  We calculate the collisional energy loss suffered by a heavy (charm) quark
created at a finite time within a Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP) in the classical
linear response formalism as in Peigne {\it et al.} \cite{peigne}. We pay close
attention to the problem of formulating a suitable current and the isolation of
binding and radiative energy loss effects. We find that unrealistic large
binding effects arising in previous formulations must be subtracted. The finite
time correction is shown to be important only for very short length scales on
the order of a Debye length. The overall energy loss is similar in magnitude to
the energy loss suffered by a charge created in the asymptotic past. This
result has significant implications for the relative contribution to energy
loss from collisional and radiative sources and has important ramifications for
the ``single electron puzzle'' at RHIC.
