asks, I know nothing about this." She started to leave, but Don cleared his throat to stop her.

"I could use something for pain," he told her, wincing as the ache in his body seemed to worsen.

"Donny," Alan scolded. "You should have said something sooner."

He shrugged. "Didn't hurt before."

"Why don't I believe that?" the nurse asked as she injected something into his IV. "This will help in a few minutes. It'll also put you out for the night, so I'd suggest you get comfortable." Turning to the other two men she gave a quick wave. "Good night."

"Are you comfortable?" Charlie asked. "Want me to help you shift?"

"I'm good, Buddy. As good as I'm going to get in here, at least. Thanks though."

"Close your eyes and rest, Donny. We'll be here with you all night."

"I know, Dad," the injured man yawned as his eyes drifted shut. "Thanks."

Alan watched his son as he fell into a deep sleep, waiting until he knew Don was out to begin smoothing a hand though his hair.

Charlie smiled as he observed his brother and father, feeling comforted by the fact that they all were safe and together. He lightly traced Don's fingers and wondered exactly how good his chance of regaining feeling in those numb digits was. Doesn't matter, he told himself. Don always gets better – he has to. Stifling his own sleepy yawn, Charlie laid his head on the bed next to his brother's hand and let out a deep breath. As he drifted to sleep, he barely registered the feel of his father's hand in his hair, too, soothing both of his sons into a peaceful slumber.

TBC