Silent Memories
by Violette
Part 2
"Damn! No wonder he's always late," Buck remarked. "Man sleeps like the dead."
"No kidding," Chris said, looking at his undercover agent, who was still sound asleep despite their loud attempts to wake him.
"Those painkillers are pretty strong, Chris," Nathan said. "He'll probably be out of it for a while."
"I thought we were supposed to wake him to check on the concussion?" Chris said doubtfully.
"Give him a couple more hours," Nathan suggested. "The pills should have worn off by then. Heck, the pain'll probably wake him up."
"That bad?" Chris asked, eyeing the man in the bed with concern.
"Burns hurt like hell, even the minor ones," Nathan said with a shrug.
"Shit, that means he's gonna be more ornery than usual," Buck said, looking at Ezra with a mixture of sympathy and frustration. He hated seeing his friends in pain.
"Probably not," Vin said, coming up behind them. "The more it hurts, the less he complains."
"What are you doing out of bed?" Nathan demanded, glowering at the sharpshooter, who had been released several hours after Chris had left the hospital with Ezra. The doctors had wanted to keep him there for another day or two, but he had put up such a fuss that the rest of the team had secured his release and brought him out to Larabee's ranch. None of the men wanted to admit it, but they needed to be together to reassure themselves that their family was still intact.
"I'm fine, Nate," Vin said crossly. "Had to go to the bathroom. Wanted to check on Ez."
"He's still sleepin'," Buck said, moving aside so that Vin could see him.
Vin grimaced at the sight of all the bandages on his friend. "Damn, he's wrapped up like a mummy."
"He'll be fine," Nathan assured him. "Come on. Let's get you back to bed."
"M'hungry," Vin said, shrugging out of Nathan's grasp.
"You sure?" Chris asked doubtfully. "You were puking your guts out all night."
Vin's stomach rumbled, as if in answer to the question. The sharpshooter flushed in embarrassment while the other three men laughed.
"Guess that answers your question," Buck said. "Let's get Junior somethin' to eat."
"Something light," Nathan insisted. "His stomach ain't up to heavy foods yet."
The four agents moved into the kitchen to make breakfast.
"Buck, you'd best get the others up," Chris said. "We still have to get to work this morning."
Buck nodded and headed for the living room. Josiah was still snoring on the couch, while JD was curled up on the floor in front of the fireplace. "Rise and shine, boys," Buck bellowed, nudging JD with his foot.
JD groaned and rolled over, blinking sleepily at his roommate.
"Get movin', kid," Buck said cheerily. "Breakfast is gonna be ready soon."
Mumbling incoherently, JD slowly stood and shuffled toward the bathroom in his stocking feet.
Chuckling, Buck turned to Josiah, who cracked an eye open and looked up at him. "Brother, your face is not what I hoped to see upon awakening."
Buck laughed. "Have a good dream?"
"Yes," Josiah growled. "And you sure as hell weren't in it." The big man pushed himself to his feet, ignoring his laughing teammate as he lumbered off toward the second bathroom.
"That's only coffee, Vin," Chris pointed out, taking in the blissful smile on his friend's face as he gripped the mug in his hand.
"You'd think it was a beautiful woman, the way he's lookin' at it." Buck said as he took a seat at the table.
"This is almost as good," Vin said with a happy sigh.
Buck snorted. "You really need to work on your social life, boy."
"How's Ez doin'?" JD asked as he entered the kitchen, his hair still wet from the shower.
"Still sleeping," Chris said.
"Yeah, he needs his rest," JD said, grabbing a plate and spooning some eggs from the pan on the stove. "I'm just glad he wasn't hurt any worse."
"Man has more lives than a cat," Buck said.
"He's very lucky," Nathan said. "I saw what was left of Pollard and his men." He shuddered. "Wasn't a pretty sight. Ez would'a been just as bad, if those empty boxes that fell on him hadn't been treated with flame retardant."
"Is there any word on what exactly caused the explosion?" JD asked between mouthfuls of food.
Chris shrugged. "They were still investigating last night. I expect we'll hear something today."
"Might have been an accident," JD offered. "Gas leak or something."
"I hope so," Chris said.
"Why?" Nathan looked at him, confused.
"If it wasn't an accident, then someone was targeting either us or Pollard," Chris explained. "Neither possibility makes me feel warm and fuzzy."
"Shit," Buck said with a sigh. "Last thing we need is a war between weapons dealers."
"Or someone out to kill us," Vin added.
Ezra woke slowly and the first thing that registered was pain. His entire body ached and it felt as though someone was peeling the skin from his arms and face. With a groan, he rolled to his side and attempted to sit without using his hands. It was difficult, and his ribs and back complained loudly at the effort, but he eventually eased himself up. Standing slowly, he headed immediately to the bathroom and the bottle of pain pills that sat on the counter.
He looked in the mirror as he moved to the sink and stopped short at what he saw. His face and neck were swathed in a patchwork of bandages, and what skin was visible was red and blistered. Carefully, Ezra ran his bandaged finger over his face, prodding gently at the wrappings. The resulting pain was enough to make him reach for the pills without hesitation. This was one instance where he wasn't going to have any problem following his doctor's orders. He was fumbling with the lid when Josiah opened the door.
"Ezra? Are you all right?" He had pushed the door open and poked his head inside when Ezra didn't answer his knocks.
Ezra turned to him, stifling his surprise at the man's presence. "Mr. Sanchez. I see you have won invalid duty today."
Josiah chuckled. "Nathan will be relieving me at noon." He took the bottle from Ezra's bandaged hand. "Here, let me get that." He shook out a pill and handed it to Ezra, then filled a glass of water.
Ezra nodded gratefully and quickly swallowed the pill.
"Do you need some help getting dressed?"
Ezra looked at his gauze-wrapped hands and frowned. He hadn't thought about how limiting his injuries were going to be. He hated to be dependent on anybody, especially these men. "I believe I can manage."
Josiah eyed him skeptically, but knew better than to argue with his stubborn friend. "Okay, just yell if you need anything."
Ezra simply nodded in reply.
After Josiah had left, Ezra fumbled through the bag of clothing his teammates had packed for him, smiling when he found some sweatpants and t-shirts. He could manage those easily enough with his wrapped and clumsy hands. He looked at the sneakers next to the bag and frowned. Shoes were going to be a problem, though. With a sigh, he slipped into the clothing, leaving the shoes where they were. Socks would be enough while he was inside the house.
"Hey, Ez," Vin greeted him as he stepped into the living room.
"Mr. Tanner," Ezra said, sitting gingerly in the chair across from the sharpshooter. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Vin said. "How about you?"
"I am fine," Ezra said.
"Bull," Vin said with a snort. "You look like hell and I know them burns gotta hurt."
Ezra shrugged delicately. "I have had worse."
Vin rolled his eyes. "From what I hear, you're lucky not to be worse."
"So I've been told."
"Pollard and his boys weren't nearly so lucky," Vin continued. "Ended up extra crispy."
Ezra winced at the image. "I'm glad I did not have to witness that."
"Witness it, hell," Josiah said, dropping onto the couch next to Vin. "You almost ended up joining them."
"I suppose I ought to be thankful to Lady Fortune for smiling upon me," Ezra said, surprised at the depth of concern in the two men's faces.
"You got that right," Vin said.
Sensing a need to change the subject, Josiah leaned forward. "You hungry?"
"Not particularly," Ezra answered, taking a moment to decipher the big man's speech. Josiah was a bit harder for him to understand, due to the beard and mustache obscuring part of his mouth.
"I could eat," Vin said.
"You can always eat," Josiah remarked with a grin. "I'll fix something for both of you."
Ezra opened his mouth to protest, but Josiah held up his hand to forestall any objections.
"You need to eat, Ezra," the big man said. "Nate said food will help you tolerate the medication better."
"Very well," Ezra said with a put-upon sigh. He didn't want to admit it, but his stomach was feeling a bit unsettled.
Josiah headed for the kitchen and Ezra leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes against the daylight streaming through the windows. After a few minutes, Ezra opened his eyes to find Vin on the verge of standing, a worried look on his face. "Is something wrong, Mr. Tanner?"
"You okay, Ez?"
"I'm fine," Ezra replied. "Why?"
"You had me worried for a minute when you didn't answer me," Vin said.
"My apologies," Ezra said, mentally slapping himself for letting his vigilance slip. "I'm afraid my mind was wandering a bit."
Vin slouched back onto the sofa and grinned. "Yeah, getting knocked in the head will do that to you."
The two men sat in companionable silence until Josiah bustled back into the room carrying two plates of scrambled eggs and toast. Vin sighed at the light meal, but knew his complaints would go unheard while his friends were in full worry mode.
"Eat up, kids," Josiah said with a wide grin.
Ezra lifted an eyebrow at him, but his bandages hid his forehead and the effect was lost. He glanced over at Vin and said, "Kids?"
Vin shrugged. "Compared to him, I guess we are."
Ezra chuckled at the offended look Josiah gave them as he headed back to the kitchen. Turning to his food, Ezra tried to pick up the fork, without much success. Finally, on the fifth attempt, he was able to grasp it with his thumb and fingers. He looked up at Vin, embarrassed at his inept display, but paused when he noticed the sharpshooter looking at him oddly.
"What?"
"I've been trying to talk to you for five minutes," Vin said with a frown. "Didn't you hear me?"
Ezra looked away for a moment, suddenly afraid that he had given himself away. "I was... distracted."
"Ezra..."
Ezra couldn't hear the tone of his voice, but he could tell by the look that Vin was giving him that he wasn't buying it. Licking his lips nervously, Ezra checked to make sure that Josiah was still in the kitchen, then looked back at Vin. "My hearing is a bit... muffled." He shrugged. "Dr. Landry said it should clear up soon."
"From the explosion?" Vin guessed.
"Yes," Ezra said with a sigh.
"Why didn't you say something?" Vin asked, then waved his hand. "Never mind, I know why." He grinned at Ezra conspiratorially. "They can be real annoying, can't they?"
Ezra chuckled. "That they can."
"You seem to be hearing me fine now," Vin said, looking at him curiously.
"I am somewhat skilled in lip reading," Ezra explained.
"Must be handy," Vin said with a thoughtful grin.
Ezra rolled his eyes, knowing that the sharpshooter was already thinking up ways to use his talent to pull pranks on the rest of the team. "It is an asset at times." He pinned the other man with a serious gaze. "I would prefer to keep this between us."
"Don't worry, I won't tell 'em." Vin gestured toward the plate that sat on the coffee table in front of the undercover agent. "You better eat that before Josiah decides to force-feed you."
Ezra rolled his eyes, but carefully started eating, praying that he wouldn't make a mess and embarrass himself further.
Josiah entered the room and nodded as he saw that his two charges were doing as they were told. He ambled back toward the sofa and sat down, setting his cup of coffee on the small end table next to him. Stifling a yawn, he leaned back and watched Ezra's awkward attempts to eat neatly. Smiling, he shook his head, knowing better than to offer his assistance, no matter how painful it was to watch.
When Nathan arrived a few minutes later, Vin had already polished off his breakfast, while Ezra was still making slow, but steady progress.
"Hey, Nate," Vin greeted his teammate.
"Vin," Nathan said with a nod. "How you feelin'?"
"Lots better than yesterday," Vin said.
"Good," Nathan said. "But you still got to take it easy."
Vin rolled his eyes. "Gimme a break. It's not like I can do anything anyways, what with you guys fussin' over me all the time."
Ezra, who had been following the conversation closely, chuckled. "They take 'fussing' to a whole new level."
Vin nodded then winked mischievously. "But we know how to deal with fussin', don't we, Ez?"
"Indeed we do, Mr. Tanner," Ezra said with a sly smile, saluting him with his fork.
Josiah laughed at the younger men, while Nathan grumbled about them not knowing what was good for them.
"What'cha got in the bag, Nate?" Vin asked, referring to the grocery bag he had deposited on the floor while he shed his coat.
"Figured I'd bring some food so there'll be something besides junk to eat when the rest of the boys show up for dinner tonight."
Vin peeked into the bag, then wrinkled his nose. "Blech."
"Vegetables are good for you," Nathan countered.
"If you say so," Vin said with a shrug, knowing how much it irritated the health-conscious man.
"Neither one of you should be eatin' that usual garbage right now," Nathan said, unperturbed. This was a discussion they had had many times before.
"You won't get any arguments from me," Ezra agreed. He liked vegetables.
Nathan looked at him, watching him clumsily eat his eggs, and frowned. He started heading toward the undercover agent, but Josiah pulled him aside, shaking his head. With a nod, he picked up the groceries and directed the medic toward the kitchen. Ezra had returned his attention to his food his food and missed the subtle byplay. Vin didn't miss it, though, and nodded at Josiah in approval.
"What's up?" Nathan asked curiously.
"I know you mean well, but it might be best if you let Ezra do things on his own," Josiah suggested gently. "You know how stubborn he is. You'll just make it more difficult if you try to do things for him."
Nathan sighed. "I know, but it makes me cringe to watch him struggling like that."
"I know how you feel," Josiah said sympathetically. "It was hard for me to sit by and do nothing, but we have to let him do things his own way." He grinned. "Have patience, brother."
Nathan grinned. "Ask me for somethin' easy, why don't you."
Josiah laughed and slapped him on the back as they walked back out to the living room.
Ezra finally finished his lunch and spent some time conversing with Vin and Nathan before succumbing to the effects of the potent painkiller he had taken earlier. For once, he was grateful for the numbing effects of the medication, both to kill the pain and to give him an excuse to be alone. Being forced to concentrate so intensely while reading lips quickly taxed his limited energy and made his head hurt, so Ezra welcomed the respite provided by the drugs.
As he leaned back into the soft pillows, Ezra sighed and wondered if he was going to be able to handle the group gathering that was obviously planned for that evening. It had been difficult enough trying to keep track of two or three speakers at once. How was he going to be able to manage the whole team for an extended period of time? Ezra closed his eyes and frowned, wincing at the twinge of pain that the facial motion produced. He could claim to be feeling poorly and retire to his room, but that would only serve to lengthen his incarceration at the ranch. He had, after all, only promised to stay with someone for one night, and intended to get back to his own apartment as soon as he could arrange it. It was going to be at least two weeks before he could return to work, and he did not wish to spend that time under the watchful eyes of his associates.
Shuddering at the thought of being at the mercy of his teammates, Ezra started working through his options. He had to plan his escape and find a way to return home with a minimum of fuss. As various possibilities flitted through his head, Ezra found that it was getting harder to think clearly. His brain seemed to be slowing down and he couldn't seem to keep hold of a thought for more than a few seconds. Eventually, he conceded defeat and let himself drift off into a drugged sleep. He would figure it out later.
"Hey, Junior!" Buck called as he strode through the door of Larabee's ranch house. "You're lookin' a little better." He squinted at the sharpshooter and grinned. "Y'ain't green anymore, at least."
Vin replied with a rude hand gesture.
"Yep, he's definitely feelin' better," Josiah said with a laugh, slapping Buck on the shoulder as he headed toward the kitchen carrying a stack of pizza boxes.
"Pizza!" Vin said, a grin lighting up his face at the sight of one of his favorite foods.
"We thought you might be up to eating something a little more substantial by now," Chris said, shutting the door behind himself and JD.
Vin's grin suddenly faded. "What about Ez? He ain't gonna be able to eat that with his hands all wrapped up."
Chris paused and looked at Buck, frowning. "Didn't think of that."
"He won't be able to tolerate pizza yet, anyway," Nathan commented from the kitchen doorway, having overheard the conversation. "I made some chicken and vegetables for me and him."
"Aw Nate," JD said. "Pizza ain't that bad for ya. It's got cheese and tomatoes and stuff."
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but it's the sausage and pepperoni and all that other greasy crap that'll clog up your arteries."
Chris smiled as the two men continued their good-natured argument in the kitchen. Some things never changed.
"I s'pose someone should go wake Ez," Vin said.
"He sleeping again?" Chris asked.
"Yep," Vin replied. "Them pain meds really knock him out."
"You volunteering?" asked Buck, smirking at the sharpshooter.
Vin sighed and climbed to his feet. "Me an' my big mouth."
The glowing mass was drawing closer while the smoke thickened in his lungs. Ezra wanted to move away, to run, but he couldn't move. He didn't know what the shimmering thing was, but something told him that he should fear its presence. His panic rose when his body wouldn't respond to his commands, leaving him gasping for breath while his heart pounded wildly in his ears. A sudden pain intruded upon his fright and, as suddenly as it appeared, the terrifying entity vanished.
Ezra's eyes snapped open, and he looked wildly around the room in which he found himself. Recognizing the furnishings, he relaxed into his pillows, forcing his breathing into a more normal rhythm. He became aware of another presence in the room and turned his head to find Vin staring down at him, his face creased with worry.
"You okay, Ez?" Vin asked.
Ezra gently brushed a bandaged hand over his face. "Yes, I'm fine."
"You don't look fine," Vin stated doubtfully.
"I merely had an... unsettling dream," Ezra said dismissively. "Pain medication often causes this sort of interruption in my usual sleep patterns."
Vin still looked doubtful, but didn't press him further. "The guys are here. You feel like eating?"
Ezra desperately wanted to say "no", but knew that would only induce more worry and hovering from his well-meaning associates. So, he smiled weakly and said, "I believe I could partake of a light meal." He sat up carefully and eased himself to his feet.
"Need a hand?" Vin asked as Ezra swayed on his feet slightly.
"No thank you, Mr. Tanner," Ezra said. "I simply need to awaken further before attempting to move." He walked slowly toward the bathroom. "I will join you after I have freshened up a bit."
"Okay," Vin nodded, heading back out the door.
In the bathroom, Ezra looked in the mirror and grimaced. The doctor had assured him that his burns wouldn't scar, but the ugly red blotches on his face didn't inspire much confidence in that diagnosis. Heaving a sigh, he smoothed his unruly hair and clumsily brushed his teeth before steeling himself for the ordeal ahead. He looked longingly at the pain pills, knowing that the dull aches and tingles would soon become sharper and more biting, but he needed to keep his senses alert if he was going to continue to carry off his deception. He smiled grimly at the bandaged image that looked back at him. He was an expert at the art of the con. He could do this.
TBC