As Chris made his way up the stairs, he couldn't help thinking Ezra was up to something. There was just something about that innocent look he'd had when he agreed not call Vin. He had to remind himself that this was different. Sure, before the accident Ezra might have been up to something but now…?
He went into the bathroom, shut the door, and turned on the shower. While he was waiting for the water to warm up, he stripped off his pajamas and tossed them in the hamper. By then, the water had already warmed up. Thankfully, enough time had gone by since Ezra had showered for the water heater to refill. One thing that hadn't changed was Ezra's enjoyment of long, hot showers.
Climbing into the shower, Chris began to mechanically wash and shave. As he did, he thought about the odd turn his life had taken. When he'd agreed to be Ezra's power of attorney, he'd never thought the "in the event Ezra was ever incapacitated" would happen. It had certainly never occurred to him that he'd find himself guardian to his 33, almost 34-year-old friend who wasn't able to think or act older than a seven-year-old. He'd had a shocking moment of clarity between the time Ezra woke him that morning and when he went downstairs that this is what their life would be like from now on. Ezra would perpetually be no more than a child that he was surrogate father to.
As shocking as the moment of clarity had been, Chris also knew if given the chance to go back, armed with the knowledge he now had, to the day Ezra asked him to be his power of attorney, he'd still say yes. As hard as the last few months had been since Ezra had woken from the coma, he was glad that he was able to be there for his friend offering him the support and care he needed.
He was just turning off the water and climbing out of the shower when there was a pounding on the bathroom door and Ezra frantically calling his name. Rapidly wrapping the towel around his waist, he pulled the door open. "What? What's wrong? What happened?" he asked. Ezra's face was almost as white as snow.
"I know you said not to, but I did, and now you're gonna be mad, and I don't want you to be mad and he's gonna be mad, too...but I wanted to be sure, and I thought it would ok to help, but it was wrong...and I'm sorry," Ezra babbled faster than Chris could make out.
Chris held up a hand to stop the flow of words. "Hang on. Slow down and breathe." He grasped Ezra gently by the arms and pulled him into the bathroom and sat him on the closed lid of the toilet. He was afraid if he went on the way he was, it would trigger a seizure. "Just sit down and let's get you calm."
He grabbed the cup off the counter and filled it with water from the tap. When he turned back to hand it to Ezra, it didn't surprise him that Harris had followed the younger man in and was now sitting beside him with his muzzle resting on his knees as Ezra was petting his head. He handed the cup of water to Ezra and told him to sip it slowly.
"Ok," Chris said once Ezra had drunk half of the water. "Start at the beginning and slowly tell me what's wrong. Slowly," he reminded as he nudged Harris out of the way and squatted down in front of his friend.
"I was bad," Ezra said softly. "You told me not to call Mr. Vin, but I did." His head came up and a briefly defiant look came to his face. "I just wanted to help him remember. You said sometimes people forget things."
"You called Vin," Chris clarified and received a quick nod. He wasn't sure if he should be proud that Ezra had made the call on his own or irritated that he'd done it after being told not to. He settled for relief that it had only been that and not the house burning down. "Ok. You did something that I asked you not to do, but I'm not going to get mad at you for it. I am a little disappointed that you didn't listen. If I ask you not to do something, it's because I have a reason. If you think I'm wrong or don't understand why I'm asking you not to, you should talk with me about it. Understand?"
Again, Ezra nodded shallowly. "You're not mad?" he asked in a small voice.
"I'm not, but next time, you'll talk with me, right?"
"I will," Ezra promised. "But what about him? Is he going to be mad?"
"I'm not sure who you're talking about. Are you worried that Vin's going to be mad? Did he say he was?"
"No. Mr. Vin and I talked about cereal. He likes Coco Puffs."
"Um…ok." Chris was confused about how breakfast cereal fit into the discussion, but let it go. He was about to again ask who Ezra was worried about being angry when it came to him. "Santa? Are you worried Santa's going to be mad at you?"
"I wasn't good," Ezra said with a nod. "He won't come if you're not good."
Chris let out a little sigh. "He's not going to be mad, Ezra. You told the truth and you apologized. Both of those are very good." He grasped Ezra again by the arms and gave him a little shake. "You are good. I don't want you to ever think you're not. You hear me."
"Uh huh…'cause then you'll be mad."
"No, Ezra," Chris said in the most serious voice had. "I won't be mad. I'd just be very, very sad."
"I don't want you to be sad, Mr. Chris." Ezra threw his arms around Chris's neck huggpng him tightly. "Please don't be sad."
Chris wrapped his arms around Ezra and patted his back. "If you come and talk with me when you don't understand something, and you never call yourself bad, I won't be sad. That's a promise." Chris patted him one more time then straightened up. "There anything else you want to tell me, or you're worried about," he asked as they made eye contact.
"No," Ezra said as he looked at his hands and the sleeves of his bathroom. "You're wet, Mr. Chris."
Chris let out a laugh. "That's usually what happens when you get out of the shower, and you don't dry off."
Ezra nodded, then pointed out, "Your towel fell on the floor."
As Ezra spoke, Chris realized he was feeling a bit of a draft and glanced down quickly. "Crap," he muttered as he shook his head slightly. If anyone had told him he'd be in his bathroom wet, naked, and squatting in front of one of his friend's assuring him Santa was not mad at him, he would have told the person he was insane. Now, it just seemed a part of life. He snatched up the towel and wrapped it around his waist again as he stood. "Why don't you wait for me in your room. I'll come and help you figure out what to wear as soon as I'm done in here."
"Ok," Ezra agreed as he got up and left the bathroom.
Chris waited for the dog to follow but he only tilted his head and stared a Chris. "You waiting for an engraved invitation?" he asked the dog only to receive a soft 'woof' in return. "Go on. Go keep him company," he said as he bent down to give Harris a quick pat. The dog 'woofed' again then trotted off after Ezra.
M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7
At precisely 8:45 am, Chris and Ezra were out the door and on their way to the mall. Chris had spent a good amount of time dissuading Ezra from wearing one of the suits he used to wear to the office. Every time he talked him out one, Ezra had pulled another from the closet. Chris had started wishing that he'd donated the clothing or put it into storage as he'd first considered doing. It was only because Ezra had become so enamored of them when he saw them in the closet at his condo that they'd made their way to the closet at Chris's ranch. Going through the selection of them, though, had them almost leaving the house later than Chris had planned despite the extra early start they'd gotten on the day.
"You're sure this is ok?" Ezra asked as he plucked at the knee of the jeans he had on. Chris had finally talked him into the jeans and chunky knit turtle-neck sweater in a deep plum color.
"Trust me. It's perfect," Chris assured him as he started the Explorer. He knew from an off-hand comment Ezra had once made about the sweater that it had been a gift from his mother…and was expensive. He was tempted to assuage Ezra's uncertainty about the clothing choices by telling him his mother had picked the sweater out for him but stopped himself. Mention of Maude Standish and her continued absence usually resulted in Ezra being upset. He didn't want to take the risk of ruining the outing to see Santa Claus.
"I trust you, Mr. Chris." Ezra lapsed into silence and started wrapping Floppy's ear around his finger. The action didn't go unnoticed by Chris.
"What's up? You still worried about calling Vin?"
"No. You said Santa won't be mad at me. I just…" Ezra let out a deep sigh and shrugged.
"C'mon," Chris prompted. "I can't help what's worrying you if you won't share it with me."
Chris's prompt was greeted by silence for a moment before Ezra finally whispered, "My head's hurting a little bit."
"You should have told me. I could have given you the medicine for it."
"But then I get sleepy, and the other medicine already makes me feel funny."
"I know you don't like the Dilantin, but you need to take it, so you don't have any more seizures." Chris had found it best to treat Ezra's continuing headaches as soon as they came on. That usually prevented them from escalating. The drawback was how drowsy the medication made Ezra. Coupled with the Dilantin, it could have him down and out for half a day, sometimes. As important as the Santa visit had become to Ezra, Chris could understand his reluctance to say anything. "I've got your medicine with me. As soon as you see Santa, you're going to take it, but if that headache gets the tiniest bit worse before then, you tell me, and you'll take it then."
"But what about later. We were going to decorate the tree."
"We'll worry about later, later." Chris glanced quickly over to Ezra. "And don't try to hide if it gets worse. I don't want you to be hurting."
"I won't," Ezra agreed.
"Ok." Chris didn't want to push anymore knowing that would only serve to make Ezra more anxious which would only make the headache worse. The last thing he wanted to do was cause him any pain. "So, do you know what you're going to ask Santa for?" He'd looked at the letter Ezra had written with Nettie's help, but it didn't hurt to find out if there was anything unexpected.
"Uh huh. Um…some more coloring books and puzzles and Legos so I can build things." Ezra turned as much in the seat as his seatbelt would let him. "Miss Nettie showed me where you can look at Legos on the internet computer. There's all kinds of car ones, but there isn't one that looks like mine."
Chris smiled at Ezra's excitement. So far, everything he'd listed, he knew about, and if he weren't going to get it, one of the others would. He'd even managed to find, with JD's help, someone who could put together a custom Lego set of a Jaguar XJS similar to Ezra's. Chris's intent had been to sell the Jag, but the first time Ezra saw it, he was completely taken with it. He hadn't had the heart to sell it after that and it was now in his garage. Every once in a while, he'd take Ezra for a ride in it and his face would light up. The destination didn't matter, just riding in the sports car.
Legos had become a favorite for Ezra and it was a hobby Chris was happy to indulge. Not only did give Ezra another outlet for his creativity, but it was also helping him with ability to manipulate small objects and follow directions.
"Anything else you're going to ask for?"
"Uh huh," Ezra said with a nod of his head. "Some chew toys for Harris and some hay for Ace. Do you want me to ask him to bring something for you, Mr. Chris?"
Chris smiled at Ezra. "No, Kiddo. I've got everything I need."
Ezra's brow furrowed in confusion, but he took Chris at his word. "Ok. Can I still go shopping afterwards with Mr. Vin to get a present for you?"
"As long as your headache's not worse, I don't see why not."
A few minutes later, they were pulling into the mall parking lot. Since it was just opening time, there weren't very many cars in the lot. Chris quickly located where Vin had parked and pulled in next to him. As soon as the Explorer was stopped, Vin got out of his Jeep and pulled open Ezra's door. "Hey Pard! You ready for your big day."
"I am and Mr. Chris said you and I can go shopping afterwards." Ezra handed Floppy to Vin and started to undo his seatbelt. "I can do it by myself now," he said in pride once the seatbelt had opened. "I practiced a lot and Mr. Chris helped me learn."
"That's awesome," Vin praised. He handed Ezra back his stuffed bunny once he was out of the Explorer.
"Ok," Chris said coming around to where Ezra was. "You stick close to Vin or me." He glanced in the direction of the mall and tried to hide his distaste for it. "It's not crowded now, but it will be soon enough."
"Should I hold your hand," Ezra asked holding his out to Chris. "I don't want you to get lost." There was none of the sarcasm that would have been present in the question a year ago.
Chris took Ezra's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before letting go. "That's ok. Just stick close to us and no one will get lost." He led the way into the mall, stopping to consult the mall director to find out where the mall offices were since Casey had told JD that's where they'd be going. Fortunately, it was close to the entrance they'd come in.
Even though the mall had barely opened for the day, already there were shoppers scurrying back and forth. Chris knew as the day wore on the number of shoppers would only climb. He hoped they'd be long gone before then.
He turned to point them in the direction they needed to go when he caught the look of wonder on Ezra's face as he looked around at all the Christmas decorations. For that moment, his usual distaste for the shopping mall faded away as he allowed himself to see it the way Ezra was seeing it...as some type of enchanted world festooned in garlands and lights. "Kinda nice, isn't it?"
"Uh huh," Ezra agreed without taking his eyes of the sparkling lights in the overhead garlands. "Will we have lights like that," he asked as he finally looked down and at Chris.
"Not quite like that, but we'll have lights." He pointed in the direction they had to go. "C'mon. We don't want to be late."
It was only a short walk to the mall office. Once Chris had checked them in, he was told it would be a few minutes. "Why don't you give me your coat and I can hold Floppy for you."
Ezra took off his coat and handed it to Chris but kept a hold of Floppy. "I want to show him to Santa. Is that ok?"
"Sure," Chris assured him. "Your head's not worse is it."
"Nope," Ezra answered while tracing an 'x' over his chest.
A few minutes later they were brought to the room used for Santa visits. Like the rest of the mall, it had been transformed into an enchanted winter wonderland. In the middle of the room, Santa sat in an ornate chair. "Is this my friend, Ezra?" he asked in a deep voice.
Chris saw Ezra's eyes go wide. "He knows me," he whispered.
"Of course he does," Chris said with a smile. "Go on and talk with him."
"Ok." Shyly, Ezra approached Santa who'd gotten up from the chair. "Hi," he said in a voice just above a whisper. He glanced back at Chris who nodded his encouragement.
Chris and Vin stayed back as Santa took Ezra by the hand and guided him to an ottoman that was by his chair. He marveled at how at ease Santa made Ezra and that he didn't let on in the slightest how odd it was for an adult to completely believe.
The visit lasted nearly fifteen minutes. Ezra's shyness had quickly given way to excitement as he'd told Santa about the progress he'd made in the last couple of months and told him what he wanted for Christmas. Vin had pulled out his phone during the visit and snapped off a few pictures, something Chris hadn't even thought about doing. He was grateful for Vin's thoughtfulness, especially when Ezra handed Santa Floppy and the three of them posed for Vin.
When the visit was over, Santa gave Ezra a Christmas themed coloring book, and some candy canes. "Look, Mr. Chris," Ezra excitedly said before spontaneously hugging Santa. In that moment, Chris didn't care that they were in a shopping mall at Christmas, and it was likely to be crowded when they left. He didn't care about the early wake up call. All he cared about was that someone else had seen fit to make Ezra feel happy and welcomed no matter what his limitations were. And that, he thought, was truly the best Christmas gift he'd be getting this year.
When they left the room and entered back into the mall proper, Ezra was chattering excitedly. "Look, Santa gave me a candy cane for you and Mr. Vin, too and there's even one for Floppy even though he can't eat. And he said I was good because I told the truth about calling Mr. Vin and he wasn't mad at me. He's really, really nice."
"He sure is," Chris agreed wrapping an arm around Ezra's shoulder and giving him a little squeeze.
"Can me and Mr. Vin still go shopping now?"
Chris looked around at the more crowded mall. In the brief time they'd been in with Santa, the amount of people in mall had doubled or more. "You sure you still want to do this," he asked Vin. "I know shopping malls…especially crowded ones at Christmas…aren't really you're thing."
Vin shrugged. "I made a promise to Ez, and I'm gonna keep it."
"Ok," Chris agreed dubiously then checked the time on his phone. "How about I meet the two of you back here in an hour? That enough time?"
"Why don't you go home. I can drive Ez out to the ranch when we're done," Vin countered.
Chris thought about the offer for a moment then nodded. "That's ok with me. That ok with you, Ezra?"
"Yeah. Me and Mr. Vin will have fun."
"Ok," Chris agreed as he handed Ezra's coat to Vin. "How about your give me the candy, coloring books and Floppy and I'll take them home for you." A frown came to Ezra's face at the suggestion and Chris knew exactly why. "Hey, you don't want to lose Floppy, do you? This way he'll be safe at home waiting for you. It'll only be for a little while."
Reluctantly, Ezra handed over Floppy and then the gifts from Santa. "Ok," he agreed, then held his left arm out to Chris. "Can you show me how long Floppy'll be by himself?"
"I can't tell you how long exactly, but I can guess." Again, Chris checked the time then mentally estimated how long it might take Vin and Ezra to do their shopping and drive back to the ranch. "I figure you should be back home around noon...sound about right, Vin."
Vin nodded. "Yeah. Sounds good to me."
"Ok. Do you remember what I told you noon looks like on a clock with hands?" Chris prompted. Telling time was one of the skills they'd been working on. Ezra was doing remarkably well with digital clocks but was still having a lot of trouble with analog.
"Um...both hands have to be on the twelve, right?"
"That's right," Chris praised with a smile. "But where are they now?"
"The they're both sort of on the ten."
Again, Chris praised him for getting it right. "That means it's almost ten so the big hand will have to go around two more times…that's about one Indiana Jones movie. You think you'll be ok that long."
"I guess so," Ezra said with a sigh then reached for Floppy. "I better give Floppy a hug, though, so he doesn't miss me too much."
After hugging the bunny, Ezra handed it back to Chris who pulled him in for a hug. "Hey, I don't want to miss you too much," he said with a smile. "Now you be good and do what Vin tells you to do...and have fun." He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Vin. "If there's not enough in there to cover what he wants to get, let me know and I'll get you the difference...but don't let him go crazy."
Vin took the envelope and slipped it in his pocket. "We'll try not to go too crazy. See you in a couple of hours."
Chris watched the two walk off and shook his head slightly. He'd always called them his trouble magnets when Ezra was still on Team Seven. He hoped that didn't hold true, but if they did manage to find trouble, hoped it wouldn't be too bad.