Fic. Choices, Chapter 4 (Numb3rs, Charlie Eppes / Colby Granger, Don Eppes / Martin)
Title: Choices, Chapter 4
Fandom: Numb3rs
Pair: Charlie Eppes / Colby Granger,
Don Eppes / Martin Fridegord,
David Sinclair / Ian Edgerton
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
NUMB3RS Main List
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Don stared at him and couldn’t say anything for a while. Finally he walked closer
to Charlie.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
“He’s our dad and you would pull the plug right away? I can’t believe you!”
“Don, you said it yourself: He’s not gonna recover. He’s not coming back. Why
do you want to keep a body hooked to a machine when there’s nobody in there?”
“Because he’s our dad! It would be like killing him.”
“Listen to me…. You remember what it was like when mom was going to her chemo
sessions? All of us knew it wouldn’t help but everyone pretended anyway. We can’t
pretend he’s gonna come back when we know he’s gone.”
“You can’t compare this to mom! You weren’t even there when she came back from
the treatments.”
“You really love to remind me about that, don’t you? You came back when she
was dying. Remind me… where were you when she was living? Oh right…. As far
away from us as you could.”
“We’re not doing it. End of discussion.”
“No, it’s not. Why would you want to keep him in that state? Spend years
watching him wither away, just so you don’t need to feel guilty.”
Don couldn’t come up with anything to say. He just turned and walked away.
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Charlie wondered around the hallway, looking for a remote hideaway. He ended up locking himself to the supply closet. He curled up to the corner and tried to think clearly.
“It’s hard, isn’t it?”
He heard the familiar voice. Margaret sat down next to him on the floor.
“Did you know this would happen?”
“Yes.”
“What are we gonna do?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“I don’t know…. I can’t go and look at dad knowing there’s nobody on there. It’s not him.” Charlie paused. “Are you happy?”
“I’m happy to have him with me again. But I’m not happy about the circumstances and the way it happened.”
“Mom…. I still miss you and now dad’s gone too.”
“But you got your own family. Focus on those who are still here, not on those who left.”
“Will you…. Will you take care of dad?”
“Don’t I always?” Margaret chuckled.
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“Where’s Charlie?” Colby asked when he and Martin returned carrying several cups of coffee. Don paced back and forth.
“I don’t know.”
“Did he say where he was going?”
“I didn’t ask!” Don exclaimed. “And what the hell are you doing with all that coffee?”
“The machine’s broke. I put in three quarters and it just started spewing out coffee and didn’t stop….” Colby put his load on the table. “I’ll go see if I can find him.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Eppes?” A nurse walked to the waiting area.
“Yes?”
“You’re waiting for news on Alan Eppes?”
“That’s right.”
“Something happened. Twenty minutes ago.”
All three men froze on spot.
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Colby found Charlie fifty minutes later. The mathematician was in the maternity ward, leaning against the glass wall. On the other side was a row of cribs where newborns slept peacefully.
“Babe? What are you doing here?”
Charlie didn’t remove his eyes from the sleeping babies. He shrugged. “This felt like comforting spot. Did Don tell you about….?”
“Yeah, he did.”
“I don’t know what to say to him.”
“You don’t need to say anything. He knows what you meant.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier.” Charlie pressed his palm against the window.
“You don’t need to think about it.”
“I do. We need to decide-”
“Charlie.”
Colby’s tone made Charlie turn his eyes to him.
“You mean….”
“Alan had another stroke.”
Charlie’s legs seemed to give up and Colby assisted him to a chair. He grabbed a hold of Colby’s shirt and buried his face into it. Colby pulled him closer and let him sob.
TBC