A/N: Not a long one…starting the wind-down.

Chapter 19

This time it was different, less like fighting his way out of a nightmare, more like trying to climb out of a big, black, empty hole. He couldn't immediately remember anything, then he latched onto some muddled memory of the doctor asking him to count backward and wondering if Charlie would find that numeric reversal insulting or intriguing…and then this…now. Whenever that was. He screwed up his eyes, which seemed to be gummed shut with something, then made a Herculean effort at dragging them open. He wondered if they actually did creak with disuse, or if that was just his imagination. The world didn't zip past this time, it just bounced a little, then fuzzed, rimmed with indistinct softness. He closed his eyes again, blinked to clear them.

"Hey." Charlie. Well, at least his hearing seemed to be working. "How you feeling?"

Six feet under.

Pretty sure that Charlie wouldn't appreciate the imagery, he didn't say it out loud - just licked his lips instead. The plastic straw magically materialized, bumping his lower lip. He took a cautious sip. "Where's Dad?" Okay, his voice really did creak with disuse

"Talking to the doctor." The straw disappeared. "He's going to start to take it pretty personally that you only seem to be awake and talking when he's out of the room."

"Yeah. Well. Morphine…" he tugged automatically on his arm, felt something give and then rebound. "…overkill, huh?" He blinked at his forearm, followed the line running from it to the side of the bed.

"I don't know. The doctor says that peritonitis is extremely painful."

He tried to shift his gaze to Charlie, who seemed to be watching him with disconcerting intensity, moved one hand under the safety of the covers until it touched the bandage covering his right side. "No comment," he muttered after a minute, pulling curiously on his arm again. "Whazzat?"

"Oh, that? That's something Larry and I rigged up. You kept pulling your IV over…an interesting physics problem, actually."

"Yeah?" he tugged again, could just make out the shadow of something as it dipped then bounced back.

"There's a safety feature, of course - if you pull hard enough, it will snap free."

"Huh." He swallowed down a laugh, then frowned. "Larry was here?" The rasp in his voice hurt his own ears.

"Uh-hm." The straw was back, and he tried another sip. "Few hours ago. Do you even have any idea what time it is?"

This time Don did manage a parody of a laugh. "Not even all that sure what planet it is…" he murmured.

"Well, I can help you with that. It's still Earth."

"Mm. Thought Amita was…the astrophys…" 'Physicist' was evidently a little more than his clumsy tongue was going to handle right now. Well, Charlie knew what he meant. He became dimly aware of faint voices in the background, and music, and gunfire. He squinted, automatically trying to find the television, saw a grey, square-like object that might be it. "What you watchin'?"

"Oh - um - nothing…"

Don frowned. He couldn't see well, but he could hear, and that sure didn't sound like the Discovery Channel. The music was familiar…he turned his head to get a look at Charlie, gulping a little in surprise as he rediscovered a tender spot on the back of his skull.

Okay - now he recognized it…"…you watch James Bond…?"

"I - there wasn't much on - and watching you sleep isn't as exciting as you might think."

Don maneuvered one hand to his eyes, pleased to find that his limbs seemed to be a little more organized and obedient now. "No…that's cool, I just…" he tried to rub away a pervasive pressure there, "…didn't know."

"Well, it's not - I mean, it can actually be pretty interesting - "

Don chuckled from behind his hand. "You mean the women."

"I meant the inventions - some of them are really - quite interesting."

Don opened one eye at him and tried to focus. "You mean you didn't notice the women…?"

"Of course I did. They're - well. You've seen them."

"Yeah." Don sighed. "Which one…?"

"To Russia With Love."

"Nice."

"Oh, yeah."

Don gave up on trying to make out the screen and closed his eyes again. That's all right, he'd just picture it in his head…it'd be a big improvement over his dreams lately…

"Still, the inventions are pretty cool. You could use some of those."

Don opened an eye again, regarding Charlie's hazy outline. "…kidding, right?"

"No, I mean it - today's fantasies are tomorrow's technology! It may seem outrageous now, but I can give you dozens of examples - "

Uh-oh - lecture starting...Don closed both eyes and let his hand rest on top of them, manipulating his fingers experimentally against the stiffness of the wrappings.

"…like that laser shooting toothpick. Imagine what you could do with that on the job."

Don let his hand fall, fingering the bandage on his side again. "…get called on the carpet for using undue force…?"

"Very funny. You have no imagination, that's the problem."

"Get back to the girls - I'll show you plenty of imagination."

Charlie huffed. "You wait. You'll see. Some day you'll be using something like that and be glad to have it."

"…you kidding? That's just…hype." Don's smile was split by a yawn. "I got much better stuff than James Bond."

"You - you're wrong. You just wait. You'll see."

"Naw…" Don swallowed the yawn this time, didn't even try to open his eyes, burrowing his cheek into the pillow. "He's got nothin'. Not a single mathematical genius. Poor sucker."

000

When Alan peeked in the room a short time later, he found it shadowed in semi-darkness. He glanced from the bed to the chair next to it where Charlie was sitting, seemingly deep in thought. He entered quietly and approached the bed. "He still asleep?"

Charlie looked up as if he'd just noticed him. "Um - now. He woke up for a little while and talked."

Alan lifted his hands in exasperation. "Of course he did."

"Sounded a lot more like himself."

"Well, the doctor thinks he's doing well, all things considered. Or, to be more accurate, he referred to him as 'one tough dude'. So I guess your calculations weren't far off."

Charlie smiled a little.

Alan touched Don's cheek measuringly, let his hand drift to smooth back the thick, dark hair. "So. What did you two talk about?"

Charlie shrugged. "Oh - nothing special. Girls."

Alan raised his brows. "Really? That sounds hopeful."

"Yeah. Don't get any ideas."

"Ideas are all I have, my boy. Unfortunately. Surrounded by all these pretty doctors and nurses, you'd think you'd get a few ideas."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "I've been a little distracted."

Alan's smile faltered. "I know." He picked at the covers, eased them up to Don's chin. "So - uh - since my son seems to be avoiding me, even in sleep, I was going to go home and try a shower, before they actually throw us out of here or try to hose us down. Thought you might like to do the same."

"Um…" Charlie's eyes drifted to Don, then away again. "I - think I'm going to sit here for a little while. But you go ahead."

"You sure?" Alan looked at him in surprise. "Because, nothing personal, but you could use a shower yourself."

Charlie grinned. "I know. I'll grab a cab later. Right now I'm - I'm working on something I want to finish."

"Really." Alan tilted his head at him. "You mean, using those books over there? The closed ones on the table? Or maybe the laptop that's zipped in its case."

"I'm - not using those. Yet. I happen to be thinking very deeply - I don't need books for that. I'm even somewhat known for it."

"I've heard." Alan narrowed his eyes at him, perplexed and a little amused. "You know, it really is okay to leave him alone now. He doesn't need someone with him every minute."

"It always was okay," Charlie countered, pointedly rising and picking up one of the books. "They have a full-time nursing staff."

"Touché." Alan blew out a breath. "Okay - if you're sure…"

"Yeah," Charlie opened the book, made a great show of looking for something in it. "I'll just - sit here for a little while. I'll be along eventually."

"All right. I'll be back. Use the cot if you need it."

Charlie nodded brightly, offering a brief wave.

Alan pushed through the door, shaking his head and muttering something about children. When curiosity overcame him and he eased it silently open again a minute later, he saw that Charlie had closed the book and was just sitting, his arms crossed over it. He watched him for a minute, but everything seemed to be all right, and he was beginning to feel guilty about spying. Besides, he really did need that shower.

He let the door close gently, shaking his head. But he'd sure give a lot to know why Charlie was just sitting there in the dark. And what the heck that smile of his was all about.

TBC