See disclaimer

Again I am sorry for the difference in the program and I am having a rough time with it.

Again Thank you to my beta she is great.

"Hey,"replied Charlie,looking at the ground,feeling suddenly self-conscious. He kept sneaking glances at her,wondering what she and his brother were discussing. The uncomfortable feeling lingered as they set back out on the hike. He eventually drifted behind in silent solitude,completely unnoticed by the others-which was exactly what he wanted. He needed sometime alone to think about things. The others were getting farther ahead,except for Don, who straggled behind at the rear of the group. Charlie glanced up, and was caught completely off guard when he tripped over a log on the path. He went down with a hard thump he felt his knee and his ankle twist. for moment, he just sat there, stunned and a little embarrassed,but then the pain set in. Wincing, he sat up to survey the damage,which included a cut on his leg.'Damn ,'he thought.'just great.' Just as he thought that, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Geez, Chuck are you okay?'asked Don.

"I'm fine-i'm sorry;i guess I was'nt paying attention." stammered Charlie. He felt panic rising as he realized the crowd of friends and family was gathering.

"Son,are you ok?" asked Alan with concern,as he stooped to look at his son's injuries.

Charlie spoke with exasperation."Dad,I am fine-everyone,i'm just helo me up and we can get going.

David stepped over to Charlie and he and Don reached under Charlie's arms and pulled him to his feet. Just as Charlie put weight on the injured ankle he buckled and lost his balance and almost went down but David and Don on either side of him, they were able to ease him gently back to the ground.

"Here let me have a look," stated Colby as he came up to the trio and bent down to look at Charlie's injuries."Oh man," he grunted."Well, the good news is that it looks like it is just twisted not broken,but we should head back anyways."Colby said.

"Come on, Chuck,let's do this," said Don,as he stooped to help Charlie to his feet again.

Charlie could feel the panic rising again in his chest as they all walked down the hill, He had just ruined everyone's day,he was certain, because he was not paying attention

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Once back at the cabin, Don took over and helped Charlie into his and Amita's room, where he helped Charlie into the bathroom and helped him ease on to the tub's edge.

"Okay, I'll get you some clean clothes. You got kinda dusty-do you think you can stand in front of sink and wash up?'asked Don.

"Don, I'm fine. I think I'll get a quick shower and just throw on some sweats and climb into bed,"Charlie mumbled,starting to take off his shoes.

Don looked at Charlie and shook his head as he bent down to help his brother get his shoe off."Charlie,you had to be supported back down off the mountain. You can barley stand- I really don't think you should try to stand in the shower right now."

Charlie scowled."You know, Don I don't really need to be told what to do. I value your opinion but right now,I just want to be left alone,please. And thank you for helping me down the mountain and please tell David I said thanks."

His tone was dismissive,and Don scowled back. "Charlie there is no need to thank me -you're my brother,and that's what family does. And just in case,I want you to know that if you ever-and I mean anytime of the night-ever need someone to talk to I am there for you." He paused for a moment .

Charlie was quiet, and seemed to be listening, but he had his head down,so all Don could do was hope he had made his point. "So anyway,I'll get a change of clothes and see if anyone has a pain you need anything,yell."

"Thanks,Don" As Don closed the door, Charlie hobbled over to the mirror in front of sink. Looking at his reflection, he realized he really was tired and his ankle and knee both were throbbing. He decided Don was right; it was better to clean up as he could and lie down. He pulled his shirt over his head,washed his face and arms, and proceeded to brush his teeth.

A knock came and Don peeked in and said, "here, Charlie, I hope these are okay."

Charlie took the sweats and changed his shirt quickly, hoping Don would'nt notice how much weight he had lost. He did not need nor want that right now. "Thanks man," responded " Charlie. He sat down on the tub edge again to remove his jeans and put on the sweat pants. Don stood there, waiting silently,

and when Charlie was finished,he said."Come on, let's get you into bed. Robin had some ALEVE in her her bag." He helped Charlie to the bed and eased him onto it.

"Thanks," replied Charlie in a subdued tone.

Don watched as his brother got situated on the bed,then handed him the bottle of water that had appeared on the nightstand, and then the ALEVE that Robin had given him.

"Okay, do you need anything else?" asked Don.

His all-nighter was catching up with him, and Charlie was suddenly exhausted."No, I'm good,thanks I just want to sleep for awhile." He closed his eyes.

" Well,if you need anything call, okay?" said Don as he went to the door. He hesitated for a moment. But there was no reply.

He walked out the door pulling it shut behind him then leaned against the closed door and slowly slid to the floor. He pulled his knees up and rested his head on them as he thought of all time and distance he and Charlie had put between them. Just when he thought they were making progress,this had happened. He thought about what he could do for his brother-what he could do to get him to open up.

Lost in thought, he did not hear his dad walk up next to him.

"Donnie, are you okay?" asked his father.

"I'm fine,just thinking. I was just waiting here for a minute to if he needed anything."

Alan smiled. " you,'re a good brother, but you need to come and eat. After we're done, everyone is going to play games. Come on now; he will probably sleep for awhile." Alan held out a hand and helped Don to his feet.

Don just stood there for a moment,hesitating, and finally followed his dad to the dining area. He took his seat at the table and smiled at everyone,and even bent close to Robin and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. The conversation was light and cheery, and he tried to join in. Once everyone was finished, Don and David cleared the table,and Liz and Robin washed and dried. Everyone else set the table for Uno,with Alan and Larry settling into a game of chess.

The afternoon wore on with laughter and the conversations. They finally ended the games when Colby's stomach growled,and he said,"I'm hungary. Let's make supper."

Nikki and Alan began preparing some steaks and potatos. While David sat the table, Don and Colby poured the drinks. When that task was complete, Don said,"I'm going to see if Chuck wants anything to eat." He walked back down the hall towards the bedroom his brother shared with Amita. He cam to the door and knocked lightly and then twisted the knob and peeked in. He saw Charlie sitting on the edge of the bed,but he could not see what he was doing so he walked further into the room. What he saw stooped him in his tracks.