Chapter 8 - All Of Our Fans Aren't Crazy...

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"REBECCA!"

Without a second thought, Ezra shoved his wife away from the gunman in front of them. As Rebecca fell to the floor, the shot slammed into his upper right shoulder, dropping him to his knees. A look of shock covered his face before he collapsed onto the floor beside the stairs.

Rebecca's horrified screams echoed throughout the backstage area as she got to her feet scrambling back to him. The large crowd that had engulfed the backstage area split apart running in all directions.

Taking aim at her again, Buck and Vin both tackled the young man, knocking all three of them onto the concrete floor. Wrestling for control of the gun, Buck's strength finally won out as he wrenched it from his hand as Vin kicked it away.

Pulling the shooter to his feet, both men held tight to him as police and stage security finally converged on them. As the police cuffed her attacker and walked away with him, he twisted his body towards Rebecca screaming back at her...

"Rebecca...I'm sorry! Please don't let them take me away from you! I love you!"

While the turmoil continued around her, Rebecca gave the shooter a brief look before turning her attention back to her husband. Cradling his head in her lap, she pressed part of her shirt against his wounded shoulder trying to stem some of his blood loss. Leaning over she whispered into one of his ears, hoping he could hear her.

"Ezra...can you hear me? Please don't leave me...speak to me...I love you baby."

Paramedics suddenly surrounded Rebecca taking control of the situation. Moving her out of the way they began cutting off his shirt exposing his wounded shoulder ...trying to see what damage the bullet had caused.

Getting to her feet, her eyes remained focused on her husband as silent tears continued to stream down her face. Sarah stood beside her sister trying to comfort her as much as she could as the rest of the band and friends stood behind them.

With her eyes glued on Ezra, Rebecca asked softly, "Where's Dad?"

Shaking her head, Sarah looked around them. "I don't know. I saw him briefly after the show. He was standing near the stairs as we walked down, but I lost track of him afterwards."

Suddenly Jake appeared behind the group gathered around the medics working on Ezra. Vin appeared with him.

"Rebecca...Sarah, Vin found me and told me what happened. I had stepped outside to call your mother after the concert. I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"Oh Daddy!" Rebecca threw her arms around him crying into his chest. Hugging his daughter, he said, "It'll be alright, Becky. Ezra is a strong, healthy man. The paramedics know what they're doing...he is in good hands, you'll see."

The medics continued to work on Ezra for several minutes before they carefully lifted him onto the stretcher waiting next to them and hurriedly rolled him away. As Rebecca ran after them, she shouted back to Sarah what hospital he was being transported to as they disappeared out of the building.

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For the next few hours, time seemed to stop for Rebecca...almost as if it was holding its breath. She felt completely lost...waiting for some shred of information on her husband. She couldn't stop pacing, moving from one side of the room to other...her eyes randomly glancing in the direction of the waiting room door. She couldn't help wondering if fate was going to deal her another blow.

Finally, feeling exhausted, she leaned her back against one wall giving out a large sigh. Sarah lifted her head from Vin's shoulder looking in her sister's direction. She wanted to say something, offer her some words of comfort, but she didn't. At this moment, there was little she could say to make Rebecca feel better.

All anyone could do for the moment was wait.

Their father left briefly to let their mother know what had happened. She remained with the all the children, deciding to keep them at home. Chris, Mary and members of the band also decided to wait at the ranch...not wanting to over crowd the waiting room. He returned with a clean t-shirt for Rebecca to replace her blood stained one.

Emily decided to stay by her best friend's side...as did Buck. He was as much Rebecca's friend as he was Ezra's and he felt he needed to help support both of them. Also, he had become close to Emily wanting to remain with her, offering any comfort he could.

No one spoke; the TV was turned off making the room extremely quiet. The only sound you could hear was the wall clock ticking off the minutes as time slipped by.

Five hours passed before the door opened. A doctor still wearing his green scrubs entered and scanned the room. Everyone stopped and waited for him to speak.

"Mrs. Standish?"

Rebecca quickly approached him. "Yes, I'm Rebecca Standish. How is Ezra?"

"I'm Dr. Taylor." Removing his green cap, he gave a hopeful smile. "You'll be happy to know, he's doing fine. The bullet that hit the upper section of his shoulder was a small caliber weapon. Thankfully, it didn't do as much damage as I had feared. It chipped a piece of bone after hitting your husband's clavicle. Pieces of the bullet broke apart...that's why it took me so long. It took me time to find all of them, but I did. It will take him some time to recover and he may have to endure some hours of physical therapy to ensure he has full mobility of his arm and shoulder again. Sometime this week, Dr. Jackson will contact you to set up some physical therapy sessions for him. She'll provide you more details. In the meantime, you should be able to see him once he wakes up. He'll be in recovery for another three hours. A nurse will come get you after he's been moved into a room."

Rebecca took a deep breath before shaking his hand. "Thank you so very much Dr. Taylor."

Offering her a wan smile, he said, "You're very welcome...you know I was at the concert tonight...it was a great show. I'm truly sorry this happened to your husband, but I was glad that I was still in the area where I was able to assist him. If you need anything...let me know. I'll be checking in on him later."

Smiling at him, she answered, "Thank you again."

As the doctor left the room, Sarah and Emily held out their arms to Rebecca as the threesome hugged each other. Buck, Vin and her father also hugging the women.

After everyone released each other from their massive hug, Jake said he was going to call the house letting the gang know Ezra was in recovery and he was gonna be okay."

Giving her father a kiss on the cheek, she smiled.

Turning before leaving the room, he add, "When I get back, we all need to get something to eat before we see Ezra. Don't want him to think we aren't takin care of ourselves...might make him worry about us."

Rebecca and Sarah both grinned as he left the waiting room.

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Ezra slowly opened his eyes. Multiple blurred objects seemed to come into view around him. Blinking his eyes several times, he tried to rub at his face, but his right arm refused to cooperate. Confused, he started to lift his left arm, when he heard Rebecca's soft voice say, "Let me help you my love." A damp cloth gently wiped his eyes and across the rest of his face.

Blinking his eyes a second time, he was able to focus a bit better on Becca's smile.

"Darlin...is that you?"

Running her hand through his hair before caressing his cheek. "It's me my love. Welcome back. I was so worried about you. Would you like some water?"

Ezra nodded. "Yes."

Reaching next to the table, she picked up a cup of water with a straw. Hitting a button beside the bed, she raised him up slightly. Holding the water for him, he took a few small sips.

Returning the cup back to the table, she took his free left hand kissing it.

He offered a small smile. "I'm assuming you are doing well darlin since you are sitting beside me...what happened to that miscreant that tried to assault you and shoot me?"

Rebecca sighed. "The police took him away. He has...mental health issues, but he won't be bothering us again." Putting her other hand to his face, she whispered, "Why did you push me away like that...he could have killed you?"

Squeezing her hand, his green eyes softened. "Because my darlin girl, he was goin to shoot you. I could not allow that to happen. Your life is worth everything...mine is worth...well..." his words trailed off as he lowered his eyes.

"Don't ever say that! You hear! Never ever! You mean everything to me...everything." Rebecca placed her face down across his chest and began to cry. "Your life is every bit as precious. The only reason I was able to keep going is because I knew you would find your way here, or I would find a way back to you."

Stroking his wife's hair, he said softly, "I'm sorry darlin; I didn't mean to make you cry."

Leaning back up, she smiled a little. "It's alright, but just don't say something like that again."

Leaning over she kissed him softly on the lips as he smiled against her mouth. As Rebecca sat back up, she saw him turning his face, glancing around the room.

"I'm assuming I'm in a hospital and a room in said hospital, but," he looked up at his wife, "this place is beyond my comprehension. And what pray tell are these confounding wires coming out of me and that consistent beeping?"

As he started to remove one, Rebecca stopped him. "Sweetheart, trust me...those have to stay in your arms and on your chest right now. They don't want you to re-injure your right arm and shoulder, so that's why you can't move them. They are being held in place. The tubes are providing medicine to help you heal...the wires on your chest is listening to your heartbeat. This machine next to you is monitoring your heart...that's the beeping you're hearing. The doctor wants to be sure everything is good with you. Once you are feeling better, Dr. Taylor will order them removed and you won't have to deal with it anymore. I know all of this is foreign to you...and I understand it might be strange, but it is helping you recover."

Laying his left arm back at his side, he looked into her eyes. He could see the strain she had been under, the worry that was still present on her face. Her normal clear blue eyes were red, puffy. The last thing in the world he wanted was to cause her more pain.

"Alright darlin...I will adhere to whatever you say. This is your world and you understand how it works. I trust you implicitly."

Giving him another quick kiss, she turned toward the door. "I came in to see you first, but there are a bunch of people waiting outside to see you. There are more back at home, but they didn't want to swamp you so this is the first batch...if you feel up to seeing any one?"

He gave a crooked smile. "So there are others concerned for my welfare?"

"Of course you silly man! Everyone was worried."

"Well then, can't keep them waiting..."

Standing up she went to the door and motioned the group inside. "He's right over there. He's awake and talkin."

As his friends came in, Sarah stopped to look at Rebecca. Softly she said, "How is he?"

"Confused about all the stuff he's plugged into, but he's fine." she sighed as the sisters hugged each other.

Rebecca had to smile as Buck and Vin both began talking to Ezra getting him to smile and offer a brief laugh. Her father came over, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"See...I told you your Ezra was a strong man. It won't be long before he will be out of here and back at home. Then you'll probably need to make some decisions, ones you may have already thought about or ones you might have to consider."

Looking up at her father confused, she said, "What decisions?"

"Oh I think you know Becky...but I'm goin to leave that to you. Let's go visit with Ezra."

Nodding and still unsure what he was talking about, they joined everyone at her husband's bedside.

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Two weeks passed as Ezra improved and grew stronger. Dr. Taylor was an excellent physician and took great care of him. He made sure that if they had a question he answered them promptly. It didn't take long before he was ready to be released from the hospital. He was more than ready to go home.

"Darlin, I don't understand why I must be transported from the hospital in this contraption. My legs work perfectly well and I can use them to walk out of this establishment."

Standing next to her husband, Rebecca smiled down at him. Waiting for the orderly to appear she ran her fingers through his hair. Leaning down she intended to give him a quick peck on the cheek, but he turned his head capturing her mouth kissing her deeply. He caressed her face before releasing her.

As she stood back up, she shook her head. "Sneaky."

Looking up at her, he grinned. "Should I not do that again?"

Tilting her head slightly, she whispered, "I didn't say that. I would hate to miss those delicious kisses from you."

He gave her a large grin.

The door opened to Ezra's room and a really large African-American orderly walked in. Giving them both a smile, he said, "Hi I'm Stan, I'm here Mr. Standish to take you downstairs. I'm sure you're ready to go home so let's blow this joint."

Ezra glanced up at Rebecca confusion covering his face.

Placing a hand on his good shoulder, Rebecca said, "Yes, we are so ready to go home. I know our children are missing their father and he has missed them too."

Coming around him, he released the brakes on his chair and started pushing him toward the door. "Well then, we need to get you outta here. I promise to give you a nice smooth ride all the way down to the front door."

Turning left out of his room, he pushed him down the hall, past other rooms until he reached the nearest elevator. Tapping the down button, it didn't take long for the doors to open letting Stan wheel him into the car. When the doors closed and it started moving, Ezra grabbed Rebecca hand. Something about the movement and the noise made him feel jittery.

Looking down at her husband, he had shut his eyes his breathing had increased some. She gave his hand a squeeze. She could tell this experience was making him nervous so she held tight until it stopped and the doors slid open.

As they reached the door and Stan wheeled him out of the exit, Rebecca told Ezra she needed to retrieve the car. "It'll only take a moment, sweetie."

Nodding, he and Stan made small talk as they waited for her to return.

It didn't take long.

Pulling up in front of the hospital, Rebecca jumped out and walked around opening the passenger side door. Holding his wheelchair, Stan assisted Ezra to stand then helped him into the car.

"Thank you so much Stan for myself and Ezra."

"No problem. I hope he continues to get better. Have a good rest of your day." So saying he took the vacated wheelchair and returned to the hospital.

Rebecca got into the car and started it up. Turning in her seat, she said, "Ready to go home?"

"I am indeed darlin. I can't wait to see Michael and Laura...I have missed them."

"They have missed you too. As Stan said – 'Let's blow this joint!'"

As she started to drive, Ezra asked, "I know sometimes I have a tendency to ask some strange questions, due to my lack of understanding, but what did the gentleman mean by 'Let's blow this joint'?"

Issuing a small laugh, she replied, "Well, in the lingo of my time, it simply means a person is ready to leave a place that has become boring or uninteresting."

Nodding he said, "Why wouldn't they say they wanted to leave because the establishment is boring?"

Keeping her eyes on the road, she laughed. "I don't know. People have a habit of saying things a certain way...perhaps adding some pizzazz to it. Who knows?"

"I hope I'm not annoying you when I inquire about this?"

"Not at all. That's why I love you...you're smart and intelligent. You want to know these things."

Leaning back in his car seat, he said, "You think so?"

"Absolutely. You are just being you when you question these things."

Continuing the ride home, Rebecca said, "When I told Michael daddy was coming home today, he was so excited. He has been waiting and asking me every day was today the day. So don't be surprised if he wants to jump all over you. I may have to hold him back alittle because I don't want him to hurt you."

Ezra smiled softly saying, "I shouldn't worry darlin, how much damage can our son do?"

"Sweetie, you have to remember while your shoulder feels better and you're healed, you aren't one hundred percent...that's why the physical therapist is coming by tomorrow to begin your sessions."

"I think that is a waste of time. I shall get better over time."

Glancing over at her husband, she decided to apply different reasoning. "What would you do if you found out that the damage from this gunshot interfered with your card handing skills, your dexterity was impaired...that your tactile sensitivity was off."

Sitting up slightly, he looked at her. "Could that be a possibility?"

"Maybe. The physical therapist would help with that...making sure your full mobility has returned."

Leaning back into his seat again, his brow crinkled as he considered what she said. Sighing, he said, "I shall give this Dr. Jackson some latitude and see how this physical therapy improves my situation."

Rebecca smiled a little, then under her breath, she whispered, "Thought you might."

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Pulling into her long driveway, she smiled at her husband. Somewhere along the trip home, he had closed his eyes, falling into a light sleep. She wasn't surprised. The medications he had to take tended to make him drowsy. He detesting having to take any of it, but she promised the doctor she would make him take all of it.

Stopping the car, Rebecca touched his arm. "Sweetie...we're back home."

Sighing, he eyes fluttered open saying, "I must have fallen asleep."

"Yes you did. I'll come around and help you out."

Getting out, she walked around the vehicle and opened his door. As she helped him to stand, Ezra pulled her close to him with his good arm slowly kissing her. As the kiss deepened, Rebecca slipped her tongue into his mouth letting them both dance together. The kisses become hungrier; their hands began to move over each other.

Prying himself away from Rebecca, he whispered, "We need to go inside darlin. I'm not sure if I will be able to perform in my current condition...but I would like to try. I have missed your touch."

Opening her eyes, she sighed deeply. Nodding, she whispered back, "Perhaps if we take it slowly, it might be possible. But first you need to say hello to your son...I know he's waiting to see you."

Agreeing, he took his free hand and adjusted himself into a more comfortable position. He also took some deep breaths.

Looking into each other's eyes, he said, "I'm ready."

Taking his left arm, they walked inside the residence.

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"Daddy! Daddy!" Michael jumped off the floor running towards Ezra. He threw his arms around his legs, hugging him tightly. "Missed you!"

Ezra got down on one knee using his good arm to pull his son into his embrace. "I missed you too. Were you a good boy for grandma and grandpa?"

His bright green smiled at his father. "Ma maw said I was extra good." Gently touching Ezra's shoulder in his sling, he gave him a slight frown. "Mama said you got hurt...that's why you weren't here. Is that right?"

Ezra nodded. "Yes, that's right. I still have some healing to do, but I'm doing better."

Looking at his father, he asked, "Will you be able to play with me?"

Rebecca sat down on the floor next to him. "Daddy has a bit more healing to do, so he can't wrestle with you right now...but soon he can."

His face brightened, smiling at both parents. "That's okay. I know daddy will when he's better."

Giving Michael a big hug and kiss she got up, helping Ezra to his feet.

Ezra spent the next few minutes talking to everyone before Rebecca said, "I need to get Ezra situated...making sure he's comfortable. I'll see everyone in a bit."

As they were leaving the living room, Sarah said, "Laura is in our room and she's been fed...just in case you're wondering where she was."

Rebecca smiled, giving her sister a silent 'thank you.' before departing.

Opening their bedroom door Ezra walked inside followed by Rebecca. Shutting and locking the door, she turned, putting one arm around his waist...

"Now...where were we."

Smiling, he began kissing her. "I think you and I were going to make love."

Kissing him back, she whispered, "Oh...that's right..."

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