Nathan was the first one up on Christmas morning. After stoking the stove and putting a pot of coffee on to brew, he slipped around the blankets and approached the bed. Buck's head shot up when he felt the healer's hand brush against his face as he reached to check Ezra for any signs of a fever. He was still a little warm, but no more so than the night before. Nathan noticed the salty trace of tears that still coated Ezra's cheeks, and Buck's haggard appearance, and frowned. "Somethin' happen durin' the night? His arm hurtin' 'im?"
Buck shook his head. "It's not his arm... he had a nightmare. He woke me up mumblin' an' cryin', an' tryin' to tear off them bandages holdin' his arm down." The ladies man looked down at Ezra's sleeping face, and then back up at the healer. "He was terrified, Nathan. It woke Vin up too, an' he said it sounded like Ezra was dreamin' 'bout his uncle. Whatever that sonofabitch did to 'im, I think it's got somethin' to do with him bein' so upset about havin' his arm wrapped up. Maybe he tied 'im down or somethin'."
Nathan nodded, recalling his own thoughts on the subject. "I been thinkin' the same thing... an' I gotta feelin' what he went through at his uncle's is a lot worse than what he's managed to tell us so far."
"I tried to get 'im to talk about it, but he was gettin' upset all over again, so I stopped." Buck felt Ezra stir and thought he might be waking up, but he just nestled his face tighter against the older man's neck, sighed and went back to sleep. "Looks like maybe ya oughta start gettin' the others up... he prob'ly won't sleep much longer."
Nathan nodded and left... his mind going over what Buck had just told him about Ezra's nightmare. Now he was almost sure that his first horrible thoughts about what had happened to the Southerner on his uncle's plantation might be right... and if they were, Ezra had good reason for his hatred of those bindings and for the nightmare he'd had.
It was a form of punishment he'd often seen used on the plantation where he'd lived. Hang the troublemaker up, whip him to within an inch of his life, and then leave him there for several days to teach him and the others a lesson. All the Masters used it at one time or another to keep the slaves in line... and it usually worked. After seeing one of their friends hanging there in the sun... the leather tightening around their swollen wrists... their wounds festering as they were left untreated... no one was willing to do anything that would incur that same kind of treatment.
Those pale scars on the backs of Ezra's wrists matched the ones left on his fellow slaves who had endured that same treatment... some of them had nearly driven the leather straps to the bone in their struggles to escape the pain. Nathan's stomach clenched at the thought of five year old Ezra enduring that kind of punishment, of his small body hanging there in that kind of agony.
Nathan's eyes filled with tears as he thought of how badly he and the others had misjudged their southern friend... he obviously had good reasons for his lack of trust and his unrelenting desire to keep them all at arm's length. When you'd suffered that much at the hands of your own family, friendship and brotherhood would naturally be totally alien concepts to you. It would take time, but once Nathan filled the others in on his suspicions, they could all work together to get Ezra over his fears of allowing anyone close enough to hurt him like that again.
Buck and JD had already gotten a good start on it in the last few months, but now they'd have the rest of them helping to convince Ezra that he could trust them. Hopefully, they could show him what a true family was like... something he obviously wanted and needed in his life. All they had to do was get him back so they could get started... and Nathan was truly beginning to believe that would happen.
No one else had seemed to notice the fact that all Ezra's comments about their poker playing last night were based solely on adult Ezra's knowledge of them. His memory was returning... in bits and pieces... but at least it looked like their Ezra was slowly coming back to them.
They'd managed to get the blankets slid back out of the way without waking Ezra, and now they were all enjoying a quick cup of coffee before getting him up.
Vin carried a steaming mug over to Buck and perched on the foot of the bed, his eyes settling on Ezra's face. It was hard to believe how terrified he'd been the night before when you saw how peaceful he looked right now. "Anymore dreams last night?"
Buck shook his head and sipped gratefully at the strong coffee. "He slept like a baby... wish I could say the same." It had taken him forever to get back to sleep. Everytime he'd closed his eyes, his thoughts had turned to all the horrible things Ezra's uncle Matthew might have done to him to leave him so traumatized. As a result, he'd spent the better part of the night clinging to the younger man in his arms and watching over him... ready to wake him if he even acted like he was starting to dream again.
By the time they'd finished their first cup of coffee, Ezra was beginning to stir... stretching and scrubbing his face sleepily against Buck's chest. Vin and JD hurried to light the candles on the tree while Nathan, Josiah, and Chris stood beside the bed, blocking Ezra's view just in case he woke before they could finish. As soon as they had the tree glowing brightly, Vin and JD joined the others as they waited impatiently for Ezra to awaken fully.
They didn't have to wait long. It was only a matter of minutes before Ezra finally stretched one last time, yawned, and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times as he stared up at Buck, trying to get his eyes to focus, and then gave the older man a lop-sided grin and whispered, "Morwnin', Buck."
Ezra jumped as six voices shot back at him, "Mornin', Ezra!" He looked over his shoulder at the men surrounding his bed, and his grin widened. "Y'all scarwed me! What arwe you doin' herwe aw'w'eady d'is morwnin'?"
"You'll see. Sit up and turn around here in the bed." Buck helped him sit up and got him turned so he was facing the men lined up alongside the bed, and then moved so he was sitting beside the gambler where he could watch his face.
Ezra's face was full of confusion as he stared at the six men he now knew as his brothers. "I don't see anyth-"
Every eye was trained on Ezra as they slowly stepped aside and gave him his first look at the brightly decorated tree.
His reaction was everything they could have possibly hoped for. Ezra's mouth dropped open, and his eyes grew so round they seemed to fill his face... their emerald depths reflecting perfectly the flickering lights of the candles. His hand groped across the bed searching for Buck's, as his incredulous gaze wandered around the clinic, taking in all the brightly colored decorations, and finally returning to the beautiful tree.
Buck wrapped his fingers around Ezra's, and reached up with his other hand to stroke the back of his head. Leaning forward, he placed a gentle kiss on the awestruck gambler's cheek and whispered softly in his ear. "Merry Christmas, Little One."
The others saw Ezra's face completely light up with joy and his eyes begin to glisten with tears, and everyone of them had to blink away the moisture that suddenly blurred their own vision as they finally spoke. "Merry Christmas, Ezra."
Ezra finally tore his gaze away from the tree and looked at the men who stood staring at him... his friends... no, his big brothers. His voice shook with emotion as he whispered, "You did all d'is... jus' forw me?"
All they could do was nod, none of them trusting their voices enough to try speaking.
Buck continued to stroke Ezra's hair as the gambler turned to look at him. He stared into the eyes of the man he cared for the most... the big brother who had won his trust and love just by being there when he'd needed someone to hold onto in this new frightening world he found himself in... and whispered brokenly. "All forw me, Buck?"
Buck felt as if his heart would break when he heard the total amazement in Ezra's voice that anyone would go to so much trouble for him... and knew that his young friend considered himself totally unworthy of such an act of kindness. How incredibly sad to have that kind of self-doubt and insecurity pounded into you at the tender age of five.
Buck enfolded the smaller man in his arms, and pressing his face tightly against his little brother's, whispered, "All for you, Ezra... all because we love you." And then he held him while he cried.
One by one the others joined the two men on the bed, each one touching his arm or gently rubbing his back as they comforted him until the tears finally stopped.
Buck sat him back up when he was sure he was finished crying and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Well, pard... ya ready for the rest of your surprise?"
Ezra sniffed and rubbed his hand across his eyes as he stared incredulously at the men surrounding him on the bed. "D'erwe's morwe?"
JD patted him on the back and looked surprised. "Sure there's more... what would Christmas be without presents?"
Ezra's face lit up all over again. He'd been so mesmerized by the beauty that now surrounded him, and the incredible idea that they'd done all this just for his happiness, that he hadn't even noticed the gifts lying under the tree. "You got me a pwesent?"
"Not just one... six... one from each of us." JD pointed at the pile of gifts and laughed as Ezra's eyes widened at the sight of all the packages lying under the tree... his very first Christmas presents. But then his face fell as he realized something.
"But... but I don't have any pwesents forw you guys." Ezra's eyes started to tear up again until the men all assured him that because he was only five, he wasn't supposed to give gifts yet.
Vin gave Ezra a gentle squeeze and told him, "Besides, pard... just havin' you here with us is the best Christmas present we could possibly get."
Everyone got off the bed and helped Ezra get turned around so that he sat in the middle of the bed, propping pillows around him to make him comfortable. Then they brought over the chairs and one of the benches, and placed them so they could watch his face as he opened the presents. And finally, one by one, they carried the gift they'd chosen especially for their little brother over to the bed, and sat with him while he opened it.
JD went first... they all knew he was so anxious to give Ezra his gift, that he'd never be able to wait for the others. He pulled the fishing pole out from behind the tree and saw the others smile and nod at his ingenious job of wrapping. He'd wound it first with plain paper and then tied bright red and green bows all down the length of it.
Carrying it over to the bed, he carefully placed it in front of Ezra. "This one's from me, Ezra."
Ezra stared at the long skinny package that hung over both sides of the bed and then looked up at the young sheriff with a huge grin on his face. "What is it, JD?!"
"Well, now... it would ruin the surprise if I just told you what it was! You gotta open it! That's the fun of gettin' presents."
"But it's so pwetty wif all d'ese w'ibbons on it... I don't wanna rwuin it." Ezra's fingers trailed the length of the gift, touching each of the carefully tied bows before JD finally convinced him it was okay to take them off.
They all watched as the Southerner awkwardly untied each bow, hampered by the fact that he only had one hand to use. He placed them in a neat pile, stroking each soft ribbon before going onto the next, and they had to stifle their laughter at the impatience of the real youngest member of their family. JD was squirming around on the bed, anxiously reaching a hand out to help, and then pulling it back as he realized that Ezra was just being Ezra... meticulous and neat even at the age of five.
The gambler finally had all the bows removed, and JD held the package for him as he carefully began stripping off the paper.
JD kept his eyes trained on Ezra's face... suddenly shy about his choice of a gift. What if Ezra remembered the argument in the clinic and it made him sad instead of happy? But his fears were for nothing, and it was worth every last penny he'd spent when he saw the older man's face light up with joy as the pole was finally revealed.
"JD! You got me a fishin' pole?!" Ezra's eyes positively glowed with happiness as he ran his hand over the brand new cane pole. Suddenly his eyes shot up to stare wonderingly into the young boy's smiling face. "Does d'is mean I can go fishin' wif you an' Buck?!"
"You bet it does... just as soon as it warms back up, and as long as Nathan says you're well enough to go." JD's excitement almost matched Ezra's as he showed the inexperienced Southerner how to hold the pole. "We'll go and spend the whole day fishin'... how's that sound?"
"It sounds grweat!" Ezra tried to set the pole down beside him, but it was too long. Seeing the gambler's dilemma, Vin stepped forward and took the pole and propped it up against the wall beside the bed. Ezra smiled his thanks at the long-haired tracker before turning and wrapping his arm around JD's neck in a warm, brotherly hug, and whispering softly in his ear, "F'ank you, JD... d'at's d' best pwesent you could've given me."
JD had a feeling he didn't mean just the pole, but was also thanking him for the gift of sharing his time with Buck. The young man hugged Ezra back and whispered, "I had to have the best for my little brother."
After giving him one more squeeze, JD pulled away and reluctantly left the bed, moving over to stand beside Buck, who put his arm around the youngster and gave his shoulders a squeeze. "Ya did good, Kid. That was perfect."
JD ducked his head shyly, but everyone could see how proud he was of himself for thinking of just the right thing to give Ezra.
The rest of them looked at each other and finally Josiah moved toward the tree. "Well, looks like I'll go next." He took a small package from the pile of gifts and moved over to sit beside Ezra on the bed.
"Okay, Ezra... this isn't quite as much fun as that fine new fishing pole, but I hope you'll like it anyway." Josiah set the present on the bed in front of Ezra, and held it as the smaller man carefully pulled off the ribbon, adding it to the pile beside him. The gambler peeled away the paper to reveal a small square box, and after looking up at the preacher, slowly lifted off the top.
Inside was an Indian necklace. Ezra gasped when he saw it and carefully pulled it up out of the box. "'siah... it's... it's so pwetty." The gambler looked doubtfully up at the larger man. "It w'ooks so speciawl... arwe you surwe you want to give it to me?"
Josiah took the necklace from Ezra's fingers and cradled it in his large hand. "It is special, little guy... that's exactly why I want you to have it." He lifted the necklace up, and turned it so everyone could see it. Three strands of colorful beads held an intricate carving of a large bird done in turquoise and trimmed with silver. Everyone could see what care had been taken with the precise detailing on the image, and they each knew just how valuable Josiah's gift was. Not so much in monetary worth, but in the spiritual value it held for the gentle preacher.
Josiah leaned over and held the piece of jewelry closer to Ezra so he could explain what it meant. "This is the Thunderbird, and according to my friend, Ko-je, it's the sacred bearer of unlimited happiness."
Ezra reached out and touched the carving with one slender finger and said, "Ko-je is Chanu's papa, isn't he? He w'ives in d' Indian viwwage d'at you go visit."
Josiah and the others shot a surprised look at Nathan, and were pleased to see him smiling and nodding approvingly... apparently he wasn't surprised by Ezra's sudden flash of memory.
Josiah turned his attention back to the smaller man sitting beside him. "That's right... he's the one who made this for me. Now, see this blue stone? It's turquoise, and Ko-je used it for the carving of the Thunderbird because it's supposed to help its owner to victory over his enemies, protect him against injury, and make him well liked by all men." He smiled as he saw Ezra's eyes widen at the powerful magic the piece of jewelry was supposed to hold.
Ezra stared into Josiah's kindly blue eyes and shook his head. "'siah... Ko-je made d'is jus' forw you, didn't he? I don't f'ink he'd w'ike it if you gave it away."
Josiah placed a big paw along side Ezra's face. "He gave it to me to do with as I wished... and I wish to give it to you. There's nothing I want more than for this to bring you happiness for the rest of your life... and for it to protect you in case I'm not able to do it myself. Will you wear it for me, Ezra... please?"
When he saw Ezra nod, Josiah raised his hands and gently slipped the necklace over the younger man's head... settling it carefully so that the Thunderbird lay in the middle of his chest.
Ezra looked down at the necklace and wrapped his fingers around it protectively, and then turning his eyes back up to the older man, whispered, "I'll wearw it forweverw, 'siah."
Josiah saw the tears glistening in Ezra's green eyes, and pulled him into a tight embrace. He pressed a kiss against the soft, unruly curls brushing against his cheek, and bent to whisper in the gambler's ear. "I love you, Ezra... you remember that."
Ezra pressed his face into the older man's neck and reveled in the warmth of his love. "I'll w'ememberw, 'siah... I pwomise."
After rocking the smaller man in his arms for a few minutes, Josiah finally sat him back up and touched his cheek, gently brushing away the few tears that had managed to escape. Then while unashamedly wiping away his own tears, he moved away from the bed to make room for the next man.
Vin hesitated for a second, glancing at the others, and finally walked over to retrieve his own small present from under the tree. He turned and looked shyly at Ezra waiting expectantly in the bed, and couldn't help but smile at the look of excitement that was lighting up the handsome face of the gambler. What a change from the usually wary and skeptical looks that they were used to receiving whenever they performed an act of kindness for their jaded southern friend.
Vin climbed on the bed and sat Indian style in front of Ezra, placing the gift in his lap. "It's not much, but I hope ya like it, pard."
"I know I wiwll, Vin... it's frwom you." Ezra smiled at the quietest one of his new brothers and knew that whatever it was, the shy tracker would have taken great care to make sure it was something special.
Reaching out to hold the small package still so that the gambler could work at the carefully tied ribbon with his nimble fingers, Vin watched nervously... hoping Ezra would know how much the gift meant to him.
Ezra slowly peeled back the paper and stopped when the shiny new instrument fell out onto the bed. He stared down at it for a moment, and then reached out to reverently run his fingers over its shiny surface. "Oh... Vin... my own... you got me my verwy own harwmonica."
He looked at Vin then, and the tracker could see without a doubt that Ezra knew exactly what he was giving him... the chance to make his own music... a music that would be special only to the two of them.
Ezra slipped his hand into Vin's, and green eyes met and held a pair of shiny clear blue ones as a current of emotion flowed between them. There was no need for words... each man felt it and acknowledged it with that one look.
"Wiwll you teach me how to find it, Vin?" Ezra asked quietly, neither man aware of the quizzical looks the question had drawn from the other five men in the room.
Vin shook his head and reached out to gently tap Ezra's chest. "I don't need t', Ezra... it's right here... ya just need t' look an' you'll find it okay."
Ezra lovingly picked up the mouth organ and looked back at Vin. "F'ank y-" But he was interrupted as Vin placed two fingers over his lips and shook his head.
"No need for that, pard... it's somethin' I wanted t' do for ya. Okay?" Vin watched Ezra nod in understanding, and moved his hand to rest against the Southerner's cheek. "Now we can make music together... and share our hearts." Vin spoke softly so only Ezra could hear him, and smiled when the gambler nodded and lightly placed his hand on Vin's chest.
Vin let his hand slide away and rose up off the bed, moving to lean against the wall... keeping his distance from the others for now while he got his emotions under control. His eyes held Ezra's for a few moments longer, and then he looked away as Nathan announced it was his turn.
Everyone in the room was amazed by the connection that Ezra and Vin seemed to have made, and they all wondered when it had happened and how they had completely missed it.
Nathan had deliberately gotten up when he did in order to take the pressure off of Vin... knowing instinctively that what had happened between he and Ezra had been a deeply personal experience for the tracker, and that it wasn't in his nature to want to share it.
He pulled the largest package out from under the tree and carried it over to the bed, laying it carefully in front of Ezra and smiling as he watched the excitement of another present light up his face.
"Nafan! It's so big!" Ezra tried to pull the present into his lap and couldn't.
Nathan chuckled at the expression on the gambler's face when he discovered how heavy the package was. "You'll have to leave this one layin' on the bed while ya open it. Ya get everything untied, an' then I'll pick it up so ya can get the paper off."
Ezra nodded and carefully began untying all the ribbons Nathan had used. The others had to struggle not to laugh as they watched the total look of concentration he had on his face while he worked. The gambler was bent almost double as he worked at the bows, his tongue poking out, and a determined frown appearing on his face whenever he came to one Nathan had accidentally tied to tight.
The healer was just about to offer to help, when he finally undid the last bow. Two quick pulls on the paper and he had it ready for Nathan to lift. "Okay, Nafan... I'm w'eady forw you to pick it up!"
Nathan lifted the package off the bed, and laughed as he watched Ezra quiver with excitement as he pulled the paper and ribbons away and tossed them on the floor. Gone was his worry about being neat... he just wanted to see what this big, heavy gift could possibly be.
Nathan set it back down in front of Ezra, and sat nervously waiting for the smaller man's reaction. He knew it wasn't as special as the others' gifts, but he still hoped it was something Ezra would like.
Ezra stared down at the wooden box and ran his fingers across the checkered top, frowning.
Nathan felt his heart sinking as he watched the frown appear on Ezra's face, but just as he was about to apologize for making such a poor choice, the gambler stopped him by loudly exclaiming, "A checkerwboarwd!! Nafan... you got me a checkerwboarwd of my verwy own?!"
Ezra struggled onto his knees and practically threw himself at the startled healer, nearly knocking him off the bed. The smaller man wrapped his arm around Nathan's neck, hugging him tightly, and then pulled back to stare down at the box again before turning, and with his face practically nose to nose with the healer's, chattered anxiously, "Is it mine to keep, Nafan? I've neverw had my verwy own game beforwe! I've neverw had any toys at all... is it w'eawy mine, Nafan?!"
The other men didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They wanted to roar with laughter over the astonished expression on Nathan's face as he tried to keep up with what Ezra was saying... and yet it was bringing tears to their eyes and an incredible ache to their heart that their friend had had to wait twenty-eight years to receive his first and only toy. In the end, they decided on both... laughing at both Nathan's and Ezra's astonished faces, and at the same time, discreetly wiping away the tears that they just couldn't hold back.
Nathan stared at Ezra for a moment before bursting into laughter himself. "Whoa there, little guy... slow down!" He cupped Ezra's face in his large, gentle hands and finally got him calmed down enough to assure him that it was indeed his to keep. "Sure it's yours... here... look on the bottom of the box." Nathan tipped the box up so that Ezra could get a look at the bottom, and pointed to the small letters carved into the wood.
"E-Z-R-A... P... S-T-A-N-D-I-S-H... d'at's my name, Nafan! You carwved my name in it?! D'at w'eawy means it's mine, doesn't it!" Ezra was so excited he didn't even see everyone staring at him... their heads all shaking in amazement.
"Leave it to our Ezra to already know how to read at the age of five," Buck whispered softly to the others, and then with a nudge to Chris's side, he raised his voice so the excited gambler could hear him. "You can read already, Ezra? Oh, and what's the 'P' stand for?"
That was a question they'd tried to get the man to answer ever since they'd found out his middle initial, but all he would tell them was that it stood for 'persuasive.' An excellent word to describe the smooth-talking Southerner, but obviously not his real middle name. Naturally, this only served to fuel Buck's curiosity and the ladies man hounded Ezra unmercifully for the correct name... teasing him with outrageous guesses such as Poindexter, Percival, and everyone's personal favorite... Painintheass.
Ezra never even looked up at him when he answered... he was still too busy inspecting his new game. "I can onwy w'ead my name... Mama taught it to me. An' d' 'P' is forw my middwle name... it's Payton. Ezwa Payton Standish... I was named afterw my gwandpa."
Buck's face held such a look of satisfaction, and such a promise of future torment for poor adult Ezra, that everyone couldn't help but laugh. Buck merely rubbed his hands together in gleeful anticipation... it would drive Ezra crazy trying to figure out how he learned his real name.
Ignoring the others' amusement, Ezra looked up at Nathan in confusion. "Nafan? Wherwe's d' checkerws? We can't pway wifout d' checkerws!"
"Look here." Nathan leaned over beside Ezra, they're heads almost touching, and showed him the tiny latch on the side of the wooden case. He helped Ezra flip it up and watched as the smaller man opened the lid... his heart swelling with emotion as he saw the look of incredulous wonder appear on the gambler's face.
"Nafan... it's a chess set, too... an'...an' it's so beautifuwl," Ezra whispered softly as he reached out a trembling hand to touch the intricately carved chessmen. Dark and light pieces nestled side by side in the velvet lined box, each one incredibly detailed... even the checkers were carved out of the same satiny wood and were stacked in their own separate compartment. Ezra stared at the healer questioningly.
"Wherwe did you get d'is, Nafan? It w'ooks w'ike it cost a w'ots of money." He knew the gentle healer didn't have much. He'd heard people come to him for help while he'd been confined to the clinic... he'd been instructed not to talk while they were there, but he'd listened curiously... hearing them mumble their apologies as they were forced to pay Nathan with goods instead of money.
Nathan stared at the frown that had appeared on Ezra's face. He knew the gambler was worried about him spending what little he had on his gift, and the healer was touched by his concern. He slipped an arm around his fellow Southerner's shoulders, and squeezed gently. "It's okay, Ezra... ya can quit worryin' 'bout me... it didn't really cost nothin'. I jus' did some tooth pullin' for a peddler who came t' town yesterday, an' he offered it t' me as payment. I wanted somethin' special for your gift, an' couldn't think of nothin' else that would be good enough for ya, so I took it."
"Nafan... I don't deserwve somefin' d'is fancy. You should keep d'is one forw yourwself an' jus' give me yourw old one. D'at one would be good enough forw me." Ezra closed the lid of the case carefully, and tried to slide it across the bed to the healer.
Nathan stared at the young gambler and saw how disappointed he was at giving up the beautiful gift, but also saw how sure he was that he wasn't deserving of it. Nathan put his hand on Ezra's arm and stopped him. "Ezra... look at me." When the smaller man refused to look up, Nathan placed his fingers under his chin and gently raised his head up until he could look into those expressive eyes of his. "Ezra... I wanted this for you... somethin' special t' show ya how much I care for ya... it's real important t' me that ya have it." Nathan watched Ezra's eyes shift down, and bent his head to recapture his gaze. "Unless ya don't like it... jus' tell me if that's what's wrong, an' I'll take it back an' try t' find somethin' else for ya."
Ezra brought his eyes quickly back up to Nathan's face and vigorously shook his head. "I wuv it, Nafan! I wanna keep it forw aw'ways... but-"
"No but's, Ezra." Nathan interrupted the gambler before he could protest anymore. It hurt him more than he thought it ever could to hear Ezra put himself down the way he was doing. "I want ya t' have it... that's why I carved your name in it. 'Sides, if ya don't take it, you're gonna hurt my feelin's. Ya don't wanna do that, do ya?"
Ezra looked at the chess set longingly, and then back at Nathan's gently smiling face. He reached out to put his pale hand against the healer's dark cheek and shook his head slowly. "I'd neverw wanna do nuffin' to huwt you, Nafan. You'rwe my bwuvver now an' I wuv you."
Nathan smiled softly and placed his larger hand over Ezra's slender one. "I love you too, little brother... so does this mean you'll keep my gift?"
Ezra smiled back at the larger man and nodded his head. "On one condition."
Nathan chuckled and nodded. "Whatever ya want, Ezra... what's your condition?"
"You gotta pwomise me d'at you'll pway chess wif me, too... not jus' checkerws. I f'ink I might be able to beat you at d'at one." Ezra giggled as he saw Nathan's look of surprise.
"You know how t' play chess already?" Nathan didn't know why he was surprised. Ezra was obviously a heck of a lot smarter than most five year olds. "Well, I promise t' play checkers with ya anytime ya want... but you'll have t' get Josiah t' play chess with ya... I don't know how."
"D'en I'll keep d' game if you'll w'et me teach you how to pway chess... deawl?" Ezra stuck his hand out, ready to shake.
Nathan took Ezra's hand, but instead of shaking it, he used it to pull him in for a hug. "Deal, little guy... and Merry Christmas."
Ezra hugged him back as hard as he could with one arm and whispered, "Mewwy Chwistmas, Nafan... f'ank you so much forw givin' me my firwst toy."
"You're welcome, Ezra... now I think I better move this outta the way so Chris an' Buck can give ya their presents. I'll set it over here on the night table for now, okay?" Nathan took the heavy chess set and placed it carefully on the table, smiling as he saw Ezra watch his every move. He was so thrilled that their Little One had liked his gift so much that he didn't think he'd ever be able to quit grinning.
Chris looked at Buck and nodded when he waved at him to go ahead... he knew Buck wanted to be alone with Ezra to give him his gift. The ladies man had talked to Nathan about giving the Southerner the watch... about whether he thought it would trigger a memory like Ezra's own watch had done. Nathan had told him he didn't know if it would or not, but even if it did, it might be a good thing. Ezra was stronger now and it was time to start jogging his memory, and he figured Buck was the best one to do it. He also had assured Buck that he'd tell the rest what was happening, and make sure they all left them alone when it came time for him to give Ezra his gift.