Tangential Planes 4/9

Chapter Four:

Thursday Afternoon

Charlie woke with a start. The same nightmare he'd been having for the last six weeks tore him from his sleep yet again; only this time he opened his eyes to find to the face of his older brother looking at him with concern.

"Hey buddy, you okay?"

"Don..." Charlie let himself relax, closing his eyes against the light.

Don waited for Charlie to open his eyes again and speak. When he didn't, he laid his hand on his brother's arm and gave it a little squeeze. He fought down a sickening feeling inside at how the arm felt like not much more than skin and bone.

"Charlie? Come on, open your eyes."

"Too bright..." Charlie mumbled.

Don got up, closed the blinds, and turned off the overhead lights, leaving the room only dimly lit with the light sneaking between the slats of the blinds across the room.

"That better?"

Charlie opened his eyes tentatively at first, then more fully. "Yeah, thanks."

Don sat down on the edge of Charlie's bed next to him.

"You gave me quite a scare, you know that?" Don said in a light but accusing tone.

"Dad, too," Charlie admitted. "Sorry."

Don looked at him for a moment. His skin was sallow and there were dark circles beneath his eyes. If Don had to describe his expression in a one word, it would be haunted.

"Charlie..." he began. "What's been going on? What project have you been working on that's so important?"

"Nothing."

"Charlie you never could keep a secret and you sure as hell can't lie, so come on, 'fess up."

"I've just been working a lot of hours, that's all."

"Charlie, you can't snow me, I'm your brother. I know you."

"Do you really?" Charlie asked.

Don felt a cold sinking feeling in his chest, knowing his brother had the same doubts he had.

"Okay, so I've been kind of busy with work lately but so have you apparently."

"Two different worlds," Charlie muttered.

Don sighed. "Charlie, no project is more important than your health."

Charlie fell silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was small and quiet. "This one is."

Don knew now the haunted look in his brother's eyes wasn't from the exhaustion. It was from the project.

"What is it, Charlie? Who are you working for and what are they having you do that's bothering you so much?"

Charlie paused again and it was obvious he was agonizing over his answer.

"I can't tell you," he said finally.

"Can't or won't?" Don asked.

"Can't." Charlie looked him straight in the eye that time and Don knew it was the truth.

"So Larry was right and what you're working on is classified at the highest level."

Charlie looked away again and in doing so, answered Don's question.

Don put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Charlie, I can't help you if you won't talk to me. I want to help. I want to be there for you. I'm sorry that I got so wrapped up in my work again that I didn't notice what was going on with you, but I'm here now. Let me help."

Charlie seemed ready to crumble for a moment, but then he took a breath and put up a façade of strength so feeble that Don could see right through it.

"I'm fine. I don't need any help."

Don took him by the shoulders and tried to get him to look him in the eye.

"Buddy, you are so not fine! You worked yourself into a state of exhaustion and collapsed in public. You are not fine and you do need help!"

Charlie glanced up at him but refused to hold Don's gaze.

Don pulled his hands back. "Can you imagine what it was like for Dad... for me? To know you were in trouble and not to be able to help you?"

Charlie obviously felt Don's words and was visibly troubled by them.

"Don... I didn't mean to... I just... This was really important..."

"More important than family?"

"Yes," Charlie said softly.

Don stared at him for a moment. "That's why you asked about your laptop first, isn't it? This project. You didn't ask for me, you asked for your laptop."

Charlie looked just sick over what that implied. "Don... I..." He looked desperate to explain himself but the pain and anguish that ran across his expressive face was enough for Don to realize he wasn't the only one that felt guilty about their recent actions.

The door opened suddenly and both men turned to look.

Alan walked in and came to a dead stop when he saw Don in the room.

"Dad!" Don stood up but his father made no move towards him.

"Don," Alan said a little coldly before turning to Charlie. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Dad, really. I just want to go home."

"Well according to Dr. Karol, if your labs come back in the acceptable range and you manage to eat a real dinner, he'll release you in the morning."

"That's great."

"Now, I have some things to do to get the house ready for you to be able to recuperate at home. I'm sure your brother won't mind staying with you while I'm gone."

Alan didn't even look at Don as he spoke but Don hastily agreed.

"Sure, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Fine," Alan said, still a little brusque in his manner. "Now Charlie, if you'll excuse us I need to speak to your brother outside for a moment."

Alan walked out of the room and, after sharing a glance with Charlie, Don followed him.

Alan was waiting for him a few doors down, just out of Charlie's hearing range, Don estimated.

"Dad, I'm sorry..." Don began but his father shut him down with a gesture.

"Don, I don't want to hear it. You made it quite clear by ignoring my phone calls where your priorities lie. Right now, I don't care. Your brother needs you and I need your help. If you aren't going to be able to stay with him until I return I need to know now."

"I can stay, really. I'm sorry I missed your calls. I never meant..."

"Don, you didn't miss my calls. You just saw that it was your old man calling again and assumed it wasn't important. Well, it was. I get a call that your baby brother is being rushed to the hospital, unconscious, god knows what's wrong with him. No Don. I'm here worrying about my son and all of a sudden, these men show up and confiscate his laptop. I try to stop them but they say they're with the NSA and here I am with a son who's also a federal agent and could really help with this but he's nowhere to be found. Your family needed you, Donald, and all I could get was your voicemail."

Alan stopped for a moment, fuming, but still in control. "An entire day passes and I hear nothing from you. I thought your mother and I raised you better than that. Obviously I was wrong."

Alan turned and walked away leaving Don with a twist in his gut and unspoken apologies on his lips.