When Don got back to the bull pen the first thing he did was grab the bottle of antacids out of the top drawer of his desk and take four. He couldn't remember the last time he had thrown up and didn't want a repeat. He was rummaging around for the aspirin bottle he knew was in there when David passed by. "Hey, you ready to do this?" he asked.
"Yeah," Don said giving up his search and following him.
Megan was already in with the woman so Don and David headed for the room holding their male suspect. Don eyed him carefully. He didn't look like your average hardened criminal, but that didn't mean anything. "So, what's the deal Mike? The two of you really wanted kids?" Don asked, coming to sit on the table's edge. "Adoption was a little too expensive, so you just took somebody else's kid for free, right?"
"No, no! It's not like that," the man said nervously.
"You ripped apart someone else's family!" David cried. "You took that little girl away from her parents, let them think she was dead!"
"I know, I know," the man sighed. "It wasn't my idea."
"Why don't you tell us whose idea it was then?" Don demanded.
The man closed his mouth tightly and shook his head. "Okay, Mike," Don said with a shrug, "you know if you don't want to tell us, maybe your wife does."
"No!" the man panicked. "It's not her fault! Don't drag her into this!"
Don stood up and is stomach lurched. The room tilted dangerously as he clamped his mouth closed and grabbed the table for support. David looked at him startled. "Don?"
Don shook his head and moved swiftly out the door and into the hall. Megan caught his arm. "Don, what is it?"
Don pulled away and made his way to the bathroom as quickly as he could and promptly vomited up his antacids. His stomach empty once more he continued to retch painfully for several long minutes and found himself extremely grateful that the janitors kept the bathroom so clean, as he held onto the toilet for dear life.
He heard the bathroom door open. "Don?" Colby's voice echoed oddly in the small room.
Don closed his eyes and swallowed, leaning back against the wall. "Be out in a minute Colby," he said hoarsely.
He heard the door close and it was another minute before he could force himself back on his feet. The room spun dizzily for several seconds before it righted and he could leave the stall. He rinsed out his mouth and held a damp paper-towel to his forehead. He sighed and shook his head. What the heck was wrong with him? "Snap out of it," he muttered to himself and then went to rejoin his team.
All three of them were waiting outside the bathroom. "What happened in there, man?" David asked as all three followed him back to his desk.
Don tried to smile. "David, it's the bathroom," he said as he shifted some papers on his desk.
"Don't give me that crap, Don," David said angrily. "You practically ran out of that interrogation. What the hell is going on?"
"Look, can't a guy go to the bathroom anymore? I've barely been all day," Don replied exasperated. "Now, if you're all done discussing my toilet habits, why don't you tell me what we know?"
The three agents exchanged glances. Don glared at all of them. "Last time I checked I was still the boss around here."
"The wife's story matches the husband's. He was hired by Julio Alvarez to do the kidnapping. Alvarez is already in custody for a drug bust a couple months back. We've got somebody interviewing him now," Megan finally informed him.
"All right, good. Let me know when they get something," Don said.
He looked up to see all three of them still standing there watching him. "Let's go guys, we've got work to do."
"Don…" Colby started to speak, but Don cut him off.
"Look, am I, or am I not the boss around here anymore?" he cried. "Get back to work!"
Slowly the team turned and went back to their own desks. "What is going on with him?" David muttered quietly to Colby.
Colby shook his head. "Dunno, but he looks dead on his feet. Have you ever seen him that pasty?"
David shook his head as they had no choice but to get back to work.
A/N: Reviews make me happy!!