Enid pressed the buttons on the phone, fighting against the double vision, but instead of calling Rebecca, she called Ezra, needing to hear his voice. "They are willing.......to let Renee......go, but........in exchange for.......another hostage."

"Darlin? Are you all right?" He could tell something was seriously wrong, he would agree to the exchange, but he would take Renee's place, so he could check on Enid.

"Yes, I am......fine, just get a.......stretcher to the......front doors, for......Renee, and have........whoever is taking........her place, standing by......unarmed." She closed her eyes as another wave of pain and nausea washed over her, then she disconnected the call.
Ezra ended the call and moved to the waiting ambulance, talking to the paramedics, then they all moved towards the front doors of the bank. Ezra hadn't gotten permission for this, because he knew they wouldn't send him in and he *needed* to go in. He knew by the shaky sound of Enid's voice, that something was seriously wrong, he knew every nuance of her voice and it was not right.

**********************************************************************

Both the Spice Gang and Team 7, had their sharpshooters covering all the exits and windows. It was Vin who first spotted Ezra's actions, watching him remove his shoulder harness, removing all of his guns, except the one strapped to his leg, "Chris, what is Ezra up to?"

"What do you mean Vin?"

"Why is he at the front doors of the bank, with paramedics? And why is he removing his guns?"

"WHAT?" Chris moved so he could see the front of the bank, he had been in conference with Rebecca and Peaches, the FBI's hostage negotiator. Now they all stood staring at Ezra in shock, watching as Renee was brought out and put on the stretcher, looking very pale. They watched one of the suspects frisk Ezra.
Ezra paused a moment before going in, bending down to Renee as she pulled at his arm, "What is it Ms. Novak?"

"Ezra, watch over Enid, she has a pretty bad head injury." That said, Renee let the comforts of unconsciousness finally take her.
Now Ezra knew what was wrong, so as soon as he was inside the bank, his eyes sought her out, he could see she was unsteady on her feet and looked a bit confused. He wanted to just go to her and hold her in his arms, but he had to maintain his professionalism, plus he didn't think it would be a good idea for the bank robbers to know they had a relationship. He casually moved towards her, taking her shoulders and looking into her beautiful blue eyes, at arms length. It hurt him to see the pain in their depths and worried him to see the left eye dilated, "Are you all right Agent Smith?" He hoped she would catch on to what he was doing, reading it in his eyes.

"Yes Agent Standish, I'm fine, really." She felt him gently touch the side of her head, his fingers coming away bloody.

"Well, that remains to be seen." He could see the love in her eyes, her deep longing to be in his arms, for this nightmare to be over. He turned to the robbers, taking in every detail that he could, two of them were guarding the other six hostages, he and Enid where separate from them. He knew Chris was going to have his ass for this little stunt.
Enid jumped as her cell phone began to ring, she carefully leaned over and picked it up, a wave of dizziness hitting her as she straightened back up, "Hello?"

"Enid, it's Rebecca, what's going on? Why is Ezra in there?"

"He traded places with Renee." She eyed Ezra, figuring out that he hadn't gotten permission for what he did. "How's Renee?"

"She's at the hospital, she lost a lot of blood, but should be fine, listen, I have an FBI hostage negotiator out here, Peaches, she wants me to tell you that we will give them food, in exchange for some of the hostages."

"Ok.....Rebecca, I will......tell them." She ended the call and swayed a little, feeling Ezra's hands steady her. "They said that......they would like to......trade food for some....of the hostages." She felt Ezra's hands on her shoulders, trying to keep her from falling over.

"Let me think about it." John said, then began to pace.


**********************************************************************

Outside, Rebecca's brow was creased with worry, she had never heard Enid sound so sluggish and it had her very concerned. "Enid said she would tell them of our offer."

"Good, now what's got you so worried Rebecca?" Peaches asked.

"My agent that's in there, Enid, there's something wrong, she sounded very sluggish on the phone." Rebecca sighed, Enid had been with Ezra too long, she was too good at hiding things.

"We just have to be patient, unfortunately hostage negotiations can be a long process." Peaches herself was worried, she didn't know either of the agents in the bank, but everyone on both ATF teams seemed so nice, so the ones in the bank must be too.
Ezra went back to Enid's room in the morning, hoping to see her awake, so he could look into those beautiful blue eyes of hers. When he arrived, not only was she still unconscious, the rose he had placed on the covers, had been moved to the bedside table. He was very curious as to why it had been moved, the note and ankle bracelet were still in place, but it wasn't where he had left it. He was about to turn around and go looking for the nurse, when the doctor walked in. "Doctor, what's going on?"

"Mr. Standish, we took Ms. Smith back down for another CAT scan this morning, the results were not good, she had swelling and fluid build up around the wound, so we had to go in and drain the fluid, we also put her into a coma, until the swelling goes down." He saw the worry cross the handsome young mans face, he obviously cared deeply for Ms. Smith.

"A coma? I don't understand, why?" Ezra moved to sit down, turning too abruptly and sending pain through his injured shoulder.

"Take it easy." The doctor helped him sit, then prepared to explain the situation. "Even though Ms. Smith was unconscious, there was a tremendous amount of brain activity, she was either dreaming, or remembering and that was contributing to the swelling, in order to reduce her brain activity, so she could concentrate on healing, we placed her in a coma."

Jessie, Erica, Elaine, Cat, and Maria, along with JD, Nathan, and Buck, were standing in the doorway, listening to the doctor talk to Ezra, they became very worried as they listened, the fact that they had put Enid into a coma, seemed like a very bad thing. Cat motioned to the others that they should move away and wait in the waiting room, so Ezra could be alone with her for a few minutes. They watched the doctor leave, then a worried Erica moved back to the doorway, seeing Ezra move to the edge of the bed.

Ezra sat on the edge of the bed, next to Enid, knowing she probably didn't even know he was there, but he needed to touch her and talk to her. "Enid Darlin, you've got to keep fighting, I need you to come back to me." He caressed her cheek, moving his hand to her soft, silky hair, stroking it gently, wanting to hold her in his arms. He leaned down and kissed her, letting it linger, not wanting to stop, but knowing he had to. The doctor had said that they would do another CAT scan on her, every six hours, to check the swelling, once that was gone, they could bring her out of the coma, so he was going to go back to his room again. He needed sleep, but hadn't really gotten any last night, his thoughts drifting back to that day, in the bank............

Ezra had watched Enid work, with renewed awe, she was suffering a severe head injury, but kept working to bring this situation to and end, it made him love her even more. He had tried to help her, supporting her and trying to take over, but she had already developed a relationship of sorts, with this John, so all he could do was wait and hope for an opening. He got an opportunity to whisper in her ear briefly, "Darlin, please take it easy, I can see your hurting."

"I'm all right Ezra, I can relax when this is all over, the sooner the better." She made sure no one was looking at them, then placed a brief kiss on his lips, loving him for being so concerned about her, it had been terribly romantic, the way he traded places with Renee, just so he could be with her.

"Be quiet over there, or you'll be sorry." John was not happy, the exchange had gone smoothly, getting the food and giving up one hostage, but he wanted them to give him the vehicle and helicopter.

Ezra smiled as he noticed some of the robbers begin to turn ill, he knew they must have drugged the food, very smart thinking. He just had to wait for the right moment, then he would make his move.

*********************************************************************

Outside, everyone was feeling renewed, after the exchange went successfully, knowing that the robbers now had the tainted food. Rebecca was very impressed with Peaches, she was good, the idea of drugging the food was ingenious. "Well Peaches, now all we have to do is wait for them to eat it."

"Yes, it shouldn't take long for them to start getting sick, I just hope they didn't give any to Ezra or Enid, or if they did, I hope they knew not to eat it." She smiled, feeling better about things.

"Trust me, they would know not to eat it, I know Enid has been trained about that sort of thing, I am sure Ezra has too." She was still nervous, the situation was still tense, one wrong move and they could still wind up with a lot of dead people on their hands.

Rebecca, Peaches, Vin, and Chris, stepped into Renee's room, she was awake, but looked somewhat pale and tired. She did however, look much better than she had the day before, when she was brought out of the bank. "Renee, how are you feeling?"

"Better Rebecca, how is everyone else? Especially Enid." Renee had been very worried about her, she knew the head wound was fairly bad.

"She's not doing too good right now, her head wound turned out to be a hairline fracture, she's had swelling and fluid build up, so the doctor has put her into a coma." Vin replied.

"What? A coma? I need to see her." Renee struggled to get up, but Rebecca gently pushed her back down.

"Your not going anywhere, not right now anyway." Rebecca gave Renee her that's an order* look.

"All right, do me a favor then, Enid was going to the bank, to get cash for Ezra's anniversary present, would you go to the jewelry store, down the street from the bank, and pick it up? You'll be reimbursed for it." She closed her eyes, she got tired so easily right now.

"Sure Renee, what is it?" Rebecca was curious, she had no idea what they had gotten each other.

"It's a 14 karat gold pocket watch, with special engraving in it."

"Sure, sounds beautiful, leave it to Enid to think of the perfect gift." Chris smiled, he had been Leary of a relationship between two agents, even if they weren't on the same team, but Enid and Ezra were meant for each other, just as he and Karen seemed to be, so he was happy for them.

"Check on Ezra for me too, I am worried about him, how is he handling all of this?" Renee was very worried about him.

"He's been with Enid quite a bit, but right now, I believe he's sleeping." Vin told her, he had just been in with Ezra, but they could check back again.

"We'll come back later Renee, get some sleep now." Rebecca turned to leave, she would go straight to the jewelry store, something of this anniversary had to go right.

*********************************************************************

Ezra dreamed as he slept, his mind picking up events, where he had left off previously, like he had been reading a book and put it down, when he picked it up again, it was still in the same place as he left it...............

Ezra had been sitting with Enid, watching as the bank robbers slowly got sicker, waiting for the opportunity to make a move, when they would be weak enough for him to take them easily. He also watched Enid closely, she seemed somewhat disoriented and obviously in great pain, he wanted nothing more than to take that pain away. He watched Enid try to stand up, which took a lot of effort, then she slowly staggered towards John, wanting to talk to him.

"John, please put an end to this, you can't win and all that's going to happen is that more people will be hurt, perhaps even killed."

"Shut up and go sit down." John was not feeling well, not well at all.

"You must have guessed by now, that the food you all just ate, was drugged, your all going to get too sick to stay in control, please give up." She wanted out of there, wanted her pain to be gone, it was so intense, she never wanted to cut her head off so badly, just to end the pain.

"That's why I'm sick? You poisoned me?"

"Not poisoned, just drugged, so give it up."

"NO.........You bitch." He shoved Enid and she fell hard.

Enid cried out as John shoved her and she fell, her head jerking hard, sending piercing bolts of pain through her head. She began to cry, unable to push the pain away, it was too bad now.

Ezra jumped to his feet, angry about what John had just done to Enid, he wanted to go to her, but instead he used the distraction, and the fact that the others were sick, to make his move. He moved towards John, then kicked out with one of his Tae Kwon Do moves, his foot landing squarely in John's chest. Unfortunately, before he could make another move, one of the other men, managed to fire off a round, hitting Ezra in the left shoulder. He fought the pain, reaching down to retrieve the gun strapped to his leg, then fired and hit two of the other robbers. It was at that point that John recovered and hit Ezra in his injured shoulder, causing him to drop the gun, Ezra sat heavily on the floor, landing next to Enid, who was still grimacing in pain, but her eyes now had concern for him, in them.

Everyone outside jumped at the sound of gunfire, they were all worried about what was going on inside. It didn't sound good and they had been discussing the possibility of just storming the place, to bring this to an end, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon and it had started at about eleven o'clock, so it was already five hours old. Rebecca and Chris were hesitant to do anything, Peaches had advised them that rushing the place would most likely result in deaths, agents, civilians, it didn't matter, they couldn't do that. "Peaches, what else can we do?" Rebecca was tired of waiting.

"Well, we know they have to be ill, from the food we gave them, so they are weaker, it's really a matter of just wearing them down, try calling your agent, Enid was it?" Peaches hoped she got the chance to meet the agents inside, they were doing a tremendous job, under stressful circumstances.

"All right, what do you want me to say?"

"Just find out what's going on, why the gunfire and was anyone hurt."

"All right." Rebecca dialed Enid's cell phone number, praying she was still alive to answer it.

*********************************************************************

Back inside the bank, Enid jumped again, as her cell phone began to ring, she was so confused, everything was jumbled around in her head, she knew that Ezra had been shot, that Ezra had shot some of the gunmen, but she didn't know what was going on now. She reached for the phone, still crying from the pain that pierced her head like a red hot poker. "He....llo?"

"Enid, God what's wrong sweetie?" Rebecca was very scared now, Enid sounded very bad, she could tell that Enid was crying and that she was in tremendous pain.

"Reb.....ecca?" She tried to concentrate, but it was so hard.

"Yes Enid, can you tell me what's going on? Why the gunfire?" She didn't get an answer immediately, then she heard Ezra's voice on the other end, his voice too, was filled with pain. "Ezra, what's going on? Is Enid all right?"

"No, she's not, I am very worried about her, I have shot two of the robbers, but they are still in control, I am hoping they will soon give up."

"Are you all right Ezra? You don't sound good either." She was worried, it gave her hope to know that Ezra had shot several of them, but things were hardly over.

"I took a hit to the shoulder, but it's not that bad." He knew he was losing a lot of blood, but he felt certain that his injury was nothing compared to what his Darlin Enid was going through.

"Can you persuade them to give up now?" She hoped he would say yes, but didn't think he would.

"I don't know, I think if we just wait a bit, they will do so on their own." Ezra looked at John, he had a stunned look on his face and was rubbing his chest, where Ezra had kicked him, he looked like he was losing hope.

"Good, keep me posted." Ezra closed the call, then looked at Enid, she was so pale and he could see the tremendous pain she was in, in her eyes, it broke his heart. Today was supposed to be a happy day for them, instead it was a nightmare, he just hoped it ended soon, he didn't know how much longer either of them could remain conscious. He desperately wanted to take Enid in his arms and hold her, wiping her tears away and soothing her pain, but he couldn't. His own pain and blood loss was beginning to take it's toll, he wanted this over with and hoped that he was reading the robbers correctly, he had yet to read anyone wrong and they looked about ready to give up.

Enid struggled with the pain and confusion, the double vision. Her eyes sought out Ezra, needing to see the love he had for her, in his eyes, but what she saw was not only his love and concern, but his pain as well. She wanted to help him, but she couldn't, her tears and the pain had her frozen in place, the world seemed to spin around her and everything was out of focus. She began to pray to God that this would end, she just wanted to curl up and die right now, anything to be rid of the pain and disorientation. She had experienced plenty of migraines in the past, but nothing compared to this, she never wanted to feel this kind of pain and disorientation, ever again.

Ezra watched John as he seemed to assess the situation, still rubbing his chest from where he had kicked him. Ezra glanced around as well, all of the robbers were sick, from the tainted food, plus now two of them had gunshot wounds as well. He could see in John's eyes that he was getting ready to give up, the defeat and resignation were obvious, now it was just a matter of time, not long by Ezra's guess.

Enid struggled to remain conscious, it was getting more and more difficult, as the pain became unbearable. She was sitting on the floor, propping her self up with her arms, and watching Ezra, watch the robbers. It was becoming obvious to her too, that they were close to surrender, she just hoped it was soon. "Ezra, are you all right?"

"Yes Darlin, it's not a serious wound, just hurts, don't you worry." He was worried about her, he could see she was struggling to stay conscious.

"I am worried Ezra, you look pale." She knew he was bleeding fairly heavily, but Ezra, as usual was hiding his pain and weakness, which in this case was probably a good thing, otherwise the robbers might not give up.

"I'm all right Darlin, just bleeding a little, it will all be over soon." He looked at John and saw his shoulders slump, it would be any moment now, then he could go to Enid and hold her, comfort her and get her to the hospital.

"We surrender, but we want your guarantee that we will be treated fairly." John had enough, they weren't going to get out of this any other way.

"All right, drop your guns and lay face down on the floor, legs spread." Ezra stood and moved to secure their guns, while Enid got her cell phone to call Rebecca.

Enid struggled to stand, waiting for Rebecca to answer. "Reb.....ecca, they.....have surr.....endered......send in....the police."

Ezra had retrieved the last weapon and told the other hostages to go outside, then moved towards Enid, reaching her just in time, as she collapsed. He caught her in his arms, sending pain through his shoulder, but he ignored it, picking her up in his arms and heading for the door, as the police came in the door. Ezra was having trouble holding her, the pain in his shoulder and the loss of blood, made it hard, so he was thankful when Chris took her from him. He followed Chris to the ambulance, so he could get in with her, Rebecca was walking next to him.

"Ezra, what happened to her?" She was very concerned about Enid, she was unconscious and she could see the blood on the side of her head.

"One of the robbers hit her, very hard on the side of the head, she's been in tremendous pain and very confused, she should get a commendation Rebecca, she kept things under control in there, despite the pain she was in."

"I will see to it Ezra, now you get in that ambulance, you need tending to also." She hugged him and watched as he climbed in, she would not stop worrying until she knew they would be all right.

It took several hours to get things cleaned up at the bank and the paper work done, once it was, all the members of Team 7 and the Spice Gang, headed for the hospital, wanting to check on their fallen comrades.

Ezra woke with a start, sending pain through his injured shoulder. He glanced around to get his bearings, realizing that he'd been dreaming about the events of the previous day, he needed to see his beloved Enid, to see if she was still in a coma. He got up and put on a robe, to cover the opening in the back of the hospital gown, that task wasn't easy with his left arm in a sling. He glanced at the clock, "Good Lord" It was a quarter past three in the afternoon, he'd slept most of the day. He headed out of his room and in the direction of Enid's room.

At about the same time, Renee was also struggling to get up, she too wanted to see Enid, she had quite possibly saved her life by getting her out of the bank, despite her own pain, she was extremely grateful and hoped the Enid would be all right, she was one of the best friends she had. Renee was three doors down from Enid's room and she almost ran into Ezra as she went out the door. "Ezra, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Darlin, how are you feeling? You don't look like you should be out of bed." She still seemed pale and in pain.

"I need to see Enid, do you know if she's still in a coma?"

"No, I have been sleeping, but that's where I am headed, so we can walk together." Ezra put his arm around her, to help support her and they walked the short distance to Enid's room.

Renee and Ezra looked into Enid's room, the doctor was just coming out, he gave them a look that told them he was not happy with them being out of bed. "Doctor, how is she?" Renee asked quietly.

"There is good news, we just got the results of the latest CAT scan and the swelling has gone down."

"That's great, so she's not in a coma any more?" Renee was excited, she would get to talk to her friend soon.

"She is currently, we have given her the medication that will bring her out of it, but it will take some time to work, I have to warn you, when she does wake, she will be in a lot of pain and there may be symptoms of her head injury."

"What kind of symptoms Doctor?" Ezra was worried now.

"Well, there are dozens of things that she could suffer from, as a result of the injury, anywhere from dizziness and blurred vision, to memory loss, blindness, loss of speech, all we can do is wait and see."

"God, so she could have these permanently?" Renee wanted to see her.

"Yes she could, and she will probably be suffering from some degree of depression, that happens in almost all cases of head trauma, so your support will be important." The doctor could tell these two people cared a great deal for Ms. Smith, he hoped they could help her through this.

"Can we see her?" Ezra needed to see her.

"Yes, but only briefly, too much stimulus as she comes out of the coma, could be hard on her."

"We understand, we'll only stay a few minutes." Renee moved past the doctor, Ezra didn't immediately follow.

"Doctor, I need to be with her when she wakes, she's going to be scared."

"Yes, she will, I can't predict exactly when she will wake, but it should be a few hours yet, I can come and get you when she starts to wake."

"Thank you doctor." Ezra stepped into the room, Renee was beside the bed, holding Enid's hand and stroking her hair.

"Ezra, she saved me, got me out of the bank, she has to be all right." Renee felt ready to cry, standing there looking at Enid, who looked so still and lifeless.

"I know Darlin, she was amazing in that bank, I still can't believe she was so severely injured." He moved next to Renee and put his arm around her, then they just stood and looked at Enid for a few minutes. "She'll be fine, I know she will."

"Yes, she's a fighter." Ezra bent and kissed Enid briefly, looking at her beautiful face, then he and Renee left, he would wait a few hours, so he could be with her when she woke. "Get some more rest Ms. Novak, I will see you later." He sat on the bed, wondering what the others were doing, paperwork probably, he wouldn't miss that, he hated paperwork. He asked a nurse for a newspaper, he couldn't sleep and had no interest in watching TV, so he settled back and read the paper, just waiting.

The members of the Spice Gang were at the office, trying to do paperwork, but it was hard, they were all worried. The office was unusually quiet, they weren't too worried about Renee and Ezra, they were doing well and expected to recover fully, what had them worried was Enid and the fact that she was in a coma, it scared them. Once they finished their paperwork, they began to gather in the break room, talking about the events of the previous day, Rebecca was still in her office with the FBI negotiator, Peaches. It would seem that Peaches wanted to transfer to the ATF, but they didn't normally have a need for a Hostage Negotiator, so they were discussing other possibilities.

"Do you think Enid will be all right?" Elaine asked, she was worried about her friend.

"I hope so, she's a fighter, we just have to wait and pray." Cat replied, she tried not to show how worried she was, but didn't think she was succeeding, she wanted to see Buck.

"Should we go to the hospital and see how she's doing?" Maria asked.

"I think we should, maybe she's better." Sabrina added.

"Yeah, we can all go in my van." Stacie replied.

"Ok, let me just tell Rebecca we are going." Jessie said as she headed for Rebecca's office.

Rebecca heard the knock on her door, "Yes? Come in." She saw it was Jessie, and knew it must be about Enid. "How's Enid? Any word?"

"No, the rest of us are going to head for the hospital."

"Very well, what about your paperwork?" She knew they had finished it, but had to ask.

"It's finished, will we see you over there?" Jessie smiled at Peaches, knowing she had been very instrumental in bringing the whole situation to an end, she'd be happy to have her on the team.

"Yes, Peaches and I will be over shortly, give Renee and Ezra my best, I do hope Enid is better." She watched Jessie leave, her mind momentarily on Enid, worried about her.

"Why don't you go Rebecca, we can finish this later."

"No, it's all right, I can go by later." She smiled at Peaches, she was a good friend and she'd be happy to have her on the team, in whatever capacity they came up with.

*********************************************************************

At the hospital, Ezra was almost finished with the Financial section, he had to keep up on the Market, that's where he made a lot of his money. The doctor came into the room and got his attention. "Mr. Standish, Ms. Smith is starting to come around, would you care to join me?"

"Yes, how is she doing doctor?" He wanted to see Enid's amazing blue eyes again, more than anything.

"Her vital signs are all strong, but we still won't know what effects the injury had on her, they could be mild or severe, we'll know that when she's fully awake." They walked down the hall, headed for her room, it was obvious that Mr. Standish was eager to see her.

They stepped into Enid's room, to see her hand raising towards her head, moving to touch the area that hurt. "Please do not touch your head Ms. Smith." He saw her head turn slowly towards them, her eyes only half open and filled with pain and confusion.

"Ezra?" She was so happy to see him, she didn't understand what was going on, why she seemed to be in the hospital and why her head hurt terribly. It scared her that everything seemed blurry and the room was spinning madly, she tried to control her lurching stomach and closed her eyes again.

"Yes Darlin, it's me, how are you feeling my love?" He moved forward quickly, taking her hand and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"My head......is pounding and........everything is.....blurry, not to......mention the....room is spinning, what happened.......to me?" She couldn't remember, the last thing she remembered was having a nice lunch with Renee, that was it.

"You don't remember Darlin?" He looked at the doctor, very worried that she had forgotten that whole experience.

"No, please.......Ezra, tell me what.....happened? What day.....is it?" She began to cry, between the pain, nausea, and fear about not knowing, she couldn't help it.

Ezra took Enid in his arms, holding her tight, but not too tight, he hated to see her cry, hated to see her so confused and in pain. "Shhhh, it's all right Darlin, I will explain everything to you, but you need rest right now." He stroked her soft hair as he held her, feeling her relax in his embrace.

"Ms. Smith, you suffered a very severe head wound, so you are suffering some effects from that, everything will be explained to you, I promise, but Mr. Standish is right, you need rest right now." He watched her eyes close and her body relax, he knew she was drifting off again.

Ezra started to pull away, but Enid clutched on to him, not wanting him to leave her. He looked at the doctor, "Would it be all right if I stay with her? She needs me right now."

"I don't see any harm in it, I'll come back later and check on you both." The doctor turned and left, leaving the couple in privacy.

Ezra grabbed the curtain and pulled it around the bed, giving them privacy. Then he adjusted himself so that he was laying next to Enid on the bed, pulling her into his arms and holding her tight, feeling her shallow breathing as she drifted back into a deep, healing sleep. He rested his head on top of hers, gently and fell asleep himself.

The members of the Spice Gang arrived at the hospital, all piling out of Stacie's van, at the entrance, then she went and parked. Erica was the first to arrive at Enid's room, she was a little worried to see the curtain pulled around the bed. She slowly stepped in and approached the bed, moving around it so she could see Enid. What she saw was so sweet and heartwarming, Ezra was lying in the bed with Enid, his arms tightly around her and they were both asleep, so she quietly went back out of the room.

"How is she?" Jessie asked.

"I think she is just sleeping now, Ezra is in there sleeping with her."

"So she is all right then?" Greylyn asked.

"Lets find a nurse and ask." Cat said.

They all went to the nurses station, to ask the nurse about Enid, "Excuse me nurse, we were wondering the condition of Ms. Smith." Cat asked.

"She is sleeping now, she came out of the coma earlier, she does have a few side effects from the head trauma." The nurse replied.

"What kind of side effects?" Elaine asked.

"Blurred vision, dizziness, depression, and short term memory loss."

"Thank you nurse." Jessie moved the others away from the desk and towards the waiting room, they were all worried, but also relieved that her symptoms weren't worse. All they could do now was wait, wait for her to wake again and for Ezra to let them see her. "Well, at least her symptoms aren't too bad."

"No, but memory loss, what has she forgotten?" Erica wondered if Enid had forgotten it was her and Ezra's anniversary, she would have to find a way to let her know and that she had a gift for him.

*********************************************************************

Enid began to wake, the throbbing pain in her head was a constant, she hated it and wanted it to go away. She felt strong arms around her and a body pressed against hers, she struggled to remember where she was, there was no doubt the arms belonged to Ezra, but why was she in a hospital bed? She turned her head slowly, gritting her teeth through the pain, so she could look at his handsome face. She brought her hand up and caressed his cheek, watching his amazing green eyes start to open. "Ezra"

"Darlin, how are you feeling?" He could see pain in her blue eyes.

"My head hurts so bad, why am I in the hospital? I don't remember." She was getting upset and her head just hurt more.

"Shhh, calm down Darlin, I will explain it all to you, but you can't get all upset like this, it's not good for you right now." He held her tighter, his head lowering to capture her mouth, feeling her hand come around to the back of his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

Enid melted, all sense of pain and confusion disappeared as her beloved Ezra kissed her with such love, tenderness, and passion. She never wanted to stop kissing him, it felt so good and she forgot her pain. The kiss lingered, they held each other tight and continued sharing kisses for a long time, both having missed that for so long.

Ezra decided it was time for him to get up, Enid needed more sleep and he wanted to give her his anniversary present. He kissed her deeply one more time, his hand caressing her warm, soft cheek. "Darlin, you need to get some more rest, so I am going to go, but I wanted to give you my anniversary present first." He moved to get up, pushing the pain in his shoulder away. He moved to the table where the rose was not wilted and removed the ankle bracelet from it.

"Ezra? It's our anniversary?" She felt extremely bad that she had forgotten and began to cry, she hated to cry but couldn't help it.

"Oh Darlin, don't cry, you only forgot because of you head injury, it's not your fault." He moved back to her, wiping the tears away and holding up the delicate anklet. "I knew you wanted one of these, why I don't know, your legs are beautiful, shapely, and sexy enough without it." He smiled down at her, hoping his words would make her feel better.

"Thank you Ezra, did I get you anything?" She felt Ezra's soft, gentle fingers caressing her ankle as he put the anklet on her, she closed her eyes, it felt so good and she sighed as his fingers caressed her calf. "Ezra........"

Ezra could see she was barely awake, his caress sending her into the world of sleep, he would have to check with some of her friends and see if she had gotten him anything, knowing she would be upset about that until she knew. "I don't know Darlin, but I will inquire about it for you." He kissed her as she finally succumbed to sleep. "Sleep well my Darlin." Then he left her and headed for Renee's room, if anyone could tell him if she bought him a present, it would be Renee.

*********************************************************************

Back at the Spices office, Rebecca and Peaches were working on the paperwork for her transfer to the ATF. As it turned out, Peaches also had experience with K9 and the Spice Gang was in desperate need of an Agent for their K9, the last one having left the Agency. So it was official, Peaches was now a member of the Spice Gang as Agent in charge of the K9. They signed the last of the papers and prepared to go to the hospital. "Congratulations Peaches and welcome to the Spices."

"Thanks Rebecca, I am very happy to be here, you've got a great group of Agents here, I know I will be happy." She hugged her friend, it would be nice to be in such a warm, friendly place. "Now, shall we go to the hospital? I really want to meet Enid, she seems like a very special person."

"Indeed she is, all my Agents are special." Rebecca grabbed her purse and they headed out of the office. She really wanted to see Enid, hoping she was all right, plus she had Enid's present for Ezra, and needed to give it to her, so she could give it to Ezra, Erica and called her a little while ago and told her that Enid was out of the coma, that was great news.

Rebecca and Peaches went into Enid's room, Rebecca had the beautiful pocket watch that Enid had ordered for Ezra, in her pocket. They noticed that she was sleeping deeply and didn't want to wake her, so Rebecca wrote a note and attached it to the box that the watch was in, and gently put it in her hand, hoping she wouldn't disturb Enid in the process. She reached up and brush a strand of hair from her sleeping face, Enid was such a good friend and she was glad that she hadn't lost her. "Get well soon Enid, we're all thinking of you."

"I know you don't know me Enid, but that will change, I just know we are going to be good friends and I can't wait to finally meet you and talk to you." Peaches had been observing everything that went on at the bank, granted it was from outside and she wasn't privy to everything, but Enid had been quite impressive and courageous.

"Let's go and let her sleep Peaches, there will be plenty of time later, to get aquatinted." Rebecca and Peaches left the room, they were going to check on Renee and Ezra, to see how they were doing. They approached Renee's door and heard voices, one was the unmistakable southern drawl of Ezra, so they waited outside.

*********************************************************************

The first thing that Ezra had done when he arrived in Renee's room, was to see how she was feeling, then he asked her about the anniversary, and if she knew whether Enid had bought a present.

"Well, I don't know if I should say, wouldn't that spoil the surprise?" Renee was hesitant, she didn't want to spoil anything.

"You do not have to reveal what the gift is, just if she acquired one, she does not remember and it has her upset that she forgot our anniversary, if she knew that she hadn't forgotten, it would make her feel better." He smiled at Renee, he appreciated the fact that she didn't want to spoil anything for Enid, but this was important.

"All right, she did get you something, in fact, that was why we were in the bank, she forgot her ATM card at work and she needed to get the cash to pay for it." She smiled at Ezra, his smile was contagious and she had to smile when he smiled at her.

"Thank you Ms. Novak, I appreciate you telling me, this will make her feel so much better." He stood to go, wanting to get back to Enid, afraid to leave her for very long.

"Your welcome Ezra, please tell Enid that I love her and I am thinking about her."

"I will, now you get some rest." He left the room and almost ran into Rebecca and Peaches in the hall. "Ladies, how are you this fine afternoon?"

"Fine Ezra, can you please do me a favor?" Rebecca asked.

"What is it Darlin?" He was curious.

"Don't go into Enid's room until she's awake." She hoped he would do as she asked, but feared he wouldn't.

"Whatever for?"

"I put her present to you, in her hand, I want her to find it so she can give it to you, without you knowing what it is first."

"I will do as you ask." He moved to the waiting room with the two ladies, taking seats to wait until Enid woke again. Ezra really hoped it wouldn't be long, the three of them talked casually, Ezra getting to know Peaches better and Peaches getting to know Ezra better.

Several hours passed before Enid began to wake again, she was very groggy and her vision was still very blurred, but the dizziness was more tolerable and her head didn't throb quite as bad. She felt the box in her hand and became confused, how had it gotten there and what was it? She tried to focus on it, but couldn't, she could tell there was a note attached, but she would never be able to read it. It reached for the call button, hoping that a nurse would be able to read it to her, she hated not being able to focus, she could make out shapes and some details, but that was all.

"Yes Ms. Smith, how can I help you?" The nurse came in to see her awake, but she was struggling to see clearly. The Doctor had told her that Ms. Smith's vision was a bit of a problem.

"Someone left this in my hand, but I can't read the note, can you read it to me please?" She wanted to know what it was and who gave it to her.

"Certainly." She took the note and box and opened the note, "It says, Hi sweetie, this is Rebecca, I wanted to you have the gift that you purchased for Ezra, for your anniversary, so that you could give it to him, I know that you've forgotten about it, but you did not forget you anniversary and I wanted you to be able to give this to Ezra, take care and I will see you soon." Then she opened the box, looking at the beautiful 14 karat gold pocket watch, fine engraving on the cover and inside a special message, which she didn't read, closing the lid before she could take in the words.

"What's in the box?"

"It's a beautiful pocket watch, with a special engraving inside, but I didn't read what it said, that's private." The nurse put the watch back in the box and handed it back to her.

"Please read it, I don't remember what it says." Enid wanted to know what it said, before Ezra read it.

"Are you sure? I'm sure it's very personal."

"It's all right, I need to know, please?"

"All right." She took the watch back out of the box, letting Ms. Smith hold the box, then opened the watch, she read what it said to herself first, it was so sweet. "Um....It says, My beloved Ezra, I love you with all my heart and soul, yours forever Enid."

"Oh, thank you for reading it, can you please ask Mr. Standish to come in, so I can give this to him?"

"Certainly." She put the watch back in the box and left the room, she knew that Mr. Standish was in the waiting area. "Mr. Standish, Ms. Smith is awake and would like to see you, in private."

"Certainly, thank you nurse." Ezra stood and headed for Enid's room, he had been waiting for hours to see her, Rebecca and Peaches had left almost an hour ago. He walked into the room, Enid's eyes were closed, but they slowly opened when she heard him, he could still see pain and confusion in her beautiful blue eyes. "Darlin, how are you feeling?"

"A little better Ezra, please, I need to give you something."

"What is it Darlin?" He let his skill of hiding things, go to work as he pretended not to know that she had his anniversary present.

"I apparently didn't forget our anniversary, I have the gift that I got for you, Rebecca was kind enough to pick it up for me." She sat up slowly, a surge of pain ran through her head and she closed her eyes for a moment.

"That's wonderful Darlin, but you don't have to do this now, wait until your feeling better." He sat on the edge of the bed and used his arm to support her, knowing once she got something in her head, there was no stopping it.

"Yes I do, this is important to me." She held up the box, waiting for him to take it from her. "I love you Ezra, I hope you like this, the last year with you, has been the best year of my life."

Ezra took the box, curious as to what was in it, that was the one thing he didn't know. He carefully removed the lid, a small gasp escaped his lips when he saw the beautiful pocket watch, then when he opened it and read what it said, he could not stop the tear, it was the most wonderful gift he'd ever gotten. "Oh my Darlin, this is so beautiful, I love it and will cherish it forever. I love you so much." He pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her, it was a kiss that showed her how much he loved and cherished her, gentle yet deep and all consuming.

Enid sighed and melted into Ezra's embrace, wondering again how she had managed to get such an incredible man, to love her. She never wanted to stop kissing him, he was everything to her, but she got tired so easily and could not prevent herself from drifting to sleep in his embrace. She whispered to him, "I love you." Then was asleep.

"I love you too Darlin." Ezra held her for a while, not wanting to let go of her, but his shoulder began to ache and he was supposed to be released from the hospital later. So he gently laid her back and caressed her cheek, he wondered what he'd done to deserve such a special lady, he kissed her gently then turned and left, he wanted to rest a bit before being released.

As Ezra filled out the papers for his release, Enid slept deeply, it would take time for her to recover completely from the head injury. The doctor had given Ezra strict instructions to keep the sling on his arm for at least a week, but Ezra hated wearing it and would remove it when he got home. He would wear it at the office however, knowing that Chris would get angry if he didn't. He had checked in on Renee, she would be released in another day or two, but would have to remain at home in bed for at least a week, then she could do desk duty for another week. He then went to Enid's room, wanting to see her before he left, not that he would be gone long, he didn't want to leave her side, but he needed to go home and take care of things, not to mention get some fresh clothes and a nice hot shower.

Enid was asleep, but her mind was at work, struggling to remember the events of the last few days, but it was just a blank, nothing. Neither the doctor, nor Ezra had really told her anything about what happened, when she woke again, she would have to make them tell her. Her dreams turned to Ezra, making love to him in front of the fire, it was gentle and slow and she wanted it to last forever. She dreamed about their future, hoping it would be a long and happy one, eventually having children together. She began to dream of strange things, things she wasn't familiar with, a bank, men with guns, she became scared as she watched bits and pieces of it flash before her eyes, crying when she caught a flash of Renee being shot, then Ezra, what is this?

"Enid Darlin, wake up, your having a nightmare." Ezra gentle tried to wake her, seeing the tears on her cheeks, which broke his heart. "Come on Darlin, wake up please?"

"Ezra?" Enid slowly opened her eyes, moving immediately into Ezra's embrace, crying harder.

"Yes Darlin, it's all right, it was just a nightmare." He slipped his arm out of the sling and held her tight with both arms around her, letting her cry on his shoulder.

"Oh Ezra, I saw you get shot, Renee too, in a bank, I was so confused." She looked into his concerned green eyes, which made her start to relax a little.

"I'm sorry Darlin, that wasn't a dream, it was memories, they must be slowly coming back to you." He caressed her cheek, gently wiping her tears away, she was so beautiful.

"Memories? You mean that is what happened a few days ago?" She wasn't so scared now, but still confused.

"Yes Darlin, you and Renee were caught in a Bank robbery, she got shot and I took her place, one of the robbers struck you hard in the head, causing your injury, but everyone is fine, I have just been released, Renee will be in a day or two." He smiled, hoping to make her feel better.

"What about me, when am I getting out?" She knew her head hurt a lot and her vision was still very blurry, she also seemed to sleep a lot, but otherwise she felt fine.

"Well, it will probably be a while yet Darlin, you had a severe head injury, they have to make sure there are no complications and you need as little stress as possible right now." He leaned in and kissed her, tasting and feeling her warm, soft lips.

"Are you coming back?" She looked into his amazing eyes again, after breaking the kiss.

"Of course Darlin, I would never leave you here alone." He saw sadness in her eyes, it made his heart ache, but he knew that depression was one of the symptoms of her injury.

"Thank you Ezra, I love you." The love she saw in his eyes made her feel warm and safe, but she still felt sad, not knowing why. They kissed again, deeply, her hand ran through his silky soft hair, she loved the feel of him against her.

"Now you get some sleep Darlin, I will be back soon." He stood to leave, the sadness that was in her eyes made it hard for him to leave, but as he watched her eyes drift shut, he slipped out the door.

Enid's dreams were torment, her memories slowly coming back to her in pieces, until they had all finally fell into place and she remembered it all. The depression she felt as a result of her injury was frustrating and she was so very grateful for Ezra's presence, he was everything to her and she needed him more than ever. She had struggled with a way to show him her appreciation, finally coming up with an idea, which she had elicited Renee's help with. Renee had been visiting her every day, since she was release two days ago, a day after Ezra had been released.

Renee had been more than happy to help Enid, it was a simple task and it would make Enid happy and Ezra, she knew, would be deeply touched by the act. She picked up the CD player and CD that Enid had requested and took them to the hospital, setting everything up for Enid. She knew it would still be another week before Enid was released, her memories only just returning and her eyesight still somewhat blurry. Then there was her depression, it worried Renee sometimes, because she would come to see Enid and she would be crying, she was afraid to pry and didn't want to upset her any further, so she would just take her hand and give her support until she regained control. That hadn't happened too often with her, Ezra had been with her most of the time, holding her and kissing her through the bouts of depression. "Enid, everything is ready, all you have to do is hit play and your set, I am going now, take care of yourself."

"Thanks Renee, I really appreciate this, please get some rest." She watched Renee leave, feeling the depression, that she couldn't control, washing over her, loneliness filling her, she couldn't wait for Ezra to arrive.

*********************************************************************

Things were returning to normal at the Spices office, everyone had welcomed Peaches to the team with warmth and friendliness. Rebecca had taken Peaches to the kennel, to introduce her to the two dogs they had, Peaches having brought her own, Max, who was a Wolf/Husky mix. Their two dogs were both German Shepherds, they were females and had been named, Cleopatra and Xena, Cleo as she was fondly referred to was the search and rescue dog, trained to sniff out people, Xena was their drug sniffing dog, and Max, was the bomb sniffing dog. Peaches seemed very happy with her new position, she was very good with the dogs and they took to her quickly.

Peaches loved the dogs, they were incredibly well trained, the drills she had run them through had been perfect, they were also her favorite kind of dogs, so she was very happy. She had been pleased that the other members of the Spice Gang had welcomed her so warmly, she knew it could be awkward and difficult when a new member joined a group. "So Rebecca, do you know when Enid will be back? I hear that she is improving."

"Yes, her memory has returned, but she still has pain and depression, her vision isn't clear yet either, so it will probably be a while yet." She wanted her unit back to full strength, Enid's presence was greatly missed by everyone.

Enid began to drift back to sleep as she waited for Ezra to arrive. She knew he was at work, doing the paperwork that he hated so much, the doctor had told him to stay at home for at least a week, but Ezra didn't listen, he did what he wanted, that was one of the things she loved about him. She was so very grateful for him right now, she needed him more than ever, he was the only thing that kept her sane, as she struggled with the depression that threatened to consume her. Before she knew it, she was slowly waking up, feeling the soft caress on her face, knowing it was Ezra, God she loved his touch. "Ezra."

"Yes Darlin, how are you feeling?" He could tell she was still trying to wake, when her eyes opened, he saw two things, sadness and intense love. He wished he could take the sadness away, but hoped that the love would remain for all eternity. He so loved her and wanted her in his life, she had changed him, her love had made him into a better, more caring man, a man that he liked better.

"My head still hurts and my visions is still a little blurry, but I feel ok otherwise." She looked deep into his emerald eyes, seeing the love he had for her and couldn't help wondering how she had gotten so lucky as to have this incredibly handsome and sexy man, fall in love with her.

"I'm sorry Darlin, is there anything I can do?" He took her hand, feeling her fingers entwine with his, he loved to touch her, hold her, it filled him with so much love and happiness.

"Just being here helps more than you know, can you push the play button on the CD player? I want to show you how much I love and appreciate you." Now that she was awake, she needed to do this.

"Certainly Darlin." He pushed the play button, hearing music start to play, he was surprised to hear her start to sing along to Leann Rimes:

I don't need a lot of things,

I can get by with nothing.

Of all the blessings life can bring,

I've always needed something.

But I've got all I want,

When it comes to loving you.

Your my only reason,

Your my only truth.

I need you like water,

Like breath, like rain.

I need you like mercy

From heaven's gate.

There's a freedom in your arms,

That carries me though

I need you.

Ezra listened as she sang along, tears welling in his eyes at the words, knowing how much she loved him, but taken aback by the depth to which her actions touched his soul. He could not believe how much she had changed him, she was the best thing that ever happened to him, her love and trust in him was more precious than gold, no one had ever given him those things, not even Maude and he could never repay her for it. Once the song ended and she stopped singing, he kissed her deeply, tasting her and loving her, he desperately wanted to make love to her, but knew that would be at least another week. He would be happy to just hold her and kiss her. "Oh Darlin, that was beautiful, I love you and you have given me gifts that I could never in a million lifetimes, repay."

"Ezra, you have given me much, I have never been loved by a man, the way you love me, it fills my soul with joy." She kissed him, their tears mixing together, both so very happy. They held each other, Ezra crawling into the bed next to her, she reveled in the feel of his strong arms around her and his soft, warm lips on hers, until they both fell asleep.

While Ezra and Enid were snuggled together sleeping, John and the rest of his men were being transferred to the Federal Penitentiary, they had confessed to all of it and there had been no need for a trial. John had expressed his regret over the injured Agents, he hadn't wanted anyone to get hurt, but it was just a bad coincidence that the Agents had been in there at the time. With that out of the way, both the Spice Gang and Team 7, were able to clear out their paperwork and relax for a bit, all going to the saloon for some drinks.

Chris was in a sour mood, he had ordered Ezra to go home, knowing he wasn't supposed to be in the office. He could tell that Ezra was in some pain, luckily he could write with either hand, so he didn't have to strain his injury, but it was still more than he should have been doing. He was enjoying having a few beers, relaxing and talking with friends, it's what he needed. "Rebecca, do you know when Enid is going to be released from the hospital?"

"Not a specific day, but sometime in the next week is what the doctor said." Rebecca hoped that Enid would recover a hundred percent, the blurred vision had her worried, plus the doctor had said that she could suffer severe migraines for a while.

"Is she going to be back to normal?" JD asked, Enid had become very close to him and Jessie, since the teams started working together and Ezra had fallen in love with her.

"I hope so JD, I really do." She sighed and took a drink of her strawberry margarita.

"I'm going to see her later, anyone want me to say anything?" Erica asked.

"Of course, tell her we are all thinking about her and hope she comes home soon." Buck commented, his arm around Cat's waist, he had been so glad that Cat hadn't been involved, but he was also worried about Enid, she was a good, caring person and had seen how she changed Ezra.

"I'll do that Buck, actually I am going to head over there now, I will see you all later."

"Bye Erica, we'll see you later." Nathan waved to her, he too had been worried about Enid, knowing that her current symptoms might never go away, if there was any permanent damage to her brain.

*********************************************************************

At the hospital, Ezra woke up happy, he had the woman he loved in his arms, her gentle breathing and steady heartbeat, making him feel so alive, so full of love and he never wanted this moment to end. How? How in all the world, had he been so blessed as to find this amazing woman? A woman that changed him forever, the thought of losing her filled him with pain and he ached, he never wanted to lose her. He would gladly give his own life to save her, but knew she would have a hard time living without him, no one had ever felt that way about him before and he reveled in the feelings it gave him. He needed to go however, he didn't want to, but needed to, the doctor wanted to check his wound and he had some errands to run. The thought of letting go of her made him sad, but he knew that he could hold her like this whenever he wanted. He brought his hand up and stroked her silky blond hair, then kissed her gently on the lips as he slipped off the bed and settled her comfortably back on the pillows, looking at her face, he thought what a beautiful angel she was.

It was a week later and Enid was being released from the hospital, she was not completely well yet, but the doctor felt it was safe for her to finish her recovery at home. She still had vision problems and her migraines came almost every day, very strong and painful, even with the prescription medication, it hurt. Ezra wheeled her out to his Jag, picking her up in his strong arms and setting her in the passenger seat, kissing her gently after he had the seatbelt in place. "I love you Darlin."

"I love you Ezra, take me home, please?" Her vision was still somewhat blurred, but it was even worse when she had one of the migraines, which was the case now. She laid her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes against the bright sunlight. There was nothing she hated more than a headache and now she was told to expect severe ones on a regular basis, for some time, she didn't think she could handle it. She felt Ezra's hand on hers, as he prepared to depart, taking them both home, so she could lie down and sleep. She opened her eyes and looked into his amazing green orbs, she could see the concern deep inside them and it touched her heart. "I'm all right Ezra, really." She half smiled at him and closed her eyes again, as he pulled the car away from the curb and headed in the direction of their townhouse.

Before she knew it, Ezra was taking her hand to help her out of the car, she had fallen asleep on the ride home, but Ezra could tell she still had the headache. "Come on Darlin, lets get you inside, so you can lie down." He helped her out of the car, closing the door and setting the alarm. He guided her up the walk to the front door, her vision still not clear. Once inside, he set his keys down on the table and helped Enid to the bedroom, pulling the sheets back and laying her down. He removed her shoes and put the covers over her, brushing her bangs back off her forehead and kissing her gently. "You sleep now Darlin, I'll wake you in a few hours to give you more of your medication."

"Thank you Ezra, I am sorry to be such a burden." The tears rolled down her cheeks, the pain of the headache and the depression she still experienced, making her lose control.

"You could never be a burden to be Darlin, I love you, now you sleep." He bent and kissed her cheek, taking the tear from her cheek at the same time, he loved the feel of her velvety skin. He moved away, noticing she was already asleep, it pained him to see her in such pain. He turned off the light, hoping the nap would rid her of the pain she was in, he was so happy to have her back at home, no matter what the circumstances.

Ezra woke Enid several hours later, to give her the pain medication, he could tell she felt a little better, but he kept the light in the room low. "Here Darlin, take these." He handed her the pills, then helped her drink, holding the glass for her. He had been sitting there watching her sleep, she had looked so peaceful and he marveled at just how beautiful she was, like an angel from heaven, sent down to change him and make him happy.

"Thank you Ezra, I don't think I can sleep anymore, can you help me out to the living room?" She smiled at Ezra, she had missed being with him, she wanted to be with him now that she was home.

"Certainly Darlin." He pulled the covers back and took her hand, bringing his other arm around her and helping her up. They walked slowly out to the living room, arm in arm, Ezra was so happy to feel her in his arms again, his nights had been so lonely without her in his arms. He sat her down in the big recliner, tilting it back a bit, then kneeled beside her, "Are you comfortable? Can I get you anything?"

"A hot cup of tea would be nice." She didn't seem to have much of an appetite these days, especially when her migraines hit, she felt sick instead. She reached out and caressed Ezra's soft face, the light in his eyes sparkled with happiness, she was happy too, both to be home, and to have this man in her life.

"A hot cup of tea it is, wouldn't you like something of more substance? Something to eat perhaps?" He was worried about her lack of appetite, she was losing too much weight, she looked almost frail, but he knew she wasn't frail.

"Maybe later, after the medication has a chance to work."

"Very well, I'll get that tea for you." He leaned over and kissed her, gently at first, but growing deeper, now that she was home, he wanted to make love to her, but he would wait until she was ready. He finally stood and moved to the kitchen, fixing her some tea. He would happily take care of her, until she felt well enough to do things on her own, he just hoped that happened and that all of this wasn't permanent. When he got back to the living room, Enid was asleep again, so he put the tea back in the kitchen and put a blanket over her, kissing her softly. He went to take a shower, there was nothing more he could do for her right now.

Another week passed before Enid was allowed to return to work, her vision having cleared finally, but her migraines continued, just not as often, so she could only work part time. Everyone was so glad to have her back, even having a welcome back party, with balloons, streamers, and cake, all of which made Enid cry. She was so happy to have such good friends and a man that loved her with all his heart and soul, she didn't think things could get any better. When she sat down at her desk, there was an invitation on it, as she read it she became confused, not sure what it was about, so she went to ask Rebecca, "Hey Rebecca, what is this?"

"It's an invitation." She smiled, they were going to keep the commendation a secret.

"For what?" Enid was very puzzled, she had never been invited to a dinner like this before.

"It's a formal dinner put on by the Agency, you and Ezra are required to attend." She could see that Enid was confused, but she would not give away the secret.

"All right, we will be there." She hoped she didn't have one of her migraines that night, it sounded nice and she could use something like that. Little did she know that Ezra knew all about it, being the one that recommended the commendation.

*********************************************************************

Ezra escorted Enid to the dinner, he was wearing his tuxedo and Enid was wearing a deep purple, velvet dress, it clung to her curves, Ezra thought she was still too thin, but the dress did stir his desires. The evening went well, Enid did not get a migraine and the stunned expression when they called her name, was priceless.

Enid was stunned, she didn't know why they were calling her name, but she walked up to the podium, where the director of the Agency was waiting for her. All kinds of scenarios went through her mind about what this could be about, but she just didn't know.

"Agent Smith, I am proud and honored to present you with a commendation for bravery and courage, under extreme circumstances."

"Um.....Thank you, I really don't know what to say, I was unprepared for such an honor" She took the award from the Director and shook his hand, she knew that she should say something, but had no clue what to say, not to mention her emotions were getting the better of her and she began to cry.

Ezra could see that she was faltering, it had stunned her and she was losing control of her emotions. He stood quickly and went up to her, trying to spare her any embarrassment. He moved to the microphone and spoke for her. "Enid is very honored to receive this award, she is still suffering some effects of her injury, but she does thank you and is pleased." Ezra stepped back and wrapped his arm around Enid, helping her back to their table, as the room filled with applause. "Are you all right Darlin?"

"This was your doing, wasn't it?" She felt a rush of love fill her, Ezra was too much.

"Well, I mentioned something to Rebecca about it, she did the rest." He smiled, knowing that Enid was happy, that the tears that streamed down her face were ones of joy and pride.

Once back to the table, Enid moved around and gave Rebecca a big hug, "Thank you Rebecca, I never expected anything like this." She smiled at her boss, a great boss.

"Your welcome Enid, you more than deserved it for your actions in the bank." Rebecca wiped at the tears on Enid's face, knowing she had been touched by the gesture of receiving such an honorable award.

Enid and Ezra went home that night, Ezra immediately put the award up on the wall, for all to see, he was so proud of her. They spent that night making love, making up for all the time they hadn't been able to. Enid went back to work full time, a week later, her migraines only came on occasion and were less severe, she got to know the newest member of the team, knowing Peaches had been very crucial in ending the ordeal at the bank, they became good friends.

THE END

Enid