Disclaimer: I do not own the Numb3rs characters

Chapter 25

"Charlie, you WILL eat that soup. You've barely touched it."

Don woke to his father's agitation. Alan was standing over Charlie and his brother was looking ill.

"Dad, leave him alone. Can't you see he looks sick?"

"Donnie, he needs food in his stomach for the medication. He's sick because he didn't eat enough."

Charlie bolted off the couch. Don got up from the chair, Charlie fell just before he got to the bathroom. Don helped his brother up and into the bathroom and Charlie was back on his knees in front of the toilet throwing up again.

He was dizzy, his stomach hurt, his jaw was screaming in agony and Charlie just kept retching. He did not even have time to catch a breath. Before the episode was over Charlie was turning purple from lack of oxygen. He was crying again. While his back muscles were heaving, the rest of Charlie's body was trembling. Charlie thought that his jaw would break this time. The pain had spread further back now and nearly reached his ear. He was pretty sure that crack in his jaw was not the same size as when he was hit.

Don was feeling helpless, but rubbed his back again. It didn't seem like enough.

When Charlie was finished he sat on the floor. He was shaking, and was trying to control his crying and he was in about as much pain as he could ever recall. The pain medication was not doing any good and this last dose had not been in his stomach long enough.

Don helped him move to lean against the tub. Charlie folded his legs and had propped his elbow that was clutching his jaw on this left thigh. His head was hanging down. Charlie felt drained. Don squatted down in front of Charlie. He wiped his face with a wet wash cloth. "You can't take too much more of this."

Charlie did not want to be babied. He wanted his jaw to stop hurting. He wanted to stop throwing up, he did not want to eat and mostly he wanted to be alone. It's a good thing he couldn't talk very well because Charlie feared he was on the verge of whining. He wanted a shower, he wanted to brush his teeth and he wanted to fall into his bed and sleep for the rest of those twenty-four hours with no one waking him up.

Don looked at his watch. It was hard to believe that it had only been a little over nine hours since the foul ball was batted into the stands. He couldn't have been asleep more than twenty minutes.

Alan knocked on the door. "Charlie, are you okay?"

Don got up and pulled open the door. He looked at his dad in disbelief. "Dad, he's not okay. Why do you keep making him eat? Can't you hear him in here? Eating is not helping him, he's just going to throw it back up again."

"One of those medications has a warning sticker that says do not take on an empty stomach. His stomach is most defiantly empty now and a few bites might help."

"I can vouch for the fact that that very medication is not even in Charlie anymore. None of those medications were in his stomach long enough to do any good. So, the warning doesn't matter now."

Don motioned his dad aside and went into the hall to talk to him. "He only needs that pain medicine. That's the only vital one. But with his concussion he's thrown up everything you've made him eat. The one medication that he needs so desperately is not going to work if you make him eat and throw it back up again."

"Do you mean to tell me that Charlie was sick earlier and neither one of you even bothered to mention that to me?"

"I hadn't thought to mention it and Charlie's barely talked. I'm sorry about that. Give me some time alone with him and I don't want to see another bowl of soup anywhere near him until he asks for it. Please Dad, Charlie will tell you when he's hungry."

Don turned to go back into the bathroom. The door was blocked. He knocked. "Charlie, its Don can I come in?" The barrier in front of the door was gone. Don opened the door. Charlie was laying on his bck on the floor with his feet up against the door. The look on his face was heartbreaking. Charlie was in pain, he looked scared, a little bit of panic even. He looked like he expected Alan to follow Don in with a bowl of soup in his hand.

"Want me to lock it?"

Charlie nodded.

"You don't look very comfortable." Charlie was clutching at his jaw. His right arm cushioning his head. He was the very picture of misery.

Don got two folded and fluffy towels and put them under Charlie's head. He sat down in front of his brother. Charlie's hand was clutching his jaw so hard that his nails were digging into the skin above his jaw line. Don gently removed his hand from his jaw, no easy feat because he was clamped on tight.

"Buddy, I know you hurt, I know you're sick and right now you're probably about as miserable as you've ever been but you need to be laying down on something softer than this bathroom floor."

Charlie shook his head.

"Charlie?"

Charlie looked up at Don.

"Are we hiding?"

Charlie nodded

Don couldn't stop the smile at that.

"We going to hide in here the rest of the day?"

Charlie smiled.

"What about Dad?" The look on Charlie's face made it clear that Charlie was not concerned about that at all.

"You and I, we can live in here for days but Dad will need this bathroom long before that."

Charlie was trying to stop the smile that was breaking out on his face. The last thing he wanted was to laugh.

"Oh I know, there's a bathroom off that gym downstairs, I'll give him the directions."

Charlie covered his face with his hands, he'd kill Don if he made him laugh.

Don decided humor probably was not a good idea now and changed the subject.

"Look I think I know what you want. You want to go to bed and sleep and you want Dad to leave you alone. Am I right?"

Charlie nodded.

"Well, now that could be a problem. If it were just me, I'd let you do just that Buddy, but Dad is a whole other story. He's got this Dad thing down pat Charlie and no matter how old we get, as long as Dad's around, he's probably not going to be any other way. He has this tunnel vision with following the directions to the letter. You have to be woke up, you have to eat, you have to drink and you have to take your medication. I promise I'll do all I can to get him to ease up a little."

"Tell you what, let me help you do what you need to do and then I'll help you to bed. I'll hold him back as long as I can. He's bigger than me Charlie, but I'm tougher."

Charlie had to smile at that. His dad, the mama bear against his brother, the cougar. Charlie nodded and put his hand on the tub to get up. Don helped him to his feet and had him propped up against the wall.

"I'll get some sweat pants for you to change into. Is there anything else you need?"

Charlie nodded and pointed at the shower. "You can't stand alone to take a shower and I won't let you try. How about soap, a washcloth, the bathroom sink, your crutches and some privacy?"

Charlie nodded. Don left and after closing the bathroom door again so that his dad would not go back in, Don went to the bedroom for the sweatpants and boxers that Charlie would need. His brother usually went to bed shirtless and Don decided that if Charlie wanted to wear a shirt he would get one. Even though he had a fever and might feel chilled Charlie needed to feel he was somewhat still in charge of his life.

After getting everything Charlie would need and putting them all within easy reaching distance, Don told him to yell if he needed anything before closing the door. Now to tackle his dad.

When Don got into the kitchen his dad taking a meat loaf out of the oven. "Since it's just me and you Dad, how about we just eat here. I'll get the dishes off the dining room table and be right back. All Alan had set so far was the plates and silverware so, even with one hand it only took one trip.

While his dad was getting some green beans out off the stove Don started his fast put together speech.

"Dad, Charlie's going through a pretty rough time. It's hard enough to be sick without having to put up with some rules that should be more flexible."

"Believe it or not Don, I was trying to avoid his getting sick by making him eat."

"I know you were. But if the effects of the concussion are going to be over in twenty four hours anyway, why not just let him go through those twenty-four hours without making him put something in his stomach that's not going to stay there."

"That medication; I know doctor gave it to him and that he needs it by why not let him wait until tomorrow afternoon to take anymore other than that pain medicine. Again, its just going to come back up. None of his injuries are life threatening. He will not die by morning if he misses his next dose."

"One last request, Charlie needs to be left alone so that he can sleep and heal. I'll help him get to bed but once I close that door, we leave him alone for the night. It's a mild concussion; the odds are in his favor. Charlie will be fine Dad if he doesn't have to throw up again. He just needs a pain pill and to be left alone. Sleep is what he needs most. Tomorrow you can start in on him about eating and his other medications."

A slow smile came to Alan's face. He did not interrupt when Don was talking. He wanted to let Don have his say. "Okay Donnie, I agree to your proposition."

It was too easy. It showed on his face. "You do?"

"Yes and I want to add that I'm proud of you for coming to your brother's aid. I probably should have thought of those things myself. Now, how about you go see if Charlie's done with whatever you left him alone to do and help him to bed. Your dinner's going to get cold."

Don had not completely recovered from his shock when he got back to the closed bathroom door. He knocked lightly and then entered. Charlie was standing in front of the bathroom sink, he was in his sweats and his hair was wet. That must have been some thorough sponge bath.

Brushing his teeth had not been easy and Charlie had not done a good job of it but they felt much better now. He wadded up all of the dirty laundry and handed it to Don for the hamper. Then he got his crutches and hobbled out of the room.

After he took a pain pill and was lying in bed, Don tested Charlie's forehead, trying not to be obvious about it. Still warm, but not as hot as it was. "Good night Buddy. You may have to yell if you need anything because Dad has agreed to leave you be tonight."

"Taks Don."

"No problem."

Don left the room and returned to the kitchen where his dad was waiting.

"Everything go okay?"

"It went just fine. He'll probably feel 100 percent better in the morning. I checked, his fever's down and I think you'll probably be able to sneak in before you get to bed and check again, but I already told him that we would not bother him tonight."

"You did real good Donnie."

After they ate, Alan had Don back in the recliner with the ice, pillows and remote while he cleaned up.

Don looked over and saw a note in Charlie's handwriting.

'Don, Thanks for going above and beyond your brotherly duty. Charlie'

Don smiled and awkwardly folded the note and put it in his pocket.

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Don and Charlie were sitting in the bleachers. The sound of the bat meeting ball. Don knew that the ball was going to hit Charlie. He turned toward Charlie and Charlie wasn't there. Don looked around. He had a bat in his hand and he had just hit a foul ball in the very direction that his brother was sitting. While Don looked on in horror, the ball slammed into Charlie's throat and his brother toppled out of the bleachers. He could hear Charlie's voice. 'You turned on me Don.'

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He woke up and he was sweating, but at least he had not yelled out. He had not woke his dad up. Don got up to get a drink of water and he could not resist peeking in and checking on Charlie. There wasn't much light to see with from just the streetlights outside. Charlie was laying on his right side and he was breathing with light snores.

Without a doubt, this had been the longest day of Don's life.