Realization. Things in life happen for a reason. Things you don't plan on or think that can happen. Things you can't explain if you tried. Like loosing someone you love, or an unspeakable action that takes place. These are the elements that make up the events in a person's life. Never once did I think that all of this could happen in a single afternoon. I could still hear the gun shots echoing inside my head as his body layed next to mine. First at his brother's wake, and then his mother being injured, and now gunman hunting us down at the hospital killing anyone that got in their way. I looked around and saw broken glass all over the waiting room floor. Bullet holes in the walls and on the chairs and the terrifying looks of my fellow officers. I knew this place was not safe and that we needed to get out there and protect everyone else.
I slowly opened my eyes again shaking Bosco's arm. He did not move or respond to my touch. I picked up his arm to get up, horrified to what I saw next next. Bosco had been shot once in the face and 3 in the chest. The person on the ground did not resemble my partner at all.
"Oh my god!"
I gasped as I covered my mouth. Bosco had jumped in front of the gunman to save me and he got shot for his trouble all because of me. Bosco had always been afraid for me since I got shot and was temporally paralyzed. He swore to me that he would always protect me and back me up and that he'll try not to worry or ask me if I am okay. I hate it when he does that. He told me since we are partners he is responsible for me and will always look after me even if I don't want it. So I guess I am stuck with him. He acts on instinct and today his instinct was right on target. We had to get him to a doctor. As I leaned over to pull him up I heard gun shots coming from outside the waiting room. Sounds that seemed to be closer to what they appeared to be.
"Oh my god" I yelled as I shielded my whole body over his. I couldn't let him die.
"Oh Bosco! No…" I cried.
"Yokas you have to get him out of here" Cruz yelled at me across the room.
"Don't you think I know that? We need to get him to a safe location. He is loosing allot of blood." I yelled back at her.
I never really like Cruz, not got along with her unless I was forced to. That girl never lifts a finger to help anyone unless it benefits herself. She doesn't have friends she has enemies. Hate is a strong word but after what she has done in the past I am thinking of reconsidering. It was either her way or the hard way. You had to be with her and if you weren't then you were against her. You were not allowed to have an opinion that didn't agree with her. Did I want her help? No. I could take care of Bosco on my own, the same way I always did for the past 12 years without her help.
"You can't move him Yokas you'll endanger him."
"If I don't he will certainly die. I am not loosing him."
I looked over and saw a door that may help with hiding Bosco.
"Look over there" I pointed. "Help me drag him to that room I can't let him die."
Cruz walked over to me and helped as I insisted. As we dragged Bosco's body across the room I could see the blood trail from his body to the door. I could hear his blocked breathing. His lungs trying so hard to breathe for him. His whole shirt was covered in blood, his face still not what I remembered him as; and was filled with more blood now. My hands were trembling as I gripped his jacket. We managed to get him inside the room my fists so tight that I could see the white on the top of my knuckles. Cruz backed up against the wall as I started to perform CPR on him.
"Are you going to be okay?" Cruz asked.
"Go! I'll be fine…We'll be fine. I will stay with him." I reached down to Bosco's left pant leg and pulled out his extra gun.
"GO: I yelled back as I focused my attention onto him. Cruz watched for a few seconds before taking off.
"Oh my god Bosco! Don't you leave me, Stay with me." I cried. I put my ear to his mouth and could tell right away that he was not breathing anymore.
"Bosco! No! Don't you do this to me." I leaned over giving quick presses on his chest and covering my lips over his. My air breathing for him. He had to live he just had to. I would use all my breath I had if it meant he would live. The more I pumped my air into his lungs the harder I cried. Tears streaming down my cheeks. I could taste his blood on my lips and I knew I was loosing him.
It had been a few minutes since Bosco stopped breathing. Cruz had not come back with help yet. These few minutes felt like eternity. I could hear the quietness and I knew that the showdown was over but my nightmare was just beginning. I kept giving quick presses on his chest. I pumped him 5 times before breathing into his mouth. I begged him to stay with me hoping hoping he could hear me. I continued this until I heard footsteps outside the door. I immediately grabbed Bosco's gun & pointed it as the the door flung open only to reveal Cruz and Davis.
"Yokas" She called out as she out her and up and came towards me. I lowered my gun and placed it on the floor next to me.
"Oh God!" I cried and went back to work on Bosco. Cruz stepped closer to me.
"Is he okay?" She asked.
He's not breathing, He's not breathing." I kept saying over and over again.
"Yokas he is not breathing."
I looked up at her. I could feel the stinging in my eyes.
"You don't think I know that? Aren't you listening to anything I am saying?" I snapped back at her. Was she that stupid? Could she not see that I knew that?
"Yokas, he hasn't been breathing for sometime now..he's-"
I looked up at her and cut her off before she could outer those words out of her mouth.
"Don't you dare say that. Don't you dare say that he is dead. He's not; I have to breathe for him. He saved my life. He can't die. I won't let him! We need to get him downstairs to ER."
I leaned down again over Bosco. "Oh Bosco, Bosco, Bosco! Come on Breathe! Don't you leave me!"
A few officers helped me, Ty, & Cruz carry Bosco down to ER. His gun still firmly in my right hand. I was waving it around and shouting at people and Proctor and anyone else that got in my way to get some help, to get surgery down here The doctors were able to revive him after a few tries. He finally had a heartbeat. They needed to bring him up to surgery right away. He had multiple gun shot wounds in the chest and one that passed through his cheek and out his right eye. He was in bad shape. The doctors could not give me a straight answer about his condition and used all this medical terminology on me. All I wanted was a straight answer and no one could give it to me. I watched as they wheeled him out into surgery. My worst fear hoping not to come true. Bosco had been shot in the past before but not like this; this was bad. He had jumped in front of a bullet meant for me. Now Bosco could die and it would hang over my head for the rest of my life. I felt a hand caress my shoulder. I turned around and wiped my tears away.
"He's going to make it Faith." Swersky said.
"You didn't see him. It's bad Lieu."
"He's strong, He's Bosco."
"He's not superman you know. He may not make it."
"You don't know that for sure."
"Neither do you. He can't die Lieu he just can't."
"You might want to put that away" Swersky said.
I looked down and saw that I was still carrying Bosco's gun.
"I'm sorry I was upset. I didn't mean to frighten anyone."
"Why don't you give me the gun Faith." Swersky said as he tried to take it from my hand.
"No, Bosco is my partner. I will hold his gun."
'Okay, But please put it away in a safe place. I would feel allot better. I don't want anymore accidents."
"I'm sorry. I'll put it in my purse okay?"
"As long as you promise me it'll stay there."
"I will. I just need to be here when Bosco gets out of surgery."
"Can I wait with you?"
"It will be a couple of hours Lieu before we hear anything."
"I want to wait with you. You shouldn't be alone right now."
"I'd like that very much, Thank you."
I walked over and looked out the window. Rain droplets were falling on the window. I looked at my hands which still had Bosco's dried blood on it. As I closed my eyes I could see visions of Bosco screaming my name as he jumped in front of me and pulled me to the ground. That might have been the last time I would ever hear his name. I put my hand on the window and squeezed my eyes tightly as a single tear fell from my left eye.
"Don't die Bosco, Stay with me." I whispered as I waited for an answer, an answer that would change my life forever. An answer that would never be able to describe to what happened today….
TO BE CONTINUED!