Part 9

After Vin left, Ezranok read to Blair for a while, but as was the norm for small boys, Blair fell asleep mid-sentence. Very carefully, Ezranok wiggled out from under the slumbering child. Standing beside the bed, Ezranok wondered what he should do, before deciding that now was as good a time as any.

Taking a deep breath to bolster his courage, Ezranok made his way to the door to Nathan's office. He jumped a little when the door automatically opened, but he then continued inside to find the doctor writing something on one of the report pads.

Nathan looked up in surprise as his visitor walked into the room. "Did you need something, Ezranok?" he asked.

"No, sir," he assured him quickly. "I just…" Ezranok stopped suddenly and ducked his head, biting his bottom lip in nervousness. When the doctor simply nodded encouragingly, he continued. "I have felt that you are uncomfortable around me, and I was wondering if I have done something to offend you, sir. I would like to apologize if I have, and know what it was so that I may not do it again."

"Oh, no, Ezranok," Nathan said quickly as he stood and walked toward the nervous child. "It's not nothing you have done. It's just…" Nathan stopped trying to figure a tactful way to phrase the problem. "I have a few memories that have been stirred up, they make me a little uncomfortable."

"What happened?" Ezranok asked, concerned for the man that had been so kind to he and Blair.

"It's nothing," Nathan tried to assure him. "It was a long time ago, and nothing can be changed. I just need to get my mind off it."

"But if it still causes you pain, maybe I can help," Ezranok urged.

"Maybe," Nathan said thoughtfully. He wasn't sure why, but he thought telling someone might just help, and this small boy with the much too old eyes might just understand.

"Several years ago," Nathan began slowly, his voice hushed and serious, "before I joined Starfleet, I practiced medicine on a small outpost planet. We had both human families and Vulcan families there, but there were separate doctors for the different peoples. I studied everything I could find about treating Vulcans, just in case I ever had to take over for the other man."

Nathan took a deep breath as he dredged up the reason the memories were so painful. "One day the Vulcan doctor was gone when a young Vulcan boy was severely hurt. His family wouldn't even let me try to treat him; they insisted on waiting for their own doctor."

Nathan was surprised to feel a drop of water fall on his hands. Bring his hands to his face he realized that he was crying. Looking at his young audience, he saw the tears shimmering in his eyes too.

"He died, didn't he?" Ezranok asked quietly. Nathan dropped his head as he nodded. "It wasn't your fault, Doctor Jackson. Mr. Tanner told me yesterday that I am not responsible for the keeper's actions, only my own. The same must be true for you."

"But I did nothing," Nathan objected.

"No," Ezranok denied vehemently. The usually shy boy even went so far as to place his hand on Nathan's arm, surprising the doctor. "You were prevented from doing anything. There is a difference. It was their decision to deny their son medical care, it is their guilt not yours. I have no doubt that if you had been allowed, you would have done everything in your power to save the boy's life."

Nathan looked from the boy to the his hand resting so trustingly on Nathan's sleeve. Very carefully he lifted his hand and covered the small hand, squeezing it gently in acceptance.

The two of them stayed in that position for a few moments until the door opened to admit JD and Buck.

"Doc, something wrong?" JD asked in concern as he saw the two of them, tears on both of their faces. Buck was just as concerned, but he let JD take the lead.

Nathan quickly wiped the evidence of his momentary loss of control from his face. "No, JD, nothing's wrong," he assured the young man. Gently placing a hand on Ezranok's shoulder, he continued, "Actually I think something is right for the first time in many years." Slowly and gently, Nathan knelt and pulled Ezranok in for a hug, which the boy hesitantly accepted. "Thank you, my young friend," he whispered in the delicately pointed ear hidden in the boy's still scraggly hair. Releasing the boy, he stood and was delighted to find a shy smile on Ezranok's face.

"So, what did you need, JD, Buck?" Nathan turned his attention back to the communications officer and helmsman. He watched in amusement as the younger officer, who seemed little older than a boy himself at time, scuffed his feet on the floor.

"Well, it's about lunch time, and we were wondering if you'd let us take the boys to the rec room to eat?" JD finally asked, turning pleading eyes on the doctor.

"Vin is going to join us there later if he can, but he's tied up at the moment. And well…." Buck trailed off his part of the explanation as Nathan shook his head in resignation.

"And you wanted to get to know them better, didn't you, Buck? Well, they're off of dietary restrictions, so there's no problem there," Nathan chuckled as he led Ezranok by the hand toward the treatment bay where Blair was still asleep. He waved for the other two men to follow them. "Why don't we see what Blair and Ezranok have to say about that idea?"

Ezranok looked from Nathan to the other two officers. He remembered Buck vaguely from the slaver's ship. They seemed nice, but that was difficult to tell until he had been around them longer.

"Blair?" Nathan called softly as he gentle shook the boy's shoulder. Sleepy blue eyes blinked up at him after a minute.

"Ezrwanok?" Blair asked looking around.

"I'm here, Blair," Ezranok spoke up and moved around Nathan into Blair's line of sight.

"It's time for lunch and Buck and JD were wondering if you'd like to go eat with them," Nathan informed his small patient.

"Who?" Blair asked in confusion.

"These are Buck Wilmington, the ship's helmsman, and JD Dunne, our communications officer. They want to take you down to the rec room for lunch. Vin is hoping to join you later, but he's hung up at the moment," Nathan introduced the two men Blair hadn't met as yet, then explained what had been proposed.

Blair and Ezranok looked at each other, silently discussing it. Finally they decided that if Vin trusted the men, they could too.

"Okay," Ezranok answered for the both of them.

JD and Buck were both grinning their heads off as they led the two boys down the corridor toward the rec room.

Arriving at the rec room, Buck led the way in. It was early so there weren't that many people there yet, but he and JD noticed that the boys made a real effort to keep themselves behind he and JD, using them as shield from the strangers in the room. Carefully, JD and Buck moved toward the back of the room and covertly waved off anyone that looked like they wanted to come over and talk.

Arriving at a table in the very back of the room, Buck led the two boys over to the food dispensers. "What do you want for lunch, guys?" Buck asked, a big grin on his face. "Nathan said you could have whatever you wanted." Ezranok gave him a sideways look, he knew that wasn't what the doctor had said, but maybe it meant the same thing.

"Really?" Blair asked, his eyes sparkling in delight.

Knowing he might be asking for trouble, but unable to resist the adorable little face, Buck agreed, "Really." He shot the snickering JD a smoldering glance, but it did nothing to quell the giggles that were rapidly overtaking the young man.

"Peanut Butterw!" Blair immediately requested, "Can I has jelly, too?"

Smiling sadly, Buck nodded as he ordered a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the boy. He wondered what they had fed these poor boys that the prospect of a peanut butter sandwich was cause for such delight. He was fairly sure he didn't really want to find out.

"What about you, Ezranok?" JD asked. "What do you want?"

Ezranok looked from one man to the other. He almost said something, but the dispenser chose that moment to produce Blair's sandwich. He watched in awe as Blair grabbed a piece of the sandwich and took a big bite, smearing peanut butter on both sides of his face. Seeing the little boy's obvious ecstasy over the sweet treat, he asked hesitantly, "Could I have one of those, too?"

"Sure, Ez," Buck went back over and repeated the order. Sighing he picked up the plate a few seconds later and brought it over to Ezranok.

Ezranok picked the sandwich up carefully. It was so soft! Taking a small bite out of one corner, Ezranok was careful not to get the sticky filling on his face. Ezranok closed his eyes as he savored the taste of the peanut butter and jelly. It was like nothing he could remember ever eating before.

"This is wonderful! Thank you so much, Mr. Dunne, Mr. Wilmington!" Ezranok said as he dug in, eating faster.

Buck and JD watch the two boys as the concentrated on their sandwiches, neither of them bothered to get anything for themselves. Their appetites had gone AWOL when they had been forcefully reminded of just how bad things had been for these two.

Forty-five minutes later, everyone had transported back to the ship, Buck and JD were keeping Blair and Ezranok busy in the rec room, and Nathan had dealt with the preliminary autopsies at record speed. Anything more detailed could wait until they got back to base. Now he turned his attention to the lone survivor of the disastrous mission, who was giving all the signs of being in some pain.

"Lt. Commander, where are you hurting," Nathan asked quietly, as he had noted Ellison's adverse reaction to loud noises when a tray of instruments had been dropped earlier. Chris and Vin, who had arrived frpm the bridge just a few minutes ago, watched as Ellison tried to shrug off the question. They could have told him it wouldn't do any good, when Nathan got the idea that someone need his help, he was like a dog with a bone.

"It's nothing, doctor," Ellison, who was now wearing a rather uncomfortable, but brand new uniform,tried to evade the inquiry, but it did no good.

"Ri-i-ight," Nathan drawled. "That's why you're squinting and swallow frequently to keep from losing your lunch." Nathan pulled out a medi-tricorder and ran the small device over Ellison's body then brought it up to read it. "Reading are within the upper ranges for normal, accept for pain receptor discharge, which is very high. No fudging, Ellison, where does it hurt?"

Sighing in defeat, Ellison admitted, "I've had a migraine since I came on board." Nathan nodded, then went to grabbed a nearby hypo. Adjusting the medication, he administered it and waited for it to take affect. The reaction he got was anything but what he expected.

Ellison shouted in pain, his hands jumping to cover his ears as he pitched forward to huddle on the floor, his eyes shut tightly.

Two levels up, Buck and JD were trying to teach Blair and Ezranok how to play a card game, when Blair suddenly went dead silent and still.

"Blair!" Ezranok yelped as he ran around the table to get to his young friend. Gathering the boy up in his arms, Ezranok glared in suspicion at everyone around them, all of whom had turn to see what was going on at his shout. "Blair, what's the matter? Blair?" Ezranok was getting frantic when he couldn't get and answer from his friend.

Buck and JD approached the still figure, worried that the boy was ill or something.

Suddenly Blair looked straight at Ezranok and said, "I'sth got to get back to Sthick Bay."