Chapter Five
The sound of Charlie's phone ringing almost made him drop his coffee. His father was on his way back to the table with sandwiches and quickened his pace at the sound.
"Hello?"
Silence, then Charlie heard breathing.
"Don?"
"Charl ?"
"Don where are you? Where are you?"
A small laugh reached Charlie's ear. His heart broke at the pain in the sound.
"Not sure, can see a bridge in the distance. Bruton. Pay phone. Call can be traced. Tell Megan" Don's breath's were becoming ragged. His voice becoming a whisper . The exhaustion evident in every word.
"Dad call Megan, she needs to trace this call"
Alan pulled his own cell out and made the call. Charlie tried to keep Don on the phone.
"Don are you ok?"
"Yeah buddy"
Don was confused. Shouldn't he be asking Charlie that question? Wasn't that how it always was? He looked at his feet , splayed out in front of him in the tiny square of the phone booth.
"Lost my shoe Charlie"
"How'd you lose your shoe?" Charlie wanted to cry , hand the phone to his Dad and bury himself. He couldn't. Don needed him. The tone of Don's voice was scaring Charlie beyond any fear he'd ever felt before.
"From the window. They must know I'm gone. I should move"
"No Don , stay where you are, Dad and I are on our way. We're coming to get you"
"Promise?"
Tears of pain, exhaustion and relief escaped Don's eyes. He wanted his family to come for him. Take him home, sit with him, talk to him. He wanted them all.
"All of you? Dad, Mum and you?"
Charlie held his hand across his mouth as he tried to compose himself. He avoided his father's eyes.
"Yeah Bro, all of us"
"That's good Charl. 't's gd"
"Don?"
Silence
"DON!"
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David and Colby drove toward the docks at such a speed the lights of the streets merged into one long snake, guiding them toward Don. Megan drove Alan and Charlie. A tactical team brought up the rear.
They had an address, they'd pinpointed the phone booth. Megan was heading to Don. David and Colby to the house three streets away . They'd often suspected that this house was the base for Bruton's operation but never had enough evidence to back up a warrant. Until now. If they were quick they'd catch Bruton, and boy did David and Colby want to catch him.
If this house turned out to be the source of his operations then this would be a very good night indeed.
Neither agent let their thoughts focus on Don. They had their part to do . Megan would take care of the other.
Focus.
Megan glanced in the rear view mirror and saw Charlie staring out of the window. His hand still hovering by his mouth. The conversation he'd had with Don had scared him. He'd barely said a word since. He'd relayed the story to Megan, his father watching with horror as Charlie told of the things Don had talked about. Since then he'd been quiet. Megan knew at this rate they'd beat the paramedics. They weren't entirely sure of the location and Don may have moved, but the EMT's would be standing by for the call. From what Charlie had said of his conversation with Don, they'd be needing those paramedics.
Alan stared ahead, he wished Megan could drive faster. From the look on Charlie's face when he was on the phone to Don, every second counted. Alan knew they'd find him , he just hoped they'd find him in time. There was no arguments this time. His first born was coming home to stay for a while. No arguments. Coming home, home to his family.
Charlie watched the streets pass by, his mind replaying the conversation over and over again.
"Lost my shoe Charlie"
"All of you? Dad, Mum and you?"
Charlie felt an overwhelming need to hold Don. He needed to be the older brother. He needed to feel that strong heart beating against his chest. Whenever he'd come home crying from little school, from being picked on , things thrown at him, Don had been there. His mother had hugged him, made him feel better and wiped his tears, but his brother held him and made him whole again. Strong enough to go back to school and face those children again, and again.
The car in front turned to the right, Megan turned to the left. Charlie watched as the car behind followed David and Colby.
They were here.
Charlie and Alan were alert and searching through the window, looking into every crevice and every corner. The street was the most run down Charlie had ever seen. There was nothing, not even a tramp. Megan followed the directions to the bottom of the street , there facing the warehouses in front of the docks was the phone booth. A figure slumped inside.
Charlie had jumped out of the car before Megan had managed to come to a full stop. She pulled out her phone and called the paramedics.
Charlie ran to the sidewalk then stopped. There was no movement. No sound. He slowly walked around the booth. Don's legs stuck out of the door, his head flopped to the side. His face was bloodied. His left shoulder was soaked in old and fresh blood. His right hand swollen and bruised. Alan had come to a halt behind Charlie. He couldn't move. His eyes refused to look away from his son yet his legs refused to go to him.
Charlie knelt down and leant into the booth. Carefully pressing his fingers to Don's neck. As he felt the pulse register through his fingertips Don stirred.
"Don? Don it's ok, I'm here. Dad's here. We're here now"
Don slowly moved his head and opened eyes so weary they made Charlie's own begin to well up.
"You came."
"I promised"
Don slowly smiled , he looked above Charlie into his fathers eyes. Alan was openly weeping.
"I'm ok Dad"
"Oh Donnie, I thought I'd lost you."
"Mm ok"
Alan knelt down and placed his hand on Don's leg.
"Yes son, you're ok , we're ok now"
Megan watched the family , watched the road , and watched for Bruton. Just in case. David had radioed to say they were about to breach the house, surveillance confirmed Bruton and three other men were inside. The relief in David's voice when Megan informed him they found Don had almost given rise to her own relief. Tears had welled but she knew Don wasn't safe yet. Not safe until he was cocooned in a hospital bed, with his family around him, waiting to be told he could go home.
The ambulance pulled around the corner and headed for Megan's waving figure. Barely acknowledging her the two EMT's went to work on Don, they carefully manoeuvred Charlie and Alan out of the way. The three stood by the kerb and watched as Don was checked over and carefully slid out of the phone booth. His moans of pain muffled by the oxygen mask that had been placed on him. An IV inserted. Pressure against his shoulder.
Don tried to stay focused, where was he? Wasn't he supposed to be going to dinner? Why were these people holding him down. No, NO! That hurts! He moaned again, his cries unheard. Stop it! Don't touch! He tried to roll away from the prying hands, from the pain. Someone was telling him to calm down, someone else was stroking his hair . The hand felt familiar. The touch was safety. He was safe. Safe from what?
Charlie watched as his father helped to calm Don. Megan had her arms around Charlie's shoulders. For her own sake as well as his. The paramedics were talking at such a speed yet Charlie caught certain words, felt Megan flinch at each one. Blood Loss, gun shot, exhaustion, shock, move now, lose him.
Megan wiped her tears away and steered Charlie toward the car. Alan was heading toward the ambulance. His hand still on Don's forehead, gently caressing and soothing him with soft words. They loaded him and Alan waved to Charlie.
Once in the car Megan radioed David .
"We're on our way to the Hospital"
"We're on our way to lock up"
"You got him?"
"Oh yeah, Colby's tackle seems to have subdued him. How's Don"
"Not sure yet , alive, that's what counts."
"Let me know. We've got a tonne of evidence here so we'll be awhile. Call if you need anything."
The drive to the hospital was the longest Megan had ever made. She followed the ambulance with her own siren's blazing. Charlie fidgeted next to her, his leg shaking up and down, his hand running through his hair, then across his chin, then back to his hair. She concentrated on the vehicle in front, taking Don to safety. Ignoring her own tears Megan breathed deep and focused on the road.
Charlie couldn't keep still. Had he paper and pen he'd have written equations to match his movements. Yet his need for numbers was greatly outweighed by his need to be close to his father and Don. Don. He'd never seen so much blood. Don had smiled. How? Why? Because they were there? Because he felt safe? Numbers, equations exploded inside Charlie's mind. He watched them all, watched them map out statistics for gun shot wounds, recovery time, bullet trajectory. All the while he watched ,as behind the plethora of numbers, he held Don close.
Don struggled against the restraints. His mind, unable to register his injuries anymore, didn't understand why his movements were restricted. He tried to take a deep breath in order to shout his displeasure at being held down but the pain which erupted caused him to panic again. There it was. The hand through his hair. Instantly he calmed, knowing he was safe, being watched over. His angel standing by was taking care of him. He was so tired. He'd been beaten? He'd been shot? He couldn't remember and the effort was making him feel so light headed. Every time he made his way toward oblivion a voice would call him back. Tell him he needed to stay with them. Not safe yet, but nearly. He was needed for just a while longer. He couldn't understand why, it didn't seem like he was helping anyone at the moment so who'd miss him if he slept for a while? The voice , again, telling him to keep his eyes open. His vision was so blurry , even so he could make out his father. He couldn't let him down. Had to be strong. Don focused his gaze on Alan.
Alan watched as Don fixed onto him. He stroked his hair again. He was sitting on Don's left side, desperately trying to keep Don alert, or at least awake. Chris the paramedic had told him that Don was slipping into shock. He needed to keep him with them until they reached the hospital. He'd tried talking to Don but he seemed to get confused by the words, so instead Alan had quietly began to hum an old lullaby that Margaret used to sing to her two boys. Alan hummed the tune, but Don heard the words.
There's a little bird that somebody sends
Down to the earth to live on the wind.
Borne on the wind and he sleeps on the wind
This little bird that somebody sends.
He's light and fragile and feathered sky blue,
So thin and graceful the sun shines through.
This little bird who lives on the wind,
This little bird that somebody sends.
He flies so high up in the sky
Out of reach of human eye.
And the only time that he touches the ground
Is when that little bird
Is when that little bird
Is when that little bird dies
TBC