Chris had caught all the guys together at breakfast, and filled them in on what had happened with Ezra the night before. It hurt to know that he'd thought they would even consider sending him away, but they were relieved that he'd finally been convinced that he was part of their family now, and he'd never have to leave it. As soon as they'd finished eating, they all separated to carry out their assigned tasks for the party.
Nathan told Josiah he'd meet him over at the church as soon as he dropped off some breakfast for Buck and Ezra, and checked to make sure the Southerner wasn't suffering any ill effects from his little excursion out in the rain.
Nathan couldn't help but smile when he entered the clinic and found the two men still asleep. Buck lay on his back with Ezra sprawled across his chest... their arms wrapped tightly around each other. Nathan set the food down on the table and walked quietly over to the bed. He carefully pulled up the blanket covering the gambler's legs and checked the little cuts that dotted the bottoms of his feet, there was a little redness and swelling. They'd be sore for a little while, but thankfully, it looked like no infection was setting in. Replacing the covers, he moved up to the head of the bed and placed his hand lightly on Ezra's forehead, and was relieved to find there was no sign of a fever yet. Maybe he'd get lucky and not get sick... it would be a miracle after all he'd been through in the last few days, but Nathan could hope.
He hated to wake them since they looked so peaceful, but he wanted Ezra to eat and didn't want his food to get cold. Nathan shook Buck's shoulder gently with no results, and finally had to bend over and speak loudly in his ear to get a reaction. He had to hold his arms to keep him from throwing poor Ezra off onto the floor... and Buck had the nerve to say the gambler was hard to wake up. Nathan laughed and shook his head at the sleepy look of bewilderment that adorned Buck's face as he struggled to figure out what was going on.
"Nathan? What..." Buck mumbled, barely coherent as he scrubbed one hand across his eyes and managed to hang onto Ezra with the other. Finally he gazed blearily up at the healer and smiled. "Mornin'. What time is it?"
"A little after eight. I brought you two over some breakfast... ya need help gettin' 'im up or can ya manage okay on your own?" Nathan reached down and smoothed a few stray locks of hair off of Ezra's forehead, marveling again at how young he looked when he was sleeping.
"I can handle 'im okay. He's not too bad at this age... usually wakes up with a nice sunny disposition." Buck grinned at Nathan and then sniffed the air appreciatively. "Mmm... is that flapjacks I smell?"
"Sure is... and unless ya want t' eat 'em cold, ya best get Ezra's butt woke up now." Nathan grabbed a few things he needed for the decorations he and Josiah would be working on, and headed out of the clinic. "Try an' get 'im t' eat as much as ya can... I wanna get his system built back up while we still got some control over 'im. I'll be back in a little while, an' we'll give 'im a bath an' get the rest of that mud washed off of 'im."
Buck stretched carefully and looked down at Ezra, smiling at how peaceful he looked. He hoped things went smoothly with the Judge later so that nothing would wipe that expression off the gambler's face.
"Ezra? Come on, little pard... breakfast is here... ya gotta wake up now." Buck ran his hand up and down the smaller man's back, waking him slowly until he finally opened his eyes a crack and peered up at Buck.
Ezra stared at the older man for a few moments, and then a huge smile spread across his face as he remembered what he and Chris had told him the night before. "Morwnin', Buck!" He reached up and wrapped his arms around the other man's neck, and gave him a warm hug before sitting up in the bed. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked over at the table and then back at Buck. "What's forw bweakfast? I'm starwved!"
Buck sat on the edge of the bed and stretched long and hard before pulling on his boots and slipping his suspenders up over his shoulders. He turned to help Ezra off the bed, and frowned as the gambler winced when his sore feet touched the floor. "Ya want me to carry ya, little guy?"
Ezra shook his head and started hobbling carefully over to the table, while Buck kept one hand on him in case he needed help. "I'm aw'w'ight, Buck. It onwy stings a w'ittle bit."
Once Buck got him settled on his pillow, he uncovered the breakfast Nathan had left them. He set a plate in front of Ezra and chuckled as he heard the Southerner's stomach rumble when he saw the pile of flapjacks swimming in butter and honey.
"Arwe d'ese awll forw me?!" Ezra's eyes were huge as he looked up at Buck... and as soon as the older man nodded, he grabbed his fork and dug in. "Mmmm... d'ese arwe dewicious, Buck! Twy 'em!"
Buck watched Ezra tear into his food, and laughed as his face and fingers were soon a sticky mess. "Darn good thing you're gettin' a bath later... you're gonna need it just to get all that honey off of ya or you'd be stickin' to the sheets."
Ezra's fork piled with flapjack, froze half-way to his mouth. "Baff?"
Buck looked up from his plate at the soft whisper, and almost burst out laughing at the stricken look on Ezra's face. He hid his grin behind a forkful of food and calmly asked, "What's the matter, pard... ya ain't gettin' full already, are ya?"
"I have to take a baff?" Ezra set his fork down, the piece of flapjack left untouched, and stared at Buck.
"Well, sure ya do, little guy. Ya got mud all over ya, an' now you're coated with honey." Buck continued to eat, but he wasn't smiling now. He saw Ezra's eyes begin to fill with tears as he told him he'd have to get his hair washed, and let Josiah shave him again.
"I don't wanna, Buck... I hate baffs... I hate havin' my hairw washed!" Ezra ran his hand slowly across his chin. "An' I don't need a shave... I don't have d'at many whiskerws yet."
Buck knew he'd have to get Ezra's mind off of the bath if he was going to be able to get him to finish his breakfast... and Nathan would shoot him if he didn't get that done. "Let's not worry about it right now, okay Little One? Let's just enjoy our breakfast. Did ya try your coffee yet? It's pretty good this mornin'."
Ezra looked down at his plate that still held three flapjacks, and then back up at Buck. "If I eat all my bweakfast, do I stiwll have to take a baff?"
"Come on now, little guy... look at yourself. Ya need a bath." Buck watched as Ezra inspected himself, seeing the smears of mud that still clung to him in places... but in the end still shook his head, continuing to fight against the need for a bath. Buck decided to try appealing to the gambler's protective feelings for him. "Listen, Ezra... if ya don't eat all your breakfast, Nathan's gonna be pretty mad at me. Ya don't want that, do ya?"
Ezra's green eyes narrowed suspiciously... even his five year old mind could tell he was being manipulated, but his love for Buck won out in the end. "Okay... I'll finish eatin', but I stiwll don't wanna take a baff!"
Buck ignored the last part of that statement and dug back into his breakfast, watching happily as Ezra begrudgingly ate every last piece of food on his plate. He even managed to drain his coffee cup before finally quitting and leaning back in the chair... his handsome features marred by the scowl that now covered his face. He would have gone back to the bed and buried his head stubbornly under the covers, but he knew Buck wanted him to wait til he could help him over there.
Buck took his time, lingering over his coffee... smiling at the gambler as if nothing was wrong. Finally he noticed Ezra squirming, trying to get comfortable without leaning back against the hard chair, and took pity on him. "Come on, pard... let's get ya back in the bed, that chair's gotta be hurtin' those bruises of yours by now."
Ezra thought about refusing, but he had to admit that his back was really starting to hurt. So he finally allowed the ladies man to help him up and support him as he shuffled back over to the bed. He refused to lay down though, and sat in the middle of the bed, his arms awkwardly folded across his chest, watching Buck brew another pot of coffee... while doing his best to sweet talk the older man into letting him skip the bath.
"Give it up, Ezra... you're takin' a bath... period. It's not that bad... that nice hot water's gonna feel good on your bruises." Buck smiled over at the gambler, but saw he hadn't helped matters any with that last statement.
Ezra's eyebrows had shot up, and his mouth dropped open as he began to sputter. "Hot waterw?! It'll burwn, Buck... I don't wanna take a baff in no hot waterw! Pwease, Buck... it'll huwt!"
Buck flopped down on the bed in exasperation. The whine that had gradually crept into the Southerner's voice was starting to put him on edge, and he wished someone else would show up and help him with this. Besides... there were tears gathering in the corners of Ezra's eyes, and he just couldn't stand to see him cry anymore. Especially not if he was the one causing it.
"Now listen to me, Little One... it's not gonna be hot enough to hurt ya, an' you're gonna feel so much better afterward, that you'll wonder why ya ever put up a fuss in the first place." Buck smiled at him and rubbed a soothing hand up and down Ezra's arm.
But Ezra was having none of it. "I know why I'm puttin' up a fuss. I... hate... baffs."
Buck couldn't help it... he laughed. In fact, he laughed so hard he couldn't stay upright in the bed. He rolled around beside the irate gambler... holding his sides, tears streaming down his face... now that was their Ezra talking. What a relief it was to at least get a glimpse of the old Ezra... maybe it was a sign that he'd be coming back to them soon. Or maybe that was just how he would actually have been as a child if he hadn't been constantly beaten down. Either way... it was good to see him showing some spirit instead of fearfully yielding to their every request. Even if it was a fight he was going to lose in the end.
Nathan and Josiah could hear Buck laughing as they came up the stairs and smiled, imagining a quite different scene than the one that greeted them when they walked through the door. Buck sat in the middle of the bed, holding his sides as tears of laughter streamed down his face... while the gambler sat beside him, his arms stubbornly crossed in front of him, and a thunderous expression darkening his usually cheerful countenance.
Buck looked up at the two men who stared back at him questioningly. "Hey there, fellas!" His laughter slowed until he looked at Ezra and back at the two men, and pointing a thumb at the sour figure sitting stiffly beside him, announced, "He hates baffs." Then he was roaring with laughter again as he saw Ezra shoot him a withering stare. After a few minutes, he finally managed to get a hold of himself and sat staring at Nathan and Josiah, finally noticing their confused expressions. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he slowed to a chuckle and told them, "Well, I guess you had to be here."
Josiah went over and sat down beside Ezra on the bed, surprise registering on his face as the smaller man promptly threw himself into his arms, nearly knocking them both off the bed. "Whoa there, son... easy now." He rubbed Ezra's back and rocked him slightly as he sobbed against his shoulder. "Tell Josiah all about it... what's wrong?"
Ezra's voice hitched pitifully as he looked back at Buck and then stared up into Josiah's face. "He's twyin' to make me take a baff... I don't wanna, 'siah... I hate baffs."
"Shh now... calm down." Josiah looked down into Ezra's teary eyes, and then looked helplessly at Nathan and Buck... he didn't want to be the one to force him. He hated seeing that sad little look on his face, and just couldn't do anything to make it worse.
Nathan stared at the three men on the bed... watching as Buck and Josiah petted and soothed the distraught gambler... giving in completely to his tears. "I don't believe you two... he has t' have a bath... ya can see how dirty he is." The two men looked sheepishly back at the healer, but could only shake their heads and continue comforting Ezra.
Nathan threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Fine... I'll do it then. I'm goin' over t' the bathhouse an' havin' them bring a tub up here." Staring hard at Ezra, he continued. "An' then you will take a bath." Before the Southerner could protest or turn his tears on him, Nathan hurried out of the clinic, sputtering all the way to the bathhouse. Lord... between the two of 'em, they'll have 'im spoiled rotten in no time.
Vin and JD felt the air getting colder the farther up in the mountains they went, and were glad when they finally found a likely looking stand of pines around an hour after they'd left town. Pulling their coats tighter around them and grabbing the axe, the two men began wandering through the trees looking for just the right one. It had to be as near to perfect as they could find for their Lit'l Ezra... nothing else would do.
"Vin? Have you gotten Ezra a Christmas present yet?" JD carefully inspected a likely looking tree, and then shook his head when he found a huge gap in the branches.
"Yeah... I seen a mouth organ like mine at Mrs. Potter's last week an' went back yesterday an' bought it. He seemed t' enjoy playin' around with mine while I was spendin' some time with 'im, so I thought it might be somethin' he'd like." Vin glanced at JD as he looked over a couple of promising trees. "You decide what t' get 'im?"
JD shook his head and shot Vin a worried look. "I don't have any idea what he'd like. I want it to be somethin' nice, but I just can't think of anything." He walked up to a nicely shaped, medium sized tree and pointed it out to the tracker. "How 'bout this one?"
Vin circled the tree and nodded his head. "It's perfect." It only took a couple of swings of the axe before they were headed back to the horses, dragging the tree behind them. "Ya need t' find a gift that means somethin' special t' the two of ya... somethin' that'll make 'im think of ya when he looks at it."
JD thought about Vin's words as they fastened the tree to the travois they'd brought with them and mounted their horses. As they turned to head back down the mountain, it finally came to him. The perfect gift. He smiled over at Vin and nodded. "I've got just the thing. Let's hurry and get back to town so I can get to Mrs. Potter's... she might be closin' early today, it bein' Christmas Eve and all."
As they urged their horses forward, JD couldn't hold back a grin of satisfaction. He couldn't wait til Ezra saw his gift... it would make up for all the sadness JD had inadvertently caused him since his accident. And it would give JD the joy of knowing he'd made his little brother happy.
Chris rode back into town a mere two hours after setting out... his hunting trip a complete success. He'd just dropped the huge tom turkey he'd shot off at Mary's and found out that she'd received a wire from the Judge that said they'd be coming in on the afternoon stage instead. He'd thanked her again for offering to help Inez prepare the dinner, and then gone to stable his horse. After that he headed over to the clinic to check on Ezra, surprised to find how much he'd actually missed the gambler while he was gone. Buck was right... he'd gotten to him. It was impossible not to be taken in by his innocence and sweetness... and his incredible need to be protected. He smiled as he found himself hurrying across the street, and realized he was anxious to be back with his family again.
Chris heard the commotion coming from the clinic the minute he started up the stairs. He recognized Nathan's deep voice... frustration and a touch of anger tingeing its usually dulcet tones. Then Buck's and Josiah's voices chimed in... he couldn't hear the words, but they were definitely argumentative, and were obviously what was causing the stress in the healer's. And underneath it all came the sound of weeping... whatever was going on had Ezra upset, and there was going to be hell to pay when Chris found out who had caused it.
Nathan had made Josiah go and help him carry the tin tub he'd borrowed from the bathhouse over to the clinic. The minute Ezra had seen it, all hell had broken loose. He'd wrapped himself around Buck and begun sobbing hysterically, repeating over and over that 'he didn't wanna take a baff.' Josiah had hurried back over to the bed and tried to comfort him and had been rewarded with the gambler attaching himself to his neck, begging the preacher to help him. The exasperated healer had had to carry the buckets of hot water himself, unable to pry either Buck or Josiah loose from Ezra's panicked grip to help. Then he'd had the unenviable task of trying to remove the bandages he'd wrapped around Ezra's bruised ribcage after the fall. They'd had to pull the blankets tightly around his waist while he constantly jerked at his nightshirt, trying to keep it pulled down, but Nathan had finally gotten him to hold still long enough to get them off. Once he got that accomplished, he knew the hard part was next. Getting Ezra in the tub.
Nathan stood next to the bed, hands on his hips, trying to get Josiah and Buck to help him with the still sobbing gambler. He'd tried everything he could think of to coax the Southerner into voluntarily taking his bath... even going so far as to run over to Mrs. Potter's to buy some bath powders. He'd thought maybe Ezra would be fascinated by the mounds of bubbles, but it just wasn't to be. Now the gentle healer was at his wit's end... nothing was working and the gambler was going to make himself sick if he didn't get him calmed down soon.
Suddenly the door burst open, and Chris strode into the room. "What in the hell is going on in here?!"
All sound ceased as four pairs of eyes turned to the intimidating figure in black who stood just inside the door, his eyes sweeping the room in an effort to discover the reason behind the pandemonium he'd heard echoing down the stairs.
Nathan gave Chris a look of immense relief. "Damn, I'm glad you're back. Maybe you can talk some sense into these two fools-"
"Fools?! Who the hell ya callin' fools? You're the one who got the little guy cryin'... tryin' to force 'im into that tub-" Buck angrily shot back at Nathan, wrapping his arms tighter around Ezra as the smaller man started sobbing again.
"He's right, Brother Nathan... if you hadn't insisted on rushing him into the-" Josiah tried to add his support to Buck as he rubbed Ezra's back, but was interrupted by the irate healer.
"Rushin' 'im?! I had t' tote all those buckets myself an' now the damn water's nearly cold because you two have sat there babyin' 'im instead of tryin' t' help me get-"
"QUIET!!" Chris tore his hat and coat off and threw them in a chair, and then began issuing orders in a calm voice that was laced with steel... throwing each of them a look that dared them to argue with him. "Buck... go get a bucket of hot water to warm this bath up. Josiah... dig out a fresh nightshirt for Ezra to put on after he's clean... and as soon as the two of you get that done, I want you out of here. Nathan..." Chris looked at the exhausted healer and knew he'd done the best he could. The anger left his voice and he smiled. "Nathan... you get your butt over to the saloon and get a bite to eat and a drink. You look like you could use it."
As the rest of the men moved to do as ordered, Chris started rolling up his sleeves and turned to Ezra. The Southerner had buried himself under the blankets the moment Chris had begun issuing orders, knowing instinctively that his protectors would not be able to help him now. The only part the gunslinger could see of him was a pair of bright, tear-filled green eyes. The fear he saw in them almost made him relent, but he remembered the mud streaking his arms and legs and matted in his hair, and he hardened his resolve.
"Come on outta there, Ezra... now." Chris kept his voice even, but made sure the younger man knew he meant business.
Ezra hesitated and then slowly sat up in the bed, clutching the blankets around him. His breaths were coming in short, little shuddering gasps as he forced himself to stop crying. He knew tears would be useless against the angry man who stood over him now.
Buck came in carrying the bucket of hot water and poured it in the tub, running his hand back and forth through the water a few times to blend it in with the rest. He shot Ezra a look of sympathy and moved slowly toward the door. The ladies man paused with his hand on the latch and looked back at the man standing stiffly by the bed. "Chris, I-"
Chris shook his head and pointed at the door. "Out."
Buck looked at Ezra again and then walked out, pulling the door closed behind him.
Chris turned back to Ezra and hesitated as he looked down at him. The younger man's thick, dark lashes were moist, and his eyes shimmered with the tears that threatened to fall at any moment. He softened his tone and held out his hand to the gambler. "Come on, Ezra... let's get this over with."
Ezra looked from Chris's face, to his hand, to the tub, and back to his face again. He searched the hazel eyes looking down at him for any sign that the older man might change his mind, but there was nothing... just a stern warning that he expected to be obeyed. Ezra reluctantly slipped his hand into Chris's, and allowed the gunslinger to help him up off the bed.
Chris saw Ezra flinch as his feet touched the floor, and he remembered the cuts and bruises he'd acquired out in the street. He eased his arm around the smaller man and helped him over to the tub, where he released him to take hold of his nightshirt.
"Chwis... no!" Ezra stepped back out of reach and clutched his nightshirt against him. "I don't want... I'm... I..."
Chris stopped, understanding Ezra's embarrassment at having him see him without his clothes. "How 'bout if I turn my back and you take it off, then I'll just hold your arm while you get in the tub. I won't look, I promise."
Ezra stared at him for a moment, and then finally nodded his agreement to the idea. He waited til Chris turned around and then reached for the hem of his nightshirt. Suddenly he glanced up at the window and saw Buck peering in at him. "No! I can't!"
Chris risked a look back at him to see if he was having trouble getting it over his head and saw him just standing there. He sighed exasperatedly and reached for the nightshirt again. "Now look, little guy... you're takin' this bath, so you-" He stopped when Ezra shook his head and pointed. Following his gaze, he saw why he wouldn't go any further. Cursing lightly under his breath, Chris went and grabbed two blankets off the bed and glaring intensely at Buck, who was still looking in and gesturing at Ezra, hung them over the windows.
"There, Ezra... now no one can see you. Now let's try this again." Chris turned around again and held his arm out behind him, waiting for Ezra to grasp hold of it for balance while entering the tub.
Nothing happened. He waited impatiently and was just about to tell Ezra to hurry it up, when he heard a little whimper. He turned around again and found Ezra struggling with his sleeve... he'd tried to pull his broken arm out, and gotten the splints hung up in the material.
Chris closed his eyes briefly, pinching the bridge of his nose. If I didn't know better, I'd swear the real Ezra came back and is doin' this just to aggravate me. After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes again, and reached for the gambler's sleeve. "Here, Ezra... let me help you with that before you hurt your arm." It took a few minutes of pushing and pulling, but they finally got the splints untangled and eased the arm out of the sleeve.
"If we don't hurry up and get you in that tub, Buck's gonna have to get us more hot water. Let's make this easier... I'll close my eyes and help you with your nightshirt... then we can-" But he got no further as Ezra pulled away again and stubbornly refused to allow Chris to help.
"No... you might peek!" Ezra whined irritably as he stood staring at Chris... waiting for him to turn his back again.
"Ezra... you're really pushin' it now... I'm gonna turn my back one more time... and if you're not out of that damn nightshirt and in that tub by the time I count to ten, I'm stripping you down and putting you in there myself!" Chris felt a headache starting just behind his eyes, and had to keep reminding himself that Ezra was only five now in order to keep from losing his temper.
Chris heard the rustle of cloth, and finally felt Ezra's hand grip his arm as he moved to step into the tub. Chris started to remind him not to get his splints wet, when he suddenly felt a jerk on his arm and heard Ezra cry out.
"Owww!! It's too hot, Chwis!" Ezra's fingers tightened on Chris's sleeve as he moved to step back out of the tub.
"Don't you even think about getting out of that damn tub! Just stand there and let me check the water." Chris started to turn around to see how badly Ezra was exaggerating, when suddenly Ezra shoved at his shoulder and yelled.
"No!! Don't turwn a'wound, Chwis! You pwomised me you wouldn't w'ook!" Ezra's whine was getting worse, and Chris knew the Southerner was probably getting tired, but that didn't help the irritation he was starting to feel with this whole situation.
"I'm not gonna look, Ezra... now hush up and let me feel that damn water!" Chris's teeth were clenched together so hard, his jaw was starting to cramp. He reached back, groping for the edge of the tub, and winced as Ezra's fingers dug into his arm.
"Don't w'ook... pwease, Chwis?!" Ezra tried to move back out of the way, but his feet slid in the slippery tub and he went the other way instead... right into Chris's hand.
Chris felt his fingers brush against the gambler's leg, and nearly jumped out of his skin when Ezra screeched and dug his nails into his arm. Chris turned to grab for the smaller man before he fell, while at the same time Buck, alarmed by Ezra's yell, jerked the door open and ran into the room to see what had happened. All of which elicited a comical squeak of surprise from Ezra as he realized that both of the men were about to see him standing there naked. He dropped straight down into the water, pulling Chris off balance and half way into the tub, while sending a spray of suds and water splashing across the gunslinger, the floor, and even Buck.
Before Buck or Chris could react to the soaking they'd just received, they were startled again by another shriek from Ezra which brought Nathan and finally Josiah racing into the room.
"It's hot!!! Ow... ow... ow... it burwns!!" He squirmed around in the tub, still with a death grip on Chris's arm, and made as if to rise before remembering he couldn't without exposing himself to everyone standing in the room.
Buck hurried forward to help him, but ended up slipping in the soapy water and landing flat on his back with a resounding thud, which was followed quickly by a pain-filled curse. Chris, who was still half-submerged in the tub due to Ezra's continued hold on his arm, tried to help Buck, but only succeeded in making Ezra burst into sobs when he thought the older man was going to pull him up out of the water.
After staring at the scene before them in stunned silence, Nathan and Josiah moved to help the three men, only to end up soaked themselves as Ezra panicked and began flailing at the water in an effort to keep them away.
Nathan and Josiah stepped back and tried to calm the hysterically sobbing Southerner, but nothing they said seemed to help. Ezra was tired and miserable, and he just wanted out of that tub and back in his nice, safe bed.
When Ezra finally released his grip on Chris in order to try and keep Nathan and Josiah away, the gunslinger quickly pulled back, rubbing his arm where the gambler's fingers had dug into his skin. He reached down and helped Buck up onto his knees, and between the two of them, they managed to get a grip on Ezra and stop him from thrashing about before he hurt himself.
Ezra turned in the tub and wrapped his arms around Buck, clinging for all he was worth as he tried to catch his breath. "I wanna get out, Buck! Pwease?! Can I get out now?!"
Buck shivered as water ran down his back from Ezra's arms, and felt the wet splints and bandages pressing against his neck. He glanced quickly up at Nathan and knew the healer wouldn't be a bit happy about this one.
"No, you can't get out now... you haven't even gotten washed off yet, and we still have to wash your hair." Chris attempted to ease Ezra out of Buck's arms so he could get this damn bath over with, but he started crying even harder and refused to let go. He didn't remember it being this hard giving Adam a bath. An image of his son smiling and happy in the tub popped into his head, and suddenly he had an idea.
He let go of Ezra and stood up. "Keep him in that tub, I'll be right back." Before anyone could ask him any questions, he strode purposefully out of the clinic.
Buck looked up at Nathan and Josiah and shrugged... he had no idea what plan Chris had, but he sure as hell hoped it worked. He couldn't stand much more of seeing Ezra unhappy like this.
Vin and JD were just turning into the alley that ran behind the clinic, when they saw Chris bound down the stairs and hurry across the street to the Clarion.
"Wonder where the heck he's goin' in such a hurry? And did he look wet to you?" JD still stared at the door Chris had disappeared through.
"Looked like it t' me. Guess we'll find out soon as we get the tree an' the horses taken care of." Vin thought about the look on Chris's face and the condition of his clothes. "Maybe we oughta grab a bite t' eat first... might be safer if'n we wait a little 'fore goin' up there." Vin turned back around in his saddle, and he and JD continued on into the alley.
Mary looked up when Chris came through the door and just stared. He saw her mouth open to speak and the man in black merely raised his hand and shook his head. "Don't even ask."
"You're wet." The simplicity of her statement diffused the anger Chris was feeling, and he looked down at himself and chuckled.
"I guess you could say that. We're attempting to give Ezra a bath... as you can see, it's not going well. I came to see if I could borrow that little boat I whittled for Billy. Maybe it'll distract him enough for us to finish."
Mary smiled and nodded approvingly. "That might just work... hang on, I'll get it for you." She came back and handed him the boat, smiling at the thought of Ezra Standish playing with it. "Billy doesn't play in the tub much anymore... he thinks he's too big for such things now... so why don't you keep it for as long as Ezra needs it."
Chris took the boat from her and flashed her a smile. "Cross your fingers for us... I don't think poor Ezra can handle much more of the indignity of being given a bath." He thanked her and left, making a quick side trip over to the bathhouse for another bucket of hot water. Chris knew that tub had to be getting cold by now... not that Ezra would welcome the addition of more hot water, but hopefully they could sneak it past him once he saw the boat.
Ezra had finally let Nathan and Josiah get close to him, and they and Buck were all talking to him, rubbing his back... doing anything they could think of to keep him quiet and in the tub.
They all looked up when Chris walked in... Ezra's eyes instantly latching onto the steaming bucket of water. So much for sneakin' it past him.
"No!! I don't want anymorwe hot waterw, Chwis!! I jus' wanna get out!" Ezra's eyes started to fill with tears again, and Chris moved quickly to his side and knelt down.
"But if you get out of the tub now Ezra, you won't be able to play with this." Chris pulled the boat out from behind his back and set it gently in the water, giving it a little push with his finger until it was floating slowly towards the gambler.
They all watched Ezra's face for his reaction, and each one of them broke into a huge smile as they saw his eyes widen and his mouth drop open in amazement. He reached a finger out to touch it, but hesitated and looked up at Chris.
"Go ahead, Ezra... it's yours." Chris spoke softly, and grinned as the Southerner gave the little boat a push, and then giggled as it forged through the bubbles that still dotted the water. Chris ordered the others to leave again, hoping that with the boat and no other distractions, he and Ezra might be able to hurry up and get this bath over with.