"So, the Aurox arrives in a few hours -- and when it leaves, half your patients will be gone with it!" Kira teased, skimming the list of arrivals and departures for the station that day.

Sitting across the desk from Kira in the commanding officer's office, Ezri's eyes sparkled. "Yes -- and I'll miss them. But most of them will be traveling home with family, and they're all on the road to recovery."

"A tribute to their counselor?"

"Maybe in spite of their counselor!" the Trill returned, still smiling.

Something beeped on Kira's console. She swivelled her chair. "What is it, Kuhlman?"

The ensign's disembodied voice said, "Message coming through for you, Colonel. It's Captain Westfall of the Nightingale."

"That's the Cardassian relief mission," Dax noted, sitting up straighter.

"Patch it through," Kira ordered.

"Aye, Colonel."

"Good morning, Colonel," echoed from the monitor a second later, as the captain's features appeared.

"Good morning, Captain. I hope this isn't bad news...."

"No, not bad. I just wanted to update you about our ETA there."

"Starfleet informed us this morning that you were on the way, although they didn't give us any details on when we might expect you," Kira acknowledged with a nod.

"We are indeed on the way. But we've been diverted to the New France Colony."

"New France Colony? Is there a problem?"

"No, no, it should be just a routine stop. But it means we won't be at DS9 for five days, instead of the two days we'd been expecting."

"Five days," Kira confirmed. "I think we can manage that long. We'll look for you then, Captain."

"Westfall out." The olive-skinned face faded from the screen.

The colonel glanced back at the young Trill. "Five days until Julian's back on the station."

Ezri sighed. "After him being gone this long, five more days shouldn't be that much. But somehow it seems like an eternity! Especially after hearing it could have been two."

"Look at the bright side -- you've got three extra days to plan his party!"

Dax left Kira's office, half excited and half crestfallen. Five days to plan a party for Julian's return. She almost sighed. Jadzia Dax would have thrown it together in five minutes and it would have been a blast. Not so, for Ezri Dax.

She glanced around Ops. The first shift crew were at their stations.

Commander Alden was frowning over something. Then his expression changed, and he nodded approvingly and handed a PADD to Ensign Kuhlman. "Good job," he said. "Approved."

The tall ensign grinned. "Thanks, Commander!" He headed back to his station, looking pleased.

"Hi, Endar," Dax piped up. She knew Alden would be glad to hear about Bashir's imminent return. "What was that with Kuhlman?"

"Personnel rotation schedule for the next week," he replied offhandedly.

"Personnel-- Isn't that your job?"

He shrugged a little, then gestured toward the turbolift. "Lunchtime. Let's go."

"Endar...." All the same, she fell into step with him. "Personnel scheduling? Kuhlman? You've had Kuhlman performing your duties?"

His expression chilled. "Kuhlman's here to learn, to be trained in operations and command. Scheduling personnel assignments is part of that. And he's good at it, by the way. He's even figured out the Bajoran ritual calendar."

"Kuhlman's good at everything he does! He gives me an inferiority complex. But personnel schedules are part of your responsibilities, Endar!" She didn't mention that Kira would be furious if she found out, more because Alden had fobbed off an assignment she had given him than because the competent ensign had done it.

It was as though he heard the unspoken. "You gonna tell her?"

"Endar, I don't want to get you in trouble -- or Kuhlman! He's a good man. But don't put me in the middle!" She put on a severe expression, casting about for words that would get the point across without causing the commander to respond with rebellious anger. "You're here to do a job. You asked to come here, you spent a year fighting for this assignment. Crew rotations are part of the job, you know that." She had an inspiration, tugged at it for the right words. "After all, you wouldn't just put Kuhlman in command of the Defiant, would you?"

"He's not ready for that," Alden replied with difficulty, his expression darkening stormily. "Don't use that on me, Ezri. Don't."

"Endar, you don't want to throw away your chances on the Defiant to get out of a few crew rotations."

"Don't!" His anger was almost palpable; so were his efforts to contain it.

Dax let the silence go on for several minutes, giving Alden time to cool down and consider the situation.

When she estimated it had been long enough, she changed the subject, in a neutral tone.

"We got some good news a few minutes ago."

"What news?" His tone was not quite surly.

"From Captain Westfall of the Nightingale."

"Yeah?"

"They're on the way to the station." A moment. Dax shrugged. "Julian's coming home."

Alden's features brightened as if the sun had come through the storm clouds. "Doc's coming back? When? How soon will he be here?"

"Five days! You sound as excited as a teenager!" Dax grinned impishly, relieved.

"Hey, he's a friend! I've missed him!"

"Me too," she agreed.

"Gonna throw a party?" Alden guessed shrewdly.

"Yes. In fact, I'm going to go talk to Quark about it this afternoon."

"Quark." Alden made a face. "Let's talk to Vic instead."

"Quark would feel left out," she reproved.

"So?"

"Don't be mean! Julian and Quark are friends too."

"Let Quark come to Vic's. After all, Vic can't come to Quark's!"

She capitulated. "I'll talk to both of them."

"Good." Alden looked satisfied. "So what now? For lunch, I mean?"

Something occurred to her. "Actually, I have to make a stop first -- habitat level. How about the Replimat, twenty minutes?"

"Meet you there," he agreed.

The door to Sindelar's quarters was open. Dax paused at the entrance, glancing in first to be sure she wouldn't be run over by five rambunctious young boys of several planetary origins. She heard indistinct voices somewhere inside, but none of them sounded like the children she expected to hear. A single small duffel bag lay on the couch.

"Y'ras?" she called.

After a moment, a small, iron-gray-haired Bajoran woman came out of one of the bedrooms. "Who--? Ah, Ezri, greetings and welcome."

"Hi, Y'ras." She waved at the duffel bag. "Who's packing?"

Sindelar smiled, the expression deepening the wrinkles from around her mouth and around her eyes. All the same, a hint of regret showed in her features. "Krinix and Korlinu – they're leaving on the Aurox with their uncles, probably by this evening. And I've started packing too."

"You are? Why?"

Her voice was serene. "I'm returning to Bajor in a few days."

Dax blinked. "Already? But.... What about the other boys?"

"They've all been reunited but Sittrik."

Dax was astonished. She'd known that Sindelar was a temporary caregiver for the children, and that her charges were waiting for family members to come for them. But....

"So soon? I didn't hear...." she faltered. "What about Palani?"

"Palani left last night. With his grandparents on the McGarrett."

"They came on the McGarrett? He's already gone?" It took a minute to sink in. "But I didn't know! I didn't get a chance to say good bye!"

"I'm sorry, Ezri. It was late. It was so confused, between his friends and his grandparents." She patted the Trill's arm. "I didn't realize he hadn't said good bye to you. But don't worry, I know his grandparents and the ship's counselor stopped at the infirmary to collect his records before they left, so they know how he's been doing."

Dax felt her spirits plummet. "Oh," she said, subdued. "Well, I guess ... I suppose it's good.... That was the goal, after all, to reunite the orphans with family, to give them a home again...." A moment. "Did you like his grandparents? Will they be good to him?"

For a second intense pain crossed Sindelar's face, and Dax remembered that the woman had lost her own family to Dominion forces along the Demilitarized Zone. "Yes. I liked them. They were so happy to see him," she said softly. "They couldn't stop touching him. His hair. His shoulders. His hands. And he was happy to see them. He wouldn't let them out of his sight, even when they wanted to turn away to hide their tears...."

Silence.

"I understand. I'm glad." Another moment. "Will you be all right?"

The older woman nodded quickly. "I'll be fine. I always knew that I would only have these boys until their families came for them. It's good for them. For me ... I'll go home. Back to Denaaj. I have relatives there." She fixed a half-smile on her face. "Perhaps I'll spend some time at a monastery."

"That sounds ... good. A good plan. Some personal time," Ezri agreed a little awkwardly. After a moment, she asked, "Umm, what about Kukalaka?"

"Who?"

"The teddy bear?"

"Ah, yes. Palani took it with him, of course."

Dax's heart exploded into her throat. "He took Kukalaka?"

"Yes."

"But...."

Two boys raced into the living room.

"The Aurox is docking!" sang out the older brother, suddenly throwing himself forward in a series of graceful flips. "They're almost here!"

The younger Deltan turned a clumsy cartwheel and nearly crashed into the sofa.

Ezri automatically reached for the boy, reflexively noting how well he caught himself instead of sprawling over the floor.

Diverted herself, Y'ras turned to her bald young charges. "Now calm down! We must finish your packing!" She glanced back at Ezri and smiled. "I'm afraid we've got things to do here. Krinix, Korlinu, you should say good bye to Ezri before you finish collecting your things. And where did you leave Sittrik...?"

Aboard the McGarrett, the Trungs had settled back into their quarters with their grandson. The regal silver-haired matriarch smiled benevolently down at the boy as he came out of his room, still pajama-clad, one arm wrapped around a hapless, somewhat bedraggled-looking teddy bear.

"Your grand-père and I brought a present for you," Dr. Trung said, presenting the boy with a package.

Palani tore into the wrapping eagerly, ultimately revealing a green plush octopus-like creature. His grandparents watched, beaming.

"That's not Taki," Palani said, frowning.

"No," his grandmother admitted, exchanging a look with her husband.

"I miss Taki," he said with a heavy sigh, still looking at the sea-creature. "Granmamma Tutu will be sad that I lost him. She gave him to me."

"She'll understand. She'll just be glad to see you again, safe and sound, as we are," Dr. Trung assured him. After a moment, she added, "And this is Taki's friend. He wants to be your friend, too. Because he misses Taki almost as much as you do."

"He does?"

"Yes. And I think he would feel better if he could stay with you."

Palani's round face brightened. He stroked the soft stuffed toy.

"Perhaps your new buddy and ... the teddy bear can be friends, too," the elderly man suggested carefully, casting a dubious eye at the much-patched Kukalaka.

"I don't think they'll like each other," he announced thoughtfully.

"Why not?" Mr. Trung asked, bemused.

"Kukalaka never knew Taki. Kukalaka is a good bear, and I told him about Taki, but he never liked that Taki lived in water."

"So what will you do with the bear?" his grandfather asked.

"Maybe I should give Kukalaka back to Ezri," he suggested.

"Who is Ezri?"

"The counselor with the spots. The Trill. She let Kukalaka stay with me. But now I think Kukalaka would like to go back to Ezri."

Dr. Trung raised silvered brows, doubtful. But she replied, "If you think that's what we should do, your grand-père and I will do it. Now come, you should get dressed, and then we will have breakfast."

Stunned beyond coherent thinking, Dax wound up at Quark's, huddled at a table in the corner, drinking a black hole far too fast. The noise and crowd around her were just a static buzz as she tried to figure out how she could tell Bashir she'd lost his treasured childhood memento.

"So here's where you're hiding!"

She jumped and looked up. "Endar...."

"You stood me up!"

"Huh? Oh, lunch, right. Sorry." She took another gulp, staring morosely at what was left in her glass.

"Ezri, what's wrong? What happened?" He almost touched her shoulder, but pulled his hand back.

"It's gone," she said mournfully. "What am I going to do? How can I explain this to Julian?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember Palani Trung? One of the boys I was counseling? The one I loaned Kukalaka to?"

"Yeah? What about him?"

"He left last night, on the McGarrett. I didn't know he was leaving so soon! He took Kukalaka with him! Julian will never forgive me for losing his bear!"

"You didn't lose it, you gave it away!"

"That's not funny! Endar, what am I going to do?"

Alden sat down opposite her. "What were you going to do? If he'd been here? I mean, I can't see you just walking in and ripping the teddy bear out of a kid's arms!"

She swallowed hard. "No, I wasn't. I mean, I told him from the start that Kukalaka was just visiting with him. I was going to give him his own bear, when it was time for him to leave -- a buddy that was looking just for him, that needed a home...."

The executive officer smiled briefly. "You got a way with kids," he said sincerely. "I think you'd make a good mother yourself!"

"No," Dax replied mournfully. "Lela was a good mother. Audrid was a good mother. Me, I can't even keep track of an inanimate object. How could I manage a child?" She took another drink. "I shouldn't have given him the bear in the first place."

"Can you replace Kukalaka?" Alden suggested. "Maybe Doc wouldn't realize it was a different one -- he's been gone so long, and face it, how much has he really looked at it the past, oh, twenty-five years, probably."

She shook her head vigorously. "No, you don't understand, he'd know in a second! And he brought Kukalaka with him, you don't think that means something? And I remember, Julian let Leeta have Kukalaka for a while, just before they broke up -- you wouldn't believe what he did to get that bear back!"

"Oh." A beat. "Is it an interesting story?"

"I'm not telling!" she shot back emphatically, then sighed. "I'll have to tell Julian...."

"Not just yet. Let's think," he replied, very businesslike. "We can get him back, we just have to think it through and figure it out."

"How?" Ezri said. "Call Palani's grandparents and say, hi there, can you send back the bear? I didn't mean it when I gave it to your grandson?"

Alden grinned roguishly. "Great idea." He rose.

"What!" She shot out a hand to catch his wrist. "You can't be serious!"

"Of course I am."

"Kira's not going to--"

"She doesn't have to know." His smiled broadened. "After all, what's the point of knowing the executive officer if you can't get a little confidential comm time every now and then? Let's go. I happen to know for a fact that Kuhlman's on duty just now, and he is the soul of discretion."