Midnight Run

by Joy K

+ + + + + + +

Chris glanced in the rearview mirror as he raced down the highway. He wished he could be back there offering comfort to Ezra, but Nathan had the medical expertise and it was more important that he help Ezra however he could.

The boy groaned sending another knife into Chris's heart. More than anything he wanted to ease that pain and hold him until everything was okay. Instead, he pressed the gas pedal a little harder.

It seemed to take forever to reach the clinic parking lot, and even longer for the chopper to arrive. In reality only thirty minutes had passed, but it was thirty minutes too long for a boy who was in extreme pain.

His cries had softened into a combination of panting and moaning, but clearly it wasn't because he was in any less pain. He simply didn't have the strength to cry out.

Ezra's eyes widened as he heard the sound of the chopper blades as the craft landed. He whispered out a protest.

"What?" asked Chris, looking over the back seat to Nathan and Ezra.

Nathan looked up. "He said he doesn't want us to leave Dobie behind."

Chris grimaced. Ezra was disoriented enough that he thought he was back at the flood being rescued by the chopper. All three boys had been devastated when the rescuers had left the dog behind.

Chris climbed out of the vehicle and opened the back door, taking Ezra into his arms.

"We're not leaving Dobie, Ezra," he said loud enough to be heard over the chopper. "He's safe at the ranch with Vin and JD."

"Safe?" asked the disoriented boy.

"Yes, safe."

Ezra closed his eyes, too exhausted to fight any longer.

Chris carried him to the waiting chopper and placed him on the gurney in the back. He reluctantly moved to the front seat so Nathan could climb in with the boy.

When they all responded they were strapped in, Charlie lifted off and flew toward the big city.

+++++++

Buck sat in the recliner with two boys on his lap. JD had finally dozed off, but Vin was still tense, gripping Buck's arm tightly around his chest.

"You all right, Junior?" Buck asked softly.

Vin pulled Buck's arm a little tighter to him. He knew Buck was talking to him. He liked that the dark haired man had given him a nickname. It made him feel more like he belonged. He blew out a sigh. He just wished that everything would settle down and they all could feel safe.

"You worried about Ezra?" Buck asked.

Vin nodded a single nod.

"Me, too, but he's headed to the hospital and they'll know what to do to fix him right up."

Buck felt Vin sigh again. Obviously the little boy didn't believe the words meant to be a comfort.

"It was pretty scary, wasn't it?" Buck asked.

Vin nodded.

"But you were very brave."

Vin shook his head.

"Yes, you were," said Buck. "Even though it was scary, you ran and got Chris's coat and his keys. You were a big help."

"But I couldn't help Ezra." The voice was so soft, it was barely audible.

"But you did," assured Buck. "You helped Chris get him to the hospital faster."

"When will they call?" Vin asked.

Buck looked at the clock on the DVD player. Chris and Nathan had been gone an hour. With any luck they'd just be landing at the hospital. It would take some time until they found out what was wrong with Ezra. And then it would depend on whether Chris waited until a decent hour to call.

"It could be awhile, yet," said Buck. "There is something we could do to help while we're waiting."

Vin turned his head and looked up at Buck expectantly.

"I need to clean up," said Buck.

"Ewww," said Vin, crinkling his nose in disgust.

Buck chuckled softly. "I agree, but it has to be done. I was thinking maybe you could keep an eye on JD while I take care of the mess."

"Okay," Vin agreed quickly. He didn't want anything to do with the vomit. The thought made him shudder. He was afraid if he had to get too close, he might just add to the mess himself.

"It's a plan, then," said Buck, giving Vin a squeeze before struggling to stand. He smiled at Vin. "Let's go to my room."

Vin nodded, following Buck as he carried the soundly sleeping JD to his room.

After settling the boys in his bed, Buck first checked their room to see if Ezra had been sick in there. Finding no evidence, he headed for Chris's room wishing desperately that someone else, anyone else could do this job. But he knew the longer he waited the worse it would be. Looking quickly at the mess and gagging slightly at the smell, he decided that Chris needed a new bedspread anyway. And a new throw rug beside his bed. There was no way he was going to be able to attempt to clean them, and it would be a tough job anyway with the blood.

Holding his breath he grabbed the throw rug and balled it up, tossing it on the bedspread, then the grabbed the towel Nathan had discarded as well as Ezra's pajamas. Knowing what clothes meant to the boy, he decided to try to salvage the pajamas, but everything else he carried outside to the trash.

Coming back inside, he took the pajamas and put them in a pan of water to soak. Then he washed his hands thoroughly before grabbing the cordless phone and heading to his room. Maybe they'd get a little sleep while waiting for word from Chris.

++++++

Chris stood next to the gurney in the emergency room holding Ezra's hand and watching the medical personnel work rapidly around the slightly shocky little boy. The eight-year-old whimpered in pain.

"Shh, Ezra," Chris soothed squeezing his hand gently and brushing the side of the boy's face with his other hand.

"Daddy?"

Chris closed his eyes for a second and sucked in a breath. He hadn't expected that plea. He thought Ezra might call for his mother, but they knew nothing of the boy's father.

"It's Chris, Ezra," he said softly. "The doctors are going to find out what's wrong and fix you up."

Ezra blinked his eyes lethargically before turning his head slightly and focusing on Chris.

"Chris?" he asked.

"Yes," Chris confirmed, "It's me."

"Don't leave me."

The hushed words broke Chris's heart. He knew that Maude had left Ezra when he was in the hospital with pneumonia. From the bits and pieces he'd learned, Chris had discovered that Maude abandoned Ezra and left the country to avoid arrest and prosecution. It didn't matter that she didn't want to leave him and it didn't matter that she had provided for his care afterward. Even though the little boy tried to convince himself and everyone else that his mother loved him, the fact was that he had been sick in the hospital and she had put her own needs before his and left him. And Ezra was afraid it was happening again.

"I'm not going anywhere Ezra. I'm going to be right here with you until the doctor says you can go home."

"Ezra," said the doctor, distracting the boy from Chris' promise, "We're going to give you some medicine in your IV that will make you feel sleepy. When you wake up, you might have a little bit of a sore throat, but it will go away quickly. Okay?"

Ezra looked at Chris. The blond nodded his assurance. The eight-year-old looked back at the man who had introduced himself as Doctor Jeff. "Okay," he said meekly.

"We're going to get you feeling better soon," assured Doctor Jeff. "Just relax and let us take care of everything."

Ezra watched the needle go into his IV port and before he knew it, it was hard to keep his eyes open. He squeezed Chris's hand tightly and heard the blond's soft assurance. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." The eight-year-old gave a slight nod before drifting off.

As the doctor worked, Chris was glad Ezra was sedated and not aware of what was happening to his body. He found himself cringing in sympathy as a nasal gastric tube was inserted and they started a lavage, putting water into Ezra's stomach and sucking it out. It was supposed to determine how much bleeding there was and help stop it.

The doctor had told him Ezra probably had and an ulcer.

An ulcer! He was just a kid.

"That's looking good," said the doctor, jolting Chris from his thoughts.

"Doc?" he asked.

"It looks like the bleeding is under control," he answered. "We're going to need to do an endoscope and take a good look at it. We'll biopsy..."

"Biopsy?" Chris asked.

The doctor turned his full attention to Chris knowing that most people associated biopsy with cancer. "The biopsy will help determine what kind of ulcer he has and what our treatment will be," he explained.

"I can't believe he's got an ulcer," said Chris. "He's only eight."

"Primary ulcers aren't common in kids, but they do happen. A lot of people think they are caused by stress, but stress is a contributor, not a cause. Some ulcers are actually caused by a bacteria called H Pylori. Those we can treat with antibiotics and the recurrence rate is low."

"And the biopsy will tell what kind of ulcer he has?" asked Chris.

The doctor nodded. "Mr. Larabee, why don't you take a break? Go get some coffee, something to eat. Ezra's resting comfortably and we can run the tests before he wakes up."

"I promised I'd stay," said Chris.

"And you will. He won't wake up for several hours," said Doctor Jeff. "I'll send someone to get you if anything changes."

Chris looked at his watch. It was nearly seven in the morning. He needed to call Buck and the boys and let them know what was going on. And Nathan! Chris grimaced. Nathan had been out in the waiting area all this time without word.

"All right," Chris said. "I'll be in the cafeteria."

"Check with Katherine at the desk when you get back. She'll let you know where we are."

Chris nodded. He brushed his fingers across Ezra's cheek and reluctantly released the boy's hand. "I'll be back, son," he said softly.

+ + + + + + +

Buck continued running soothing circles with his hand on Vin's back. The boy had tried his hardest to stay awake but had finally drifted off around five o'clock. Buck had dozed off and on since that time, waking at the sounds of restlessness from the seven-year-old. Each time he would gently rub circles on Vin's back and he would settle.

Glancing at the clock he was reminded that no matter how tired he was there were animals that needed tending. He'd talked to Josiah late last night about scheduling a replacement for his shift at the Sheriff's Office. Chris and Nathan had already been scheduled to be off today, which was fortunate because he was sure that neither man had slept last night. Nettie Wells would be here shortly and would be able to help him keep tabs on the boys so he could tend the horses. She'd be surprised they were still in bed, and she'd probably chastise him for not calling her in the middle of the night to tell her about Ezra.

JD snorted and rolled over, snuggling up against Buck. The dark-haired man used his free arm to gently rub the back of the five-year-old's head. JD sighed and Buck smiled. He'd never dreamed about being a father figure to anyone, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. Sure Chris was the legal guardian for all three boys, but a piece of paper didn't change a five-year-old's heart. JD had claimed him as his own "Buck."

+++++++

Nathan watched the blond press the heels of both hands to his temples in a vain attempt to relieve the stress. It was amazing how quickly the boys had become his boys and he was feeling the pain any good parent would feel under the circumstances. It didn't matter that Ezra held him at a distance, or at least tried to. The eight-year-old wasn't entirely successful at aloofness. Many times the little boy's need for love won out against his mother's teaching of not trusting anyone, especially law enforcement.

While Ezra had resisted, little JD had welcomed his new family with open arms, despite his moments of missing his mother. Vin had linked with Chris and was gradually opening his heart to the others as well, but there were still things he would not talk about with anyone. Hopefully that would change with time.

Chris dropped both hands to the table, forming the right into a fist and pounding the table. "He's just a kid!" he growled in frustration.

"Kids get ulcers, too," Nathan soothed.

"He might have to have surgery."

"Let's not worry about that unless it happens," said Nathan. "There's a good chance he won't."

"I should have seen it," Chris said with a sigh.

"I should have seen it, too," said Nathan, "but we had no history to compare it to, Chris." Jackson sighed. He'd been beating himself up all night over the same thing. "We had no way to know that the picking at his food wasn't just because he was a finicky eater." Nathan frowned at the thought that Ezra had been suffering long enough to know which foods aggravated his stomach.

"You're right," said Chris. "You're not to blame either. We both did the best we could with what we knew."

Nathan looked Chris in the eye and could see the unspoken, "but it wasn't good enough." He knew that next time they would both look harder, they'd both push the reluctant boy a little more to reveal his illness and reassure him that it was safe to do so.

"What are we going to have to do with his diet?" Chris asked.

"It depends on what they find," Nathan replied. "If it's an ulcer caused by the H pylori bacteria, they'll treat it with antibiotics and he might need to be on acid blockers for awhile. But, once the bacteria is eradicated, he'll heal up and may never have a problem with it again. No special diet."

Chris nodded. For now he wouldn't consider any other options. He'd cross that bridge if they came to it. "I need to call Buck and then get back upstairs."

"Why don't you let me call?" said Nathan.

"I can't. I need to talk to Vin," Chris replied.

Nathan nodded, understanding the boy would be frightened and needed to hear the truth from Chris. "Do you want me to stay?"

Chris shook his head. "You don't need to." He paused to check his watch. "Josiah should be getting off soon."

"Yeah," said Nathan. "I was thinking about giving him a call and seeing if he wouldn't mind taking the extra long way home."

Chris smiled briefly. The chopper had gotten them here quickly, but it meant they didn't have a vehicle to get home. His truck was sitting in the clinic parking lot in Four Corners. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Nathan. "You'll take it back to the ranch?"

Nathan nodded. "And you let us know what's going on and when you'll need a ride?"

"Yes. Hopefully he won't be stuck here too long." Chris stood, and stretched. "Thanks, Nathan."

Nathan stood as well and patted Chris on the shoulder. "You make your call, I'll make mine."

Both men headed towards the courtyard of the hospital to use their phones.

++++++++

"Why didn't you call me?"

"It was three o'clock, Nettie." Seeing her glare, Buck added, "And...and we wanted someone who'd actually had a full night of sleep to be here for the boys today."

She stared at him for a full minute before breaking away. "Get those boys up. I'll get breakfast started."

Buck knew she hadn't believed his excuse, but she wasn't going to push it further. "Yes, Ma'am," he said.

The phone rang and he quickly answered. "North Pass Ranch."

"Hey, Buck."

"Chris! How is he?" asked Buck as two anxious little boys in pajamas magically appeared at his side.

"They're doing some tests right now. They think he has an ulcer," said Chris.

"An ulcer!" said Buck in surprise.

"What's an ulcer, Buck?" asked JD.

"Just a minute, Little Bit," said Buck. "Go ahead Chris."

"Josiah's going to come in and pick up Nathan. I'm going to stay here until Ezra can come home."

When Chris paused too long, Buck knew he was holding back.

"What, Chris?" he asked softly.

"He was afraid I'd leave him here, Buck," Chris said with a catch in his voice. "I'm not leaving until they let him go home."

"Okay," said Buck in agreement. "Any idea when that will be?"

"Not yet. I'll have to call you later on that. Can I talk to Vin?"

"Sure. Junior, Chris wants to talk to you."

Vin took the phone. "Chris?"

"Hey, kiddo," said Chris. "Ezra's doing okay. The doctors are doing some tests and then they'll help him feel better."

"When's he coming home?" Vin asked.

"I don't know yet. But I'll call you later today to let you know." He paused for a moment. "Are you okay?"

Vin nodded.

"Is that a yes?" asked Chris with a grin figuring that the boy had nodded.

"Yes. Miz Nettie is here."

"Good. Do you think you and Buck can handle the chores for me today?"

"Yep. We can do it."

"Good. Why don't you put JD on?"

"Okay. Call me."

"I will, Vin."

He heard some rustling and then a slightly subdued five-year-old said, "Chris?"

"Hi, JD. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, where's Ezra?"

"Ezra is sleeping right now. The doctors are doing some tests on him."

"Like a spelling test?" asked JD.

Chris smiled in spite of the situation. "Not exactly. Ezra doesn't have to do anything for these tests but it helps the doctors know exactly what's wrong and the best way to make him better."

"When's he coming home?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll watch out for him here and bring him home as soon as it's okay. Will you keep an eye on things there for me?"

"Yes," said JD, pleased to be trusted with an important job. "Oh! We have to go. Miz Nettie has breakfast ready."

"Okay, give the phone back to Buck." Chris winced as the phone clattered on the table before Buck picked up.

"You doing okay, Chris?" asked Buck.

"Honestly? No. He was in pain and I couldn't do a damn thing about it."

"You're there. That's what he needs now," said Buck.

"Nettie won't appreciate you dallying and making her breakfast cold," said Chris dismissing the subject. "I'll call you as soon as I know anything."

"It's not your fault."

Chris hesitated before answering. "I know. Doesn't make me feel any better."

"He'll be all right."

"I'll call you later," said Chris, ending the call.

++++++++

"You boys don't seem very hungry," said Nettie as she watched all three "boys" toying with their breakfast.

"Sorry," said Buck. "Eat up, boys."

Vin forced himself to eat a bite.

"I'm not hungry without Ezra," said JD.

"We all miss him, Little Bit," said Buck, "But he'll be home as soon possible and he'd want us to do everything we normally do until he's back."

"What if he doesn't come back?" asked JD.

Vin's fork clattered on the table as he dropped it. Clearly JD's fear was his as well.

"I wished he'd go away," said JD as big tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Aw, JD," said Buck, "C'mere." He opened his arms and the little brunette ran to him. Buck hugged him and pulled him onto his lap. "You, too, Vin."

Vin moved without comment and willingly let Buck hug him, too. Nettie stood behind Buck and rested her hand on his shoulder in support.

He let JD cry for a bit, and then spoke. "JD? Can you look at me, Little Bit?"

Slowly the little boy looked at him. "I's sorry, Buck."

"I know you are," said Buck, "but wishing people away doesn't make them go."

"Not even on a bird-day candle?" asked JD seriously.

Buck shook his head, "Not even on a birthday candle."

"How 'bout a star?" asked JD.

"Nope," said Buck. "Not even a star. Nothing you wished made Ezra get sick."

"But I was mad at him," said JD.

Buck gave both boys a squeeze and then relaxed his grip a little. "Sometimes we get mad, and maybe we don't even know why..."

"I know why," said JD. "I's mad because Ezra made us go play when we wasn't supposed to and then Mama went away."

Vin tensed noticeably and Buck held him a little tighter.

"So you think Ezra wanted your Mama to go away?" asked Buck. "Do you think he didn't love her? Do you think he did it on purpose?"

"No!" protested JD. "Ezra's my brother!"

"So are you mad because he wanted to play?" Buck continued. "Don't you like to play?"

"No. Yes..." JD growled in frustration.

"So you don't think Ezra wanted your Mama to go away, and you aren't mad at him for going to play," Buck summed up. "So you aren't really mad at Ezra. You're mad at..."

"Mama," JD sobbed, "I don't want Mama to go away."

Buck held him tighter again and kissed him on top of the head. "You're not mad at your Mama either, Little Bit. You're mad that the flood made her go away. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't Ezra's fault. It's not Vin's fault and it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. It just happened. It was an accident."

He looked down at Vin as the boy clutched his arm tighter to his chest. "The flood came and took away someone you love very much. It's okay to be sad. It's even okay to be mad about it. But it's not okay to hurt someone else, right?"

Both boys nodded.

"I know you're worried about Ezra, but he's going to be fine," said Buck. "And we have horses and dogs that need our attention because they can't feed and water themselves, right?"

Nettie squeezed his shoulder. He had done a great job. "That's right," she said, "And you all need to eat to have the energy to take care of them."

"Right," said Buck. "So how about if we all wipe our tears and then eat a good breakfast?"

Both boys nodded. JD slid off quickly and returned to his chair. Vin lingered, seeking a little more comfort from Buck.

Buck whispered in his ear, "It's not your fault."

Vin nodded and sighed as Buck squeezed him tight.

+++++++

Buck glanced in the rearview mirror at his sleeping passengers before turning his attention back to the road. When Chris called early afternoon to say the doctors were releasing Ezra, there had been a brief debate about who would drive into the city to pick them up. Josiah and Nathan were catching up on much needed sleep, having been up all night. Nettie had volunteered, but Buck didn't want her making the nearly six-hour round trip to the city and back. Fortunately, his injured leg was his left, and the truck was an automatic, so he only needed his right foot to drive.

Ezra snorted, waking himself up. Buck glanced back watching the boy search his surroundings trying to gain his bearings. He felt like shouting for joy when he saw Ezra look at where Chris's hand rested on his, then look at Chris and smile. The boy rarely showed any kind of acceptance of his new home, but his smile was a dead giveaway. Through the trauma of the last 24 hours, Ezra had bonded with Chris. It wouldn't necessarily be smooth sailing, but the trust and dependence had deepened.

Ezra glanced at him and their eyes caught in the mirror. "How are you feeling?" Buck asked softly.

"Tired," said Ezra with a yawn that he didn't quite cover.

"Well, you just lay back and get some more rest. We've got about an hour before we get home."

Ezra sighed and leaned back against the seat.

"You'll need your rest. Vin and JD are pretty eager to see you."

Ezra frowned. "They're scared?"

"Yes," Buck answered in an even tone. "We all were, but you're going to be fine."

"I'm sorry."

Chris opened his eyes and squeezed Ezra's hand. "Nothing to be sorry about, remember?"

Ezra nodded.

"All right," said Chris. "You get some more rest."

The little boy didn't need any convincing. His body was demanding that he sleep. He closed his eyes and was soon dozing.

++++++++

Nettie was preparing a late dinner for Ezra's return. With some help from Vin and JD, who had more computer experience than she did, Nettie researched what food would be easiest for Ezra to tolerate. She explained to the two boys that certain kinds of foods, like pizza, orange juice and tomatoes could bother Ezra's stomach.

The boys helped her choose macaroni and cheese as something that Ezra would like and could probably tolerate. JD said it was Ezra's favorite and Vin confirmed that Ezra did in fact like it. He also suggested applesauce, which was another of Ezra's favorites.

Nettie tried to keep them occupied, but the later it got, the more they were running to the front window to see if the truck was coming yet.

The phone rang and both boys turned anxiously toward Nettie as she answered. She spoke briefly with the caller and then put the phone back in its cradle.

"That was Buck. He said they're at the end of the driveway," she informed them.

"But that's a long way," said JD.

Nettie smiled and picked him up. "It is for little legs, but for a big truck, it goes quickly." She gave him a hug and put him down so he could run back to the couch and watch out the window with Vin.

It wasn't long before she heard, "I see them! They're home!"

She opened the door for the boys, instructing them to wait on the porch. She stood there with them watching the trio exit the truck. It seemed that Ezra either wouldn't wake up or was too tired to walk. Chris reached into the truck and freed Ezra from the seatbelt. When they stepped away from the Truck, Ezra was sitting on Chris's hip with his arms around his neck and his head tucked under Chris's chin.

Nettie smiled. She was certain that the two boys holding her hands had no idea of the significance of Ezra holding on to Chris, but it brought tears to her eyes.

"Ezra! Hi, Ezra!" called JD.

Ezra lifted his head and looked at them and then let it rest again on Chris's chest.

"Hi, guys," said Chris as they stepped up on the porch. "Ezra's a little tired, but he's okay."

"Did it hurt, Ezra?" asked JD.

Ezra yawned and shook his head. He'd been asleep for the whole treatment procedure. He looked down when he felt someone touch his leg. Vin was looking up at him.

He let go of Chris's neck with one hand and reached toward Vin. They clasped hands. JD let go of Nettie and reached for Ezra as well.

Sensing he wanted to be put down, Chris eased Ezra to his feet so both boys could hug him.

"I'm glad you're okay, Ezra," said JD. "We made a special dinner that won't hurt your tummy."

Ezra blushed a bit, embarrassed that they had to make different food for him.

"It's mac and cheeeeeeeeeese," said JD with a goofy grin as if he was mugging for a camera.

"And applesauce for dessert," Vin added.

"I like Macaroni and Cheese," said Chris. "And applesauce."

"Me, too," said Buck. Both men had noticed Ezra's discomfort and wanted to ease his mind.

"Well, it's ready, boys," said Nettie, "so let's eat."

Chris hunkered down next to Ezra as Vin and JD started to go inside. "That okay with you?"

Ezra nodded and without thinking he reached out wrapping his arms around Chris's neck, letting him carry him again.

When Ezra was stronger, he'd probably refuse the closeness, but for now it was an obvious sign of a huge step forward in trust.

Chris hoped there'd be no more 'midnight runs' to the hospital, but the likelihood was that with three boys - and Buck - around, there would be more. Hugging Ezra a little tighter, he stepped inside the house, hoping that if there were more trips that each one would continue to bring his family closer together.

The End

Next: Running Blind

North Pass Ranch Index

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