Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Numb3rs or the characters therein. All characters are fictional, and should not be associated with any other person- real or imagined.
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Charlie grabbed Don's hand and pulled him into a hug. Alan patted him on the back and told him he had done a good job. But Don didn't pay attention to either of them- he was watching Melinda stride down the middle aisle of the courtroom, her large purse thrown over her arm, Gordon Fairfield behind her.
"Come on, Don, we have to go." Charlie took his hand and began leading him from the table.
"Mommy, Charlie"- Don began, but then some people appeared, waiting to take their seats.
"You can see her later. Right now, we have to leave."
Don remained quiet as they started up the aisle. "Don, you forgot Buddy." Alan picked up the imposter and handed it to him. Frowning, Don took him in his arm and continued to follow Charlie. He wasn't sure what to do yet. Maybe Mommy would be outside and he could ask her to give him back Buddy.
Alan waited for his lawyer, who collected his papers and was about to leave when he was called to the bench by Judge Salem. "Wait at the top of the courtroom, Alan. I'll be right with you." Then Johnson approached the judge.
"Off the record, Louise," Salem told his court reporter. She placed her hands together and began to massage each finger. "Johnson, you know I had to make the decision I did based on the evidence."
Alan's attorney gave the judge a cheeky grin. "Why, Winston, are you apologizing to moi?" He patted himself on the chest. "You've never been so affectionate."
Salem growled, "Cut the crap, Johnson. You know I hate your guts. You're always playing fast and slick with the law, and today your antics backfired in your face."
"Wait a minute!" Johnson was suddenly serious. "This petition was legitimate. You saw that man- he's a six foot child. Someone obviously needs to be looking out for his best interests."
"For all the money you're charging his family, it should be you. There was plenty of time between when Fairfield filed his papers and today- you should have had another evaluation done." Salem wiped the sweat from his brow. "And don't think I didn't notice Eppes has yet to receive that brain operation Wang said he needed in your original petition- I decided to be kind and forget that little omission of yours."
"You could have been kinder and just given the papers to his brother," Johnson pointed out, "you didn't have to throw out Wang's reports."
"Hell, you already knew I'm a stickler for these things, and I'm too old to change my ways, so you should have been prepared. And that's all beside the point now. What is apparent to me is that Eppes is a child and somebody does need to take care of him- whether it's that girlfriend of his or his brother, or some long lost aunt."
"Thompson is not Eppes' girlfriend, she's"- Johnson began to argue, but was deftly cut off.
"You get my point," Salem snapped. Then he nodded towards the clerk to hand over the papers for the next case. "You want kinder? Fine- get that new evaluation and call me personally when you file the new papers." Salem clicked two fat fingers, summoning his assistant, who handed Johnson a card. "If you get it done by Thursday, I'll personally see to it that the court investigator interviews Eppes and checks his brother's home on Friday. I'm assuming he would live with the brother?"
"Yes," Johnson said.
"Fine, do your job right this time and I'll see if we can't fit you in next Monday." Salem started to flip threw the new case, but stopped when he realized Johnson was still there.
"Do you need written instructions?" he asked sarcastically.
Johnson was puzzled. "Giving us a new hearing at such an early date is more than kinder- it's unheard of. Considering you do hate my guts, I'm curious as to why you"-
Salem interrupted the attorney once again. "My brother, God rest his soul, was a police officer. I have a soft spot for those in law enforcement- but nothing but loathing for the likes of you. Now get the hell out of my face."
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Charlie and Don stood together in the wide hall outside the courtroom, waiting for their father and his lawyer to appear. Both Eppes were looking for Melinda Thompson- Charlie so they could avoid her, Don so he could ask her for his friend. It was the elder brother who saw her first, and despite the younger one's grip on his hand, he tore free and sped toward her, the fake rabbit held out in front of him as he closed the distance between them.
"Baby," Melinda drew Don into her arms and put her lips to his ear, whispering. He stood limply in her embrace, listening carefully to what she said, observing the fact that her purse and her lawyer were nowhere in sight.
Only a few moments behind his brother, Charlie tried to separate Thompson from Don, but found she had a death grip around him. He tried to hear what she was telling him, but her mouth was too close to his ear and it was impossible to make out a single word she was saying. Charlie wanted to rip the woman in two but was conscious of the officers that guarded the hall- he did not want to risk losing conservatorship of his brother because Thompson claimed he was violent; he put his hands on his hips and leaned forward, taking three deep breaths. A complete feeling of control swept through him, then Charlie evaluated the situation with a clear mind, decided what he needed to do and then made his move: he positioned himself next to Don, facing in the general direction of Thompson, then he slid his hand between their waists, opened the narrow space by sliding sideways, and smoothly slipped between them, breaking Thompson's hold on Don in the process.
Immediately upon being separated from Don, Melinda tried to move around Charlie, but he was too quick; Charlie encircled her with unyielding arms, holding her in place- but he was careful to smile, as if they were old friends hugging. Charlie placed his own lips near her ear and whispered, "If you ever touch my brother again- I swear I'll shred you into exactly 1, 347 pieces."
Alan came out of the courtroom talking with Johnson, but when he saw Thompson's proximity to his sons, he left the attorney and went directly to Don, steering him away from her. Seeing his father out of the corner of his eye, Charlie released Thompson and began to draw away, only to find the woman had wrapped her arms around him, keeping him close.
"What's really bothering you, Charles," she crooned in his ear, "that you lost Don in court today, or that he wants me more than he has ever wanted you-
and more than he ever will."
She gave a sharp push and then she was gone, leaving Charlie quaking where he stood.
How could she rend a man apart like that, with just a few words? It was as if she had seen into his soul and found his greatest fears and doubts. And now that she brought the subject up, it began to nip at him- that maybe Don did want to be with her more than him and his father, and what right did they have to keep the two apart, especially if that was what would make Don happy? Though Charlie told himself that he did not really believe this to be true, it was impossible for him to ignore the nagging uncertainty that her words brought to the foreground, all based on his previous relationship with Don when they were much younger and he did, as his father had described, have to chase after his older brother in order to have any semblance of a relationship. When Don regained his memory, would he be resentful of how Charlie had to take care of him? Would he start running away from him again- and would Charlie have the strength to chase him, or more importantly, would he be able to catch him?
More than he ever will.
Charlie hated the woman, for throwing it in his face that his brother still wanted and needed her, that he indeed loved her- even with all the horrible things she had done to him and the fear she had instilled in him through physical force. She made Charlie feel like he had been required to beg for Don's love, and that he had only been given it because she was no longer available and that if the situation ever changed, Charlie would be thrown to the wayside and Thompson eagerly put in his place.
In one sentence, the woman had dug her claws into Charlie and scratched along his soul, leaving him pained and wounded, and deathly afraid- frightened that she would win, and Don would choose her over his family, two people who had real love to give him, and not the false pretences of it that Thompson offered him- but in his confused mind, love that Don seemed so incapable of refusing.
"Charlie, I think we better go." Alan had a firm hand on Don's arm.
Staring toward the door Thompson had exited through, Charlie roughly shook aside the qualms he had been feeling about his relationship with Don. His mind began to sharply digest Thompson's words, and he became troubled by what she had said to him for another reason. Charlie looked at his father and said, "Something's wrong, Dad. She said we lost Don in there. I know we didn't get the conservatorship papers, but we still have possession of him and, despite her best efforts, the court didn't recognize her as his physician. Yet she didn't walk out of here like she was defeated- she looked triumphant to me. Now, why would she look like that?"
Alan didn't know what to say, so he remained quiet while he began to guide Don towards the exit door, the older man's left eye starting to twitch.
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Later that evening, Don and Charlie played with the car racing video game that had been purchased the previous week, while Alan answered the front door when he heard the bell and then stepped onto the porch when he saw that it was Megan.
"Long time, no see, stranger," Alan gave Megan a hug. They sat down on the front steps, looking out across the neighborhood towards the setting sun.
"So, how did it go in court?" Megan played with the tips of her hair, unable to look at Alan. He explained everything that had happened during the hearing, and what his lawyer had talked to him about afterwards.
"Johnson says there is no way Charlie will be denied the papers next week. He had nothing to do with Don being institutionalized, and he has an impeccable history- no arrests and a prestigious job at a university. So, in the end, everything will be alright." But Alan's body posture was in opposition to the positive words he spoke. He looked strained to Megan; he was sitting with his shoulders slumped, but the rest of him was coiled tight, like a rubber band on the verge of snapping. And his facial ticks came and went, depending on how he repositioned himself on the steps.
Megan took his hand and loosely held it. "I am so sorry, Alan. I only helped him sign the last two letters of his name- I had no idea it would be blown out of proportion into an accusation of involuntary institutionalization. Don really did sign himself in- if he hadn't been trying to give me a hard time, he'd have been finished long before I interceded. And Thompson knows that. I mean, if she didn't expect him to commit himself, why would she give him a list of instructions for the doctor?"
Alan gently squeezed her hand and then released it. He laid his arms across his knees and spoke to his feet. "It's not your fault, Megan. And really, I don't know who to blame. Thompson is doing all these things to get to Don, but I think I'm angrier at the system for allowing her to do it." He adjusted his body so that he was leaning on his elbows against the porch steps. "After court, Harvey kept assuring me that Charlie would be assigned the papers next week- that we only have to pass an inspection with the court investigator this Friday and get Don a new evaluation. He keeps reminding me that only a spouse or adult child would be considered conservator before Charlie and that since Don has neither, they'll have to place him with his brother."
"But in the meantime?" Megan twirled another lock of hair.
"In the meantime, if that woman asks Don to go somewhere with her, it isn't kidnapping. He is now considered mentally functional and is fully capable of making his own decisions. Yet, one week from today the judge will probably say that he isn't. It seems crazy that by just a wave of a mallet, a person can be judged incapacitated one moment and then fully capable the next. I wish it were that easy to actually cure Don of all his problems."
"I wish it were, too."
Megan dropped her hands to her lap. "Alan, about the legal system- I came by to give you news about the case against Thompson." She told him everything they had found out since she had talked to him last, including Director Donaldson's visit the previous Friday.
Alan sat up, listening with his heart pounding loudly in his ears. "They made you go on leave?"
"No, vacation. Of course, there is nothing I want to do other than work, so it's not much of one."
"I can't believe they gave up on Don again."
"Alan, we don't have much, other than some circumstantial evidence. And you have to understand, in his current condition, we won't put Don on the stand, but Fairfield will, and what jury would find Thompson guilty if Don was sitting up there testifying that he loved the woman and everything we were saying was lies- all lies? Then she would be out of our reach forever. Our best bet in getting Thompson is to keep Don away from her, and when he remembers everything about himself, we'll be able to rely on him to support our evidence by confronting her in court. The statute of limitations won't run out before that happens- we just have to be patient."
"I feel like I've been patient for much too long, Megan. I don't know how much longer I can just sit by and watch my son being manipulated and controlled by that woman."
Megan frowned. "I thought you said that you were making progress with Don's memory- that you thought he was finally breaking free from her?"
Alan stood up and crossed to a baluster, leaning against it. "Actually, progress comes down to one brief description of an old girlfriend and four nights without nightmares about Thompson. The more I think about it, the more I realize she has been maintaining control of Don even though she hasn't been present in his dreams and despite the fact that he has been learning to trust us. I saw this control when we were in court today, when she was able to keep Don from me by contesting my petition. And right before we were about to leave, she talked to Charlie and left him with the impression that Don said or did something in court that Thompson wanted him to, but we don't know what it was, or why it would give her an advantage."
"Alan, if you're still that concerned about Thompson, I can watch your house for you. That's one thing my boss can't tell me what to do and that's how to spend my vacation."
"No, that's not necessary. I think whatever she has planned, it has to do with our hearing next week. I just wish I knew what it was. She got real close to Don today and said something to him, I think in regards that subject, only Charlie hasn't been able to get Don to tell him what it was. I have a distinct feeling we're heading for another fight."
Megan went to Alan and gave him a hug. "Don't worry, Alan. You and Charlie will win in the end. Things will get better, and so will Don."
"We keep telling ourselves that, Megan, but events have been falling short of those expectations."
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Alan watched as Don and Charlie headed towards the stairs. He stood with his hands on his hips, thinking. When Don had his first foot on the bottom step, Alan walked toward them, asking Charlie, "Hey, why don't you let me get Don ready for bed? Give you a little break."
Both of his sons looked at him. Charlie shrugged, "I'm fine, Dad, and I know it's been a long day for you, so go ahead and relax. I'll take care of him."
"Ah, come on, Charlie, it wasn't that long of a day. Besides, I thought you wanted to work on that algorithm of yours." Alan put a hand on the banister and made to move around his youngest son. Charlie put out a hand to stop his dad while he gently prodded Don up the stairs.
"It's really okay, Dad. I don't want you to feel bad because you think I'm tired, because I'm not." Charlie turned and quickly followed Don. Alan went into the living room, pulled out a puzzle, and donned his eyeglasses, but he found it impossible to concentrate. His mind kept wandering to the occurrences at the courthouse that day and his eldest son.
After getting Don cleaned and dressed for bed, Charlie walked him to the bedroom. Alan was waiting, the top sheet spread out on the bed. "I think we better wrap him up tonight," he told Charlie, "I have a feeling." He left it up to Charlie to understand what he meant, and he was not disappointed. Charlie nodded, helping Alan adjust it over Don and lie down to seal him in. In moments, Don was asleep and Alan was curled around him, holding to him tighter than he had ever done before.
Two hours later, Charlie scrambled out of bed and hit the lights. Don was screaming again, only this time his movements were restricted by the sheet.
Alan was in the process of pulling Don close to him when Charlie took his usual position and sat on the bed; he began reaching to take Don out of his father's arms so he could massage his back and legs.
Shoving aside Charlie's hands, Alan lashed out at him, "Leave him alone, dammit. He's my son- not yours."
Startled, Charlie attempted to say something in response, but nothing came out of his mouth. He slowly climbed off the bed and stood by its side, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly opened, wanting to comprehend this new situation but unable to fully grasp it. As he watched his father take over, Charlie was torn between the need to help his brother and wanting to obey his father. In the end, he just stood frozen to his spot, unwilling to move until he was certain Don was thoroughly calmed.
Alan twisted Don towards his chest and held onto him, whispering soothingly in his ear and desperately rubbing his body, needing to calm him down himself. It took twice as long as when Charlie was in charge, but he finally managed to get Don to still.
"Charlie," Don quietly cried into Alan's chest.
"It's alright, Donny. Your daddy's here- I'll take care of you."
Letting his eyes roam as far as he could, Don did not see Charlie standing near the bed behind him. Unsettled that his brother was not there, but needing to cling to someone he loved, Don pressed his head against Alan and slowly fell asleep. When Charlie heard the soft snores, he shut off the light and left the room, sitting on the top stairs anxious and hurt, not knowing what he had done wrong in trying to help his brother.
Charlie heard the bedroom door squeak open, and then his father was sitting by his side, his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, so sorry. You did not deserve that."
"I just don't understand. We thought there might be problems after Don saw Thompson, and I was just doing what has been working since the first time he had a nightmare." Charlie felt a pang of rejection in his heart. He wrapped himself in a hug and looked out over the entryway below him.
"I know, Charlie. You've done a great job in helping Donny calm down." Alan looked away, too, facing the wall. He could not bear to see the pain he had caused his son. "You've been great at doing everything for Don- feeding him, dressing him, teaching him. It probably would have been better if we had asked that you be conservator to begin with."
Charlie released his arms from around his body and turned toward Alan, grabbed him by the shoulders and made his father face him. "Is that what this is about? You think I'm doing a better job at taking care of Don, and that you're not needed anymore?"
"No, Charlie, it's not that. I know I'm not useless, but…" Alan refused to look into Charlie's eyes.
"But what? We've been through this, Dad. I need you- if you weren't here to help me, I couldn't do what I've been doing."
"It's not that, Charlie." Alan bit his lip, but it didn't work. He began to cry. Charlie took him into a hug and massaged his back.
"Dad, what is it? What's wrong?"
Breathing heavily through his tears, Alan cried in agony, "Oh, lord, I lost my son today." He had to suck in some air before continuing. "Charlie, I lost your brother. In a public court, I listened as a judge said I was not capable of taking good care of my son, that I couldn't be trusted with him, and then he took him away. When Don woke up with that nightmare and I saw you coming to help him, I don't know- something in me snapped. All I saw was someone else coming to take my son from me. First it was Thompson, then the court, and tonight, it's what I thought when I saw you."
Alan let the tears come, relishing the relief. "I was wrong when I said you've been a good brother to Don, because you haven't been. Actually, what you've been is a great father. I guess it was my turn to feel jealous, Charlie, because I couldn't let you have Don tonight, I just couldn't let anyone have him- I felt like if I did that, then he really would be lost to me and I would no longer be his father."
"Dad, I understand that you're afraid of losing Don, because I am, too. But no matter what the court said today, you didn't lose Don, and I am not taking your place-you are and always will be his father, my father, too.You can't let the things Thompson does affect you." Charlie thought about how she had made him feel earlier in the day, the doubts she planted in his mind about his relationship with Don. "She's good at what she does. And right now, all she's doing is trying to tear our family apart. The only reason you were denied custody of Don was because of her lies." Charlie pulled back and forced his father to meet his eyes. "Lies- nothing but lies. If we start believing the ones she's telling us, we'll never get Don to stop believing the ones she told him."
Alan nodded weakly. "I know, Charlie, but it is becoming more and more difficult not to believe the picture that she's painting of me. When I was sitting in court today, I thought I had gone through the looking glass and Thompson was the evil queen, controlling the court and meting out justice. I was almost surprised when the judge didn't tell the bailiff "Off with his head" after he told an entire court that I was such a horrible father he had to deny me custody of my own son."
"But that decision was based on her lies, not because you haven't been a great dad. If the government really thought you did such a bad job in raising Don, why did they hire him to work at the F.B.I.?" Alan gave Charlie a small smile, one that was returned in kind. "Look, if you want, we could forget applying for papers in my name. We could go to civil court instead and appeal the decision the judge made about your petition."
"No, Charlie. That could take months. I don't think we could stop Don if Thompson showed up one day and told him they had to leave. Without conservator papers, we would have to let them go." Alan rested his head on Charlie's shoulder, thinking it was no wonder Don was able to find comfort there; his youngest son seemed to emit an aura of love and security. "We also have to remember there are other people like Jackson out there. I still have a difficult time even bringing up his name, and it would kill me if we left a legal door wide open so someone else could take advantage of your brother like that."
"Okay, Dad, I guess an appeal isn't the best route to take. But if we're going to go through with filing a petition with my name on it, we have to agree it is our petition, whether my name's the only one on it or not. We can't let a little piece of paper come between us."
Charlie's own anxiety disappeared while he held Alan. He felt strength and endurance when he touched his father, and it was something he knew they would both need as they continued to wage their war against Thompson.
"No, Charlie, we can't. I promise I won't be upset when you get the papers."
"Don't promise me that, Dad. Promise me that if you do start feeling insecure again, you'll talk to me about it. This feeling you had that you lost Don was intense. If he hadn't had that nightmare and you had let it build up in you, there is no telling how it might have come out. We can't risk hurting Don or ourselves if we want to beat Thompson. So, if she attacks us again, you have to promise to let me know if you've been wounded. It's the only way I can help you make repairs and heal."
"I promise, Charlie."
They rose together, and headed back to Don's bedroom.
As they climbed into bed, Charlie stepped on something soft and lumpy. Reaching down, he pulled a rabbit up from the floor. "Don tossed Buddy out of bed. Can you lift the sheet so I can push him into his arms?'
Alan complied, softly telling Don what they were doing so he wouldn't completely wake from the movement. Then all three men slipped into sleep.
The next morning, Charlie rose from bed, glad that his brother had only been afflicted with one nightmare throughout the night. Feeling a soft and lumpy mass beneath his feet again, he bent over and picked up the rabbit from the floor, puzzled that Don had somehow managed to toss it out of bed even though his body had been wrapped in a sheet.