Fic: In Love & War, Chapter 5 (Numb3rs, Don / Martin, Charlie / Colby)
Title: In Love & War, Chapter 5
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
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
“No ambulance…” Martin wheezed out. “Few minutes and I’ll be fine…”
“You’re not fine-”
“Don…” Martin made a weak attempt to grab the phone, but Don simple pulled it away from his reach. “How long?”
"What?"
“How long did it last?”
“I didn’t time it!” Don exclaimed. “Maybe a minute.”
“I almost forgot how much painful they are.” Martin’s breathing was beginning to calm down and his face was regaining some of its colour. As if to offer comic relief, Misse trotted into the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about. The kitten climbed on the man’s chest, and looked down at his face, waiting to be petted.
“Hello? Are you there?” The voice of the operator echoed from the cell phone.
“I gotta-”
“Don.” Martin’s voice sounded almost normal, if not slightly winded. “No hospitals.”
Don weighted the phone in his hand. Finally he placed it against his ear and shot Martin a quick glance.
“Sorry, wrong number.” He hung up.
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“Am I hearing voices?” Charlie lifted one finger to signal Colby to be quiet. “Either I’m going crazy or the couch is singing Highway to Hell. It’s finally happening… genius goes gaga…”
“Charlie-”
“I’ll end up scrawling math on the wall in a padded cell.”
“Charlie!” Colby held up a ringing cell phone. “It was between the cushions, I think it’s Martin’s.” He snapped the phone open. “Hello? No, he’s not here right now, I can take a message.” He paused. “No, this is not the fed with a kitten and hatred for his own curls. That’s right. Where? Did they find him? Okay, I’ll tell him, bye.”
“What was that about?”
“That investigator he talked abut. He found the biological father.”
“Really?”
“He’s living in Dallas.”
“And?”
“And what? He just located him, that’s all I know. He said he’s e-mail details to Martin and Gleeson. They’ll continue from there.”
“But that’s good, isn’t it?”
“Depends on whose side he will take.” Colby stated. “And we don’t even know much about the guy.”
“So it can go either way.” Charlie interpreted. “Should you call Don?”
“I’ll drop off the phone at their place in the morning.”
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Martin took a gulp from his glass of water and leaned back on the couch. Don had taken the armchair next to the couch and waited silently for him to start talking.
“Sorry you had to see that.”
“What was that?”
“It’s called PCS.” He noticed the look on Don’s face and specified. “Precordial Catch Syndrome.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Yeah, most people haven’t. It looks like a heart attack, but it has nothing to do with the heart.”
“Then what?”
“No one really knows. It causes short episodes, and pain in the upper body, especially in the left side.”
“You said you lived with it for your whole life.”
“Yeah, but even when I was a kid the episodes were pretty rare. Every few months or so. And when I got older the intervals became longer. The last one was almost five years ago.” He leaned down to pick Misse up from the floor and cradled her against his chest. The cat started purring furiously.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“They were so rare that today was probably a long time coming. They’re not dangerous or harmful, just painful. When it’s over, I’m fine again, it doesn’t affect my life in any way.”
“Except when you end up on the kitchen floor.” Don stated. “We went hiking last week, and yesterday we went to the gym-”
“It doesn’t come from any physical activity, it just comes when it comes. It’s like all the muscles in the upper body suddenly cramp up at the same time and you can’t breath normally.”
“Well… you’re not taking any medication, I would have noticed.”
“There’s no medication for it. Like I said, it’s harmless.”
“If it’s so harmless, why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“Because people freak out. They get scared and then they get overbearing. It’s possible I won’t get another attack for years.”
“People freak out?” Don repeated. “Yeah, I sure as hell freak out when you almost pass out!”
“I didn’t mean it like that. You’ve known me a long time, have you ever noticed that wouldn’t be able to do something because of this?”
“No.”
“I’m perfectly healthy, and I can live to be a hundred. When I tell people about this they get overprotective. They start commenting on what I eat, and whether I should do this or that.” He moved Misse to lay on one of the couch pillows and got off the couch. He crouched down between Don’s legs and took his hand. “I’m sorry I scared you and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but it`s been so long, I didn’t think I would need to.”
“So I don’t need to keep an eye on your sodium intake?” Don gave him a small smile. “Or make sure you don’t go up any steep stairs?”
“No.” Martin grinned back. “Are you well enough to finish making dinner?”
“You’re asking me if I’m well? That sounds totally wrong…”
“You need help getting up?”
“Stop that…”
“Didn’t your doctor tell you to cut down on fats and salt-”
“You made your point.” Don laughed. “I get it, that’s extremely annoying. I kinda understand why you didn’t tell me.”
“Yeah. Remember that it’s harmless.”
“Is it?”
“It is. Painful, but harmless. It’s looks scary, but it doesn’t last long. Hopefully you don’t have to see it again.”
“It wasn’t that bad.” Don got up and followed Martin back to the kitchen. “But it was kinda…”
“Scary.”
“Yeah.”
Chapter 6