Rock a bye baby chapter 7

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own - I checked.

A/N I should apologise for the delay in posting but real life commitments have to come first….darn it.

A/N 2 A chapter in which Ezra is poorly and Vin takes care of him. Not much more to it than that I'm afraid.

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'Well that was unexpected' Ezra mused as he got to his feet using the nearby washbasin as leverage. A quick spot of self diagnosis revealed no broken bones or any other injury that a couple of Tylenol wouldn't cure and a check in the mirror had him looking no worse for his unexpected communion with the floor. Sending up a silent prayer of thanks for efficient cleaning crews he gave his jacket a final brush down and exited the bathroom. Nobody would know that anything had occurred.

Vin watched as his Ezra entered the offices.

Something had happened.

He doubted that anyone else would have noticed but then they didn't have the same level of interest as he did in every aspect of the southerner. He knew better than to push for answers though. Instead he reassured his friend that the twins were settled, having placed one either side of the desk in the utilitarian but characterless cribs provided. He glanced round at the incongruous sight of the rest of his colleagues hard at work on their computers while their offspring resided beside them. He thanked God that the crooks they hunted down couldn't see them now.

The first day had gone well. Gloria Potter had looked after Junior while Buck and JD were in court which made the whole place a little less lively than it otherwise might have been, and Chris had been in meetings for most of the day which left Vin alternating between compiling his report and looking after Alice. He was also keeping a secret eye on Ezra who was looking a little peaky to his mind. Vin knew that he wouldn't see much of his love for the next day or so because it was his turn to be in court and going back to Ezra's wasn't an option since it seemed that Maude had staged an impromptu visit. He had laughed fit to bust when Ezra had filled him in on the details of her dramatic arrival which left the others looking at him as if he had gone crazy because they weren't privy to the joke. By quitting time Vin was happy that whatever had been bothering Ezra had gone away and that they had arranged for a private dinner later that week; and by the fire in the normally cool jade eyes it promised to be a very private dinner.

Tuesday went much the same way as the Monday, though, to Ezra's relief, without a repetition of the physical assault on his person. Chris was looking after Alice since he wasn't needed to testify and everyone's day was destined to be filled with boring but necessary paperwork.

That's when the others began to notice Ezra's parenting skills. By now every man had experienced the trauma of dealing with their infant while trying to hold down their normal routines. The way the baby cried at the self same moment that both carers had stepped away from their back to back desks. The argument over who got to go for lunch first since neither partner wanted to be seen in public with the carrier and trying to complete a report despite constant interruptions from curious colleagues who just happened to stop by to offer support, poke at the babies or tease mercilessly.

None of it fazed Ezra. No wonder the man was as cool as ice when undercover. Chris watched as his pain in the ass agent spoke into a hand held Dictaphone while pacing and rocking one of his twins back to sleep with the other hand. Then as soon as he had laid the infant down quickly transferring the spoken sections of his report into the written transcript. Come lunchtime, which had proved so contentious the day before, the local deli delivered soup, sandwiches and dessert for everyone to the office. Shocked thanks were given as Ezra signed for the delicious repast. By the end of the afternoon the others were on the verge of being in awe of their seventh. He had had twice as many sightseers to deal with, more intricate and detailed reports to file, as befits the teams undercover operative, lying completed in Chris's in-tray and two fed, changed and contented babies by his side. Josiah looked on with an almost parental pride, Buck wondered if it might be worth asking the southerner's advice on how to mix baby care and a social life and then realised that as far as he knew Ezra didn't have a social life, and Chris filled out a requisition form for a personal Dictaphone.

Everybody watched Ezra's smooth and seamless juggling of work and baby care but didn't offer their help. Ezra was obviously more than capable.

Nobody noticed how tired the man looked as he exited the office at the end of the day. Or how pale and exhausted he appeared to be next day.

Except Vin.

"You okay Ez?" Vin frowned as Ezra looked up from his computer screen with slightly squinted eyes. The southerner's normally pale ivory skin was an unhealthy shade of white and the normal sparkle in the ice jade eyes was absent, replaced by a dullness that indicated pain.

"I'm fi…."

"Uh uh, Ez" Vin shook his head to halt the automatic comeback that his partner used when asked that question. Didn't matter whether he was suffering from a hangnail or a bullet wound the answer was the same. The 'I'm fine' routine was a crock and Vin knew it…heck he'd used it enough times himself to know.

Ezra sighed in frustration. That was the trouble with getting close to someone; it got harder to fool them over the little things. He tried to tell himself that the fact that Vin could read him like a book and cared enough to worry about him was an annoyance but the warm feeling that spread through him instantly negated that self delusion. And Vin, as usual, was correct, he felt absolutely lousy. Now was definitely not the time to get one of his headaches, not with two babies, a mother and a pile of paperwork to deal with. He had hoped that it would fade away before really coming to anything, as they occasionally did, but he had reached the stage where he could hear his own pulse beat through his temple which meant that he was in for a rough few hours at least.

"Ez?" Vin repeated, the concern growing at the need to repeat the query.

"Wh…what? Oh sorry Vin" Ezra sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to slow the progress of the pain. It was as though acknowledging the situation had given it permission to attack in earnest. He attempted a reassuring smile and found the sharpshooter who held his heart suddenly waving his hand in the air calling for Nathan. He made a mental note to himself that smiling and excruciating pain did not make for good bedfellows. As Nathan bore down on them with the dedication of Florence Nightingale and the determination of The Terminator Ezra made a last effort to head off an imminent outbreak of mother hen syndrome.

"Please Vin, Ah'm fine, it is just a bad headache. I don't need…."

Too late.

Before he could protest further Nathan's broad strong hand was on his brow and Vin was kneeling beside him, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Ez, can you tell me what hurts? Are ya feeling ill?" Nathan couldn't see any obvious signs of injury or illness but with the man only having been out of hospital for a short while he wasn't taking any chances.

Ezra had his eyes closed now against the too bright lights and his breathing rate had increased. He could feel the other men's presence as they gathered round him; he could imagine the looks of concern…it was too much. He tried to concentrate on the feel of Vin's hand on his back as he answered in a rough, pain filled whisper.

"M…migraine."

"Shit" muttered Nathan as Vin's worry over his lover's health lessened but his anxiety over his suffering remained strong.

"What is it Nate?" Chris, like everyone else in the office, had heard Nathan's comment but not Ezra's whispered explanation.

Being careful not to speak too loudly Nate answered their leader.

"Ezra's got a migraine Chris; he needs to go home right away."

"I'll take him" Vin's offer had all the steel of a command. Chris raised an enquiring eyebrow but didn't receive a reply in his and Vin's legendary unspoken language. 'Odd', thought the team leader.

"The babies?"

"Don't worry Ez" replied Vin as he fished Ezra's sunglasses out of his desk drawer, "Chris'll look after Alice and I'll be there for Ethan and Victoria."

"Ah can't ask….ahhhh" Ezra clasped a trembling hand to the left side of his head. He was embarrassed at showing his pain and knew that unless he got away soon it would only get more humiliating.

"No need to ask Ez, I'm offering."

Ezra didn't have the energy to protest and nodded carefully. Ezra had often wondered why his communication skills were the first to desert him but he knew from experience that within the hour he would be fit for nothing but sleeping and the occasional pitiful whimper. Dammit! He hadn't wanted Vin to see him like this so early on in their relationship. Not that he thought for a minute that the Texan with a heart of gold would abandon him but it made him appear less than competent, less than perfect….and nobody loved imperfection. He wanted to laugh at how his mothers rather twisted view of people stuck after all these years but he was rather afraid that the sound would come over as hysteria.

As Ezra had been caught up in his thoughts and pain the others had been preparing him and the babies to leave.

"Nate, you go with Vin and get Ez settled and Vin, I don't want to see you back here until Ezra is better." Chris could have kicked himself. How could he have thought that anyone, even Ezra, would be able to handle all that he had these past few days without paying a hefty price. The man was just too damn good at fooling them.

Ezra, to his eternal humiliation, could barely hold himself upright and put one foot in front of the other as Vin supported him on the journey to the car, Nathan hovering alongside carrying the twins. Nathan grimaced at the massed weight of two babies and their carry baskets; if he found it no easy task then how much more difficult had his much smaller friend found it. Not that the undercover agent was soft. Nathan had been shocked at his first glimpse of the muscular torso, it confirmed his opinion that Ezra was tougher than he looked. But, even so, on top of all his other commitments the extra physical burden couldn't have helped the tension in the small frame. He would bet a months wages on this being a tension migraine….and none of them had done anything to lessen the load. Some teamwork.

Ezra followed Vin's guiding hand blindly, almost but not quite literally. Sunglasses in a poorly lit underground parking garage, plus eyes that kept clamping themselves shut in agony made navigation pretty impossible. He couldn't help but wonder, however, why nobody had accosted them on their journey, either with concern or ridicule. If he had been able to see he would have smiled at the intimidating looks anyone with the temerity to approach them had received from his guardians. As it was Ezra was just glad to reach the car without disgracing himself by stumbling or collapsing completely.

Maude Standish took almost everything that life threw at her in her stride, the recent 'unfortunate incident' excepted, and never to be mentioned again. But the sight of her darlin' boy in pain was always something that made her breath catch in her throat, and her Ezra had suffered far too much pain in his life. Nevertheless her actions belied her own emotional distress and she moved quickly and efficiently to help Vin in supporting her increasingly unstable son.

"Bring him through to the bedroom Mr Tanner. Mr Jackson could you settle the infants and then bring the medication from the bathroom cabinet; it is in injection form."

"Yes ma'am." Nathan was surprised at both the caring that Maude was displaying, having always considered her a bit of a cold fish, like her boy; and also that Ezra's medication did not come in tablet form. While common enough an application in hospital it was rarer to find it used by non medical personnel. He must have quite a bad history of headaches the medic mused, a twinge of unease at the thought that he may have missed past incidents because of his rather jaundiced view of the mercurial agent.

By the time he had returned to the master bedroom Vin and Maude had helped a protesting but cooperative Ezra to strip down to his boxers and Maude was heaping pillows up to ensure that Ezra would be almost sitting up; Nathan nodded, laying flat often aggravated this particular type of migraine. Ezra winced as he felt a needle enter his upper thigh and he made a note to buy the medic a bag of oranges to practice his technique before he allowed the expert knifeman to stab him with anything sharper than a cotton bud again….of course even that allowance was dependant on the proposed target of said bud.

"Thank you for that Mr Jackson, I absolutely loathe giving injections, however I am sure that Mr Tanner and myself can cope from here. You must be eager to complete your days work since I understand that you have a special night planned with your lovely young lady, Raine."

Nathan was astounded; how on earth did she know so much about him and his plans; well Ezra, obviously, but since when did Ezra care about what he was doing with his life! He would never understand the man but he was beginning to realise that he didn't necessarily have to understand him to like him.

"Thank you Mrs Standish, it's her birthday."

"Well, wish her many happy returns from me if you would be so kind."

"I will, and Chris has the number of the restaurant if Ezra needs me…"

Maude's smile was the kind that reached the eyes as she reacted to the generous offer; not many people would offer to interrupt their evening for a Standish. It certainly would never have happened with her sons former colleagues at the FBI.

By the time Nathan had departed Ezra was already drowsy due to the fast acting medication. Vin was surprised when Maude put on soft music but not when she shut the heavy curtains. She correctly interpreted his frown.

"The music is soft enough not to disturb him but there if he needs to distract himself from the pain."

Vin's expression cleared; made sense.

"I'll sit with him Mrs Standish, if that's alright with you?"

Maude resisted the urge to smirk and enquire what he would do if it wasn't. If she read her son right and the feelings were reciprocated then a team of wild horses wouldn't be able to drag him away. It gave her comfort to know that her lonely boy, abandoned by all, including herself, she admitted with a sorrow that she had long ago come to terms with but couldn't seem to make up for, finally had someone to stand by him.

"That will be fine Mr Tanner."

"Please call me Vin, Ma'am."

"Only if you call me Maude…Vin. Mrs Standish is bad enough but 'Ma'am' makes me sound old enough to actually be a grandmother."

"Heck Ma…Maude, you could have great grandchildren and you'd be mistaken for their sister."

Maude raised an eyebrow and graced the sharpshooter with a small but genuine cat-like smile.

"Either Texas is producing exceptionally charming young men or you have been learning from my son;

"Bit of both I reckon" Vin replied as he gazed down on the sleeping southerner, noticing the signs of pain etched on the handsome face even in his drugged deep sleep. "He be okay?"

"He will be fine Vin, as distressing as the condition is it is not life threatening. He has suffered since his teens and we have developed a sort of routine."

Vin nodded and wished he could hold the small elegant hand and stroke the silky chestnut hair.

Maude hoped that the young man didn't realise just how transparent his concern and his affection was at this moment, he would probably die of terminal embarrassment. Maude was normally loathe to make anything easier for anyone, after all nobody had ever done so for her, but she supposed that she could make an exception just this once.

"Can Ah leave him in your care while I see to the little bundles of simulated joy that our government has lumbered my son with?"

Vin turned quickly to face the acerbic tongued woman, ready to defend both the ATF and the babies that he had become so attached to, only to find the same mischievous sparkle in the woman's eyes as he was used to seeing in Ezra's.

"That'll be fine Maude. I'll take good care of him."

"See that you do Vin, Lord knows I have waited long enough for someone to offer….just don't ever let us down. I would be most displeased." The sparkle was still there but it shared space with a steely glint that brooked no argument.

She knew! Vin didn't waste time wondering how she had figured it out but he had seemed to have won her conditional blessing which, for a woman who trusted no-one, including herself, was all he could possibly ask.

"I promise."

The reply was simple and obviously directed at her underlying message. That he could read her true intent spoke well for both his intelligence and his common sense. He'd do.

"I will prepare us some lunch while you sit with Ezra; he may wake for a while soon but a few soft words of reassurance and he should slip back to sleep. Will an omelette and salad suffice? I am afraid that my culinary skills are not up to my son's standard but I get by." With a wave of her hand she left the room, leaving behind a hint of expensive perfume and a slightly shell shocked sharpshooter.

Vin pulled his chair closer to the bed and finally took hold of the manicured and smooth hand.

Vin had realised when Maude had explained about the music that Ezra was used to struggling through these attacks all alone. No more, he thought.

"Never be alone again Ez. I'll be your music for as long as you want it."

Ezra hated it when he began to drift back upwards towards the pain. Part of him knew that it marked the half way point and in a few more hours all would once again be well but it didn't really help when you couldn't think straight.

And then he heard Vin, who was promising not to leave him and for once in his life he took it on faith and slipped back into a healing sleep.

Buck couldn't wait to put his feet up and indulge in a couple of beers and some quality sports TV. Without Vin and Ezra the workload had been divided up between the rest of them; wouldn't be fair to let them come back to stacks of reports; his Ma had suffered from migraines and it took her a couple of days to get back to normal. Poor guy had obviously been pushing it these past few days, something was bound to give eventually. He frowned at the memory of Ezra's collapse at the office. There had been something that he had missed; some sort of sub text that…..

"Um, Buck?"

Buck started as he became aware of JD standing in front of him as though from nowhere. About to make some joking comment he noticed the guilty and somewhat nervous disposition.

Uh oh.

"JD, what have you done?"

"Um,….. Hell Buck I think I've killed the baby!"

"Oh shit."

TBC

A/N Just a short little episode - a sort of interlude. All that being perfect would leave a Stepford wife in a state of collapse let alone our Ez.