Chapter 3

He had been lying awake for some time, so Don rolled over and snagged the ringing cell off the nightstand right away, before it could wake Charlie. He recognized his father's ringtone. He checked the time on the display. 6:15 a.m.

"I'm surprised it took you this long, Dad."

A low, brief chuckle. "I'm sorry. I tried to wait. I know it's Saturday morning."

"It's okay. I was awake, anyway."

Silence.

"They've been arguing."

This was interesting. "Really. Charlie didn't tell me that. Just about the doctor, and the garage."

"Oy, the garage. Donnie. That surprised even me. There have been plenty of times I would have liked to erase Charlie's boards and get him out of there, for one reason or another, but I know what it means to him. So much work."

"Do you think he's ready to go back to Cal Sci?"

"He's not well. But I was actually looking forward to it. He feeds off it. Teaching. Being around his students, and colleagues. I was hoping it might actually push his recovery past this…plateau."

"What do they argue about?"

"I'm not sure. I only hear the silly things. Put the toilet seat down when you're finished, squeeze the toothpaste from the end, don't put an empty carton of orange juice back in the refrigerator. That sort of thing. But I get the feeling there's a lot they don't let me hear."

In spite of himself, Don smiled a little. "Sounds like it's all stuff Charlie is doing."

"Actually, the orange juice was Archie."

More silence.

"You'll make sure he eats."

"Yeah. He brought some of those drinks with him. I don't think he's awake, yet. I should run to the store and get some breakfast stuff."

"He won't be able to eat a lot, or digest anything heavy. Just scramble him some eggs, make some toast."

Don smiled again. "Yeah. Two things I don't have."

Alan sighed. "No wonder you eat here so often."

"What has Archie said?"

"Not a word. We saw his note, and she was reading it when I played the phone message. She just folded it up neatly and went upstairs to bed. Didn't even say good-night."

Don thought he heard a sound from the living room. "I'd better go after some eggs, Dad. We'll talk later, okay?"

"All right, son."

Don flipped the cell shut, climbed out of bed and padded into the living room. He usually left the curtains in the living room open, but he had closed them last night so that the sunrise would not wake Charlie. In the darkness, he could see that Charlie was still sleeping, and the sound he had heard had been Charlie talking into the pillow. Don couldn't make out the words.

He slipped back to the bedroom and dressed quickly, came back to the kitchen counter and wrote Charlie a note in case he should wake while he was gone. He took another peek at the drinks in the refrigerator. Charlie had at least two of those, or a smoothie made in the blender, every day. Don didn't know what to get for the smoothie, and he didn't have a blender — nor did he know how long Charlie was staying. He decided to get another 6-pk. at the store. He should be keeping something here for Charlie anyway. He took another look at the lump that was his brother, then quietly left for the store.

Charlie showed no sign of having moved by the time Don returned. It was still early — not yet 8:30 — and he would have waited to make breakfast, but he had been up for two hours already and was starting to get hungry. He started a pot of coffee and turned on the stove.

Ten minutes later the smell of the coffee brought Charlie stumbling toward the kitchen. He sat silently at the counter. Don cracked an egg into the pan. "Hungry?"

Charlie just nodded.

"I got you some orange juice. It's in the 'fridge."

Charlie stood and made the short trip into the kitchen, reaching over Don's shoulder for a glass. "Want one?"

"No, thanks. The coffee is for me. There's a loaf of bread. Put some in the toaster."

Charlie filled the glass with orange juice first and placed it on the counter, then put the bread into the toaster. Without being asked he took two plates out of another cupboard and placed them on the counter near Don.

"Thanks. Look like enough eggs for the both of us?"

Charlie crossed behind him with silverware. "Fine," he said, without looking.

A few minutes later, the toaster popped and the eggs were scrambled. Don divided everything on the two plates, grabbed a cup of coffee, and joined Charlie at the counter. They ate in silence, Charlie stopping long before his plate was empty.

"I didn't know how much," Don said. "If that's too much, I'm still hungry."

Charlie exchanged his plate for Don's empty one. "I don't want to mess up your Saturday," he finally said. "Do whatever you were planning on."

Don swallowed. "Just laundry. And I was going to see if you wanted to go to a movie or something."

"I want to go back to bed," Charlie said.

"That's ok. It's early."

Charlie stood and walked back into the kitchen, where he stood at the sink and washed all the dishes except the ones Don was still working on. Then he dried his hands on a towel and crossed back to the living room bed/couch. Don watched him sit down, then stand back up and walk down to the bathroom. He heard the shower start.

He had finished his own breakfast and dishes, and was in his bedroom sorting laundry into piles when he heard the living room curtains open. He went back out, finding the couch a couch again, Charlie completely dressed, including shoes.

"I thought you were going to sleep some more."

"I called a cab. I'm going to my office."

Don was nonplussed. "Charlie, you weren't cleared to work, were you?"

"There are no classes, today. I'm not going to work."

"Come on. You're only going in because I don't have any whiteboards. You'll work."

Charlie crossed his arms. A defensive gesture if Don ever saw one. "I don't think so. I'm just…I need to go back. I haven't been back since it happened."

"Charlie, you shouldn't do that alone. Let me give you a ride, go with you."

Charlie shook his head, stubborn as ever. "No. I have to do it alone."

"I can wait in the car, then."

Charlie sighed. "Compromise. I'll take the cab I've already called, and I'll call you when I'm ready to leave."

Don thought. Sure, Charlie could call him. He didn't have to know he'd be waiting in the Math & Sciences Building parking lot when he did. "Okay. I'll pick you up. Maybe we can go to lunch, or a matinee or something."

"Sure," Charlie said, and headed past him for the door. He left to meet the cab in the parking lot, and the door was almost shut before Don heard the rest of the sentence. "I could use a party."