Chapter 13

Alan, Archie and Don sat together at the kitchen table, over cold pizza and beer.

"That was not pleasant." Alan took another drink for courage. "And I'm thinking."

Don looked at him warily. "What?"

"Charlie has a long recovery ahead. Very little of it will be pleasant. We should take shifts. Five hours each? That way, someone will be with him at least 15 hours a day. We could schedule Don for evenings, after Dr. Fitzgerald has left."

Archie snorted. "He'll just pick a new target. Like a pit bull on steroids."

"Hey!"

Archie blew him a kiss. "Don't worry, Donnie. As long as your pit bull is guarding my husband, I'll buy the doggie treats."

Alan laughed behind his napkin, wiped his mouth and looked at them both. "Seriously. The shift thing. How soon will you both have to return to work?"

"Merrick said we could have as long as we needed," Don answered. "Don't worry about that."

"Um ..." Archie's voice was tentative, and Don and Alan both looked at her.

She blushed. "Don't look at me like that. It's just that...well...I may quit."

Alan protested. "Archie, there's no need for that. You heard Don, you can take as long as you need. And when Charlie comes home, I'll be here."

"It's not entirely that. You know I've been thinking about the Sacramento job."

Don was surprised. "Well, yeah...but...you'd want to be away from Charlie four days every week?"

She visibly shivered. "Never. Never again. Not for any job. The point is, I was willing to consider it. I'm just not happy on Reynolds' team."

Don looked at his beer guiltily. "I'm sorry, Arch...I really don't think we should be on the same team. Look at what happened this week. If the two of us weren't working together, Dad wouldn't have been alone…"

She interrupted. "No, no, you're right. I loved working with you, Don. You're a great team leader. But I gotta tell ya, if I have to choose between working with you or being married to Charlie - I hate to let you down, bud, but it's no contest."

Don smiled. "Good answer. So if it's no FBI, no Secret Service - what is it?"

"You'll laugh?"

Don took a swig of beer and winked at his father over the bottle. This was going to be good. He set the bottle back on the table. "No promises," he said.

She made a face at him. "I always wanted to open my own agency, someday. Private detective."

The two men were silent.

"Okay. I'm just thinking. I probably shouldn't make any big decisions right now, anyway."

Don grinned. "Actually, Arch, I could see that. But you're right. It's a 'family leave' absence, federal law. Your job has to stay open, your benefits will still be paid - take advantage of it."

"I agree," put in Alan. "With all of that. Now. Back to the hospital schedule..."

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

The next time they got together over the kitchen table, they decided maybe shifts wouldn't work.

They had agreed that Alan would take 8 a.m until 1 p.m. Archie, 1 to 6 p.m. Don, 6 until 11 p.m. First, Don refused to wait for his shift, going in with Alan to be sure Charlie was alert enough to understand that someone was always with him, and that he would be back later.

When they got to his room, Charlie was alert - but also agitated. Before the two of them could offer a word of greeting, Charlie uttered his first full sentence: "I want to know what happened."

They each took a chair on either side of the bed. Alan quickly checked the monitors. "Charlie, you still have a fever. This can wait until later."

Charlie tried to push himself up with one hand, winced and shut his eyes for a moment, opening them again to look from his father to Don. "You can tell me," he said, "or I can ask to see my chart."

Alan recognized that tone. He looked at Don, then down at his knees. "There was a shooting on campus. A student in one of Larry's classes opened fire. We don't really know why you were in Larry's class. Anyway. Six students were killed, nine wounded - including you and Larry. Then he killed himself." He looked back at Charlie and waited.

Charlie was pale. "Larry's hurt?"

Don hurried to reassure him. "He'll be fine. A soft tissue injury to the shoulder. He's staying with Megan, now."

"I want to see him."

"He's anxious to see you," said Alan. "The hospital will only let family in ICU, but as soon as you're in a regular room, I'm sure you won't be able to get rid of him."

Alan went on to explain the physical trauma Charlie had suffered as best as he could, but he wasn't sure Charlie was really paying attention. Especially when his next question was a soft, "Who was the student?"

"A sophomore. Gary Sanborn."

Charlie blinked. "Gary? Gary shot me? Gary killed himself?"

Alan just nodded, and he and Don waited for Charlie's next question.

But it never came.

Charlie just laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes, exhausted by the physical exertion of talking so much and the new knowledge that had invaded his heart. He let the drugs take him away.

After watching him sleep for almost an hour, Don agreed to leave until his shift. Then, he used his sudden day off for errands. The bank. A load of laundry. Checked in with Larry and Megan. Larry was doing well enough that Megan would return to work the next day. Don suspected he could return home if he wanted - but he didn't blame him for not wanting to!

After a stop at the office to talk with David and Director Merrick, Don cheated again and headed for the hospital early.

Very early.

He pushed open the door to Charlie's room ready to defend himself to Archie, but she looked at him with frantic eyes. "I was hoping you were the nurse."

Charlie was sitting up in a chair, a disconcerting sight. Don approached to get a better look, and Archie kept talking, a little frantically.

"I've called them twice. He, He was up for five minutes this morning, and, and this time was supposed to be ten, but, but it's been 13 already, and, and...Oh, God, he's crying."

Don saw the lone tear that had squeezed out of Charlie's eye and was rolling down his face. He took another step. "The hell with them," he growled. "I'll do it."

Archie literally jumped on him in a full-body tackle. "NO! Don't hurt him!"

Frustrated, Don realized she was right. He had no idea how to transfer Charlie back to the bed with the least amount of pain. He ground out a "Stay with him" and stormed out the door.

The petite redhead behind the nursing station saw him coming. "Dr. Fitzgerald," she said lowly, but loudly enough that the man sitting and studying a chart could hear her, "could use your help, here."

The doctor looked up just as Don reached the station. He saw the livid face and sighed. This guy definitely had anger issues.

He rose and stood slightly in front of the nurse. "Mr. Eppes…"

"Put. My. Brother. In. Bed. Now."

Dr. Fitzgerald started, looked at his watch and turned to the petite redhead. "Dr. Eppes is still up?"

She blushed. "I'm just a few minutes late," she protested.

The doctor made a noise of disgust. "This is the Intensive Care Unit, Nurse. If you are in the habit of being a few minutes late, perhaps you would be better suited assigned to another floor - a matter I will take up with the Nursing Director. Bring me 10mg IV morphine, stat. I'll be with Dr. Eppes."

Dr. Fitzgerald tossed the chart he had been reading on the desk and headed quickly for Charlie's room.

Don was starting to like this guy.

Back in the room, Don saw evidence of more tears on Charlie's face and made a low sound in his throat, like a wounded animal. After Dr. Fitzgerald had put Charlie back in bed himself, teaching Don and Archie how to move him, he administered the morphine. The additional dose quickly knocked Charlie out. Still, Don and Archie watched him for several hours, Archie staying beyond her shift. When Don was sure the petite redhead was off duty, and the night nurse understood that THIS WAS HIS BROTHER she was taking care of, they finally left together.

Back at the house, they had another family meeting around the kitchen table.

That was when they decided shifts wouldn't work.