Disclaimer: Not mine, et cetera

Feedback: God, yes, please.

Ratings: PG13 for language

Notes: < > indicates thoughts

By: Lady Angel @ thien_than_23@hotmail.com
 

The Ancients believed that every being in the world has a soulmate.  One
being with whom there exists a spiritual connection that will last for all
eternity.  Male or female, these soulmates fulfil each other's lives with
family, friendship, and love.  The Ancients held that soulmates were
connected by a silver cord, which could be seen emanating from one soul to
another, connecting their hearts and souls.  Sometimes, for a special few,
there is more than one soulmate, more than one being that is needed to
fulfil their lives.  And in these instances, the silver cords would
interweave themselves into a rope, stronger as a whole, than separate.

         ªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªª

"I'm sorry, he didn't make it.  I'm afraid that due to his injuries. . ."

The doctor stood there, looking at the six men in front of him.  Each had a
look of absolute horror and unending grief on their very different faces.
<God, sometimes I hate my job. >

It wasn't however until the young man had screamed at him did the doctor
realize how deeply these men would grieve.  It wasn't until after he called
for a gurney to take the young man to an examination room after he had
passed out that the doctor realized that with the death of one man, six more
had been destroyed.

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"I'm sorry, he didn't make it.  I'm afraid that due to his injuries. . ."

"No, you're lyin', he's not dead."

"I'm sorry sir, but his injuries. . ."

"HE'S NOT DEAD DAMNIT!!!  HE'S NOT!!!"

Vin clamped his hands to his ears, unwilling to hear that damn quack's
voice.  <He's not dead!  I couldn't live without him, he promised me that he
wouldn't leave, and no matter what, he always kept his promises.>

<Kept?  Why am I thinking in the past tense?  Oh yeah because he's dead,
that's why.> Without warning Vin started to giggle, soon it erupted into
hysterical laughter.

"Vin?  Vin, stop that!  Vin, you're scaring JD.  Stop it damnit!!!"

<Gee, Buck sure does sound pissed.>  That was the last thing Vin thought,
right before the blessed blackness consumed him.

         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

"I'm sorry, he didn't make it.  I'm afraid that due to his injuries. . ."

With those first six words, his world crumbled.  His life of friends,
family, safety, and love was shattered.  The very foundation of their family
had been ripped from their arms.  Ripped not by a bullet, taken in the line
of duty, but by some shithead who had a little too much to drink.

JD watched through tear filled eyes as Vin screamed at the doctor, he could
feel Buck's arm around his shoulders, whispering assurances in his ear, but
Buck's promises that everything would be alright were lies.  <Nothing would
be all right ever again.>

When Vin started to laugh, JD flinched at the sound and then started to
tremble.  He vaguely heard Buck yelling at Vin to stop, that Vin's laughing
was scaring JD.  <No, the emptiness inside of my heart is scaring me, not
Vin.>

JD stood there watching the scene before him.  He saw Vin's knees give out
from under him, saw Josiah gently lift Vin into his arms and place him on
the gurney.  The young man saw Buck struggle to be strong.  But inside, JD
felt nothing at all.

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"I'm sorry, he didn't make it.  I'm afraid that due to his injuries. . ."

<Twelve years. . .twelve long, shitty as hell, fun filled years, and it ends
like this.  I can't believe it.  Not like this.  Damn it, we were supposed
to grow old together, watch our grandkids run around in the yard.  Watch JD
finally pop the question to pretty little
Casey. . .damn, the Kid.  What am I suppose to tell the Kid.>

Buck wrapped his arms around JD, trying to stop the young man from shaking
too hard, to let him know that he wasn't alone this time.  Buck could feel
JD's tears, they soaked the front of his shirt, but Buck was beyond caring
about that, he could only bury his face in the kid's black hair and hold him
tighter. At the same time he tried not to cry himself, because if he did let
the tears start, they would never stop.

Buck looked over at Vin, being rolled away from the waiting room and into a
curtained off area.  Ezra followed, while Josiah and Nathan just sat down in
some chairs, both silent in their grief.
 

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"I'm sorry, he didn't make it.  I'm afraid that due to his injuries. . ."

<Well, I knew it was all too good to be true.  I knew that something would
happen to take everything I need away.  Malicious fate has once again deemed
that I be totally, royally screwed.  Of course, this time she didn't just
screw me over, nooo.  She still wasn't happy, nooo, the damn harpy had to
take down the others as well.   Bitch. >

Ezra watched as a nurse took Vin's vitals, proclaiming that he was
physically fine.

<Well, duh!  As JD so eloquently said so often before.  Now, if only you
could tell me that he would be fine mentally and spiritually, then I'll be
happy.  But you can't tell me that, can you?  No, he won't ever be fine
again, he would never play another practical joke again, he would never play
some god-awful tune on his harmonica again.  No, he won't ever be fine, and.
. .NEITHER. . .WILL. . .I!  >

Ezra wanted to scream, he wanted to vocally vent his hurt, his anger, his
grief.  But he couldn't. . .<Mother would be horrified at such a public
display of temper.>  Manners that were deeply imbedded his genetic makeup
kept him from erupting and a part of him was glad, because if he did
explode, there was no telling if he would ever stop.  So Ezra had to settle
for stroking Vin's hair, waiting for him to awaken, to be here for him.
Because in some way, being here with Vin, taking care of him, held the ugly
reality at bay, at least for a little while.

         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

"I'm sorry, he didn't make it.  I'm afraid that due to his injuries. . ."

<Good Lord, why?  Why did you take him from us?  We need him so much.  I
know, Lord, that in your magnificence, you know this too.  And please Lord,
forgive your humble servant for questioning your actions, but why?  Why did
you take our brother from us?>

Josiah really didn't expect an answer to his prayer, but he felt the need to
at least ask.  They had been shaken by the news. . .a drunk driver. .
.multiple car pile up. . .four dead at the scene. . .an ATF agent in
critical condition.

Now, Vin laid in a hospital bed, his strength sapped by their loss; Ezra
hadn't said a word; JD was crying; Buck was in shock, unable to console the
child; Nathan's silent tears spoke more eloquently than Ezra's fanciest
speech, and Josiah, himself, was once again questioning his God and his
faith.

Josiah couldn't find the words to lift their spirits, couldn't even find the
energy to lift his head.  But he knew that there were two other people who
needed to know about this night's death.  Giving Nathan's shoulder a
squeeze, Josiah stood and pulled out his cell phone.

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"I'm sorry, he didn't make it.  I'm afraid that due to his injuries. . ."

The healer sat there, unable to stop the flow of tears.  One of the few men
he respected was dead, taken before his time.  Nathan was at a loss. .
.normally, by this time he would be explaining the medical jargon to the
others, telling them in English what the extent of the injuries were, but
now, there was nothing to explain.  Nothing to translate, nothing to expect,
nothing to assure them and himself that the Seven would ride again.

<Nothing this time but the death of one of their own.  >

< Damnit, I'm was medic in the war, I've seen people die before. . .Rain's
father, my mother, my father, why is his death so different?>

He felt useless, for all his medical training, for all his life experiences,
he was helpless to ease the others' pain.  Not even Josiah, with all his
wisdom, could offer a word of solace to their team members.

Nathan didn't even lift his head when Josiah left, he knew who Josiah was
going to call.  Another life was about to be destroyed because of one fool's
reckless actions.

         ªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªª

He could feel the hand stroking his hair, <Damn, did I get myself shot
again?>  Vin did a quick inventory.  < Nope, nothing hurts, then why was he
stroking my hair? Chris only does that when I've been hurt. . .Oh God. . .>

"CHRISSSS!"

"Shhh, Vin!"

"Ezra!  Ezra, where's Chris?"  Vin sat up, grabbing the Southerner by the
lapels.  Vin's wild blue eyes met Ezra's sad green ones and then he knew.
He knew that it hadn't been a nightmare, that it was real.

Chris was dead.

Ezra never felt more helpless, never more grief-stricken, than when Vin had
grabbed onto his shirt and cried.  All Ezra could do was wrap his arms
around the younger man's shoulders and rock back and forth, tears trickling
down his own cheeks.

"Vin!  Vin!  Josiah!"  Mary called, waving her arm as she ran towards them.

The six men had assembled once again in the waiting room, gathering their
strength, dealing with this tragedy as they did all others, together.  They
turned as one, to see Mary flying towards them.

"I heard about the accident, where's Chris?  I tried calling his ranch, but
no one answered.  I got here as soon as I could, but the traffic from the
accident. . ."  Mary's voice trailed off as she took in Vin's, JD's, and
Nathan's red rimmed eyes.

"What's happened?  It was Chris, wasn't it?  Is he alright?"  Mary's voice
was desperate, willing them to tell her different.  Ezra, Josiah, and Buck
were silent, struggling to find a way to tell her about Chris, but it was
Vin who spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mary, Chris is. . .he's. . ."  Vin couldn't finish but he didn't
have to, Mary could read it in his eyes.

"No. No. Not Chris!  NOOOO!"  Mary kept shaking her head, fighting Vin when
he tried to take her into his arms, relenting only when her knees buckled
under her.

         ©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©

Mary felt Vin pick her up and put her into a chair.  Mary heard Nathan's
voice, asking her if she needed a drink of water.  Mary saw Ezra take off
his jacket and wrapped it around her, she smelled the coffee that Buck had
placed in her hands.  But inside she was dying.

<Not again.  Please, God, I can't. . .not again.  I can't do this again.  I
can't lose another man that I love.  Billy can't lose another father.
Please, God, please.  >

"Chris. . .Billy."  Mary whispered.  Her son would be devastated, losing
both of his fathers so young.

"Mary, I'm. . .we're sorry."  Vin's quiet voice barely penetrated her grief
filled mind.

Mary heard the murmurs of the men that Chris called friend, brother.  Mary
knew that they were hurting as much as she was, but right now, it wasn't
important.  She was being selfish, she knew that, but the grief, sadness,
and loneliness was overwhelming.  Mary has once again lost a man that she
loved, a man that was a father to her son, a man who had given her the gift
of love.

Mary could only sit there, crying on Vin's shoulder, her tears splashing on
the stiff plastic of the seat and onto Vin's thin suede jacket.  Vaguely she
was aware of the others, JD, Nathan, Buck, Ezra, and Josiah form a
protective circle around her, just how Chris would have wanted them to.

A woman's tears fell, combining with the tears of  six men.  Tears for the
man that held them together, for the foundation of their family, for
Christopher Larabee.

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"What? Are you sure? [pause]  How the hell did that happen? [pause] I don't
know, I'll find them."  With a bang, the doctor slammed down the phone
receiver.

The middle aged doctor rubbed his eyes, < I can't believe they fucked up
like that!!!  Incompetent idiots. >  He didn't relish what he had to do
next, on one hand he was glad about the mix up, on the other hand it made
him and the hospital look like fools.

<Oh well.  Every man is allowed at least one fuck up a year.>

And so he left, looking for the remaining six ATF agents.

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"Mary, would you like us to escort you home?"  Ezra was kneeling in front of
Mary, scared because she hadn't said a word for a very long time.  "Would
you like us to contact the Judge?"

Mary simply shook her head, still in too much shock to answer.

Suddenly, they heard a throat being cleared behind them.  Buck and Josiah
turned to see the doctor that had given them the news of Chris's death.

"Yes, doctor?"  Josiah asked quietly.

"Mr. Sanchez, I'm afraid that there's been a mistake."

"Mistake?"  Josiah hadn't raised his voice, but there was menace and steel
embedded in it.

"Well, it seems that in all the chaos at the accident. . .that there was a
slight mix up."  The doctor nervously twisted his hands about themselves.
He had their complete attention now, he could feel every one of their
intense stares.

"Mix up?"  Nathan repeated.

"Yes, it seems that Mr. Larabee's identification was mistakenly put with
another victim of the accident.  That victim subsequently died, and so we
believed that Mr. Larabee had died."

The doctor's announcement was meet with incredulous looks, which quickly
turned to looks of hope.

"Doctor, what are you trying to tell us?"  Buck's voice held hope, his eyes
pleading with the doctor to tell them what they needed to hear.

"Mr. Larabee is alive."

Tears again were shed, but these tears were ones of joy, newly found hope
and faith.

         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

One by one they quietly walked in, their eyes never leaving the face of the
man in the bed.  He had a broken leg and had a bleeding head wound that had
worried the doctors, but now, thanks to modern technology, Chris would be
fine.

Mary slid the tubes and wires out of the way, then laid her body down next
to Chris's, needing to be close to him, needing to feel for herself that he
was indeed alive, that he hadn't been taken away from her.

Vin took the seat on Chris's other side, took his hand, and settled back to
wait for his big brother to wake up.  Relief and exhaustion had taken their
toll on the young man and he was soon fast asleep, his head pillowed on
Chris's arm.

Ezra sat next to Vin, relief and gratitude shown from his luminous green
eyes.  The southerner was grateful, that once more his heart was whole.  He
silently took back everything he had said about Fate, and thanked her for
dealing him a hand from a stacked deck.

JD and Buck each took a corner at the foot of Chris's bed.  The brothers sat
silently next to each other, both sapped of their energy, but not of their
strength.  For their strength, their foundation, was lying before them in a
healing sleep.

Nathan and Josiah sat across from Ezra and Vin, self appointed guardians to
the family that they had been fortunate to find.  As Nathan reflected over
their mismatched family and the love and loyalty they shared, Josiah gave
simple thanks to the Lord for giving them this gift of family.

         ©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©

The Ancients knew that once entwined, the rope would be stronger, more
resilient, strengthen by time.  They also knew that this rope could never be
severed, for all eternity they would be as one.

Finis
 
 

Once again, yes please, feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Notes: Okay, if anyone is wondering, yes, my inspiration was from an episode
of Nash Bridges.  I thought I would just dwell on the guys and Mary's
reaction to Chris's pseudo-death.