Six voices clamored concerned though unhelpful responses to the query about next of kin, but with as always when medical issues were involved, Nathan stepped to the front of the team. "Why?" They went silent waiting for the response.

Without glancing at the chart in his hands, the resident spoke quietly, hoping an air of calm would settle the anxiety he could see increasing around him. He had his doubts.

"There is a good deal of internal bleeding - more extensive than it initially appeared, and it needs to be addressed. There is also some concern about his oxygen levels. There is likely some damage to his lungs, but how much of that is injury or and how much smoke can't be determined yet. Individually, none of it this is severe, but in combination they are matters that need to be dealt with as quickly as possible. We held off until he had stabilized to a degree thanks to transfusions, but his BP wasn't coming back up, so the surgeon had him sent in a few minutes ago. It will be a while. Hospital policy is to get approval on all of this from next of kin, but in the circumstances we don't have to and will not be waiting on that."

"I can sign anything you need." Chris stepped forward. "Authorization should be on file here somewhere."

"I'll get the paperwork to you. In the meantime, I suggest you find yourselves something to eat and then head up to the surgical waiting area on the third floor. And if there is family in the area…"

"There is, and we are it." The look on Josiah's face left no room for questioning.

Nathan opened his mouth to speak but realized there was really nothing he could ask that the resident would be able to answer at this point in the process. After a few seconds of silence, the doctor left them.

Running his hand over his face in an effort to pull himself together, Chris turned to their medic. "What did that mean Nathan? Is that really as bad as it sounds?"

A small shrug preceded the response. "Hard to say. They gave him time to stabilize, so it wasn't life threatening from the start, but the fact that his BP was still off after –" he glanced at his watch, " – almost 2 hours isn't a great sign. And the damage to his lungs? Again, not the kind of news you want to hear."

"But he was awake." JD countered with the only thing he had to base his hopes on. "He seemed ok."

"That doesn't always mean what we want it to." Nathan shrugged again, frustrated at not having the answers and a little afraid of what other questions might come his way. He didn't want to start having to give odds. "The doc was right. We might as well get ourselves put together a bit then head up to the waiting room. I'm guessing it's gonna be a late night."

"Diner is around the corner. I can grab us some burgers and sandwiches." Buck was pulling his jacket on as he spoke. "Come with me kid. Can't carry food for six on my own."

"Not without eating half of it on the way back."

"For five Buck. Not hungry."

"Six." Chris corrected Vin. "You are going to eat. None of us are hungry but starving ourselves won't help him."

With neither the energy or desire to get into it with anyone, Vin merely nodded and made his way to the elevators. Chris closed his eyes, counting to ten before making a move to follow. His path was blocked.

"Don't waste your breath." Out of respect for the location, Josiah's voice was barely above a whisper, but the tone left no room for arguing. "He knows. At a gut level, he knows this isn't his fault. He just needs time for that part of this to sink in."

"And if things go bad?" It wasn't a question he wanted to ask, but Chris couldn't help himself.

"Then we step up. But Ezra doesn't give up easily, so I'm putting my money on the fact he will be the one lecturing Vin on the foolishness of feeling any guilt over all of this."

Chris offered up a half smile. "I'd pay good money to watch that one."

7-7-7-7-7-7-7

Four hours later the waiting room was unnaturally quiet as the six men sprawled on unsuitable seats amidst the casual litter of takeout containers and discarded reading.

Josiah's legs stretched well out to block the narrow path in front of him. His head rested against the wall, allowing him a moderate degree of what passed for comfort in the circumstance. JD was blessed with the ability to sleep in almost any circumstance that presented itself, but the unease of the day kept him from doing anything beyond light dozing. Likewise, Buck and Nathan were in restless slumber mode, both apparently oblivious to their surroundings, yet actually painfully aware of every tick of the clock that reminded them Ezra was still in surgery.

Vin had remained ensconced quietly in a corner spot. He had eaten, but only as an effort to stave of the concerns of the others. He knew the action had fooled no one, and that only fueled the self-directed anger that churned within. It wasn't enough he was responsible for what had happened, but now the others were wasting the energies worrying about him when there were far greater things to be focusing on.

Why the hell had he asked Ezra for a lift home? He could have taken a cab, or a bus. But no, he decided it would be fun to cajole his friend into driving to the worst part of town in his high-end car; something he loathed doing. The worst part was that he knew the request would never be denied. Well, maybe at first, but a bit of teasing and nudging and the inevitable acquiescence would occur. For all his bluff and bluster the simple truth was Ezra liked helping out his friends whenever he could. Vin – all of them – suspected it had a lot to do with the fact that until recently their hadn't been too many people who fell into that category. Or maybe any people really. Vin could empathize with that feeling. He had always thought of himself as somewhat of a lone wolf, but the difference was, Vin enjoyed the solitude. Always had, as far back as he could remember. He picked his friends very carefully along the way and as a result had few now, but knew they were more than just friends, they were family.

Ezra's status was the opposite. There was a sense about him of one who wanted to be part of a group – any group – but somehow didn't quite know how to fit in. He thrived in a crowd, charming his way into the good graces of almost everyone he encountered. But it was all on the surface. And most who tried to get past that layer soon found there were high barriers in place to discourage or more accurately repel intruders. His reticence about sharing any of his own story made it all but impossible to fully understand the contradictory world he set up for himself. Even after almost a year together, none of them had gotten complete beyond the façade, although there were signs that some small holes had finally been punched in it along the way.

They had all figured out how to take advantage of this particular trait - and did so. Far too often, Vin was now thinking. They excused the minor treachery, telling themselves that it really was the only way to draw the reticent member of the team into the action a bit more. While that was a side benefit, it certainly didn't feel like the purest of motives right now.

"You got to stop this Vin." He hadn't heard Chris approach, but wasn't surprised by the comment. He'd been expecting this pep talk was coming.

"Wasting your time Chris. We both know there isn't a chance in hell Ezra would be hurt right now if I hadn't been a selfish bastard tonight."

"You asked a friend for a lift – hardly what I'd call manipulation. Sure as hell wasn't selfish."

"I used him."

Keeping the sigh to himself, Chris spun a chair around to sit closer. "You really think he didn't know that? Damn it Vin, much as I hate to say it, he's the smartest one in the bunch when it comes to reading people, and he's had all of us pegged pretty much from the moment he came through the door."

Vin hardly looked convinced by the comment, although he did pause for a moment to consider it. "Nah. No way he'd let us use him like that."

"Tend to agree." Nathan had been close enough to hear the conversation, and apparently was not resting as soundly as Chris had suspected. "Man has far too much pride to let something like that happen."

"Not pride. Fear more likely a motivating factor for him."

"Fear?" Vin looked over to the corner at the speaker. "Josiah, if there is one thing I know for a damned certainty it is that Ezra doesn't do fear. If he did, he never would have charged up those stairs today."

Josiah pried himself loose from the cramped seat enough to lean forward. "More than one kind of fear in a man. Physical risk – that's not a big thing for Ezra. We've all seen him do things no sane man would try in order to get his target. Or in this case, to help somebody out of danger. But opening up on a personal level? Exposing that vulnerability? That takes a whole different kind of courage."

Shaking his head, JD refused to get past the language. "You will never convince me or any of us that Ezra doesn't have courage."

There was no doubt in Chris's mind that Ezra would be stunned by the defense his character was getting from his colleagues. That, after all, was a big part of the problem here.

"I get that, on the surface, confidence does not seem to be a trait lacking in the man. Truth is I think Josiah has nailed this. None of us have all of the details – a lot of it isn't the type of thing that shows up in somebody's files – but we all know Ezra hasn't exactly had what anyone would call a normal life. Rejection shouldn't be a feeling anyone is used to, but he seems to accept it without a second thought."

"And" Vin added in a dejected tone, "to be willing to do just about anything to get past it. So he lets himself be used. And he ends up here."

"Damn it Vin, stop being such a jackass." Buck had had enough of this. "If the tables had been turned you'd'a given him a lift without a second thought. Any one of us would for the others. So, this time the shit hit the fan. Not surprising. Nobody I know, present company included, can find trouble as easy as he can. Or get out of it as often. He did what he did – for us, for you and for that kid – because he is who he is. You refusing to accept that, or trying to take it on to yourself, is frankly insulting to him."

Vin stared for a moment, unsure whether to be more surprised by the revelation or the source. "Never meant it that way, but you're right. Ezra is his own man, and only a fool would question that. Guess that makes me the fool."

"Aw hell –" Buck grinned – "was just your turn is all."

The release of tension was a welcome respite but lasted only a moment as the doors from the surgical unit swung open. In a move that looked choreographed, the team turned in a single motion to see who was coming, and what kind of news they would have to deal with.

The surgeon looked up as he entered. His mind was already jumping ahead to the next procedure he would have to perform, but he knew these men. This wasn't the first time they had been waiting for news on a fallen comrade, and nothing short of hearing the news directly would satisfy them. It was far easier to just meet with the team rather than face the consequences.

"Agent Larabee, let me set your mind at ease. Your man is going to be fine. He'll be staying here with us here for a bit, but he will be fine."

The relief was palpable, but as he suspected, it wasn't enough of an explanation. Waiting for comments, he realized none were coming but the glares he was getting spoke clearly.

"The fall did some damage, as you might imagine. There was slow internal bleeding from a number of tears, all of which have been repaired. A broken rib didn't help matters, but again, all under control now and his breathing is much improved. Our orthopedic surgeon put a couple of small pins in his shoulder to repair the damage there. He must have turned as he landed to hit that hard."

"Probably shielding the kid."

The doctor didn't know all of the details that led to the injuries, so didn't bother to comment on Larabee's speculation.

"There are a number of other contusions, sprains and assorted minor injuries. Taken on their own, none of those injuries are critical but added to the trauma of the incident and subsequent surgery, it will all be enough to keep him in here as our patient for at least the next 6 days, maybe a bit longer. I will leave it to you gentlemen to figure out how you are going to handle the inevitable breach of hospital regulations on visiting hours, smuggling in food and generally disrupting our staff. I have another surgery to prepare for."

He turned, then looked back when Larabee spoke again.

"Thanks Doc. We'll try to keep the chaos to a minimum."

Accepting that the sentiment was true and well intentioned while knowing it was also unlikely to happen, he simply nodded his appreciation of the comment and moved on.

TBC

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