A Hopeless Wound

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Author: Stella aka Orison

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just a couple pics I can't stop looking at... ;)

Rating: PG-13 for now

Spoilers: General knowledge of the series up through season five.

Summary: A heinous act from a vengeful enemy brings Bosco close to the edge. Will his friends be able to help?

Author's note: I'm back! :) Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I hope to make up with this fic... I know you guys love angst, and they say I'm quite good at it, so there's a chance you'll like this story as much as I do. Oh, and please tell me what you think about it.

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'We understand Death for the first time when He puts his hands upon one whom we love.'

M.Me De Stael

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Chapter one

***

The sun was sinking low on the horizon, casting an orange glow over the 400-acre island and its ten major facilities.

Each of the giant bulbs on the four corners of the building suddenly lit up as shadows started to play with the brick towers and the barbed-wire fence that surrounded Riker's biggest jail.

It would be dinnertime soon.

Inside, detainees lined up in the long corridor waiting to be escorted to the cafeteria while correction officers surveyed the scene.

Despite being a maximum-security building, every inmate was allowed to spend a considerable amount of time outside his cell, and that gave him plenty of opportunities to cause trouble.

If the cream-painted walls could talk, they'd tell gruesome stories and scream at what the world had become.

He sighed in anticipation as the warden led him through the narrow walkway. He was looking forward to his phone call today, as he'd been since his younger brother's visit two weeks ago.

The shackles prevented him from moving as quickly as he would, but he tried not to show his eagerness as his bound feet shuffled across the pavement.

"What, big boy's expecting good news tonight?" the officer asked, noticing the smirk on his face.

"Yeah. Something like that." He grinned.

"Well, we wouldn't want to be late then, would we?" the guard replied, roughly pushing him through a black, steel door.

He stiffened but kept his eyes straight ahead, his mind already focusing on what he hoped would be his brother's words.

The sound of metal clinking became a distant noise as they slowly walked the rest of the way, passing gate after gate until they finally reached the phones.

In the adjacent room, rapists, murderers and drug dealers loudly gathered around the plastic tables and started to eat.

"Two minutes. You know the drill." The guard handed him the receiver and pointed to a corner a few feet away. "I'll be right there so don't say anything stupid."

He smiled, not really paying attention to the other man's words. His fingers impatiently dialled the number and he leaned forward, his elbow resting on the wall nearby as he waited for someone to pick up.

"Yeah."

"It's me."

"Hey! What's up, man?"

"Cut the crap J, and tell me what I wanna hear."

"You know you should be proud of me, bro. I did everything you asked. We're ready to go."

He smiled and briefly looked at the guard, then tilted his head so it would remain hidden from the man's view. "So you're all set for tonight?"

"Yeah, just as we planned. Lenny's gonna be driving the car and I'll personally take care of the problem."

"Good." He whispered, nodding slightly. "I'm going to trust you here, J. You do your job and you do it good, alright? No mistakes."

"Relax, man. I know what I'm doing. Everything's gonna be alright."

"It will be when I hear that arrogant son of a bitch got what he deserved."

He heard footsteps approaching and realized his time was up. "Be careful. I'll call you tomorrow."

The uniformed officer quickly snatched the phone from his hand and placed it on its hook. "So, how did you like your good news?" He asked though he couldn't really care less about the prisoner's lives.

He smiled. "Best news I've ever heard, pal. And it's only going to get better."

"Whatever." The guard mumbled before escorting him to the cafeteria where the others were already finishing their meal.

***

"Man, this place's as cold as the North Pole!" Bosco complained as he stepped into his mother's house, rubbing his hands in a vain attempt to generate some warmth.

"And how would you know that?" Rose replied, an amused expression on her face.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't start with me, Ma. Not tonight."

She smiled. "Where are you going?"

"To see what's wrong with the damn furnace." He muttered as he headed down the stairs to the basement.

Rose shook her head and took her coat off, hanging it up by the door.

Her son was such a complex person. He had a big heart and would do anything for the people he cared about, but he'd only learned one way to deal with life, and that was to fight, meaning he was also stubborn as hell. No wonder his attitude had gotten him into trouble more times than she could count.

She heard a noise coming from downstairs and instinctively turned around toward it. "Maurice? Is everything alright?"

"Damn thing's not working!" Bosco yelled from the basement.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure, Ma." Another noise followed. "Definitely looks dead to me."

A few moments later he was back in the living room. "What are you doing?"

"Grabbing some extra blankets. If the furnace's not working I'm gonna need them tonight."

"You're not staying here." He said firmly as he took the blankets from her and put them back in the closet.

She shrugged. "Oh, come on, it's not like it's never happened before."

Bosco flinched at her words, realizing he hadn't been around enough to know it.

"Thanks for giving me a ride home honey but really, it's okay."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm serious, Ma. It's freezing in here." His voice was soft, his tone caring. "I'm taking you to my place, alright?"

"Maurice..."

"No arguments. You're staying with me tonight." He grabbed her coat and helped her put it on again.

"Thank you, baby." Rose leaned forward and gave her son a light kiss on the cheek. "Just let me get a few things, okay? I'll be right back."

***

"You want something to eat? I'm sure I can find something in the fridge."

"No. I'm okay, honey."

Bosco nodded and removed his jacket before carrying his mother's bag to the bedroom. He smiled as he put it down on the floor and straightened the sheets on the bed, making sure his scattered clothes were safely tucked in the closet and out of her sight.

He would never admit it to anyone, but he liked having her around. Sure she could piss him at times, but he loved her more than anything.

"I'll look for a repairman in the yellow pages first thing in the morning." He said as he went back into the living room.

Rose smiled from where she was sitting on the couch and motioned for him to get closer. Bosco took a few steps forward and sat down next to her. She stared at him for a long moment.

"What's up, Ma?" he asked softly.

"You tell me, Maurice." She replied, her blue eyes full of concern.

"What do you mean?"

Rose placed her hand on his cheek. "You look sad. You've been acting strange lately, and I can tell you're upset about something."

"I'm okay." He nodded quickly. "Don't worry about me."

She shook her head. "Too late. I'm already worried, so you better start spilling it out. Besides, that's what mothers do, right?"

Bosco lowered his gaze.

"What's wrong, Maurice? Is it work?"

He sighed as he felt some of his resolve quickly fade away. All it took was one look from his mother and he'd end up telling her everything. He had no idea how she did that, but he sure wished he could use the same trick.

"I just feel like... like I don't fit in the picture anymore. I mean look at me, I failed my job, my family, and I've managed to ruin the life of everybody I care about." His voice dropped and he swallowed hard to ease the tightness in his throat.

Rose knew her son didn't like to talk about his feelings, and it surprised her that he was willing to reveal that much so she squeezed his hand, urging him to continue.

"This have something to do with Faith?"

His eyes darted away, but he forced them back to look at her. "She won't talk to me, Ma." He admitted, his voice sad. "She won't even let me anywhere near her."

"I'm sorry, baby." She shifted her weight and moved closer to him. "She back at work?"

Bosco shook his head. "Not yet. But it won't get better."

"You don't know that."

"Believe me, I do." He rubbed his face, then leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees.

"Well, I don't believe you."

His head jerked up and he stared at her, eyes wide.

"You two have been partners for what, ten years? That's a big part of your lives, Maurice. You don't forget ten years in one night and pretend they never happened. She'll talk to you when she's ready."

He exhaled slowly. "Yeah, right."

"As for letting your family down, I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm proud of you?"

"Proud..." he repeated in disbelief. "What the hell did I do to make you proud? I didn't protect you from dad, I... I couldn't save Mikey..."

"You did everything you could."

"Well it wasn't enough!" He replied, his voice somewhere between hurt and angered. "I... I tried to get him off drugs, but he wouldn't listen..."

Rose pulled him into her arms. "I know."

"Maybe if he'd grown up in a stable family he'd have been different, you know. Happier. All he needed was another chance..."

She reached up to touch his face. "Your father took that chance away from you. From all of us. It wasn't your fault."

Bosco took a deep breath and pushed himself off the couch, moving over to the window. He pulled back the curtains and gazed outside.

Rose stared after him. She knew he'd always felt responsible for not being able to save Mikey from his own actions. He was the oldest brother, the carrier of burdens, but he hadn't been able to carry Mikey's or to teach him to shoulder his own.

"You've always been too hard on yourself. Not everything that happens is your fault, you hear me? And I sure as hell don't blame you for any of this."

She walked up to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You're one of the best things that happened to me, Maurice. Don't you ever forget that. God knows where I'd be if I didn't have you in my life..."

"I'm sorry, Ma." He whispered, eyes still fixed on the street outside. "I didn't bring you here to show you how miserable my life is."

"It's okay, baby. I'm glad you told me. And you know you can talk to me about everything, right?"

He covered her hand with his own. "I know."

She patted him on the back. "Still think I don't know you, stranger?"

A smile crossed his face. She always knew how to make him feel better. He turned his head and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "You're the best."

"I love you too, baby." She took a deep breath. "So, you ready to call it a night?"

He nodded. "Sure. You go ahead and change. Bathroom's all yours."

Rose reluctantly let go of his son's hand and walked away as Bosco stole another glance at the city outside. He was so lucky to have her in his life. Faith had helped him many times in the past, but his mother had been the only constant, the only one who'd comforted him as a frightened child and helped him turn into the man he was today.

Another smile curved his lips and he tried to convince himself that in time, everything would be okay. Mothers are always right, aren't they?

A moment later, the sound of a gunshot and glass shattering pierced the air.

TBC...