-1A/N: The disclaimer applies to all chapters of Out of Time.
Thank you for your reviews.
Chapter 14:
The dark sedan pulled up in front of the entrance to the Emergency Room at Cedar -Sinai Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Alan had the door opened before the car came to a complete stop and one foot out of the car before the engine was turned off. He took off at a run with Amita following closely behind him and quickly hurried up to the nurse's station .
"Excuse me." he said to the nurse at the station. "My name is Alan Eppes, and my son was brought in, can you tell me where he is?
The nurse could see that he was in an agitated state and tried to calm him down.
"Sir….sir, please calm down. I'll take a look at the records and see if there is any information on him." She tapped at the keys on her computer for a few minutes and then looked back up at Alan. "I have two Eppes that were brought in sir, a Charles and a Don, which one is your son.?"
"Oh my God!" Alan exclaimed in dismay, "Both of them are my sons, I thought only Charlie was brought in."
The nurse stood up, walked around the desk and firmly took hold of Alan's arm. She lead him and Amita to the Emergency room waiting room.
"Please have a seat, I'll personally go back and see if I can find out anything for you. I promise I won't be gone long."
Alan leaned forward as he put his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands. "Both of them….no…no…..no, it just can't be." he mumbled over and over to himself.
Amita sat in the chair next to him, her shoulders slumped forward and stared silently at the floor as she twisted her hands nervously in her lap.
They both started to rise when the nurse returned, but she waved for them to remain seated. She placed a comforting hand on Alan's forearm and spoke.
"I'm sorry Mr. Eppes, but both of your sons are still with the doctors. They'll notify you as soon as they know anything." As she turned to leave, she added. "I'll be at my station if you should need anything."
"Thank you for your kindness." Alan spoke quietly and leaned back in his seat. He would bide his time because it didn't matter how long it took, he wasn't leaving there until he saw his boys.
The room was crowded and noisy but neither Alan or Amita were aware of anything that was going on around them.
………………………………...
Don made his way back out to the emergency room waiting area. He had just been given an examination and got a clean bill of health, with the exception of a prescription for an antibiotic that he was supposed to take as a precaution against any infections that might occur from his early morning swim in the harbor.
His clothes were still damp from his swim, so he kept the blanket wrapped around himself to keep warm. At least he didn't have to walk around in wet socks, the nurse had been nice enough to give him a pair of paper shoes to wear.
The agent was just about to enter the waiting room when he spotted one of the young LAPD officers that had assisted in their rescue standing in the hallway talking to an attractive young nurse. He had never gotten the chance to thank him properly so he walked over to do it now. It wasn't until he was closer to them that he realized they were holding hands and having an intimate conversation.
The agent changed his mind and started to turn back around but the young officer had already spotted him. "Agent Eppes."
Realizing it was too late to make a discreet retreat, he turned back and quickly glanced at the officer's name tag as he held out his hand. "Officer Daniels, I'm sorry for the interruption. I didn't get a chance to thank you and your partner for pulling us out of the harbor and when I spotted you I just wanted to take the opportunity to do so."
The officer took his hand and shook it. "That's okay sir. Let me introduce you to my wife, Evelyn."
Don nodded his head in greeting, "It's nice to meet you. You have a good man here, he helped save a lot of people today."
"I think so too, and it's nice to meet you too, sir." she responded, blushing lightly.
"How is your brother…is he going to be all right?"
Don sighed "He is still with the doctors. Please thank your partner for me and if there is ever anything I can do for you, please call me."
They shook hands again and then Don left them and entered the waiting area. He looked around at all of the people and felt a little overwhelmed. A feeling of helplessness was coming over him and he felt his strength wavering.
Lost in thought, he didn't realize that David and Colby had joined him and was startled when David asked him a question.
"Don, any news on Charlie yet?"
The older agent just shook his head "No, haven't heard a thing since they brought us in, separated us right away. You guys okay?
"Yeah, just a little damp." Colby shrugged with a small grin, pulling his own blanket a little tighter.
"Just have to take an antibiotic." his partner threw in.
Don held up his prescription,, "Yeah, me too."
"Donnie!"
The agent looked up at the sound but not soon enough to stop himself from being wrapped up in a tight embrace.
"What happened…..are your all right?…..where's your brother?…why were you both brought to the hospital?"
Without giving him time to answer, Alan continued. "Why are all of your clothes wet?
The rapid fire questions left him momentarily speechless but he quickly answered the most important one.
"Dad….Dad….please sit down and I'll tell you everything." he said as he led his father and Amita to the nearest chairs. The elder Eppes did as his son requested and listened in silence as the agent explained the events of the morning.
"But he's going to be okay…..isn't he….Donnie?"
"I haven't heard anything yet, Dad. The doctor said he would be out as soon as they were finished. Charlie was awake the last time I saw him." he responded quietly. "That's all I know."
Alan nodded his head and resigned himself to waiting again. Charlie had been through so much and now he could be fighting for his life. He looked around the room and his eyes settled back on his oldest son. Don looked so tired, dark circles under his eyes, blanket wrapped around him and no shoes….no shoes….checking out the other two agents he realized they were all wearing paper shoes and he felt the need to show his gratitude to all of them.
"Thank you….for everything you did to get my son back. The three of you must be exhausted. Are you guys okay? He added , the concern evident in his voice.
"We're fine Mr Eppes." David responded with a small smile.
"Alan, remember, call me Alan." the older man corrected him.
"Alan" the agent conceded with another smile.
"Yeah," Colby added. "Nothing like a morning swim to wake a person up".
Suddenly they heard a familiar voice and all of them looked up to see Megan and Lt. Walker approaching them. Both of them had been soaked to the skin from the deluge and were now wearing jackets that said LAPD on the front of them and were struggling with three large plastic bags.
"Hey guys, do you know anything yet? Is he going to be all right?" she asked immediately as she put down the bag she was carrying and pulled back a strand of wet hair to tuck behind her ear.
"Nothing yet" Don responded quietly.
She nodded her head and handed each of the agents a plastic bag. "Courtesy of Lt. Walker and myself." she said with a smile. "We thought you guys might like to have these back."
Don opened his bag and found his shoes and the rest of his belongings that he had removed when he had jumped into the harbor. " Thanks," he answered as he quickly took off the blanket and put on his jacket, followed by his gun and other FBI paraphernalia and then with a sigh… he put on his shoes.
David's low murmur of thanks could barely be heard as he removed his things from the plastic bag.
Colby gleefully noted, "Hey, this is better than Christmas, thanks."
The senior agent stood up and took Megan by the elbow, moving her out of hearing distance of his father and Amita, and inquiring in a low voice, "Did you find him?"
As she shook her head and answered, David and Colby joined them.
"No sign of him, the divers are still looking and we have agents and the San Pedros police checking all along the dock and the surrounding area. It's just a matter of time, he was hurt, if he did manage to get out, he's going to need a doctor and we've notified all of the surrounding hospitals and medical facilities."
Her boss nodded his head thoughtfully. "What about the boat's themselves…..are they checking inside all of the boat's that were at the dock?"
"Everything, Eppes, boats, cars anything that was in or near the area. There's got to be a trace of him somewhere and by God, were going to find it!" Walker added adamantly.
"We need to get his photo out to the media, let the public help us catch this guy."
"We're already on that Don. There should be something on the next news broadcast." the pretty agent responded.
She nudged her friend when she saw a nurse walking in their direction.
Agent Eppes?
"I'm Eppes and this is my father." he added as Alan quickly joined him with Amita closely beside him.
"How is my son….can I see him now? Alan asked immediately.
"I'm sorry, if you'll come with me I'll take you to the physician taking care of your son. He will be able to tell you what you want to know."
Don turned to Amita and took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "As soon as we know something, I'll come back and let you know, okay?"
She numbly shook her head and it looked as if she was about to start crying again.
Megan put an arm around her and said. "We'll stay with her, I'm not going anywhere until I know how he's doing."
Don gave her an appreciative smile and turned and left with his father.
They anxiously followed the nurse to a small office opposite the emergency room cubicles. As she opened the door she introduced the attending physician.
"This is Dr. Tolani, Doctor this is the patients father and brother." and with that brief introduction she excused herself and left the room, closing the door behind her.
"Please have a seat," the doctor motioned toward two chairs in front of his desk. They sat down and waited for him to continue.
"First, let me tell you what we do know." Picking up a chart from his desk he glanced at it and then back at the Eppes.
"We know that he has a mild concussion and two broken ribs. He is in some pain because of this but I hesitate to give him any meds at this time because of the concussion. Broken ribs usually heal in about one or two months and rest should take care of the concussion. However, it's the near drowning occurrence that has us extremely concerned. Any information that you can give me on how this happened will be helpful."
Don cleared his throat and spoke quietly. "Dr. Tolani, my brother was kidnapped and beaten…..it took us almost twenty-six hours to find him and during the rescue attempt, the kidnapper pulled him into the water…while his hands were still tied behind his back."
His throat constricted and he had to clear it again. "I didn't think that I was going to find him in time…I almost didn't." he bowed his head unable to go on.
The doctor appeared to be mesmerized by the story he had just heard and he took a closer look at the two men sitting in front of him. The dark circles under the eyes, the strained look on their faces and the exhaustion apparent in the slump of their shoulders. He couldn't imagine what they had already been through and what he was about to tell them wasn't going to make it any easier.
"He is stable at the moment but I feel that I must warn you that many near-drowning victims survive the initial rescue only to succumb to complications later." he stopped speaking for a moment to give them some time to absorb what he had said.
"Are you telling me that my son is going to die?!" Alan panicked, starting to rise out of the chair. "I need to see my son…I need to see Charlie!"
Don grabbed his Dad's forearm to hold him still, then turning to the physician he asked in a barely controlled voice.
"No, you didn't say that, right? What kind of complications are you talking about?"
Dr. Tolani held up a hand to try and calm them down.
"I'm sorry, that came out the wrong way. It's true that many people don't survive a near drowning occurrence and it is a probability that I had to make you aware of."
The Doctor opened the chart once again and he looked up at them and removed his glasses.
"What you need to know is that we are going to do our best to help him survive. Over the next twenty four hours we will monitor him for a number of symptoms. We will be watching for signs of hypoxemia, this occurs when water enters the lungs. It only takes a small amount of water to damage the lungs and interfere with the body's oxygen intake."
"We will also keep a close eye on his blood to monitor for blood acidity (acidosis) another consequence of near-drowning. A substantial increase or decrease in the volume of circulating blood will also be monitored. He is already showing symptoms of hypothermia, this is a severe drop in body temperature and we have already taken measures to counter this and protect his heart." he added rapidly as Alan paled considerably.
"Rapid-breathing, rapid-heartbeat and a low-grade fever are common during the first few hours and he has already begun to experience these symptoms. These symptoms are not usually fatal so try not to be too alarmed at this when you see him. If all goes well, these symptoms should clear up before the twenty four hour period."
He stood up and walked around to the front of his desk and sitting himself down on the corner he continued speaking.
"It will take us at least another twelve hours to determine if there has been any damage to his lungs," his voice became softer as he spoke, "and you need to know that the major long-term concern in near-drowning victims is neurological damage."
"No!" Don's heartfelt cry interrupted the doctor. "That can't happen to Charlie!"
Alan squeezed his eyes shut to try and hold back the tears and grabbed Don's hand and held it even tighter. Opening his eyes again he nodded to the doctor.
"Doctor….please…continue." he said in a broken voice.
"Listen to me, your son was awake when he arrived, not as alert as I would have liked him to be, but nevertheless he was awake. This is a good sign." he paused to give them time to consider what he was saying. "There is a ninety percent chance that he will survive with his brain functions intact because he was awake and a good chance that he will make a complete recovery, so don't give up hope. "
He paused again and rubbed at his chin. "There is one puzzling aspect, however."
With trepidation in his heart, Alan asked the question. "What is it doctor?"
Leaning back to pick up his chart, the doctor referred to it before answering.
"It's his level of brain activity. I've never seen one this high before. It should be extremely low after the near-drowning occurrence but it's literally "off the charts. I may have to prescribe a sedative for him after all."
The doctor was not prepared for the smiles he encountered when he brought his head up to face the victim's father and brother. He was actually at a loss for words at their reaction to his statement.
Alan wiped a tear from his eye and smiled at the physician. "That would be normal for my son. Charlie is a certified genius, no sedative is necessary. My son would be interested in how you arrived at your probability percentages, he's a professor of Applied Mathematics at Calsci."
"Genius?" he looked at the name at the top of the chart, Charles Edward Eppes and looked back at the men sitting in the chairs. "You mean this is the Dr. Charles Edward Eppes?"
Don's smile grew even larger, "The one and only…my little brother." he proudly stated.
Dr. Tolani shook his head in amazement and murmured ruefully, "Well, that's certainly explains how he could give me the percentages without the use of a calculator."
Alan cleared his throat, "So….so.. Charlie is totally aware of his condition?"
"Oh yes, of course. We've discussed it in detail and now he needs to rest. However, he is trying to stay awake until he sees you." The physician stood up and motioned for them to follow him. "We shouldn't keep him waiting any longer."
They left the office and took an elevator to the third floor .
"We've put him in a private room and I'll take you there now." The doctor continued speaking as they left the elevator. " He will receive oxygen until his blood tests are normal and when you enter his room you will see that he is attached to a number of machines, but don't be alarmed, as I told you, we are going to monitor his heart and oxygen levels ."
They stopped a few moments later in front of a room and the doctor turned to face them.
"The next twenty-four hours are critical, hopefully none of the fatal symptoms will develop." He nodded to both of them and started to walk away but then turned back to face them.
"This is against the rules but under the circumstances I'll make an exception. I'll have someone bring some comfortable chairs into his room and the two of you can stay with him during this time."
"Thank you doctor." The elderly Eppes called after him and then opened to the door to his son's room.
………………………………...
Don and Alan were not quite prepared for how Charlie looked…. they were a little overwhelmed by the sight that materialized in front of them.
Charlie was covered up in warming blankets to help bring his core temperature back to normal, an oxygen canula was attached to his nose and several IV bags were dripping various types of fluids into his body. A pulse oximeter was attached to one of his fingers and the machine was giving off beeps as it registered the oxygen level in his blood. The heart monitor was beeping at an incredible speed, reminding them of his rapid heart beat.
They quickly covered the distance to his bedside and Alan leaned over and tenderly brushed a curl from his son's forehead, careful not to touch any of the equipment..
Charlie opened his eyes at the feather touch and smiled at the sight of his father and brother. "You guys… are real…right?" he asked "No hallucinations…. or anything?" his voice was low and raspy and the rapid breathing caused him to pause between his words.
"Were very real Charlie," his father answered, "and were going to stay right here until we can take you home," and to prove his point, he found a chair and put it beside the bed and sat down.
"Your going to be all right Buddy, in twenty four hours we'll be able to take you home." Don added as he pulled the blanket up a little closer to his brother's chin.
"You spoke…with the… Doctor, right.?
"Yeah, he told us everything, but your going to beat this. All you need is a little rest."
"Listen" he answered tiredly, "If this… takes a turn …. for the worst…I mean….if something happens…I…just want …you guys to know….how much… I love you both."
Don frowned, but quickly responded with "I love you too, Charlie, but don't do this, your going to make it, so don't even think like that."
Alan quickly stood up next to Don, and lifting the blanket he found his son's hand and squeezed it gently. "Charlie, you know I love you, and I know you will fight this, so no more of this talk, okay?"
"Okay" the young man answered quietly. Shifting his eyes to meet his brother's he added.
"I knew.. you would… come…for me…. did Amita …figure out ..the equation? Sorry, I'm ..getting…. really sleepy…." his eyes fluttered momentarily as he tried to stay awake but fatigue finally won out and his head lolled slowly to the side before he could get any answers to his questions.
Alan panicked and started to check his breathing but Don put an arm out to stop him.
"The machines aren't going crazy Dad, so I think he's just fallen asleep. Listen, Dad, I'm going to go and let the others know what's going on and bring Amita up for a little while. I'll bring you back some coffee. I won't be gone very long. Would you like me to bring you anything else?"
The older man shook his head silently and settled back in the chair, his eyes never leaving his youngest son's face.
Don quietly left the room and headed for the elevator.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don stepped from the elevator and walked quickly to the waiting area. His friends spotted him before he managed to take more than a few steps into the room and he soon found himself surrounded.
He spoke quietly and explained the situation to them and when he was finished there were fresh tears running down Amita's face.
"You guys should go home and get some rest, it's been a tough couple of days." he rubbed at his face before continuing. " Dad and I will be staying here with Charlie."
"Don, why don't I swing by your apartment and get you some dry clothes?" David asked. "It's going to be a long night man, you might as well be comfortable."
Don pulled his keys out and handed them over. "Thanks, that would be really great."
"I should really get back upstairs."
He reached over and took Amita's hand, "Come with me, I'll take you up to see him."
She eagerly walked with him toward the elevator and as he pressed the button he thought to himself, "Man, another twenty-four hours to wait, I'm really beginning to hate that number."
It was going to be another long night but at least this time they were all going to be together.