Undone by Twyla Jane

DISCLAIMERS: This is fan fiction.  No profit involved. It is based on the television series "The Magnificent Seven". No infringement upon the copyrights held by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, The Mirisch Corp. or any others involved with that production is intended. Mog created this Universe.  Setcheti issued the September 2003 Magnificent Seven  “Teddy Bear” challenge. Write a story that somehow involves one of the guys with a teddy bear or other stuffed toy of your choosing.  The toy does not have to be the focus of the story, but it should have at least some significance. Any AU is acceptable. Have fun! 1/24/04

The sun wasn’t even up, the starless sky still black not even a hint of light peered over the horizon somewhere beyond the large automatic glass doors. By most sane standards it wasn’t quite morning, just the end of incredibly long day and it was already promising to be hot and squalid. Something that Ezra Standish wasn’t looking forward to.

Too tired to talk

In too much pain to get beyond that particular moment in time, instead he stood there numbly leaning into a wall taking some measure of comfort from the cool white tile. Mentally aware of the activity going on around him, trying hard not to think and failing miserably, his thoughts fell once again to the embarrassing incident that brought him here, the emergency room. Normally he would have dismissed an injury, he loathed the medical establishment as a whole long ago deeming them for the most part as a manipulative greedy lot, but his vision wasn’t something he dared risk permanent damage to. So here he was waiting.

A multi-vehicle collision had the E.R. backed up.

The less critical patients were forced to wait whilst those needing more urgent care were tended to. Complicating the matter further was that no less than three ambulances had come in from local nursing homes. As he was being admitted he over heard a nurse talking on the telephone about having an infant airlifted out to a trauma center.    

The fluorescent lights at times seemed to be able to bore straight into his skull, making his eyes water re-igniting the agony in his left eye forcing him to sit down ineffectually shielding them until the pain faded to a bearable level and he began to pace the perimeter of the room until the vicious cycle began again. 

The myriad of conversations swirled about him.

Those waiting along with him for treatment were not dealing with the situation well.

Snide remarks and impatient pacing were rampant.

The evening had been a horrid, Ezra sighed realizing how much time had gone by as he managed to open the uninjured eye long enough to look at the time it was bordering on two in the morning when some one called out his name. It was one of the Emergency Room nurses.

“Ezra Standish?”

Instead of answering he merely raised a shaky hand before he pushed off the wall to follow the plump older woman as she shuffled through the halls of the E.R. eventually leading him into a room. Gesturing for him to sit while telling him that a doctor would be with him shortly before disappearing through the door leaving the weary man to deal with his pain. He sank down in the in the rooms only available chair not daring to chance negotiating his way up onto the edge of the bed. He sat there oblivious to his surroundings with his head in his hands trying to will the throbbing away. After the pain ebbed slightly he squinting as he tentatively opened the one eyelid. A little shocked and bemused by the environs that he beheld, for the first time realizing that room he had been settled in was within the pediatric emergency ward. Colorful paintings of fish swimming adorned one wall, while a vibrantly colored tall giraffe graced the other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shaky fingers ran along the bars of the metal crib, before they snaked through and jabbed at the oversized stuffed toy mouse, Mortimer, the long time friend of Mr. Disney. He tugged at the large round black ear before asking Mouse’s companion. “What are you staring at?” 

The plush super hero kept its silence. Standish quietly snorted. He could never fully express how hated what this place represented. Far too many suppressed memories, he wished he could forget.

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“Aw sweetheart… it’s going to be okay… do you want to hold on to Mr. Bear?”

Although Five year Ezra Standish vigorously shook his head, he took the soft brown bear and clutched tightly under his chin. The terrified little boy was covered in blood, some was fresh, and some had dried making his clothes stick to his skin. He hadn’t made a sound, hadn’t spoken a single word or made a noise since he had been found. All he knew was that his head pounded, it hurt to breathe and his arm felt like it was on fire. But what frightened him more was the sheriff’s deputy who was watching him from the corner of the room.

“Where’s the doctor?”

“Should be here in a moment.” The nurse turned her attention back to him. “What’s your name honey?” When he didn’t respond she asked the officer.

“He hasn’t made a peep since I found him.”

*Peep? I am not a bird, Momma says I am a young man, young men are quiet and well behaved and they most certainly don’t peep. *

He started to pet the shaggy toy with his good hand finding some measure of comfort while the adults in the room continued to talk. Ezra was tired and his young mind could only catch small snippets of what they were saying.

“…he was lost…”

“… broken wrist..”

“stitches…”

“… any luck locating his parents? Poor boy shouldn’t go through this alone…”

The last words had caused him to panic and he started to fight. Kicking and screaming until a pinprick finally sent him to a helpless stupor.

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A hand brushing against his shoulder startled Ezra abruptly jolting him from his troubling memories, causing him to sump and away from the white coated physician, an unwise move because it cause a resurgence in eye pain.

“Sir, are you okay?”

“No Doctor if I was I wouldn’t be here.” Standish’s easy drawl was heavily laced with sarcasm.

“True… Mr. Standish…” The young doctor smiled as he spoke asking him as short series of question to which a weary Standish gave uncharacteristically short and concise answers. The doctor made a few notations on a clipboard before he beaconed. “ Follow me here…”

Sighing Ezra stood and followed the physician into yet another room

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It had been a long miserable night just past three in the morning, still in pain and with this vision no less blurry in his watery left eye, with a prescription and a referral to an opthmalogist in hand Standish slowly walked down the long empty hospital corridor back towards the doors he had entered through four long hours earlier.

Alone.

“Ezra…”

Well he thought he was alone, he stopped and looked around his mind must have been playing tricks on him because didn’t see anyone, so he started walking again.

“Hey Ez... wait!”

Not until his boss Chris Larabee was almost at his side did he see him. The man’s mere presence made him panic. “Mr. Larabee what brings you here? Is everyone all right?”

“Yeah everyone except you… did you think that you could end up in the emergency room and I wouldn’t find out about it?” Chris asked effectively blocking Standish’s exodus, stared at him for a brief second then added. “Don’t answer that… what did the doc say?”

Any thought Ezra about lying evaporated, as the blond firmly gripped his elbow and led him through the glass doors. “Corneal abrasion.”

“Oooh… that’s nasty… I had one of those myself… come on I’ll gonna take ya home.”

“But…the Jag…”

“No arguments you are in no shape to drive… give me the keys… Tanner will follow us in my truck…”

The rest of Chris said was lost on Ezra as he wearily handed over his keys. He was too tired to talk let alone argue. Although he probably never openly admit it,  he was grateful he was not alone.

 

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