"Last Exit to Brooklyn"

Author: carmen_085

Disclaimer: I don't own any Third Watch characters. I do own all original characters appearing in this story

Summary: After a terrible tragedy changes his life, Bosco finds redemption and justice in the most unlikely of places

Chapter Three

"Oh, I feel it comin' back again

Like a rolling thunder chasing the wind

Forces pulling from the center of the earth again

I can feel it"

After struggling to her feet, Faith began walking home slowly. The streets were quiet as the only sound she heard was the scuffling of her shoes on the sidewalk. Reaching up, she carefully fingered her neck where Jackson had all but strangled her. Tears ran down Faith's cheeks as she realized that this situation was never going to get any better. No matter who she told or what she did, Jackson would catch up to her sooner or later. She was becoming keenly aware that she might not make it out of this alive. Faith wiped her eyes with her jacket sleeve. Why did she have to be there and see that? Why not someone else? She had a family that she needed to be there for; she couldn't die yet. It wasn't her fault that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Faith was so lost in her own world of self- pity that she almost passed her building up. Silently she hoped that Fred was asleep and not waiting to question her about her terrible day. Faith quietly unlocked the door and peered into her darkened living room. Thankfully, no one was around. Sliding the door closed behind her, she slipped off her shoes and ducked into the bathroom. Leaning in close to the mirror her hand fumbled along the wall for the light switch. Closely inspecting her reflection, Faith ran her index finger over a red mark on her neck. It was barely noticeable and if anyone asked she would just tell them that it happened at that accident. Speaking of which, Faith's attention turned to the scratches that she got on her face when Bobby pulled her back through the broken window. There were a few deep ones on her cheek but it was nothing major. Leaning against the sink, Faith felt an unsettled wave of anxiety crash over her. Something bad was going to happen, she could feel it. Switching off the light, she returned to the living room. Pacing back and forth, a million thoughts raced through her head.

Sitting down on the couch, Faith took out a piece of paper and pencil. On the top she wrote the date, next she wrote Bosco's name. Pausing for a moment, she wondered if she were making things out to be worse than they really were. Shaking her head, Faith remembered the feeling of Jackson's gun against her temple and she knew what she had to do. She had every intention of talking to Bosco tomorrow, but just in case something happened before then she wanted him to know what happened. She wanted him to know that it was one of their own who did this to her. She also wanted him to know how she felt about him and how much he meant to her as a friend and partner. Folding the paper up she sealed it and put it in her bag. Looking around the quiet apartment, Faith knew that there was no way she could sleep. Tiptoeing down the hallway she opened the door to Emily and Charlie's room. She sighed as she watched them sleep; she needed to be there for them. Sliding down the doorway, Faith sat on the floor as tears involuntarily sprung up in her eyes. She needed to be there for her kids; she wasn't ready to die yet. Continuing to sob silently, Faith rested her head on her knees. This couldn't be happening to her.

**

Bosco woke up earlier than usual that morning. He was actually excited to get back to work. Really, he was excited to get back in the RMP with Faith. Not only did he miss the companionship, he would also be happier knowing that she was not out on the street alone. Dressing quickly, Bosco glanced at the clock. It was time to go.

When Bosco arrived back at the house, Faith was nowhere in sight. Conversing with a few fellow officers, Bosco looked everywhere for his partner before heading into the locker room to change. Faith arrived at the house only moments later. Hurrying up the stairs, she wanted to get dressed and get out there before Jackson could corner her alone again. As Faith passed by the boss's office, she heard Swersky's voice yell out.

"Hey Faith, could you come in here please?" Freezing dead in her tracks, a sense of dread began to fester in the pit of her stomach. Faith slowly, turned and proceeded back into the office. The Lieutenant was sitting behind his desk and appeared to be quite relaxed. Faith noted that his facial expression did not display any sign of anger or ill will toward her. Swersky gestured for her to take the seat across from him. Hesitantly, Faith eased herself down as she made every effort to avoid eye contact.

"Faith I want you to know that I am putting you in for a commendation based on your efforts to save that little boy last night." A whoosh of air involuntarily escaped from her lips, she was relieved that this wasn't about something else. Faith smiled a little as she remembered last night. Swersky continued on about how grateful the father of that child was to not only her but to the entire department. Faith continued to listen, nodding her head every so often although her thoughts were elsewhere.

Brian Jackson was never late for roll call but today he had gotten stuck in traffic and was all but running to the locker room. For no reason at all, he happened to glance over his right shoulder into Swersky's office. It was Yokas. She was in there with the boss, the door shut, and they were discussing something rather intensely. Swersky's scribbled something on his pad before looking up to meet Jackson's gaze with a look that betrayed no emotion. Instantly, Jackson was convinced that Faith was in there ratting him out to the Lieu. To him, Swersky definitely looked upset about something. In reality, Jackson's paranoid mind was playing tricks on him. When a person is hiding something, they often think that the entire world is out to get them and he was no exception. Shaking his head, rage started to build inside Jackson as he considered what he should do next. He thought that he had scared her into keeping her mouth shut, but he must have been wrong. He needed to do something drastic now.

Faith was a little late to roll call as she slid into a chair in the back just as the Lieutenant was about to begin. Surveying the room, she was relieved to see Bosco sitting a few chairs in front of her. Glancing to her left however, she was met with a rather menacing look from both Jackson and Geidel. Faith snapped her head back toward the front. She needed to do something. There was no way she could live like this forever.

Barely hearing a word that the Lieutenant said, Faith joined Bosco in their RMP approximately 15 minutes later. She was nervous about how to broach the subject but she needed to tell him what happened before Jackson and his partner did something crazy. Settling into the car Bosco was first to open mouth, as usual.

"Man, I am so glad to be back! The last few days were boring me out of my mind. I hope we see some action today." Inwardly Faith groaned, she had seen enough action the past two days to last her a lifetime. Buckling her seatbelt up, Faith immediately began conjuring up the right words for what she was about to tell her partner. Bosco, however, continued to yammer on about how good he felt. For the moment, Faith resigned herself to the passing scenery in their patrol sector. Suddenly, the car was quiet again. Although her head was turned away, she knew that he was staring at her. Turning slowly, Faith met his questioning eyes. Bosco removed his right hand from the steering wheel as he gestured toward the scrapes on her face. "What happened to you?" A shot of fear ran through Faith as she frantically reached for the mirror behind the visor. What was he talking about? She was sure that the mark on her neck was gone. In the mirror she fingered the spot on her neck where Jackson had choked her. "No! I mean your face. What happened to your face?" Faith realized that he was talking about the scratches on her face from the accident. Flipping the visor back up, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Last night there was an accident…" She didn't really want to get into any specifics. Although she did something very heroic, she didn't want to remember the other victims at the scene that she could not save. The thought of their broken bodies lying all over the street was almost too much for her right now since she was facing her own potential mortality. Hoping that Bosco would drop it, Faith went back to brooding about her current situation.

"Yeah, Lieu said you kinda kicked ass last night." Faith shook her head.

"What?" How did Bosco know about this already?

"In roll call…" Oh God, Faith should have been paying more attention. Apparently, the Lieu had mentioned last night's events during roll call and she completely missed it!

"Yeah well…" She needed to say something. It was now or never. Squirming in her seat, it was clear that Faith was on the verge of breaking some monumental news. Bosco rounded the corner of Lexington and East 106th street near the Marcus Garvey Projects when he suddenly spotted a very well known drug dealer on the corner. Speeding the car up a bit, Faith could wait no longer. "Bosco I need to talk to you." Waving Faith off, Bosco was thrilled by the possibility of rousing a well-known criminal. Silently, he figured that she was probably having more trouble with Fred. He would inevitably listen to her personal problems sooner or later, although, right now he just didn't feel like hearing it.

"Later, Faith." Pulling the car up onto the sidewalk next to the group of possible suspects, Bosco leapt out before Faith could gather her wits and offer a reply. Staring after her partner, Faith was becoming annoyed with his newfound enthusiasm. God dammit she needed to tell him something important! For all she knew Jackson was out here plotting something right now. Getting out of the car, Faith slammed the door shut and begrudgingly joined her partner.

By the time Faith reached the sidewalk, several of the young men loafing about the street had dispersed. Bosco was frisking one of the suspects against the fence. Shoving her hands in her pockets, Faith idly watched with obvious distaste.

"Man, why you always on my shit?" When the young man spoke, Faith recognized his voice as Rayquan Smith, a well known drug dealing piece of trash that her and Bosco had run in numerous times. Faith watched as Bosco eagerly ran his hands through Smith's pockets. He had reason to be excited; this guy was always good for a small amount of something. Still, Faith couldn't feel good about joining in. There were other things that needed addressed right now.

"I'm always on your shit because you're always breaking the law, Ray-quan." Faith couldn't help but to smirk at Bosco's very subtle although racist way of drawing out this guy's name. Shaking her head, Faith acknowledged that her partner would never change.

Bosco ran his hand inside Smith's back pocket and triumphantly discovered a small baggie of crack. "Ought oh, Ray-quan what's this?" Turning the man to face him, Bosco's face was a mix of faux disbelief and genuine happiness. He always loved to make an arrest.

Smith shrugged his shoulders while purposefully avoiding eye contact with Bosco, "I don't know how that got there."

Bosco half laughed, "You don't know how that got there…give me a break." Spinning his arrestee around, Bosco proceeded to whips out his cuffs.

"Hold up! Hold up! I know some information, you know, y'all let me walk and I tell where the big shit's goin' down." Immediately, Faith knew that Bosco was intrigued. She could see the gears turning in his head. Undercover work…a stakeout maybe…even better a big bust on his first day back; it was all there behind his gleaming blue eyes. Faith grimaced; she wanted to handle her own issues. God dammit, why wouldn't Bosco listen to her? To outline her disapproval of this situation, Faith returned to the RMP and sat on the hood. She wanted nothing to do with this bullshit. They had more dangerous criminals to worry about in their own station house.

About twenty minutes later, Bosco removed his handcuffs from Rayquan and the two parted ways. Walking over to the storm drain, Bosco dropped the baggie of crack he confiscated into the murky darkness. The look on her partner's face told Faith that she was going to be doing something later that she didn't want to do. Rolling her eyes, she joined Bosco in the RMP as he backed the car off the sidewalk into traffic. With a sense of obvious eagerness, Bosco pointed the car back toward the house.

"Bosco I really need to talk to you." Faith needed to get this out.

Shaking his head, Bosco was feeling way to good right now to be brought down by his partner's marital issues, "Not now, Faith. I want to get back to the house and talk to the detectives." Bosco laid on the horn as he weaved through traffic. Faith was hurt; her partner had never put her off like this before. Staring at him for a moment, Faith had no idea what to do.

**

To say that Brian Jackson was paranoid was an understatement. By the time that he and Geidel hit the streets, he was completely out of control. Jackson was so sure that Yokas had ratted him out to the boss this morning, that he couldn't stop looking over his shoulder for IAB. Sitting in the RMP, Geidel watched as his partner paced back and forth in front of the car. He ,too, was wrought with anxiety at the thought of what could happen to both him and his partner. Suddenly, Jackson returned to the RMP. He was going to send both Boscorelli and Yokas a message that they would never forget.

"Scott, we need to make sure that those two keep their mouths shut." Starting the car up, Jackson backed it into an alley about twenty-five feet from a notoriously dangerous intersection in the precinct. "I want you to go over to that payphone," Jackson gestured to a phone on the corner, "…and call in a report of shots fired just beyond that intersection." For a moment, Geidel looked at his partner confused.

"Brian, what the hell are you planning?" Jackson stared straight ahead with a menacing glint in his eyes. He had no regard for human life; his partner was well aware of this fact, as a sick feeling began to rise from the pit of his stomach.

"Scott, when you become the brains of this operation, let me know; until then do what I say." Geidel stared at his partner; he really had no choice but to follow his orders. He was in this mess just as much as Jackson. Slowly, Geidel walked over to the pay phone. He knew that someone was going to get hurt today; if only he knew just how bad.

**

55-David was a few blocks from the house when the call came in for shots fired on the border of their sector and 55-George. Just as Jackson had hoped, Boscorelli couldn't resist the urge to play super cop on his first day back. Without consulting his partner, Bosco immediately made a hairpin turn in the middle of the street and gunned the engines toward the opposite end of their sector. A sudden uneasiness came over Faith, something wasn't right about this. This call was too close to the area patrolled by 55-George; Jackson and Geidel. Her heart began thumping away in her chest as Bosco rounded the corner nearly missing a parked car.

"Bosco I really need to talk to you," her words came out disjointed as the RMP bounced roughly across potholes and uneven patches in the road. Faith reached up and held tightly onto the 'oh shit' handle above her head. Her seat belt held her snugly in place as she cast a glance in Bosco's direction. He wasn't even wearing a seat belt. Something bad was going to happen.

Bosco couldn't help but to feel annoyed. "Jesus Christ, Faith, can't this wait until later? I don't want to hear about Fred when we're on our way to a call!" They were some of the angriest words that he had ever spoken to her. They were words that he would later regret.

As 55-David turned the corner of Lexington and 110th street near the park, Bosco let off the gas slightly. Their call was on the opposite side of the intersection between Lexington Ave. and the ramp to FDR drive. It was a very busy spot and a particularly dangerous intersection that he would at least need to slow down for if not stop completely.

Jackson and Geidel waited until they saw 55-David blaze past them on Lexington to pull out directly behind them. Just as Jackson had instructed him, Geidel radioed in their unit as back-up. Boscorelli was more predictable than Jackson could have ever hoped. Just before the intersection he saw the brake lights of 55-David burn with a red glow. At that moment, Jackson floored the accelerator of his own unit.

"Oh my God, Brian! What the hell are you doing?" Geidel's question came out almost as a shriek as he struggled to fasten his seatbelt. Jackson, ignored his partner, however, as he narrowed his eyes on the target ahead.

Faith couldn't wait any longer for Bosco to listen. She was going to blurt this out whether he cared or not. "Bosco! Jackson and Geidel I saw them…"

Before Faith could utter another word, a cataclysmic force rocked the RMP from behind as Bosco was thrown forcefully into the steering wheel. He immediately lost consciousness as the RMP rolled out into traffic. Faith was still trying to recover from the shock when the white paneled truck plowed into the passenger side door at 50 miles an hour. In an instant Faith's entire world went black.

TBC….

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Above lyrics are from Live, "Lightening Crashes"