Been over two years since I posted an update. Several things happened, including my father's death. I hated what I had created.

I believed that the following conversation was valuable for Don's healing process. The next chapter should have more action as I plan a time jump. Hopefully, it will inspire me to write consistently and finish this story.


Chap. 30

Don rolled onto his left side and sat up, straining to eavesdrop on the hushed voices downstairs. His fingers massaged and rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to shake off the last residue of sleep from his mind. Disoriented. He gazed at the wall, struggling to untangle the jumbled mess of events in his mind and squash his confusion. Everything felt surreal as he inhaled deeply and explored his unfamiliar surroundings.

Frozen by his little kid's voice, which buzzed around his head like a pesky fly; constantly questioning if he would ever reclaim his old life. Annoyed, he scratched his head, sighed, and rolled his shoulders in disbelief. The shift in the atmosphere had ignited a fire within him to investigate further and collaborate to solve the mystery. First step, get dressed.

As the sun rose, the intimidating aura vanished, revealing the intricate details of its architecture. In normal circumstances, he would have explored the place.

"Breakfast almost ready?"

Perplexed by the sound of a familiar voice, he hesitated on the staircase as his heart skipped a beat and his foot slipped. His natural athleticism saved him from potential embarrassment as he clutched the handrail and avoided a stumble.

"Colby, what are you doing here?"

"Don, what's your tolerance for gambling with uncertainty to reclaim your life? I need your perspective to fill in the blanks."

"You know my answer. Everyone else is applying the brakes..."

"Even if it endangered your recovery?"

"What do you mean, my recovery?"

A female voice butted in, "Don, Sit. Before we do anything, let's eat breakfast. She stared at Colby until he averted his gaze and responded, "All of us." She placed eggs and bacon in front of both of them. "My question is, what tickles your fancy: toast, pancakes, or waffles?"

Don's stomach grumbled as the tantalizing aroma of crispy bacon filled the air, and his mouth watered. They ate in silence, except for the utensils clinking against the plates.

Don broke the silence by asking, "Colby, shouldn't you be at work? What's going on?"

"Gertrude snuck into my place. " After the initial shock of her being alive wore off, I discovered a falsified traffic accident report. Despite my reluctance, she persisted in dragging me to your dwelling. We tiptoed inside the house; she pointed out the various surveillance devices, including a ceiling-mounted camera and hidden microphones concealed inside the lampshade. We refrained from any action until we had a secure and well-thought-out strategy."

"You didn't need another attempt on your life," Gertrude interrupted. "I organized everything. Retrieved you from your previous appointment, and Colby planned a one-week vacation."

"Name the game plan. I'm sick of being stuck on the sideline. I'm a damn good agent. Let me help." He slammed his fist on the table.

"Don, don't act dumb. Crystal warned about the risks of relapse and why we sidelined you," said Colby.

"Don, relax," she said, frustration creeping into her voice. "I won't be responsible for it."

"I'm screwed if I don't do something. Colby, once I'm cleared to return to work...can you imagine me as your boss again? I need things to return to normal."

"No. I can't ignore what's happened. Your kidnapping flipped everyone's lives upside down, whether or not we liked it." Before Don launched his protest, Colby continued. "We would have to find a new dynamic. Before this, I saw you as my boss, my friend, and an imposing leader. Someone, I'd ask for advice, maybe not dating advice. But I respected you.

"Now..."

"Now, It's a bit more complicated than that," he cautioned. Memories of the agent I knew before the kidnapping sometimes flood back. Bit by bit, you've improved daily. Your stubborn streak fuels your drive to surpass limits and reach your goals."

"Why do I suspect there is a huge 'But' coming?"

Colby smirked and confessed, "I have this overpowering desire to protect and keep you safe. In my head, I can see you're a grown-ass man. It drives me crazy with conflict. I'm sorry. But then it hit me how I used to feed you, dress you, and calm you down with Scooby Doo. Despite the man standing in front of me, subconsciously, I fight to distinguish a grown man versus my little brother. Baby brother. I need time to reconcile the two conflicting images in my head. I admit I still fight the need to protect you..."

"Damn, I was hoping Crystal was wrong. I never considered how my self-absorption blinded me to its impact on my friends and family."

Colby looked him square in the eye. "I'm being selfish in driving this point home, Don. If everything goes south, we'll have to deal with the consequences of fighting against someone with deep pockets. I sense you're the key. Your trapped memories hide something traumatic. I imagine that's why you avoid recalling your time as little Charlie or Donny. But if we can trigger your memories, you'd spot something dangerous. Imagine the chaos you might create...the chain reactions of events that pose a threat to them. My only proof of evidence relies on their apparent hassle and motive to bug your place."

Don scanned the room. "I believe they wanted me to stay silent about the hospital incident. But instead of controlling me, it fueled my desire to form a solution to retaliate."

"Think about Charlie's failed kidnapping, which led to clues. As we decipher, it will aid us in declaring you competent. But what if the worst happens? You spiral into a relapse, and the consequences, we fail in unearthing answers. I cherish my memories of you as a loving little boy, but I'm curious why you regressed to that state initially." Colby paused and looked at Gertrude, who nodded her head for him to continue.

"What if we accidentally trigger it again?" he said, his voice betraying his worry.

"What if nothing works to revert you back to normal?" she said, as a shiver ran down her spine. "Are you willing to jeopardize everything?"

Don stared at both Colby and Gertrude and shook his head. "I'm surprised you gave me a choice. Why not keep me in the dark and call it too dangerous? You should've ditched me and left me clueless.

"You're predictable. Our only choice was to intervene to prevent a disaster. My priority, we act according to our timeline, not allow the enemies to dictate terms. I'm open to suggestions," he said with a smirk. "What's your poison?"

Silence dominated until "I have to risk it all."

Hating the blank stares, he pressed on. "I'll document it for Charlie and Dad." He embraced himself. "I cannot be cautious despite the danger of failing and losing my identity permanently." He started pacing. "They're threatening Charlie and Dad. They need to pay - I hate the gaps in my memories. It's mind-boggling. One instant, I'm an FBI agent in charge of my life. Then, a complete upheaval after being rescued from being kidnapped. My normal world's flipped upside down because everyone treats me like a kid. I can't even process it."

With a slight smile, Colby encouraged him, "Don, I understand. However, I doubt you can guess. You're not my boss anymore. I can't ignore what's happened. So yeah, I'm in command now. Even if I let you take some risks, I have to protect you. I hated when my older brother pulled I'm in charge, but it makes sense now. I'm in charge of this operation. We'll do our best to include you, but if I receive a weird vibe or sense any danger, squash all your bets. Don't worry, we'll shelter you underground in the worst-case scenario, even if you snap and threaten. I promise, no one will touch you or your family again."

"Enough talk, let's work." Gertrude produced several photos. "Don, inspect these. Do you recognize anything?"

Don picked up a photo, and his entire body felt like ants crawling up and down his spine. He shivered. "I'm in a room; they are angry with me. I'm playing hide and seek. The sound of their raised voices echoes through the room, and I spot several of the guys with guns. Memories invaded his mind, and the room he shared with Colby and Gertrude faded. In a steady rhythm; his wrist tapped against his thigh as the swirling images and conflicting emotions clashed in his mind. In the vivid flashback, he's three and searching for his older brother. In a whisper, "I want Sunny."

Colby and Gertrude leaned in to hear Don's next words.

"They are arguing, and I need to hide. They'll inflict punishment if I'm caught. The acrid scent of gunpowder filled the air as the man crumbled to his knees after the sharp crack of gunshots filled the air. My heart raced as two muscular arms lifted me up; a wave of fear washed over me as the group trudged closer to my hiding spot. I don't want to - No. God, No." Don screamed.

Don flinched at the firm dominant grip of Colby's hand on his shoulder, but then relaxed during the comforting squeeze. "Donny, focus on my voice. Take a nice slow breath. As you continue to breathe, the vile men will disappear. You're safe now."

Don rambled on, oblivious to the clock's chimes or the gentle hum of the fan. "Sunny rocked me to sleep. I'm stuck in a wooden crib. No. Sweat beads on my forehead as everything blurs into a fuzzy mess and I'm stuck immobile and trapped." His foot tapped to a mysterious rhythm."Isolated and alone in the pitch-black darkness when the lights flickered off," his eyes glistened as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "I hate it." Snapping out of the hypnosis, a shiver ran down his spine, and he coughed. Privately, he cringed, aware that his groggy head rested on Colby's shoulders. As he blushed, his muscles tensed up, betraying his embarrassment. Mumbling an excuse, he disentangled himself and stumbled to a nearby window.

"Don, do you recognize any of these men from these photos?" Colby extended a lifeline to provide him with a course of action to ease his emotions. Crossing his arms over his chest, and took slow, deliberate steps toward the table. Gertrude and Colby spread out the photos and remain quiet, allowing Don to handle the situation in his own way. Unfortunately, an awkward atmosphere, so it was best to avoid any actions that could escalate the situation.

His fingers flipped through the photos as one person seemed to jump out at him, causing him to scowl. "Why's the Judge chatting with this guy? I hid." Rubbing his arms to bring back the circulation, "The conversation escalated into a heated argument, but their muffled words remained unintelligible. I sensed their intense gaze and trembled as I anticipated being beaten to the ground. I swear they could stare directly into my soul. I've seen him before," he said, indicating the man standing next to the judge, but I can't place him."

"A senator, a judge, and a corporation owner - it's the worst opening line from a terrible joke," she whispered, observing the eclectic trio. Expand this dreadful joke by adding a mystery man as the last ingredient. She said with conviction, "All circumstantial, to be precise."

As Don opened his mouth, Gertrude interrupted. "But testifying won't help. We searched for clues, but the case lacks sufficient evidence to dismantle the organization. We've followed the money trail but..."

"The judge scared you're on the verge of remembering," Colby interjected. "I bet a small ransom, the judge denied allowing your freedom. Stored in your brain, some damaging testimony to expose this organization."

Even without your official statement, I expect we will find the people to expose the corruption from the ground up."

Don shook his head. "For some reason, I'm tired. I'm going to take a nap."

Colby waited until Don climbed the stairs. "We have to find another way to take these guys down. It'll never work to put him on the stand." Instead of a response, he witnessed his partner tidy up the evidence, the sound of tape ripping and boxes being stacked filling the room.

"How do I convey to him that Sunny is not his older brother? Break free from implanted memories of being kidnapped as a three-year-old. My instinct to scream and hit him with my fist almost won."

Tearing a box top, "Not doing much better, I almost yelled, snap out of it."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Colby said. "As Don's flashback persisted, my heart raced in unison like a drummer in a rock band. Ugh, what a mess, but he's given us a starting point."

Rearranging the furniture back to its original design, she said, "It's official. Now; we need to crack this mystery by connecting the puzzle pieces together."


NOTES:

The last 3 years have been difficult. My forced retirement, the death of my father, and covid killed my muse. I understand that many have had it worst.

I started writing again, and I'm using AutoCrit for proofreading. I understand some suggestions, but I'm scratching my head.

The Readability Statistics, a score of 68, indicates difficulty in comprehension. I'm not a professional writer, but wondered if you agreed with the score.

The Sentences Length structure is also an issue I'm confused about.

I'm planning a time jump to advance the story. Just a few chapters left to finish, this beast. I'm stuck. My initial plan included kidnapping Don after this chapter. I've scraped that idea.

Ian shows up in this next chapter. Hopefully, some fan suggestions will inspire me to continue on. Don should have an equal contribution to his recovery in the action-packed next chapter.

I'm open to suggestions. Please no flames. I'm struggling to finish this story. I concede that it's been too long and there are more skilled writers than me. My promise is to complete this monster, despite the issues. I tried to work on transitions and adding more descriptions.

Constructive Reviews with guidance are appreciated, but I ignore flame reviews. Thank you to everyone that has ever taken the time to review and I've gained valuable wisdom in struggling to complete this story.

Thanks for all that have reviewed as you have kept me trying. Thank you Hen for answering some questions, so I got back into watching Numb3rs, and nudged me to get started again. To be honest, I've been working on this chapter off and on since 2018.