Don was lightly dozing in an armchair in Charlie room on the third day when he was startled awake. As an FBI officer, he had trained himself to be a light sleeper, and nap whenever he could. He just wasn't sure what had woken him up though.

Until he heard Charlie's whimpering.

Jumping up he rushed to Charlie's bed finding Charlie on his side facing him, practically curled up in a foetal position, the blanket pulled right up this neck. But he could clearly see Charlie was really pale and sweating.

His brow was scrunched up and he was letting out small moans as he trembled.

"Charlie?" Don said softly, worried he was having a nightmare. He reached over to touch Charlie's forehead, thinking he felt too hot, but then he'd seemed like that all day and yet was ok.

"Charlie?" Don shook Charlie gently, and Charlie's eyelids fluttered but he didn't wake.

Now Don was getting worried.

He grabbed the thermometer from the bedside cabinet and checked Charlie's temp.

103.6. It had been pretty much steady at that level the last few days. Both worrying and comforting that it wasn't going higher, but still...too high.

Charlie trembled and groaned, and Don couldn't take it anymore; "Charlie! Wake up!"

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"Charlie! Dammit! Enough is enough!" Don's voice bellowed from the garage doorway making Charlie flinch, but he didn't turn around. Just continued talking to himself as he wrote furiously on the chalkboard. They littered the garage, covering the walls, the ceilings and even the floor.

Charlie was currently writing on one that was leaning against the wall.

"CHARLIE! Are you even listening to me! You haven't visited mom in a month! She needs you and you're here doing some stupid math problem! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Charlie didn't even react, pausing to furiously rub his face leaving a trail of chalk across his cheek, before carrying on.

Enraged, Don rushed over grabbed the chalkboard Charlie was writing on and tossed it across the room, making it crack.

Charlie just stood there chalk raised for a moment.

"Mom is going to die and you're just sitting here! Dammit Charlie answer me!" Don grabbed Charlie yanking him around to face him, gripping him so tight, his nails were hurting Charlie.

Charlie turned to look at him and Don paused for a moment, taking in his bloodshot eyes, pale complexion, and then his rumpled clothes he had been wearing for a week that now looked far too big on him.

Muttering under his breath, Charlie stared into space and Don just shook his head letting Charlie go in disgust.

"I'm done Charlie. I'm not doing this anymore." Don waved Charlie off heading towards the door; "I've tried to help you, to make sure you ate and slept. For mom and dad. But if you don't even care about mom then you know what I don't care what you do. Just stay the hell out of my life. I'm done Charlie."

And Don walked out.

Charlie blinked for a moment slowly looking to where Don walked away.

"D—don." Charlie stuttered feeling suddenly empty and lost. He took a few steps after Don, but his legs gave out and he fell to his knees.

"Don? Wait..."

"Don...please...wait...no...Don...!"

Charlie just kept crying his name, sounding so desperate and lost it broke Don's heart.

"Charlie? Chuck? Come on please wake up buddy. Please. CHARLIE!" Don snapped shaking him violently.

Immediately Charlie's eyes snapped open, before squeezing shut again as tears fell.

"D-Don?"

"Hey Charlie I'm right here." Don said quickly moving to catch Charlie's eye with a terrified smile.

"Don? You left me." Charlie whispered staring at him in fear and pain, before trying to turn his head away.

"What? No buddy I've been right here. I'm right here." Don said gripping his shoulder tightly, as he put his other hand on Charlie's head.

"Don? Please don't go...I'm sorry."

Don realised Charlie had to be delirious, thinking he was still dreaming.

Kneeling down beside Charlie's head, he ruffled his hair; "Charlie? Charlie come on look at me."

Slowly Charlie's drifted to look at him, his look was far off though, his eyes glassy.

"Don?" Charlie murmured his voice breaking, but Don could see Charlie was finally looking at him.

"Hey buddy. Yeah I'm right here. You just had a bad dream but it's ok. You're ok."

"You left..."

"When?" Don furrowed his brow worried.

"I'm sorry Don. I'm so sorry."

"Hey you have nothing to be sorry for." Don was getting really worried now. Charlie wasn't making any sense, and seemed so upset. He was starting to panic, having no idea what to do.

"I wasn't there. I let you down. You hate me."

"No Charlie." Don said fiercely, utterly shocked; "Of course I don't. Come on you're my brother." He tried to smile at Charlie, but he was really worried. He didn't know what was going on and he was worried about how scared Charlie was. His fever was really messing with his head, what if it was going to damage his brain?

"I let you down. I'm a bad person."

"No Charlie..."

"I let mom down."

Don instantly stilled; "What?" He asked slowly; "Why would you say that?"

"I wasn't there." Charlie's voice barely audible and his eyes turned to look at Don, full of fear and anguish; "When she died."

"Oh Charlie." Don stopped himself and gulped searching Charlie's eyes. Seeing the tears. It broke his heart. It had become like an unspoken rule between the two of them, that they would never talk about what happened when mom died.

Now as Don looked back on it, he knew he had been overly harsh on Charlie. He had just been so mad. But he wasn't mad anymore.

"No Charlie. Look it's ok. Mom understood, we understand. It's ok."

"No." Charlie turned to bury his head in the pillow. His head feeling like it was going to explode, his body feeling so disconnected he felt like crying. Nothing felt right, and Don wasn't listening to him.

"Charlie..."

"M'sorry." Charlie's eyes dropped again, darkness calling him again; "Know you hate me. That why you only see me for help with work."

Don reeled back as if he had been slapped. What the hell? Where had that come from?

"God Charlie no that's not true..." Don trailed off as Charlie backed away from him, flipped onto his other side, trembling and continuing to mutter to himself.

"Charlie?" Don instantly tensed, rushing to stand up and lean over Charlie. He felt his head again and his frowned deepened. Now he really felt too hot.

"Dammit."

Don rushed to use the thermometer on Charlie, and swore at the result.

"104."

His fever was getting worse.

He needed to do something.

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Don had panicked and woken his dad rushed. As his dad tried to help bring Charlie's fever down, Don called Dr Williams from the hospital.

He could face armed bad guys pointing guns at him, but facing the possibility of Charlie being sick left Don in hysteria.

The doctor had been surprising calm as he reassured Don that this was a good sign. Leaving Don more confused and angry. But he had assured Don that this meant Charlie's flu was reaching it's peak, and once his fever broke Charlie should start to get better.

It might be a little rough for Charlie, but his fever would break. They had been advised on some methods to help bring Charlie's fever down.

And they eventually worked.

Finally around 2 am Charlie's fever broke and started to come down.

It was like Don could finally breath, knowing Charlie was getting better.

Alan had practically threatened Don to finally get some sleep whilst he watched Charlie.

Surprisingly, Don got about eight hours sleep. Probably the longest sleep he'd gotten in ages.

He took a shower, changed into some old t-shirt and jeans he had at the house and headed straight for Charlie's room. But found it empty.

Panic set in at first, until he heard voices downstairs.

Bounding down the stairs, Don entered the dining room shocked to see Charlie sitting at the dining room table, wearing sweats with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he was sipping what looked like soup.

"Morning Don." Charlie said looking up at him and smiled. His skin still seemed pale and he looked shaky, but he looked...almost back to normal.

"Hey buddy." Don frowned shocked at the sudden turn around; "How you feeling?"

"Better." Charlie grinned before tucking into his soup.

"Yeah you look better." Don murmured moving to sit down beside Charlie, patting his shoulder in relief.

Alan entered from the kitchen holding two plates; "Ah Donnie good there you are. Just in time." He handed a plate of pancakes to Don, as he sat at the head of the table with his own plate.

"Oh thanks dad."

"So Charlie's better." Alan informed Don, grinning brightly.

Don was still dazed by the sudden transformation; "Yeah I see that. When did that happen?"

Alan just shrugged; "One moment he was sleeping, the next he just woke up and was more coherent. Said he was hungry."

"You know I'm right here." Charlie grunted before sighing and shrugging; "I still got a headache and my throat's killing me, but I do feel a lot better. No more nausea."

"That's great buddy."

"Yeah so maybe I can have my laptop back that you hid." Charlie rounded on Don raising an eyebrow.

Don just smirked; "Can't do that buddy. Doctor's orders. Not until you're fully healed."

Instead of an angry snappy remark, Charlie just sighed and nodded; "Yeah ok."

Amazed Don just stared at Charlie. He really was getting better, no irritability, hungry, admitting his symptoms.

"Oh I forgot the orange juice." Alan paused rushing back into the kitchen.

Pleased for a moment alone, Don shifted to face Charlie; "So buddy. How much do you remember from last night?"

Charlie paused to consider that before shrugging; "Nothing much really. I vaguely remember sleeping in my room and waking up a few times with you and dad there." He paused to look at Don with a small smile; "Thanks for everything you and dad did to help me. Dad told me I wasn't exactly the easiest patient." He bore a wry smile before turning away.

"It's alright. It wasn't your fault. You were sick." Don reasoned before turning to look at his food blankly. He didn't look like he was lying, so that meant he didn't remember.

A part of Don knew he should just let it go, everything Charlie confessed. He was delirious after all, it probably didn't mean anything.

But for some reason Don just couldn't.

There was so much between them that had been unresolved and unsaid, it just felt like one more thing was going to tip it over the edge. Don didn't want to suddenly have a huge blowout with Charlie one day when all their issues came to a head. They needed to have a serious talk. And soon.