Don stared distrustfully at the spoon of green jell-o that was hovering near his mouth. He raised an eyebrow and met Charlie's stare over the top of the undulating mound of gelatin. "No way."

"Come on," Charlie pleaded in exasperation. "If you don't eat it then Anna won't bring you better food tonight. 'Eat all your lunch' – that was the deal, remember?"

"That's not food," Don argued. "That's flavored slime, and I seriously doubt it's fit for human consumption."

"Fine," Charlie sighed as he set the spoon down. "You win. But I'm telling Dad." He felt some sense of satisfaction at the worried look that crossed his older brother's face and triumphantly grinned. "Want to try again?"

"Just keep your hand steady," Don advised. "Maybe I'll be able to stomach it if I don't have to watch it wiggle like that." Charlie rolled his eyes but held the spoon up again, watching as Don swallowed the lime-flavored dessert, frowning in disgust.

"Remind me never to get blown up again," he muttered as Charlie spooned him another mouthful.

Charlie laughed aloud and Don raised a questioning eyebrow. "I never realized the effect that jell-o had on you. Man, you're lucky too, because I would have used it to torment you when we were kids. "'Mom, can we have jell-o for dessert again?'" Charlie was laughing so hard that he dropped some of the gelatin on the tray, both brothers watching in revulsion as it landed with a wet plop. After a moment they looked at each other and both dissolved in a fit of laughter, only stopping when Don's injuries protested the movement.

"Ow," he winced as he grabbed his stomach. "Don't make me laugh so hard."

"Sorry," Charlie apologized as he wiped the green mess from the tray. "That stuff is pretty gross, though."

"So be a good brother and toss the rest in the trash," Don winked. "And tell Anna I ate it all."

"Just this once out of pity for you." Charlie stood over the trash and paused, holding the offending substance over the receptacle. "And only if you take another pain pill."

"I don't need it."

"You do too," Charlie argued. "You just said your side hurt."

"I did not say that."

"You said 'ow'." He paused as Don glared at him. "I mean it, take another pill or I tell Anna and Dad that you've been a bad patient."

"Extortion is illegal, Chuck. And not a good idea when the person you're extorting is a Federal agent."

Charlie pointedly looked his brother up and down. "I'll take my chances," he snorted. "Seriously, Don, you don't have to be in pain."

"Fine," the older man sighed. "If it will keep everyone off my case, I'll do it." He visibly pouted as Charlie called the nurse's station and made his request. A few minutes later, Don was starting to feel the effects of the narcotic. "I'm so sick of sleeping. It's all I do lately."

He heard Charlie move to his side and felt a warm hand on his forearm. "I know, Don," he whispered. "But you need to rest so you can get better." Charlie lightly massaged the arm beneath his hand, grinning as Don's eyes began to droop. "Just go to sleep and when you wake up, you can get out of bed and then eat a 'real' dinner."

"Promise to sneak me something in if it isn't edible," Don whispered as he allowed his eyes to close.

"I promise."

--

"Reeves."

"Hey, Megan," Charlie spoke quietly into his phone so as not to wake his slumbering brother.

"Charlie!" she joyously replied. "How's Don?"

"Good. He's doing well after yesterday's surgery. He had his spleen removed but the doctor says he'll still be able to lead a normal, healthy life and return to work as a field agent."

"Thank God," Megan whispered in relief. "The guys will be so happy to hear that. They've been driving me up the wall asking for updates."

"I'm sorry," Charlie told her. "I've been meaning to call, but everything's been so hectic."

"I understand, Charlie. Don't worry about it. So, when is a good time for visitors?"

"I think tomorrow afternoon or early evening would be best. No shop talk, okay?"

"Charlie," she sighed. "You know he's going to ask. Especially about the case he was working on before the accident."

"Did you catch the guy?" Charlie inquired.

"Yeah. Amita and Larry showed us your calculations and results. We got him pretty quickly after that."

"I suppose it will be good for Don to hear about that," Charlie thought aloud. "But that's it – no more cases."

"Deal." She paused and murmured something to someone in the background. "Tell Don we all say 'hi' when you talk to him again."

Charlie chuckled. "Will do. Tell everyone I say 'hi' too."

"Is there anything we can bring you or your father tomorrow? Anything at all?"

"No thanks, we're all set. Just bring yourselves."

Megan chuckled. "Okay, Charlie. We'll see you tomorrow."

Charlie tucked his phone back into his pocket and flipped open his laptop. As he was about to pull up his class notes a groan from the bed drew his attention. Looking up, he noticed Don was restlessly shifting his legs while turning his head from side to side. Another groan was all it took for Charlie to sprint to the bedside.

He leaned over Don's body and watched as his brother's eyes rapidly twitched beneath the closed eyelids. Don must be having a dream, and not a pleasant one by the look of it. Charlie was reaching out to shake his brother's good shoulder, when Don suddenly jerked to the side, rolling onto his injured shoulder. Don's eyes flew open as he yelped in pain. Charlie grabbed his brother's elbow and rolled him onto his back. "Careful," he quietly whispered.

"Oh God, that hurts," Don hissed as he closed his eyes and breathed through the pain. "What'd I do?"

"You were dreaming," Charlie told him. "For some reason you rolled onto your side. Are you okay now? Do you need a nurse or something for the pain?"

"I'm fine, Charlie," Don assured him. "Just give me a minute." He slowly opened his eyes as the pain began to recede. "Dreaming, huh?" Charlie mutely nodded. "I don't remember it. Probably a good thing given what's lurking in my subconscious these days."

"Tell me about it," Charlie agreed as he propped on the side of the bed.

"You've been having dreams about it too?" Don asked softly, a feeling of protectiveness washing over him as his brother nodded. "You want to talk about them? About what happened?"

"No," Charlie shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Okay, Buddy. How about we make a deal?" The younger man cocked his head questioningly. "When I'm better and I finally bust out of this place, you and me sit down and have a nice, long talk. We're both going to need it." Don placed his hand on top of Charlie's. "All right?"

"All right," Charlie agreed.

TBC