Silent Memories
by Violette
Part 6
The evening passed quickly and fatigue began to catch up with Ezra. He had started to have increasing difficulty concentrating on the conversations around him and decided that it was probably time to go home and crawl into his nice soft bed. Stifling a yawn, he announced, "As much as I am enjoying this gathering, it is time for me to take my leave." He stood slowly. "I shall see you all soon."
Buck reached out and grabbed his arm as he attempted to turn away. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I am going home, Mr. Wilmington," Ezra replied tightly.
"I don't think that's a good idea, pard," Buck said.
"You'll be much better off at the ranch where we can look out for you," Nathan said resolutely.
"No," Ezra said. "I am going home. I am quite capable of taking care of myself." He looked away purposefully, ignoring the arguing going on behind him while he tried to pull his arm from Buck's grasp.
"Guys," Vin interjected. "Leave him be. He ain't gonna go to the ranch, so you better just forget about it."
"He's deaf, in case you've forgotten," Nathan said. "It ain't safe for him to be alone right now."
Ezra turned in time to see Nathan's comment and retorted icily, "I am not a child, Mr. Jackson, and I will not be dictated to by you or anyone else. I. Am. Going. Home!" He wrenched his arm away from Buck and stalked away.
"You guys are somethin' else," Vin said disgustedly. "An' you wonder why we took off in the first place."
"Nate's got a point, Vin," Chris intoned softly. "It ain't safe with that bomber running loose."
"He won't be able to hear any danger coming, brother," Josiah added.
"You think he's too dumb to figure that out?" Vin asked. "I thought you had learned by now that orderin' Ez around ain't gonna get you anywhere. You gotta be more subtle."
"Yeah," JD piped in. "You guys are about a subtle as a herd of stampeding wildebeest."
Vin chuckled at the analogy. "You've been hanging out with Buck too long, JD."
"So what do you propose?" Josiah inquired.
"I was gonna ask to stay at his place with him, but he's got his back up now," Vin said, shaking his head. "Don't know if he'll go for it."
"Let us know," Chris said. "We'll find another way to keep an eye on him if you don't get anywhere."
Vin nodded and headed for the door.
Ezra stomped out the door, incensed by his associates' behavior. The nerve of them, trying to order him around like some errant child. Muttering angrily to himself, he walked around to the parking lot, searching for his car. With a start, he remembered that he had taken a cab from the hospital, and had walked the short distance from the federal building to the Saloon. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he turned around and headed for the pay phone by the door.
Someone suddenly grabbed him and jerked him to the side. Furious, he turned to vent his anger on the person, only to find Vin staring at him with concern.
"What?" Ezra inquired.
"You almost got run over," Vin said, pointing at the truck that was just leaving the parking lot.
Embarrassed and frustrated, Ezra pulled away from him and continued toward the pay phone. He picked it up and was about to dial, when he realized the futility of the act. He wouldn't be able to hear the person on the other end. With a defeated sigh, he slumped against the wall and stared up at the night sky. He couldn't even make his indignant exit without assistance.
"Ez?" Vin asked, tugging on the southerner's sleeve to get his attention. "Talk to me, pard."
Ezra looked at him long enough to make out what he said, then stared down at the sidewalk. "What would you like me to say?"
Vin sighed as he saw the beaten look on his friend's face, squeezing his shoulder, both as a show of support and as a means of getting his attention. "There's nothing wrong with accepting a little help now and then."
"I don't like being dependent on others, Mr. Tanner. It has not proven to be a beneficial situation for me in the past." He gave Vin an earnest look. "I also do not wish to be a burden upon anyone."
"I know how you feel," Vin said. "I ain't had the best of luck with that either."
"I know they mean well, but..." Ezra trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
"Come on," Vin said. "Let's get you home."
"Thank you," Ezra said quietly, allowing Vin to usher him to his battered jeep.
The drive to Ezra's townhouse was short, and neither man spoke, each lost in his own thoughts. Upon arrival, Vin took Ezra's overnight bag out of the jeep and started for the stairs. Smiling at the other man's thoughtfulness, Ezra followed. Inside, he took the bag from Vin and headed straight for his bedroom, returning to the living room a few minutes later.
Vin stood near the kitchen, looking uncomfortable, and Ezra sighed, deducing the reason for the man's uneasiness. "Would you like to stay here tonight, Mr. Tanner?"
Vin flushed and nodded sheepishly, knowing that he had been found out.
Ezra chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "I am not offended by your concern. You are a victim of our compatriot's overprotective proclivities as often as I am, and I know you are only looking out for my welfare. I would much rather receive your unobtrusive attention than that of our sanctimonious and overbearing associates."
Vin laughed at the description of their friends. "You got 'em pegged, all right, Ez." He gestured toward the door. "I'm gonna get my stuff."
As Vin pulled his bag out of the jeep, he felt an odd prickling sensation in the back of his neck. He snapped his head up, scanning the area with a practiced eye. Nothing caught his attention, but the feeling of danger did not subside. Giving a last, wary look around, he turned back toward the building, his senses attuned to everything around him and his muscles tensed and ready for action. He made it to the door without incident and relaxed fractionally, deciding that it was probably just his imagination. But he was still bothered by the feeling that someone had been out there, watching him – someone who might not have his best interests at heart.
"That went well," Buck said in a voice heavy with sarcasm as Vin disappeared through the door.
"Those two are hell on my blood pressure," Nathan said with a sigh.
"Should've just left 'em alone," JD commented knowingly.
"What, so they can get themselves killed?" Buck retorted, rolling his eyes.
JD shook his head. "Pushin' them didn't get you anywhere, did it? Sometimes you just have to trust them to take care of themselves."
Chris eyed their youngest curiously. His argument had merit, though it was issued a bit more vehemently than he had expected. He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly, wondering how he could protect his two troublesome agents without inciting further rebellion against his efforts.
"Perhaps we should use a lighter hand when dealing with our obstinate brothers," Josiah suggested. "They are both too proud to easily accept anything they might consider 'mollycoddling.'"
"All we're trying to do is keep 'em safe," Nathan argued. He hated feeling helpless when his friends were in danger.
"Josiah's right," Chris said. "We're just going to make it worse if we push them too hard. We need to go easy and make sure we're around if they need us."
"Easier said than done, pard," Buck warned. "Those two are real good at disappearing."
"Don't I know it," Chris said with a grimace.
"So, where do we start?" Nathan inquired.
Chris swirled what was left of his ice cubes in the bottom of his glass. "I don't want either of them left alone for too long. They'll ditch us if they think we're 'hovering' again, so we need to keep an eye on them... discreetly. There's no way to tell if our bomber is going to try again."
"I'll take the first shift," Buck offered, wanting to feel useful.
"Good," Chris agreed. "The rest of you arrange a schedule. If Vin sticks with Ez, you don't have to be on constant watch... just check on them every now and then. Those two were in the center of the action at the warehouse, so they're more likely than the rest of us to be targets."
"Trouble magnets," Buck muttered with a sigh as he stood to leave.
Chris nodded. Unfortunately, Buck was correct in his observation. Ezra and Vin – and to a lesser extent, JD – seemed to attract all manner of trouble, giving the rest of them more gray hairs than they cared to admit. He hoped it would not be the case this time, but he didn't dare put too much faith in that possibility; he had been proven wrong too many times in the past.
Looking up from the bicycle he was fixing, Vin had to smile at the sight of Ezra sitting on the floor surrounded by children, who were hanging on his every word as he read to them. Even little Camilla, the deaf child who lived down the block, was enthralled, since Ezra was signing as he read, including the little girl in the storytelling. It always amazed Vin that children seemed to gravitate toward his friend. The man might be standoffish when dealing with most people, but he treated children with respect and gave them the kind of attention they rarely received from adults.
Vin chuckled, and returned to his task of replacing the broken chain on the bicycle. He had suggested that they spend the day at the children's center after Ezra had declared his boredom at facing a day of sitting around his apartment with nothing to do. From the smile on the man's face, it had been a good suggestion.
Tossing a glance out the window, Vin smirked at the sight of Nathan's car parked across the street. He had spotted Buck following them that morning when they had left Ezra's apartment. They must have changed shift while they were inside the Center. Ezra hadn't said anything, but Vin would have been surprised if the observant undercover agent hadn't noticed the tail. He had figured that Chris and the others would pull something like this, though he had expected them to be more obvious in their surveillance. He didn't mind the covert observation, as long as they kept it subtle and didn't revert to their more intrusive tactics.
The day passed quickly and Vin wondered if he could convince Ezra to let him stay over again. It wasn't really necessary, since the others would probably be keeping watch, but he couldn't shake the feeling of danger he had experienced the previous evening. He couldn't explain it, but something felt 'off' and he figured he would sleep better knowing that his friend was safe.
Joining Ezra at the door, Vin waved at the last of the children as they rushed home to dinner.
"Did you finish your repairs, Mr. Tanner?" Ezra asked, gesturing toward the bicycle.
"Yep," Vin answered. "Good as new."
"Young Daniel will be most pleased," Ezra commented, referring to the owner of the bike, a boy who lived in the building next to Vin's.
"The kids sure liked your stories," Vin said.
"Most children find the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn quite entertaining," Ezra replied with a smile. "I always did."
"Me too," Vin said. "One of the nicer foster moms I had read it to me once."
Ezra smiled. "I always envied their freedom and the joy they seemed to get from such simple things."
Vin
glanced sideways at his friend, noting the wistful expression on his face. He sensed there was a lot unhappiness in
Ezra's childhood, much like his own, despite the fanciful tales Maude spun
whenever she was in town. With the bits
of information that Ezra had let slip during the past week, Vin was starting to
realize just how untrue those stories were.
"You up for dinner?" Vin said, nudging Ezra to get his attention.
"I could do with some sustenance," Ezra admitted.
"Come on, then," Vin said, grabbing him by the sleeve. "I know a great place."
"Jackson," Nathan said into his cell phone.
"Nate, it's Josiah. You want me to take over?"
"Not yet," Nathan replied. "I figure I'll wait and see if Vin's gonna hang out at Ez's place again tonight. That way you won't have to go out there for nothing."
"Sounds like a plan," Josiah said. "Where are you now?"
"They're having dinner in some dive near Vin's place."
"And Ezra went along willingly?" Josiah said incredulously.
"Looked that way," Nathan answered with a chuckle. "Maybe the place is better than it looks."
"Must be," Josiah said with a laugh. "Give me a call when you're ready for me to take over."
Nathan switched off the phone and leaned back into his seat, waiting for Vin and Ezra to finish their dinner.
Ezra shared a look with Vin as they came out of the small, nondescript diner. Both men tried not to smile when they spotted Nathan's car across the street.
"They are persistent, aren't they?" Ezra said with a grin as he climbed into the jeep and fastened his seatbelt.
"Yeah," Vin agreed, shaking his head in exasperation. "Maybe we should have brought him some take out?"
Ezra laughed, picturing Nathan's embarrassed expression if they had done that. "It would have been quite a sight."
Vin drove back to Ezra's townhouse and parked in front, grinning when he spotted Nathan pulling into the curb down the block.
"Are you staying over again tonight?" Ezra asked as he climbed out of the jeep.
Vin shrugged. "Only if you want me to."
"Well," Ezra said with a wry smile. "I suppose it would be less taxing on our compatriots."
"You sure?" Vin asked earnestly, walking around the jeep to stand in front of his friend. "I don't want to get in your way."
"Not to worry, Mr. Tanner," Ezra said. "I hardly notice your presence."
"Gee, thanks," Vin said sarcastically, starting for the stairs. "You coming?"
Ezra laughed and gestured toward the building. "After you."
Vin had already reached the stairs to the outer doorway when he heard the screeching tires. He whirled around, his eyes widening in horror at the sight of the setting sun reflecting off the barrel of a gun. Ezra was looking down, completely unaware of the threat. "Ezra!" Vin yelled, diving toward his friend.
Ezra looked up in time to see Vin rushing toward him, a grimly determined look on his face. "What...?" His words were abruptly cut off when the sharpshooter tackled him to the sidewalk, knocking his head against the pavement. He lay there stunned, Vin's body pinning him to the ground. "Vin!" he called breathlessly, trying vainly to push the weight off of his chest.
A sudden flurry of activity erupted around him and the weight was blessedly removed. Ezra took a deep breath and looked up into Nathan's worried face. The dark-skinned man's lips were moving, but Ezra's head was still too muddled to make out what he was saying.
"Mr. Jackson, please. Slow down." Nathan's hands gripped his face and Ezra watched carefully as the dark-skinned man mouthed the words, "Are you all right?"
"I am fine," Ezra replied. "Just a bit startled. What happened?" He sat up slowly and looked around, frowning when he noticed the wet stickiness covering his clothing. Slowly, he touched the front of his shirt, staring mesmerized at the blood that glistened on his fingertips. "Vin?" He looked up again fearfully.
Vin lay beside him on his back, the front of his shirt soaked with blood. Nathan was pressing on his chest with one hand, while speaking frantically into his cell phone with the other. Ezra didn't know how long he sat there, but it seemed like only a few seconds later that he was surrounded by paramedics. Dazed, he watched as Vin was loaded into the ambulance, barely noticing as he was led into Josiah's ancient Suburban.
Before he knew it, Ezra found himself sitting in the familiar waiting room of Denver Memorial Hospital. Josiah sat beside him, eyes closed and lips moving in prayer. Nathan had ridden into the hospital in the ambulance with Vin, and the others had not yet appeared. That situation changed a few minutes later when the door burst open and Buck, JD, and Chris stormed into the room. Chris went straight to the nurse's station, while JD and Buck joined them in their corner of the waiting room.
"What happened?" Buck asked anxiously.
Ezra shook his head slowly, realizing for the first time that he had no idea what had occurred.
"Josiah?" Buck turned to the older man in frustration.
Ezra looked to Josiah as well, needing to know what had happened.
"Someone took a shot at Vin and Ezra," Josiah explained. "Vin got hit in the chest; he's in surgery now."
Ezra sucked in a harsh breath, overwhelmed by that brief statement. Vin had been hurt while pushing him to safety... from a danger to which he had been completely oblivious. His head dropped into his hands as the guilt washed over him. If only he had noticed the threat, he might have been able to get himself to safety, sparing Vin from that responsibility.
His feelings of guilt increased when he looked up to see Chris walking toward them, anger, worry, and frustration evident on his face. Ezra forced himself not to turn away from the glare being sent in his direction.
"What's the word?" Buck asked.
"He's still in surgery," Chris replied, his eyes not leaving Ezra's. "She said we can go upstairs to the surgical waiting room." Without waiting for an answer, Chris turned and strode away.
Ezra stood and followed the rest of his teammates, ignoring the wave of dizziness that assaulted him at the movement. His head was pounding from its impact with the pavement earlier that evening, but Ezra hardly noticed, consumed by the guilt he was feeling. Chris had every right to blame him for this. If only he had agreed to go to the ranch as they had asked....
Nathan greeted them as they entered the small waiting room.
"Any news?" Josiah asked.
"Not yet," Nathan replied. "He took two bullets, one in his chest, and the other in his shoulder. Both of 'em were still in there, so it may take a while to get them out."
The rest of the men nodded somberly, sharing the same grim and concerned expressions as they took seats in the room. Chris remained standing, pacing back and forth near the doorway and casting occasional glances at his watch. Ezra sighed quietly and took a seat in the far corner of the small waiting room, wanting to remain as unobtrusive as possible. His associates were probably upset with him and he didn't want to make things any worse.
Staring at the torn and dirty bandages on his hands, Ezra searched his memory, looking for any clues as to who might have been after him. He was fairly certain that he was the target, since Vin had already been outside the warehouse when the explosions were triggered during the bust. Tonight's incident only reinforced that belief. Vin had not been in the line of the gunfire until he had stepped into it in order to push Ezra out of the way.
Ezra shuddered as the memory flashed before him, playing in slow motion like a tragic scene from a movie. It always amazed him how quickly a situation could turn bad. He had seen it happen before: the bust that suddenly went south; the friendly arms dealer who turned into a stone-cold killer; the friend who became an enemy without warning. It was something to be expected in this business, simply another part of the job. But this time was different. This time, he had been useless, unable to even defend himself, leaving his teammate – his friend – to shoulder that burden.
Picking at his bloodstained shirt, Ezra swallowed against the tidal wave of self-reproach that threatened to overwhelm him. How could he have been so selfish? He knew he was not at his best, but he had still allowed his stubborn pride to place his friend in mortal danger. He was a sad excuse for a federal agent, and an even worse friend. The blood on his shirt was evidence enough of that. He stared morosely at the damp maroon stain. Vin's blood. Ezra felt the bile rise in his throat and bolted from his seat.
The rest of the men stared at the retreating figure in confusion.
"Where's he going?" Buck asked, a frown creasing the usually-jovial man's face.
JD stepped into the doorway through which Ezra had disappeared and spotted the undercover agent entering the rest room down the hall. He turned back to his friends. "He's going into the bathroom. I'll go check on him."
Buck sighed. "What a mess."
"No kidding," Nathan agreed. "I still can't believe how fast it all went down. One minute they're standing there, the next, they're on the ground and there's blood everywhere."
"Did you get anything on the shooters?" Chris asked, breaking his silence for the first time since entering the waiting area.
"No, it happened too fast, and I was too far away to get a license number," Nathan said dispiritedly. "I gave a description of the car to the DPD guys, but I don't think it'll help much. It was a pretty ordinary-lookin' sedan."
"You did your best, Nathan," Josiah said soothingly. "Vin and Ezra were the first priority."
"I know," Nathan said with a sigh. "But what if they come back to try again?"
"Hell, if Ez had just done like we asked, maybe we could have caught these bastards," Buck said heatedly. "At least we might have been closer when this shit went down, instead of having' to tail him and Vin like a couple of suspects."
"Man's too stubborn for his own good," Nathan said.
"Hindsight is twenty-twenty," Josiah said calmly. "It won't change anything to think about what might have happened, or what we might have been able to do to prevent it. All we can do is deal with it and try to keep it from happening again."
"I know," Buck admitted. "But I'm still gonna make damn sure Ez does what he's told this time. Don't want to see him or anyone else end up in here."
The other men nodded their agreement as they resumed their wait.
JD pushed open the door, wincing at the sound of retching that came from within. Ezra's rapid exit had not been much of a surprise to him, since he had seen the color drain from his friend's face as he stared at his bloody clothing. He sympathized with the southerner. It was never easy to witness a friend being hurt, especially when you were wearing such a blatant reminder. He suspected that Ezra was probably blaming himself for the incident – he had recognized the look in his eyes. With a sigh, he stepped into the rest room.
"Ez?" he called out, then slapped himself on the forehead when he remembered that Ezra wouldn't be able to hear him. Peeking under the edge of the stalls, he spotted his friend's crouched form in the last cubicle. He walked to the opposite wall and pulled a few paper towels from the dispenser, running them under the tap. Holding the towels on one hand, he pushed the stall door open cautiously, not wanting to startle the man.
Ezra was bent over the toilet, his head resting on his arms. Gently, JD reached out and touched his shoulder, prepared for a violent reaction – the undercover agent could be dangerous when taken by surprise. Ezra jerked and turned wide eyes toward the younger agent, relaxing when he saw a familiar face.
JD crouched beside him, eyeing him with concern. "You all right?" He handed him the paper towels.
"I will be fine," Ezra said hoarsely. "It is Mr. Tanner who is in need of your concern."
"You aren't looking so fine right now, Ez," JD said, giving him a crooked smile.
Ezra waved his hand dismissively. "I am not important. I..." He was interrupted when JD squeezed his shoulder angrily.
"Like hell! You're just as important as anyone else!" JD yelled.
"That's debatable, Mr. Dunne," Ezra said sadly. "I'm not much good for anything these days."
"So you're just gonna sit here feeling sorry for yourself?" JD said, doing a fair impression of the Larabee glare.
Ezra shrugged. "I don't know what else to do."
"I don't want to hear anymore crap like that, okay?" JD said sternly. "None of this was your fault."
"I think Mr. Larabee would disagree," Ezra said.
"You know Chris always gets like that when somebody's hurt," JD said with a snort. "Him and the others just need a target right now, since we don't have any bad guys for them to yell at."
Ezra looked away for a moment, then turned back toward the younger man and gave him a wan smile. "I suppose we'd better find some miscreants for them, then."
JD laughed. "You got any candidates?"
"Not yet," Ezra said with a sigh. "I do not yet have any clues as to who might be targeting my person with such persistence."
"You think they're after you specifically?"
"I believe so," Ezra said with a nod. "The bullets...." He paused and took a breath. "The bullets were aimed at me. Mr. Tanner was hit while pushing me out of the way."
"Oh," JD said, pondering this information. "And the warehouse went up after Vin had already left, so it makes sense that you were the target there, too."
Ezra nodded. "I have made many enemies over the years, so there could be any number of people who wish to see me 'pushing up daisies', as Mr. Wilmington would say."
"We'll get them, Ez," JD said reassuringly. "You ready to get out of here?"
Ezra nodded and allowed JD to help him to his feet. Moving to the sink, Ezra grimaced at the sight that looked back at him from the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face, still half-covered with bandages, was splotchy and pale. Splashing water on his face, he tried not to look at his blood-encrusted shirt.
JD, sensing his discomfort, immediately shrugged out of the oversized flannel shirt he wore over a green t-shirt sporting the logo of the Boston Celtics. "Here, Ez," he said, handing the shirt to the southerner. "It should fit you."
Ezra took the shirt with a smile, grateful for the opportunity to remove the bloody clothing. "Thank you, Mr. Dunne." He quickly changed into JD's shirt, dropping his own stained garment into the trash.
"No problem," JD said. "I wouldn't want to keep wearing that, either."
TBC