Sequel to: Helping Hands (Chapter 02)

They quickly got him up the stairs to Josiah's room. But Ezra refused to allow anyone to help him beyond that. "I'm perfectly capable of caring for myself," he told them.

"I just want to take a look at your injury," Nathan said as he stepped into the room.

Ezra looked at him for a long time then finally sighed and shook his head in expiration. "Fine," he said then removed his jacket and pulled up his shirt.

"This will be easier if you take the shirt off," the EMT told him.

"I'd rather not ..."

"All right that's it!" Josiah snapped as he stepped up to Ezra.

"Josiah don't!" he cried but it was too late the big man grabbed a hand full of his shirt and ripped it off him. Ezra looked up the older man and said in a cold voice, "You owe me fifty dollars." He then turned his attention to the other man and said, "Do what you have to Mr. Jackson and then I'm leaving."

"No," Vin suddenly said. "You can't."

Ezra looked at the tall lanky blue-eyed sexy man and said, "I most certainly can."

"Ezra don't be stupid. You're not going anywhere. At least, not for a while," Josiah told him. "You came here for my help ..."

"I never ..."

"On the phone you said you need my assistance ..."

"Assistance. Not help. It's two entirely different things," Ezra told him. "Either way, I will not to be mauled," he said.

"I swear Ezra you'd try the patience of a saint," he muttered. "I'm sorry about the shirt. Now will you stay? For a little while."

Ezra suddenly realized how tired he was. He didn't think he'd actually make it to the door. At least, not on his first try anyway. And if he was truthful with himself, which he rarely was, he'd have to admit that he didn't really want to leave. "For a little while, but only a little while," Ezra agreed.

The Southerner watched as Nathan quickly removed the old bandage and poked and prodded him a little then re-bandaged his side.

"You pulled a couple of stitches loose, but you should be fine in a couple of days. You just need to get some rest," Nathan told him with a pat on the arm and made to leave.

"Mr. Jackson?" Ezra said and when Nathan turned to he continued. "You never saw me. Okay."

"Okay," the tall dark man told him then continued out the room.

Ezra watched as one by one the others followed their brother until only Josiah and Vin remained. "Do you gentlemen mind?" they both gave him a blank look. "I'm not undressing in front of you," he finally said in plain English. Josiah took the hint and stepped out into the hall.

"Do you need some help?" Vin asked.

"No, Mr. Tanner I do not. I have been undressing myself for a number of years now," he told him. Those blue eyes almost felt like a touch as they roamed over his chest.

"But undressing is more fun with two," the taller man teased.

Ezra felt his face heat up as the man openly flirted with him. Getting to his feet he smiled as he walked up to Vin, grabbed the door, and promptly closed it in his handsome face. Ezra's smile widened as he made his way back to the bed where he quickly undressed and climb under the covers. With a sigh he snuggled into the pillow and drifted off to sleep thinking that he hadn't been flirted with like this in a long time and had to admit it was enjoying it.

Vin grinned at the closed door and would have reached for the knob, but Josiah grabbed his arm and began pulling him away. "What are you doing?"

"Ezra needs his rest," Josiah told him. "And stop flirting with him."

"Why? A little flirting never hurt anyone," he said then planted a kiss on the older man's cheek. "Besides," he grinned, "he liked it. A man like Ezra needs to be flirted with ... and often."

"Just be careful, Vin," he warned him. "Ezra's not an easy man to get to know."

"That's all right 'cause I love a challenge," Vin told him then continued on down stairs.

"Well, then you've met your match because Ezra is definitely that," Josiah told him.

As lunchtime approached Vin came bounding into the kitchen and stopped in his tracks at not seeing Ezra. "Where is he?"

"Still sleeping," Josiah replied.

"Oh," he said sounding a little disappointed. "Maybe I'll just go and check on him," he offered.

"Just did."

"Dammit Josiah you coulda let me do it!" Vin snapped.

"Ezra needs to rest, not you ogling him," Josiah pointed out.

"I wasn't ogling him," he corrected. "I was merely admiring the view," Vin said with a grin. And what a view it was, he thought to himself as he pictured Ezra's smooth lightly tanned chest.

"Did you see all those scars?" JD asked. "I wonder where he got them."

They all looked at Josiah in question. "I'm not the EMT around here," he said passing the buck.

Nathan frowned as the attention was directed at him. "I didn't get a real good look at all of them but some of them looked like ... gun shot wounds," he told them.

"And the one you treated?" Buck asked.

"Definitely a knife wound."

Once again all the attention was directed at Josiah. "Don't look at me. You know as much as I do," was all he said.

"What can you tell us?" Chris wanted to know.

"Only that if Ezra's asking for help, then something's wrong," Josiah said. "He'll probably leave as soon as he thinks he's strong enough."

Vin got a panicky feeling in his gut at the thought of Ezra leaving. He didn't know why, but he got the feeling that if Ezra left now then he'd never see him again. And that was something that Vin just did not want to think about.

Later that afternoon a piercing scream filled the air making the hair on Vin's arms stand on end. With wide eyes he looked at his brothers before racing up the stairs. Throwing open the door to Josiah's room Vin came to a complete stop as he saw Ezra sitting with his head resting on his knees, which were drawn up to his chest, slowly rocking back and forth on the bed.

"Ezra," Vin softly said as stepped closer, but didn't touch him or the bed. Ezra lifted his head and looked at the Texan with a blank expression on his face.

"Be careful of the serpent," the Southerner whispered as he slowly rubbed his upper part right side of his chest.

"It's okay, son," Josiah told him. "There are no serpents here ..."

Ezra's head whipped around and he said, "Serpents are everywhere."

"You're right. I'm sorry," the older man apologized. Reaching out with a tentative hand Vin watched as Josiah laid a gentle hand on Ezra's shoulder. "Why don't you lie back and rest for a little while longer?"

"What about the serpents?"

"We'll keep the serpents away from ya Ezra," Vin told him.

Ezra looked at Vin for a long time then finally nodded his head and laid back down. Within minutes he was fast asleep. Vin brushed the hair out of his face then looked at Nathan.

"He's okay," Nathan told them. "He was just caught up in a memory. Come on, let him get some rest."

When both Vin and Josiah hesitated Nathan said, "He'll be fine."

Finally they nodded their head and followed him out of the room.

Josiah and Vin checked on Ezra off and on for the rest of the day. They had just sat down to supper when Ezra walked into the kitchen. They had all agreed that they would not say anything about what happened unless Ezra brought it up himself. And as happy as Vin was to see him up and about he found that he was a little disappointed that Ezra now wore a shirt.

"I see you found your bag. How are you feeling?" Josiah asked as he got to his feet.

"Better. Thank you," Ezra said and sat down in the only empty seat which was next to Vin.

"I fixed you some soup. I figured that be easier on your stomach," the older man told them and placed a steaming bowl down in front of him.

"Thank you, Josiah."

Vin watched Ezra as he ate his soup. He found himself mesmerized by the swallowing action of Ezra's throat.

"So Ezra what do you do?" Chris asked.

Ezra pushed his empty bowl away and shot Vin an annoyed look. "Why do you insist upon staring at me Mr. Tanner?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but I like you," Vin told him then grinned as he saw those green eyes widen for just a second. Then just to see how Ezra would react he nudged his foot under the table.

"I am presently unemployed Mr. Larabee," Ezra finally answered the other man's question and pulled his foot out of reach.

"Unemployed?" Josiah repeated. "Since when?"

"Today."

"Why?"

"My reasons are just that ... mine."

"What did you used to do?" Chris asked.

"I was a Federal agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms ..."

"You were a cop?" Buck asked.

"Certainly not. I was a Federal agent," he explained.

"What's the difference?" JD wanted to know.

"About 60 grand a year," Ezra quipped.

"So what happened?" Chris asked. "Were you fired?"

Ezra snorted. "I resigned."

"Why?"

"My reasons are none of your concern," he told them.

"Do you want a job?" JD asked him with a grin.

"I know nothing about ... ranching," Ezra confessed.

"You don't need to. Are you good with numbers?"

"I can balance my check book if that tells you anything," he said with a frown.

"We need an accountant. The job's yours if you want it," Chris said as he caught onto what JD was doing.

"An accountant?" he repeated. It would give him something else to concentrate on. "I suppose I could do that ... for a little while."

"Good. Then you're hired," JD told him and held out his hand. "We can't pay you much. We've been having trouble with the books since before our Dad died."

"I'm sorry to hear that. And so long as I have enough to pay the insurance on my car, I'll be happy," Ezra told them as he shook JD's hand.

Continued in Settling In