Chapter 14 —EPILOGUE —
He almost didn't hear him. He was concentrating on getting Charlie to the SUV, parked at the edge of the lot. His arm was around Charlie's waist. Charlie insisted he could get to the vehicle under his own power, but Don still needed to touch him. Charlie stiffened, and Don was worried for a moment that he should have let Captain Davis call the EMTs. Then he heard a frantic "Charlie! Donnie!" and turned slightly to see his father hurrying toward them, David at his side. Sinclair must have gone down to the barricade to get Alan.
They were at the SUV and turning around by the time Alan caught them. Don let go of Charlie too soon, because Alan flew at him and the bigger man's bear hug made Charlie grunt and his knees buckle. Don caught him under the elbow. "Dad! Dad! Loosen up, I think he's got some broken ribs. At least."
Alan allowed Don to peel him off Charlie, then immediately grabbed his head in the same gesture Don had used earlier. "Son. My God, son." He leaned his own head into Charlie's, and Charlie lifted his good hand to grasp one of his father's arms.
"I'm okay, Dad, it's okay. It's all right, now. Calm down."
Alan finally pulled away and dropped his hands from Charlie's face, quickly wiped an eye. "Don't tell your old man what to do."
Charlie sagged a little against the side of the SUV. "Dad, I remembered the milk, but I didn't get a chance to pay for it. It's still in the store."
Alan snorted. "We will never drink milk again. Ever. We're all giving up cereal."
Don grinned. "Dad, can you get Charlie in the passenger seat? We need to take him to the hospital and get his ribs taped…x-ray his hand…"
Alan nodded and reached around Charlie to open the door.
Don walked quickly around the back of the SUV and opened the driver's door. He saw the digital clock in the dashboard and glanced again at the sky. Almost 5 in the morning, and it was still so dark. If they hadn't been in the city, he'd still be able to see stars.
He turned back to the vehicle, and in the dome light watched his father tenderly buckle Charlie in, much to his brother's embarrassment.
As he climbed behind the wheel and waited for his Dad to get in the back seat, he smiled at Charlie.
It was always darkest, before the dawn.
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FINIS
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A/N: Okay, that's it. Many experiments here. I wanted to try and hurt Charlie just a little, leave him still standing in the end, and I wanted him to not just end strong, but be strong, and smart, all the way (cuz I think he would be). Finally, the most difficult part…
AUTHOR'S POP QUIZ: Which three words started every single chapter? (Had some difficulty pulling that off, but it wasn't as hard as "Alphabet Soup".)