"Yokas? What's going on?" Bosco said, walking towards Tasha's room.
"She's trying to sign herself out AMI." Faith said.
"Can she do that?" Bosco asked the doctor who was trying to convince Tasha to
stay.
"She promised Social Services she wasn't going back to her boyfriend, so they're
not going to hold the boy."
"That's bullshit, she's going to run right back to him. In fact, she's probably
trying to get out before the jagoff even realizes she's here." Bosco said.
"It's not up to me, I wish it was." The doctor said, walking out of the room.
"Tasha," Bosco said to the battered woman sitting up in her hospital bed.
"Look, Officer you can save me your little speech. We appreciate you're help, but
we're just fine. We're going to stay at my sisters" she said, "We're just fine now. Right
Tony?"
"Officer Bosorelli," Bosco said.
"What?" she asked confused.
"My name's Maurice Boscorelli, did he ever tell you about me?"
Anthony looked up at Bosco, not really sure what was going on. "Are you going
to tell my Dad we were here?" he asked.
"No, I'm not. We're going to lock him up so he can never hurt you or your Ma'
again." Bosco replied, looking at his younger brother.
"No you're not, I'm not pressing charges." Tasha said.
"That doesn't matter, he hit a kid. We don't need you to press charges for child
abuse." Faith said, feeling like she had to jump in before Bosco lost it.
"He didn't hit him." Tasha said in the elder Boscorelli's defense. "He didn't mean
in, it was my fault."
"You didn't answer my question," Bosco asked, trying to control his anger
something he was never good at.
"What?" Tasha asked, slipping a sweatshirt over her hospital gown.
"Did he ever tell you about me, about my Ma' or my brother… his first family?
He's not going to change. He's the same exact monster he was 30yrs ago. The only thing
that's changed is who he's hittin'."
"You don't understand him,"
"No, I don't understand him. I don't get how a man could beat his a child, or a
woman. And I don't understand why people like you always go back to him." Bosco
shouted.
"We need him,"
"Need him? You know, my mother needed him too. You know what it got her?
Nothing... My Ma' goes from one abusive relationship to another. She can't fall asleep
unless she's had a few drinks; otherwise the nightmares keep her up. My brothers so
screwed up because of our Dad that he can't get through a day without scoring a hit off.
And me, well I'm just a piece of work. I'm a grown man who's afraid of the dark. I can't
sleep with my window open; I wake up three times a night to make sure it's locked all
because when I was a kid he would crawl through my window…. just to get in the house
beat the crap out of my mother. If you loved son at all you wouldn't leave here and run
back to that sorry piece of shit." Bosco turned around and walked out of the room. He
couldn't stand to look at the woman who could have easily been his mother 20 years ago.
"Hey," Anthony said, following Bosco out of the room.
Bosco turned around, and saw the boys face was wet with tears. Anthony's face
looked just like Mikey's when he would crawl into Bosco's bed at night because he was
scared he would be the next victim of their father's drunken rage.
"Yeah?" Bosco asked.
"How did you make him stop?" Anthony said, wiping his tears. "How did you
make him stop hitting your mom?"
Bosco bent down, so he was level with Anthony. He placed his hand on
Anthony's shoulder, and looked him in the eye "It's not your fault. I thought it was my
fault for a while too. But I couldn't stop him then, I was just a kid like you. But I'm not a
kid anymore and I'm going to stop him."
"Promise?" Anthony said, opening up his heart and wrapping his arms around
Bosco's neck, almost knocking him over.
"Promise." Bosco said. He felt uncomfortable at first, not sure how to respond to
the boys hug. He looked up, and saw Faith smiling at the two of them. He gave Anthony
a squeeze, and pulled back. "My partner and I are going to go and find him. Does he still
drive his cab?"
"I think so, but he wasn't working tonight." Anthony said, letting go of Bosco and
wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt. "She's going to make me go back there," he
said with fear in his voice. "He's going to say this is my fault, that I called you."
"I got an idea, wait here." Bosco said, walking back into Tasha's hospital room.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
"Alright, let's go." Bosco said, walking back out of the room.
Anthony followed Bosco and Faith back out to the RMP, "Where are we going?"
Anthony asked.
"You're going to stay with my Mom for a few days." Bosco said.
"What about Tasha?" Faith asked, sitting in the passenger side of the car.
"She'll be Ok for a few days. He'll come home tonight, probably bring her
flowers and tell her how sorry he is. Maybe even take her out to dinner." Bosco said. He
knew all too well how his father worked. Bosco turned around to Anthony, "He's going
to think you're spending the a few nights at your cousins house."
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Bosco pulled up in front of his mother's apartment, and got out of the car.
"Did you think of calling her first?" Faith asked.
"She'll say yes, trust me." Bosco said, walking up to the front door. He hit the
doorbell, and waited.
"Who is it?" the voice from the intercom box asked.
"It's me Ma'" Bosco said, waiting for the buzz before pushing open the door and
walking down the hallway to her apartment. Anthony followed, staying a few steps
behind Bosco and Faith. Bosco's mother, Rose, was standing in the doorway, waiting for
her son.
"Maurice, what are you doing here? Is it Michael?" she said when she noticed he
was in his uniform and this wasn't a normal visit from her son.
"No, Mikey's fine. Ma, you remember my partner Faith Yokas?"
"Of course I do, how are you doing Faith?" Rose asked.
"I'm doing good, thanks." Faith answered.
"Let's not stand in the doorway, come in." Rose said, not yet noticing the small
boy who was standing behind them.
"Ma, there's someone else I want you to meet." Bosco said, following his mother
into her apartment. He motioned for Anthony to step forward. "This is Anthony…"
Rose looked at the boy standing next to Bosco, and automatically recognized his
face. He looked just like her boys when they were that age. "Oh God, Mo… is he yours?"
"What? No!"
"Mikey's?" Rose asked.
"No Ma, he's Dad's."
Rose cringed when she heard Bosco mention his father, "What's he doing here?"
"Let's just say the old man hasn't changed. I just need you to keep him a day or
two until I can find Dad. I need you to help me keep him safe"
"Oh, Maurice… I don't know."
"Ma, please. You know what's gonna happen if he goes back there tonight. Look
at him," Bosco said, knowing all she had to do was look at Anthony's eyes and she'd say
yes.
"Ok, ok. For a day or two… You want anything to drink Anthony?" Rose asked,
walking into the kitchen.
Bosco smiled, knowing so far his plan was working. He had Anthony a safe place
to spend the night, and by tomorrow he'd have his father locked up for good. "Alright
Ma, we gotta go. Call me if there's a problem. I'll try to stop by after work." Bosco called
out to his mom.
"Ok, baby I'll see you later." Rose said walking out of the kitchen, and handing
Anthony a soda. "Give me a kiss Maurice," she said, hugging her son goodbye.
"I'll see you later kiddo," Bosco said, playful tossing Anthony's hair.
"Bye… Maurice" Anthony said with a smile.
"Bye Anthony," Faith said, following Bosco out of the apartment.
"She's trying to sign herself out AMI." Faith said.
"Can she do that?" Bosco asked the doctor who was trying to convince Tasha to
stay.
"She promised Social Services she wasn't going back to her boyfriend, so they're
not going to hold the boy."
"That's bullshit, she's going to run right back to him. In fact, she's probably
trying to get out before the jagoff even realizes she's here." Bosco said.
"It's not up to me, I wish it was." The doctor said, walking out of the room.
"Tasha," Bosco said to the battered woman sitting up in her hospital bed.
"Look, Officer you can save me your little speech. We appreciate you're help, but
we're just fine. We're going to stay at my sisters" she said, "We're just fine now. Right
Tony?"
"Officer Bosorelli," Bosco said.
"What?" she asked confused.
"My name's Maurice Boscorelli, did he ever tell you about me?"
Anthony looked up at Bosco, not really sure what was going on. "Are you going
to tell my Dad we were here?" he asked.
"No, I'm not. We're going to lock him up so he can never hurt you or your Ma'
again." Bosco replied, looking at his younger brother.
"No you're not, I'm not pressing charges." Tasha said.
"That doesn't matter, he hit a kid. We don't need you to press charges for child
abuse." Faith said, feeling like she had to jump in before Bosco lost it.
"He didn't hit him." Tasha said in the elder Boscorelli's defense. "He didn't mean
in, it was my fault."
"You didn't answer my question," Bosco asked, trying to control his anger
something he was never good at.
"What?" Tasha asked, slipping a sweatshirt over her hospital gown.
"Did he ever tell you about me, about my Ma' or my brother… his first family?
He's not going to change. He's the same exact monster he was 30yrs ago. The only thing
that's changed is who he's hittin'."
"You don't understand him,"
"No, I don't understand him. I don't get how a man could beat his a child, or a
woman. And I don't understand why people like you always go back to him." Bosco
shouted.
"We need him,"
"Need him? You know, my mother needed him too. You know what it got her?
Nothing... My Ma' goes from one abusive relationship to another. She can't fall asleep
unless she's had a few drinks; otherwise the nightmares keep her up. My brothers so
screwed up because of our Dad that he can't get through a day without scoring a hit off.
And me, well I'm just a piece of work. I'm a grown man who's afraid of the dark. I can't
sleep with my window open; I wake up three times a night to make sure it's locked all
because when I was a kid he would crawl through my window…. just to get in the house
beat the crap out of my mother. If you loved son at all you wouldn't leave here and run
back to that sorry piece of shit." Bosco turned around and walked out of the room. He
couldn't stand to look at the woman who could have easily been his mother 20 years ago.
"Hey," Anthony said, following Bosco out of the room.
Bosco turned around, and saw the boys face was wet with tears. Anthony's face
looked just like Mikey's when he would crawl into Bosco's bed at night because he was
scared he would be the next victim of their father's drunken rage.
"Yeah?" Bosco asked.
"How did you make him stop?" Anthony said, wiping his tears. "How did you
make him stop hitting your mom?"
Bosco bent down, so he was level with Anthony. He placed his hand on
Anthony's shoulder, and looked him in the eye "It's not your fault. I thought it was my
fault for a while too. But I couldn't stop him then, I was just a kid like you. But I'm not a
kid anymore and I'm going to stop him."
"Promise?" Anthony said, opening up his heart and wrapping his arms around
Bosco's neck, almost knocking him over.
"Promise." Bosco said. He felt uncomfortable at first, not sure how to respond to
the boys hug. He looked up, and saw Faith smiling at the two of them. He gave Anthony
a squeeze, and pulled back. "My partner and I are going to go and find him. Does he still
drive his cab?"
"I think so, but he wasn't working tonight." Anthony said, letting go of Bosco and
wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt. "She's going to make me go back there," he
said with fear in his voice. "He's going to say this is my fault, that I called you."
"I got an idea, wait here." Bosco said, walking back into Tasha's hospital room.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
"Alright, let's go." Bosco said, walking back out of the room.
Anthony followed Bosco and Faith back out to the RMP, "Where are we going?"
Anthony asked.
"You're going to stay with my Mom for a few days." Bosco said.
"What about Tasha?" Faith asked, sitting in the passenger side of the car.
"She'll be Ok for a few days. He'll come home tonight, probably bring her
flowers and tell her how sorry he is. Maybe even take her out to dinner." Bosco said. He
knew all too well how his father worked. Bosco turned around to Anthony, "He's going
to think you're spending the a few nights at your cousins house."
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Bosco pulled up in front of his mother's apartment, and got out of the car.
"Did you think of calling her first?" Faith asked.
"She'll say yes, trust me." Bosco said, walking up to the front door. He hit the
doorbell, and waited.
"Who is it?" the voice from the intercom box asked.
"It's me Ma'" Bosco said, waiting for the buzz before pushing open the door and
walking down the hallway to her apartment. Anthony followed, staying a few steps
behind Bosco and Faith. Bosco's mother, Rose, was standing in the doorway, waiting for
her son.
"Maurice, what are you doing here? Is it Michael?" she said when she noticed he
was in his uniform and this wasn't a normal visit from her son.
"No, Mikey's fine. Ma, you remember my partner Faith Yokas?"
"Of course I do, how are you doing Faith?" Rose asked.
"I'm doing good, thanks." Faith answered.
"Let's not stand in the doorway, come in." Rose said, not yet noticing the small
boy who was standing behind them.
"Ma, there's someone else I want you to meet." Bosco said, following his mother
into her apartment. He motioned for Anthony to step forward. "This is Anthony…"
Rose looked at the boy standing next to Bosco, and automatically recognized his
face. He looked just like her boys when they were that age. "Oh God, Mo… is he yours?"
"What? No!"
"Mikey's?" Rose asked.
"No Ma, he's Dad's."
Rose cringed when she heard Bosco mention his father, "What's he doing here?"
"Let's just say the old man hasn't changed. I just need you to keep him a day or
two until I can find Dad. I need you to help me keep him safe"
"Oh, Maurice… I don't know."
"Ma, please. You know what's gonna happen if he goes back there tonight. Look
at him," Bosco said, knowing all she had to do was look at Anthony's eyes and she'd say
yes.
"Ok, ok. For a day or two… You want anything to drink Anthony?" Rose asked,
walking into the kitchen.
Bosco smiled, knowing so far his plan was working. He had Anthony a safe place
to spend the night, and by tomorrow he'd have his father locked up for good. "Alright
Ma, we gotta go. Call me if there's a problem. I'll try to stop by after work." Bosco called
out to his mom.
"Ok, baby I'll see you later." Rose said walking out of the kitchen, and handing
Anthony a soda. "Give me a kiss Maurice," she said, hugging her son goodbye.
"I'll see you later kiddo," Bosco said, playful tossing Anthony's hair.
"Bye… Maurice" Anthony said with a smile.
"Bye Anthony," Faith said, following Bosco out of the apartment.