A/N: I am so sorry for the wait…life got hectic and I got a vicious bite from an old plot bunny that required a walker just to get to me but get me it did, you will see it in the near future. So here is another chapter…I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10

Don felt like he was floating and sinking at the same time. Everything felt so surreal. Where was he? What happened? He remembered someone speaking to him. Then they were gone and he drifted into darkness. He didn't care; it felt good to just float in darkness, no more pain. Then he rose out of the darkness again. Why? What brought him back? He tried to figure out what had woken him. He tried to open his eyes but they seemed glued such. Typical. Everything felt so blurred and numb. He could hear something. A buzzing, at first, then it changed, its pitch constantly changed. A voice? Suddenly everything sharpened; everything was clear, sort of.

"Good gog…keeping…alive?" What was that? Abruptly it all blurred and disappeared completely. There was nothing, absolutely nothing. He wasn't floating; he was falling, when everything was black and gone.

Cold, everything is so cold. Am I shivering? I can't tell. The darkness seemed to recede; he painfully and sluggishly opened his eyes. Are they actually open yet? Everything was still dark, though now he could see patches of light smudges, bobbing and weaving in little circular movements. It sounded like someone was holding blow driers next to his ears through a megaphone. He wished they would stop that, it was giving him a headache. He felt his eyes begin to close, they were so heavy, he didn't think he could keep them open any longer. Abruptly everything sharpened again.

"Don…stay with me" A person? Who's there? Who am I with? His eyes snapped open again. His vision was a little clearer and he could see a faint outline of a person hovering over him. He felt his eyes rolling around, the figure above him disappearing and more figures coming into view. That voice spoke to him again. He looked back at the figure, trying to figure out who it was, but he couldn't. It wouldn't come into focus. He devoted all of his attention of trying to see the figure clearly, but he felt so tired. He just wanted to sleep. Every time he started to drift away the voice would speak again, it was really starting to bug him. Why wouldn't they just let him sleep? He tried to form the words but his mouth didn't seem to work. He wanted to tell them to let him sleep and that he was cold. Everything was starting to hurt again, like before only even worse than before. He felt light headed. He again began to drift, but the darkness didn't come, yet.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Colby was amazed when he saw Don's eyes crack open. He wondered how it was even possible for some one some beaten and bloodied to still be able to regain consciousness. Don's eyes rolled around loosely, unfocused, never stay turned to any one thing more than a second. He could see Don drifting in and out of focus. At times he was only able to stare ahead and others he was looking around, trying to move. At one point he looked like he was trying to say something but the words never came. Colby talked to him, trying to keep his attention. Sometimes he was successful and others Don would be nearly unconscious again before snapping awake at his voice. Time really seemed to drag along. He thought they would never get to the hospital. He would ask the paramedics how much longer except they were furiously working on Don and he figured it would be best not to interrupt them. Colby looked down and Don again. He was trying to speak again, and he succeeded this time.

"C-cold"

"I know Don, you'll be warmer soon, just hang on"

"Tired, s-sleep"

"No Don, you need to stay a wake, just a little bit longer okay? Can you do that for me?" Don answered him but he didn't hear what he said through the oxygen mask. Don grimaced and made a minute effort at shifting, though it looked more like a pitiful squirm to Colby. Colby could see him beginning to drift towards unconsciousness again.

"C-C-Charlie" Colby didn't know how to answer, he didn't have to; Don flat-lined. The paramedics pressed the paddles against his chest. His body arced high above the gurney crashing back down, the sickening screeched of the flat-line never even faltering. They tried again and again. Each time his body arced and crashed without a heart beat. The paramedics started to put the paddles back and apologize, saying he was gone, but Colby growled at them.

"Keep trying" They hesitated but tried again. It took three more tries before a faint heart beat started up again. It was very faint, barely existent, but it was there, and for that Colby was grateful. After what seemed an eternity later they arrived at the hospital and Don was swarmed with more paramedics. Colby jumped out and barely saw the flurry of attendants around Don disappear into the building. The first thing he did was call Alan.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Alan sat nervously in the chair, his hands clasped between his knees. Larry had somehow managed to get him in the recliner and Amita on the couch after they fainted seeing the note. Now he didn't think the phone call would ever come. He didn't think any one would call and say they'd found his sons. But he tried to keep up hope. They all sat in silence, simply waiting. It was a strange silence, not comfortable, but not truly strained either, just silent. When the phone did finally ring, they all jumped at the sound. Alan found himself afraid to answer the phone, but answer it he did. His heart thudded in his throat, threatening to jump out. Everything was suddenly moving in fast-forward.

"They found Don, they're at the hospital now" They all loaded into the car. Larry drove because he didn't think Alan or Amita were under enough control to drive. When they arrived, Alan jumped out before the car was even stopped, followed closely by Amita. Larry quickly caught up. They found Colby in the waiting room. His hands and the front of his shirt was caked with blood. He felt his knees weaken but he didn't let that stop him, he walked right up to Colby and sat beside him. Colby had his hand interlaced and his chin resting on his hands, staring at the floor in front of him. He put a hand on Colby's shoulder. Colby jumped and looked at Alan. He didn't want to be the one to tell him that his son was so close to death. He was grateful that Alan didn't ask questions, he wasn't sure he could have answered. They waited in silence, yet again. Colby jumped at the sound of his name, some time later.

"Is anyone here for Megan Reeves?" Colby strode to the doctor in his biggest strides.

"I am, how is she?"

"She's doing well. She had a punctured lung and required transfusion. We're settling her into her room, she'll need to stay for a week at the most if there aren't any complications."

"Thank you, what room is she in?"

"234B, she'll be ready for visitors in about fifteen minutes, though she's pretty doped up right now"

"Thank you" the doctor walked away and Colby rejoined Alan. He would check on Megan when he got the chance, but for now, he needed to be here. He found himself constantly walking to the desk asking about Don's progress and he always came back with less information than he wanted. He paced the room, with too much nervous energy to sit. At one point the rancid thoughts traveling through his head on how bad Don really was sent him running to the men's room, vomiting. When he returned, Alan was at the desk, looking just as frustrated as he had been. They didn't think they would ever find out how Don was or worse, the doctor would come and tell them that he'd died. From what Colby had seen that was what would most likely happen, but it was the last thing he wanted to hear. He just couldn't accept that Don would die.

"Is there family here for Donald Eppes?" Alan nearly charged the doctor. They'd been sitting there for nearly five hours now and they could finally hear the new on Don.

"How is he? How is my son doing? Is he going to be okay?" Alan had meant to ask these questions slower and actually give the doctor a chance to answer, but it all came out in a rush and he couldn't stop himself. The doctor quietly ushered them back to the chairs making sure that Alan sat down before he began listing the details.

"I won't lie to you Mr. Eppes. Your son is in very bad shape. He was nearly bled out when he arrived at the hospital; we've given him continuous transfusions but he is still needing more blood. He had a gunshot to the shoulder which was luckily a minor injury in itself from what it could have been. His left shoulder is dislocated, the radius and ulna are both broken on each arm, all of his ribs are broken, two have shattered, he has a broken collar bone, his breast bone is cracked, he has a section of skin around his ribs completely missing and will need several skin grafts to repair that, he also has a broken cheek bone, broken jaw, both lungs collapsed but we were able to re-inflate both, he has a gunshot wound to the abdomen with mild muscle damage, we were forced to remove large amounts of his digestive tract so if he survives he'll probably have some serious weight issues, he has a crushed ankle, a broken shin bone, a gunshot wound to the knee that will most likely give him recurring pain if he survives, and he is suffering from a massive, widespread fever." Alan felt faint. That was far more than he'd ever expected to hear. Than there were the 'if' words that the doctor had so unfalteringly slipped in the conversation. The first time he heard one he'd already been feeling faint and thought that it was just his imagination, but then he heard it again and felt hopelessly confused.

"What do you mean if? Are you saying that I could lose my son that he might die?" Alan's voice was shaking. This was too much; he couldn't lose Don not like this. He suddenly had to see his son and he had to see him now. "Where is he, I need to see him and I need to see him NOW!" The doctor saw the determination on his face and didn't even argue, not that it would have done any good. Alan followed the doctor silently. His little outburst demand to see Don seemed to sap him of his energy. The doctor must have been concerned about him because he would glance back at him and not once did he look pleased, but Alan didn't care. He tried to brace himself for what he would see, but there truly is no way to prepare yourself for something like this. The doctor held the door open for Alan and waited outside while he saw his son. Alan was grateful for the chair in the room for when he saw Don, he couldn't stand. His son was near transparent, what little of him he could actually see. His son was almost completely in bandages, a cast on one arm, a splint on the other with tubes and wires coming from his hand. There were the beeps of a heart monitor and the artificial whoosh of the respirator breathing for Don. It all seemed so fake. His son wasn't truly alive, after all his son couldn't even breathe. He had to have a machine do it for him. He shook his head. He couldn't think that way. He had to have strength for them both. Don needed him now to be strong. He needed his father's strength to pull him through. I wonder how Charlie's gonna…He never made it past the thought. Charlie. He didn't know what actually happened. He rose to his feet still a little shaky. He left the room. Colby was leaning against the wall, alone, staring at the floor.

"Colby" He looked up. He still had that sad, haunted look in his eyes.

"Alan, David went back to the office. I said I'd stay here in case you needed something"

"What happened? I mean I'm glad to have Don back, but the note said you were going to get Charlie. What happened? Where's Charlie?" Colby found himself wanting to cry yet again. This was turning out to be one of the worst days in his life.

"While you were at the store with Larry, Megan got an anonymous phone call telling us that Don was being dropped off. They gave us the address and told us that if we were fast enough we would get Charlie too."

"And?"

"Well, we got there in time. We saw Charlie, but we couldn't get to them. There were just too many hostiles. He even tried to fight his way free. We were…we were so close…but…we just couldn't get close enough. Someone dragged him into a car and they got away. We found Don once the firefight was over." Alan nodded, but couldn't speak. He felt sorry for Colby. He had been so close to getting them both, but it was all snatched away. He went back to Don. If he couldn't help Charlie, he could at least be there for Don.