"Damn," Chris muttered as he got out of the Explorer at the ranch. It was only then that he remembered that he hadn't given Ezra medication for the headache as he'd intended. He could drive back to the mall, find where he and Vin were and give it to him, but it was just as likely that by the time he got there, Ezra and Vin could have finished their shopping and left.

Ezra hadn't looked any worse after meeting with Santa, which is probably why Chris had forgotten to give him the medication. The only thing he could do now was hope that it didn't get any worse before Vin got him home.

As he walked in the front door, he noticed how quiet the house was. He realized that since Ezra had been released from the hospital, this was the first time he was in the house alone. Since that day, he'd either been taking care of Ezra or working. After hanging up his coat, he sat on the couch listening to the quiet. This was what his life had been like before Ezra's accident.

Within a few moments, the quiet of the house started to grate on his nerves. He reached over and picked up Ezra's stuffed bunny from where he'd dropped it on the couch next to him. He tugged on one ear as he realized that as much as he wished Ezra had never been hurt, he'd also grown to enjoy having him in his life as he currently was. It felt good to be needed again...to once again have someone waiting for him when he came home at night. It wasn't so much that Ezra had replaced Sara and Adam, but he'd helped to fill the hole that had been ripped open in him. Ezra, along with the rest of Team Seven, had given him the chance to have a family again.

After another minute or two, he got up from the couch. He may have found the quiet of house annoying right now, but he knew by this evening he'd be longing for a little peace and quiet if the past was any indication of how the rest of the day would go.

He expected the others to start arriving early afternoon. Even though he'd made sure to do a grocery run two days ago, it would probably be a good idea to make sure there was plenty for everyone to eat. He could probably make another grocery run and be back before Vin and Ezra came home.

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"So, what were you thinking to get Chris?" Vin asked as he slung a companionable arm around Ezra's shoulders and started steering him through the mall.

"A clock that he can wear since he gave me his," Ezra quickly answered. "Is there enough money for that?"

Vin pulled out the envelope and took a quick look inside and saw five twenties. Depending on what kind of watch Ezra picked out, he knew it could end up not being enough. He had a feeling Chris wouldn't be too happy if he let Ezra go over the $100. Still, looking at the hopeful look on Ezra's face, he couldn't deny him. "I tell you what. If it's not enough, I'll spot you the difference and you can pay me back. Sound good?"

Ezra eagerly nodded. "Where do we buy one."

Spotting a mall directory, Vin led Ezra over to it. "The best place would be a jeweler." He scanned the list of stores and found several. He looked for the one on the floor plan located closest to them reasoning that one would be as good as another. He pointed to it on the floor plan. "There's one right here." He briefly looked around to orient himself then pointed in the direction they had to go. "It should be right up there."

Once they were in the jeweler's, it was as if they passed into an oasis of silence where the general hubbub of the mall didn't make it a foot past the door. The man behind the counter immediately looked up at their entrance and asked if he could help them. Vin gave Ezra a gentle nudge wanting him to lead the way.

"I want to get a clock that Mr. Chris can wear on his wrist. I'm going to give it to him for Christmas," Ezra said. Although he showed some hesitation, he also had a wide smile on his face. "Mr. Chris takes really good care of me."

The man behind the counter looked Ezra up and down, sizing him up. Vin got the impression he found him lacking. "Do you mean a watch?" he asked snidely. Vin was instantly on guard. So far, Ezra hadn't encountered anyone who looked down on him because of his disability. Vin was afraid that was all about to change.

"Is that like a clock?" Ezra asked hesitantly as the smile disappeared from his face.

"Yeah, Ez. It is." Vin assured him. "Can you point us to your men's watches," he asked the man.

This time it was Vin that was looked up and down. It seemed he came up lacking as well. "I'm not sure we'll have what you're looking for here. Perhaps the department store at the other end of the mall would be a better fit for you...gentlemen."

Vin was about ready to tell the man what he could do with his judgmental looks and tone when the other salesperson hurried over to them. "Maybe I can help these gentlemen, Mr. Fredericks," she said with a quick smile. Fredericks merely harumphed and walked away.

"My name's Sheila," the woman said. "How can I help you gentlemen?"

"I don't think he like us," Ezra said in a loud whisper.

"Feeling's mutual," Vin murmured back. Louder he said, "We were interested in looking at some men's watches. Ezra here wants to pick one out as a gift.

"Of course," Sheila said with a smile. "Right this way." She led them over to a case with a variety of watches. "Is there a price limit you're looking to stay under." Even though she'd figured out Ezra had a cognitive disability, she still directed the question at the two of them not leaving him out of the decision process.

Knowing that he should say anything under $100, Vin realized that would probably severely limit what Ezra could choose from. "Um, if we could keep it to under $200," he decided. As he'd already told Ezra, he'd spot him the difference.

"Of course." Sheila pulled out several trays of watches and placed them on the counter.

"See one you like," Vin asked Ezra.

"I don't know." Ezra shrugged as he looked at the watches. His hand hovered over them but then he pulled it back without touching. "There's so many different kinds. Should I get Mr. Chris one like he gave me?"

"I think you should get him one you think he'll like."

"What kind of watch did he give you," Sheila asked to see if she could recommend something.

Ezra pulled up his sleeve and held his arm out to her to show her the watch. "Mr. Chris gave me his clock so I know how long he'll be gone. He said me and Mr. Vin should be done shopping and get home by noon. That's when both hands are on the twelve, but right now the little one is on the ten and the big one's on the three." He pointed to the watch as he explained. "I forget what time that mean's it is," he confessed sadly.

"That's mean's it's ten fifteen," Sheila explained with a smile. "I bet you know what time it'll be when that big hand gets to the six."

"Um...ten thirty," Ezra answered. "Mr. Chris said the six means thirty."

"That's right," Sheila agreed. While they'd discussed the time, she'd carefully inspected the watch to see what kind it was. The band was black leather and the watch face was a silvery white with gold hands and numbers. 'Bulova' was inscribed just below the twelve. "Why don't you look at these and I just need to talk to you friend for a moment." She gestured for Vin to join her a little way away from Ezra.

"I take it if he wants to get the same watch, it's a bit more than $200.," Vin guessed.

"A bit. That particular Bulova watch isn't available anymore. A comparable one is about $600 - $700."

Vin let out a low whistle. "Chris'd have my hide if I let him spend that much." He looked over to where Ezra was still looking at the watches on the trays Sheila had pulled out. "Don't worry. I'll take care of this." He moved back over to Ezra and put a hand on his shoulder. "You know, I think you should get one you really like and think Chris would like instead of getting him the same one. That'll make it special from you."

"Ok." Ezra tentatively pointed to one of the watches on the tray. It had a stainless-steel band, and a blue watch face with silver numbers and hands. "I like this one. Is it too much?"

Sheila picked the watch up from the tray so she could see the small tag hanging from it. "It's $139," she told the two men.

"Is that ok, Mr. Vin?"

"It's a little bit more than you have right now, but don't worry. I can make up the difference for you if you really like that one."

"I do. It's blue like the sky."

"It sure is." Vin nodded to Sheila. "We'll take that one."

"Perfect." Sheila smiled at Ezra. "I think your Mr. Chris will like this one a lot. Do you want anything engraved on the back of it?"

Not knowing what Sheila meant, Ezra looked to Vin for guidance.

"Engraved means you can have them write something on the back of it like Merry Christmas or something like that."

"Oh. Can it say 'Thank you for taking care of me. I love you lots and Merry Christmas."

"Hmmm...that might be a lot to put on the back," Sheila said. "How about, 'Thank you for taking care of me, love..." she trailed off with her eyebrows up prompting for a name.

"Ezra," Vin quickly supplied.

"Love, Ezra," Sheila finished. "And then we can put the date under it. Does that sound good?"

"I like that," Ezra said.

"Let me just get an order pad and we can write this up."

It only took a few minutes for Sheila to write out the order and put it through. Vin gave his credit card to pay for it, again assuring Ezra that it was ok that he went a little over.

"It'll be ready for pick up on December 20th," Sheila told them as she handed Vin the receipt.

"Is that enough time," Ezra asked worriedly. "How come we can't take it home today."

"We need to send it out so it can be engraved," Sheila explained. "Don't worry. You'll have it nearly a full week before Christmas. "That's plenty of time."

"It's ok," Vin assured seeing Ezra was still uncertain of the time frame. "I'll pick it up for you when it's ready and you'll have plenty of time to wrap it and put it under the tree for Chris."

Getting Vin's assurance, Ezra let out a sigh of relief. Although Sheila had been nice to him, she was still a stranger. The reassurance from a friend meant more to him. "Ok, Mr. Vin."

"Is there anything else I can help you gentlemen with?" Sheila asked.

"I think we're all set.," Vin said with a nod.

"Thank you for helping me," Ezra said.

"It was my pleasure. If there's anything else I can do, you just let me know."

"Thank you, ma'am." Vin gestured asking Sheila to wait a moment. "Hey, Ez. Can you wait for me by the door? I'll be there in just a second." Once Ezra was out of earshot, Vin turned back to Sheila. "I just wanted to thank you for not treating him different and helping him out. It's been a tough couple of months for him and that other fella..."

"Jim doesn't always have the best people skills. Your friend seems very sweet," Sheila said. "It was my pleasure to help him."

"Thanks again," Vin said with a nod then turned to meet Ezra by the door. "You ready to go, Pard, or do you want to do some more shopping?"

Ezra looked out at the mall and the building crowds. "Can we go home now, Mr. Vin." He rubbed his head and sighed. "My head's starting to hurt again and there's a lot of people."

"Damn. Chris was supposed to give you your medicine. He must have forgotten."

"It's ok. Really," Ezra said afraid that Vin was going to get angry with him.

Vin took a good look at his friend noticing the signs that he wasn't feeling well. His face was pale and drawn and there was a little furrow between his eyes. Even before the accident, that was always a classic sign that Ezra had a headache. Vin couldn't believe how poorly he looked but then realized that, just like before the accident, Ezra was still proficient in hiding how he was feeling until after he'd finished whatever it was he'd set out to do. Once more he slung a companionable arm around his shoulders. "C'mon. Let's get you home."

When they reached the exit of the mall, Vin pulled Ezra out of the way of the shoppers going back and forth and handed him his coat. He waited patiently as Ezra pulled it on and then tried to zip it but noticed how his hands were shaking making the task impossible for him. After three attempts, he gave up. "I can't do it, Mr. Vin," he said sadly. "My hands don't want to work."

"It's ok. I'll get it for you." He quickly pulled up the zipper then patted Ezra lightly on the shoulder. "You got your hat and gloves? Don't want you getting chilly."

Ezra reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of mittens as well as a knit hat. "Miss Nettie gave me a pair of mittens 'cause I have trouble getting my fingers in the right holes."

"Even better. They'll keep your hands really warm." Once the hat and mittens were on, Vin again put his arm around Ezra's shoulders and led him out of the mall. Since they'd gotten there before the official opening of mall, he was parked close by, and it wasn't a long walk.

As Ezra climbed into the passenger side of the Jeep, Vin wished that he were doing so while grumbling about having to get into the 'rolling deathtrap' as he'd often called it. Instead, he was quiet as he got in and then tried to get seatbelt to snap. "How about I give you hand," Vin offered.

"Yes, please," Ezra whispered as he pulled his hands away from the buckle.

"I'll have you home in a jiff," Vin assured once the seatbelt was in place. It saddened him that after such a happy and joyful morning, Ezra was wilting before his eyes, a pale shadow of the excited man he'd been just a couple of hours ago.

Ezra gave a little nod. "I did have fun, Mr. Vin."

"I know you did, Pard." Vin closed the door and went around to get in the driver's side. He gave a quick look over to Ezra who was now sitting with his eyes closed and slumped over toward the door slightly. He let out a little sigh and started the engine. Hopefully, once he was home and had taken something for the headache, Ezra would start feeling better quickly.

They were about halfway to Chris's when Ezra roused and sat up straighter. "My stomach doesn't feel good, Mr. Vin," he said in alarm.

"You need me to stop?" Vin asked trying to hide any alarm he was feeling. As he glanced over, he saw Ezra with a hand over his mouth and took that for an answer. They were just going by a gas station, so he pulled in there. Another look at Ezra and he knew he'd never get him out in time.

Reaching in back, he found a discarded fast-food bag. He got it in front of Ezra just in time as he started vomiting. "It's ok," he said soothingly as he held the bag with one hand and rubbed his friend's back with the other.

Eventually, the vomiting stopped, and Ezra slumped back. "All done?" Vin asked then waited for a nod. "Ok. I'm just going to put this in the trash," he said as he gestured to a trashcan a short distance from where they were stopped. "You just sit tight."

Once Vin had disposed of the bag and got back in the Jeep, he looked around in the back seat again. Finding a plastic bag he'd tossed back there, he handed it to Ezra. "Just in case your stomach decides it's not done...but you let me know if you start feeling that way again."

Ezra accepted the bag and held it crumpled in his hand. "I'm sorry, Mr. Vin. I don't feel good."

"Nothing to apologize for." Vin started the Jeep and pulled out of the gas station. "That must be a pretty bad headache."

"No," Ezra replied with a headshake. "It just hurts a little bit. I just don't feel good."

Reaching across the small distance separating them, Vin briefly lay his hand on Ezra's cheek. "You do feel a little warm. Maybe you're coming down with something."

"Please don't tell Mr. Chris," Ezra begged. "I'll be better before we get home. I promise."

"If you're sick, Chris needs to know." Vin looked briefly over to Ezra. The glance was enough for him to see his friend nervously twisting his fingers in his lap and the sad look on his face. "Aw, don't look so sad, Ez. We can't hide this from Chris."

"But then he'll call everyone else, and we won't be able to decorate the tree. Please, Mr. Vin."

Vin pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He felt like he was caught between a rock and hard place. There was no question Chris needed to know if Ezra was sick, but he also didn't want to be the one who caused Ezra's disappointment. "I'm sorry, Ez. We do need to tell Chris. I'll try to get him to agree to let the others still come over but you have promise to lay down on the couch and let Nathan take a look at you. That's all I can promise you, though."

"Ok," Ezra agreed after a sigh of his own.

The rest of the drive was made in silence. Thankfully, there was no repeat of the nausea and vomiting and Ezra seemed to drift off into a doze. Fifteen minutes later they were pulling into the driveway. Vin pulled the key from the ignition and leaned across shaking Ezra's knee lightly. "Hey, we're here."

Ezra straightened up. "Home?" he asked as he looked around groggily.

"Yeah. You're home. You stay put and I'll give you a hand getting out." Vin waited until Ezra nodded before getting out of the Jeep and going around to the passenger side. He pulled the door open and reached in to release the seatbelt when he noticed that Ezra hadn't done it himself. As he pulled back, he took another good look at his friend's face. If it were possible, it had even less color than it did in the mall except now his cheeks were also flushed. "C'mon," he said taking Ezra by the arm and helping him from the Jeep. He guided him onto the front porch. He tried the doorknob before ringing the bell and found it unlocked. He had to admit to himself that he was relieved that he could turn responsibility over to Chris and hoped whatever it was that had Ezra feeling poorly would pass quickly.

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Author's note: Second Childhood is going to take a bit of a short hiatus. I want to get back to working on Lost Time and get that finished up. It should be long before I'll be back to this. Thanks for understanding.