![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azombiewritesTitle: To Protect a Witness
Thirteenth story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: After Ezra witnesses a murder, he is asked to give evidence at the trial but the accuser’s family has other ideas.
Main Characters: Ezra, and the rest of the seven + OC's.
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Beta: Not betaed – written in the early days when I didn’t know what the words grammar and edit meant. *is ashamed but no longer care*
Notes: Thirteenth story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Total Word Count: 23,531
Part Two
The rest of the afternoon passed by quietly. Ezra had still not come down and they hadn't seen Morrow and his boys since they left the saloon. They were expecting the Judge to arrive within the next five minutes and Josiah was waiting for the stagecoach so he could inform him of what had transpired that morning. They heard the horses and the stage as it went past the saloon and watched the saloon doors waiting for the Judge to storm through them, which he did ten minutes later.
Josiah walked quickly trying to keep up with the Judge as he walked towards the waiting gunmen. "I understand that Mr Standish had some trouble this morning." The Judge commented as he sat down at the table.
"Yeah he did but it's all under control now, the murderer is in the jail." Chris told him.
"And Mr Standish?" The Judge raised his eyebrows at Chris.
"He's up in his room." Chris knew what he wanted and he was not going to volunteer for the job. He looked at the others and they looked away from him.
"I would like to see him. I want to know what happened."
"We can tell you that Judge." Buck said a little hastily.
"I want to hear it from Mr Standish." He glowered at Buck. "So who is going to go and get him?"
They all looked at Josiah. "What are you looking at me for?"
"Because he doesn't seem to shoot at you." Buck told him.
"Fine but if he's sleeping I am going to leave him be." He saw the Judge give him a stern look. "I'm sorry Judge but he needs it."
"What do you mean by that Mr Sanchez?"
"Nathan will explain while I go upstairs." Josiah left the table as Nathan began telling the Judge what had been happening over the last couple of weeks. He told him how Ezra's injuries were still giving him trouble and then about the knife wound that he had received that morning and the loss of blood that had resulted from it. All of this meant that he did need to rest.
Josiah quietly knocked on Ezra's door and when he did not receive an answer, he opened it and stepped into the darkened room. He could see Ezra lying on his stomach, the bed sheets covering him. He seemed to be sleeping deeply so Josiah did not disturb him. He left closing the door behind him and made his way back down to the others.
They all looked up as he came down the stairs.
"He's sleeping like a baby." He smiled at them.
"We best leave him be then until the morning." Nathan told the Judge who nodded in agreement. He wanted to talk to Standish but after what Nathan had just told him he agreed to wait.
***
Ezra had woken up to find himself in a lot of pain, he tried to focus on what had happened but he wasn't sure. He had rolled over onto his stomach, a cry escaping from his lips as he felt the pain erupt in his side. They cry ended abruptly as he fell into unconsciousness. The blood continued to flow from his wound and the fever started to take control of his body and mind.
Ezra felt his face being forced towards the direction of the alley. He watched as the man walked towards Casey as she crossed his path. Ezra tried to call out but all he could manage was a muffled scream against the hand that was pressed heavily against his mouth. He saw the sun as it shone off the large hunting knife before it plunged into Casey's back. He heard her scream and his own joined her as he struggled to get away from the hands that held him against the wall. Ezra was not able to wake up so the dream continued. He could see the blood as it flowed from Casey's mouth as she had turned towards him with a questioning look on her face. Ezra was able to read the expression.
'Why did you do it Ezra, you knew they would kill me. Why Ezra, why?'
He struggled harder to get out of the darkness as he watched Casey fall to the ground, the blood pooling around her young lifeless body. Ezra knew that she was dead and that the blood should no longer be pumping through her veins but it did. It continued to flow out of her body and soak into the ground around her. Ezra screamed himself awake but there was no one to hear him in the early hours of the morning. He opened his eyes and tried to lift his head but the dizziness he felt caused him to lower it quickly. He managed to open his eyes again and saw his mother looking down at him.
'What are you doing still in bed Ezra?' She asked him.
'I'm sick mother.' He answered her.
'No you’re not, you just want attention but you’re not going to get it. The only thing that you will get is pity.' Her tone was degrading. 'Now get up.'
Ezra tried but he couldn't move and as he lay there, he could hear his mother's voice, the words hurting him all over again. He wanted to stop her but for some reason he was not able to speak and he couldn't shut out her voice either. He continued to listen as the words tore through his heart as the pain had tore through his side. Ezra continued to dream of his mother and of Casey's death and after a while, he was not able to separate his dreams from reality
As the sun came up the darkness began to recede from the room but Ezra stayed in his dark world where his dreams continued to haunt him. He had tried repeatedly to save Casey but each time it ended the same way with her lying on the ground, her life leaving her body. His mother also continued to taunt him with her negative comments, which continued to confirm everything that he already knew. That she had never wanted him and that no one would ever care for him, he had to look after number one as nobody else would and if he allowed people to know that he was ill then they would only show him pity, as they did not care for him. It was because of these memories that Ezra now lay in his bed with a dangerous fever and a wound that had already started to become infected with no one knowing about it.
***
The Judge walked down the main street tipping his hat to the people that had also risen early that morning. He knew that Ezra would not be one of them but he intended to have one of the other hired men wake him up. He always enjoyed this time of the day and could not understand why the gambler never seemed to get him out of bed before ten. He felt the warmth of the early sun on his face as he made his way across the street to the saloon. He did not expect all of the gunmen to be there but that was okay, as he only needed one to wake him.
He walked in and was surprised to find the five of them there. He walked over to the table and sat down as he accepted the coffee that Josiah passed to him. 'Must be a bribe he thought to himself, they know what I want.' He nodded his thanks and drank the warm liquid.
"Beautiful day isn't it Judge?" Buck asked him hoping that if he was nice to him the Judge would not ask him to wake Ezra up.
"Yes it is Mr Wilmington and thank you for volunteering to wake up Mr Standish." The Judge smiled at him.
Buck's mouth fell open. "Now hold on Judge, all I said was . . .”
"I am waiting Mr Wilmington." He thought that if he did not interrupt him there then he would be making excuses all morning. He listened as the others laughed openly at their friend and considered getting someone else to do it but changed his mind. He was sure there would be other occasions when it would be their turn. Buck stood up from his chair as the jibes were thrown at him. He ignored them as he made his way to the stairs.
"Don't forget to duck." JD laughed at him.
"Perhaps one of you would like to help him." Judge Travis suggested. He smiled again as the laughter stopped.
Buck couldn't help but smile himself but it was quickly removed from his face as he looked towards Ezra's door. He hated doing this, they all did but for some reason he was the only one that Ezra had actually shot at. He made his way to the door and listened for a moment hoping to hear Ezra moving about but he sighed when he didn't. He stepped to the side and knocked on the door. Nothing. He knocked harder but still heard no sounds from the room. He opened the door and swung it open while keeping his body out of the doorway. He still heard nothing. He carefully glanced around the door jam and saw Ezra sleeping on his stomach with his face turned away from him.
He stepped into the room and quietly tip toed to the bed. He looked down at Ezra's face and frowned as he saw the pasty colour of his skin. He stepped closer still and heard the sound of his boot kicking the empty bottle on the floor. He froze forgetting Ezra's appearance for a moment and waited for the sound of the small derringer being activated. It wasn't. He looked down again and noticed the wet hair that was framing Ezra's face.
"Ezra?" Buck now knew that something was wrong. He pulled the blanket off Ezra's shoulder, he was going to shake him awake but as soon as he touched Ezra's shoulder, he felt the heat that was burning within his body. He quickly removed his hand and placed it on his forehead. Ezra felt hot and clammy. Buck pulled Ezra's right arm out from under the blanket and saw the blood soaked bandage. He placed it back on the bed and ran out of the room heading straight for the stairs.
"Nathan get up here quick!" Buck yelled over the balcony to the men below. He didn't wait for him; he turned and went back to Ezra.
***
The four hired gunmen sat around the table waiting to hear either a gunshot or Bucks boots running back down the stairs but what they didn't expect to hear was Buck yelling out to Nathan to get up to Ezra's room. Worried glances were given to each other before they rose from their chairs and ran up the stairs to find out what was going on. They crowded in through the doorway to find Buck sitting on the bed next to Ezra who was sprawled across the bed on his stomach. Buck was trying to wake him up without any success.
"He's got a bad fever and his arm's been bleeding." Buck told Nathan as he got up off the bed.
Nathan sat down on the bed and saw what Buck was talking about. He saw the bloodied arm that was now lying on the pillow. He looked down into his pale face and placed his hand on Ezra's forehead as Buck had done earlier and also felt the fever. He carefully removed the bandages and saw the torn stitches. He frowned and looked up at Chris.
"The stitches have been torn."
"How?" Chris didn't think that Ezra would have been angry enough to have done this himself.
"I don't know, maybe he fell." Nathan shrugged. "I am going to have to restitch it. I'll go and get my things." He got up from the bed and left the others as they wondered how he managed to tear the stitches in his arm.
They had not noticed the new infected wound in his side, as they were too concerned with the old one. If they had glanced down at the floor, they would have seen the bloodied clothes or if they pulled the blankets back further, they would see the bandaged wrapped around his waist that was soaked with his blood. But they didn't look.
When Nathan left, Chris moved forward and sat on the other side of the bed so he could face Ezra. He used his hand to wipe the damp hair away from his forehead. He took in the paleness of Ezra's handsome face, the slack features, and the open mouth as he breathed steadily. He watched as the slack expression grew into a grimace. His used his voice to try to settle him; it also gave him something to do until Nathan came back.
"Ezra, you’re going to be okay now. Nathan is going to fix you up." Chris continued to wipe away the hair that was no longer on Ezra's forehead.
"Chris?" Ezra mumbled in his sleep.
"Yeah Ezra, I'm here." He leaned forward so he could hear him better.
Ezra took in a quick breath as he watched the knife plunge into Casey's back again. "Casey I'm sorry." Ezra sobbed.
JD stepped forward hoping to find out why Ezra was talking about Casey. "What's he saying about Casey Chris?"
Chris ignored him. "Ezra?" Chris didn't realise that he was only semi-conscious and that he was rambling. "Ezra can you hear me?"
"I killed her. I killed Casey." Ezra tried to turn his head but couldn't the hand was still forcing him to look at Casey. "Let me go!" He suddenly yelled out.
"I'm going to look for Casey." JD said as he ran out the door.
"Ezra what are you talking about?" Chris asked him. Ezra didn't answer, his face went slack again as the darkness took complete control.
Buck stepped forward again and kicked the bottle a second time. He looked down and saw the bottle next to Ezra's jacket. He bent down to pick it up knowing that Ezra would not like it if he's jacket became crumpled. And when he did, he saw the bloodied shirt underneath.
"Chris." Buck lifted the shirt for everyone's inspection.
Chris looked at the shirt and knew that the amount of blood on it would not have come from his arm. He quickly pulled the blanket off Ezra's back and saw the blood soaked bandaged around his waist. He looked from the bandage to Ezra's face and back again. He then carefully untied the knot that held the bandage in place and tried to remove it from his side gently but some of the blood had dried so he had to use more force. Ezra moaned as the bandage came away from the wound. Chris could tell that it was a knife wound even through the dry blood that now filled the wound, it was a clean deep cut across his side. It was also red and swollen.
"He must have had this when he came up to his room yesterday." Chris told the others.
"Well why the hell didn't he tell us about it." Buck practically yelled as he ran his hand through his hair in an agitated manner. "Why did he just come up here and allow himself to nearly bleed to death."
"I've got a pretty good idea." Chris muttered knowing that it was Ezra's foolish pride and the thought of the concern he would receive, concern that he had mistaken for pity.
Judge Travis had been standing at the back of the room watching as Ezra's wounds were revealed to him.
"Gentlemen do you have any idea who might have done this?" He asked the room. They all turned to him.
"Morrow." Josiah answered.
"Who's Morrow?" The Judge asked.
"He's the father of the guy Ezra arrested." Buck explained.
Nathan quickly walked into the room, his hands full of medical supplies. He looked down at Ezra and stopped as he saw the second wound on his side. He pushed the momentary shock aside and moved to bed. He put his supplies on the bed and leaned over Ezra's back to get a better look at the wound.
"I am going to need some boiling water." He turned to Josiah who nodded and left the room. "Chris help me turn him over." Nathan took Ezra's left shoulder and pulled it towards him. Chris pushed Ezra's hip so his lower body would turn over with his upper body. Nathan untwisted Ezra's right arm as his head rolled over it. Buck moved forward to pull the blanket off as it began to become tangled in his legs. He saw that Ezra still had his boots on and quickly pulled them off.
Nathan quickly examined the wound then stepped back. "What was he thinking?" He didn't receive an answer.
When Josiah came back he poured some of the water into the basin that Ezra kept on his dresser, he then cleaned his hands. He went back to Ezra's side and began to clean the wound revealing the extent of the damage. Ezra groaned and his head rolled to face Chris who then placed his hand on Ezra's forehead but Ezra moved away again. Once he finished cleaning it he began to stitch it closed, when that was done he put some balm on it and then had Chris sit Ezra up so he could then bandage it.
Chris could feel Ezra's body heat through his own clothing. He looked up as JD came back into the room. "Did you find Casey?" He asked him.
"Yeah she's fine, hasn't seen Ezra for a couple of days." JD didn't look at Chris as he was staring at the bandage that Nathan was wrapping around Ezra's waist. "What's that for?"
"Somebody had another go at him with a knife." Buck told him.
Chris laid Ezra back down on the bed and Nathan repeated the same process with his right forearm. He then pulled the blanket back up over Ezra's already warm body and sat down on the bed next to him. He soaked one of the bandages in the cooling water and wiped the sweat from Ezra's face.
"Josiah, Buck why don't you go and see if Morrow is still in town." Chris watched as they left and then turned to Nathan. "He going to be okay?"
"There's a slight infection but it should clear up. Once it does that his fever should break." Nathan told him while the others listened.
"Good. I want him to be healthy when I hit him." Chris smiled.
"Bags the second punch." Nathan said.
"Casey." Ezra called as he tossed his head to the side. "Casey."
"Ezra, it's Chris. Casey's fine, she's okay."
Ezra had finally managed to get away, the hand was no longer covering his mouth and the hands were not holding him against the wall. He ran to Casey and fell to his knees beside her. He lifted her into his arms and hugged her lifeless body to his chest. "Casey." She wouldn't answer him. "Casey." he shook her hoping to wake her up. "NO!" He yelled as he sat up in his bed finally breaking free of the dream or so he thought. He felt the hands grab him again and try to push him back down.
"Ezra. It's Chris. Your okay. Ezra." Chris shook him and as he did this Ezra cried out and sat up. Chris and Nathan tried to push him back down but he struggled in their grip. "Ezra!" Chris slapped him and Ezra stopped pushing them away. He opened his eyes and looked at Chris but his eyes were glassy. "Ezra?"
Ezra had felt the slap across his face. He opened his eyes to see who had done it but he was unable to focus. He blinked his eyes and waited for his vision to clear. "Chris."
"Yeah." Chris helped him lay back down on the bed.
"They killed her Chris." Ezra's eyes filled with tears. "They killed Casey."
"No Ezra. Casey's fine, JD just went and checked on her, didn't you JD." Chris turned to him.
"Chris is right Ezra. Casey's not dead." JD confirmed.
"Yes she is, I saw them kill her. They stabbed her and left her to bleed to death. I couldn't get to her, they wouldn't let me go." Ezra believed that she had died.
"JD go and get Casey." Chris told him.
"Sure." JD left to find Casey again.
Chris turned back to Ezra. "You're gonna be okay Ezra, Nathan took care of the wound in your side."
"I'm not sick mother so there is no need to pity me." Ezra muttered as he fell back to sleep.
"Why would he think that Casey was dead?" Nathan asked Chris. He finished wiping Ezra's face and left the cool cloth on his forehead.
"I don't know but I'm going to find out when he wakes up." Chris growled. He was angry, at Maude because she was the real reason why Ezra had hidden this from them, at himself for thinking that Morrow was genuine and now Ezra was lying here with a second knife wound. There was even some part of him that wanted to be angry at Ezra but he knew that he would not become angry at him. He had come to know the gambler a lot better over the last few months, they all had and they knew that he had reasons for what he did and most of those reasons stemmed from his childhood and his mother. They had learnt to be more patient with him but at times, it was hard because they got angry when they couldn't break through the wall that he constantly rebuilt around himself. Each time they thought they had started to break it down he would put it up again for another reason, another feeling, and another memory of his life with his mother or lack of one. Once Ezra dealt with one problem, something would happen to cause another one to come to the surface. Chris looked up at the sound of the Judge's voice.
"Chris when you’re ready I will talk to you downstairs about this situation." The Judge stepped towards the bed and nodded at Ezra.
"Sure, I'll come down when Buck and Josiah get back." Chris answered him knowing what it was he wanted.
"Ezra's not going to like it." Nathan stated, he also knew what the Judge was going to get them to do.
"He's not going to have a choice in the matter." Chris knew that Ezra was going to need protection and if that meant locking him up in a room then that's what they will do.
"Well you can tell him the good news then." Nathan told him.
"Casey is going to need protection too." Chris rubbed his eyes as he wondered how Casey had become involved in this.
"Why would I need protection?" Casey asked as she stood in the doorway to Ezra's room. JD came up behind her and gently pushed her into the room. She stopped at the foot of the bed and looked at Ezra's pale sleeping form. "What's wrong with Ezra?"
"Casey come and sit down." Nathan motioned to the rocking chair that was in the corner of the room.
"What's going on?" She demanded.
"Sit down Casey and Nathan will explain it to you." Chris told her.
Nathan knelt down in front of Casey and decided to just come out with it as there was no easy way to put it. "Casey, Ezra thinks that you have been killed." He saw the shocked expression that came over her young face.
"Why would he think that?" She looked over at Ezra who had started to become restless, she watched as he tossed his head from side to side and then heard him call her name.
"Casey we brought you here for two reasons. The first one is so that Ezra can see that you’re alright." Nathan explained to her as she continued to watch Ezra. "The second is that we think that your life may be in danger."
"Nathan." Chris called as he tried to hold Ezra down. He had begun to struggle in his sleep as though he was trying to get away from something but before Nathan could get to him, Ezra was brought violently out of his nightmare.
"Casey!" He cried out as he tried to sit up, the cloth that Nathan had placed on his forehead fell into his lap. He was gasping for breath, his eyes open but unseeing when Nathan got to his side.
"Ezra it's okay, you’re in your room. Ezra can you hear me?" Nathan gently shook him and watched as Ezra finally focused on him.
"Nathan?" Ezra whispered.
"Yeah it's me. Casey is here as well Ezra." Nathan turned to Casey. "Come and show him you’re okay."
"Casey's dead Nathan." Ezra turned his head to the side and closed his eyes against the tears that he felt each time he had to relive Casey's death.
"No I'm not Ezra." Casey came to the bed and sat down but Ezra didn't acknowledge her. Casey put her hand against Ezra's warm face. "Ezra look at me." He slowly opened his eyes as he turned his head towards her, the tears beginning to fall. Casey was stunned that the thought of her death would bring the con man to tears. She knew that he was changing for the better but did not think that he would react this way.
"Casey?" Ezra inspected her carefully to make sure that it was her. He could feel her hand on his face as she wiped his tears away. He quickly became embarrassed and used his own hands to stop any more tears from falling.
"Casey's alive Ezra." Chris told him as he came forward. "Now do you want to tell us why you thought she wasn't."
Ezra closed his eyes as they were becoming heavy with sleep. He was happy that Casey was alive, he hadn't let her die. But why did he think that she had died, he tried to remember. Morrow, that was it, he had had his son show him how easy it was to kill someone. "Morrow threatened to kill her." He heard Casey gasp. "But not just Casey, anyone, he said he would kill anyone if I testified against his son." Ezra's words were becoming slurred. "Casey was just an example of how easy it would be."
"How Ezra?" Chris needed to know before Ezra fell asleep.
"He stopped her in the alley, had his knife out . . ." Ezra head rolled onto his shoulder as he slipped back into the comfort of slumber. Nathan quickly examined Ezra's side to make sure that he hadn't done any damage to it during his struggle. Once he confirmed that the stitches were still in place he pulled the blanket back up over Ezra and watched him sleep as Chris took over the conversation with Casey.
"Someone tried to kill me." Casey whispered through her hand.
"I'm sorry Casey." Chris put a hand on her shoulder. "Do you remember anyone talking to you yesterday?"
Casey had to think for a few minutes as she went through want she had done the day before. "I do remember talking to a stranger next to the general store. He seemed like a nice guy, he wanted to know if we had a Doctor in town." She was shocked. "He was going to kill me."
"I don't believe he had any intentions of killing you Casey, not then anyway. They were trying to scare Ezra, make him believe that they would kill you if he testified." Chris thought that this would make her feel better. He then looked down at Ezra. "And they did a good job of convincing him."
"And that's why you think that my life is in danger, because they might carry out their threat?" Casey looked into Chris's eyes as she knew that he would tell her the truth.
"Yes. We are going to hide you somewhere with Ezra until he testifies and we find Morrow and his family." Chris explained to her. "We'll wait for the others to come back and then we will take you to Nathan's room until Ezra is feeling better and then we will find somewhere safer for you."
"I think I will be safer out there." Casey muttered to herself but Chris had heard her.
"What do you mean by that?" He smiled at her as he had an idea.
"JD told me what Ezra was like when he has to stay in Nathan's room."
"Morrow and his boys are not in town anymore." Buck announced as he came through the door with Josiah behind him, he stopped dead in his tracks though as Chris's icy glare met his. "Sorry."
The disturbance that had intruded Ezra's calm sleep caused him to wake up abruptly. He groaned at the pain that went through his side and blinked his eyes open. He looked around his room to find it crowded and wondered why they were there. "Would someone mind explaining why you are in my room?"
"Only when you explain why you didn't tell us what happened." Chris retorted.
A frown overcame Ezra's handsome features. "I don't know what you’re talking about." Ezra retaliated.
"Your side. The knife wound that you hid from us." Chris glared at him.
"Knife wound?" Ezra questioned him.
Chris realised that Ezra had either forgotten what happened to him or he refused to remember it for some reason. He moved forward and carefully lifted the blanket from Ezra's side and pointed to the bandage that Nathan had wrapped around his waist.
"Oh that." Ezra moaned as he remembered the knife wound and then the attack on his person. He also remembered the threat on Casey's life and looked at her with fear in his eyes.
"Casey's fine Ezra. We’re going to take her to my room so we can protect her, make sure the Morrow's don't get anywhere near her." Nathan explained to him as he saw the fear that overcame him when he looked at Casey.
"Your room," Ezra tried to sit up as the fear became stronger, "is Casey hurt?" He looked at her again this time trying to see if there were any injuries.
"No but you are and that is where we are taking you." Chris saw the confusion on Ezra's face. "You need protection too Ezra and we may as well keep you both together that way we save on man power."
"Me? Why me? I don't need protection, they didn't threaten me." Ezra protested, but his protests were weak as he was becoming tired again.
"You can argue about it later Ezra." Chris waited a few minutes and watched as Ezra fell asleep again. "Josiah, can you carry Ezra to Nathan's clinic. Buck, JD you go with them and take Casey with you. Make sure they don't go anywhere and keep an eye out for Morrow or his boys. Ezra and Casey are now under our protection so it is our job that nothing happens to them."
Josiah came forward and with Nathan's help wrapped Ezra up in his blanket and then gently lifted him into his arms, making sure that his head fell against his chest. They then left Ezra's room behind them and made their way through the crowded saloon. They received curious glances from everyone who was in the room at the time. They also heard the questions that were quietly spoken in regards to what had happened to the gambler of the group. Chris stopped at the table that Judge Travis was sitting. Nathan glanced around at him.
"Go on Nathan, I'll join you in a minute." Chris nodded towards door and watched as Nathan followed the others out into the street.
"Is he alright?" The Judge asked.
"Nathan said he should be with some rest." Chris poured himself a cup of coffee and refilled the Judge's empty cup.
"They're taking him and Casey to Nathan's room and once Ezra's better we will find somewhere better to keep them."
"I have arranged for the trial to take place day after tomorrow. Do you think you can him under protection for that long?" The Judge asked knowing that it would be difficult for them to do so. He had been told how hard it was on them all when they had to guard Ezra during the three-week house arrest that he had put him under.
"There will be no problem as we will tie him down if we have to." Chris smiled although it was forced. "I mean a couple of days would have to be a lot easier than three weeks. Wouldn't it?"
"Your guess is as good as mine Chris." The Judge smiled back and it was full of humour.
***
Josiah ignored the looks that were shot his way as he carried the injured gambler towards the stairs of Nathan's clinic but he didn't ignore the call that was yelled at him from across the street.
"Josiah what is going on?" Vin called. He had ridden into town and saw how quiet it was so he made his way to the saloon and as he tethered his horse to the rail he looked up to see Josiah exit the saloon with Ezra in his arms. He ran across the street calling him as he ran.
"He's okay Vin. Come up to Nathan's room and well explain it all to you there." Josiah kept walking as he did not want to stay out in the open where it was easy to take a shot at Ezra or one of the others.
Vin saw the expressions on the faces of the others, which confirmed what Josiah had just told him so he quickly followed them up the stairs and into Nathan's room. He watched as Nathan and Josiah made Ezra comfortable in the bed and he saw the two wounds that Nathan revealed as he rebandaged them.
"Okay, does someone want to explain to me what happened?" Vin asked as he looked at each person in the now crowded room.
"Nathan why don't you explain." Buck told him. "JD and I will go outside keep an eye out for any trouble." Buck had done this as he didn't want to see Vin's reaction to the fact that they were going to have to babysit Ezra again even if it was for a good reason. He rushed out the door with a grateful JD right behind him.
***
Fred Morrow stopped his family two hours outside of town in an area where they could be hidden but would also be able to see anybody riding towards them. He pulled his saddlebag off his horse and walked towards his eldest son and removed the dirty clothes from the bag. "Alex put these on." He then revealed the holster and gun that had also been hidden in the bag. "And this. They won't look at you twice in this outfit as they will be looking for someone well dressed without a gun slung to their hip." He watched as his son changed the way he looked. "I want you to keep your eyes and ears open. If you think that the trial is going to go ahead and that gambler is going to testify then come straight back here. If he decides to continue with the idea of putting my youngest son in a noose then we will go back and kill him. Understand?" Alex nodded his head in understanding and rode off back to Four Corners.
"That won't work Vin." Josiah argued with him even though he could not blame him for trying to get out of it.
"What if we disguise someone as Ezra to draw them out?" Vin suggested.
"We don't have anyone that looks like Ezra let alone act like him. Haven't you ever noticed that he has a way of standing out in a crowd?" Nathan was also arguing, hoping that Vin would come up with something that they could all agree on.
"What about me." Casey spoke up. "I have to stay here all the time with him. What is going to be like for me?"
"I am sure that Ezra would stay a gentleman when it comes to spending time with you." Josiah assured her.
"Not from what JD told me." She complained.
"If anyone could make it easy for us it would be you." Nathan told her.
"What makes you think that he is going to be any different just because I am here?" Casey wanted to know.
"He has to be, how else are going to be able to spend time with him. It was bad enough doing that for three weeks." Vin was becoming frustrated and didn't realise that he had raised his voice.
Ezra lay silently in bed watching their backs and listening to the conversation or argument as it had become. He wasn't impressed. If they were concerned about him, they would not be complaining about spending time with him. This only proved his impression of them. It was pity and not concern. He didn't say anything as he wanted to see how far they would go.
"The worse thing though is that we don't know how long we have to babysit him for." Nathan commented.
"Oh great." Vin muttered.
That was far enough. Ezra closed his eyes and groaned. He listened as one of them came to the side of the bed and place their hand on his forehead. He moved his head away but the hand stayed there. He tried again as the last thing he wanted was to feel someone's hand on his face but the person wouldn't take the hint.
"Ezra can you hear me?" Nathan's voice asked him. Ezra used his left hand to roughly push Nathan's hand away. "It's okay Ezra, it's Nathan." Ezra opened his eyes and stared at Nathan, he saw the pity there so he turned away only to look straight into Josiah's pitying gaze.
"You okay Ezra?" Josiah frowned.
"I'm fine so there is no need for you to stay." Ezra growled at him.
Josiah looked up at Nathan who tried to place his hand on Ezra's forehead again so he could check his fever. Ezra again pushed it away. "Don't touch me Nathan!" Ezra spat at him.
"I think I'll wait outside." Vin said as he observed the mood that Ezra was in.
"You do that Mr Tanner." The sarcasm was evident in Ezra's voice. He also gave Vin a look of disdain.
Vin looked at Nathan and then Josiah who only shrugged in ignorance. He stepped out of the room to meet Chris coming up the stairs. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you Chris." Vin warned him.
"Why not?" He asked him.
"Ezra is in a lousy mood."
"What's new?" Chris smiled as he continued into the room. He instantly knew what Vin meant by the angry expression on Ezra's face as he was made to drink one of Nathan's concoctions. "I take it you have given Ezra the good news."
"No we haven't." Josiah corrected him as he sat next to Ezra in case he was needed to hold him down while Nathan had him drink something for his fever.
"What news is that?" Ezra glared at Chris.
When Vin had told him that Ezra was in a lousy mood he didn't realise how bad a mood he was in. He would have to be careful in regards to what he was about to say. If Ezra stayed in this mood then the next couple of days were going to be really bad. He would end up having to protect him from his friends as well as Morrow.
"The Judge wants us to keep you and Casey under protective custody." Chris began hoping that if he put all the blame on the Judge it would make it easier for the rest of them.
"What for?" Ezra didn't want this anymore than they did.
"In case Morrow comes after you again. He has already threatened you once and . . . "
"He didn't threaten me." Ezra told him.
"What about the knife wound in your side?" Chris asked.
"Apparently that was just for the fun of it." Ezra grimaced at the memory.
Chris worried about that but continued anyway. "And they also threatened Casey from what you told us.”
"He threatened everyone not just Casey. Does that mean the whole town is under protective custody?" Ezra asked not hiding the anger in his voice. "He just used Casey as an example to show how easy it would be to stop someone in the street and plunge a knife into their back without them knowing it." Ezra noticed as Casey shivered at his words.
"Sorry Casey."
"Either way Ezra, the Judge wants you protected so you are going to have to stay put for a couple of days. Casey too." Chris told him.
"I don't need protection." Ezra told him.
"Yes you do Ezra." Chris argued back.
"I can take care of myself, I don't need babysitters." Nathan and Josiah looked at each other when they heard Ezra refer to them babysitting him.
"We saw how you can take care of yourself. What did you think you were doing? If the Judge didn't want to see you this morning, you could have bled to death. It was a stupid thing to do Ezra." Chris retaliated.
"Death would be a lot easier to deal with than all this pity everyone keeps giving me." Ezra was seething.
Chris observed Ezra seeing the anger that was building in his green eyes. "I think we should continue this when you calm down."
"That may be a while Mr Larabee." Ezra growled.
"Nathan, Josiah why don't you take the first watch, make sure that Ezra doesn't go anywhere. Buck and JD will stay outside. Vin and I will get some rest and then we'll rotate." Chris moved towards Ezra. "Get some rest Ezra."
Ezra watched as Chris left the room and as Nathan and Josiah found a place to sit. He had to think of a way to get out of here. He wasn't going to stay in a situation where neither he nor the others wanted to be in. He continued to think about it as he feel back to sleep. Nathan had been silently watching him and once Ezra was asleep, he went to the bed and placed his hand back on his forehead. He could feel the heat of the fever that still ran through Ezra's body. Nathan made the mistake of thinking that it was the fever that was causing Ezra's bad mood.
Ezra dreamt again while he slept. His mother's words continued to hurt him as they had done when they were originally spoken to him all those years ago. It was as though he was reliving his entire childhood all over again. Her words were re-opening wounds in his soul that he thought he had healed. But they hadn't healed; he had just pushed them aside and forgot about them. And now they had been violently brought to the surface for him to deal with but it was difficult for him to do this so he subconsciously did what he always did. He denied that anything was wrong and he hid behind his wall and used his anger to push people away except these people would not go away. They kept pushing him and it had made him even angrier.
Anger and denial had always gotten rid of people who were being to nosey, who showed too much pity, they had always left him alone which only confirmed what his mother had always told him. It had worked when he was a child - although the anger usually resulted in some sort of physical abuse before they left him alone - and it had continued to work into his adulthood. It had continued to work for the first six months that he had spent in Four Corners but things happened that allowed the others to start breaking down his wall. The feelings of friendship had become too much for him to deal with until he finally broke and he allowed that part of himself to heal. But then he started to feel suffocated by the pity that they had all shown him when he was injured and it had brought back some bad memories that he did not want to deal with.
He had accepted the other six members of the group as friends but was yet to accept the fact that they cared for him in their own way and that it was concern that they showed him. They had tried to convince him of this but his mother's words were stronger, they took control again as soon as he had any doubt in his mind about what they did show towards him. And it was his mother's voice that was talking to him now. He wanted to tell her she was wrong but he couldn't because he was not fully convinced that she was wrong.
Josiah watched as Ezra tossed and turned in his sleep, he listened as he talked but he couldn't make out the words as he was mumbling. He wanted to wake him but Nathan had told him to leave him be as he needed the rest. Josiah couldn't understand how Nathan thought that Ezra was getting any rest. He watched as Nathan went to the bed and placed his hand carefully on Ezra's forehead.
"His fever has come down but it but it still has a ways to go." Nathan informed him.
"Does that mean he's going to wake up soon?" Casey asked from across the room.
Nobody answered her though as they were distracted by Ezra jerking awake at the touch on his forehead. "Nathan would you please stop doing that." Ezra grumbled as he tried to push Nathan's hand away.
"Just checking your temperature Ezra." Nathan explained in what he hoped was a calm tone.
"Don't." Ezra replied in what was definitely not a calm tone. He was already angry.
"You want some water Ezra?" Nathan thought that it would be best to change the subject. He walked over to the jug of water and was about to place something in it when he heard Ezra's voice.
"Please do not put anything in it that will put me back to sleep." Ezra did not allow any anger to show in his voice as it was more of a plea than a threat. He didn't want to go back to the dreams.
"Sure Ezra." Nathan agreed as Ezra had seemed to calm down. "But I will have to give you something for your fever."
"It won't make me sleep will it?" Ezra asked him.
"No." Nathan came back to the bed and went to help him sit up but Ezra brushed him away and took the cup from Nathan's hand. Ezra's hand shook slightly but he was able to drink the water without spilling it. He then layback down as Nathan took the cup from his hand.
Josiah came over to the bed and sat down. Ezra didn't look at him but instead noticed Casey sitting in the corner. He returned the smile that she gave him but it was forced, she did not realise it though. He hated the thought of Casey being involved in this; her life should never have been threatened. He saw Casey shift uncomfortably under his gaze and he turned his eyes towards Josiah. He saw the pity there and immediately turned his eyes in another direction, straight into Chris's eyes as he entered the room.
"Have you calmed down yet Ezra?" Chris asked as he walked into the clinic. He had entered the room to find Ezra staring at him as though he knew he was coming. Ezra seemed to be relaxed and he did not feel any tension in the room. But he knew it was still early and there was plenty of time for the tension to build.
"It depends on what you wish to talk about Mr Larabee." Ezra answered.
Over the last couple of months, Chris had come to realise that Ezra used a person's last name when he was hiding behind his wall. It was as though the use of the last name implied that the person was not a friend and therefore gave him permission to treat them as such. It seemed to make it easier for Ezra to push that person away from him.
"At the moment Ezra I only want to know what happened yesterday with Morrow. We'll leave the rest till later." Chris informed him as he sat down on the other side of the bed as Josiah had not gotten up.
"There's not really a lot to say." Ezra stopped there as he didn't really want to go into because he knew that it was not all Chris wanted to talk about. But the stare that Chris gave him told him to continue. "They pulled me into the alley and told me not to testify and if I did they would kill someone."
"You?" Josiah asked him.
"No, they didn't threaten to hurt me." Ezra lied. If they knew that he was threatened they wouldn't leave him alone. He was stuck here for the moment because of his side but he intended to get away as soon as possible. "They told me that they would kill someone else, anybody else. He seemed to think that I would not feel too good about someone else being killed." Ezra looked down at his hands and wished that he had his cards or better still a drink.
"Then why did he cut you?" Chris demanded to know. He tried to keep calm but sometimes Ezra just pushed him too far.
"He said that it was just for the fun of it." Ezra muttered. He didn't look at Chris.
"What about Casey, you said that she was an example of how easy it would be to kill someone." Chris kept pushing him.
"It could have been anyone; Casey was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The threat was not intended directly at Casey."
"That's going to make it hard Chris, if they are willing to grab the first person to walk past and kill them just to threaten Ezra into not testifying. We can't watch everyone." Josiah told him.
"You have to allow me to show myself around town." Ezra saw their questioning gazes. "If they don't see me they are going to know you have me shut away somewhere and that will cause them to think that I am going to testify."
"Sorry Ezra can't do that. Besides they are not in town at the moment so you are staying put." Chris smiled at him.
"And if someone does die?" Ezra argued.
"People are keeping an eye out for them Ezra, we'll know as soon as they come into town and we will take care of them." Chris assured him.
"How come that answer does not give me any comfort." He said more to himself than the others.
"Well because you changed the subject Ezra, you want to tell me why you didn't tell us what happened?" Chris pushed him just a little bit harder. Ezra stayed silent. "Maybe I can answer that question for you." Chris added. Ezra frowned at him. "Your mother?" Chris knew he hit the mark with Ezra's reaction, he had tried to hide it behind his poker face but Chris saw the emotion flash through his eyes. He also saw the anger and wondered if had pushed him a little too far.
"What the hell does my mother have to do with any of this?" Ezra had tried to keep his poker face up but it had faltered and he knew that Chris saw what was underneath it.
"She was the one who told you it was pity that people showed you and not concern wasn't it?" Chris waited for an answer but it was a long time coming. He waited.
"She didn't need to tell me as it was what people showed me that convinced me of this."
"Perhaps we should ask Maude." Chris enjoyed the reaction that he received.
"Is she here?" Ezra was stunned, what was she doing here, that was all he needed.
"No but I wish she was." Chris muttered before he continued. "I want you to promise me that you won't do anything that stupid again Ezra."
"Only if you promise me not to smother me with your pity if anything did happen again." Ezra retaliated.
"Agreed." Chris knew that Ezra's own stubbornness lost that one as it was not pity that he was smothered with, it was concern.
"That was a little too easy Mr Larabee." Ezra stated. He knew that he had just been tricked. He should have used the word that they used. Concern. Not that it really bothered him as he had broken promises before.
"I have learnt from you Ezra." Chris got up and went to the door. "Buck and JD will be here in a minute so you can go and get some rest, Vin and I are going to take a quick walk around town then we will be outside." He told Nathan and Josiah. "We'll bring some food back too." He smiled at Casey.
Ezra smiled to himself as it would be easier to get out of here with Buck and JD watching him.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three
Master Fan Fiction List
Thirteenth story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: After Ezra witnesses a murder, he is asked to give evidence at the trial but the accuser’s family has other ideas.
Main Characters: Ezra, and the rest of the seven + OC's.
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Beta: Not betaed – written in the early days when I didn’t know what the words grammar and edit meant. *is ashamed but no longer care*
Notes: Thirteenth story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Total Word Count: 23,531
Part Two
The rest of the afternoon passed by quietly. Ezra had still not come down and they hadn't seen Morrow and his boys since they left the saloon. They were expecting the Judge to arrive within the next five minutes and Josiah was waiting for the stagecoach so he could inform him of what had transpired that morning. They heard the horses and the stage as it went past the saloon and watched the saloon doors waiting for the Judge to storm through them, which he did ten minutes later.
Josiah walked quickly trying to keep up with the Judge as he walked towards the waiting gunmen. "I understand that Mr Standish had some trouble this morning." The Judge commented as he sat down at the table.
"Yeah he did but it's all under control now, the murderer is in the jail." Chris told him.
"And Mr Standish?" The Judge raised his eyebrows at Chris.
"He's up in his room." Chris knew what he wanted and he was not going to volunteer for the job. He looked at the others and they looked away from him.
"I would like to see him. I want to know what happened."
"We can tell you that Judge." Buck said a little hastily.
"I want to hear it from Mr Standish." He glowered at Buck. "So who is going to go and get him?"
They all looked at Josiah. "What are you looking at me for?"
"Because he doesn't seem to shoot at you." Buck told him.
"Fine but if he's sleeping I am going to leave him be." He saw the Judge give him a stern look. "I'm sorry Judge but he needs it."
"What do you mean by that Mr Sanchez?"
"Nathan will explain while I go upstairs." Josiah left the table as Nathan began telling the Judge what had been happening over the last couple of weeks. He told him how Ezra's injuries were still giving him trouble and then about the knife wound that he had received that morning and the loss of blood that had resulted from it. All of this meant that he did need to rest.
Josiah quietly knocked on Ezra's door and when he did not receive an answer, he opened it and stepped into the darkened room. He could see Ezra lying on his stomach, the bed sheets covering him. He seemed to be sleeping deeply so Josiah did not disturb him. He left closing the door behind him and made his way back down to the others.
They all looked up as he came down the stairs.
"He's sleeping like a baby." He smiled at them.
"We best leave him be then until the morning." Nathan told the Judge who nodded in agreement. He wanted to talk to Standish but after what Nathan had just told him he agreed to wait.
***
Ezra had woken up to find himself in a lot of pain, he tried to focus on what had happened but he wasn't sure. He had rolled over onto his stomach, a cry escaping from his lips as he felt the pain erupt in his side. They cry ended abruptly as he fell into unconsciousness. The blood continued to flow from his wound and the fever started to take control of his body and mind.
Ezra felt his face being forced towards the direction of the alley. He watched as the man walked towards Casey as she crossed his path. Ezra tried to call out but all he could manage was a muffled scream against the hand that was pressed heavily against his mouth. He saw the sun as it shone off the large hunting knife before it plunged into Casey's back. He heard her scream and his own joined her as he struggled to get away from the hands that held him against the wall. Ezra was not able to wake up so the dream continued. He could see the blood as it flowed from Casey's mouth as she had turned towards him with a questioning look on her face. Ezra was able to read the expression.
'Why did you do it Ezra, you knew they would kill me. Why Ezra, why?'
He struggled harder to get out of the darkness as he watched Casey fall to the ground, the blood pooling around her young lifeless body. Ezra knew that she was dead and that the blood should no longer be pumping through her veins but it did. It continued to flow out of her body and soak into the ground around her. Ezra screamed himself awake but there was no one to hear him in the early hours of the morning. He opened his eyes and tried to lift his head but the dizziness he felt caused him to lower it quickly. He managed to open his eyes again and saw his mother looking down at him.
'What are you doing still in bed Ezra?' She asked him.
'I'm sick mother.' He answered her.
'No you’re not, you just want attention but you’re not going to get it. The only thing that you will get is pity.' Her tone was degrading. 'Now get up.'
Ezra tried but he couldn't move and as he lay there, he could hear his mother's voice, the words hurting him all over again. He wanted to stop her but for some reason he was not able to speak and he couldn't shut out her voice either. He continued to listen as the words tore through his heart as the pain had tore through his side. Ezra continued to dream of his mother and of Casey's death and after a while, he was not able to separate his dreams from reality
As the sun came up the darkness began to recede from the room but Ezra stayed in his dark world where his dreams continued to haunt him. He had tried repeatedly to save Casey but each time it ended the same way with her lying on the ground, her life leaving her body. His mother also continued to taunt him with her negative comments, which continued to confirm everything that he already knew. That she had never wanted him and that no one would ever care for him, he had to look after number one as nobody else would and if he allowed people to know that he was ill then they would only show him pity, as they did not care for him. It was because of these memories that Ezra now lay in his bed with a dangerous fever and a wound that had already started to become infected with no one knowing about it.
***
The Judge walked down the main street tipping his hat to the people that had also risen early that morning. He knew that Ezra would not be one of them but he intended to have one of the other hired men wake him up. He always enjoyed this time of the day and could not understand why the gambler never seemed to get him out of bed before ten. He felt the warmth of the early sun on his face as he made his way across the street to the saloon. He did not expect all of the gunmen to be there but that was okay, as he only needed one to wake him.
He walked in and was surprised to find the five of them there. He walked over to the table and sat down as he accepted the coffee that Josiah passed to him. 'Must be a bribe he thought to himself, they know what I want.' He nodded his thanks and drank the warm liquid.
"Beautiful day isn't it Judge?" Buck asked him hoping that if he was nice to him the Judge would not ask him to wake Ezra up.
"Yes it is Mr Wilmington and thank you for volunteering to wake up Mr Standish." The Judge smiled at him.
Buck's mouth fell open. "Now hold on Judge, all I said was . . .”
"I am waiting Mr Wilmington." He thought that if he did not interrupt him there then he would be making excuses all morning. He listened as the others laughed openly at their friend and considered getting someone else to do it but changed his mind. He was sure there would be other occasions when it would be their turn. Buck stood up from his chair as the jibes were thrown at him. He ignored them as he made his way to the stairs.
"Don't forget to duck." JD laughed at him.
"Perhaps one of you would like to help him." Judge Travis suggested. He smiled again as the laughter stopped.
Buck couldn't help but smile himself but it was quickly removed from his face as he looked towards Ezra's door. He hated doing this, they all did but for some reason he was the only one that Ezra had actually shot at. He made his way to the door and listened for a moment hoping to hear Ezra moving about but he sighed when he didn't. He stepped to the side and knocked on the door. Nothing. He knocked harder but still heard no sounds from the room. He opened the door and swung it open while keeping his body out of the doorway. He still heard nothing. He carefully glanced around the door jam and saw Ezra sleeping on his stomach with his face turned away from him.
He stepped into the room and quietly tip toed to the bed. He looked down at Ezra's face and frowned as he saw the pasty colour of his skin. He stepped closer still and heard the sound of his boot kicking the empty bottle on the floor. He froze forgetting Ezra's appearance for a moment and waited for the sound of the small derringer being activated. It wasn't. He looked down again and noticed the wet hair that was framing Ezra's face.
"Ezra?" Buck now knew that something was wrong. He pulled the blanket off Ezra's shoulder, he was going to shake him awake but as soon as he touched Ezra's shoulder, he felt the heat that was burning within his body. He quickly removed his hand and placed it on his forehead. Ezra felt hot and clammy. Buck pulled Ezra's right arm out from under the blanket and saw the blood soaked bandage. He placed it back on the bed and ran out of the room heading straight for the stairs.
"Nathan get up here quick!" Buck yelled over the balcony to the men below. He didn't wait for him; he turned and went back to Ezra.
***
The four hired gunmen sat around the table waiting to hear either a gunshot or Bucks boots running back down the stairs but what they didn't expect to hear was Buck yelling out to Nathan to get up to Ezra's room. Worried glances were given to each other before they rose from their chairs and ran up the stairs to find out what was going on. They crowded in through the doorway to find Buck sitting on the bed next to Ezra who was sprawled across the bed on his stomach. Buck was trying to wake him up without any success.
"He's got a bad fever and his arm's been bleeding." Buck told Nathan as he got up off the bed.
Nathan sat down on the bed and saw what Buck was talking about. He saw the bloodied arm that was now lying on the pillow. He looked down into his pale face and placed his hand on Ezra's forehead as Buck had done earlier and also felt the fever. He carefully removed the bandages and saw the torn stitches. He frowned and looked up at Chris.
"The stitches have been torn."
"How?" Chris didn't think that Ezra would have been angry enough to have done this himself.
"I don't know, maybe he fell." Nathan shrugged. "I am going to have to restitch it. I'll go and get my things." He got up from the bed and left the others as they wondered how he managed to tear the stitches in his arm.
They had not noticed the new infected wound in his side, as they were too concerned with the old one. If they had glanced down at the floor, they would have seen the bloodied clothes or if they pulled the blankets back further, they would see the bandaged wrapped around his waist that was soaked with his blood. But they didn't look.
When Nathan left, Chris moved forward and sat on the other side of the bed so he could face Ezra. He used his hand to wipe the damp hair away from his forehead. He took in the paleness of Ezra's handsome face, the slack features, and the open mouth as he breathed steadily. He watched as the slack expression grew into a grimace. His used his voice to try to settle him; it also gave him something to do until Nathan came back.
"Ezra, you’re going to be okay now. Nathan is going to fix you up." Chris continued to wipe away the hair that was no longer on Ezra's forehead.
"Chris?" Ezra mumbled in his sleep.
"Yeah Ezra, I'm here." He leaned forward so he could hear him better.
Ezra took in a quick breath as he watched the knife plunge into Casey's back again. "Casey I'm sorry." Ezra sobbed.
JD stepped forward hoping to find out why Ezra was talking about Casey. "What's he saying about Casey Chris?"
Chris ignored him. "Ezra?" Chris didn't realise that he was only semi-conscious and that he was rambling. "Ezra can you hear me?"
"I killed her. I killed Casey." Ezra tried to turn his head but couldn't the hand was still forcing him to look at Casey. "Let me go!" He suddenly yelled out.
"I'm going to look for Casey." JD said as he ran out the door.
"Ezra what are you talking about?" Chris asked him. Ezra didn't answer, his face went slack again as the darkness took complete control.
Buck stepped forward again and kicked the bottle a second time. He looked down and saw the bottle next to Ezra's jacket. He bent down to pick it up knowing that Ezra would not like it if he's jacket became crumpled. And when he did, he saw the bloodied shirt underneath.
"Chris." Buck lifted the shirt for everyone's inspection.
Chris looked at the shirt and knew that the amount of blood on it would not have come from his arm. He quickly pulled the blanket off Ezra's back and saw the blood soaked bandaged around his waist. He looked from the bandage to Ezra's face and back again. He then carefully untied the knot that held the bandage in place and tried to remove it from his side gently but some of the blood had dried so he had to use more force. Ezra moaned as the bandage came away from the wound. Chris could tell that it was a knife wound even through the dry blood that now filled the wound, it was a clean deep cut across his side. It was also red and swollen.
"He must have had this when he came up to his room yesterday." Chris told the others.
"Well why the hell didn't he tell us about it." Buck practically yelled as he ran his hand through his hair in an agitated manner. "Why did he just come up here and allow himself to nearly bleed to death."
"I've got a pretty good idea." Chris muttered knowing that it was Ezra's foolish pride and the thought of the concern he would receive, concern that he had mistaken for pity.
Judge Travis had been standing at the back of the room watching as Ezra's wounds were revealed to him.
"Gentlemen do you have any idea who might have done this?" He asked the room. They all turned to him.
"Morrow." Josiah answered.
"Who's Morrow?" The Judge asked.
"He's the father of the guy Ezra arrested." Buck explained.
Nathan quickly walked into the room, his hands full of medical supplies. He looked down at Ezra and stopped as he saw the second wound on his side. He pushed the momentary shock aside and moved to bed. He put his supplies on the bed and leaned over Ezra's back to get a better look at the wound.
"I am going to need some boiling water." He turned to Josiah who nodded and left the room. "Chris help me turn him over." Nathan took Ezra's left shoulder and pulled it towards him. Chris pushed Ezra's hip so his lower body would turn over with his upper body. Nathan untwisted Ezra's right arm as his head rolled over it. Buck moved forward to pull the blanket off as it began to become tangled in his legs. He saw that Ezra still had his boots on and quickly pulled them off.
Nathan quickly examined the wound then stepped back. "What was he thinking?" He didn't receive an answer.
When Josiah came back he poured some of the water into the basin that Ezra kept on his dresser, he then cleaned his hands. He went back to Ezra's side and began to clean the wound revealing the extent of the damage. Ezra groaned and his head rolled to face Chris who then placed his hand on Ezra's forehead but Ezra moved away again. Once he finished cleaning it he began to stitch it closed, when that was done he put some balm on it and then had Chris sit Ezra up so he could then bandage it.
Chris could feel Ezra's body heat through his own clothing. He looked up as JD came back into the room. "Did you find Casey?" He asked him.
"Yeah she's fine, hasn't seen Ezra for a couple of days." JD didn't look at Chris as he was staring at the bandage that Nathan was wrapping around Ezra's waist. "What's that for?"
"Somebody had another go at him with a knife." Buck told him.
Chris laid Ezra back down on the bed and Nathan repeated the same process with his right forearm. He then pulled the blanket back up over Ezra's already warm body and sat down on the bed next to him. He soaked one of the bandages in the cooling water and wiped the sweat from Ezra's face.
"Josiah, Buck why don't you go and see if Morrow is still in town." Chris watched as they left and then turned to Nathan. "He going to be okay?"
"There's a slight infection but it should clear up. Once it does that his fever should break." Nathan told him while the others listened.
"Good. I want him to be healthy when I hit him." Chris smiled.
"Bags the second punch." Nathan said.
"Casey." Ezra called as he tossed his head to the side. "Casey."
"Ezra, it's Chris. Casey's fine, she's okay."
Ezra had finally managed to get away, the hand was no longer covering his mouth and the hands were not holding him against the wall. He ran to Casey and fell to his knees beside her. He lifted her into his arms and hugged her lifeless body to his chest. "Casey." She wouldn't answer him. "Casey." he shook her hoping to wake her up. "NO!" He yelled as he sat up in his bed finally breaking free of the dream or so he thought. He felt the hands grab him again and try to push him back down.
"Ezra. It's Chris. Your okay. Ezra." Chris shook him and as he did this Ezra cried out and sat up. Chris and Nathan tried to push him back down but he struggled in their grip. "Ezra!" Chris slapped him and Ezra stopped pushing them away. He opened his eyes and looked at Chris but his eyes were glassy. "Ezra?"
Ezra had felt the slap across his face. He opened his eyes to see who had done it but he was unable to focus. He blinked his eyes and waited for his vision to clear. "Chris."
"Yeah." Chris helped him lay back down on the bed.
"They killed her Chris." Ezra's eyes filled with tears. "They killed Casey."
"No Ezra. Casey's fine, JD just went and checked on her, didn't you JD." Chris turned to him.
"Chris is right Ezra. Casey's not dead." JD confirmed.
"Yes she is, I saw them kill her. They stabbed her and left her to bleed to death. I couldn't get to her, they wouldn't let me go." Ezra believed that she had died.
"JD go and get Casey." Chris told him.
"Sure." JD left to find Casey again.
Chris turned back to Ezra. "You're gonna be okay Ezra, Nathan took care of the wound in your side."
"I'm not sick mother so there is no need to pity me." Ezra muttered as he fell back to sleep.
"Why would he think that Casey was dead?" Nathan asked Chris. He finished wiping Ezra's face and left the cool cloth on his forehead.
"I don't know but I'm going to find out when he wakes up." Chris growled. He was angry, at Maude because she was the real reason why Ezra had hidden this from them, at himself for thinking that Morrow was genuine and now Ezra was lying here with a second knife wound. There was even some part of him that wanted to be angry at Ezra but he knew that he would not become angry at him. He had come to know the gambler a lot better over the last few months, they all had and they knew that he had reasons for what he did and most of those reasons stemmed from his childhood and his mother. They had learnt to be more patient with him but at times, it was hard because they got angry when they couldn't break through the wall that he constantly rebuilt around himself. Each time they thought they had started to break it down he would put it up again for another reason, another feeling, and another memory of his life with his mother or lack of one. Once Ezra dealt with one problem, something would happen to cause another one to come to the surface. Chris looked up at the sound of the Judge's voice.
"Chris when you’re ready I will talk to you downstairs about this situation." The Judge stepped towards the bed and nodded at Ezra.
"Sure, I'll come down when Buck and Josiah get back." Chris answered him knowing what it was he wanted.
"Ezra's not going to like it." Nathan stated, he also knew what the Judge was going to get them to do.
"He's not going to have a choice in the matter." Chris knew that Ezra was going to need protection and if that meant locking him up in a room then that's what they will do.
"Well you can tell him the good news then." Nathan told him.
"Casey is going to need protection too." Chris rubbed his eyes as he wondered how Casey had become involved in this.
"Why would I need protection?" Casey asked as she stood in the doorway to Ezra's room. JD came up behind her and gently pushed her into the room. She stopped at the foot of the bed and looked at Ezra's pale sleeping form. "What's wrong with Ezra?"
"Casey come and sit down." Nathan motioned to the rocking chair that was in the corner of the room.
"What's going on?" She demanded.
"Sit down Casey and Nathan will explain it to you." Chris told her.
Nathan knelt down in front of Casey and decided to just come out with it as there was no easy way to put it. "Casey, Ezra thinks that you have been killed." He saw the shocked expression that came over her young face.
"Why would he think that?" She looked over at Ezra who had started to become restless, she watched as he tossed his head from side to side and then heard him call her name.
"Casey we brought you here for two reasons. The first one is so that Ezra can see that you’re alright." Nathan explained to her as she continued to watch Ezra. "The second is that we think that your life may be in danger."
"Nathan." Chris called as he tried to hold Ezra down. He had begun to struggle in his sleep as though he was trying to get away from something but before Nathan could get to him, Ezra was brought violently out of his nightmare.
"Casey!" He cried out as he tried to sit up, the cloth that Nathan had placed on his forehead fell into his lap. He was gasping for breath, his eyes open but unseeing when Nathan got to his side.
"Ezra it's okay, you’re in your room. Ezra can you hear me?" Nathan gently shook him and watched as Ezra finally focused on him.
"Nathan?" Ezra whispered.
"Yeah it's me. Casey is here as well Ezra." Nathan turned to Casey. "Come and show him you’re okay."
"Casey's dead Nathan." Ezra turned his head to the side and closed his eyes against the tears that he felt each time he had to relive Casey's death.
"No I'm not Ezra." Casey came to the bed and sat down but Ezra didn't acknowledge her. Casey put her hand against Ezra's warm face. "Ezra look at me." He slowly opened his eyes as he turned his head towards her, the tears beginning to fall. Casey was stunned that the thought of her death would bring the con man to tears. She knew that he was changing for the better but did not think that he would react this way.
"Casey?" Ezra inspected her carefully to make sure that it was her. He could feel her hand on his face as she wiped his tears away. He quickly became embarrassed and used his own hands to stop any more tears from falling.
"Casey's alive Ezra." Chris told him as he came forward. "Now do you want to tell us why you thought she wasn't."
Ezra closed his eyes as they were becoming heavy with sleep. He was happy that Casey was alive, he hadn't let her die. But why did he think that she had died, he tried to remember. Morrow, that was it, he had had his son show him how easy it was to kill someone. "Morrow threatened to kill her." He heard Casey gasp. "But not just Casey, anyone, he said he would kill anyone if I testified against his son." Ezra's words were becoming slurred. "Casey was just an example of how easy it would be."
"How Ezra?" Chris needed to know before Ezra fell asleep.
"He stopped her in the alley, had his knife out . . ." Ezra head rolled onto his shoulder as he slipped back into the comfort of slumber. Nathan quickly examined Ezra's side to make sure that he hadn't done any damage to it during his struggle. Once he confirmed that the stitches were still in place he pulled the blanket back up over Ezra and watched him sleep as Chris took over the conversation with Casey.
"Someone tried to kill me." Casey whispered through her hand.
"I'm sorry Casey." Chris put a hand on her shoulder. "Do you remember anyone talking to you yesterday?"
Casey had to think for a few minutes as she went through want she had done the day before. "I do remember talking to a stranger next to the general store. He seemed like a nice guy, he wanted to know if we had a Doctor in town." She was shocked. "He was going to kill me."
"I don't believe he had any intentions of killing you Casey, not then anyway. They were trying to scare Ezra, make him believe that they would kill you if he testified." Chris thought that this would make her feel better. He then looked down at Ezra. "And they did a good job of convincing him."
"And that's why you think that my life is in danger, because they might carry out their threat?" Casey looked into Chris's eyes as she knew that he would tell her the truth.
"Yes. We are going to hide you somewhere with Ezra until he testifies and we find Morrow and his family." Chris explained to her. "We'll wait for the others to come back and then we will take you to Nathan's room until Ezra is feeling better and then we will find somewhere safer for you."
"I think I will be safer out there." Casey muttered to herself but Chris had heard her.
"What do you mean by that?" He smiled at her as he had an idea.
"JD told me what Ezra was like when he has to stay in Nathan's room."
"Morrow and his boys are not in town anymore." Buck announced as he came through the door with Josiah behind him, he stopped dead in his tracks though as Chris's icy glare met his. "Sorry."
The disturbance that had intruded Ezra's calm sleep caused him to wake up abruptly. He groaned at the pain that went through his side and blinked his eyes open. He looked around his room to find it crowded and wondered why they were there. "Would someone mind explaining why you are in my room?"
"Only when you explain why you didn't tell us what happened." Chris retorted.
A frown overcame Ezra's handsome features. "I don't know what you’re talking about." Ezra retaliated.
"Your side. The knife wound that you hid from us." Chris glared at him.
"Knife wound?" Ezra questioned him.
Chris realised that Ezra had either forgotten what happened to him or he refused to remember it for some reason. He moved forward and carefully lifted the blanket from Ezra's side and pointed to the bandage that Nathan had wrapped around his waist.
"Oh that." Ezra moaned as he remembered the knife wound and then the attack on his person. He also remembered the threat on Casey's life and looked at her with fear in his eyes.
"Casey's fine Ezra. We’re going to take her to my room so we can protect her, make sure the Morrow's don't get anywhere near her." Nathan explained to him as he saw the fear that overcame him when he looked at Casey.
"Your room," Ezra tried to sit up as the fear became stronger, "is Casey hurt?" He looked at her again this time trying to see if there were any injuries.
"No but you are and that is where we are taking you." Chris saw the confusion on Ezra's face. "You need protection too Ezra and we may as well keep you both together that way we save on man power."
"Me? Why me? I don't need protection, they didn't threaten me." Ezra protested, but his protests were weak as he was becoming tired again.
"You can argue about it later Ezra." Chris waited a few minutes and watched as Ezra fell asleep again. "Josiah, can you carry Ezra to Nathan's clinic. Buck, JD you go with them and take Casey with you. Make sure they don't go anywhere and keep an eye out for Morrow or his boys. Ezra and Casey are now under our protection so it is our job that nothing happens to them."
Josiah came forward and with Nathan's help wrapped Ezra up in his blanket and then gently lifted him into his arms, making sure that his head fell against his chest. They then left Ezra's room behind them and made their way through the crowded saloon. They received curious glances from everyone who was in the room at the time. They also heard the questions that were quietly spoken in regards to what had happened to the gambler of the group. Chris stopped at the table that Judge Travis was sitting. Nathan glanced around at him.
"Go on Nathan, I'll join you in a minute." Chris nodded towards door and watched as Nathan followed the others out into the street.
"Is he alright?" The Judge asked.
"Nathan said he should be with some rest." Chris poured himself a cup of coffee and refilled the Judge's empty cup.
"They're taking him and Casey to Nathan's room and once Ezra's better we will find somewhere better to keep them."
"I have arranged for the trial to take place day after tomorrow. Do you think you can him under protection for that long?" The Judge asked knowing that it would be difficult for them to do so. He had been told how hard it was on them all when they had to guard Ezra during the three-week house arrest that he had put him under.
"There will be no problem as we will tie him down if we have to." Chris smiled although it was forced. "I mean a couple of days would have to be a lot easier than three weeks. Wouldn't it?"
"Your guess is as good as mine Chris." The Judge smiled back and it was full of humour.
***
Josiah ignored the looks that were shot his way as he carried the injured gambler towards the stairs of Nathan's clinic but he didn't ignore the call that was yelled at him from across the street.
"Josiah what is going on?" Vin called. He had ridden into town and saw how quiet it was so he made his way to the saloon and as he tethered his horse to the rail he looked up to see Josiah exit the saloon with Ezra in his arms. He ran across the street calling him as he ran.
"He's okay Vin. Come up to Nathan's room and well explain it all to you there." Josiah kept walking as he did not want to stay out in the open where it was easy to take a shot at Ezra or one of the others.
Vin saw the expressions on the faces of the others, which confirmed what Josiah had just told him so he quickly followed them up the stairs and into Nathan's room. He watched as Nathan and Josiah made Ezra comfortable in the bed and he saw the two wounds that Nathan revealed as he rebandaged them.
"Okay, does someone want to explain to me what happened?" Vin asked as he looked at each person in the now crowded room.
"Nathan why don't you explain." Buck told him. "JD and I will go outside keep an eye out for any trouble." Buck had done this as he didn't want to see Vin's reaction to the fact that they were going to have to babysit Ezra again even if it was for a good reason. He rushed out the door with a grateful JD right behind him.
***
Fred Morrow stopped his family two hours outside of town in an area where they could be hidden but would also be able to see anybody riding towards them. He pulled his saddlebag off his horse and walked towards his eldest son and removed the dirty clothes from the bag. "Alex put these on." He then revealed the holster and gun that had also been hidden in the bag. "And this. They won't look at you twice in this outfit as they will be looking for someone well dressed without a gun slung to their hip." He watched as his son changed the way he looked. "I want you to keep your eyes and ears open. If you think that the trial is going to go ahead and that gambler is going to testify then come straight back here. If he decides to continue with the idea of putting my youngest son in a noose then we will go back and kill him. Understand?" Alex nodded his head in understanding and rode off back to Four Corners.
"That won't work Vin." Josiah argued with him even though he could not blame him for trying to get out of it.
"What if we disguise someone as Ezra to draw them out?" Vin suggested.
"We don't have anyone that looks like Ezra let alone act like him. Haven't you ever noticed that he has a way of standing out in a crowd?" Nathan was also arguing, hoping that Vin would come up with something that they could all agree on.
"What about me." Casey spoke up. "I have to stay here all the time with him. What is going to be like for me?"
"I am sure that Ezra would stay a gentleman when it comes to spending time with you." Josiah assured her.
"Not from what JD told me." She complained.
"If anyone could make it easy for us it would be you." Nathan told her.
"What makes you think that he is going to be any different just because I am here?" Casey wanted to know.
"He has to be, how else are going to be able to spend time with him. It was bad enough doing that for three weeks." Vin was becoming frustrated and didn't realise that he had raised his voice.
Ezra lay silently in bed watching their backs and listening to the conversation or argument as it had become. He wasn't impressed. If they were concerned about him, they would not be complaining about spending time with him. This only proved his impression of them. It was pity and not concern. He didn't say anything as he wanted to see how far they would go.
"The worse thing though is that we don't know how long we have to babysit him for." Nathan commented.
"Oh great." Vin muttered.
That was far enough. Ezra closed his eyes and groaned. He listened as one of them came to the side of the bed and place their hand on his forehead. He moved his head away but the hand stayed there. He tried again as the last thing he wanted was to feel someone's hand on his face but the person wouldn't take the hint.
"Ezra can you hear me?" Nathan's voice asked him. Ezra used his left hand to roughly push Nathan's hand away. "It's okay Ezra, it's Nathan." Ezra opened his eyes and stared at Nathan, he saw the pity there so he turned away only to look straight into Josiah's pitying gaze.
"You okay Ezra?" Josiah frowned.
"I'm fine so there is no need for you to stay." Ezra growled at him.
Josiah looked up at Nathan who tried to place his hand on Ezra's forehead again so he could check his fever. Ezra again pushed it away. "Don't touch me Nathan!" Ezra spat at him.
"I think I'll wait outside." Vin said as he observed the mood that Ezra was in.
"You do that Mr Tanner." The sarcasm was evident in Ezra's voice. He also gave Vin a look of disdain.
Vin looked at Nathan and then Josiah who only shrugged in ignorance. He stepped out of the room to meet Chris coming up the stairs. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you Chris." Vin warned him.
"Why not?" He asked him.
"Ezra is in a lousy mood."
"What's new?" Chris smiled as he continued into the room. He instantly knew what Vin meant by the angry expression on Ezra's face as he was made to drink one of Nathan's concoctions. "I take it you have given Ezra the good news."
"No we haven't." Josiah corrected him as he sat next to Ezra in case he was needed to hold him down while Nathan had him drink something for his fever.
"What news is that?" Ezra glared at Chris.
When Vin had told him that Ezra was in a lousy mood he didn't realise how bad a mood he was in. He would have to be careful in regards to what he was about to say. If Ezra stayed in this mood then the next couple of days were going to be really bad. He would end up having to protect him from his friends as well as Morrow.
"The Judge wants us to keep you and Casey under protective custody." Chris began hoping that if he put all the blame on the Judge it would make it easier for the rest of them.
"What for?" Ezra didn't want this anymore than they did.
"In case Morrow comes after you again. He has already threatened you once and . . . "
"He didn't threaten me." Ezra told him.
"What about the knife wound in your side?" Chris asked.
"Apparently that was just for the fun of it." Ezra grimaced at the memory.
Chris worried about that but continued anyway. "And they also threatened Casey from what you told us.”
"He threatened everyone not just Casey. Does that mean the whole town is under protective custody?" Ezra asked not hiding the anger in his voice. "He just used Casey as an example to show how easy it would be to stop someone in the street and plunge a knife into their back without them knowing it." Ezra noticed as Casey shivered at his words.
"Sorry Casey."
"Either way Ezra, the Judge wants you protected so you are going to have to stay put for a couple of days. Casey too." Chris told him.
"I don't need protection." Ezra told him.
"Yes you do Ezra." Chris argued back.
"I can take care of myself, I don't need babysitters." Nathan and Josiah looked at each other when they heard Ezra refer to them babysitting him.
"We saw how you can take care of yourself. What did you think you were doing? If the Judge didn't want to see you this morning, you could have bled to death. It was a stupid thing to do Ezra." Chris retaliated.
"Death would be a lot easier to deal with than all this pity everyone keeps giving me." Ezra was seething.
Chris observed Ezra seeing the anger that was building in his green eyes. "I think we should continue this when you calm down."
"That may be a while Mr Larabee." Ezra growled.
"Nathan, Josiah why don't you take the first watch, make sure that Ezra doesn't go anywhere. Buck and JD will stay outside. Vin and I will get some rest and then we'll rotate." Chris moved towards Ezra. "Get some rest Ezra."
Ezra watched as Chris left the room and as Nathan and Josiah found a place to sit. He had to think of a way to get out of here. He wasn't going to stay in a situation where neither he nor the others wanted to be in. He continued to think about it as he feel back to sleep. Nathan had been silently watching him and once Ezra was asleep, he went to the bed and placed his hand back on his forehead. He could feel the heat of the fever that still ran through Ezra's body. Nathan made the mistake of thinking that it was the fever that was causing Ezra's bad mood.
Ezra dreamt again while he slept. His mother's words continued to hurt him as they had done when they were originally spoken to him all those years ago. It was as though he was reliving his entire childhood all over again. Her words were re-opening wounds in his soul that he thought he had healed. But they hadn't healed; he had just pushed them aside and forgot about them. And now they had been violently brought to the surface for him to deal with but it was difficult for him to do this so he subconsciously did what he always did. He denied that anything was wrong and he hid behind his wall and used his anger to push people away except these people would not go away. They kept pushing him and it had made him even angrier.
Anger and denial had always gotten rid of people who were being to nosey, who showed too much pity, they had always left him alone which only confirmed what his mother had always told him. It had worked when he was a child - although the anger usually resulted in some sort of physical abuse before they left him alone - and it had continued to work into his adulthood. It had continued to work for the first six months that he had spent in Four Corners but things happened that allowed the others to start breaking down his wall. The feelings of friendship had become too much for him to deal with until he finally broke and he allowed that part of himself to heal. But then he started to feel suffocated by the pity that they had all shown him when he was injured and it had brought back some bad memories that he did not want to deal with.
He had accepted the other six members of the group as friends but was yet to accept the fact that they cared for him in their own way and that it was concern that they showed him. They had tried to convince him of this but his mother's words were stronger, they took control again as soon as he had any doubt in his mind about what they did show towards him. And it was his mother's voice that was talking to him now. He wanted to tell her she was wrong but he couldn't because he was not fully convinced that she was wrong.
Josiah watched as Ezra tossed and turned in his sleep, he listened as he talked but he couldn't make out the words as he was mumbling. He wanted to wake him but Nathan had told him to leave him be as he needed the rest. Josiah couldn't understand how Nathan thought that Ezra was getting any rest. He watched as Nathan went to the bed and placed his hand carefully on Ezra's forehead.
"His fever has come down but it but it still has a ways to go." Nathan informed him.
"Does that mean he's going to wake up soon?" Casey asked from across the room.
Nobody answered her though as they were distracted by Ezra jerking awake at the touch on his forehead. "Nathan would you please stop doing that." Ezra grumbled as he tried to push Nathan's hand away.
"Just checking your temperature Ezra." Nathan explained in what he hoped was a calm tone.
"Don't." Ezra replied in what was definitely not a calm tone. He was already angry.
"You want some water Ezra?" Nathan thought that it would be best to change the subject. He walked over to the jug of water and was about to place something in it when he heard Ezra's voice.
"Please do not put anything in it that will put me back to sleep." Ezra did not allow any anger to show in his voice as it was more of a plea than a threat. He didn't want to go back to the dreams.
"Sure Ezra." Nathan agreed as Ezra had seemed to calm down. "But I will have to give you something for your fever."
"It won't make me sleep will it?" Ezra asked him.
"No." Nathan came back to the bed and went to help him sit up but Ezra brushed him away and took the cup from Nathan's hand. Ezra's hand shook slightly but he was able to drink the water without spilling it. He then layback down as Nathan took the cup from his hand.
Josiah came over to the bed and sat down. Ezra didn't look at him but instead noticed Casey sitting in the corner. He returned the smile that she gave him but it was forced, she did not realise it though. He hated the thought of Casey being involved in this; her life should never have been threatened. He saw Casey shift uncomfortably under his gaze and he turned his eyes towards Josiah. He saw the pity there and immediately turned his eyes in another direction, straight into Chris's eyes as he entered the room.
"Have you calmed down yet Ezra?" Chris asked as he walked into the clinic. He had entered the room to find Ezra staring at him as though he knew he was coming. Ezra seemed to be relaxed and he did not feel any tension in the room. But he knew it was still early and there was plenty of time for the tension to build.
"It depends on what you wish to talk about Mr Larabee." Ezra answered.
Over the last couple of months, Chris had come to realise that Ezra used a person's last name when he was hiding behind his wall. It was as though the use of the last name implied that the person was not a friend and therefore gave him permission to treat them as such. It seemed to make it easier for Ezra to push that person away from him.
"At the moment Ezra I only want to know what happened yesterday with Morrow. We'll leave the rest till later." Chris informed him as he sat down on the other side of the bed as Josiah had not gotten up.
"There's not really a lot to say." Ezra stopped there as he didn't really want to go into because he knew that it was not all Chris wanted to talk about. But the stare that Chris gave him told him to continue. "They pulled me into the alley and told me not to testify and if I did they would kill someone."
"You?" Josiah asked him.
"No, they didn't threaten to hurt me." Ezra lied. If they knew that he was threatened they wouldn't leave him alone. He was stuck here for the moment because of his side but he intended to get away as soon as possible. "They told me that they would kill someone else, anybody else. He seemed to think that I would not feel too good about someone else being killed." Ezra looked down at his hands and wished that he had his cards or better still a drink.
"Then why did he cut you?" Chris demanded to know. He tried to keep calm but sometimes Ezra just pushed him too far.
"He said that it was just for the fun of it." Ezra muttered. He didn't look at Chris.
"What about Casey, you said that she was an example of how easy it would be to kill someone." Chris kept pushing him.
"It could have been anyone; Casey was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The threat was not intended directly at Casey."
"That's going to make it hard Chris, if they are willing to grab the first person to walk past and kill them just to threaten Ezra into not testifying. We can't watch everyone." Josiah told him.
"You have to allow me to show myself around town." Ezra saw their questioning gazes. "If they don't see me they are going to know you have me shut away somewhere and that will cause them to think that I am going to testify."
"Sorry Ezra can't do that. Besides they are not in town at the moment so you are staying put." Chris smiled at him.
"And if someone does die?" Ezra argued.
"People are keeping an eye out for them Ezra, we'll know as soon as they come into town and we will take care of them." Chris assured him.
"How come that answer does not give me any comfort." He said more to himself than the others.
"Well because you changed the subject Ezra, you want to tell me why you didn't tell us what happened?" Chris pushed him just a little bit harder. Ezra stayed silent. "Maybe I can answer that question for you." Chris added. Ezra frowned at him. "Your mother?" Chris knew he hit the mark with Ezra's reaction, he had tried to hide it behind his poker face but Chris saw the emotion flash through his eyes. He also saw the anger and wondered if had pushed him a little too far.
"What the hell does my mother have to do with any of this?" Ezra had tried to keep his poker face up but it had faltered and he knew that Chris saw what was underneath it.
"She was the one who told you it was pity that people showed you and not concern wasn't it?" Chris waited for an answer but it was a long time coming. He waited.
"She didn't need to tell me as it was what people showed me that convinced me of this."
"Perhaps we should ask Maude." Chris enjoyed the reaction that he received.
"Is she here?" Ezra was stunned, what was she doing here, that was all he needed.
"No but I wish she was." Chris muttered before he continued. "I want you to promise me that you won't do anything that stupid again Ezra."
"Only if you promise me not to smother me with your pity if anything did happen again." Ezra retaliated.
"Agreed." Chris knew that Ezra's own stubbornness lost that one as it was not pity that he was smothered with, it was concern.
"That was a little too easy Mr Larabee." Ezra stated. He knew that he had just been tricked. He should have used the word that they used. Concern. Not that it really bothered him as he had broken promises before.
"I have learnt from you Ezra." Chris got up and went to the door. "Buck and JD will be here in a minute so you can go and get some rest, Vin and I are going to take a quick walk around town then we will be outside." He told Nathan and Josiah. "We'll bring some food back too." He smiled at Casey.
Ezra smiled to himself as it would be easier to get out of here with Buck and JD watching him.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three
Master Fan Fiction List