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While Ezra never underestimated the unforgiving nature of the Green, he never once anticipated its parting gift. A stump where his arm previously existed, he understood. He was certainly not the first to lose a limb to the Dust, nor would he be the last. He should have known that the unexpected and unwelcome presence of a little girl would be a portent of a singularly serendipitous circumstance he had never dreamed of. The Fates seemed inclined to keep Cee with him, despite the egregious act of murder which led to her orphaned status.
Ezra had never borne the responsibility of caring for another being once in his life. He had wandered the Black as soon as he had the means to forge his age papers, continually seeking a source of salvation in prospecting and, on occasion, employment as a mercenary.
He’d never expected salvation in the form of a child who depended on him for so much more than survival.
Thoughts of their first meeting swirled in Ezra’s mind as he raced down the halls of the Greater Ephrate Medical Institution, nearly tripping over an errant gurney sticking into the walkway. He practically skidded to a halt in front of the room the front desk had directed him to, panic building strong and fast in his chest as the whine of a monitor belaying the flatline of death echoed in his ears.
With a trembling hand, he pushed the door open.
The room was deathly silent, a stark contrast to the pandemonium of the waiting area and the sonorousness of the hallways. The empty, pale walls and the sickening odor of antiseptic only served to emphasize the emptiness that loomed where there should have been life. Ezra took a few faltering steps inside, eyes coming to rest on a small figure tucked into a massive bed. Cee.
He stood in stunned disbelief for several minutes before slowly nearing her bedside. He carefully brushed away a stray lock from her forehead, taking in her peaceful countenance as the loathsome panic in his chest gave way.
Cee was curled on her side, blonde hair splayed on the pillow in a radiant corona. Her chest rose and fell in a steady, if labored, pattern, an oxygen mask obscuring the delicate features of her face. She was shivering under the thin blanket that was pulled over her shoulders, and he thought that he’d never seen her look quite so small.
With a featherlight touch, he moved another lock of hair that obscured her face, wincing when her eyes flutter open in confusion. “Dad?” she croaked, swallowing hard against the pain she undoubtedly felt.
Ezra had never felt so close to bursting into tears before. He opened his mouth to answer her, but no words escaped. He bent forward and enfolded her in his arm, inhaling the scent of her hair as he held her against him. He wanted desperately to make all of her pain go away, but he knew that was beyond his power. All he could do was be here for her.
Eventually, he pulled back and grasped Cee’s small hand in his much larger one. Her skin was cold to the touch, and Ezra held on just a bit tighter, as if by doing so he could impart some warmth into the chilled skin.
Cee stared at Ezra with a mixture of confusion and fear in her eyes — almost as if she was seeing someone she thought she’d lost forever — but after a few moments, something changed in her expression, a glimmer of recognition flickering across her features. “Ezra,” she breathes. “You came.”
The sight tugged at Ezra’s heartstrings like nothing else ever had before. “I am here, little bird,” he murmured, hooking the visitor’s chair with his foot to pull it over. He sat, knees brushing the hard metal of the bedframe as he lowered his head to meet her at eye level. “I apologize for the length of time it has taken me to arrive. I was eight sectors over when your celebrated learning institution informed me of your ailment.”
Cee frowned as she parsed his words. “That’s four days’ travel,” she said, brow furrowing in confusion. “I’ve only been here for two.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of Ezra’s lips, and he reached forward to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I made it in two,” he murmured as he submitted to the desire to hold his girl by pressing his hand to her cheek. “Had pressing business to attend.”
He could feel the heat of Cee’s fevered face through his fingers, and it made him ache with a need to protect her from whatever illness dared to bring her so low. His thumb gently stroked up and down her cheekbone, as he looked into her eyes — glassy with fever — and tried to convey how worried he was without words. Cee sighed softly and moved closer, leaning into his touch like a flower seeking out the sun.
She swallowed again, eyes drifting shut for a moment before reopening. With a weak smile, she turned her face into his hand. “You’ll stay with me?” she requested hoarsely.
Ezra smiled sadly, heart constricting once more at the sigh of Cee so weak. “Always, little bird,” he whispered.
Cee responded by nodding and closing her eyes once again, exhaustion taking over once more. “Sorry. ‘M so tired.”
Ezra felt an unexpected wave of emotion grip him. He stroked his thumb over her cheek soothingly as he bent forward to press a kiss above her eyebrow. “Then you should sleep, my birdie. Extended rest will undoubtedly aid in your expeditious recovery from this unexpected malady,” he murmured.
He pulled away slightly but stayed close, his hand still resting on her cheek — offering some small comfort — as he watched the rise and fall of her chest slow to a more natural rhythm. As Cee slipped into sleep, she left Ezra alone with his thoughts and emotions in the too-silent room.