A/N: I'm sorry to anyone who read the last chapter early enough that it was actually chapter 9, not chapter 11-I posted the wrong chapter originally. And thanks to Rinne for pointing that out! Also, thanks to everyone who's been reviewing-I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Numb3rs.

My cruel weapons have been put on the shelf
Come sit down on my knee
You are dearer to me than myself
As you yourself can see

-"Workingman's Blues #2," Bob Dylan

Chapter 12—Together

Robin was waiting outside Don's room when Charlie came rushing down the hall. Behind him was Alan.

Charlie was in full panic mode, anyone could see that. His steps were jerky, his eyes wide, hair wild. He brushed past David as though he didn't recognize him. Megan stepped into his path.

"Charlie," she warned, holding out her hands to stop him. He looked at her for a moment, focusing on her face.

"Larry's going to kill you," was all he said, his voice taut with panic, near cracking point. The words themselves were flat and hurried. Robin nearly smiled. Don had told her all about Megan and Larry and their rather odd relationship. She had absolutely no doubt that Larry would be nearly as panicky as Charlie. And Don wouldn't exactly be pleased with her when he woke up.

The doctors had already told them that he'd probably be fine. He had a ridiculous number of injuries—it was a miracle, thought Robin, that the human body could undergo so much suffering without just falling into pieces. As it was, Don was in surgery. As long as nothing when wrong during the operations, there would be no permanent damage. Robin couldn't remember what was being accomplished in the surgery. She'd been numb, unable to do anything but stare at the door behind which Don was being operated on as a nurse had given her a lecture on the aftermath of concussions.

Robin glanced down, having just noticed that her hands were moving, twisting something in between them. It was part of her suit, ripped slightly. Robin looked at the suit. It was so difficult to believe that she'd been at work when the call had come, and that had been only seven or eight hours ago. Hett had only had them for about six hours. Only.

Robin's mind flashed back to the moment when Megan had called her for the second time. She'd been at Charlie and Alan's house, in a state of near panic, as she had been for four or five hours already.

"Robin." Megan's voice had been strained, and Robin had feared the worst—but then why not call Alan, part of her had asked. "The guy who has Don has made demands." Robin had been was afraid that she wouldn't like this.

"Something legal I can look into?" she had asked. "You know I'd do anything, Megan."

"He wants us all there. Colby, David, and I. Unarmed. And you." Robin had frozen.

"What?"

"I know," Megan had said. "I… I told him we'd be there. I had to."

"I'm coming." Robin's voice had been hard and determined. She purposely hadn't allowed herself time to think this through. She didn't have the option of backing out. There was therefore no point in imagining such an option. When she'd arrived at the FBI, the team had been waiting.

"Look, Robin, I'm sure we can"—David had started, but she'd shaken her head. They could not go without her. Not if the man would hurt Don. She'd been under no illusions about what she was doing. No amount of training on Don's team's part could keep them safe now.

A voice jerked her out of her reverie. How long had she been standing there? She glanced at her watch. An hour? Two? "Ma'am," the voice said again.

"Robin." Alan's voice was kinder, gentler.

"He's awake, ma'am. You can see him now." Robin stumbled towards the glass in front of her, putting her hands out as if to touch it. She couldn't see into the room—the curtains were closed.

"You're sure?" she asked, gesturing. Alan smiled.

"He asked for you." Robin realized that she'd been out of it long enough that Alan had already spoken with him. "I'm getting some coffee," Alan told her, rubbing his eyes.

She nodded vaguely in his direction, opening the door to Don's room. With the sound, Don opened his eyes. Seeing her, Don's face crinkled into a smile, the same smile she knew so well, and she felt tears slipping down her cheeks.

Don opened his eyes with a groan. He felt a moment of panic when he found that he couldn't move, but then he heard his father's voice.

"Donny?" it asked.

"Yeah, Dad, right here," Don replied, inwardly cursing. He didn't like his family to see him like this. He was supposed to comfort them when bad things happened, not the other way around.

"Oh, thank God." Alan's voice was choked with emotion.

"Dad, believe me, I wasn't going anywhere," Don told him, correctly interpreting Alan's relief. "There's no way everything would hurt this much if I was going to die." Strictly speaking, they both knew that this wasn't true, but neither said anything.

"Don!" Charlie's voice was excited, and Don watched him rush into the room.

"Chuck," said Don, nodding to him and grimacing when his head spun. He closed his eyes briefly against Charlie's spinning face, which was currently pouting at him.

"It's okay, Donny, we'll leave you to rest," came Alan's voice.

"Yeah, thanks," Don murmured. "I'm just awfully tired."

"Of course you are," reassured Alan.

"Wait," Don told them, not bothering to open his eyes. "I want to see Robin."

"We'll let her know," Alan told him as they left. It was a few minutes before Don heard her enter the room. He opened his eyes, smiling at her. He didn't notice her dirty, disheveled state.

"Hey," she said softly, and Don noticed that she was crying.

"Hey, baby," he said, watching as she walked towards him. "I'm fine," he continued. "Really."

At least, he would have continued. Instead of permitting him to do so, Robin had leaned down, kissing him hard on the mouth. One of her tears dripped onto his cheek. He smiled into her mouth. When she pulled back, he looked at her seriously.

"Don't ever do that again."

Robin looked at him for a moment, one eyebrow raised. "That?"

"Well… no, not that," said Don, thinking of the kiss. "Never put yourself in harm's way for me again. He could have killed you, and none of us could have stopped him." Don shuddered slightly, thinking of the other things Hett could have done to Robin without his being able to help her.

"Look, Don," said Robin, her voice serious now. "You need to know that, if we could redo the last twelve hours, I would do it again. You're going to have to accept that. I couldn't have left you." Don looked at her.

"He could have killed you," he repeated.

"And he could have killed you too," Robin pointed out.

"It wouldn't have mattered!" Don snapped at her. "If something had happened to you, none of it would have mattered!"

"And you think that I didn't feel that way, watching him hurt you? What, did you expect me to be thinking about what I was going to have for dinner or my next case? Don, I wanted to kill Hett. I promised myself that I would watch him die." She paused, trying to catch her breath. "Look, I know you want to protect me, but you have to understand that I feel the same way about you."

Don pushed his head back into the pillow. Robin knew that if he'd been more mobile, he'd have been running his fingers through his hair.

"Why are we even fighting about this?" she asked him, her voice tired.

"I don't know," he told her. "Come here." He managed to shift himself farther over in the bed. She lay down beside him, careful not to put any pressure on his injuries. The bed was not made for two people, and they both knew that the doctors would not be happy. But it was worth it, to be so close to each other again. Eventually, Robin slipped into sleep. Don lay watching her, the corners of his eyes creased with a smile.