Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters belong to John Wells, Edward Allan Bernero, NBC and a bunch of other people I don't know.
Partners by Jewel21
"Faith? Oh God Faith. Can you hear me? Faith, please answer me." Those were the last words she heard before everything went black.
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Earlier
"Bosco, would you please talk to me." Faith called out as she tried to keep up with her very pissed off partner. They had just finished their shift and were standing outside of the 55th Precinct. She stopped dead in her tracks when he suddenly whipped around to face her. He was furious.
"I can't believe you Faith! I can't believe that you would go behind my back and talk to Lieu about me. Now, because of you, I have to go see a fuckin' shrink!" He said his eyes flashing in anger.
"Bos, look you need help, okay. You haven't been yourself lately, ever since - " Faith started to explain but she was interrupted by her very angry partner.
"I'm fine, Faith. I told you I was fine and to drop it and you purposely went behind my back. You know what, this conversation is over! " He shouted as he reached his Mustang and slammed the door shut. Faith winced as he squealed out of the parking lot. (Okay, so maybe telling him that I was behind it wasn't such a good idea.) Faith thought to herself as she made her way home. She hadn't planned on telling Bosco the truth but she hated lying to him and after a few hints, she had finally told him. Now, she wished that she had just kept her big mouth shut. (Tomorrow's so not going to be fun.) She thought to herself as she tried to picture what it would be like to work with Bosco. She was not looking forward to being trapped in a car with him for eight hours. So not looking forward to it at all.
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As Faith made her way into the precinct, she was met by the Lieutenant. "Officer Yokas, I need to speak with you." He said when he saw her.
"Um, sure Lieu." She said as she followed him into his office.
"I just wanted to let you know that Officer Boscorelli has requested that he ride with Officer Michaels today. You'll be riding with Guzzler."
"Bosco asked to ride with someone else?" Faith asked not quite comprehending.
"Yes, I was just as surprised as you were when he asked to be switched. Is there anything that I should know?" Faith could feel his eyes boring into her but she shook her head.
"I'm not sure," she said adjusting her bag, "Is at all, sir?" She asked eager to leave his office and find Bosco.
"Yes, that'll be it." The Lieutenant replied.
"Thanks, Lieu." Faith said as she quickly opened his door and left.
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Faith didn't see Bosco until role call. He wasn't in the locker room when she went to change into her uniform. He purposely avoided her when she walked in and was sitting next to Officer Michaels, who looked none to pleased about the fact that he had to ride with the hotheaded cop. In fact, he looked downright miserable Faith noted to herself. After roll call, she tried to talk to Bosco but when she looked up he had already left. She saw Guzzler waiting for her and sighed. It was going to be a long day.
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Four hours into her shift and Faith was ready to shoot Guzzler or herself. Normally, Faith was a very patient person by nature, she had to be if she was able to tolerate working with Bosco for this long, but today she wasn't. She was mad at Bosco and hurt over the fact that he had asked the Lieutenant not to be partnered with her. She was also sick of Guzzler's inane chitchat and stupid questions. She had already snapped at him twice, both times he had stared at her in shock and promptly turned away. Although normally she would have felt bad, today she just couldn't find it in herself to care.
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Back in the other squad car, Bosco wasn't fairing any better. It was quite obvious to him that Officer Michaels was none to pleased about riding with him. Every time Bosco had tried to start a conversation, it always fell flat within a few minutes. As a result, the last 25 minutes or so were spent in total silence. It was making him restless. That was one of the reasons why he liked working with Faith so much. She made the job interesting by contributing to their partnership. He glanced at his watch and sighed. It was going to be a long day. He was curious as to how Faith was fairing with Guzzler and wondered if he had made a mistake.
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"Umm, Officer Yokas?" Guzzler asked breaking her out of her reverie.
Faith took a deep breath before opening her mouth. "What?" She asked.
"Umm, I was just wondering if we could stop off to eat somewhere. I'm kind of hungry."
Faith nodded her head. She was actually quite hungry herself and eager to get out of the car. Being trapped in it with Guzzler was seriously starting to drain her energy. "Where do you wanna eat?" She asked him, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Ah, I don't know. There's a Dunkin Donuts at the next street corner, we could go there if you want, unless you don't because then we could - "
Faith cut him off before he could ramble any further. "Dunkin Donuts is fine" She told him as she swung the squad car in its direction. Even though inwardly she would have prefered going to that little Mexican restaurant she loved so much, she felt guilty about snapping at Guzzler and decided to appease him. She told dispatch that they were taking their lunch break and waited for confirmation. She then pulled the RMP into a parking space along the side of the restaurant. They both got out and started to make their way to one of the side doors. Upon placing her hand on the glass door, Faith noticed that one of the cashiers had her hands in the air her eyes wide with fear. Meanwhile, the other waitress was quickly handing over the contents of the cash register to one of two armed men. Faith could see her trembling from where she was standing. She quickly assessed the situation. She noted that there were about five civilians inside all huddled in a corner.
"55-David to 55-Central, I have a 10-30 in progress at the corner of West 57th and Columbus. I see two perps and five civilians. We need backup." Faith quickly said into her radio before releasing it and pulling her gun out of her holster. She signaled to Guzzler, who looked as nervous as ever, to get into position. "Go by the back." She told him as word came over the radio that back up was on its way. She saw him move around the side of the building and assessed the situation again. The robbers were becoming rowdy and she saw the taller of the two shoot out the two security cameras mounted over the counter. "Guzzler, what's your position?" She asked into the small radio clipped to her shoulder.
"I'm in the back. The doors open." Came his reply.
"Okay, let's move." Faith said as she got into position. Guzzler made his way cautiously into the kitchen noting that it was empty. He slowly made his way though the doorway leading to the front of the store. He noticed that Faith was slowly making her way towards the two perps, who were too preoccupied to notice. "Police," Faith called out as she drew her gun directly in front of her. She saw Guzzler do the same. The two robbers quickly turned around to face the two police officers.
"Fuck man!" The smaller of the two said. "I knew this was a bad idea. We never should have done this. I don't know why I let you talk me into this shit."
"Would you shut the hell up already." The taller one said, glaring at his partner. "You're right I should never had let you in on this. You don't have the balls. Never did."
"Look, just put your weapons down all right?" Faith said. "Back-up's on its way. This doesn't have to end badly. Just put your weapons down and nobody has to get hurt." Faith could see the smaller of the two looking at his partner wondering what they should do.
"I'm not going back, Jason. I'm not going fucking back to jail." The taller one said as he saw his partner starting to lower his weapon. "Here why don't you be fucking useful for once." He snarled as he rammed his reluctant partner into Guzzler, causing both of them to fall. Guzzlers' gun clattered across the brown-tiled floor. As Faith gaze was momentarily diverted, the taller perp took advantage by her distraction by swinging his gun around to her and firing once. At that moment Faith was aware of two things. One, she was vaguely aware of Officer Michaels and Bosco entering the store. Secondly, she was aware of the bullet slamming into her, causing her to stagger backwards. As she went down, she caught her head on the corner of the mini-counter that housed the creams and sugars. As her scull made contact with the wooden counter, a loud crack resounded through the restaurant until she finally came to rest on the cold, hard floor. Then everything went black.
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Bosco's heart jumped in his throat when he saw Faith go down. "Faith!" he called out when he saw her get hit. He quickly swung around to face the perp who had shot Faith, noting that Guzzler and the other perp were both unarmed and out cold on the ground. He saw their guns lying about 15 feet away from them. "Look, just put your weapon down. None of this has to get any worse." Bosco said trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He could just make out Faith's prone form on the ground half covered by the counter. He could see a small pool of blood forming around her but couldn't be sure where it was coming from based on where he was standing.
"I'm not going back again." He heard the perp say causing him to momentarily rip his gaze away from his partner. "I'm not going back to jail."
"Put your gun down now." Officer Michaels said, "Back up is on its way. If you don't put your weapon down now, it's going to end up even worse. Now, just put your gun down."
"No way man. I put my gun down and that's it its over." The man said aiming his gun at the two officers.
"Look, just let me check on my partner." Bosco said, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice.
"Thought she was his partner." The man said, nodding his head in the direction of Guzzler who was still knocked out along with the other robber.
"Just let me check on her," Bosco said as he started to inch his way towards Faith's still form not waiting for a reply from the other man.
"No way man." The perp said his voice cold and lacking any kind of emotion. Bosco proceeded anyway, picking up speed as her neared her body. "I said stop!" The man shouted as he swung his gun around. Officer Michaels put pressure on his weapon and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger when he saw that his partner was about to be shot at. He saw the man go down, his gun falling out of his hand and quickly radioed for some buses just as their back up pulled in.
Bosco was oblivious to everything going on around him. All he could see was Faith's pale form. He quickly dropped down before her. He could feel about 100 different emotions coursing through him, some of which included guilt, anger, fear and sadness, all mixing together like a really bad cocktail. He could see that the blood he had noticed earlier was coming from her head. However, he ripped open her shirt and with fumbling fingers pulled at her vest. Relief flooded him as his hands came away free of blood. He could see her stir and her eyes fluttered open, her low groan filling the room. She looked at him with unfocused eyes, when she heard his voice penetrating her muddled brain. "Faith. Oh God Faith. Can you hear me? Faith, please answer me." She could hear the fear in his voice, it was almost tangible, but before she could answer him everything started to go dark again and she was once again pulled into the peaceful abyss.
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Everything after that went by in a blur for Bosco. He vaguely remembered Doc and Carlos coming in and working on Faith but for the life of him he couldn't remember what was going on around him. All he was able to focus on was her. If he hadn't been such as jackass none of this would have happened. If he hadn't reacted like a jerk over what Faith had done, and requested another partner today, she would be fine. She would never have been partnered with Guzzler, she never would have stepped foot into that Dunkin Donuts, and she never would have gotten hurt. If anything happened to her, he didn't know what he would do. She was the only one who cared about him, the only once who had ever taken the time to know him. She was his friend, his only friend, and he didn't know what he would ever do if anything ever happened to her and he was left alone. He didn't know if he would be able to survive. She was the only one who had ever stuck around and he couldn't live with himself if something happened to her and she was no longer in his life. She was his anchor and without her he's just be lost. He couldn't lose her, he just couldn't.
"Bosco." His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Fred making his way into the hospital waiting room. "Where's Faith? What happened? Is my wife okay? Damn it answer me!"
"Um, she was shot at but the bullet didn't penetrate. She hit her head on the way down. She lost some blood and was unconscious when she was brought in. That's all I know." Bosco said as he looked up at the older man.
"What the hell happened? Why didn't you back her up? You're her partner damn it! You're supposed to be protecting her out there." Fred shouted at him. He was aware of several people staring at him but ignored them.
"I wasn't riding with her today. She was riding with Guzzler -" Bosco started to say before he was interrupted.
"What the hell do you mean you weren't riding with her? Why the hell not? You let her ride with that rookie cop again?" Fred asked him. Bosco was about to reply when he saw an ER doctor walking towards them. "Are you Officer Yokas' husband?" The man asked looking at Fred. "I'm Doctor Stevens. The doctor who treated your wife."
"Yeah doc, how is she?" Fred asked, worry apparent in his voice.
"Well, she's stabilized and is doing fine. The bullet hit her vest but didn't penetrate. She has a broken rib and quite a bit of bruising but in that respect she's fine. We were more concerned with her head injury initially when she was brought in. We did a CT scan and everything came back normal. There's no swelling or bleeding in the brain. However, she does have a pretty serious concussion so we'd like to admit her for observations just in case there are any complications. The gash on the back of her head required some stitches and she lost quite a bit of blood but other than that she's going to be fine."
Both Bosco and Fred said a silent prayer of thanks. The doctor spoke again, "She's conscious at the moment if you'd like to see her."
"Yeah, thanks Doc." Fred said as he followed the doctor leaving Bosco alone in the waiting room.
"How's she doing?" Sully asked as he walked up to Bosco. The surprised officer turned around to face him.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, as he took in Davis as well.
"We heard what happened. We wanted to check in and see how she was doing." Sully told the younger cop.
"So, how is she, man?" Davis asked as he made his way next to Sully.
"Doctor said that she's going to be fine. She has a concussion and a broken rib and needed some stitches but other than that it looks really good." Bosco told them, the relief evident in his voice.
"That's good to hear, man." Davis said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Where's Fred?" Sully asked looking around the waiting room for Faith's husband.
"He just went to go see her." Bosco replied.
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"Hey baby, how you feeling?" Fred asked as he leaned down to give his wife a kiss on the cheek.
"Good, a little tired though."
"You had me worried, Faith. When I got that call today at work telling me that something at happened to you I didn't know what to think. I was so worried that -" Fred started to say, his gruff voice filled with emotion.
"Hey, I'm fine. Just remember, this head is hard." Faith joked as she looked up at her husband. "How are Em and Charlie?"
"They're fine. They're good, don't worry about them. They miss their mommy though."
"Tell them that I'll see them soon and that I love them." Faith said, her eyes starting to tear up.
"Hey, they know that." Fred whispered as he leaned down and tenderly tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Faith, what the hell happened out there? Why weren't you riding with Bosco today?"
"How did -"
"He told me in the waiting room. What happened? I don't understand why he wasn't there to back you up." Fred asked, anger beginning to taint his words.
"He's here?" Faith asked, interrupting her husband.
"Yeah, he's here but you still haven't answered my question. Why wasn't he riding with you today?"
"Fred, I'm feeling kinda tired. I'll tell you everything tomorrow, okay. I promise. I just don't feel like getting into it right now."
"Yeah, sure." Fred said, his voice instantly softening.
"Can you do me a favor? Can you tell him that I want to see him?" Faith asked.
"Yeah, sure babe." He said as he quickly kissed his wife on the cheek and left the room. He quickly made his way into the waiting room where Sully and Davis greeted him.
"Hey, Fred. How is she?" Sully asked, his face full of concern.
"She's gonna be fine. Thanks for coming down." Sully and Davis both nodded in relief.
"That's good to hear." Davis said.
"She wants to see you." Fred told Bosco quietly. Bosco felt a mixture of happiness and fear course though him. What if she hated him? What if she didn't want to be his partner anymore? Bosco didn't know what he would do if that were the case.
"Bosco?" Fred said when the younger man failed to answer right away.
"Yeah," Bosco said as he was once again interrupted from his thoughts, " I want to see her too."
"Well, tell her that we stopped by and we'll see her tomorrow, okay?" Davis said as he and Sully got up to go.
"Thanks for coming, guys. I'll let her know that you stopped by." Fred said to them. He watched them leave before turning around and facing his wife's partner. "Follow me." He said as he led him down the maze of hallways to where Faith was waiting from them. He watched Bosco enter the room before he turned back and made his way back to the waiting room. He figured that they needed their privacy.
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"Hey," Bosco said as he stepped into her room. "How are you doing?" He could see her lying against the bed. She looked so small and frail at that moment. He noted that she was pale and her head was bandaged but other than that she looked a lot better than she did the last time he had seen her.
"Hey, yourself." She told him as she motioned for him to sit in one of the two chairs placed near her bed.
"So, how are you feeling?" He asked her, the concern apparent in both his face and voice as he lowed himself into the uncomfortable straight-backed chair.
"Actually, I'm feeling pretty good considering ... a little tired I guess."
"Yeah, that's understandable." Bosco said his voice trailing off. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her but he had no idea where to begin.
"Look Bos, about what happened the other day with the department shrink, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't want to go behind your back. It's just that I was worried about you and - "
"No, Faith, don't apologize. You were right. I haven't been the same since Hobart died. I haven't been myself, you know? I've just been going through the motions but my head and heart hasn't been in it..." Bosco trailed off. The room was silent for a few minutes before he started to speak once more. " I've been lost. I do need help. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. And then, when I found out what you did, I acted like a complete ass. Asking to be partnered with someone else. God, Faith, I'm so sorry. If it weren't for me you'd be fine. You wouldn't be lying in this damn hospital bed. You'd never have been partnered with Guzzler and none of this would have happened." He said the words coming out in a rush.
"Bosco, don't blame yourself for what happened today because I don't. What happened to me today wasn't your fault. I should have waited for backup before going in."
"Faith -" Bosco started to interject but was interrupted before he could continue.
"What happened to Guzzler anyway?" Faith asked.
"Got knocked out for a little while. He's fine though; he has a mild concussion. I think he's planning on taking a couple of weeks off."
"I'm not surprised." Faith murmured. "What happened to the perps?"
"One of them's in custody and the other one's dead." Bosco said matter-of-factly. "Look Faith," Bosco said taking a deep breath before continuing. "You scared the shit out of me today. When I saw you lying on the ground I didn't know what to think. I thought you were..." Bosco trailed off swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. "I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to you today. What I would have done if I never saw you again -"
"Bosco," Faith said softly cutting him off.
"No, Faith. Let me finish, please." He said looking up at her; his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Faith, you're all I have. You're the only one who has ever taken the time to get to know me, to really know me...shit," He said, stopping abruptly, frustration at the inability to express himself clearly, marring his words.
"Bos, it's okay. I get it -" Faith started to say before she was interrupted.
"No, I want to say this. I do. It's just hard. Okay, let me try this again," He said taking a deep breath. She watched him rub his jaw for a few minutes with his right hand before continuing. "You're ... you're my best friend. Hell Faith, you're my only friend. I don't know ... I want to thank you for being my friend, for caring and looking out for me when no one else in my life has. I don't ... damn it..." He swore softly, he took a deep breath once more before continuing. "Ah, I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you in my life but ... but I'm glad that I've been given that opportunity." He said, looking down at the ground, his face red with embarrassment.
"Bos -"
"No, let me finish, please."
She waited patiently while he took a few moments to compose himself. "I was an ass today and I don't deserve someone like you in my life. I understand if you don't want to be my partner anymore... " He said trailing off and looking down at his hands.
"Are you finished yet?" Faith asked, her soft voice breaking the silence. Bosco didn't look up but simply nodded his head.
"First off, thank you. Thank you for letting me into your life. For allowing me the opportunity to get to know you. I know that doesn't come easy for you, letting people in. Secondly, of course I want to still be your partner. I was worried that you wouldn't want me to be yours."
"Really? You still want to be my partner?" Bosco said, practically whispering the words. He saw afraid that if he said them too loudly he would have misunderstood them.
"Yeah, really." Faith said smiling at him.
"Okay, good. So, it's settled them right?" He asked her again looking for confirmation.
"Yeah, it's settled. You want me to sign a contract or something?" She joked, a smile on her face.
"Nah, that's okay. I'll take your word for it." Bosco said smiling back. "Well, I should probably let you get some rest. I'll come by to see you tomorrow morning. Oh, by the way Sully and Davis stopped by before to see how you're doing. I'll let them know that you're fine." He said, rising up from his seat.
"Great, thanks. So, I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Faith asked as she settled more comfortably in her bed.
"Count on it." Bosco said as he gazed at her.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, partner." Faith said as she closed her eyes, fatigue washing over her.
"Yeah, see you, partner." Bosco said a small smile forming on his lips. He looked at her one last time before he turned around and went back to the waiting room to get Fred. It looked like everything was going to be just fine.
End
Partners by Jewel21
"Faith? Oh God Faith. Can you hear me? Faith, please answer me." Those were the last words she heard before everything went black.
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Earlier
"Bosco, would you please talk to me." Faith called out as she tried to keep up with her very pissed off partner. They had just finished their shift and were standing outside of the 55th Precinct. She stopped dead in her tracks when he suddenly whipped around to face her. He was furious.
"I can't believe you Faith! I can't believe that you would go behind my back and talk to Lieu about me. Now, because of you, I have to go see a fuckin' shrink!" He said his eyes flashing in anger.
"Bos, look you need help, okay. You haven't been yourself lately, ever since - " Faith started to explain but she was interrupted by her very angry partner.
"I'm fine, Faith. I told you I was fine and to drop it and you purposely went behind my back. You know what, this conversation is over! " He shouted as he reached his Mustang and slammed the door shut. Faith winced as he squealed out of the parking lot. (Okay, so maybe telling him that I was behind it wasn't such a good idea.) Faith thought to herself as she made her way home. She hadn't planned on telling Bosco the truth but she hated lying to him and after a few hints, she had finally told him. Now, she wished that she had just kept her big mouth shut. (Tomorrow's so not going to be fun.) She thought to herself as she tried to picture what it would be like to work with Bosco. She was not looking forward to being trapped in a car with him for eight hours. So not looking forward to it at all.
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As Faith made her way into the precinct, she was met by the Lieutenant. "Officer Yokas, I need to speak with you." He said when he saw her.
"Um, sure Lieu." She said as she followed him into his office.
"I just wanted to let you know that Officer Boscorelli has requested that he ride with Officer Michaels today. You'll be riding with Guzzler."
"Bosco asked to ride with someone else?" Faith asked not quite comprehending.
"Yes, I was just as surprised as you were when he asked to be switched. Is there anything that I should know?" Faith could feel his eyes boring into her but she shook her head.
"I'm not sure," she said adjusting her bag, "Is at all, sir?" She asked eager to leave his office and find Bosco.
"Yes, that'll be it." The Lieutenant replied.
"Thanks, Lieu." Faith said as she quickly opened his door and left.
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Faith didn't see Bosco until role call. He wasn't in the locker room when she went to change into her uniform. He purposely avoided her when she walked in and was sitting next to Officer Michaels, who looked none to pleased about the fact that he had to ride with the hotheaded cop. In fact, he looked downright miserable Faith noted to herself. After roll call, she tried to talk to Bosco but when she looked up he had already left. She saw Guzzler waiting for her and sighed. It was going to be a long day.
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Four hours into her shift and Faith was ready to shoot Guzzler or herself. Normally, Faith was a very patient person by nature, she had to be if she was able to tolerate working with Bosco for this long, but today she wasn't. She was mad at Bosco and hurt over the fact that he had asked the Lieutenant not to be partnered with her. She was also sick of Guzzler's inane chitchat and stupid questions. She had already snapped at him twice, both times he had stared at her in shock and promptly turned away. Although normally she would have felt bad, today she just couldn't find it in herself to care.
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Back in the other squad car, Bosco wasn't fairing any better. It was quite obvious to him that Officer Michaels was none to pleased about riding with him. Every time Bosco had tried to start a conversation, it always fell flat within a few minutes. As a result, the last 25 minutes or so were spent in total silence. It was making him restless. That was one of the reasons why he liked working with Faith so much. She made the job interesting by contributing to their partnership. He glanced at his watch and sighed. It was going to be a long day. He was curious as to how Faith was fairing with Guzzler and wondered if he had made a mistake.
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"Umm, Officer Yokas?" Guzzler asked breaking her out of her reverie.
Faith took a deep breath before opening her mouth. "What?" She asked.
"Umm, I was just wondering if we could stop off to eat somewhere. I'm kind of hungry."
Faith nodded her head. She was actually quite hungry herself and eager to get out of the car. Being trapped in it with Guzzler was seriously starting to drain her energy. "Where do you wanna eat?" She asked him, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Ah, I don't know. There's a Dunkin Donuts at the next street corner, we could go there if you want, unless you don't because then we could - "
Faith cut him off before he could ramble any further. "Dunkin Donuts is fine" She told him as she swung the squad car in its direction. Even though inwardly she would have prefered going to that little Mexican restaurant she loved so much, she felt guilty about snapping at Guzzler and decided to appease him. She told dispatch that they were taking their lunch break and waited for confirmation. She then pulled the RMP into a parking space along the side of the restaurant. They both got out and started to make their way to one of the side doors. Upon placing her hand on the glass door, Faith noticed that one of the cashiers had her hands in the air her eyes wide with fear. Meanwhile, the other waitress was quickly handing over the contents of the cash register to one of two armed men. Faith could see her trembling from where she was standing. She quickly assessed the situation. She noted that there were about five civilians inside all huddled in a corner.
"55-David to 55-Central, I have a 10-30 in progress at the corner of West 57th and Columbus. I see two perps and five civilians. We need backup." Faith quickly said into her radio before releasing it and pulling her gun out of her holster. She signaled to Guzzler, who looked as nervous as ever, to get into position. "Go by the back." She told him as word came over the radio that back up was on its way. She saw him move around the side of the building and assessed the situation again. The robbers were becoming rowdy and she saw the taller of the two shoot out the two security cameras mounted over the counter. "Guzzler, what's your position?" She asked into the small radio clipped to her shoulder.
"I'm in the back. The doors open." Came his reply.
"Okay, let's move." Faith said as she got into position. Guzzler made his way cautiously into the kitchen noting that it was empty. He slowly made his way though the doorway leading to the front of the store. He noticed that Faith was slowly making her way towards the two perps, who were too preoccupied to notice. "Police," Faith called out as she drew her gun directly in front of her. She saw Guzzler do the same. The two robbers quickly turned around to face the two police officers.
"Fuck man!" The smaller of the two said. "I knew this was a bad idea. We never should have done this. I don't know why I let you talk me into this shit."
"Would you shut the hell up already." The taller one said, glaring at his partner. "You're right I should never had let you in on this. You don't have the balls. Never did."
"Look, just put your weapons down all right?" Faith said. "Back-up's on its way. This doesn't have to end badly. Just put your weapons down and nobody has to get hurt." Faith could see the smaller of the two looking at his partner wondering what they should do.
"I'm not going back, Jason. I'm not going fucking back to jail." The taller one said as he saw his partner starting to lower his weapon. "Here why don't you be fucking useful for once." He snarled as he rammed his reluctant partner into Guzzler, causing both of them to fall. Guzzlers' gun clattered across the brown-tiled floor. As Faith gaze was momentarily diverted, the taller perp took advantage by her distraction by swinging his gun around to her and firing once. At that moment Faith was aware of two things. One, she was vaguely aware of Officer Michaels and Bosco entering the store. Secondly, she was aware of the bullet slamming into her, causing her to stagger backwards. As she went down, she caught her head on the corner of the mini-counter that housed the creams and sugars. As her scull made contact with the wooden counter, a loud crack resounded through the restaurant until she finally came to rest on the cold, hard floor. Then everything went black.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Bosco's heart jumped in his throat when he saw Faith go down. "Faith!" he called out when he saw her get hit. He quickly swung around to face the perp who had shot Faith, noting that Guzzler and the other perp were both unarmed and out cold on the ground. He saw their guns lying about 15 feet away from them. "Look, just put your weapon down. None of this has to get any worse." Bosco said trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He could just make out Faith's prone form on the ground half covered by the counter. He could see a small pool of blood forming around her but couldn't be sure where it was coming from based on where he was standing.
"I'm not going back again." He heard the perp say causing him to momentarily rip his gaze away from his partner. "I'm not going back to jail."
"Put your gun down now." Officer Michaels said, "Back up is on its way. If you don't put your weapon down now, it's going to end up even worse. Now, just put your gun down."
"No way man. I put my gun down and that's it its over." The man said aiming his gun at the two officers.
"Look, just let me check on my partner." Bosco said, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice.
"Thought she was his partner." The man said, nodding his head in the direction of Guzzler who was still knocked out along with the other robber.
"Just let me check on her," Bosco said as he started to inch his way towards Faith's still form not waiting for a reply from the other man.
"No way man." The perp said his voice cold and lacking any kind of emotion. Bosco proceeded anyway, picking up speed as her neared her body. "I said stop!" The man shouted as he swung his gun around. Officer Michaels put pressure on his weapon and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger when he saw that his partner was about to be shot at. He saw the man go down, his gun falling out of his hand and quickly radioed for some buses just as their back up pulled in.
Bosco was oblivious to everything going on around him. All he could see was Faith's pale form. He quickly dropped down before her. He could feel about 100 different emotions coursing through him, some of which included guilt, anger, fear and sadness, all mixing together like a really bad cocktail. He could see that the blood he had noticed earlier was coming from her head. However, he ripped open her shirt and with fumbling fingers pulled at her vest. Relief flooded him as his hands came away free of blood. He could see her stir and her eyes fluttered open, her low groan filling the room. She looked at him with unfocused eyes, when she heard his voice penetrating her muddled brain. "Faith. Oh God Faith. Can you hear me? Faith, please answer me." She could hear the fear in his voice, it was almost tangible, but before she could answer him everything started to go dark again and she was once again pulled into the peaceful abyss.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Everything after that went by in a blur for Bosco. He vaguely remembered Doc and Carlos coming in and working on Faith but for the life of him he couldn't remember what was going on around him. All he was able to focus on was her. If he hadn't been such as jackass none of this would have happened. If he hadn't reacted like a jerk over what Faith had done, and requested another partner today, she would be fine. She would never have been partnered with Guzzler, she never would have stepped foot into that Dunkin Donuts, and she never would have gotten hurt. If anything happened to her, he didn't know what he would do. She was the only one who cared about him, the only once who had ever taken the time to know him. She was his friend, his only friend, and he didn't know what he would ever do if anything ever happened to her and he was left alone. He didn't know if he would be able to survive. She was the only one who had ever stuck around and he couldn't live with himself if something happened to her and she was no longer in his life. She was his anchor and without her he's just be lost. He couldn't lose her, he just couldn't.
"Bosco." His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Fred making his way into the hospital waiting room. "Where's Faith? What happened? Is my wife okay? Damn it answer me!"
"Um, she was shot at but the bullet didn't penetrate. She hit her head on the way down. She lost some blood and was unconscious when she was brought in. That's all I know." Bosco said as he looked up at the older man.
"What the hell happened? Why didn't you back her up? You're her partner damn it! You're supposed to be protecting her out there." Fred shouted at him. He was aware of several people staring at him but ignored them.
"I wasn't riding with her today. She was riding with Guzzler -" Bosco started to say before he was interrupted.
"What the hell do you mean you weren't riding with her? Why the hell not? You let her ride with that rookie cop again?" Fred asked him. Bosco was about to reply when he saw an ER doctor walking towards them. "Are you Officer Yokas' husband?" The man asked looking at Fred. "I'm Doctor Stevens. The doctor who treated your wife."
"Yeah doc, how is she?" Fred asked, worry apparent in his voice.
"Well, she's stabilized and is doing fine. The bullet hit her vest but didn't penetrate. She has a broken rib and quite a bit of bruising but in that respect she's fine. We were more concerned with her head injury initially when she was brought in. We did a CT scan and everything came back normal. There's no swelling or bleeding in the brain. However, she does have a pretty serious concussion so we'd like to admit her for observations just in case there are any complications. The gash on the back of her head required some stitches and she lost quite a bit of blood but other than that she's going to be fine."
Both Bosco and Fred said a silent prayer of thanks. The doctor spoke again, "She's conscious at the moment if you'd like to see her."
"Yeah, thanks Doc." Fred said as he followed the doctor leaving Bosco alone in the waiting room.
"How's she doing?" Sully asked as he walked up to Bosco. The surprised officer turned around to face him.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, as he took in Davis as well.
"We heard what happened. We wanted to check in and see how she was doing." Sully told the younger cop.
"So, how is she, man?" Davis asked as he made his way next to Sully.
"Doctor said that she's going to be fine. She has a concussion and a broken rib and needed some stitches but other than that it looks really good." Bosco told them, the relief evident in his voice.
"That's good to hear, man." Davis said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Where's Fred?" Sully asked looking around the waiting room for Faith's husband.
"He just went to go see her." Bosco replied.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Hey baby, how you feeling?" Fred asked as he leaned down to give his wife a kiss on the cheek.
"Good, a little tired though."
"You had me worried, Faith. When I got that call today at work telling me that something at happened to you I didn't know what to think. I was so worried that -" Fred started to say, his gruff voice filled with emotion.
"Hey, I'm fine. Just remember, this head is hard." Faith joked as she looked up at her husband. "How are Em and Charlie?"
"They're fine. They're good, don't worry about them. They miss their mommy though."
"Tell them that I'll see them soon and that I love them." Faith said, her eyes starting to tear up.
"Hey, they know that." Fred whispered as he leaned down and tenderly tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Faith, what the hell happened out there? Why weren't you riding with Bosco today?"
"How did -"
"He told me in the waiting room. What happened? I don't understand why he wasn't there to back you up." Fred asked, anger beginning to taint his words.
"He's here?" Faith asked, interrupting her husband.
"Yeah, he's here but you still haven't answered my question. Why wasn't he riding with you today?"
"Fred, I'm feeling kinda tired. I'll tell you everything tomorrow, okay. I promise. I just don't feel like getting into it right now."
"Yeah, sure." Fred said, his voice instantly softening.
"Can you do me a favor? Can you tell him that I want to see him?" Faith asked.
"Yeah, sure babe." He said as he quickly kissed his wife on the cheek and left the room. He quickly made his way into the waiting room where Sully and Davis greeted him.
"Hey, Fred. How is she?" Sully asked, his face full of concern.
"She's gonna be fine. Thanks for coming down." Sully and Davis both nodded in relief.
"That's good to hear." Davis said.
"She wants to see you." Fred told Bosco quietly. Bosco felt a mixture of happiness and fear course though him. What if she hated him? What if she didn't want to be his partner anymore? Bosco didn't know what he would do if that were the case.
"Bosco?" Fred said when the younger man failed to answer right away.
"Yeah," Bosco said as he was once again interrupted from his thoughts, " I want to see her too."
"Well, tell her that we stopped by and we'll see her tomorrow, okay?" Davis said as he and Sully got up to go.
"Thanks for coming, guys. I'll let her know that you stopped by." Fred said to them. He watched them leave before turning around and facing his wife's partner. "Follow me." He said as he led him down the maze of hallways to where Faith was waiting from them. He watched Bosco enter the room before he turned back and made his way back to the waiting room. He figured that they needed their privacy.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Hey," Bosco said as he stepped into her room. "How are you doing?" He could see her lying against the bed. She looked so small and frail at that moment. He noted that she was pale and her head was bandaged but other than that she looked a lot better than she did the last time he had seen her.
"Hey, yourself." She told him as she motioned for him to sit in one of the two chairs placed near her bed.
"So, how are you feeling?" He asked her, the concern apparent in both his face and voice as he lowed himself into the uncomfortable straight-backed chair.
"Actually, I'm feeling pretty good considering ... a little tired I guess."
"Yeah, that's understandable." Bosco said his voice trailing off. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her but he had no idea where to begin.
"Look Bos, about what happened the other day with the department shrink, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't want to go behind your back. It's just that I was worried about you and - "
"No, Faith, don't apologize. You were right. I haven't been the same since Hobart died. I haven't been myself, you know? I've just been going through the motions but my head and heart hasn't been in it..." Bosco trailed off. The room was silent for a few minutes before he started to speak once more. " I've been lost. I do need help. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. And then, when I found out what you did, I acted like a complete ass. Asking to be partnered with someone else. God, Faith, I'm so sorry. If it weren't for me you'd be fine. You wouldn't be lying in this damn hospital bed. You'd never have been partnered with Guzzler and none of this would have happened." He said the words coming out in a rush.
"Bosco, don't blame yourself for what happened today because I don't. What happened to me today wasn't your fault. I should have waited for backup before going in."
"Faith -" Bosco started to interject but was interrupted before he could continue.
"What happened to Guzzler anyway?" Faith asked.
"Got knocked out for a little while. He's fine though; he has a mild concussion. I think he's planning on taking a couple of weeks off."
"I'm not surprised." Faith murmured. "What happened to the perps?"
"One of them's in custody and the other one's dead." Bosco said matter-of-factly. "Look Faith," Bosco said taking a deep breath before continuing. "You scared the shit out of me today. When I saw you lying on the ground I didn't know what to think. I thought you were..." Bosco trailed off swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. "I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to you today. What I would have done if I never saw you again -"
"Bosco," Faith said softly cutting him off.
"No, Faith. Let me finish, please." He said looking up at her; his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Faith, you're all I have. You're the only one who has ever taken the time to get to know me, to really know me...shit," He said, stopping abruptly, frustration at the inability to express himself clearly, marring his words.
"Bos, it's okay. I get it -" Faith started to say before she was interrupted.
"No, I want to say this. I do. It's just hard. Okay, let me try this again," He said taking a deep breath. She watched him rub his jaw for a few minutes with his right hand before continuing. "You're ... you're my best friend. Hell Faith, you're my only friend. I don't know ... I want to thank you for being my friend, for caring and looking out for me when no one else in my life has. I don't ... damn it..." He swore softly, he took a deep breath once more before continuing. "Ah, I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you in my life but ... but I'm glad that I've been given that opportunity." He said, looking down at the ground, his face red with embarrassment.
"Bos -"
"No, let me finish, please."
She waited patiently while he took a few moments to compose himself. "I was an ass today and I don't deserve someone like you in my life. I understand if you don't want to be my partner anymore... " He said trailing off and looking down at his hands.
"Are you finished yet?" Faith asked, her soft voice breaking the silence. Bosco didn't look up but simply nodded his head.
"First off, thank you. Thank you for letting me into your life. For allowing me the opportunity to get to know you. I know that doesn't come easy for you, letting people in. Secondly, of course I want to still be your partner. I was worried that you wouldn't want me to be yours."
"Really? You still want to be my partner?" Bosco said, practically whispering the words. He saw afraid that if he said them too loudly he would have misunderstood them.
"Yeah, really." Faith said smiling at him.
"Okay, good. So, it's settled them right?" He asked her again looking for confirmation.
"Yeah, it's settled. You want me to sign a contract or something?" She joked, a smile on her face.
"Nah, that's okay. I'll take your word for it." Bosco said smiling back. "Well, I should probably let you get some rest. I'll come by to see you tomorrow morning. Oh, by the way Sully and Davis stopped by before to see how you're doing. I'll let them know that you're fine." He said, rising up from his seat.
"Great, thanks. So, I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Faith asked as she settled more comfortably in her bed.
"Count on it." Bosco said as he gazed at her.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, partner." Faith said as she closed her eyes, fatigue washing over her.
"Yeah, see you, partner." Bosco said a small smile forming on his lips. He looked at her one last time before he turned around and went back to the waiting room to get Fred. It looked like everything was going to be just fine.
End