azombiewrites (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
azombiewrites) wrote2009-04-28 06:57 pm
azombiewrites) wrote2009-04-28 06:57 pm
The Magnificent Seven Fic - 'A Dark Past' - 2/6
Title: A Dark Past
Second story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The seven hired lawmen are asked to escort a stagecoach and witness to Rock Falls. Amongst the passengers is Ezra's Uncle who has a dark past.
Main Characters: Ezra Standish and the rest of the seven
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. *shamed*
Notes: Second story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 19,173
Part Two
As the stagecoach, driven by JD and Buck, and the other five gunmen left town they were watched by a couple of men standing outside the general store.
"The man we want will be one of those three in the stage coach. And because we don't know which one we’ll just have to kill all three of them and anyone else who gets in the way." They then got on their horses and headed in the opposite direction of the stagecoach to let their boss know what was happing.
Ezra had kept to himself most of the morning while the others had split into their usual groups - JD and Buck, Nathan and Josiah, Chris and Vin. JD and Buck mostly talked about women, which one of the men in the stagecoach was the witness and of course, the main topic was Ezra's Uncle. Chris and Vin talked about the job at hand and went over the plans they had for guarding the group of men that evening when they made camp, as there were not any cabins between Four Corners and Rock Falls. They would have to sleep in the open, that meant posting guards all night, and they talked about Ezra and his Uncle. Josiah and Nathan talked about what repairs they would make on the church when they got back and had included Ezra and his Uncle into their conversation while they took their turn driving the stagecoach. They were all curious about him and the relationship that they seemed to have which they had noticed was not very friendly. Chris had said that it was best that they didn’t question Ezra about it now but instead watch him.
The rest of the morning had gone by without any trouble. They hadn’t yet noticed the men that were following them at a distance far enough for their dust not to be seen. They had stopped and made camp at lunchtime so they could rest and feed the horses. Nathan and Josiah had also prepared some food for everyone. They all noticed how Ezra had refused the food saying that he wasn't hungry, that he was tired from the ride, said that it was probably because he was still not back to his full strength and that he still tired easily. They also saw how he sat to the side of the camp on his own but within sight of everyone as though he didn’t want to be completely alone. As he sat there, he drank from his flask until it was finished. Chris didn’t like the idea of Ezra drinking while they were on a job.
"You're not going to get drunk on me are you, Ezra? We’re going to need you if something happens." Chris had walked over to join Ezra on the rock that he was sitting on.
"No, Mr. Larabee, I’ll not be getting drunk. You know that it takes more than this to intoxicate me."
"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat. Drinking that on an empty stomach isn't going to make you feel too good later." Chris was wondering if maybe Ezra was right when he said that he might not be up for this job. He did look tired.
"Are you okay, Ezra?"
"I’ll already told you, Mr. Larabee, that my mood does not concern you!" Ezra wished that Chris would just go away and leave him be.
"I was asking because you don't look very well. You want me to get Nathan to check on you, make sure you’re alright?"
"I would be better if you’d just leave me alone thank you."
Chris was determined not to get angry with Ezra. He knew that it would not help the situation any. He decided to leave him be but would get Nathan to somehow check on him without him knowing it.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Ezra tried to spend the afternoon riding on his own again but the others kept bothering him. They wanted to talk and because the conversation didn’t include his Uncle, he assumed that they were checking up on him. They had taken turns at this as they had been taking turns at driving the coach. There were always two on the coach, one with Ezra and the rest would watch the surrounding areas to make sure that there wasn't any trouble heading their way. That last member of the group was Nathan. He was going to do what Chris had asked and that was to make sure that Ezra was all right physically. Nathan looked at him sideways and noticed that he was slightly paler than he usually was and that he looked tired. He might suggest to Chris to allow Ezra to sleep through the night instead of taking a turn at keeping guard. He knew that Ezra would not like this but he would have to if he was given an order and by looking at him now, he could tell that he was going to need the rest. Nathan had thought that Ezra would be up to this trip but it seems that he may have been wrong.
"What are you looking at, Mr. Jackson?"
Nathan had to think quickly, he knew Ezra would be angry if he found out what he was really doing. "Just looking to see if there was any resemblance between you and your Uncle. Is he a relative on Maude's side of the family?"
"No. He’s my father's brother. And now if you have finished checking up on me for Mr. Larabee you can go back and tell him that I’m fine." Ezra looked at Nathan with a cold stare that told him not to ask any more questions.
Nathan nodded, seems that he could never fool Ezra. He stopped and let him ride on ahead of him.
"Well?" asked Chris as he caught up with Nathan.
"He does look tired as you said and he also seems to be a bit pale to me. I was thinking of not letting him stand guard during the night. Let him get a decent night’s sleep."
"He won't like that, Nathan. However, if you think that it would be better for him then I’ll just have to make sure that he does. It’ll probably make his mood even worse though."
"Do you think that his change of mood has something to do with his Uncle?" asked Nathan.
"Yes I do," answered Chris as he watched Ezra up ahead of them. Wondering what it was between himself and his Uncle that had made him so moody.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
That night Ezra still refused to eat but Nathan had managed to talk him into eating something even though it was only a small amount. Once all the others had finished they decided on who was going to take shifts guarding the camp.
They were going to split into pairs and do three hours each.
"Why haven’t I heard my name mentioned?" asked Ezra beginning to feel like he was being treated as sickly child who couldn’t take care of himself even though deep down he was glad of the idea for reasons of his own that were different to Chris's.
"I don't like the way you look, Ezra, and I want you to get a decent night’s sleep. If you’re feeling better tomorrow night you can do a shift then." Chris was a bit stunned by the fact that Ezra didn’t argue with him. He thought that it was because he was feeling poorly when the real reason was that it meant that he would not be left on his own. Because if he were his Uncle would confront him about his behaviour that morning and he didn't know what he would do to him. Ezra didn’t know if he would fight back or take the beating as he had done as a child. Ezra had simply nodded in agreement and went towards the sleeping area that he had prepared for himself.
Once everyone was settled, Nathan and Josiah took the first watch. Buck and JD were going to take the next one followed by Chris and Vin. Neither of them protested about the fact that Ezra would not be taking a turn as they agreed with what Chris had said about him not looking well.
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Later that night after the change of shifts when Ezra had thought that his Uncle was asleep, he got his flask, which he refilled earlier and got up. He hadn’t been able to sleep at all and thought that a drink would help. He didn’t want to drink it here in case Chris woke up and saw him. He also needed to think and sort out the thoughts that were going through his head. He went in a direction that he knew Buck or JD were not near. He thought he would be safe because his Uncle was asleep.
But Jack was not asleep. He saw Ezra get up and leave the campsite. Making sure that no one was watching him, he got up and followed him.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Jack stood back for a while and watched Ezra drinking from his flask. He was about to move towards him when he saw the one called Buck walk towards Ezra.
"What are you doing out here, Ezra? You should be asleep." Buck enquired noticing that Ezra looked even worse than he had earlier.
"I couldn’t sleep," answered Ezra hoping that Buck didn’t hang around too long. He had also hidden the flask under his coat when he heard Buck coming.
"Ezra, I know it's none of my business but . . ."
"You’re right, Mr. Wilmington, it’s none of your business, now don't you think that you should be getting along with what you’re supposed to be doing," stated Ezra in a voice that said he didn’t want to talk about it.
"Uh, sure," said Buck moving away from Ezra.
When Buck had left, Ezra took out his flask and took another drink. He heard a noise behind him and thinking that it would be JD, he turned around ready to say something that would convince him not to partake in any sort of conversation. Instead, he saw his Uncle's fist before it connected with his jaw. Ezra recoiled from both the blow and the look on his Uncle's face. Saw the evil in his eyes and the enjoyment that he always seemed to have in them when he beat Ezra as a child.
"Don't you ever talk to me that way again? When I ask something of you, you do it. Do you understand me?" Ezra didn’t answer him. Instead, he stood face to face with his Uncle. His defiance showing and this made his Uncle angrier. He was determined to wipe the look off Ezra's face. He decided to try it with words first. "You know your father used to drink like you do. He was drunk most of the time and it was you and your mother that drove him to drink. He didn’t like the idea of having a family. He only married your mother because she was pregnant with you. The whole family thing drove him crazy and the drink eventually killed him. So you could say that you both killed him."
He saw Ezra hesitate as the words hit home. Saw him blink in disbelief and he took this moment of confusion to finish what he started - to wipe that look off his face. He put more force behind the blow this time. Ezra was so confused at that moment about what his Uncle had said that he let his defences slip. He saw the fist coming but he was to slow to react. Felt it make contact with his jaw a second time and this time the force of the blow threw him hard against the rock that he had been sitting on, he hit his head against it and fell to the ground unconscious. His Uncle watched him lying there, bleeding from the head wound.
"That should teach you to defy me, Ezra Standish," With a smile on his face he walked back to the camp. No one saw him return either and he quietly slipped back under his sleeping blanket next to the fire.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
It was an hour later when Ezra came to his senses. He tried to lift his head but felt the pain and dizziness about to make him pass out again. He lay back down until the ground seemed to stop spinning. Once he felt ready, he slowly sat up and leaned back against the rock wondering how long he had been out for. He noticed that he had fallen behind the rock and that was probably why nobody had found him; either that or he had only been out for a matter of minutes. He felt the sticky blood on his face, took out his handkerchief, and soaked it with some of the expensive whisky from his flask. He then placed it against his forehead where the wound was. He let out an involuntary grimace of pain. As the pain eased he began to wipe away some of the blood from the wound. When he thought that he had most of the blood cleaned off he tried to stand up. He had to lean against the rock for a moment to steady himself. Once he had, some sort of control he walked slowly towards the camp hoping also that no one would see him. He didn’t want to have to explain this.
When he got back, he noticed that Buck and JD were still on patrol so he couldn’t have been out too long. He saw that his Uncle was asleep next to the fire, knew that he would do the same thing that he always did as a child after one of his beatings. He would do nothing, as it would only cause more. Ezra was confused as to why he would react to this the same as when he was twelve. He was an adult now; he should go over there and deliver the same sort of punishment as his Uncle handed out. Something inside stopped him. He didn’t know what it was, fear, shame that his Uncle had done this. Maybe it was because if he reacted then his friends would find out what happened and he didn’t want to discuss any of this now. He was confused; his emotions were out of control.
Ezra went to his blankets and gently laid himself down. Once he was able to get himself more comfortable, he started to think about what his Uncle had told him. He was shocked at first, didn’t know if he should believe him. His mother had told him that his father had died but that his death was caused by a sickness. He didn’t know which the truth was as his mother was also capable of lying to her own son. Ezra eventually fell asleep while these confusing thoughts and emotions rushed through his head.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Buck awoke to the smell of coffee, bacon and beans. He went over to join the rest of the group including, Langton and Forster who were the other two passengers on the coach. On the way, he noticed that Ezra was still asleep and had his back towards the group and his hat over his face.
"I see, Ezra finally got some sleep," he commented to no one in particular.
"What do you mean?" asked Nathan.
"I found him on the edge of the camp last night somewhere around midnight. Said he couldn't sleep. He was drinking too. Tried to hide his flask when I showed up but I noticed it before he put in under his jacket. Also, saw him when we changed shifts and he was tossing and turning. Maybe his nightmares are back." thinking this caused him to worry and that maybe he should have said something more to Ezra last night instead of leaving him alone.
"We'll let him get some extra sleep then and wake him up half an hour before we leave," said Chris looking at Ezra's back. He was going to have to say something to him about his drinking. He knew there was something wrong with the gambler but his drinking could get someone killed.
"And make sure that he has something to eat," added Nathan.
While JD and Buck went to saddle, the horses Josiah went to awaken Ezra. Jack watched wondering if Ezra was going to say something to them when they found out what had happened. Josiah gently kicked Ezra's feet hoping that it would wake him up. When he didn’t show any movement, he bent down and slowly shook his shoulder. He heard Ezra mutter something under his breath about leaving him alone or he would shoot him.
"Ezra, it's Josiah. You have to wake up now, where getting ready to move out. Ezra?" Josiah removed the hat that was covering his face. Ezra often slept this way so that the sun didn’t wake him up to early. Ezra flinched away from the light and opened his eyes. Squinting at first at the bright light but opening them further as they adjusted. He looked up at Josiah with a scowl on his face. He attempted to sit up but fell back down again as he felt the pain in his skull scream in protest.
"Chris, Nathan, you'd better come and have a look at this."
When they stood behind Josiah, they saw the bruise and cut on Ezra's forehead and the fellow bruise on his jaw.
Nathan knelt down to examine him more closely.
"It’s nothing, Mr. Jackson. I merely fell over and hit my head on a rock," Ezra continued to grimace in pain as he pushed Nathan's hands away from his face.
"You may have a concussion, Ezra, let me have a look." Ezra gave up knowing that Nathan was not going to accept his refusal of help this time. "Are you feeling dizzy or sick?" he asked him as he looked into his eyes to see if there was any sign of a concussion.
"No, I just have a very bad headache."
"Headache or hangover?" growled Chris.
Ezra looked at Chris with raised eyebrows, asking the question of what do you mean.
"You've been drinking haven't you, Ezra. You got drunk and fell over your own feet, didn't you."
Ezra decided that now lying would be better, he didn’t want to explain the real reason yet, "Something like that."
Chris gave him a look of disgust. "I don't want it happening again, Ezra. You might get one of us killed next time.
Ezra nodded his agreement. Chris and Josiah then left Nathan to clean Ezra's wound. "You feel like something to eat?" asked Nathan. "I could get you something if you want. I mean you haven't really eaten much since yesterday"
"Maybe later thank you, Mr. Jackson."
When Nathan finished he helped Ezra to his feet to make sure that he was okay with his balance. He then informed Chris that he was okay physically but he felt that there was something else wrong. "There's something wrong with him Chris and it seems to be eating away at him. He's not eating and he’s drinking too much. It's like before with Hanley. I think that someone is going to have to talk with him. I know you don't want to push him but we might not have a choice."
"I didn't tell you that he didn’t want to come on this job. He asked me if he could stay in town but I told him that he had no choice. Now he's going through all this again because I made him come along. I would sure like to know what it’s between him and his uncle," Chris said this knowing that Nathan was right. He was going to have to try to force Ezra to tell him what the problem was. "I'll have a talk with him later."
Part One | Part Two | Part Three
Master Fan Fiction List
Second story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The seven hired lawmen are asked to escort a stagecoach and witness to Rock Falls. Amongst the passengers is Ezra's Uncle who has a dark past.
Main Characters: Ezra Standish and the rest of the seven
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. *shamed*
Notes: Second story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 19,173
Part Two
As the stagecoach, driven by JD and Buck, and the other five gunmen left town they were watched by a couple of men standing outside the general store.
"The man we want will be one of those three in the stage coach. And because we don't know which one we’ll just have to kill all three of them and anyone else who gets in the way." They then got on their horses and headed in the opposite direction of the stagecoach to let their boss know what was happing.
Ezra had kept to himself most of the morning while the others had split into their usual groups - JD and Buck, Nathan and Josiah, Chris and Vin. JD and Buck mostly talked about women, which one of the men in the stagecoach was the witness and of course, the main topic was Ezra's Uncle. Chris and Vin talked about the job at hand and went over the plans they had for guarding the group of men that evening when they made camp, as there were not any cabins between Four Corners and Rock Falls. They would have to sleep in the open, that meant posting guards all night, and they talked about Ezra and his Uncle. Josiah and Nathan talked about what repairs they would make on the church when they got back and had included Ezra and his Uncle into their conversation while they took their turn driving the stagecoach. They were all curious about him and the relationship that they seemed to have which they had noticed was not very friendly. Chris had said that it was best that they didn’t question Ezra about it now but instead watch him.
The rest of the morning had gone by without any trouble. They hadn’t yet noticed the men that were following them at a distance far enough for their dust not to be seen. They had stopped and made camp at lunchtime so they could rest and feed the horses. Nathan and Josiah had also prepared some food for everyone. They all noticed how Ezra had refused the food saying that he wasn't hungry, that he was tired from the ride, said that it was probably because he was still not back to his full strength and that he still tired easily. They also saw how he sat to the side of the camp on his own but within sight of everyone as though he didn’t want to be completely alone. As he sat there, he drank from his flask until it was finished. Chris didn’t like the idea of Ezra drinking while they were on a job.
"You're not going to get drunk on me are you, Ezra? We’re going to need you if something happens." Chris had walked over to join Ezra on the rock that he was sitting on.
"No, Mr. Larabee, I’ll not be getting drunk. You know that it takes more than this to intoxicate me."
"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat. Drinking that on an empty stomach isn't going to make you feel too good later." Chris was wondering if maybe Ezra was right when he said that he might not be up for this job. He did look tired.
"Are you okay, Ezra?"
"I’ll already told you, Mr. Larabee, that my mood does not concern you!" Ezra wished that Chris would just go away and leave him be.
"I was asking because you don't look very well. You want me to get Nathan to check on you, make sure you’re alright?"
"I would be better if you’d just leave me alone thank you."
Chris was determined not to get angry with Ezra. He knew that it would not help the situation any. He decided to leave him be but would get Nathan to somehow check on him without him knowing it.
Ezra tried to spend the afternoon riding on his own again but the others kept bothering him. They wanted to talk and because the conversation didn’t include his Uncle, he assumed that they were checking up on him. They had taken turns at this as they had been taking turns at driving the coach. There were always two on the coach, one with Ezra and the rest would watch the surrounding areas to make sure that there wasn't any trouble heading their way. That last member of the group was Nathan. He was going to do what Chris had asked and that was to make sure that Ezra was all right physically. Nathan looked at him sideways and noticed that he was slightly paler than he usually was and that he looked tired. He might suggest to Chris to allow Ezra to sleep through the night instead of taking a turn at keeping guard. He knew that Ezra would not like this but he would have to if he was given an order and by looking at him now, he could tell that he was going to need the rest. Nathan had thought that Ezra would be up to this trip but it seems that he may have been wrong.
"What are you looking at, Mr. Jackson?"
Nathan had to think quickly, he knew Ezra would be angry if he found out what he was really doing. "Just looking to see if there was any resemblance between you and your Uncle. Is he a relative on Maude's side of the family?"
"No. He’s my father's brother. And now if you have finished checking up on me for Mr. Larabee you can go back and tell him that I’m fine." Ezra looked at Nathan with a cold stare that told him not to ask any more questions.
Nathan nodded, seems that he could never fool Ezra. He stopped and let him ride on ahead of him.
"Well?" asked Chris as he caught up with Nathan.
"He does look tired as you said and he also seems to be a bit pale to me. I was thinking of not letting him stand guard during the night. Let him get a decent night’s sleep."
"He won't like that, Nathan. However, if you think that it would be better for him then I’ll just have to make sure that he does. It’ll probably make his mood even worse though."
"Do you think that his change of mood has something to do with his Uncle?" asked Nathan.
"Yes I do," answered Chris as he watched Ezra up ahead of them. Wondering what it was between himself and his Uncle that had made him so moody.
That night Ezra still refused to eat but Nathan had managed to talk him into eating something even though it was only a small amount. Once all the others had finished they decided on who was going to take shifts guarding the camp.
They were going to split into pairs and do three hours each.
"Why haven’t I heard my name mentioned?" asked Ezra beginning to feel like he was being treated as sickly child who couldn’t take care of himself even though deep down he was glad of the idea for reasons of his own that were different to Chris's.
"I don't like the way you look, Ezra, and I want you to get a decent night’s sleep. If you’re feeling better tomorrow night you can do a shift then." Chris was a bit stunned by the fact that Ezra didn’t argue with him. He thought that it was because he was feeling poorly when the real reason was that it meant that he would not be left on his own. Because if he were his Uncle would confront him about his behaviour that morning and he didn't know what he would do to him. Ezra didn’t know if he would fight back or take the beating as he had done as a child. Ezra had simply nodded in agreement and went towards the sleeping area that he had prepared for himself.
Once everyone was settled, Nathan and Josiah took the first watch. Buck and JD were going to take the next one followed by Chris and Vin. Neither of them protested about the fact that Ezra would not be taking a turn as they agreed with what Chris had said about him not looking well.
Later that night after the change of shifts when Ezra had thought that his Uncle was asleep, he got his flask, which he refilled earlier and got up. He hadn’t been able to sleep at all and thought that a drink would help. He didn’t want to drink it here in case Chris woke up and saw him. He also needed to think and sort out the thoughts that were going through his head. He went in a direction that he knew Buck or JD were not near. He thought he would be safe because his Uncle was asleep.
But Jack was not asleep. He saw Ezra get up and leave the campsite. Making sure that no one was watching him, he got up and followed him.
Jack stood back for a while and watched Ezra drinking from his flask. He was about to move towards him when he saw the one called Buck walk towards Ezra.
"What are you doing out here, Ezra? You should be asleep." Buck enquired noticing that Ezra looked even worse than he had earlier.
"I couldn’t sleep," answered Ezra hoping that Buck didn’t hang around too long. He had also hidden the flask under his coat when he heard Buck coming.
"Ezra, I know it's none of my business but . . ."
"You’re right, Mr. Wilmington, it’s none of your business, now don't you think that you should be getting along with what you’re supposed to be doing," stated Ezra in a voice that said he didn’t want to talk about it.
"Uh, sure," said Buck moving away from Ezra.
When Buck had left, Ezra took out his flask and took another drink. He heard a noise behind him and thinking that it would be JD, he turned around ready to say something that would convince him not to partake in any sort of conversation. Instead, he saw his Uncle's fist before it connected with his jaw. Ezra recoiled from both the blow and the look on his Uncle's face. Saw the evil in his eyes and the enjoyment that he always seemed to have in them when he beat Ezra as a child.
"Don't you ever talk to me that way again? When I ask something of you, you do it. Do you understand me?" Ezra didn’t answer him. Instead, he stood face to face with his Uncle. His defiance showing and this made his Uncle angrier. He was determined to wipe the look off Ezra's face. He decided to try it with words first. "You know your father used to drink like you do. He was drunk most of the time and it was you and your mother that drove him to drink. He didn’t like the idea of having a family. He only married your mother because she was pregnant with you. The whole family thing drove him crazy and the drink eventually killed him. So you could say that you both killed him."
He saw Ezra hesitate as the words hit home. Saw him blink in disbelief and he took this moment of confusion to finish what he started - to wipe that look off his face. He put more force behind the blow this time. Ezra was so confused at that moment about what his Uncle had said that he let his defences slip. He saw the fist coming but he was to slow to react. Felt it make contact with his jaw a second time and this time the force of the blow threw him hard against the rock that he had been sitting on, he hit his head against it and fell to the ground unconscious. His Uncle watched him lying there, bleeding from the head wound.
"That should teach you to defy me, Ezra Standish," With a smile on his face he walked back to the camp. No one saw him return either and he quietly slipped back under his sleeping blanket next to the fire.
It was an hour later when Ezra came to his senses. He tried to lift his head but felt the pain and dizziness about to make him pass out again. He lay back down until the ground seemed to stop spinning. Once he felt ready, he slowly sat up and leaned back against the rock wondering how long he had been out for. He noticed that he had fallen behind the rock and that was probably why nobody had found him; either that or he had only been out for a matter of minutes. He felt the sticky blood on his face, took out his handkerchief, and soaked it with some of the expensive whisky from his flask. He then placed it against his forehead where the wound was. He let out an involuntary grimace of pain. As the pain eased he began to wipe away some of the blood from the wound. When he thought that he had most of the blood cleaned off he tried to stand up. He had to lean against the rock for a moment to steady himself. Once he had, some sort of control he walked slowly towards the camp hoping also that no one would see him. He didn’t want to have to explain this.
When he got back, he noticed that Buck and JD were still on patrol so he couldn’t have been out too long. He saw that his Uncle was asleep next to the fire, knew that he would do the same thing that he always did as a child after one of his beatings. He would do nothing, as it would only cause more. Ezra was confused as to why he would react to this the same as when he was twelve. He was an adult now; he should go over there and deliver the same sort of punishment as his Uncle handed out. Something inside stopped him. He didn’t know what it was, fear, shame that his Uncle had done this. Maybe it was because if he reacted then his friends would find out what happened and he didn’t want to discuss any of this now. He was confused; his emotions were out of control.
Ezra went to his blankets and gently laid himself down. Once he was able to get himself more comfortable, he started to think about what his Uncle had told him. He was shocked at first, didn’t know if he should believe him. His mother had told him that his father had died but that his death was caused by a sickness. He didn’t know which the truth was as his mother was also capable of lying to her own son. Ezra eventually fell asleep while these confusing thoughts and emotions rushed through his head.
Buck awoke to the smell of coffee, bacon and beans. He went over to join the rest of the group including, Langton and Forster who were the other two passengers on the coach. On the way, he noticed that Ezra was still asleep and had his back towards the group and his hat over his face.
"I see, Ezra finally got some sleep," he commented to no one in particular.
"What do you mean?" asked Nathan.
"I found him on the edge of the camp last night somewhere around midnight. Said he couldn't sleep. He was drinking too. Tried to hide his flask when I showed up but I noticed it before he put in under his jacket. Also, saw him when we changed shifts and he was tossing and turning. Maybe his nightmares are back." thinking this caused him to worry and that maybe he should have said something more to Ezra last night instead of leaving him alone.
"We'll let him get some extra sleep then and wake him up half an hour before we leave," said Chris looking at Ezra's back. He was going to have to say something to him about his drinking. He knew there was something wrong with the gambler but his drinking could get someone killed.
"And make sure that he has something to eat," added Nathan.
While JD and Buck went to saddle, the horses Josiah went to awaken Ezra. Jack watched wondering if Ezra was going to say something to them when they found out what had happened. Josiah gently kicked Ezra's feet hoping that it would wake him up. When he didn’t show any movement, he bent down and slowly shook his shoulder. He heard Ezra mutter something under his breath about leaving him alone or he would shoot him.
"Ezra, it's Josiah. You have to wake up now, where getting ready to move out. Ezra?" Josiah removed the hat that was covering his face. Ezra often slept this way so that the sun didn’t wake him up to early. Ezra flinched away from the light and opened his eyes. Squinting at first at the bright light but opening them further as they adjusted. He looked up at Josiah with a scowl on his face. He attempted to sit up but fell back down again as he felt the pain in his skull scream in protest.
"Chris, Nathan, you'd better come and have a look at this."
When they stood behind Josiah, they saw the bruise and cut on Ezra's forehead and the fellow bruise on his jaw.
Nathan knelt down to examine him more closely.
"It’s nothing, Mr. Jackson. I merely fell over and hit my head on a rock," Ezra continued to grimace in pain as he pushed Nathan's hands away from his face.
"You may have a concussion, Ezra, let me have a look." Ezra gave up knowing that Nathan was not going to accept his refusal of help this time. "Are you feeling dizzy or sick?" he asked him as he looked into his eyes to see if there was any sign of a concussion.
"No, I just have a very bad headache."
"Headache or hangover?" growled Chris.
Ezra looked at Chris with raised eyebrows, asking the question of what do you mean.
"You've been drinking haven't you, Ezra. You got drunk and fell over your own feet, didn't you."
Ezra decided that now lying would be better, he didn’t want to explain the real reason yet, "Something like that."
Chris gave him a look of disgust. "I don't want it happening again, Ezra. You might get one of us killed next time.
Ezra nodded his agreement. Chris and Josiah then left Nathan to clean Ezra's wound. "You feel like something to eat?" asked Nathan. "I could get you something if you want. I mean you haven't really eaten much since yesterday"
"Maybe later thank you, Mr. Jackson."
When Nathan finished he helped Ezra to his feet to make sure that he was okay with his balance. He then informed Chris that he was okay physically but he felt that there was something else wrong. "There's something wrong with him Chris and it seems to be eating away at him. He's not eating and he’s drinking too much. It's like before with Hanley. I think that someone is going to have to talk with him. I know you don't want to push him but we might not have a choice."
"I didn't tell you that he didn’t want to come on this job. He asked me if he could stay in town but I told him that he had no choice. Now he's going through all this again because I made him come along. I would sure like to know what it’s between him and his uncle," Chris said this knowing that Nathan was right. He was going to have to try to force Ezra to tell him what the problem was. "I'll have a talk with him later."
Part One | Part Two | Part Three
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