Omi as always
Disclaimers:
"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I do not own the characters Charlie, Don, Alan, Larry or Terry nor do
I have any rights to anything related to the TV show Numb3rs. I plead
fair use and claim only my own writing and characters.
Chapter One:
Charlie knows in his heart that he should take better care of himself.
He's been working on a project for weeks now, to the exclusion of almost everything else. He teaches his classes and immediately goes back to work even before the students file out of the classroom. He skips meals, he barely sleeps, his frenetic energy keeps him upright even when exhaustion should slow him down.
He knows his father and brother are worried and, to be truthful, he is too. Exhaustion is normal for him but this feels different. Things seem harder than they should be. He's nearing his limit and that shouldn't happen after only a couple of weeks. He's still in his twenties, although barely, so pulling all-nighters or working non-stop should just make him tired.
But he's more than tired. He's worried. He doesn't feel right.
Yet his hand still keeps scraping the chalk across the blackboard as the equations continue to pour out of him, his mind giving him no respite in its pursuit of a solution.
In the war of mind versus body, Charlie's genius mind has always won.
Until now.
The students are all gone for the day and the classroom is quiet as a morgue. The only sound is that of Charlie's writing.
And then even that sound stops.
The chalk falls from his hand and his hand goes to his chest. He's having trouble breathing. His chest...hurts... He puts a finger to his pulse and finds it racing even though he's barely been exerting himself.
He feels light-headed and puts a hand out to the edge of his desk to steady himself. He can't seem to get a decent breath. His chest tightens and he feels his heart beating and it feels wrong somehow.
He's scared now; he knows this is not just some dizzy spell brought on by lack of food or rest. He scrambles through his bag for his cell phone and presses the first speed dial as quickly as he can.
As it rings, his vision begins to darken and he slips down to the floor. The phone tumbles from his hand and skitters across the floor just out of reach.
"You've reached the voicemail of Agent Don Eppes..."
Charlie's on the floor now, terrified. No one is going to come looking for him and he doesn't know how much time he has left. He can hear his brother's voice from a few feet away but the recording brings him no comfort.
"Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
Charlie reaches for the phone but the pain and lack of oxygen are quickly overwhelming him. He reaches his hand out but it's too far.
He hears the beep.
Then silence.