Disclaimer: Nope. Sorry, I don't own Numb3rs or anyone that has to do with the show. I do own the second season on DVD though.
A/N: Just a thought that I wanted to write up. Charlie whumping.
Name of story is from the song "Changeless" by Carbon Leaf.
"You are taking your cell phone." Alan told Charlie. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
Charlie nodded, grabbed the cell and put it in his back pocket. He sighed. "Dad. I'm going to be fine. It's not like I've never done this."
"You are going alone! Charlie! You've never gone mountain climbing alone!" Alan yelled, worried for his son.
"Hiking. Not mountain climbing." Charlie answered, making sure he had everything in his back pack.
"But there will be climbing involved and they always say that a person should never go alone incase they get hurt. I'm just worried." Alan sighed and looked at his son pleadingly.
"Dad. I need this. You're the one who told me I had to get out of the house!" Charlie paused as Alan gave him a look, "Or garage. Same thing."
"I never said that you should go alone. Ask Larry if-"
"He's visiting family." Charlie said simply.
"Alright then see if your broth-"
"In the middle of a case."
They two were silent for a length. "At least let me drive you there."
Charlie gave in. He was going to call a cab but he would rather get a ride from his dad. Charlie didn't think about all the worrying that his dad did, because he always worried. Charlie didn't take it into foresight.
The only electronic thing he was taking was his cell phone. "Only call if it is an emergency." Charlie told Alan, "I'm doing this to get away, so only an emergency."
Alan nodded as they got into the car, "How long are you going to be, son?"
Charlie shrugged. "Don't know."
"Call me when you are done and I'll come and pick you up, alright?" Alan watched his son as he made his way out of the city.
"Sure dad." Charlie sighed. He needed his mind to calm down. It just would keep going, he hadn't been sleeping well because he couldn't shut off the numbers. This is what he needed. Hiking was one of the few things that got him to get his mind calm so that he could sleep again. Even Larry, before he had left, had mentioned that he should get away and take a vacation. And when Larry notices something like that, that's when you need to do something.
Charlie couldn't pick a better time to get away. The weather was great. It was spring break. He could take as long as he needed. Alan's voice drew Charlie away from his thoughts.
"You have enough food?"
"Yes."
"You have everything?"
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"Yes." Charlie sighed, "Dad, stop worrying."
"Charlie, it is my right to worry. You could get hurt, you know."
Charlie smirked, "What are the odds?"
Alan shot a glance at his son, then he rolled his eyes and went back to looking at the road.
Charlie wished his dad would just calm down. Nothing was going to happen to him. He has hiked many times and he was good at it. Of course, Charlie was good at almost everything.
Charlie watched his dad drive away slowly. He sighed and sat down on a rock. Time to get his shoes off and get his boots on. Checking to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be, he started on his way.
The next day it started raining. Not something that helped hikers. Charlie knew he needed to make a camp because the rain made the terrain slippery and very hard to walk on, plus it was getting darker. Charlie knew the land pretty well and he knew that about a mile ahead of him was a good place to set up a camp. He just had to get there.
Charlie started to slip in some of the mud. He tried to grab a hold of something, there was a log beside him, he grabbed on. The log was rough but it held Charlie's weight. He pulled himself back to his feet, just to slip again, but this time he didn't get anything to hold onto and he started sliding to the side. He rolled some on the ground, going over rocks and through bushes, only to fall down into a small canyon.
Charlie hurt all over. He wanted to just sleep and forget about everything. He was closing his eyes when he heard his dad's voice, talking to him about his cell phone. Charlie wanted to sleep, but his mind told him that he had to get help first. Where did he put his cell phone? Back pocket. He tried to use his right arm to get it, only to have it flare with pain. Alright. Left arm. He couldn't feel it properly. There was something laying on it. Oh. He was laying on his left arm. It hurt to move, but it didn't hurt as much as his right arm. So, he grabbed his cell.
Charlie called his dad. But no one was home. For someone who worried so much, you would think he would carry his cell phone with him.
Charlie sighed. Don then.
"Eppes."
"D ... Don?"
"Charlie!?" Don's voice rose, he knew that Charlie had gone hiking, and the only reason why Charlie would call is if he was in trouble.
"Donnie?" Charlie asked again.
"Yeah, buddy. It's me Don."
"Donnie. H-Hurts." Charlie moaned.
"What does buddy? What happened?" So far Charlie hadn't said a whole sentence to him. He was talking in words. And one of the words was Hurt. Don's heart beat faster. "Charlie? You with me? What happened?"
"Fell." Charlie's voice was weak. "Tired. Sleep?"
Oh God. Charlie wanted to go to sleep. Don looked outside, it was raining. "Charlie. Don't go to sleep, alright? Stay with me. I'm at the office. If you stay with me I'll get someone to find you with that GPS chip in your cell. Alright?" Don waited or an answer and when all he heard was rain and thunder, he started to get frantic, "Alright?! Charlie! Answer me!"
Charlie moaned, "Hurts so bad. So tired."
Don cursed, "Charlie. I'm going to call you back so that we can track you, alright? So when the phone rings, answer it. Okay?"
"'Kay."
"Bye Buddy. Talk to you in a sec." Don heard another moan that could have been him saying bye.
Don hung up. "Megan! Colby! David!" He yelled. They came running over.
"What's up Don? Something new with the case?" Megan asked.
Don hit his speed dial, "Charlie's hurt. He was hiking. We're going to trace him and send people after him." He heard the phone ringing. So far, no one picked up.
"Is he hurt bad?" Megan asked as Colby and David went to get some of the tracking devices.
"I-I don't know. He keeps moaning, saying that he hurts, and that he wants to go to sleep." Don cursed as he heard a voice mail. "He's not answering his cell. Damn It!" He called again.
"D-Donnie?"
Don sighed with relief. Charlie answered the phone this time. "Charlie. Stay on the phone. Talk to me. Do you have any idea where you are." There was silence, "Charlie!"
"Can't see. Dark." Don thought he heard some crying. "So tired."
"Charlie. Megan is going to talk to you. Alright? I'm going to see where you are on the map. Alright?"
"Mm. Hmm." Charlie moaned again.
Don handed his phone to Megan and went to see where his brother was. He looked at the map on the computer, the one that David and Colby where looking at. "Where is he?"
"Right there." Colby pointed to a point on the screen. "If we need to reach him now, driving won't work. He's too far away. Plus we'd have to hike up to get him. It'd take too long."
"Damn It!" Don said. "Let's send a helicopter!"
"A helicopter, Don?" David asked. "In this storm?"
Don turned on David, "Charlie could be dying out there. We send a helicopter!"
"Charlie?" Megan asked. She hadn't heard anything from his end in a while.
"Why can't sleep?"
It hurt Megan to hear Charlie talk that way. She had never heard him not talk in full sentences. She was getting worried for him. She heard some more thunder in the back ground. "Don is going to send a helicopter after you. He is going to be in the helicopter. Don is also going to be talking to you on the phone now. Alright?"
"Mhm."
Megan handed the phone back to Don. "Buddy?"
"Tired."
"I know Buddy. I know. But you can't sleep yet." Don climbed into the helicopter. "Tell me what all hurts, alright?"
"Ev'rythi'g."
Great. Now Charlie's words where slurring together. This was not good. "Charlie. Stay with me! I'm on my way!"
"M'ay"
Don could hardly see the ground. One of the other men in the helicopter got the light out and started shinning it down on the ground.
"Charlie?" Don asked, worried.
"'onnie?"
"Say something when you see a light. Alright? We're looking for you right now."
"M'ay."
Don could only see where the light hit, he couldn't see anywhere else. It was getting darker and the storm was getting worse. "Charlie? You fell right? You're not in your tent, are you?" There wasn't an answer, "Charlie?!"
"No 'ent."
The helicopter had flown all over the area and hadn't seen him. "Search again!" Don yelled at them as they moved the light around on the ground.
"Think I found something!" One of the men said.
"You found him?" Don asked, rushing over.
The man shook his head, "No. Something. A backpack."
Don looked down and saw Charlie's backpack. "That's Charlie's. He must be around there somewhere." Don could hear Charlie breathing into the phone. "Charlie?"
"Mm?"
"We can't seem to find you. We found your pack back. Can you give us any clue as to where you are?"
"'unno."
"Come on, buddy. I need your help."
"'ired." Charlie said pathetically.
Tears stun in Don's eyes, "I know buddy. I know. But you can't sleep yet. Not until we find you. Help us. Help me." Don heard the rain in the back ground and some moaning.
"Ca'yon." Don had to listen closely to hear Charlie's reply.
"Canyon? You fell in a canyon?"
"Yes." He said weakly.
Don found a crack in the ground and pointed to it. "There. Look in there. He said he fell in a canyon."
The man nodded and shone a light down there.
"'onnie." Don heard Charlie say.
"Yeah, buddy?"
"ligh'. S'eep now?"
Don looked down from the helicopter at his brothers body. He gasped. Charlie was badly injured because no one's body could bend like Charlie's did. "Yeah. Buddy. You can sleep now."
"'ove you."
"Love you too, buddy." Don replied back, watching a man harness a stretcher to a rope that was going to pick Charlie up. Charlie was safe. They had found him.
A/N : My first one shot. I could keep going with this. But unless a bunch of people (aka one person) wants it to be continued. So be it. If people want it as a one shot, then so be it.