Title: HDTH, Numeral 3: Chinks in the Armor
Author: FraidyCatChapter 2: Industrial-Size Hair Gel?
A few days later, the ink hardly dry on their new fishing licenses, the three Eppes carefully packed the back of Don's SUV.
Feeling he should temper his obvious joy with something, Alan handed Don a fishing pole and watched him shove it behind the new tent Charlie had insisted they needed. He still thought the old one would have been fine, even if no-one had used it in almost 15 years…or maybe it was 20…. "You two are sure you're all right with this, now?", he asked again, trying not to tapdance in anticipation.
Charlie came around the corner of the SUV lugging a stuffed-to-the-gills backpack. He eyed Alan and smiled. "Dad. I don't want to be on the road for a full five minutes and have you start whining about needing to find a bathroom."
Don laughed loudly and Alan reddened. He pointed to the pack and changed the subject. "What are you bringing, anyway? We agreed, no work."
"It's not…", Charlie started, but Don interrupted him as he helped lift the pack into the SUV.
"It's probably just hair product," he teased, effectively placing the backpack between his face and Charlie's glare.
Alan was happy the attention had moved off him, but still a little worried. He grinned at Charlie over Don's head. "Seriously, son," he pushed. "No laptop? No PDA? And we agreed, just one cell phone for the three of us, and we only use it if we're attacked by bears, or something."
Don grunted, still trying to fit the pack into the SUV. "Damn thing's so heavy, he must have the desktop in here. Better make him promise to leave that behind, too," he muttered.
Charlie flamed red and looked sulkily at his father. "I didn't break any rules. I finished grading last night, and e-mailed everything to the Division Secretary. I need some clothes," he whined. "You never said I had to wear the same clothes for three weeks."
Alan watched Don continue to struggle and shook his head. "Charlie, you're the smallest one of us. Your clothes shouldn't take up more room than your brother's and mine together."
With a final oomph, Don secured the pack and stepped back with a sigh. "He's going to dress in professorsorial layers in the wilds of Oregon," he complained good-naturedly, a twinkle in his eye. "Gonna be the only one in the campground with a button-down shirt, a tastefully muted sweater and a jacket with patches on the elbows."
Alan smiled and Charlie lifted an eyebrow at his brother. "Professorsorial? I vote for a new rule. No six-syllable words on this vacation. Assuming that even is a word."
Don glanced around to see if anything else had to be jammed into the back of the SUV. He suppressed a shiver at an unbidden memory. He found himself feeling sorry for the cargo – he knew what it was like to ride back here. "Not kidding, Chuck," he said, in a tone a little less light than it had been. "We find one of those items on this trip, it's going swimming with the fishes."
Alan glanced at the sun, now high in the sky, and began tapdancing again, just a little. "Let's go," he said anxiously. "Everyone got everything?" He tilted his head and didn't wait for an answer. "Larry and Megan will come by later and stay at the house while their place is being remodeled, so we don't have to worry about the koi…" He suddenly paled and looked worriedly at Don. "Unless…what if Megan gets called out of town, or inundated with work while you're gone? Larry will never remember. Maybe I should run across the street and speak with the Tanners."
Ordinarily Charlie would be the first to point out Larry's absent-mindedness, but he was still slightly out of sorts from Don's teasing. "Dad. His mind was good enough for NASA." He flashed on the story Larry had told about being in space for almost four months before he got the names of the other crew members down. "Besides, even if she's busy somewhere, Megan will call and remind him," he added, lamely.
Don slammed the back of the SUV. "Listen to you two," he said jovially. "Fighting over fish already." He shot a grin at his father and patted him on the shoulder as he headed for the driver's door. "Climb in, and have your tickets ready for the conductor." Don felt a little guilty being so happy. Colleen had just gotten here and they were finally together, he really should feel worse about leaving her behind. He would miss her, he mused, as he climbed in behind the wheel, especially since he couldn't even call her for three weeks. One of Dad's ridiculous rules was that they could only send letters and souvenir postcards, while they were gone. He honestly was relieved they were all getting away together, though, just the three of them. The Martinez-Cortez kidnapping had been hard on all of them, physically and emotionally. They had all gotten back to their "normal", busy lives as soon as they could, which was understandable…but it had left him, for one, feeling as if something was still broken. He and his father and his brother really needed some time to just be together, and be happy.
Especially Charlie. Alan wasn't the only one who had noticed the younger man's frenetic energy. Don had seen a psychiatrist himself for a few months, and in Don's expert opinion, Charlie was not allowing himself a spare second, because he did not want to face what he had been through. Yeah…Don was an expert on that technique, all right.
He started the engine and checked the rear view mirror to see if Alan was buckled up in back. Charlie got carsick if he sat anywhere but in the front. When he was satisfied that Alan was set, Don turned fond eyes to Charlie, who was strapped in and already consulting a map, even though the three of them had been to Oregon on more than one occasion in their lives. It's not like it was all that far away.
"I think I've located an alternative route with interesting potential," he began. He felt Don's eyes on him and looked up, frowning. "What?"
Don shifted into reverse. He smiled broadly as he backed them out of the driveway. "I'm just happy, Chuck, that's all. You remember 'happy', right?" He had been teasing, but as he caught sight of Charlie's face when he turned his head to check traffic on the street, Don felt a chill.
He suddenly wasn't sure his brother did remember 'happy'.