"Do I have to do this now?"

"The sooner the better, Charlie," Megan said patiently. "I need to know what happened so I can get this case closed." She smiled gently. "And it will help for you to talk about it."

Charlie snorted in disbelief. "I seriously doubt it."

"I know you don't think it will, but you'd be surprised."

"Whatever," the young man pouted as he leaned back against his pillows. "So where do I start?"

"You and Don were on vacation, right?"

"Yes. A hiking trip sounded like a good idea at the time. Actually," his brow furrowed as he thought. "It was my idea."

"You two did need a break after that string of cases we had. We all needed a break." Trying to find a way to cheer Charlie up, she leaned close and whispered, "Want to know what Colby did?"

Despite his mood, Charlie was intrigued. "What?"

"He took a ballet class."

"No," the younger man cracked a faint smile.

"I swear – I'm not lying. He went on and on about how some of the most macho guys take ballet because it helps with balance and flexibility."

"I suppose." Charlie shook his head.

"To hear him tell it, every girl in that class swooned when they saw him in tights. I'd say he was exaggerating but his cell has been ringing non-stop. And every call ends with 'that sounds great. Let me check my schedule and get back to you.' Can you believe that?"

"He's a real Don Juan, huh?" Charlie started laughing, the first true emotion he'd shown since being brought to the hospital.

"So he says," she sighed as she shook her head. Megan let Charlie's laughter subside and placed a gentle hand on his knee. "You ready to go on?"

"Okay," he whispered. He arduously began recounting the events of the ill-fated vacation, his voice cracking with anguish as he detailed Don's initial injury, oblivious to the look of shock on Megan's face when he mentioned the word 'arrow'. "I really thought he wasn't going to make it toward the end. And then some guy found us and..." Charlie's eyes shone with tears. "I thought he was going to help us, but he was the one who had shot Don. He attacked me and aimed his gun at Don. I heard a shot and..." Tears fell as he remembered thinking that his brother had just been murdered in front of him.

"It's okay, Charlie," Megan soothed. "You both made it, remember?"

The young man nodded and sniffed as he wiped his tears away. "I opened my eyes and Gary was standing there asking me if I was okay. He'd shot our attacker and he seemed genuinely interested in helping us. He even mentioned that he thought our attacker was responsible for some missing hikers in the area." Charlie's tone grew desperate. "I mean he would have just killed us if he wanted us dead, right? There's no reason for him to have saved us. That's what I thought... Oh God, it's because of me, isn't it?"

"What?" Megan asked in confusion.

"I trusted him to take us to safety. He told me he had an old ranger's cabin and that he could get us help quickly." He met Megan's eyes. "I wanted to believe him so badly. Too badly, I guess. I led Don right into his trap. How could I do that to him?"

"You didn't do anything," Megan assured him. "Everything you've told me makes perfect sense. I would have done the same thing, Charlie."

"Right," Charlie said bitterly. "Then we got to the cabin and he left us – said he was calling for help. That's when I started noticing things didn't seem right. I left Don on the bed – I left him alone – and went to look around the house. By the time I figured it out Gary had come back and was laughing at me. He said that he was going to kill us and I just stood there while he grabbed me and forced me back to the bedroom."

Megan could see the young man was on the verge of hyperventilating so she softly whispered, "Take it easy, Charlie."

He nodded and tried to take deep breaths. When he felt a little better he sighed and continued. "He threw me on the floor and started to pull the arrow out of Don's shoulder. I had Don's gun and I pointed it at him and told him to stop. He just started laughing again and started to hurt Don... It took so much willpower to do it. I mean, I've never even thought about shooting someone before... I pulled the trigger but he'd taken the bullets out the night before. I just knew my stupidity was about to get us both killed."

"It's not stupid, Charlie. You were under a lot of stress and you were doing the best you could to care for Don. You had no way of knowing."

"Don would have known," Charlie whispered. "I think he did know, actually. He asked me if I trusted Gary. I told him yes and he let it go because he trusted me." Charlie placed a hand over his eyes. "Oh God, he trusted me and look where it got him."

"To a hospital where he's alive and recovering," Megan said firmly. "You seem to keep forgetting that part, Charlie." She patiently waited as Charlie brooded, finally interrupting the silence when she thought he could continue. "What happened then?"

"Don attacked Gary and yelled at me to run. I didn't want to but he'd caused himself so much pain just so I could get away... I ran and for some reason – I have no idea why – I grabbed a rifle on the way out the front door. I hid in the woods and started telling myself what I had to do." He took a deep breath and forced himself to speak. "I was still trying to gather my courage when Gary hauled Don out onto the front porch. The coward was hiding behind him and started yelling for me to come back or he'd hurt Don again."

Megan frowned as she watched the color drain from Charlie's face. She shifted toward the head of the bed and hugged him against her shoulder. "It's okay. Don's okay. You have to keep telling yourself that so you can get through this, alright?"

He nodded against her shoulder and she felt his body shake with a silent sob. "He did hurt him. I was aiming the rifle very carefully because I knew I couldn't hit Don. He stabbed him in his other shoulder and Don cried out in pain. Part of me just wanted to give up and wait for someone to come rescue us but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I made myself ignore Don's cries... I never thought I'd be able to do that. It makes me feel inhuman to know that I can."

"You had to, Charlie. For Don's sake. Yours, too."

"Anyway, I did it. I shot him. I waited to make sure he wasn't going to get back up and then ran to Don. I just knew he was dead – that I had waited too long. But then I found a pulse and saw he was breathing... I've never felt more relieved in my life."

Megan took a moment to think about the shot that Charlie had successfully made – one she doubted any professionally trained sniper would want to take – before she found her voice again. "That's when you called for help?"

"Yeah. They had a CB radio. Thank God Larry was rambling on about that particular hobby one day, or I would never have known what to do."

"Good ol' Larry," she laughed softly. She tightened her embrace and placed her cheek against Charlie's. "You did a great job, Charlie. I don't just mean with the statement – you did a great job in saving Don's life."

"I don't feel like it," he argued quietly.

"And you probably won't for a while. That's perfectly normal, but you will start to feel better. I'd advise you to talk to someone that understands what you went through."

"You mean a shrink?" he demanded angrily.

"If you want, but I was thinking about someone else. Someone who would understand not only the horrors of this particular situation but the way you feel after shooting someone."

"Like who?"

Megan rolled her eyes and playfully shoved Charlie as she let him go. "How about your brother?"

"No." He shook his head. "He's got enough to deal with right now. His shoulder..." Charlie turned a bright shade of green and Megan wondered how bad Don's injury was. She made a mental note to ask Alan. "No," Charlie insisted suddenly. "I can't burden him with this."

"I think that you should talk to him," she stated. "But if you don't want to, I'll get you the name of a psychologist that I really trust, okay?"

"I'm not promising to go," the young man pouted.

"I know," Megan replied. "But I want you to have someone to go to when you feel the time is right."

"Okay," he reluctantly agreed. He hesitated as he fingered the hospital blanket "Thanks for doing this, Megan. I don't think I could have told all of that to a stranger."

"Anytime, Charlie." She glanced at the door, her eyes twinkling as she saw a distinctly Alan-shaped shadow lurking outside. "I'm going to go find your father for you."

"Megan!" Charlie called in a panic.

"What is it?"

"Don't... Don't tell my dad, okay?"

"I won't," she promised. "But I think you should."

He frantically shook his head. "I couldn't bear to see the disappointment in his eyes."

"Charlie-"

"Please," he begged softly.

"Okay, I won't. Now just relax and let me go find him for you."

--

Alan was practically pacing the hallway as he waited for Megan to emerge from his son's room. As soon as she did, he gave her a stern, fatherly look. "How is he? And don't lie to me, Megan."

"He's depressed," she told him. "But that's to be expected after an incident like this. I strongly advised him to talk to someone, but he doesn't want to."

"He's just as stubborn as his brother," Alan muttered in frustration.

"It's still fresh," Megan gently pointed out. "Give him time and I think he'll come around."

"What exactly happened?"

Megan swallowed nervously. "He asked that I not tell you and since technically I was on the job taking his statement, I have to respect his wishes." Seeing the look of frustration on Alan's face, she pressed on. "It's very important that we let him take this at his own pace. If we force anything, it could be detrimental. You understand that, right, Mr. Eppes?"

Normally he would remind her to call him Alan, but he was still feeling a little miffed. "I guess so. It's just that I'm so worried about him. I've never seen him in such bad shape."

"I know," Megan said sympathetically. "I can't tell you specifics but I can tell you that what he went through was something that even the most seasoned field agent would have problems with."

Alan frowned as he mulled over her words. What was it Donny told me? 'Shooting. First time hard.' Oh God, did my youngest son have to... "Megan," Alan asked quietly. "Who shot the man that had taken my boys?" He knew he'd guessed right as shock registered on her face. "Charlie had to, didn't he?"

"How did...?" she trailed off and shook her head. "I can't tell you. Although I will say that your paternal instincts are... incredible." She patted Alan's arm and smiled reassuringly. "Just remember, he has to deal with this on his terms and at his own pace if he's going to be successful. And, I didn't tell you a thing."

"Of course not," Alan promised her. "I'll try to take your advice, but it's just so hard to sit helplessly and watch while he beats himself up over this."

"You're a wonderful father, Mr. Eppes. If anyone can do this, you can."

"Thanks." The older man smiled. "And you should know by now to call me Alan."

--

"Hey, Charlie."

The young man looked up at his father and forced a weak smile to his face. "Dad."

"How are you feeling?"

There was something in Alan's eyes that made Charlie suspect that Megan might have talked. "A little better," he said warily. "Why? Did Megan say something?"

"No," Alan shook his head and sighed. "I asked but she wouldn't tell me a thing."

Thank you, Megan. "I'm... I'm just not ready to talk about it, Dad. I mean, I had to give my statement to her so they can finish up the case, but I can't do it again right now."

Alan reached out and laid his hand on his son's cheek. "I understand, Charlie. But promise me one thing."

"What?"

"You'll remember what your family is here for when you do feel like talking."

Charlie nodded and covered his father's hand with his own. "I will."

"Good," Alan beamed. "Now, on to happier matters. Don says hi."

"He's awake?" Charlie asked excitedly.

"Yes, the doctor is weaning him off of the sedatives and letting him wake up. In fact, they expect him to be moved out of ICU around lunchtime today."

"That's wonderful," Charlie grinned. "What about his shoulder?"

"There's a surgeon scheduled to meet with him later today to discuss his injury. We'll find out more then." Charlie grew silent as he pondered what Don's life would be like if he could never be a field agent again. "Hey," Alan gently nudged his son. "Think positive thoughts – for Don's sake, okay?"

"I'll try."

"Now, for the other piece of good news." The older man paused until Charlie gave him an impatient look. "I ran into your doctor while you were talking to Megan. You're scheduled to be released in a couple of hours."

"Really?"

"Yes," Alan nodded happily. "That should be about the same time Don is getting settled in his new room, so I figured we'd go visit, meet his surgeon and then I'll take you back to our hotel room."

"Hotel room?" Charlie queried.

"Yes. I've got a room here at the hospital's hotel. I know I can commute from the house but I couldn't stand the thought of being that far away from you two after everything that's happened."

"Sounds good." Charlie agreed, also liking the idea of being right there in the hospital hotel in case anything happened to Don.

"Alright then, sounds like a plan," Alan smiled. "I brought some of your clothes but I left them in the room. I'm going to go grab them and I'll be back by lunch, okay?"

"Sure, Dad. See you then."

TBC