Realizing they couldn't all hover protectively over Ezra, Chris grabbed Vin and Buck. "Vin, put that coffee Ezra brought in into an evidence bag. They're going to need to run an analysis of it. Buck, go downstairs and wait for the paramedics. I don't want them getting delayed downstairs trying to get through security. Now!"

Half an hour later, the paramedics had Ezra on a stretcher and were headed downstairs with most of the team on their heels. Josiah had agreed to stay behind and help Forensics in the office with the promise that they'd call him the second there was any news.

Two hours later they were all in the waiting room of Four Corners Memorial, becoming increasingly agitated. None of them had seen hide nor hair of a doctor since they got there, and Josiah had reported that Forensics wouldn't have the report ready until later in the afternoon.

With a muttered growl Vin stalked towards the Nurse's station for the fifth time in twenty minutes, bound and determined to get an answer. The nurse looked up as he started his approach and leaped from her chair to dash into the room behind her. Vin stopped in his tracks surprised then, muttering a curse, he returned to his spot by the waiting room window.

Knowing they were all about to break, Nathan rose to his feet to go find someone who could tell them something about the Southerner's condition. Even if he had to grab them by the shirt collar and drag them back here. Before he got more than a couple of steps a doctor appeared in the doorway. They were all on their feet in an instant, crowding around her, demanding at once to know what was going on. A shrill whistle cut through the noise cutting it off abruptly. Raising an eyebrow, she dared them to start in again.

Chris glared the others into silence, folding his arms over his chest. "What's going on with my agent?"

"I have a pretty good idea, but I need some questions answered first. Is there any possibility that Agent Standish has a drug addiction?"

"WHAT!!"

Chris loomed over her as he growled, "Lady, you better watch what you're saying about my agent. The idea that Ezra is a user is absolutely insane. The man is an ATF agent for Chrissakes!"

"Agent?"

"Larabee."

"Agent Larabee, I'm only trying to do my job. I'm not saying this to slander Agent Standish. If there's no possibility of drug addiction, then is it possible he intended self-injury?"

"What in hell're you going on about?" Vin demanded, starting to get really angry now. "What's wrong with Ezra that you're trying ta accuse him of taking illegal drugs an' maybe trying ta kill himself? Ain't no way Ezra'd do either of them things."

A chorus of yeah's and damn straight's followed this statement, making the doctor rub a tired hand over her face. "Look, gentlemen, we just had to pump your friend's stomach because there were large amounts of speed in his system. We're running him through detox but right now he's in a coma. I can't guarantee he's going to come out of it. We're talking about a serious overdose. To make things worse, he's not the first case like this I've had come in today. He's actually my eighth so far, and I've already lost two people. There is absolutely no common denominator between them that I can find. Three business executives, a student, a construction worker, a housewife, and a young woman who works at Starbucks."

"Shit!" Vin hissed, sudden realization hitting him. "Is her name Bethany?"

"Yes, actually. You see a connection there, Agent...?"

"Tanner, ma'am, and yes, I do. It's that Goddamned coffee Ezra was drinking. He got it at the Fifth St. Starbucks. Couldn't get enough of it. An' remember, guys, how he said Bethany, the counter girl was even more hyper than usual, that she'd been drinking too much of the coffee? I'd bet anything that's what it is."

"Is there anyway you can get me a sample of it?"

"Our Forensics lab is already working on it. I'll get on the phone with them right now. Knowing what it is they're looking for will help speed things up. I'll make sure they get a full report to you ASAP," Chris said, pulling out his cell phone. He nodded once to the doctor then, heeding the no cell phone policy of the hospital, left the room. Once outside, he quickly dialed the Forensics lab.

A few minutes later he returned to the waiting room. "Nathan, JD, I want you two to go back to the office. Nathan, go to Forensics, see what you can do to help and get that report the second it's ready. JD, they still have the bag that damned coffee came in. Get the name off the label and look up everything you can find about the company, particularly an address. As soon as you two have the information we need I'm calling the Judge for a warrant and we're going after these bastards."

"What about us?" Buck asked. Josiah, Vin, and he waited for Larabee to give them instructions.

"We stay with Ezra. There's still an outside possibility this was a deliberate attack against him. Either way I don't want him to be alone when he wakes up."

"That's a good idea," Nathan added. "He's gonna be real disoriented when he comes to, and there's a chance not all of the drugs will be out of his system. Considering how he feels about hospitals and doctors someone's going to need to make sure he keeps his butt in bed."

An hour and a half later Team Seven gathered once more, this time in the ICU lounge. Nathan handed the report to the Doctor. "Ratio-wise it's not a large percentage but between the combination of the drug with the caffeine already in the coffee the effects are twice as bad as they should be. The more consumed the worse it gets."

"Thank you, Agent Jackson. I'll have our people start working on this right away."

Once she was gone Chris turned to JD. "Did you get the information I asked for?"

"I did even better. I got the names of the owners of the RayCal Coffee Emporium, the address of their office and packaging plant. Plus I've got warrants to search the grounds and buildings and arrest the owners if necessary. The Judge is just waiting for your call to get back-up on the way. He's also already sent Team 2 to shut down the Fifth St. Starbucks until it can be determined at what point the drugs are being put into the coffee." JD said triumphantly, waving the sheaf of warrants in the air. Chris grabbed them and scanned them quickly.

"All right, people, listen up. Nathan, I'd like you to stay here with Ezra. You know the most about this stuff and how Ezra's likely to react to all this shit in his system. JD, get on the phone with the surveillance techs. Give them the list of everything we need and have them meet us en route. Buck, call the Judge and tell him to send in the back up. Everyone have their vests in their cars? Good. Let's go."

They soon found themselves down the street from a dingy-looking warehouse with a sign out front proclaiming it to be RayCal Coffee Emporium. The guys quickly secured their vests and headsets while JD listened in to what was happening at the warehouse with his long-range receiver. After a couple of minutes he gave a disgusted snort and pulled off his headset.

"Business as usual inside. No clue that we're here. Hell, these guys don't have a clue to begin with. There's four people inside, two of whom are the owners. They're in the office arguing about putting the drugs in the coffee. Cal isn't so sure it's a good idea, since they are using 'illegal' drugs," JD scowled, making quotes marks with his fingers. "But Ray is telling him to quit being such a wuss, that it's such a small amount no one'll ever notice it and once they get people hooked they'll start reducing the amount they put in. Goddamn idiots is what they are."

"Wait a minute," Chris glared at him. "You're telling me that this whole thing is being run by two idiots with two helpers who just wanted to get people addicted to their coffee so they could sell more of it."

"In a nutshell, yeah."

"Goddamn sonuvabitches! They deserve the fucking scare we're about to put in them. Everybody into position. Teams Three, Five, and Six, you all in position?"

There was a round of affirmatives, though Mike Kelly, leader of Team Six asked, "Hey, Larabee? Just how many people are in here? This place looks deserted. You sure your boy knows what he's doing? Maybe I should send over my guy. Show'im how it's done."

"Shut up, Kelly. Your guy's got nothing on JD. There's four people inside. I want to put the fear of God in these bastards. Nobody fucks with my team and gets away with it. We go in on my mark." Chris glanced at his men, certain they were in position, then, "Now."

The doors were kicked in with a resounding crash. Twenty ATF agents streamed into the building shouting variations of 'Freeze', 'ATF', and 'Get your ass down on the ground, NOW!' The two workers immediately dropped to the ground, hands automatically covering their heads. The two owners came rushing out of the office, the larger of the two men demanding to know what was going on. The smaller man, who they figured to be Cal, started yelling at his partner.

"You said no one would notice! You said it wasn't a big deal! You said we were going to be rich! I told you it was a bad idea, but noooo! What the hell do I know? This is all your goddamn fault, you son of a bitch!"

The agents watched in amusement as Cal launched himself at Ray. Soon the two of them were in an all-out fistfight. After a couple of minutes and a gesture from Chris, Josiah and Buck waded in and pulled the two men apart. They were quickly cuffed and pushed down onto crates in front of a glaring Chris. Vin flanked him with his sniper rifle cradled in his arms while JD scowled from the other side. Buck and Josiah towered behind them to make sure they didn't try and go anywhere.

Chris glared at them for a moment longer before speaking in a low dangerous voice, "I'm going to read you your rights and tell you what you're being charged with. I strongly suggest you keep your mouths shut cause I don't feel like explaining to my boss how my fist ended up rammed down your throat. Understand?"

Cal nodded vigorously, but Ray started to open his mouth. Vin snarled and a sound that could only be described as a growl emerged from his throat. Ray snapped his mouth shut.

"Good. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to an attorney. If you don't have one or can't afford it, one will be appointed to you. You have the right to a single phone call once you've been processed at the station. Do you understand these rights?"

Both men nodded.

"You are being charged with illegal drug possession, illegal distribution of said illegal drugs, two counts of manslaughter, and six counts attempted manslaughter, including one of *my* agents. I'm sure the DA will find a bunch of other stuff to tack on there, but for now that's more than enough to put your two sorry asses in jail for a real long time. Goddamned idiots. Get them out of my sight."

Buck and Josiah were more than happy to hand them over to Mike Kelly and his team for booking and processing. Team Seven was on their way back to the hospital to be with their brother.

**********

It was early the next morning before Ezra began to stir. Vin was the first to notice, having fallen asleep with his head on the bed, one of Ezra's hands trapped beneath him. Raising his head, he found Ezra's face turned towards him, green eyes blinking as they struggled to focus. Vin grabbed the ever-present cup of water and straw off the night table and held it to the Southerner's lips. When he was done it was put back on the table.

"How ya doin', Ez?" Vin asked softly.

Ezra took a moment to answer, his gaze moving around the room as far as it could go without turning his head. Finally, his accent thickened by the drugs still in his system, he said, "Ah'm in the hospital?"

"Yeah, you're in the hospital. Gave us quite a scare, ya know." Vin tilted his head to the side at the Southerner's puzzled expression. "Jus' how much do you remember?"

"Ah," Ezra paused, visibly trying to collect his thoughts. "Ah was runnin' late to work this mornin'. Everythin' seemed to be conspirin' against me. Ruined a pair of my Italian loafers thanks to the neighbor's dog. Ah stopped at Starbucks to get a frappucino, but the machine was broken. Miss Bethany gave me a new coffee blend to try. It was very good, but there was something odd about it. Ah..."

"Damn straight there was something odd about it," Chris interrupted, woken by their voices. "You were flying higher than a kite because of that stuff."

"What was in it?"

"Besides Folgers coffee, it was laced with speed."

"Oh Good Lord," Ezra moaned weakly, his mind already coming up with all sorts of ramifications. "Do Ah still have a job?"

"Yeah, you've still got a job, Ez," Vin answered with a grin. "The beans used ta make your coffee and Starbucks were spiked."

"So Ah was not only one to suffer this indignity?"

"As of about two hours ago the doctor said they'd had 15 cases come in," Nathan answered, also having been woken by them talking. "There were three fatalities. Two older business men suffered massive heart attacks. The third victim was the counter girl, Bethany. There was so much of the drug in her system that she just went into heart failure. There was nothing they could do to save her. I'm sorry, Ezra."

They were all surprised by the sorrow he displayed. Vin touched his hand, expression sympathetic. "You all right, Ez?"

"Yes, Ah'm fine. Young Bethany was a sweet girl and did not deserve such an ignominious end. Ah trust you gentlemen have apprehended and incarcerated the vile miscreants responsible for this dastardly act of cowardice?"

Vin chuckled. "Sounds like you're gonna be jus' fine, and yeah, we got the bastards."

"Turned out they weren't actually trying to hurt anyone," Buck said. "They were just lookin' for a way to get people addicted to their coffee so they'd buy more of it."

"Which was really a stupid thing to do," Nathan added. "They had no idea what kind of affect the drug was going to have when mixed in with the caffeine. They're just lucky more people didn't die because of it."

"I think when all is said and done they will have learned their lesson, Brother," Josiah said gently.

"You should have seen it, Ez," JD said excitedly, bouncing out of his chair. "Us and Teams 3, 4, and 6 busted in on them at this rinky-dink little warehouse they were using. The whole thing was being run by two guys with two workers. The workers just dropped to the ground when we came charging in. The two guys running it got into a fist-fight with each other. Then Buck'n Josiah sat'm down in front'a Chris and Vin who were just standin' there glarin' at'em and Vin's holdin' his rifle an' lookin' like all he was waitin' for was Chris to give'm the signal ta shoot both of'em. I swear when Team 6 took'em away I thought they were gonna piss themselves they were so scared."

Ezra looked from JD to the others who were either shaking their heads or, in Chris's case, hiding their face. Finally he said to Vin, "Did Mr. Dunne by any chance get into that damnable coffee, Mr. Tanner?"

"Hey!!" JD shouted, sending the others into fits of laughter and bringing a nurse to glare at them until they quieted down.

Two Weeks Later - Ezra's Condo

Chris smiled at the haggard-looking undercover agent who was glaring balefully at the six men standing on his doorstep. When he didn't invite them in Chris shouldered his way past him, the others following, each carrying a brown paper sack, or in Josiah's case a tray of coffee cups. The men proceeded to make themselves at home in the slightly disorganized living room of the condo.

Ezra continued to glare at them as he shut the door and followed them. Standing behind the couch, which had also been acting as his bed, he folded his arms over his chest. "To what do I owe this visit at the ungodly hour of 8 am?"

"Brought ya breakfast," Vin answered, holding up a box of donuts he'd just pulled out of his sack.

"I've got bagels and there's supposed to be some croissants in here somewhere," JD reassured the man when he saw him shudder.

"Thank you, Mr. Dunne. This is really unnecessary, gentlemen. I'm quite capable of looking after myself."

It had been almost a week before the hospital would release him and until yesterday at least one of the six men had stayed at Ezra's. Even after his release from the hospital, the Southerner had continued to have severe withdrawal symptoms from the drug. Chris had been a little surprised when it had been Josiah and Buck who'd spent the most time taking care of the Southerner. Josiah he could understand. Buck he hadn't understood until he remembered all the shit the ladies man had put with from him when he'd gone on his drinking binges.

Looking at the Southerner now, the man looked as if he'd been on a weeklong drinking binge. His eyes blurry, dark circles around already sunken eyes, hair standing up in greasy spikes and fine tremors that still wracked his slender body. The forest green silk pajamas he wore were rumpled and looked like he hadn't changed in several days, which they knew for a fact he hadn't. Chris gripped one of Ezra's arms and led him over to the couch where he pushed him down to sit.

"We know you can take of yourself, Ezra. We're here because you don't have to. You are a part of this family and we will stand by you and help you through this. Now you can talk yourself blue in the face but we're not going anywhere. So, be quiet and eat your breakfast. We also got you some other food since we know you haven't done any grocery shopping."

Ezra opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head in mild exasperation. Finally, "Thank you, gentlemen. I am very - grateful for what you've done for me."

"No problem, Ez. That's what families are for," Buck grinned and slapped him lightly on the back.

"We'll always be there for you, Brother."

"Who's ready for coffee?" Nathan asked holding up the tray, breaking the moment. Six hands immediately reached for a cup. Before Ezra could take one, his first cup of coffee since that fateful day, Vin had grabbed the one marked with a big E.

"I don't know, guys. Maybe we shouldn't let Ez have any. I mean, he could get addicted to it an' all."

If it weren't for the big grin on Vin's face, Ezra might have taken offense at his words. Instead he went with the good-natured teasing. "If you do not hand over that cup, Mr. Tanner, all sorts of nasty and vile things will befall you. Now hand over the coffee before I am forced to hurt you."

"I don't know, Ez. That sounds to me like ya might be addicted." Vin tried not to snicker as he backed away, but couldn't stop himself.

"Vin," Ezra growled.

"Oh, just give him the coffee," Chris snapped with a grin, plucking the cup from Vin's hand and giving it to the Southerner. They watched in amusement when the Southerner curled himself into the corner of the couch and just sat with the cup in his hands inhaling the sweet aroma.

"Uhmmm. Mocha Almond Frappucino. My favorite." Watching the rapturous expression on his face as he sipped at the dark brew, they wondered if there wasn't something to the idea that he might be addicted to coffee. Ezra cracked open an eye to look at them, noting their wary expressions. "If you had gone two whole weeks without any caffeine, gentlemen, for fear of setting off another craving fit would you not think your first sip was the most wondrous thing you'd ever tasted?"

"He's got a point," Vin admitted, probably being the second biggest coffee junkie of the group.

Buck grinned and said, "I gotta agree. There sure is something about coffee."

JD groaned and smacked Buck with a pillow while the others just chuckled and enjoyed their own drinks.

Fini