Title: Obsession
Disclaimer: See Prologue:
A/N: Please keep in mind that "Obsession: is a fictional story and that my medical issues should not be taken as fact but are intended to further the entertainment of this story.
As always, I appreciate your reviews.
Chapter 33:
It took only a few seconds for the helicopter to lift them up and over the crest of the cliff, but to Don it seemed like it was an eternity. Every second counted and time was his enemy now; with each precious second that was lost, Charlie was slipping away.
Megan directed the helicopter as it hovered over the plateau and halted Martinez 's descent while the brothers were still dangling six feet off of the ground. David and Colby gently took Charlie from Don's arms before his legs could come into contact with the surface. It was imperative that they keep the young man's legs from bending and dislodging the knife.
Megan hurried in to help Don out of the harness, and as soon as he was free, he rushed over to Charlie's side.
"No one touches that knife….he'll bleed out if we pull it out!" Don cried out frantically. "Somehow we have to keep it from moving." It was an unnecessary statement, and Don knew it, but in his agitated state he couldn't keep himself from saying it.
Don skidded to the ground by his brother's side and stretched out a trembling hand to push a few curls back from his forehead and for the first time since the kidnapping, Don and Charlie locked eyes. Don caught his breath, so relieved to see Charlie return his gaze, that he was momentarily speechless. Charlie was weak and he was going into shock but he spoke up first.
"My luck…ran….out….al…most…made…it." His voice was barely louder than a whisper but he continued on. "What...hap..pn'd...why...did...he...stab...me?" Charlie's eyebrows knitted together in pain and puzzlement as he looked up at Don.
"I don't know Buddy, the man is crazy...and Charlie don't t give up yet, we're going to get you the hospital." Don grasped his hand and squeezed it, but immediately regretted it when Charlie winced. Don turned his hand palm upward, discovering the cuts from the stone and then he remembered the blood on the rock that Charlie had been clinging too. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to hurt you." he gently picked up Charlie's other hand. " I'll find something to wrap your hands with."
"S'okay….I….don't think…" his voice trailed off suddenly and he gasped out in pain. Abruptly, he pushed himself up on one elbow and tried to reach the knife with his other hand.
Colby and David were busy tying a tourniquet around the mathematician's leg to try and stem the flow of blood and although they were doing their best to be gentle, Charlie still felt a great deal of pain from the process. Any movement around the knife sent sharp stabbing pains through his leg.
Don scooted behind his brother and gently, but firmly, pulled him back until his head was lying in his lap and quickly grabbed him by the wrists. He held Charlie's arms crossed over his chest to ensure that he couldn't reach the hilt of the knife.
"Pull…it….out…Donnie…please….hurt!." Charlie cried out, pain etched across his features..
Charlie's pain-filled eyes nearly broke his heart, but Don knew they couldn't take it out yet. His brother's struggles against him were beginning to weaken so he took a moment to check out the agent's progress. They were almost finished now , Colby's jacket had been cut into strips and they had padded the area around the knife to keep it from moving.
Don's eyebrows knitted together in concern when he looked back at Charlie. It was almost as if the color was draining from his face while he watched. Swallowing hard, he squeezed his brother's shoulder and said. "I know it hurts Charlie, but we need to stop the bleeding. I'm sorry we can't take it out." he said miserably. "We'll get you to the hospital and the doctor's will have to do that... you know that , right?"
Charlie swallowed and nodded. "I…know. sor..ry. it…just…hurt…so…bad."
"It's okay Buddy, I would have done the same thing." Don said as he released his brothers arms.
"Thir.s.ty...need...wa..ter." the young man whispered.
David stood up and glanced around the cliff for Don's jacket and without being asked, he rushed over to retrieve it. He pulled a bottle of water from Don's jacket pocket as he approached them and quietly handed it to the SAC.
"Thanks." Don said as he opened it. Gently lifting his brother's head he poured a drop of the liquid into Charlie's mouth. The young man drank it hungrily and brought his hand up to take the bottle, eagerly looking for more. But Don stopped him. "Sorry Buddy, I can't give you anymore."
Charlie looked up at him and let his hand fall listlessly to his side. "I..know, it...was...good."
The curls had once again fallen into his brother's eyes and with a gentle hand, Don pushed them back just as Megan came running up with a first aid kit. She knew there was one on board the chopper and had waited for Martinez to land so that she could get it.
She dropped to her knees beside of Charlie and quickly opened the kit, handing out gauze and bandages. David and Colby immediately started wrapping the gauze around the knife wound and Megan carefully lifted up Charlie's shirt to look at the cut on his abdomen. She let out a hiss and Don looked over.
In an unsteady voice she said. "I'm not going to remove his bandage, I'll just reinforce it a little with some more gauze. It's barely bleeding now anyway."
"He needs some on his hands too." Don added without looking up, continuing to hold Charlie's gaze.
"Guess…..I…..sprung.. a….few….leaks, huh?" Charlie said, surprising everyone with his attempt to lighten the mood.
Don's eyes widened in surprise at Charlie's jest and the corner of his lips lifted in a slight smile; it faded quickly however, when his brother's eyelids began to flutter, as if they were suddenly too heavy to keep open.
"Yeah, you might say that bro, but we are going to plug up the holes." Don answered as he noted in dismay how quickly the gauze became saturated in his brother's blood.
He met Megan's eyes and swallowed. "I….I think he just nicked the artery but it won't stop bleeding."
They were doing everything they could think of to stop the bleeding but all they had managed to do was slow it down a little.
Don put two fingers to his brother's neck and almost panicked when he could barely find a pulse. "Where's the Medivac? Shouldn't it be here by now!"
As if reading his mind, Colby spoke up as he closed his phone. "Don, the Medivac hasn't returned yet. They said it's going to take them at least another twenty minutes before they can take off."
Don's eyes drifted downward and with a stricken look on his face he said in a hoarse whisper.
"He won't last another twenty minutes... he's not going to make it! We've got to get him to the hospital ourselves." and then in a much louder voice he yelled at the pilot. "Get that chopper started. We have to hurry!"
An uncontrollable fear settled around him and he immediately moved to lift up his brother. "Help me get him to the chopper. I'll need at least one of you to help me hold his leg straight and keep that knife from moving."
"One of us." David repeated in surprise. "Hell, there's room for all of us, and it will probably take all of us to make sure that knife doesn't move around."
Don didn't waste any time arguing the point; as one they lifted the semi-conscious man and carried him to the waiting helicopter. Don and Colby held him on his left side and then bent over, stepping backwards in order to back into the helicopter. Meanwhile, Megan and David had a steady hold on Charlie's right side. Don sat down first and had the others lower Charlie to his lap. He pulled his brother back against his chest until his head was resting just below his chin.
"Careful." Don cried out frantically. "Watch his leg…don't touch the knife!"
They stretched Charlie's legs out until his feet were resting on Colby's knees. Megan and David took turns supporting his leg so it would stay straight.
Megan reached for Charlie's wrist to check his pulse and winced at how cold his skin was. "He's cold, we need to cover him." She hurriedly pulled off her jacket and draped it over her young friends chest while David covered Charlie's legs with his.
Don spotted Edgerton and waved him over. "Did you get him?"
The sniper shook his head solemnly. "No, the bastard ran into the cave. But don't worry, as soon as SWAT arrives to back me up, we are going in to get him. He won't escape this time." His eyes drifted sadly to the young man lying between them. "You just worry about him, I'll take care of things here."
Don just nodded and called to Martinez. "Let's go!"
Edgerton slid the door closed and stepped back as the helicopter rose into the air and left on it's mission of mercy. Ian's stare followed the chopper as he adjusted his rifle over his shoulder. When the helicopter was lost from view, his head swiveled back to the precipice. Cautiously, he walked back to the area that he had taken his shot from. It offered the best view of the ledge and that wasn't saying very much. He squated down and pulled out his pocket binoculars and studied the cave opening. No movement and the ledge was still empty, Bashere was still inside the cave.
"Good" he thought. "The man was going to pay for what he had done to Charlie, this time he wasn't going to get away."
The crackle of his radio interrupted his dark thoughts. "Ridge 2 to Ridge 1. Come in. Over."
"Ridge 1. Over." Edgerton answered. "What's your ETA?'
"Forty-five minutes. We had to go back to base to collect the equipment that you wanted. What's your status? Over."
"Situation secure at the moment, the rat is in a hole. Ridge 1 out." Edgerton responded.
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In silence Don and his team watched the cliffs of La Jolla and it's horrors vanish behind them and prayed that the helicopter would make it to the hospital in time.
"Hey Charlie?" His brother hadn't said anything for several minutes, and Don's anxiety level went up a notch. "Charlie?" he tried again.
Finally, Charlie whispered. "Tir'd, Don, too…tir'd ."
"I know your tired buddy, but I need you to stay awake, talk to me, okay?" Don pleaded with him.
"Can't…do….this…any..mor." Charlie tried to answer but he closed his eyes as his head lolled slowly to the side.
Time was running out for his brother, Charlie had lost too much blood and was going into shock and all Don could do was try and keep him warm. The jackets they had covered him with were doing very little to warm him up so Don pulled Charlie closer to him, hoping that his body heat would somehow make a difference.
The top of Charlie's head was resting just below Don's chin so he bent his head and rested it against his brother's. He closed his eyes and a memory flitted across his mind. A memory shared with the young man in his arms and he buried his face in his brother's curls. He raised his head after a moment and with unshed tears in his eyes he gazed into the concerned eyes of his fellow agents…no, that was wrong….his friends.
"He used to crawl up and sit on my lap when he was four and fall asleep in my arms." Don glanced down at the dark head on his chest. "He had a full head of curls then too." he cleared his throat and after a moment he began to speak again.
"I use to pretend that it bothered me." he said, as a sad smile appeared on his face. "You know…the whole big brother thing." he paused to swallow,." but I really didn't mind, sometimes I fell asleep too."
No one spoke, they didn't want to interrupt him, they were lost in the visions that his words were creating.
"When he was awake he would constantly chatter about numbers and sometimes I couldn't wait for him to fall asleep….just so he would be quiet." his voice choked up and once again he buried his face in his brother's curls.
The agent started speaking again, his voice muffled by the curls. "I'd give anything right now just to hear him talk about one of his equations."
Don wrapped his arms even tighter around his brother, as if that act could keep him from drifting away and bent his head until he could whisper into Charlie's ear.
"Hey Chuck….come on bro….tell me about the golden ratio." he pleaded desperately.
The only sound that broke the silence was a muffled sob from the older man and the constant humming of the revolving helicopter blades.
He didn't care if his friends saw the tears sliding down his face, only one thing mattered to him right now and that was making sure that his brother's chest continued to rise and fall.
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This was a Don Eppes they had only seen once before, no longer the tough F.B.I agent but a man afraid of losing his younger brother and it was ironic, that in both instances, the situations had been caused by the same man.
Megan wiped at her eyes and shared a distressed look with her fellow agents. Colby didn't seem to be aware of the tear that was sliding down his cheek as he maintained his hold on Charlie's feet. Completely lost in Don's story, David bent his head to his arm so he could wipe the tears away, unwilling to let go of Charlie for even a moment.
The mental image of a nine year old Don Eppes holding a four year old Charlie was so vivid in her mind that it took a few seconds for the present day Eppes men to come back into focus. Megan shook her head and after several tries, she found her voice and called out to the pilot.
"How much longer?"
"Five more minutes. The trauma team is already waiting for us." Martinez called back.
Her gaze fell upon her young friend. His breathing was becoming shallow and his skin had turned so pale that it seemed almost transparent. She swallowed to hold back her own sobs, it was going to be close, if it already wasn't too late.
The helicopter started it's descent and soon they were landing on the roof of the hospital. As soon as the helicopter touched down, Megan slid the door open and climbed out to give the trauma team room to work. David and Colby soon joined her as the team took Charlie from them and placed him on a gurney.
The ER doctor and the two nurse's were already monitoring Charlie's life signs , moving him away faster than the agents could keep up with them. All but Don, who had somehow managed to stay right with his brother despite a few protests from the doctor. However, as soon as the ER doctor realized that Don had information that they would need, he was allowed to go along with them.
Megan, Colby and David lost them as the special trauma elevator door closed . Numbly, they turned and made their own way down to the Emergency Room Waiting area.
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Alan and Larry were pacing again while Amita sat staring at a picture in her hand.
Alan couldn't sit still though, he paced from one end of the hallway to the other, past the elevators and the closed emergency room doors and then back again. "They're both okay, they're both alive…. they have to be….. I can't lose them." He kept muttering it over and over, until it was the only thing that was holding him together.
A security guard suddenly appeared and hurried over to speak to Alan. He had been talking to Alan earlier when the news was received of an incoming chopper. The guard had left promising to return with information for him.
"Mr. Eppes, all we know so far is that an injured man just arrived from the crash site. His identity has not been confirmed but he arrived in a SWAT helicopter, not the Medivac, and he was accompanied by several FBI agents." He patted the older man on the shoulder. " It may not even be your son but within a few minutes they should be coming down in the trauma elevator, that's the large one on the right." He said pointing to the one closest to the emergency room. "I'm sorry that's all I was able to find out. I better get back to my station." he said and hurried away.
"Thank you." Alan called after him. He shared a worried glance with his companions and with a audible sigh he found a chair that faced the elevators. Larry and Amita quietly followed his lead and sat down next to him.
Another ten minutes went by before one of the elevator's opened, but it wasn't the one they were expecting. Three exhausted and blood covered FBI agents walked slowly out of them and were surprised to see Alan and the others already there. They had been trying to decide who was going to make the call once they had arrived in the emergency room.
"What…what happened?' Amita asked , visibly shaken by their appearance.
"Dear lord, Megan!" Larry rushed to her side and steered her toward a chair. "What happened up there?"
Alan slowly stood up, turning a ghostly white and with a shaking hand, he covered his mouth as he stared at the three agents. The fact that Don's team was here, covered in blood, couldn't be good. He was afraid to ask, but he had to know. "Which one?" he whispered in a voice full of anguish and fear.
David Sinclair stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should sit down Alan."
"No, tell me now." Alan responded in a quavering voice.
"Alan….it's Charlie….he's…..it's bad. " he squeezed the elderly man's shoulder as he spoke. "Don was with him….." he stopped and looked around as a puzzled expression crossed his face. "Why didn't Don tell you? Where is Don?"
"What do you mean?" Larry asked. "Didn't he arrive with you?"
Colby spoke up. "Yeah, he did, but he rode in the elevator with Charlie. Don should already be here, he came down with Charlie, with the trauma team." He glanced around worriedly.
"They haven't brought Charlie down, No one has come down." Amita said hurriedly, her voice close to becoming hysterical. She grabbed David's arm. "Where is he, what's happened to him?"
David shook his head. "I don't know, they should have been here before us, they took him right to the elevator. Did they get off at another floor?"
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Malibu Memorial Hospital was a cutting edge facility and had a number of wealthy benefactors that often provided the hospital with millions in donations. So much, in fact, that they were able to install an elevator built specifically for trauma patients. Locked closets inside the elevator housed medical supplies that might be needed to ensure that a patient lived long enough to make it to the emergency room and it was large enough to give an attending physician room to perform emergency procedures if necessary.
"BP 50 over 40 and dropping. Pulse 160. Respiration's are shallow." One of the nurse's intoned as she continuously checked the young man's vital signs.
Dr. Hendricks suddenly stretched out his hand and pressed the stop button on the elevator panel. "He's not going to make it…he's losing too much blood. I've got to put a clamp on this now. Agent Eppes I need your help." The doctor spoke again with a sharper edge to his voice. "Agent Eppes!"
Don looked up and hurried over to the doctor's side. They had removed all of the bandages now and the sight of the knife turned his stomach but he forced himself to remain strong and asked. "What do you want me to do?"
"I have to clamp this now. I need you to pull the knife out, the nurse's will handle the blood flow."
One of the nurse's handed him a pair of gloves and Don hurriedly put them on .He grasped the hilt of the knife as he glanced back to look at Charlie but his brother remained mercifully unconscious.
" Ready, go!"
Don pulled the knife upward with one swift pull and a nurse held out a plastic bag that he quickly dropped it into, then he stepped backwards toward his brother's head to get out of the doctor's way. As soon as the knife cleared his brother's leg, one of the nurse's suctioned the blood flow and the doctor inserted a clamp. It only took a few seconds but it felt like hours. The blood flow had ceased but the doctor was still unhappy.
Don had removed the gloves and was gently stroking his brother's hair, whispering to him that it was going to be all right. He knew that Charlie couldn't hear him, but Don needed the physical contact to maintain his own emotional control.
"BP is still dropping." the nurse said as she checked Charlie's blood pressure again and then in a more urgent voice. "He's in fibb! Sir, step back from the table!"
Anxiously, Don stepped back and desperately called out. "No, Charlie! Don't do this!" He eyes drifted to his brother's pale and lifeless face as he heard the defibrilator charging up.
"The paddles, quick!" the physician yelled as he cut the young man's tee shirt up the middle and peeled each half to the side. He quickly placed the pads on Charlie's chest.
"CLEAR!"
Don's body jerked in response to the sound as Charlie's body reacted to the jolt. He swallowed thickly and placed a hand on his brother's head. "Come on Charlie, come on." he whispered urgently.
"We've got rhythm." the nurse announced.
Dr. Hendricks shook his head sadly. "It's not enough, he's lost too much blood. He needs a transfusion now, he'll never make it to the ER."
Without hesitation Don came forward. "We've got the same blood type, take mine." He said and held out his arm.
"Doctor, there are forms that have to be fille…."
"Damn the forms!" Don yelled, interrupting the nurse. "He's my brother! Do it!" His brown eyes softened as he looked at them. "Please, I'll sign your forms later, just hurry."
The doctor nodded. "Do it!" he instructed the nurse. "He doesn't have much time left."
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Anxious eyes turned toward the elevator door that had still not opened.
"None of the floors are lit." Megan stood up. " Is it stopped between floors?' She walked quickly to the nurse's desk, automatically pulling out her ID, although it wasn't necessary, she was still wearing her tactical gear with the FBI logo emblazoned on the front of her vest.
"Megan Reeves, FBI. Where's the injured man that came in with the helicopter?"
The nurse wasn't intimated by the pretty agent but she was getting concerned herself because the trauma team hadn't arrived yet. "We are trying to find that out for ourselves, Agent."
She pointed to the ER doors where two male nurses were waiting . " The patient should have been in the ER at least fifteen minutes ago. The elevator was stopped from the inside and this only happens when the attending physician needs to perform an emergency procedure to save the patient."
Her desk phone rang and she turned to answer it speaking only briefly before hanging up. "Excuse me." she added as she ran over to converse with the two men standing by the door.
After giving them instructions she rushed over to stand in front of the elevator. Almost immediately the two male nurses joined her pushing a gurney in front of them.
Alan stood up on shaky legs and all turned toward the elevator. "Why do they need two gurney's?"
The lights above the elevator began to move and abruptly the door sprang open in a flurry of activity. Charlie was wheeled out on a gurney with the doctor carefully holding an intravenous needle to the unconscious man's arm. Don was standing with his right arm looped around the shoulders of a nurse, while another nurse held an intravenous needle to his left arm. The agent's face was pale and it looked as if he was going to pass out so the medical team immediately placed him on the second gurney. They kept the two gurneys side by side, the brother's arms still connected intravenously, as they were rushed into the emergency room.
"Donnie! Charlie! " Alan called out desperately as he tried to run toward the doors but David and Colby grabbed him by the arms and held him back. "You can't go in there Alan, you have to wait." David said sadly.
"Charlie!" Amita sobbed, as Larry put an arm around her shoulders.
The nurse reappeared and tried to calm the older man. "Please sir, you have to remain calm. The doctor will be with you just as soon as he has your son stabilized." She started to turn away but he grabbed her by the elbow.
"Please, I need to see both of my sons." he pleaded. " What happened to Don?"
"Don, he's the agent?" she asked. When Alan nodded, she placed a hand on his forearm. "He's going to be fine, he's just a little weak from giving blood to his brother." She hesitated a minute and then. "Stay here for a moment, if they've put him in a cubicle I can let you sit with him."
The others had gathered around him by the time the nurse returned. "I can let Mr. Eppes come in and sit with his son but I'm sorry, the rest of you will have to remain out here." The nurse's eyes were full of compassion for them but her voice was firm.
Amita pushed forward, tears on her cheeks. "Please, please, I need to see Charlie." she pleaded desperately.
Alan gently put an arm around her shoulders. "She is Charlie's fiance." he said quietly.
"I'm sorry, but the doctor's are still with him." Pointing toward the door she added. "Mr. Eppes if you will come with me, I'll take you to your son."
Alan turned to follow. "I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything." And then suddenly, he was gone, disappearing behind the doors along with his sons.
Larry put an arm around a sobbing Amita and lead her back to the chairs. They sat down and the other's followed. Megan took a seat on the other side of Larry and feeling the need for comfort herself, her hand closed around his.
Colby sat down heavily in one of the chairs and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. With his face in his hands he stared silently at the floor between his shoes.
David sighed audibly and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the wall but opened them immediately at the sound of Amita's voice.
Suddenly, Amita reached across Larry and grabbed Megan's hand. "What happened up there? Why did Don have to give him a transfusion?"
Larry looked a Megan with pain-filled eyes and repeated Amita's question. "What happened to Charles?"
Megan glanced around at her teammates, both of whom, had looked up at Amita's question, and a silent agreement seemed to pass between them. Amita and Larry had a right to know. Megan sighed and lowered her head briefly, noticing for the first time, the dried blood on her hands. "Charlie's blood." she thought sadly.
Taking a deep breath Megan lifted her head and locked eyes with Larry and Amita, and in a low voice proceeded to tell them about the tragic events that had lead them to this moment.
TBC