Faith leaned back against the chair and watched the sky.
It was the perfect night for sky-watching. Clear, crisp, and up here on the roof of the hospital, she could even detect a whiff of fresh air, so rare and odd in New York City that she had to savour it, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
For that one moment, she could taste a little bit of Heaven, clean and wonderful. So very different from her life, which was starting to look like a little bit of Hell.
With the clean air came a feeling, and Faith had to open her eyes to grasp it fully, focusing on the speckles of stars so far above. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in so long, not since the last time she'd climbed up so high to see everything.
A feeling of vastness, but belonging. That she was a member of something, some elite club that was so unknown to others. An awareness. That, from the stars, someone was giving her the secret handshake.
Faith smiled a little. It was an empowering feeling, this knowledge, but the last time she'd felt this, she had been sixteen, and Fred had been grounded. She'd gone up to their secret place, alone, and waited for him.
He hadn't shown up, but she came home, feeling elated that now, she wasn't just the Faith her family had defined her as. She was Faith, who she could define. She hadn't even minded when he told her he couldn't see her for a while.
The sweet tang of fresh air caught her nose again, and she breathed it in again. That smell could heal anything, she thought wistfully, after being trapped in the city for so long. It wasn't a healing of the body, it was spiritual. A promise of fresh, new, opportunity.
Faith considered Bosco. He was old, known, familiar. But every day, he proved to be new, unpredictable, interesting.
She knew how he'd react in most situations. But sometimes he could surprise her. He had a quality of the unknown, kind of like the unknown she was sitting in, surrounded by right now.
He was like a member of that unknown, and every look was a secret handshake, every word a code.
He was old, but he was new at the same time.
Faith shook her head at herself, and looked back up at the stars. There was a cloud starting to infringe on her scenery, and Faith mentally batted at it with mild irritation. That was a known entity, nothing new to her.
Like Fred.
Fred and clouds were familiar. To her mind, to the sky above, to her outlook. she could probably say it was freddy outside, instead of cloudy, and it would mean the same thing.
Familiarity is said to breed quite a few things. Comfort, Faith acknowledged right away. Fred was comfort food. A bit fatty, and probably not good for you if you had too much.
Bosco was a few different food groups. Healthy, because he kept you on your toes but also coffee, because too much could give you an ulcer.
Faith snickered quietly, and blinked, because the sparkles were getting blurry. But she felt her stomach growl, and sighed. She hadn't eaten since before work, and now it was midnight, and all she'd had was a cup of hospital questionable liquid.
As Faith rose, she smelled and felt a wisp of air curling around her shoulders, teasing through her hair, and tickling her ears.
She turned the handle on the door, and tossed a thanks over her shoulder to the silent sky.
After all, the stars would understand. Bosco was theirs too.
It was the perfect night for sky-watching. Clear, crisp, and up here on the roof of the hospital, she could even detect a whiff of fresh air, so rare and odd in New York City that she had to savour it, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
For that one moment, she could taste a little bit of Heaven, clean and wonderful. So very different from her life, which was starting to look like a little bit of Hell.
With the clean air came a feeling, and Faith had to open her eyes to grasp it fully, focusing on the speckles of stars so far above. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in so long, not since the last time she'd climbed up so high to see everything.
A feeling of vastness, but belonging. That she was a member of something, some elite club that was so unknown to others. An awareness. That, from the stars, someone was giving her the secret handshake.
Faith smiled a little. It was an empowering feeling, this knowledge, but the last time she'd felt this, she had been sixteen, and Fred had been grounded. She'd gone up to their secret place, alone, and waited for him.
He hadn't shown up, but she came home, feeling elated that now, she wasn't just the Faith her family had defined her as. She was Faith, who she could define. She hadn't even minded when he told her he couldn't see her for a while.
The sweet tang of fresh air caught her nose again, and she breathed it in again. That smell could heal anything, she thought wistfully, after being trapped in the city for so long. It wasn't a healing of the body, it was spiritual. A promise of fresh, new, opportunity.
Faith considered Bosco. He was old, known, familiar. But every day, he proved to be new, unpredictable, interesting.
She knew how he'd react in most situations. But sometimes he could surprise her. He had a quality of the unknown, kind of like the unknown she was sitting in, surrounded by right now.
He was like a member of that unknown, and every look was a secret handshake, every word a code.
He was old, but he was new at the same time.
Faith shook her head at herself, and looked back up at the stars. There was a cloud starting to infringe on her scenery, and Faith mentally batted at it with mild irritation. That was a known entity, nothing new to her.
Like Fred.
Fred and clouds were familiar. To her mind, to the sky above, to her outlook. she could probably say it was freddy outside, instead of cloudy, and it would mean the same thing.
Familiarity is said to breed quite a few things. Comfort, Faith acknowledged right away. Fred was comfort food. A bit fatty, and probably not good for you if you had too much.
Bosco was a few different food groups. Healthy, because he kept you on your toes but also coffee, because too much could give you an ulcer.
Faith snickered quietly, and blinked, because the sparkles were getting blurry. But she felt her stomach growl, and sighed. She hadn't eaten since before work, and now it was midnight, and all she'd had was a cup of hospital questionable liquid.
As Faith rose, she smelled and felt a wisp of air curling around her shoulders, teasing through her hair, and tickling her ears.
She turned the handle on the door, and tossed a thanks over her shoulder to the silent sky.
After all, the stars would understand. Bosco was theirs too.