See disclaimers in Part 1
Part 2 – Don't Panic!
As they sat down and started eating, Vin couldn't help but notice that Ezra seemed in a particularly good mood. Not that he'd been in a bad mood recently, but it often took a few weeks for him to settle after a visit from his mother and this time had been no different. With very few words she could make her son feel worthless and that he was debasing himself by continuing to work as a civil servant.
It was tempting to think it was a practical joke, but Vin knew better. In the early days, when their relationship had been new and fragile, they had agreed to keep the practical jokes at the office or while they were with the rest of the team. In private, there were too many chances for hurt feelings. Neither of them had ever broken this rule and Vin seriously doubted that Ezra was doing it now.
Ok, he thought, time to test the waters. Work had long been an acceptable dinner topic.
"So Ez, what do you think of this new case Chris was telling us about."
With a deep sigh, Ezra rolled his eyes, "Contraband cigarettes are always tricky. If the volume is really what Chris suspects, then it could be messy. Do you anticipate some particular trouble?"
"Naw, just curious what you thought about it." Well, that was inconclusive. "What's the guys name again?"
"Torenelli." Ezra cocked his head to the side and gave him a strange look. It was unlike Vin to forget case details, but Ezra seemed willing to let it pass.
As they continued to discuss the details of the case, Vin was at a loss to explain Ezra's earlier behavior. He clearly seemed fine now. They finished dinner in comfortable conversation and cleaned up the kitchen as usual. Just as they were finishing up, Ezra suddenly stopped in the middle of the kitchen and just stood there, his eyes closed.
"Whatcha doin' Ez? You feel ok?"
"I feel fine. Why do you ask?"
"Well," Vin drawled out, trying to hide a grin, "You're standing in the middle of the kitchen with your eyes closed. I was thinking maybe you had a headache or somethin'."
Ezra opened his eyes and looked at Vin in surprise. "How did you know?" He usually hid it well when he wasn't feeling well and he seemed to put him off balance to be so transparent.
"Well, it could have something to do with hittin' your head earlier."
"I hit my head?"
"Yeah, when you fell."
"I fell?"
Vin took a deep breath before continuing the conversation.
"Earlier, when we went to the store, you fell and hit your head." There, that should about cover it.
"I hit my head?"
"Yeah, at the store."
"When did we go to the store?"
"On our way home from work! That's when you fell!" This was getting surreal.
"I fell? When?"
"Dammit Ez! This ain't funny!" The usually soft-spoken sharpshooter was practically shouting. If Ezra was pulling his leg, he was going to strangle him!
Ezra looked offended. "There is no need to shout Vin. I can hear you quite clearly."
"Well, if you'd listen, I wouldn't be yellin'!"
"Listen to what Vin?" Now Ezra just looked confused.
"That we went to the store on our way home from work and you fell and hit your head in the parking lot." Vin was impressed at how calm that had sounded.
"What parking lot?"
Vin didn't know whether to laugh or tear his hair out. A lurking desire to panic was being carefully kept at bay.
"Nothing. Never mind," was all he managed to get out, while he tried to pull himself together.
"Okay." Ezra still looked confused and a bit hurt for a moment, but the expression was fleeting. He looked around the now clean kitchen for a moment, and then at Vin. "Are you hungry? I'm not, but I can throw something together for you."
"We just ate," Vin heard himself say. Meanwhile his mind was furiously trying to keep panic at bay and trying to work out a plan. Something was seriously wrong with Ezra and he couldn't handle this alone. Time to call for backup.
Poor Ezra just looked confused again.
"We did?"
"Yeah, um listen, why don't you see if there's anything worth watching on TV, I just remembered I need to ask Nate a question."
Vin escorted Ezra to the couch and settled him with the remote. As he started flipping through the channels, he once again looked content with his lot in life, and had seemingly forgotten his confusion completely.
Reminding himself firmly that panic was not going to help the situation at all, Vin went back to the kitchen and picked up the phone. Standing where he could keep an eye on the couch and it's occupant, he dialed Nathan's home number.
It rang.
And rang.
Then the answering machine picked up.
"Don't panic," he muttered as he hung up and dialed Nathan's cell phone. Just when he was sure it was going to switch to voice mail, a woman's voice came on the line.
"Hello?"
It only took Vin a moment to realize who it must be.
"Rain? It's Vin. Is Nate there?" Vin couldn't imagine Nathan giving his girlfriend his phone if he wasn't close by.
"Just a moment, he's trying to get out of traffic. Is everything all right?"
Suddenly realizing that an ex-ER nurse was as good if not a better source of information than Nate, Vin decided to start with her.
"I don't know! Ez fell and hit his head earlier and I thought he was ok, then he said some weird stuff and now he can't remember anything I say and I don't know what to do!" It was getting impossible to keep the panic at bay.
"Vin, stay calm." Just hearing her calm voice helped him regain his composure. She had him repeat the story again, asking for more detailed explanations and having him tell the story much slower.
"Is he dizzy? Nauseous?"
"He seemed dizzy just for a second when it happened, but not since. He ate dinner like normal, so I don't think his stomach is botherin' him."
"How long ago did he fall?"
"About two hours? Maybe a bit more."
He heard Rain relay the information to Nathan, then Nathan said something Vin couldn't make out.
"Okay Vin, we're about 10 minutes away. We're going to swing by there and pick you up."
"Where we goin'?" It didn't seem reasonable to take Ezra anywhere in the shape he was in.
"We're going to take Ezra to the emergency room. From what you've said, it's been getting worse since he fell, and we need to make sure it doesn't get worse when he's away from medical care."
"Should I take him? Or maybe call an ambulance? I didn't think it was serious." Oh God, now Vin felt guilty as well as panicky.
"Vin, it's probably nothing, but we just want to make sure. It's just as easy for us to come get you. Ez will never let you drive his car, and the jeep is out of the question on these roads. We have 4-wheel drive."
"Okay, we'll be waiting." Ten minutes wasn't that long he thought to himself as he hung up the phone. It took him several minutes to figure out what he needed to do. Then he got himself ready before tackling the Ezra problem. His other half had been mesmerized by the television since being set in front of it, but it was time to get him moving. Now, how was he going to get him going without a total refusal to even think about a trip to the hospital?
Maybe his usual easygoing manner would work?
"Hey Ez, time to get ready. Nate and Rain are going to be here any minute to pick us up."
"Why are they picking us up? Where are we going? I am not going out in these clothes!"
"Well, they have a four by four. Better on these roads than the Jag or my jeep." Avoiding any details seemed like a good plan, Vin decided as he handed Ezra his jacket. "Hurry up and change if you're going to, they'll be here any minute. Remember to keep it casual."
"Of course."
Ezra was still upstairs in the bedroom when there was a knock at the door. Vin hurried to open it and let Nathan in.
"Hey Ez," he called. "They're here. Let's get a move on." More quietly, he said to Nate, "Don't mention the hospital, or we'll never get him out the door."
"You don't have to tell me that, I can't believe you're willing to let him go. You're as bad as he is about hospitals."
"Well, you ain't just had the same conversation I had with Ez earlier. Something's wrong!" He quit talking as a now bundled up Ezra appeared in the entryway.
"Mr. Jackson, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"Me and Rain are here to pick you guys up." Nathan said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Didn't want you and Vin out on these roads without 4-wheel drive."
"How very kind of you. We don't wish to put you out in any way."
"Don't worry about it Ez. It's our pleasure." Nathan said as he led them to the still running Ford Explorer.
As Ezra climbed into the Explorer behind Rain, Vin made his way around the vehicle with Nathan. When he was sure that Ezra couldn't hear, Nathan quietly informed Vin that they had called ahead, and that the hospital was expecting them.
All the way to the hospital, Nathan and Rain made small talk, subtly testing Ezra's memory. As with Vin, Ezra could hold a perfectly normal conversation, but he quickly forgot anything that they said to him. If asked a long question, he would only answer the tail end of it, and any new information he was given was lost. Neither Nathan nor Rain made any mention of it, and neither seemed overly worried. Vin on the other hand was silently repeating his 'Don't Panic' mantra over and over.
They reached the hospital without incident and had only minimal trouble convincing Ezra to enter the building through the Emergency Room doors.
"We're just visiting one of my former co-workers," Rain assured him. It wasn't the whole truth, but not a lie either.
After checking with the front desk, they were informed that Rain's 'friend' would meet them in exam room 12, so the four of them made their way towards it to wait. Nathan claimed he needed to make a pitstop, and would join them shortly.
When Nathan joined them five minutes later, a doctor in his mid-forties accompanied him.
"Look who I found. You guys remember Doctor Evans don't you? Doc, you remember these jokers from my team, Ezra Standish and Vin Tanner."
"Ah yes, the two escape artists," the doctor said with a smile as he moved to shake hands with the two grinning agents.
Vin nodded a greeting as he shook hand with the doctor. Ezra's greeting was not a surprise to any of them. "It is a pleasure sir, especially as we are not incarcerated in your establishment this time."
Very much in the same way that Rain and Nathan had, the doctor began subtly questioning Ezra, seeing what state his memory was in. A nurse bringing a clipboard to the doctor briefly interrupted them. He casually handed it to Ezra. "Could you fill that out for me?"
"Whatever for?"
"Just routine paperwork. Nothing to worry about," the doctor replied. He turned his attention away from Ezra and began chatting with Rain and Nathan, giving Ezra time to fill out the forms.
After hesitating briefly, Ezra began filling them out. Vin watched over his shoulder. Ezra did fine until the next of kin question, where he marked Chris Larabee instead of Vin. He also incorrectly marked the date of his last hospitalization, forgetting the most recent one some three months before. When he finished, he signed the form and handed it back to the doctor.
As the doctor looked the form over he commented casually, "You forgot to date it Mr. Standish. Do you know what the date is today?"
"February seventh." Ezra seemed quite confident.
"Actually, it's April 26. Why don't you sit up here on the exam table and let me have a look at you Mr. Standish." The request was so casual that Ezra didn't even balk at the request, just sat on the table. To Vin's amazement he cooperated with everything the doctor asked.
The doctor efficiently checked Ezra's eyes, reflexes and pulse asking him questions about pain and dizziness. Ezra only admitted to a bit of pain behind his eyes which everyone in the room interpreted as a pounding headache.
After what seemed to Vin a very short time, the doctor finished and announced that he was done.
"Well, there isn't much you can do," the doctor told Vin. "Take him home and make sure he gets a good nights sleep. If he isn't better by Monday morning, bring him back and we'll do some tests."
"But what's wrong with him? Why can't he remember what we say?" Vin wanted to know. He had expected complicated exams, or X-rays or MRI's or something! The doctor didn't seem to be taking this nearly as seriously as Vin thought he should.
"Mr. Tanner, I know this seems frightening, but it really isn't unheard of. A blow to the head, even one that doesn't seem serious can affect the brain. Mr. Standish has lost the use of his short-term memory. It should be temporary. His long-term memory seems perfectly intact, so I don't think there is anything to worry about. I suspect he will wake up tomorrow and be fine, though he may never remember what happened today since the fall."
"Are you sure?" Vin wasn't convinced.
"You can never be sure Mr. Tanner, but I feel strongly that everything will be fine in the next day or two. Just give him time to get his bearings, and don't push too hard for him to remember. It will happen in it's own time. Though the brain is fragile, it also has amazing recuperative abilities. Give it a chance."
"Give what a chance?" Ezra suddenly wanted to know.
"You're memory Ez, we're hoping it comes back real soon," Vin told him matter of factly. "Let's go home."
Ezra once again had that slightly confused look for a moment, but as everyone stood to say their good-byes, he once again forgot his confusion and shook hands with the doctor. As he moved to leave the room with Rain and Nathan, Vin stayed behind with the doctor.
"Is he under a concussion watch? Should I wake him up regular like?"
"No, he doesn't have a concussion. Let him get a normal nights sleep." The doctor smiled at him reassuringly. "It really isn't serious. Mr. Jackson was correct to bring him here, in case it was something worse than what it is, but there is nothing to worry about. He'll be fine." As Vin shook the doctor's hand and turned to leave the doctor handed him a copy of the form Ezra had filled out.
"He'll need a copy of this for his records, and possibly for his insurance company."
"Thanks Doc, thanks for everything." Vin still wasn't convinced it was as harmless as the doctor said, but the overbearing panic had finally receded after the repeated reassurance that Ezra would be fine.
Vin caught up with the others in the lobby, and they all piled back into Nathan's car for a return trip to the condo. Interestingly, it was Ezra who kept the conversation going, his good mood from earlier returning. He chatted non-stop with Rain about her work. He had always found her work at the women's shelter fascinating.
In no time at all, Nathan had them back home. Before getting out, Vin thanked them both.
"I don't know what I would've done without you guys. I was about to go crazy!"
"It was no trouble Vin. You know that." Rain reassured him.
"Still, I ruined your evening, and I apologize."
"Vin," Nathan reminded him gently, "You'd have dropped everything to help us, now wouldn't you? It's the same for us. Now, get Ezra into the house, and to bed. And call and let me know how he is tomorrow, ok?"
"I will Nate." Ezra was waiting for him at the door, and Vin hurried inside as Nathan pulled away.
After shedding the coats and locking the door, Vin took Ezra into his arms and hugged him tight. "You know I love you, don't you Ez?"
Ezra seemed surprised but very pleased with this statement. "Of course Vin, and I love you too."
"Let's go to bed, it's been a hell of a day." Vin lay a chaste kiss on Ezra's lips and led him to the bedroom.