Chapter 20

Don fumbled in his pocket for his cell phone. Without taking his eyes off his brother, he took a step toward the door. Larry stopped him. "Don, let me call Alan. You stay here with Charles."

"Thanks, Larry," Don murmured. Numbly, he flipped open the cell phone and said, "Press this key, then scroll down like this until 'Dad – cell' is highlighted. Like this. Then press this key. When you're done, close the phone. That's all there is to it."

Larry smiled and took the phone. "I may hate what cell phones represent, Don, but right now I am so very glad that you and your father both have them. I'll be right back."

"Thank you, Larry." From his new position, Don could see Charlie's face. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was panting, but at least he had stopped fighting the nurses. Don heard House ordering morphine and platelets. He hoped for Charlie's sake the morphine would take effect fast.

Dr. Cameron looked up and saw Don. She crossed the room and stepped in front of him. She realized he probably didn't even notice her until she had blocked his view of his brother. He blinked and finally met her gaze. "Don, we're going to start the bacteriophage treatment as soon as Dr. Adukalil gets here. Meanwhile, we're starting Charlie on morphine for the pain. And Dr. House has ordered platelets. That will help his blood to clot and hopefully stop the bleeding. If necessary, he'll order a unit of whole blood later, but we're hoping that won't be necessary." How much of what she said was he processing? She put her hand on his shoulder. "He'll be fine. He'll be out of pain in a few minutes." She took his arm and led him to a place near Charlie's head. "Talk to him, calm him down. You won't be in the way here for now, but you're going to have to move if we tell you, okay?"

Don nodded as he touched Charlie's face. "Okay. Thank you, Dr. Cameron. Hey, Buddy, it's gonna be okay. They're getting you something for the pain. Hang in there, okay?"

Charlie reached up and grasped Don's hand. "Donnie? It hurts..."

"I know, Buddy. They're taking care of that now. Hey, here's the morphine now. They'll have you feeling better in a minute."

Charlie groaned and squeezed Don's hand until he thought his fingers would break. Charlie's eyes opened and he tried to smile. "That's ... that's good... Gotta love morphine..."

Don blinked back tears. "Hey, Buddy, you're not supposed to be cheering me up."

"Somebody's... gotta do it..."

The tears overflowed, and Don chuckled. "Well, if anybody can do it, you can. Just try to relax now."

Charlie closed his eyes and murmured. "Remember ... the last time... someone told me to relax..."

Don smiled. "No, Buddy, not another colonoscopy."

Charlie smiled. "Thank God ... for that..."

Don could feel Charlie's fingers starting to loosen their deathgrip on his hand. He squeezed his little brother's hand. With his other hand, he brushed Charlie's hair back from his forehead. The skin was hot to the touch. Charlie moved his head ever so slightly towards Don's touch. "It's gonna be okay, Buddy," Don murmured.

In the waiting area, Larry dialed Alan's number and then held the tiny instrument to his ear. Alan's groggy voice answered on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Alan, this is Larry. Fleinhardt."

"Larry? What's wrong? Is Charlie...?"

"Charles has suffered a setback. Dr. House is getting ready to start the bacteriophage treatment."

"A setback? What happened?"

"It appears the anthrax has mutated. Charles is in a great deal of pain, and he's bleeding internally. The doctors are with him now..."

"Oh, God, Larry. I'll be there as soon as I can. Do you know which room Amita is in? I have to get her, too."

Larry thought for a moment, "Let me see. The room she's in is called The Swain. They have names, of course, not numbers. If you turn left when you go out your door, her door is the third, or is it the fourth? On the same side as yours. The nameplate is next to the door. It should say 'The Swain.'"

"Thank you, Larry. We'll be there as soon as we can. Tell Don..."

"I will, Alan. But, do be careful on the way over here. Charles is in good hands."

"I know. See you in a few minutes." Alan hung up, and Larry flipped Don's phone shut and headed back to Charlie's room.

Alan was glad he had fallen into bed without changing. He made a quick stop in the bathroom, then threw some water on his face, and went in search of Amita's room. Larry had been close. Amita's room was next door to his. He knocked gently at first, then a little louder, until he heard movement inside. "Amita? It's Alan."

He heard Amita fumbling with the lock, then she opened the door. She stood there, blinking in confusion. "Alan? What's wrong? Is it Charlie?"

He nodded. "Yes. Larry just called me. Charlie's taken a turn for the worse."

"Oh, God, Alan," Amita grabbed her purse, made sure her key was in it and said, "Let's go."

Ms. Lindsay looked up from her work at the desk as they crossed the lobby. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm afraid not," Alan said. "Charlie's gotten worse..."

"Hold on," Ms. Lindsay stood. "I'll drive you over. It'll be faster." Before Alan could object, Ms. Lindsay had her purse, and was heading toward them. "Mary Sue, will you watch the desk for me?" She called as she led them out the front door. "My car's around back."

Once they were in the car, she said, "He's at Princeton Plainsboro?"

"Yes," Alan said, "But you really don't have to..."

"Too late," Ms. Lindsay said. "I wasn't kidding when I told you to tell me if there was anything I could do to help." They pulled out of the parking lot, and she fumbled in her purse. "Here's my card. You call me if you want a ride back here. Please don't hesitate. I want to help, and I can't if you don't let me."

As they pulled into the circle in front of the hospital, she said, "I'll be praying for Dr. Eppes, and for you."

"Thank you," Alan said as he opened the car door. "I appreciate your prayers, Ms. Lindsay. And thank you for the ride."

When they arrived, Charlie's room was a hive of activity. Larry and the NSA agent stood out of the way, against the wall. Don looked up from where he stood at Charlie's side. He turned and said something to Charlie, then hurried over to Alan and Amita. "They've given him the first injection of the bacteriophage. He's sleeping now. Morphine," he said as he ushered them to the place he had vacated. He stepped back and let Alan and Amita stand next to Charlie.

Alan looked down at Charlie's pale, peaceful face. Tears sprang to his eyes as he brushed his fingertips against his son's cheek. "My baby boy," he murmured. He heard Amita's choked sob, and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him. "I should have been here for you, Son." He looked up, and saw Dr. Cameron on the other side of the bed, checking Charlie's vitals.

Dr. Cameron smiled encouragingly at him. "Don was with him. He's resting comfortably now, and we're just waiting for the bacteriophage to do their work."

"How long will it take?" Alan asked.

"Hard to say," Cameron said. "He's the first human they've used it on. In vitro, it works within fifteen minutes. The literature I've read mentions results in mice within a few hours. Dr. Adukalil has used it on primates. I can check with him, if you'd like. I believe he's with Dr. House now."

"That's all right," Alan said.

"Okay," Dr. Cameron said, "I'm going to take these results to Dr. House. I'll be back in a little while. We'll be checking on Charlie every few minutes, but if you notice anything at all, have the nurses page me."

"Thank you again, Dr. Cameron," Alan said.