Half asleep, Bosco pressed the snooze button on the clock radio for the third time. He was accustomed to doing it most mornings and could perform the task without opening his eyes. He knew that with each press, he was guaranteed an additional seven minutes of blissful rest before the next alarm. The clock's mode was set to music which sure beat the shrill and obnoxious beeping sound the contraption could also be set to emit. The only thing worse than getting up on a Monday was having to get out of a warm, cozy bed on a rainy Monday. He thought there was a song about that but he couldn't say for certain. It was only six thirty am and he had several hours until he had to be at the Precinct.
Turning in shortly after midnight, he was determined to get up early and go for a run. He even considered going to the range for target practice. However, his good intentions regarding either activity diminished a little more with each passing minute. He lay in bed trying to convince himself that the weather was perfect for a run. He hadn't gone for a strenuous jog in a while and knew he would feel invigorated and ready for the day that lay ahead. Even though he made up for his laxed exercise routine almost daily by chasing the City's low-lifes, he sometimes missed the rigorous work-outs he was dedicated to while in the police academy.
Forcing himself out of bed, Bosco quickly finished his morning ritual before any more precious time elapsed. He grabbed his NYPD sweats and decided to forgo breakfast. He certainly couldn't run on a full stomach and actually wasn't even hungry yet. He picked up his keys from the end table and headed downstairs, exiting the apartment building into the damp, gloomy weather.
Faith awoke to the typical morning before school banter between her children. As usual, Emily was ready for the day and Charlie wasn't.
"Make sure you both have everything you need today." She heard Fred say. "Hey babe, you up?" Her husband called into the bedroom as he walked by on his way to hurry their tardy son.
"Yeah...I'll be right out!" Faith responded while hurrying to dress. Yesterday's shift was hectic and she slept well because of it.
She and Fred planned to drop the kids off at school and enjoy a quiet breakfast together at Stan's Diner, Fred's favorite place for pancakes and sausage. It was the one guilty pleasure he would not deny himself even though he was on a fairly strict diet since the heart attack. Afterwards, Faith would take her husband to work and use the truck to run errands before her shift.
"Let's go Charlie!" Emily uttered in frustration. "Do you really need to take this long?"
"Geeze Em, I'm ready so quit nagging and let's go!" Charlie answered with some annoyance. He hated when his sister made a big production of being punctual. "We're not leaving home any later than we usually do!" He protested. "Besides, what's your hurry any way?" He asked as the reason gradually came to him. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Must be the new flavor of the month!" The youngster laughed.
Faith interrupted before her oldest could respond to the jibe. "All right you two! That's enough! Go down to the truck with your father and I'll meet you there." She called to her family as she closed to bathroom door. Although she could certainly do without the arguing, mornings were her favorite time of day. She wished Fred and the kids felt the same. It would surely make getting ready a little less chaotic.
It had been three months since her return to active duty from desk duty and things seemed to be going smoothly during the transition. Bosco had been partnered with a few different officers during the time she was at home recuperating and he seemed to be ready for the stability of a permanent partner, even though, she knew, he never expected that partner to be herself. Now, if she could just get Fred to be a little more open-minded regarding the subject. He seemed more at ease with it than he was at first but she could tell he still had reservations.
She could understand her husband's lack of acceptance regarding the matter because of the whole Noble thing, however, she trusted Bosco as much as, if not more than, any officer she could possibly be paired with. In fact, Bosco tried hard to prove himself to her everyday and even though his gung-ho attitude was somewhat annoying at times, she knew that his protective gestures were, in his mind, a way he felt he could perhaps redeem himself to her.
Bosco was a good cop and he strived to excel in every way on a daily basis. He considered himself the very personification of "super cop". Granted, he was quicker on foot than she, but not all the perps they arrested had to be chased. She was just as capable of cuffing anyone who needed to be and her recital of the Miranda was just as adequate as her partner's. The last thing she needed was for anyone, especially Bosco, to feel protective of her, she thought to herself as she closed the apartment door.
Faith considered confronting him with certain issues but only hesitated doing so because she thought it might cause friction between them. She didn't want to jeopardize their partnership on matters he would probably deny anyway. She had other important issues at hand, for example, Emily's "flavor of the month" was something she needed to know much more about.
Sully and Davis were only a half-hour into their first shift of a double. Two tours in one day were exhausting but the overtime pay was an incentive. Well, tiring for Sully anyway, nonetheless, his young partner never seemed to mind.
Most times, even after five years, Davis still savored the job like he did when he was a rookie. Other times, usually after a bad day, he wondered how his life would differ if he were practicing law. Perhaps it would be more financially lucrative, he thought, but money wasn't everything. In his opinion, there was nothing like the rush of pursuing, arresting, and processing a perp. Getting the scum off the street was more worthwhile than sitting in an office any day.
"Ready for coffee yet?" Ty asked his partner. It was going to be a long day and the caffeine would be a necessary part of it.
"Sure, where to?" Sully asked although he really didn't have a preference. As long as the beverage was hot and strong he was satisfied.
"How about Lou's?" Ty suggested. Of all the locations to get coffee, Davis liked the mom and pop establishment the best. The take-out cups were larger than average and the contents were always steaming.
"Lou's it is!" Sully looked at his partner with a slight smirk knowing he would never finish the large, hot drink he always ordered.
It had been months since Tatiana's death. Sullivan thought of his wife daily, and her loss was, at times, still overwhelming. He was glad he had his job to focus on and an understanding friend and partner in Ty.
It was great to have Faith back Bosco mused as he pushed his legs in a steady rhythm. Nevertheless, he was more than a little apprehensive about their coupling when Faith made her demand that night at the diner.
After their short meeting, he avoided her at the house whenever possible and never brought her request up with the Lieutenant like she wanted him to. In fact, he stalled the matter as long as he could, but when Faith wanted something bad enough, she usually got it. So here they were, partners once again. He hoped, for her sake, it was the right call.
Her safety troubled him at times. Well, most times if he were being totally honest. Her well being was his first and foremost concern during their shift. As a precaution that no injury would befall his partner during a call, he always entered doors before her, approached a vehicle to identify anyone they pulled over, and chased everyone who ran. He owed it to Faith and her family.
Then there was the Fred issue. Bosco thought back to the night Faith's husband paid a visit to his apartment shortly after he and Faith reconnected. Fred, in his anger, warned him in no uncertain terms, that if his wife ever had as much as a bruise when she came home from work, there would be hell to pay. Bosco couldn't blame the guy after everything that happened. As long as he lived, the guilt of that awful time would haunt him. He often realized things could have turned out so much worse then they did.
In essence, Faith's safety on the job was now, and always would be, his main priority. Not because of Fred's threats, but because Bosco knew there could be no other restitution for his reckless past deeds. He knew it and he never forgot it.
He thought back to the many sleepless nights he spent full of guilt and remorse after she was shot and paralyzed. He remembered begging God to cure her and was beyond thankful when Monroe informed him, after a visit to the Yokas household, that she would be all right. As long as they were partnered, he knew nothing bad would ever happen to her again. He made sure of it everyday by his cautious actions.
"Look Sul, isn't that Bosco jogging toward the park? What possesses him?" Ty uttered with amusement as he watched his friend running ahead on King. "Hell...if it weren't for this double I can honestly say I'd still be in bed."
"Yeah, it's him all right...let's go rouse 'um!" Sully said with a smile as he pulled the RMP next to his running co-worker.
Bosco was lost in thought and didn't notice 5-5 Charlie until Sully drove a few feet ahead of him.
"Yo...Bos!" Davis greeted the jogging man. "I can't believe you have nothing better to do than run in the rain!"
"Hey!" Bosco greeted the duo as he leaned onto the passenger side door of the squad. "It's only a little rain." He joked. "I didn't know you were both pulling a double!"
"Yeah...well, this'll be my last one for the month. I've paid my dues." Sully responded hoping the shift would pass by quickly and uneventfully.
"What else is new...we younger guys have been picking up the slack for you old timers all along...why stop now?" Bosco teased, getting a laugh out of Davis and a smirk from Sully. "Anyway...just thought I'd go for a quick run. Hopefully, loosen up these unfailing leg muscles. Never know who...or what I'll be chasing tonight. Besides...the view's great!" Bosco observed as he caught sight of an attractive blonde with a great physique.
"Gotta run...I'll see you guys at roll call!" Bosco called back as he took off in the same direction as the blonde.
"You think maybe he's on to something?" Davis exclaimed as he noticed two equally good-looking women smile in acknowledgment as they jogged by 5-5 Charlie.
It was just past eight thirty as Faith dropped Fred off and headed to the dry cleaners. The light rain had stopped and the sun was peaking through the clouds. It poured most of yesterday with a couple of thunderstorms thrown in. She definitely didn't want to work another drenching shift.
Faith still needed to stop for a few groceries before she headed home. She turned on the police scanner Fred insisted on buying as she made a mental list of the items that she needed to purchase. She noticed Sullivan and Davis drive by and remembered they had volunteered for a double shift.
Faith didn't feel ready for overtime yet. Bosco and Sasha worked a few second shifts together before Faith would get him for the third and he was always so revved up when their watch began. He reminded her of a school kid with some kind of attention disorder until he settled down enough from telling her about the previous hours. She smiled to herself at the memory and continued on her way.
Bosco checked the time on his wristwatch and noticed it was almost nine thirty. He felt he had enough of a workout for one day. He decided he needed a drink and headed to the nearest market a couple blocks from the park. He felt invigorated and ready to take on any challenge that presented itself. He hoped the feeling would last throughout the day.
He walked to the corner of Arthur and 124th and entered Jolly's Quick Shop. He greeted the elderly cashier as he entered and continued to the back of the store to the refrigerated section.
He vaguely noticed the jingling of bells signaling the entrance of another customer as he scanned the cooler for a quenching drink. Almost anything ice cold would do. He grabbed a liter of bottled water and headed to the checkout wondering how the owner made a living running the place since it was virtually empty.
Bosco barely got to the end of the aisle when the barrel of a handgun was thrust into his chest. Startled, he took a step back and was confronted by an agitated young white male who looked to be in his late teens or early twenties.
"Look...I only have a five dollar bill on me." The stunned off-duty officer held the currency in his raised left hand with his potential purchase in the right.
"Are you all right, sir?" Without taking is eyes off the gun, Bosco asked the clerk who responded with a slow nod.
"Shut up, man!" The thief yelled at the clean-cut customer who stood before him as he took a step closer and swiftly grabbed the bill out of his hand. Never moving his weapon from Bosco, he gave the old man behind the counter a quick, angry gaze as if to warn him not to try anything foolish.
"There isn't much cash in the store at this time of day but I'll give you all I have just please don't hurt anyone!" The employee pleaded.
The unwelcome intruder demanded that the cashier deposit whatever currency he had into one of the market's bags while focusing his eyes on the store's sole customer.
After a few seconds, which seemed like a lifetime to Bosco, the robber screamed at the clerk who he assumed was stalling. "Hurry up buddy...or you're gonna have yourself a huge mess to clean up. My trigger finger's getting really sore!" He rambled on. "Move it! Now!" Even in his irrational state, he realized he needed to get out of the place before someone walked in.
While glancing around the room in search of a surveillance camera, the perp rested his eyes on the man in front of him. He noticed the insignia on Bosco's sweatshirt and a slow smile appeared on his face.
Bosco was aware of the change in his facial expression and realized the idiot must have finally noticed the lettering on his hoodie.
"Well...well...if it ain't one of New York City's finest! How does it feel to be on that side of a loaded .38...pig?" His smile fading as his bloodshot eyes gazed into Boscos' with sheer loathing. "Not too good, I bet!" He added sarcastically.
"Here's the money now please leave!" The clerk begged the man holding the gun in his shaking hand, all the while hoping to distract him from pointing the weapon at the composed customer.
The perpetrator seemed to be getting more agitated by the second. The guy he held his gun on was way too calm, like maybe he knew something that he, himself, wasn't aware of. A silent alarm perhaps. He knew he had to make his get away but the urge to torment his captives was overwhelming.
"My kid brother was shot by a City cop a couple years ago! Bastard got away with it too! Self-defense my ass!" The aggravated young man's voice bellowed throughout the room.
"You got what you came for so you might want to take off now." Bosco calmly addressed the thief hoping he would just leave already.
The perp had other ideas though. He hated all cops because of what happened to his brother and he especially despised the arrogant one in front of him. He raised his gun a fraction of an inch and cocked the hammer while reaching behind his back for his self-proclaimed stash.
A mere second later, Bosco caught sight of the clerk grab hold of something and the store echoed with a loud, vibrating discharge.
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