The Promise part 4

Ezra was still gathering himself together when his mother entered the room.

"Ah, Ezra Darling." She moved forward and planted a light kiss on his cheek. "How are you feeling this morning? Mr. Sanchez said you had a bit of an accident last night." She ran a finger gently over the small bandage on his forehead then turned her attention to his hands, not waiting for him to actually explain.

Ezra was thankful he was in a long sleeved shirt. "Yes, it seems I had a fight with a glass door and the door won," Ezra replied candidly.

"Excuse me?" Maude looked up at him, checking to see if he was serious. Then turned as he waved at the plywood where a pane of glass used to be. "What ever on earth were you thinking?" She asked as she lowered herself gracefully onto the couch careful to smooth out any wrinkles in her spring suit.

"I wasn't, Mother," Ezra said simply.

"Well, as long as you are all right now, dear. I apologize for being here so early, but David wants to take us to lunch this afternoon and, good heavens what are you wearing?" Maude finally took in the baggy sweat pants and loose fitting t-shirt as if seeing the attire for the first time.

Ezra smiled. "I had to borrow some clothing from Mr. Larabee last night," he explained.

"He didn't have anything else?" Maude waved a hand over the ensemble distastefully.

"Not at that moment, no."

"You'll need to change before lunch then." Maude looked around the room scrutinizing the decor.

"I'm not going to lunch with you and Parks," Ezra said evenly.

Maude stared at him a minute. "Of course you are. I haven't seen David in almost a decade and it's been two since he's seen you. He's looking forward to catching up."

"I'm sure he is," Ezra retorted bitterly as he sat down next to her. "But I am not going anywhere with him."

"Ezra, please."

"Mother, do you have any idea what he did to me while I stayed with him?" Ezra searched Maude's face for any kind of understanding.

"I'm sure whatever it was, you can get past it. It's been twenty years after all," Maude sighed fearing that she knew where this talk was going.

"Some things are harder to get past."

"Ezra, really, I don't see what he could have done that would cause you to hold a grudge against him for twenty years."

"You weren't there," Ezra pointed out.

"Oh, here we go. How many times are you going to use that against me? You know I did the best I could. I always found nice places for you to stay, with people who cared about you."

"Yeah, David cared all right," Ezra retorted.

"What do you mean by that?" Maude asked sharply meeting Ezra's gaze.

"Think about it, Mother." They sat there for a moment in silence as Ezra contemplated if he should just come right out and say it.

Before he could, Maude spoke. "You aren't insinuating that David..." her voice faded.

"I'm not insinuating anything," Ezra answered, his emphasis clear.

Maude stood abruptly. "I won't hear this kind of talk." She smoothed her skirt, carefully avoiding looking into her son's eyes at this moment. "If you don't want to have lunch with us, fine. I had planned to return to France this week, but something of more importance has come up, I'll call you before I go."

Ezra hurried to his feet. "Mother.." He didn't know what to say. She wasn't willing to even consider what he was trying to tell her. Maude looked at him and reached her hand out touching his face lightly, then turned and swept out of the room as if it were full of her royal subjects.

Maude stepped onto the porch, unobserved by the men outside. Silently, she took in the scene before her. Josiah, Nathan and JD were standing on the porch in almost a military stance. Below them, Buck towered over David, trapping him effectively against the porch rail while Vin and Chris stood on either side of him. It was an intimidating scene and she watched in fascination as it unfolded, unwilling to bring attention to herself.

"Agent Larabee,are you going to stand there and let your agent attack me physically and make such gross accusations?" She could hear the fear and anger in Parks' voice.

"Better him than me, I'd rather just kill you."Larabee shrugged.

"You can't do this." David's voice lowered. Maude stepped back towards the door just to remain out of sight.

"What's the matter,Parks? Hitting to close to home?" Buck leaned in close again.

"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You can give up the charade. We can see right through it." Buck smiled unpleasantly.

"You see nothing," Parks snapped back angrily. "All you have is the word of a smart assed, good for nothing.."

Buck grabbed Parks by the throat and pulled him towards him. With a forceful shove, he slammed him back into the porch and moved in close. Parks grunted as he struggled to breathe. "You listen to me, Parks." Buck tightened his grip, letting his fingers dig into the soft flesh of Parks' throat. "That man is like a brother to me, to us..." He waved his free hand around indicating the others. "His word is more than enough, you understand?"

Buck felt a hand on his shoulder and knew Vin was pulling him back. He released Parks with yet another shove.

Vin stepped forward. "Seems to me it's time for you to get back to Washington, Mr. Parks."

Parks nodded once rubbing at his neck.

"Today," The sharpshooter's voice threatened.

Josiah leaned over the porch rail, startling Parks from behind. "I think you should wait for Maude in the car."

Parks didn't need to be told twice.

Maude swallowed her emotion and stepped forward making her presence known. She smiled at the expressions of the six men before her. Most of the time she viewed these men as an obstacle between her and her son, today she was seeing them in a different light.

"It seems Ezra isn't feeling up to accompanying his mother and her friend to lunch so I'll leave him to your good care," she said lightly.

"It was good to see you, Maude," Josiah told her.

"Thank you Mr. Sanchez."

Chris was closest to the steps and she reached out a hand for him to help her. "Would you escort me to the car, sir?" She flashed a touch of southern charm and Chris rolled his eyes but extended his arm. They walked a few steps in silence before Maude stopped and reached up to kiss him perfunctorily on the cheek. "You take damn good care of my son, Mr. Larabee," she whispered, then was moving towards the car before Chris could even register what she had said.

Ezra joined his friends out on the porch and watched in silence as his mother drove away with Parks. He felt his insides twist. His mother was walking away, again.

"How did it go, Brother?" Josiah asked, realizing he was there.

Ezra chuckled. "It didn't, Mr. Sanchez."

"What do you mean?" JD asked. "Didn't you tell her about him?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Let's just say my mother was unwilling to listen to 'such talk'." A sad smile crossed his face before his features returned to his normal unreadable countenance. Chris raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder at the dissipating cloud of dust. Why was it that this mother was so determined to keep herself from showing true concern towards her son?Somewhere, from his brief interaction with Maude, Chris knew she was well aware that her son was hurting. He sighed and turned back to his team. Everyone had their own way of dealing with things, he supposed. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Nathan's voice.

"Hey, Ezra, you're right hand looks like it's bleeding again. I think you need to go in for stitches."

"Aw, hell," Ezra moaned, when was this weekend going to end?

Maude Standish pressed her cellular phone to her ear and listened carefully. She sipped at her scotch, waiting for the burning liquid to calm her trembling nerves.

It had not surprised her that Parks had begged off their lunch date, explaining that he had suddenly been called back to the main office in Washington. He'd taken her back to Ezra's apartment, walked her to the door, bid her the pleasantries of friendship and high tailed it out of there.

From Ezra's apartment, Maude had made a couple of phone calls. Within minutes, a limousine was there to take her to a hotel suite. Once comfortably settled in her room, she had returned to her attention to the task at hand.

Maude scowled. "I don't care how you do it, Jack, you just make sure it gets done." She spoke sharply as she swirled her glass, watching the gentle waves of liquor clash with the melting ice cubes until the ice was conquered and caught up in the uncontrollable spin of the drink.

Maude turned her attention back to the conversation. "Jack, listen to me. I want you to dig up anything you can. I don't care if you have to plant false evidence, I want this taken care of now!"

She smiled at the man's response. "Good, you keep me updated. I want to know every detail." With a definitive nod she snapped the phone closed and tossed it onto the writing desk. She stared at the glass in her hand again, this time not seeing anything but the bandages on her son's hands this morning. Bandages required because he'd punched through a glass door. She might have shrugged it off in front of him, but from her knowledge of her son, she knew Ezra had to have been in torment to lose control that drastically. She closed her eyes tightly, commanding the tears to recede. She would not cry. She was Maude Standish after all, well Maude Kensington now, but that didn't matter. What mattered was making sure that Parks was taken care of appropriately. She might not have been able to prevent him from hurting Ezra the first time, but she'd be damned if she was going to sit back and do nothing about it now.

Ezra turned the Jaguar's engine off and leaned his forehead against the steering wheel for a moment. It had been a very long weekend followed by a long Monday. All he wanted now was to get into his apartment and relax with a strong drink and some soothing music.

He winced slightly as he sat back and reached for the car door handle. The stitches in his hand pulled with a sharp sting. Another reminder that his life had been turned upside down yet again. He smiled faintly as he climbed out of the car and locked it up. His might have been turned upside down but he was finally beginning to realize he had friends willing to help him get through it. His thoughts drifted to Saturday. Not much was said about Parks or Maude after they had left. He knew that there had been some kind of confrontation and he was almost sorry he had missed it. Almost. He wasn't sure if he was ready yet to face Parks. Part of him still felt like a coward for feeling that way. His mother hadn't called him yet so he assumed she was still in the states. With Maude, you never knew. He felt his heart twist when he thought of his mother, trying not to hold her at fault for her reactions to their brief conversation on Saturday. He knew better than to expect comfort or emotion from her, but he hadn't quite been prepared for her abrupt departure. Maybe it was just too much for her to comprehend. Lord knows,he'd spent the last twenty years trying to forget it had happened. He really couldn't blame Maude for not wanting to believe it either.

Ezra looked around, realizing he was still standing beside the car. Quickly,he moved to his door and searched for the right key. He was looking forward to nice evening alone. He hadn't been left to his own devices all weekend. Even after he'd returned to his apartment,at least two of his friends were there at all times. Just in case he needed them. Someday, maybe, he'd actually be able to tell them how much that meant to him.

Opening the door, Ezra reached for the light switch but frowned when the light didn't go on. He'd forgotten to open the blinds this morning and the room was now saddled in dark shadows. He looked up at the light fixture. "Bulb must have blown," he muttered. He turned to close the door when suddenly he was shoved hard against it from behind.

"It's been a long time, Ezra." The low growl sent his mind spinning back through the years while a sharp pain exploding behind his ear hurled him into oblivion.

David Parks smiled in self congratulatory pleasure. For the first time in two days something was going right for him. He reached down and easily ripped the phone cord out of the wall. He'd searched the back rooms of the place before Ezra had gotten home. No one would be interrupting them tonight. Parks sat in a comfortably overstuffed arm chair to watch Ezra.

Tied in one of the straight back chairs from his own dining room, Ezra's head rested on his shoulder. The cut on his forehead had opened up and a slow trickle of blood was making its way down the side of his face. Parks grinned as he suppressed a laugh. In his unconscious state Ezra looked even more like the small boy Parks remembered. His hair was darker now, more brown than it had been. His face had transformed from the softness of youth to the firm pleasing lines of a handsome man. Ezra had always been pretty. That's what had made it so impossible for Parks to keep his hands off of the boy. Parks stood slowly and approached Ezra. Taking hold of the agent's chin he tipped his head back looking for any signs of wakefulness. Ezra didn't stir.

Parks face grew serious as he enjoyed the feel of Ezra's skin beneath his fingers. Slowly,he ran his hand down Ezra's neck until he reached the top button of the younger man's shirt. It was more than he could bare to stop there. Quickly, he unbuttoned the silk dress shirt exposing the smooth well developed chest. Parks smiled again as he let his hand linger against the warm flesh. "Damn, boy, you must work out," he whispered.

Ezra groaned softly and Parks stepped back. Regardless of his desire, he needed to focus on his purpose for being here and that was to make Ezra and his friends pay for ruining his life.

Ezra struggled against his nightmare. He could feel Parks near him, touching him again. With a sharp cry, he woke suddenly. It took him a moment to get a grasp on his surroundings, to remember and to realize the current situation. He was in his own home, tied to his own chair. Parks was sitting across from him with a pleased smirk on his face. Ezra stared at the man, trying to control his emotions. His head hurt and he could tell his shirt had been unbuttoned. That meant Parks had been touching him.

Fear battled for dominance with hatred. He would not allow this man to see the depth of his emotions. This could be looked at like any other undercover case gone awry. He would play the part. Closing his eyes, Ezra took a deep breath and let his defensive shell drop into place.

Parks leaned back in his chair. "It's been a long time, Ezra," he repeated from earlier.

Ezra merely looked at him as if he was bored. "What do you want,Mr. Parks?"

"Such formality, Ezra. What happened to Uncle David?"

"You were never my uncle."

Parks chuckled. "No, we were much to close for that weren't we?"

Ezra inwardly flinched but gave no sign that Parks' words had hit their mark.

"Such a pity we didn't get more time together. I missed you when you left, you know." Parks stood and approached Ezra. Reaching out he touched Ezra's hair. Ezra jerked his head away only to be immediately back handed. His head whipped to the side as his face burned from Parks' blow.

"Don't remember the rules very well, do you? I suppose twenty years is a long time. I just thought I'd made more of an impression on you than that." David stepped back and grabbed Ezra's chin in his strong hand. "Never, ever pull away from me."

Ezra's eyes flashed,but he remained silent.

"You know, the way your friend Buck talked last week, you're quite the agent," Parks began to pace as he talked. "He seemed to think highly of you for some reason." He unconsciously rubbed at his throat. "You know, he threatened me, don't you? Your whole team did." He paused and sat down in his chair again. "Told me to get my ass back to Washington."

"Why didn't you?" Ezra asked bitterly.

Parks looked at him sharply. "Still have a smart mouth on you, don't ya? Keep it closed or I'll close it for you." He sat forward with his elbows on his knees. "But to answer your question, I did go back to Washington. I figured if they were going to make that much of a fuss over nothing, I might as well not rile them up any further." He watched Ezra's face closely for any sign that his words were getting to him. "Seems they couldn't leave well enough alone though."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah now, don't play dumb with me, Ezra. I'm sure you are well aware of the fact my career is over."

Ezra blinked. "I really have no idea what you are talking about," he admitted.

Parks jumped to his feet. "My career is over! I've been charged with insurance fraud and embezzling federal funds. I'm not leaving here until I find out how you and your friends did it."

Ezra couldn't help but laugh. "We did nothing to you."

Parks lunged, hitting him with such force the chair tipped over and brought Ezra down hard on his arms. He grunted in pain as Parks struck out at him repeatedly. "I was set up, you bastard!" he screamed. Ezra tried to separate himself from the pain, from the revulsion of this man's hands touching him even in fists of rage. Finally, Parks calmed down and rose to his feet. He stood over Ezra,enjoying the pain he saw flash across the young man's face. Reaching down,he grabbed Ezra by his shoulders and pulled him and the chair upright.

Ezra felt the room spin as he was set upright. A continual pain shot through his right arm and he hoped it wasn't broken. He knew he'd already popped the stitches in that hand. Parks' was panting lightly from his violent reaction. "I was set up," he said angrily.

"By the time I got back to Washington, evidence had turned up to show that I have supposedly been embezzling insurance payoffs for the last five years. It's false evidence," he added.

Ezra wondered through his haze why the man was defending himself to him, of all people. "What does that have to do with the team?" He found his voice.

Parks looked at him dumbly. "You're friends are the only ones I know who have it out for me. Somehow they orchestrated this whole thing as revenge."

Ezra shook his head then gasped at the wave of nausea the movement produced. "I hate to break it to you, but Chris and the others are not responsible for your so called set up."

"Why would I believe you?" Parks asked.

"Just saying. You've heard them, do they really strike you as the sort of men who would lay out an elaborate embezzlement frame up?" Ezra licked his lip, tasting the saltiness of blood.

"No matter." Parks waved away Ezra's explanation. "I know it was them and they'll pay for taking everything away from me."

Ezra raised an eyebrow at the man. "And just how do you think you'll make them pay?"

Parks laughed "I'd have thought you would have developed some common sense by now,Ezra. How long do you think it will be before they realize you're missing?"

Ezra didn't respond.

"Let's just wait and see exactly how much you are really worth to them."

Ezra looked up at Parks his expression relaxed and calm. "You will regret this."

"We'll see." Parks reached forward to wipe the blood off of Ezra's lip and smiled as Ezra jerked away. He grabbed Ezra by his hair and wrenched his head around. "Some lessons are learned the hard way."

Chris drummed his fingers incessantly on the smooth polished surface of his desk and looked at his clock one more time. Ezra was late. That fact alone shouldn't have come as any surprise to the ATF leader. After all,Ezra made being late a talent. Even though the undercover agent was still within his normal time limit for his tardiness, Chris was unnerved.

A knock on the open door of his office made him realize he was still staring at the clock. "Hey,Chris?" Vin looked at him curiously. "There are some men here to see us from Washington."

"From Washington?" Chris frowned wondering if this had something to do with David Parks and Ezra. He really did not want this whole scene brought into the bureau limelight,but he feared Parks had gone running to his superiors and reported team seven's threats against him.

"Yeah, I directed them to the conference room with Josiah."

Chris nodded and stood up. "Better go see what they want then. They from the Bureau?"

"Looks like it.."

"Wonderful."

The two men in question were seated and sipping politely at the cups of coffee Buck had provided. Josiah, Nathan, Buck and JD were already there as well.

"Gentlemen." Larabee extended his hand in greeting and both men stood.

"Agent Larabee, I'm Agent Cox and this Agent Milton, we need to ask you some questions about David Parks." Cox got right to the point as he pushed his glasses up further onto his nose and took his seat again.

"What about him?" Chris sat down in his chair at the end of the table.

"It's true that he was just here in Denver this past week, correct?" Cox asked. Milton was busy scribbling notes on a legal pad.

"Yes."

"Did you have any interaction with him?"

" Wilmington worked with him one on one though. What is this about?"

"You haven't heard?" Milton asked. His voice seemed to match his mouse like appearance and Chris saw JD cover his mouth quickly to suppress a giggle.

"Heard what?" Chris' eyes narrowed.

"Parks was arrested Saturday evening shortly after he returned to Washington." The statement settled like a bomb on the room.

"What for?" Nathan asked.

"Seems for the last five years Parks has been embezzling insurance funds from the bureau. Adjusting reports and claims."

"Wait a minute," Buck tapped his finger lightly on the table top. "Wasn't it his job to find people doing stuff like that?"

"Yes sir," Cox answered.

"And he was doing it all this time?"

"So the evidence says."

"What do you need to know from us?" Vin asked.

"Well, we have on file a call early Saturday morning from Agent Larabee. You were calling with a complaint?" Cox looked at Chris.

"We were having some problems, yeah," Chris admitted reluctantly.

"Of what sort?" Milton asked.

"Let's call it a conflict of interest. Parks and one of my agents share a confrontational past, not bureau related," Chris added hoping the explanation was enough.

"Which agent?" Milton looked up and around the table.

"Ezra Standish, but he's not here," Chris said.

"Where is he?" Milton's eyes suddenly filled with concern.

Chris scowled. "He's late. He is our undercover specialist and sometimes works odd hours."

"Can you attest to the whereabouts of Standish?" Cox asked.

"What are you asking?" Buck's patience was wearing thin.

"You said Standish and Parks had a past. Do you trust Standish?" Cox adjusted his glasses again.

"With my life," Buck answered his voice rising.

"Look," Chris held up his hand to signal for Buck to calm down. " I'm not sure where you are going with this line of questioning, but I told you Standish and Parks were confrontational. They had a rocky relationship at best. Why would you question my agent's loyalty?"

"We are just being thorough. We have no real leads right now other than the fact that Parks was heard making accusations that your team was setting him up. He claims the evidence against him was planted and is false." Milton looked at Chris.

"As much as we can't stand the man, we had nothing to do with the charges against him. This is the first we've heard of them," Nathan said.

"Yes, we figured that." Cox nodded.

Vin studied the man for a moment before speaking. "What aren't you telling us?"

Cox met his gaze. "He was also heard making threats."

Chris exchanged a look with Vin. "What kind of threats?"

"Against your team," Milton answered. He flipped through his file a minute searching for what he needed. "Quote, 'I'll make Larabee and his team pay for this', unquote."

"What did you mean by leads?" JD asked.

"Parks slipped out of custody while being transferred to court for his bail hearing yesterday," Cox told them.

"We came here first in case he might have targeted your team."

"Ezra!" Vin and Buck said together.

Chris reached for the conference room phone. "I'll try his , you try his cell phone."

Ezra could no longer hear the individual words coming out of Parks mouth. They all ran together melding and mixing until it was like the man standing before him was actually speaking a foreign language. His head hung forward and as much as he wanted, he couldn't find the energy or strength to hold it up any longer. His vision blurred as his eyes teared up with exhaustion. His body ached and his joints screamed at him for relief that he couldn't provide. Parks' had kept him tied tightly to the chair all night long. His leg and arm muscles cramped mercilessly and if he had had the strength, he thought he probably would have cried out. He'd lost track of time long ago, and knew only that it was day. Whenever he'd drifted to sleep, Parks had been there to slap him awake, all the while bombarding Ezra with his hateful words.

At first,he was able to block the words out choosing to ignore the references to the past. But Parks had kept talking, growing more graphic as the night wore on. Ezra had tried not to hear the stories, the memories described in such detail. He'd continued to pull away when Parks touched him, earning violent reprimands each time. Ezra didn't care, he would never allow Parks to touch him voluntarily again, never.

Parks repeated again and again that Chris and the others must not have thought he was worth saving since no one had come for him. Ezra had smiled inwardly, knowing that Parks was severely underestimating his friends. They would come, he just had to hang on to his sanity until then. They would come.

Ezra was only slightly aware of the sudden commotion in the room. He tried to lift his head to focus on what was going on,but failed in his efforts. He felt Parks' thick arm wrap around his neck and haul him backwards, chair and all, while the cold steel of a gun barrel pressed into his temple.

"Get back or I'll see to it that you watch him die," Parks growled at the men who had just burst into the apartment catching him completely off guard.

"Lay another finger on him and I'll shoot you now," Buck snarled back.

"None of this would be happening if you hadn't set me up," Parks said.

Chris stepped forward. "We did not set you up, Parks."

"Who else would have?"

"Don't know and don't care," Chris told him while keeping his gun trained squarely on the man.

"I think it would be best if you released Ezra and turned yourself in,David," Josiah said softly. His anger controlled and held in check for the moment. Ezra didn't look very good. It was obvious he'd been used as a punching bag all night.

Parks laughed roughly. "Oh, but maybe I want to hang on to Ezra here for a while. I have plans for us. We have twenty years to catch up on." Keeping the gun in place he moved his arm and let his finger trail across Ezra's collarbone.

"Get your hands off him," Vin threatened.

Parks just sneered. " I don't think there's anything you can do to stop me unless you want his brains blown out." He nudged Ezra's head with the gun eliciting a small moan from the semiconscious agent. "Besides," Parks voice deepened, "I like how his skin feels." He ran his hand slowly down and across Ezra's bruised chest.

Ezra felt the rough fingers skim across his collarbone and groaned in pain when the gun was pressed harder into his aching temple. He could hear the voices but nothing was registering now. His only thought was to get away from the touch. Gun or no gun, it didn't matter to him any more as long as he didn't have to feel that touch. He felt the hand sliding down across his chest and with one last effort Ezra pulled away.

Vin saw the disgust flash across Ezra's face as Parks touched him and was ready when Ezra surprised them all. With a grunt of pain, Ezra pulled sideways, away from Parks. Vin took the shot.

Parks lurched backwards as the bullet tore through his shoulder and sent him reeling to the ground.

Nathan rushed to Ezra, carefully lifting his head. He felt Ezra try to pull away from him. "Easy Ezra, it's Nathan," he soothed.

Ezra heard the familiar voice and struggled to open his eyes. "Nathan?" he rasped.

"Yeah just relax, Ez, we'll get you out of that chair in a minute." Nathan untied Ezra's legs first. Ezra groaned weakly as a cramp hit him. Nathan could see the southerner's thigh muscles protesting the sudden movement and tightening painfully. "I need help here," he called over his shoulder.

Chris looked at Cox and Milton, who had lagged behind during the whole scene. "Take care of this shit." He nudged Parks with his foot, then turned his attention to Ezra.

"Here," Nathan pushed Josiah down next to Ezra. "Hold his leg out straight and slowly flex his foot. The whole leg is cramping. Buck, you get the other one." Buck nodded and moved into place.

Nathan moved behind the chair and cursed out loud when he saw Ezra's arms. His hands were covered with dried blood from the open cuts. Vin reached for the ropes that bound him to the chair.

"Easy, Vin," Nathan warned. "It's gonna hurt like hell to move his arms." By the time the men had Ezra free from the chair and on the floor the ambulance had arrived. Now unconscious, Ezra was quickly loaded onto a stretcher and Buck gave Chris a push toward the door.

"Go with him. We'll clean up here and follow you."

Chris nodded once and followed the attendants out of the apartment.

When Ezra came to, he was aware that he was laying down and hands were touching him. He began to struggle to get away from the touches. He felt someone gently take his hand in theirs.

"Hold still, Ezra, and let them help you."

Ezra stopped struggling and searched for the source of the voice. "Chris?"

Chris leaned over Ezra so he could see him better.

"You're going to be fine, Ez. You just need to relax."

Ezra closed his eyes and moved his head in an effort to nod.

"I'm sorry we didn't get there sooner," Chris apologized softly, not quite sure if Ezra was still awake.

"Knew you'd come," Ezra whispered hoarsely.

Chris smiled. "How's that?"

"I stay, you stay." Ezra's voice was fading and Chris had to lean closer to hear him. "It's one hell of a promise."

Thank you for reading.