Omi as always
Susan for reminding me I purposefully left this open for an AHH sequel
Kate the wunderbeta for near instant feedback and constant support
Jen for checking my medical portions and being understanding when
I chose to ignore her advice and do it my way
Keyla for supporting AHH from the beginning
Disclaimers:
"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I do not own the characters Charlie, Don, or Alan nor do I have any rights
to anything related to the TV show Numb3rs. I plead fair use and claim
only my own writing and characters.
Chapter One:
Don tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator slowly rose to the 6th floor of the hospital. Once the door opened, he exited quickly, turning his head both ways to figure out where to go.
He spotted Charlie further down, standing and talking to a nurse, making apologetic gestures while she looked pointedly at her watch.
"I'm here! Sorry I'm late," Don called out, jogging up to them before the nurse could walk away.
"Don! I'm glad you made it." Charlie put a hand on his brother's arm in greeting, which his brother returned. "Rough case?"
"Rough traffic!" Don said, a little out of breath. "I should have known better than to think I could get here in 45 minutes from Wilshire! I ended up having to run here from the parking structure down the street because the hospital lot was full."
"Well, Mr. Eppes, let's get you set up. There's still just enough time for your appointment so you're fine. Just try to relax and get your heart rate back down to normal for the procedure, all right?"
The nurse led them to a nearby room and shut the door behind them, drawing the curtain to block the view to the door afterwards. She pressed the controls to raise the back of the hospital bed.
"You'll need your shirt off but that's it. You can even keep your shoes on."
Don shrugged out of his jacket. Charlie took it from him and hung it carefully on a nearby hook. Don removed his tie and tossed it on one of the chairs only to have Charlie retrieve it and hang it carefully as well.
He removed his shirt and undershirt and put them on the hooks next to his coat himself. Finally bare-chested, he sat on the hospital bed nervously.
The nurse had switched her attention to the machinery beside the bed and after checking everything out, she looked up to find Don ready. "Good. I'll go get the doctor. Relax. Just try to breathe normally and your heart rate should be back down by the time he arrives."
Don nodded his understanding and the nurse left.
Don laid his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes. "Relax, she says. Yeah right."
"Just breathe..." Charlie said soothingly, laying his hand on Don's forehead and resting it there.
"Dad used to do that when I was a kid and couldn't sleep," Don mumbled.
"For me too," Charlie said softly. "Always worked for me."
Don took a deep breath and let it out, finally allowing himself to sink into the bed beneath him.
He was silent for a few minutes as he rested, the warmth and weight of his brother's hand calming him.
"You didn't have to come with me today," Don said quietly.
"Of course I did," Charlie said kindly. "No matter what the doctor tells you I didn't want you to hear it alone."
Don's eyes flickered open and he looked up at Charlie as he removed his hand.
"It'll be good news, Charlie, don't worry. The odds are 50:50 for children to inherit HCM. 1 in 2, right? Since you have it..."
"Your odds are still exactly 50:50," Charlie interrupted. "Just because one out of two offspring inherits the genetic mutations that cause HCM doesn't mean the other doesn't. We both had a 50:50 shot and I ended up on the unlucky side. I just don't want you to too."
"Charlie..." Don reached over and grabbed Charlie's hand. "I was going to say God wouldn't do that to Dad. He wouldn't take Mom, almost take you, and give both of us the same heart ailment. I don't think he's that cruel."
"What, taking Mom wasn't enough?" Charlie said, a little bitterly.
"Charlie..." Don squeezed his brother's hand. "It's not hard to believe that it might just have been her time to go."
Charlie just shook his head and pulled his hand away.
"Do you regret your decision?" Don asked tentatively. "To stay with me... to stay here rather than go be with her."
"No," Charlie said firmly.
"But that doesn't mean you don't miss her more now than ever, am I right?" Don tried to catch a glimpse of his brother's expression, but he hid it behind his curls as he looked away and shrugged noncommittally.
Don started to say something but was interrupted by the door opening as the doctor entered.
"Don, nice to see you again." The doctor walked over and shook Don's hand. "Charles, how are you feeling these days?" He reached across and shook Charlie's hand as well.
"Fine," Charlie said. "I'm doing fine. Is it all right if I stay with Don during the procedure?"
"As long as Don approves..." The doctor looked at Don who nodded his acquiescence. "Then let's get started."
Charlie subtly moved back closer to Don and this time it was Charlie who took his brother's hand and gave it a squeeze. Don returned the squeeze, grateful for the support. He'd known that he needed this echocardiogram for weeks; that it was the definitive test to confirm or deny the presence of the heart muscle thickening that was the hallmark of HCM. The doctors had used the ultrasound of Charlie's heart only weeks early to confirm that he had the condition. Even though he and his father had secretly agreed to postpone having the test done until Charlie was healthy enough to bear the brunt of the possible bad news, Don was finding the last few seconds of waiting to be far more painful than all the weeks before them combined. The doctor's prognosis could lift a great weight from his shoulders or settle one there for the rest of his life.
The doctor spread the conductive gel over Don's chest area and brought the ultrasound wand to his skin. Don had expected it to be cold and was a bit surprised to find that everything was warm.
The doctor moved the wand around slowly, watching the screen in front of him, which was tilted away so that neither Don nor Charlie could see it. The doctor had such an intense look of concentration on his face both men were on edge, waiting for him to speak.
Finally, the doctor pulled the wand away and turned to face the brothers.
"I see no thickening of the heart muscle on the echocardiogram, so based on that I feel confident in saying you appear to have no signs of HCM."
Don smiled in relief and Charlie stuttered, "That's... that's great news... great news... thank you."
"My pleasure," the doctor said as he handed Don a towel to wipe the gel off his chest. "When I was looking at your chart I didn't see the results of the genetic testing we did earlier."
"Neither my father or I have heard anything on those," Don admitted as he cleaned off his chest.
"I'll ask someone to call the lab and find out what happened. Those should have come back already."
The doctor shook Don and Charlie's hands again. "Nice to be able to deliver good news to your family!"
"Oh yeah!" Don said, grinning. "I'm all for good news."
The doctor left the room and Don got up and put his undershirt on.
"That's great... That's really great news..." Charlie sounded like a bit of a broken record and when Don looked at him his expression was so mixed up, he just pulled him into his arms for a hug.
"It's over, Charlie. I don't have it. You can relax now." Charlie returned the embrace, strongly enough to surprise Don.
"Can't relax yet," Charlie muttered into Don's shoulder. "There's still Dad."
Don just held his brother. "Don't worry about Dad. He's strong. Nothing can stop him."