"The reality, gentlemen, is that you are going to need to be prepared for, if not the worst, certainly for something less than perfect."

"All due respect Doc, you don't know Ezra Standish. He's not about to let a bump on the head and a little water slow him down much." Buck grinned unconvincingly as he spoke.

"I do know Mr. Standish, at least his medical history. And there is no doubt the man redefines survival but, I also know this was more than just a bump on the head and a little water. It was a gunshot wound. Granted, it was just a graze, but it caused head trauma just the same. I also know he was unconscious, face down in a pool, for several minutes. My understanding is that there was a prolonged and rather intense period of CPR prior to the arrival of the paramedics."

Chris closed his eyes, flashing back to those moments of terror. No one had seen Ezra go into the pool. The raid went bad and everyone bolted in different directions.

Ezra kept his eyes on the prize. He'd spent better than 3 weeks working his way into the smuggler's circle and had finally arranged to deal with the man in charge. All it took was one cop car hitting its sirens on a totally unrelated call to turn everything sideways. Ezra charged out behind Talbot, not willing to lose the time and energy he'd invested. He was pretty sure there was enough evidence to at least start the ball rolling on charges and he wasn't going to let that slip away.

Chris had heard the gun shots from outside, but then he'd heard them from everywhere, so didn't really give it much thought. The battle hadn't lasted long, and other than the anger of a job gone wrong, everyone was fine. At least they were until JD asked if anyone had seen Ezra. When Josiah said he'd seen him take off after Talbot, they all followed the trail. The options were almost limitless. Talbot could've gone anywhere, and unless Ezra had been able to keep him in sight he'd be randomly searching as well. The team split up, leaving Josiah to stand guard over the scene, and to contact them if Ezra returned. It was only a couple of moments until they heard Buck screaming for them.

Vin got to the spot first and rushed to help. Buck had jumped into a backyard swimming pool and was dragging Ezra's limp body to the side. Vin pulled him out and immediately started mouth-to-mouth until Nathan pushed him aside and took over with CPR, while an ambulance was called.

"What the hell?" Chris demanded, knowing none of the others had any more information than he did.

Buck hoisted himself out of the pool, looking pale and shaky. "He was face down Chris. No idea how long, but he took off after Talbot," he glanced at his watch, "at least five minutes ago."

"Closer to 10," JD corrected softly. "If he's been in the water all that time –."

"Would have taken a couple minutes to get here, and who knows what else happened." Chris wanted to believe what he was saying. But watching Vin and Nathan made it hard. He squatted beside them.

"Come on Ezra. You're too stubborn for this. Please damn it."

JD and Buck were mumbling words to the same effect. Chris was so focused that Buck had to pull him clear when the paramedics arrived a few minutes later. Ezra had shown no signs of regaining consciousness either before their arrival, or while they worked. Everyone watched mutely as the ambulance pulled away.

Now they all stood together, awaiting details from the doctor.

"Just what do you mean by worst-case doc?" Chris asked, not entirely sure he wanted the answer.

"Well, in this circumstance, it isn't the obvious. All of our scans and tests indicate it will only be a matter of time until Mr. Standish regains consciousness."

There was a collective sigh of relief, but the sensation was short-lived. "However, they also indicate there has been some brain trauma."

"What you're trying to tell us is Ezra's not going to be Ezra when he wakes up?"

The doctor stepped back slightly in response to Buck's unintended surge forward. "Not precisely. It is difficult to determine how much damage there might be, or the nature of it, until the patient awakens. At this point I am willing to presume that his basic cognitive and motor functions will be intact. I do anticipate memory loss however. And before you ask, that could range from not being able to tell you what he was doing right before the incident, to not knowing who you are."

"What about knowing who he is?" JD hated the thought of Ezra being lost that way.

"It is, contrary to popular cultural references, rare for an individual to completely forget themselves. It happens, but it tends to be from emotional trauma rather than physical."

"I'd say being shot and damn near drowned counts – wouldn't you?" Buck was growing increasingly frustrated by the vagueness of the prognosis.

"Yes, it might. Gentlemen, at the moment all I can say with certainty that, barring unforeseen circumstances, your friend will likely wake up within the next 48 hours. At that time, we can determine what, if any, circumstances we will have to deal with."

"But –."

"Leave it JD. He's right. This is a wait-and-see situation." Nathan knew they wouldn't like what he said, but facts were facts.

"My understanding from the regular staff here is that there won't be a problem insuring one of you is with him at all times. It will likely ease his transition if there is a friendly face welcoming him."

"Well, given the scowls on Buck and Chris right now, that would let them out." Josiah teased, hoping to lessen some of the tension.

"No problem getting one of us. Issue is going to be keeping the number that no."

The doctor shook his head. "It won't help to overwhelm him Mr. Larabee. One is best, and two at the most."

Chris nodded his understanding. "We'll take care of it. And thanks Doc. I know we can be a little…"

"Intimidating? Overwhelming? Terrifying?" He smiled as he finished Chris's sentence. "That's what friends are for."

7-7-7-7-7-7-7

Chris settled back in the recliner that had been brought into Ezra's room. He was the last to take a shift on the second day and had agreed to spend the night. He was already wishing he hadn't done so. It had been a long day, taking care of the bureaucracy that seemed to take more and more of his time at work. Forms, reports, requisitions, applications. He was beginning to believe that the bad guys were winning simply because they had less paperwork to complete.

Now, after all that nonsense, he wanted nothing more than a hot shower, a cold beer and a good night's sleep. None of those were forthcoming, although the comfort of the chair had him worried that staying awake was going to be more of an issue that it should. Sighing softly, he reached for the magazine JD had left behind, hoping for the distraction. Wonderful – Computer World. That was going to be no help at all.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me if my mother is in the vicinity?"

Chris jumped out of his seat from a powerful combination of shock and relief. "Hey Ezra. Good to see you awake again. Don't try to move to much. You have a concussion. Took a strong hit to the head. And you were having some breathing troubles as well, so you probably feel pretty lousy right now. And to answer your question, no, Maude isn't here. Is she supposed to be? You didn't mention she was visiting."

"Maude? Then you must have made mother's acquaintance. Will she be coming?"

Damn. This wasn't sounding good.

"Yeah Ezra, I know you mother. We've met a couple of times. You don't remember that?"

"I'm sorry sir. I cannot say that I do."

Sir? Double damn.

"Ezra, do you know who I am?"

There was a moment of silence from the bed as Ezra stared at him. Chris was having trouble figuring out what seemed familiar about the expression on his face and the body language Ezra was showing. Familiar, but not at all like Ezra.

He shook his head, wincing at the dizziness the action created. "No. I'm dreadfully sorry. Should I know you? We have been introduced?"

Chris couldn't help but be impressed by how calm Ezra was sounding, all things considered at the moment.

"Yeah, we've been introduced. Quite a while ago actually. My name is Chris Larabee. You work with me." He was surprised by the brief laugh that inspired.

"That's not possible. I don't work. Well, I help mother, but that isn't work. Not really. At least, not the way I expect you mean it." Ezra offered what Chris could only describe as a shy smile, and it was a look that vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. Clearly the ability to hide his emotions was imbedded deeply enough that memory loss hadn't affected it.

"Well, I hate to disagree with you there, but yeah, you work with me. And Vin, and Buck. Josiah? Nathan? JD? Any of those names sound familiar?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Larabee, they do not. Could you tell me why I am here?"

"Like I said Ezra, you got hurt. A head injury, and then you ended up in the water. Scared us all pretty good for a while there, but we got you breathing again."

Chris was glad Ezra was still lying down as he saw the colour blanch away from his face. There was a definite quiver in the voice as well. "In the water? The pier. I fell from the pier. Oh no, I ruined it all didn't I? Mother will be furious. And Mr. Chambers. Oh – are you here for Mr. Chambers? Is he angry with me? I didn't mean to fall. I didn't mean to ruin things. I can fix it. I'll figure out something." Ezra was almost hyperventilating by the time he ran out of energy.

"Easy Ezra. Calm down. You didn't ruin anything. You didn't fall off a pier. You were –" maybe telling him he'd been shot wasn't an ideal plan right now – "hit, fell into a swimming pool. You don't remember that at all?" It was clear Ezra wasn't listening, or at least was recognizing what was being said.

"Please tell him I'm sorry. Please. I can fix this. Please don't let him punish me again." Ezra looked like he was trying to shrink into the bed, and at that moment, Chris recognized the look and the image that was being presented. He hadn't seen if for a few years, but it was unmistakable. Adam had that same look any time he was scared or confused. 'Damn' didn't begin to cover this.

"Ezra, calm down. I promise, no one is going to hurt you. I promise. Ezra, I need you to calm down enough that you can answer a question for me. Can you do that?" He slowly nodded his head. "Ezra, can you tell me how old you are?"

Once again, Chris could see he was being scrutinized as Ezra seemed to be deciding how valid the apparent concern was. He must have passed inspection, because a moment later an almost whispered answer came.

"I shall be 8 years old on my next birthday, which is in 11 weeks."

M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7

Note: Before the comments start, I promise you I have read of two verified cases were adults reverted to childhood as the result of head trauma. I fully intend to take medical liberties along the way so, I doubt my version will be close to reality. Nevertheless, I am taking the premise and running with it!