Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Numb3rs, but man I wish I did, being a poor college student sucks. ;)

The Call

Don Eppes had just been getting ready to go home for the evening when he heard the familiar sound of his cell phone ringing.

A quick glance at the caller ID told him it was his younger brother Charlie; he quickly flipped open the phone to answer.

"Hey Chuck" he grinned to himself knowing how the nickname irritated his little brother.

The grin abruptly faded however when Charlie replied.

"Don…" It was all Charlie said at first, but it was enough to set the tone of the conversation. After thirty years Don had learned that his name could have many different meanings when coming from his brother's mouth. This time was no different; it conveyed to him pain, fear, and a certain amount of weakness, all things that he never liked to associate with Charlie.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" he asked though fearing the answer.

There was some hesitation on Charlie's part before a soft reply came.

"I wasn't sure what to do… I'm sorry if I'm bothering you… I'm kind of in a... a tight... situation and…" he paused and Don could hear his ragged breathing over the line.

"I guess I just wanted to hear your voice" came the rest of his sentence.

"Charlie what's going on? You're kind of freaking me out here, and no, of course you're not bothering me, I told you to call if you ever needed anything."

Instead of answering his question Charlie sighed and asked a question of his own.

"Don, do you remember when we were kids and we would play hide and seek in the woods near the playground?"

The random question completely threw Don off base and he had to stop and think for a moment.

"Sure I do, you always lost because you got tired of hiding in one spot for so long. You always tried to make it to the safe zone, although that rarely happened." He smiled at the memory but was brought back to the present by a sharp cough over the phone.

"Are you ok?"

"Sorry, something keeps getting caught in my throat" He coughed again and Don thought he heard Charlie hiss in pain.

"Where are you, do you need me to come get you?"

"I don't know, maybe... I'd say yes but I'm not entirely sure where I'm at."

"What do you mean you don't know where you're at, are you lost?" Don was getting more confused and worried by the minute.

"I don't feel lost... I mean, I don't feel that panicky feeling you get when you're lost, so no I guess not."

"Charlie that doesn't make any sense, are you lost or not?"

Once again Charlie paused and Don thought he could hear some rattling in the background.

"Don, I think there's something wrong with my car."

"Why do you say that, is that where you are right now Charlie, in your car?" Don asked hoping to get a few more facts. By now he had gotten his things together and was on his way to the parking lot, he would wait in his car while he talked to Charlie, that way as soon as he figured out where his brother was he could go get him.

"Yeah I'm in my car, but it's not going anywhere, but I'm pretty sure that it started earlier… and I can't get my radio to turn off..."

"Ok, Charlie I want you to do something for me, I want you to look out your windows and tell me what you see, are there any road signs or landmarks, anything at all, can you do that for me buddy?" Don patiently waited while his brother looked.

"Um… trees... I see a lot of trees... there's one in front of my car, hmm, maybe that's why it's not going anywhere when I push on the gas."

Now Don could feel himself panicking as he realized what was going on, Charlie must have had a car accident, which would help explain his odd behavior. He quickly pushed the fear to the back of his mind and tried to focus on the situation at hand.

Before he could say anything Charlie continued speaking.

"Don, I think my air conditioner is broke too, I'm really cold… and I can't find the knob to turn it off…" Charlie coughed again only this time it sounded wet. Once his throat was relatively clear Charlie continued, but his sentences were more erratic with short ragged breaths interrupting every few words or so.

"Do you... remember that time... when mom and... dad took us… skiing? It was… cold then too… Remember how... we built a... fort and had a… snow ball fight?" He would have continued if Don hadn't interrupted.

"Charlie! I need you to focus for a bit, can you do that?" He didn't wait for a reply. "I need to know if you were in an accident and if you're hurt?"

Charlie was quiet for a minute and when he spoke again it was so soft that Don had to strain to hear what he said.

"I hate abandoned buildings Don; they make me sad, especially that old elementary school. A building where people learn should never be empty."

Don sighed, obviously his brother had a head injury because his thoughts were really scattered. He leaned his head up against the steering wheel and tried to think what to do. My brother needs help and I have no idea where to find him. Just as soon as the thought entered his mind he realized something and began to put the pieces together.

Charlie was in a wooded area or at least somewhere where trees were clumped together and there was probably a playground nearby, of course, he was just hoping that his brother's thoughts weren't completely scattered and a nearby playground had been the cause for the short trip down memory lane. He knew of three abandoned elementary schools in and around the area that Charlie frequented. If he recalled correctly, one was partially burned down, and one of them didn't really have anything close by that would cause Charlie to drive out that way but it did have an old playground near the woods. The last one met all the criteria as well but was closer to a small park. He quickly cranked up his SUV, and on a hunch started towards the last of the three choices, it would take him twenty to get there, fifteen if he turned on his lights. He could only hope he had picked the right one.

While he had been figuring out what to do, Charlie had grown silent and for a moment he was afraid that the line had gone dead. A quick glance at his phone told him otherwise.

"Charlie! You still with me?"

"Don… I'm here… what were you saying, I can't remember what we were talking about… why did you call me, I forget?"

"Charlie, you called me."

"Oh, I did?.. hmm… I'm tired Don, I think I might take a quick power nap, can I call you back later?"

"NO… No Charlie, I need you to stay awake for me, keep talking ok, I'll be there in ten minutes."

"I'll try, but talking hurts my head…" Charlie suddenly stopped talking, and Don could hear him draw in deep breath and when he spoke again Don could hear a bit more clarity in his voice than he had heard the entire conversation.

"Don, I…I think I might have wrecked my car... Oh my... DON... I had a car accident!" Don winced as Charlie's voice grew louder and the panic in his tone was unmistakable.

"Charlie calm down, I need to know what happened and where you're at exactly, I need you to try and remember."

"I met Larry at that old park… the one in the older part of town… we were going to try out the model rocket he built and not many people go there anymore… since they built that new one across town… I was on my way home and I decided to take the back road since it was such a nice evening… I think my tire blew out... I can't remember much past that…"

Don listened as his brother spoke; the strong voice he'd started out with gradually weakened and by the end of his explanation it was a soft whisper. Don changed directions and headed for the back road that Charlie had mentioned.

"Charlie I'm almost there ok, just hang on for a little while longer. How badly are you hurt?"

He feared that his brother was slipping away from him and he was fairly certain he wouldn't last much longer. He wanted to call for an ambulance but he couldn't hang up with his brother. From Charlie's reactions on the phone, he had made a catalog of the injuries he was sure Charlie would have, he was positive Charlie had a head injury and he thought there might also be some internal bleeding, possibly a punctured lung, because he could tell Charlie was having trouble breathing and thought that his brother might be choking on his own blood if his wet coughs were anything to go by.

"Don... I don't feel so good" Charlie said as if to confirm Don's thoughts.

"I know Charlie, I know. Don't think about it ok? Tell me about that rocket that you and Larry were testing."

There was a long pause and when Charlie spoke again his voice was resolute, there were things he wanted to say and he had come to the realization that he probably had little time left to say them.

"Don, do you know what my greatest regret in life is?" Don wasn't sure he wanted to know and he had a fear that he knew where this conversation was leading.

"No Charlie, I don't"

"My greatest regret… is all the time I missed spending with you… and mom and dad because… I was always so wrapped up… in my numbers. Sometimes I wonder… what I would have seen... or learned if I had just stepped... out of my own little world... and into reality. Now I may never know."

"Charlie, don't talk like that, I'm almost there. Just hang on, promise me that you'll hang on."

Another long pause; Don was frantically searching the road for any indication that a car may have swerved off it. Up ahead, not twenty yards away, were the tale-tell signs of an accident and Don accelerated, the speed of the SUV matching the speed of his racing heart.

"Don… I love.. you, tell dad… I love him... too.

"Charlie, no... please.. you tell dad yourself, you can't leave me"

Silence.

"Charlie?"

Silence.

"CHARLIE!"

TBC…

Taura Callisto