Okay, still not owning them (this is the last time I will say this in a
chapter here)
Thank you for the reviews! I would do this even if you didn't review...but
they are nice to see and to read! ;) Malinda4242
Bosco, Maurice and Moe, cont:
Chapter 4
Faith sat alone in the RMP tonight.
With Bosco in the hospital, and the rookie she was paired with spraining his knee last night, while chasing a purse snatcher, there was no one to ride with her.
With the shortage of officers due to the newest summer flu, Lt. Swersky had no choice but to let her do so. He usually rode with her when no one else could, but again, the shortage affected the house too, so he was stuck there.
He had offered to switch places with her, 'ha, not likely!' she thought, 'too damn hot in there in July.'
But now, sitting here alone, she wasn't so sure she'd made the right choice. At least with others around she wouldn't have so much time to think.
She still hadn't come to terms with what had happened 'five, oh god no, six days ago,' she found herself surprised, 'has it really been six days already?' it seemed like only yesterday, and a lifetime at the same time.
Going over her report of the incident with Swersky and IA had not helped her resolve the issue. It still didn't make sense, even after the Dr. had tried to explain, she was still baffled.
But, her first appointment wiht Bosco's Doc was tommorow morning, and she hoped to find some answers there. Though she admited to herself, she really didn't know what to expect.
Fred had told her to just tell the truth, if she wanted Bosco to get the help he needed. To not hold back, after all nothing she said could leave his office, right?
Faith knew he was right, but, still it made her uncomfortable to talk to someone about Bos's personal stuff. She remembered how hard it had been at first to tell her Doc about her 'issues' last year after she'd been shot. _______________________________________________________________________
Thinking about Fred's reaction, she knew that things between Fred and Bosco had been rough after she was shot, but he had been sincerely concerned about him, or at least she thought he had.
She really hated the problems between Fred and Bosco, and she knew she was the cause of most of them.
There had been a time when they'd actually liked each other.
Bosco had often defended Fred when she was ripping him, and he even followed Fred's ball team standings and had cheered them on. But those days were gone, and that made her sad.
He thought that Fred still blamed him for what happened in the hotel room with Nobel and Cruz, and for a long time he had.
She'd tried to tell Bos that it was not a problem anymore, but, he had told her, 'If I was Fred, and MY wife's partner had almost gotten her killed? I'D have done alot more that just punch him and stop speaking to him!'
As for Fred, his anger toward Bosco was mostly her fault. He'd accused her of putting Bosco before him and the kids, and she'd had to face that indeed she had. And THAT is what had gotten her shot.
Fred had really come unglued when that happened, he put the blame on Bosco, but after going to therapy for awhile, she'd faced the truth, and getting Fred to go, they had worked on it together. Both coming to realize that she was the one at fault for not saying NO. Not then, not before, not often enough. She forgot that her 'partner' at home, came first.
After all as she told her kids often enough, 'if you're friends wanted you to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you?'
She'd come to realize that she jumped off the 'Bosco Bridge' on a regular basis, not looking, just jumping.
Faith had learned how to say, NO, and things had gotten better. It was almost a year now, and her relationship with Fred and the kids had never been better.
And things with Bosco had improved too, or so she'd thought. She hadn't been taking on his problems anymore. Oh she still listened, and when it was called for, gave advice, after all he was her partner and her friend. But now, that's as far as it went, well, most of the time anyway.
______________________________________________________________________
Bosco had seemed to be growing up, then lately, he had started to become more volitale, even unpredictable with the people on the calls they went on. One second ripping them a new one, calling them jagoffs. The next second acting concerned, giving them life, or even legal advice!
He had even become like that with her.
_______________________________________________________________________
Six days ago though, it seemed to be worse than usual right from the start of the shift. Of course she couldn't have known how bad it would get before dark even came.
"Come ON FAITH!" he called out impatiently, "LET'S GO ALREADY!"
Looking up to the ceiling she sighed, thinking, 'Not another lovely day with my wonderful partner. Damn, this is how every freaking shift starts out, lately!'
"Bosco," she called back to him, "give it a rest! The bad guys will wait for us you know!"
She was signing out her radio and checking her gun.
Seeing his face, she called to him, "If you're that damn impatient, go start the car!"
He was staring at her with pinched lips, his jaw thrust forward as if he would argue, but she didn't give him the chance, "Don't even think about it Bosco, I'm NOT in the mood today!"
She glared at him to drive the point home. He stood there a moment, obviously angry, then swinging around he pounded down the hall, taking the stairs two at a time, bumping into several people coming up them.
Faith could hear him grousing as he went, sighing she turned back to finish, and saw Jim looking at her from behind the grating. He was shaking his head in sympathy.
"Looks like you're gonna have ANOTHER lovely day, Yokas" he laughed.
Turning away as she clipped her radio to her shoulder, then plugging it into her waist, she sighed again, "Tell me about it Jim!"
_______________________________________________________________________
As she walked out into the heat, Bosco was already at the curb waiting in the RMP.
He was smiling!
He had his window down, and leaning out he cheerfully asked her, "You finished Faith? Got everything you need? Cause if you don't, I can wait! I'm not in a hurry today, too damn hot!"
Faith stopped, looked at him a moment, saw he was serious, and happy, then making one of her famous faces snapped loudly, "SHUT UP BOSCO!"
She walked around the car, getting in the passenger seat, she was putting on her seatbelt when she realized he hadn't floored it, wasn't doing his usual bat out of hell start.
Glancing at him to see what the hold up was, she saw him staring at her, a puzzled look on his face.
"What, you started it," she groused at him, "would you just GO already!"
She went back to settling in. But still he sat there. Looking back at him, she snapped, "WHAT?"
"Started what Faith?" he asked worriedly, "Is something wrong? Did I do something? What did I do Faith?"
"You've got to be kidding, right," she sat gaping at him, "please tell me you're kidding."
Bosco seemed genuinely concerned as he quietly replied, "What did I do Faith?"
He sat there giving her that 'doe eyed' look he was so good at, and feeling yet again, like she'd just entered the Twilight Zone, she answered with, "Nothing Bosco, I'm sorry, just a bad mood today. Let's just go, alright?"
She was hoping to end this Twilight Zone episode of his quickly tonight.
He grinned at her, "Sure, Ok partner, lets go bust some bad guys!"
As he drove them away from the house, she stared out her window, thinking, 'Oh brother, does he need a girlfriend, bad!' _______________________________________________________________________
The next hour or so passed in much the same manner. One minute he was yelling at someone, the next acting as if nothing had happened.
She'd actually had to pull him off a guy, who after running a red light in his Mustang, had mouthed off to her!
Then like a minute later he was asking the guy about his car, "You think it's as fast as last years model?" Smiling at the guy like they were best friends!
Looking at her for help, probably thinking he'd lost his own mind, the guy stepped away from Bosco, but Faith smiling at him, simply shrugged, and went back to writing him the ticket.
She remembers hoping that the speeder wouldn't file a complaint against Bosco. Lately he seemed to be out to break his own record in getting complaints.
But, in his usual (lately) Twilight Zone way, by the time she'd handed the guy his ticket, Bosco had him talking like old friends about the car. Them saying they'd have to get together to compare cars!
AGAIN, the Twilight Zone!
Finally, Faith needed a break, so she asked Bosco, "You want to take our dinner break now? I'm hungry."
"Sure, hows a hotdog sound," he grinned at her.
Refraining from answering in the manner she really wanted to, she simply nodded, saying, "Yeah, sounds good."
"Great," he pulled away from the curb, moving them down the street to find dinner.
They grabbed a dog, chips and coke from one of the corner venders near the bridge, then parking the RMP in front of a jewelry store, settled in to eat in the airconditioned RMP.
"God, is this heat wave ever going to end," she complained, loosening her collar, "even the steam on the sidewalk has steam coming from it!"
"It's summer Faith! It's suppose to be hot," he too damn cheerfully replied.
Faith turned to glare at him, contemplating riding with Sully tommorow, "Bosco, what the hell is with you? Lately you act like you're on crack or some..."
She hadn't taken two bites of her dog, and was in the middle of chewing his hinny, when she heard gunfire.
As she turned to look in the direction of the sound, there was suddenly a body flying out of the jewelry store window, landing in front of the RMP. Glass shattering all over the sidewalk, spraying the hood of the RMP with shards.
Only this 'body' didn't stay down, and immediatly three more followed, as leaping through the shattered window, they took off running toward the subway!
Bosco and Faith sat a moment in shock, then begining to move to exit the RMP, they saw a fifth man push the door of the store open. Running out to join his companions, he spotted the RMP. He turned on them firing the gun in his hand.
Ducking down in the front seat, Faith called it in, "Central, this is 5-5 David, we have a 10-13 at this location, shots fired! 5 suspects involved," she was yelling into the mike as bullets shattered the windshield above her.
"10-4, 5-5 David, help in route. Do you need EMS," the dispatchers calm voice came over the airwaves.
"Don't know yet, central," Faith called out, as she glanced over to see that Bosco was not in the car.
"10-4, 5-5 David, will send EMS as precaution," finished the dispatcher.
"10-4 Central, send a Sgt, also," Faith called out, realizing the shots had stopped.
She sat up slightly, to look over the dash, not seeing the perp, she called out to Bosco, "Bosco, are you okay?"
Not getting an answer, "OH GOD, BOSCO!", thinking, 'not again,' as she quickly climbed over the console and out of the driver door, expecting to see him lying on the ground.
He wasn't there. ______________________________________________________________________
Faith looked up through the drivers door window, "BOSCO, NO!!! WAIT FOR BACKUP!!!"
Her hotheaded partner was in foot pursuit of all 5 of the robbers!
Jumping back into the car, Faith put it into gear, following him, telling central that he was in foot pursuit, she was following in the RMP.
"Dam mitt Bosco! Why the hell can't you ever wait for backup! You're giving me more gray hairs than EMILY," she yelled at him in her radio.
"Can't talk now," he laughed back, "got bad guys to catch!"
Faith gunned the engine, trying to catch up to him, "He just loves this shit doesn't he," she said outloud, "maybe Sully's right. He is an idiot! Maybe, Sully will let me switch partners with him tommorow!"
_______________________________________________________________________
Faith watched, her chest tight, as she saw the robbers head down the subway entrance, then Bosco jump back out of the way as one of them turned opening fire on him.
Catching up, she threw the car in park, jumping out as the robber, seeing Bosco draw down on HIM, turned to run down after his buddies.
Quickly reaching him, before he began to run after them, Faith grabbed him, checking him for wounds, "Bosco, are you okay? He didn't hit you did he?"
She saw his shirt indeed had two holes in it, but before she could stop him, "FAITH, I'm FINE, STOP IT!"
He shrugged her off. Pushing past her, he ran headlong down the stairs after the robbers.
"BOSCO ARE YOU CRAZY," she shouted after him, "BACKUP WILL BE HERE! STOP!"
"OH CRAP! Here we go again," she yelled, then radioed central their 'new' location, and that they were following the robbers down.
Then against her better judgement, she followed her obviously heatstroked, addled-brained partner down.
_______________________________________________________________________
Down in the subway, 'the still under-reconstruction subway', Faith followed the sound of running footsteps, coming out onto a platform, she saw the tail end of Bosco running down the empty tracks.
Taking off after him again, she yelled, "BOSCO STOP!! THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THESE GUYS TO RUN TOO! BACK UP IS ON THE WAY!!! STOP!!!"
But as usual, he acted like he didn't hear her, running full tilt after them.
Faith knew that when he was 'on the chase' nothing short of being shot would stop him. Sometimes she thought he must have been a foxhound or bloodhound in another life!
She of course had already decided that she would probably beat the living daylights out of him when she caught him, if they came out of this alive. And she wasn't worried about the perps, the heat down here would probably be the end of them first!
Running after him for about 5 minutes, she suddenly realized the lights had gone out, or at least most had. "Another brown out," she wondered aloud, panting as she paused to take off her flashlight, "yeah, okay, that's what we need down here now, crap!"
Shining her light ahead of her, she continued down the broken tracks, knowing that Bosco had his, he always carried it on his belt. Dark was not Bosco's friend.
She had lost sight of him minutes ago, and sound, as the radios didn't work so well down here.
Slowing to a slow trot, as she didn't want a broken leg, and she hated being down here. Trying not to trip on the debris, "DAMN, could it be hotter down here." She also didn't want to run past one of the perps and not see him.
She suddenly heard shots ring out.
Coming to a split at that time, she stopped, bent over panting, trying to tell which direction the sound was coming from.
Wiping her face, she felt like she was dying down here, "Oh yeah, he's getting his butt kicked when I catch him!"
Deciding that the sounds were coming from the right she headed that way.
Hearing more gunfire and running footsteps, "BOSCO," she yelled, "WHERE ARE YOU? DAM MITT BOSCO ANSWER ME!"
Saving her breath now, she ran faster, she heard more running and now the sounds of a fight.
Desperately she ran faster still, still unable to catch up.
"Damn, if I don't beat him to death, I'm signing him up for the Olympics!" she swore, "How the heck did they run so far so fast?"
She was nearing the sounds, when she heard screaming.
It was the bloodcurdling scream of a child. The scream that wakes parents in the dead of night, as they jump out of bed, raking their shins on bedrails, falling over one another, to save their babies. And it wasn't stopping.
"What the hell," she exclaimed, "is a kid doing down here?"
Running faster, she came around the turn in the track, to see the outline of two men, struggling with whom she assumed to be Bosco. At the time it looked like they were trying to shove him into one of the tack rooms along the track walls.
The screaming was coming from that direction, but Faith couldn't see where the kid was.
As suddenly as it started, the screaming stopped.
Then a loud angry roar came from Bosco as he lunged forward, knocking one of the guys to the ground. He then slammed the other guy in the face with his forearm.
"YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH," he screamed, "NOBODY IS PUTTING HIM IN THE DARK AGAIN! YOU HEAR ME? I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!"
"Wha...Put who in the dark," Faith wondered, looking around for the kid, "what the hell is he yelling about?" Then she called, "WHERE IS HE BOSCO?"
She was running up to the guy lying on the ground, pointing her weapon at him, she yelled, "FACE DOWN, AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK! NOW!!"
Taking one look at her face the perp did as he was told.
"You okay, Bosco," she asked, "where's the kid?"
Faith was panting, hoping she didn't pass out from the heat or lack of oxygen down here, and had just about decided that 'whooping Bosco's butt could wait until Winter' when glancing at him she saw the look on his face.
"BOSCO! DON'T! BOSCO! DON'T DO IT!" she shouted at him, he had that 'on the edge' look, one she'd seen before, hell one she'd worn before, and she knew he was near if not already over it.
She didn't know exactly what had happened, but with the way he'd been acting lately, well, she wasn't taking any chances.
Bosco looked over at her, as if seeing her for the first time.
"Faith...," he asked confusion both in his voice and on his face.
"Yeah, Bos, it's me," she calmly said, "look, you got him, ok? Just put the cuffs on him and lets get the hell out of this oven. Bosco, he's not worth it, alright?"
Bosco was now looking at the guy on the tround in front of him, as if seeing him also for the first time.
"Yeah, okay Faith, sure," he quietly said, his face still unsure.
Taking a deep breath, she was turning back to her own prisoner as he began to lower his gun, seeming to reach for his cuffs, when suddenly, he yelled out, "NO, NOT THIS TIME!"
He startled her so much she almost dropped her cuffs, as she looked up at him, he grabbed his prisoner by the front of the shirt, hauling him to his feet.
Then moving his hand to the back of the guy's collar, he put his gun in the guys back, forcing him along the track, hauling him to the platform ahead of him.
"BOSCO, WHERE ARE YOU GOING!" she shouted at him, as she quickly cuffed the man on the ground, "PUT THE CUFFS ON HIM FIRST! BOSCO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"
Reaching down, she hauled her prisoner to his feet, and followed as fast as she could, as he decided NOW to drag his feet!
When she reached the platform with him, the lights suddenly came back on fully. She spotted Bosco and his prisoner at the foot of the second flight of stairs, moving rapidly.
Not knowing what he might do when he reached the street, she tried to force the man she was hauling to walk faster, when he resisted, she shoved him against the platform base, yelling in his face, "YOU KEEP THAT UP AND I'LL SHOOT YOU AND DUMP YOUR DAMN BODY IN THE HUDSON!"
He decided he might want to walk a little faster.
Walking quickly across the platform to the steps, Faith suddenly remembered the child she'd heard, stopping and shoving him against the wall next to the steps, asking, "What happened to the kid?"
Looking at her funny, he asked, "What kid lady?"
"That's OFFICER to you brainiac! I'm talking about the kid who was screaming down there! Where is he? What did you bastards do to him?"
She was getting pissed off now, let the other guy take his chances with Bosco, there was a child down here in trouble.
Laughing now, he looked at her grinning, shaking his head, "There was no, 'KID' OFFICER, the only one screaming down there was your big bad PARTNER! Rowdy and I waited for him, jumping him when he came round that corner. We were only going to lock him in the tack room, but when we tried to shove him in he started SCREAMING AND CRYING LIKE A BABY! Then suddenly he went crazy, knocked me down and....you were there, you saw it!"
He was breathing heavily, as was she, as he added, "Oh and I didn't have a gun either, that was the others. Think you can put in a good word for me?"
Smiling at her hopefully now.
When he'd finished, Faith stood a moment looking at him as if he had horns, then, "Oh yeah, sure, I'll be sure to give you a 'GOOD WORD' don't you worry about it," her voice dripping with sarcasim, then grabbing him she began to haul him along again, forcing him up the stairs.
She would be forced to come back down now, a search party in tow to find the child, after she turned this ass over the the others.
Reaching the bottom of the last set of steps leading out, she saw a couple of officers running down the steps to her, one of them grabbed her prisoner, the other looking at her strange, "Yokas, you better get up there now!"
"Guys, there's a kid down here..." she paused as she heard his words, then glancing from one anxious face to the other, she swallowed.
Taking off, she took the stairs two at a time, as the prisoner called out to her running back, "I TOLD YOU IT WEREN'T NO KID OFFICER!"
As she came into the sunlight, the sight before her would remain with her for a long long time. _______________________________________________________________________
Standing in the middle of the street holding his gun on the prisoner at his feet, stood Bosco.
Lying on his left side, with his hands covering his face, the prisoner was begging for his life, Bosco standing straddle him, viciously kicked him as Faith watched in horror, Bosco, screaming at him to "SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!"
Then she noticed the others; there were cops everywhere, with more arriving.
Faith registered out of the corner of her eye Sully approaching her.
She watched as Davis, slowly edged up to Bosco, and Lt. Swersky arriving exited his vehicle.
Everything except Bosco seemed to be moving in slow motion.
"Hey, man," Davis quietly said, as he stopped near Bosco, "Hey, Bosco, don't do it, okay? He's not worth it, alright? Bos?"
Faith started forward to join him, but Sully held her back.
"No, Faith don't, something's really not right with him," Sully stated, as usual the obvious.
"Really, Sully, ya think," she asked, looking back at him, shaking her head, and starting forward again.
But she stopped as Davis, not really turning to her, held his hand out to her, "Faith, Stop," he quietly commanded her.
They had both already seen what she had not. ______________________________________________________________________
He was doing the same thing he'd been doing since he came out onto the street, alternating between talking to himself, kicking the guy and yelling at him. Threateing to shoot him, then talking real calmly about how the guy could get a lawyer, then crying, and again back to screaming at him while kicking the shit out of him.
Faith glancing around realized that every officer there, with the exceptions of herself, Davis, Sully and Lieu had his or her gun drawn.
They were aiming not at the perp, but at Bosco.
_______________________________________________________________________
She felt Sully's grip, but she was as mesmerized by what was happening as the rest, and was still.
"What, why, I mean how did you guys know where we were," she asked confused, "our radios...we're...what the hell is he doing Sully?"
"Well," Sully was looking at her sympatheticly, "there are only a few exits down here, Swersky ordered cars at each, there were some uniforms followed you guys down, but not in time to see where you went, so..." he trailed off, seeing she really didn't expect an answer, she was staring at her partner go nuts.
There would be time later to explain, hopefully.
Davis was still trying to talk Bosco down, without much sucess. Well, he hadn't shot the guy yet, so maybe he was having some.
This had been going on for about 10 minutes, when Doc finally showed up.
She was trying not to cry, as she listened to Bosco rant on, but, she didn't think she could hold on much longer, the fear of the others shooting him grew as each minute passed and he became more vicious in his attack of the man lying on the ground.
Figuring that Doc would be able to help him if Davis couldn't, she gained new hope that he would come out of this alive.
Feeling she should have done something, she was like the rest frozen in place, it was as if time had stopped, with the oppressive heat, the sun beating down on them in the late afternoon.
Bosco ranting on and on, everyonce in awhile savagely kicking the man on the ground.
For the first time on this job, Faith knew with out a doubt, she didn't know what to do.
For crying outloud, it was Bosco!
_______________________________________________________________________
Sitting alone in her RMP tonight, Faith wiped tears from her face. She'd not felt so helpless since Emily's OD, or her own injury last year.
Then she drifted back into the memory.
After consulting with Swersky, she saw Doc send Carlos to the front seat of the bus. A few minutes later, he came out, going to the back, he entered the bus, then she saw him approach Doc, handing him something.
Watching as Doc entered the street approaching Bosco, she saw him begin talking to him, but he was speaking low, and she couldn't hear what he was saying.
Bosco looked up, spoke to him, they exchanged a few more words. She could see that Ty was involved in the conversation, when suddenly Bosco started yelling at Doc, and lifting his gun to point it at them, he then began waving it back and forth between Doc and Ty!
Her heart in her throat, Faith's eyes widened as she screamed, "BOSCO, NO!!"
Hearing 15 or more weapons cock, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, expecting to hear them fire on him, as she did the same now in memory, in an attempt to block the vision before her.
Thanking God again, for Lt. Swersky, as he yelled, "STAND DOWN, STAND DOWN!"
That was probably the only thing that kept Bosco alive 6 days ago.
If Lew hadn't been there....well, Faith didn't even want to think about that possibility.
_______________________________________________________________________
The radio startled Faith out of her memory. With lights and sirens she pulled out, on her way to a traffic 'altercation'.
TBC..........
Bosco, Maurice and Moe, cont:
Chapter 4
Faith sat alone in the RMP tonight.
With Bosco in the hospital, and the rookie she was paired with spraining his knee last night, while chasing a purse snatcher, there was no one to ride with her.
With the shortage of officers due to the newest summer flu, Lt. Swersky had no choice but to let her do so. He usually rode with her when no one else could, but again, the shortage affected the house too, so he was stuck there.
He had offered to switch places with her, 'ha, not likely!' she thought, 'too damn hot in there in July.'
But now, sitting here alone, she wasn't so sure she'd made the right choice. At least with others around she wouldn't have so much time to think.
She still hadn't come to terms with what had happened 'five, oh god no, six days ago,' she found herself surprised, 'has it really been six days already?' it seemed like only yesterday, and a lifetime at the same time.
Going over her report of the incident with Swersky and IA had not helped her resolve the issue. It still didn't make sense, even after the Dr. had tried to explain, she was still baffled.
But, her first appointment wiht Bosco's Doc was tommorow morning, and she hoped to find some answers there. Though she admited to herself, she really didn't know what to expect.
Fred had told her to just tell the truth, if she wanted Bosco to get the help he needed. To not hold back, after all nothing she said could leave his office, right?
Faith knew he was right, but, still it made her uncomfortable to talk to someone about Bos's personal stuff. She remembered how hard it had been at first to tell her Doc about her 'issues' last year after she'd been shot. _______________________________________________________________________
Thinking about Fred's reaction, she knew that things between Fred and Bosco had been rough after she was shot, but he had been sincerely concerned about him, or at least she thought he had.
She really hated the problems between Fred and Bosco, and she knew she was the cause of most of them.
There had been a time when they'd actually liked each other.
Bosco had often defended Fred when she was ripping him, and he even followed Fred's ball team standings and had cheered them on. But those days were gone, and that made her sad.
He thought that Fred still blamed him for what happened in the hotel room with Nobel and Cruz, and for a long time he had.
She'd tried to tell Bos that it was not a problem anymore, but, he had told her, 'If I was Fred, and MY wife's partner had almost gotten her killed? I'D have done alot more that just punch him and stop speaking to him!'
As for Fred, his anger toward Bosco was mostly her fault. He'd accused her of putting Bosco before him and the kids, and she'd had to face that indeed she had. And THAT is what had gotten her shot.
Fred had really come unglued when that happened, he put the blame on Bosco, but after going to therapy for awhile, she'd faced the truth, and getting Fred to go, they had worked on it together. Both coming to realize that she was the one at fault for not saying NO. Not then, not before, not often enough. She forgot that her 'partner' at home, came first.
After all as she told her kids often enough, 'if you're friends wanted you to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you?'
She'd come to realize that she jumped off the 'Bosco Bridge' on a regular basis, not looking, just jumping.
Faith had learned how to say, NO, and things had gotten better. It was almost a year now, and her relationship with Fred and the kids had never been better.
And things with Bosco had improved too, or so she'd thought. She hadn't been taking on his problems anymore. Oh she still listened, and when it was called for, gave advice, after all he was her partner and her friend. But now, that's as far as it went, well, most of the time anyway.
______________________________________________________________________
Bosco had seemed to be growing up, then lately, he had started to become more volitale, even unpredictable with the people on the calls they went on. One second ripping them a new one, calling them jagoffs. The next second acting concerned, giving them life, or even legal advice!
He had even become like that with her.
_______________________________________________________________________
Six days ago though, it seemed to be worse than usual right from the start of the shift. Of course she couldn't have known how bad it would get before dark even came.
"Come ON FAITH!" he called out impatiently, "LET'S GO ALREADY!"
Looking up to the ceiling she sighed, thinking, 'Not another lovely day with my wonderful partner. Damn, this is how every freaking shift starts out, lately!'
"Bosco," she called back to him, "give it a rest! The bad guys will wait for us you know!"
She was signing out her radio and checking her gun.
Seeing his face, she called to him, "If you're that damn impatient, go start the car!"
He was staring at her with pinched lips, his jaw thrust forward as if he would argue, but she didn't give him the chance, "Don't even think about it Bosco, I'm NOT in the mood today!"
She glared at him to drive the point home. He stood there a moment, obviously angry, then swinging around he pounded down the hall, taking the stairs two at a time, bumping into several people coming up them.
Faith could hear him grousing as he went, sighing she turned back to finish, and saw Jim looking at her from behind the grating. He was shaking his head in sympathy.
"Looks like you're gonna have ANOTHER lovely day, Yokas" he laughed.
Turning away as she clipped her radio to her shoulder, then plugging it into her waist, she sighed again, "Tell me about it Jim!"
_______________________________________________________________________
As she walked out into the heat, Bosco was already at the curb waiting in the RMP.
He was smiling!
He had his window down, and leaning out he cheerfully asked her, "You finished Faith? Got everything you need? Cause if you don't, I can wait! I'm not in a hurry today, too damn hot!"
Faith stopped, looked at him a moment, saw he was serious, and happy, then making one of her famous faces snapped loudly, "SHUT UP BOSCO!"
She walked around the car, getting in the passenger seat, she was putting on her seatbelt when she realized he hadn't floored it, wasn't doing his usual bat out of hell start.
Glancing at him to see what the hold up was, she saw him staring at her, a puzzled look on his face.
"What, you started it," she groused at him, "would you just GO already!"
She went back to settling in. But still he sat there. Looking back at him, she snapped, "WHAT?"
"Started what Faith?" he asked worriedly, "Is something wrong? Did I do something? What did I do Faith?"
"You've got to be kidding, right," she sat gaping at him, "please tell me you're kidding."
Bosco seemed genuinely concerned as he quietly replied, "What did I do Faith?"
He sat there giving her that 'doe eyed' look he was so good at, and feeling yet again, like she'd just entered the Twilight Zone, she answered with, "Nothing Bosco, I'm sorry, just a bad mood today. Let's just go, alright?"
She was hoping to end this Twilight Zone episode of his quickly tonight.
He grinned at her, "Sure, Ok partner, lets go bust some bad guys!"
As he drove them away from the house, she stared out her window, thinking, 'Oh brother, does he need a girlfriend, bad!' _______________________________________________________________________
The next hour or so passed in much the same manner. One minute he was yelling at someone, the next acting as if nothing had happened.
She'd actually had to pull him off a guy, who after running a red light in his Mustang, had mouthed off to her!
Then like a minute later he was asking the guy about his car, "You think it's as fast as last years model?" Smiling at the guy like they were best friends!
Looking at her for help, probably thinking he'd lost his own mind, the guy stepped away from Bosco, but Faith smiling at him, simply shrugged, and went back to writing him the ticket.
She remembers hoping that the speeder wouldn't file a complaint against Bosco. Lately he seemed to be out to break his own record in getting complaints.
But, in his usual (lately) Twilight Zone way, by the time she'd handed the guy his ticket, Bosco had him talking like old friends about the car. Them saying they'd have to get together to compare cars!
AGAIN, the Twilight Zone!
Finally, Faith needed a break, so she asked Bosco, "You want to take our dinner break now? I'm hungry."
"Sure, hows a hotdog sound," he grinned at her.
Refraining from answering in the manner she really wanted to, she simply nodded, saying, "Yeah, sounds good."
"Great," he pulled away from the curb, moving them down the street to find dinner.
They grabbed a dog, chips and coke from one of the corner venders near the bridge, then parking the RMP in front of a jewelry store, settled in to eat in the airconditioned RMP.
"God, is this heat wave ever going to end," she complained, loosening her collar, "even the steam on the sidewalk has steam coming from it!"
"It's summer Faith! It's suppose to be hot," he too damn cheerfully replied.
Faith turned to glare at him, contemplating riding with Sully tommorow, "Bosco, what the hell is with you? Lately you act like you're on crack or some..."
She hadn't taken two bites of her dog, and was in the middle of chewing his hinny, when she heard gunfire.
As she turned to look in the direction of the sound, there was suddenly a body flying out of the jewelry store window, landing in front of the RMP. Glass shattering all over the sidewalk, spraying the hood of the RMP with shards.
Only this 'body' didn't stay down, and immediatly three more followed, as leaping through the shattered window, they took off running toward the subway!
Bosco and Faith sat a moment in shock, then begining to move to exit the RMP, they saw a fifth man push the door of the store open. Running out to join his companions, he spotted the RMP. He turned on them firing the gun in his hand.
Ducking down in the front seat, Faith called it in, "Central, this is 5-5 David, we have a 10-13 at this location, shots fired! 5 suspects involved," she was yelling into the mike as bullets shattered the windshield above her.
"10-4, 5-5 David, help in route. Do you need EMS," the dispatchers calm voice came over the airwaves.
"Don't know yet, central," Faith called out, as she glanced over to see that Bosco was not in the car.
"10-4, 5-5 David, will send EMS as precaution," finished the dispatcher.
"10-4 Central, send a Sgt, also," Faith called out, realizing the shots had stopped.
She sat up slightly, to look over the dash, not seeing the perp, she called out to Bosco, "Bosco, are you okay?"
Not getting an answer, "OH GOD, BOSCO!", thinking, 'not again,' as she quickly climbed over the console and out of the driver door, expecting to see him lying on the ground.
He wasn't there. ______________________________________________________________________
Faith looked up through the drivers door window, "BOSCO, NO!!! WAIT FOR BACKUP!!!"
Her hotheaded partner was in foot pursuit of all 5 of the robbers!
Jumping back into the car, Faith put it into gear, following him, telling central that he was in foot pursuit, she was following in the RMP.
"Dam mitt Bosco! Why the hell can't you ever wait for backup! You're giving me more gray hairs than EMILY," she yelled at him in her radio.
"Can't talk now," he laughed back, "got bad guys to catch!"
Faith gunned the engine, trying to catch up to him, "He just loves this shit doesn't he," she said outloud, "maybe Sully's right. He is an idiot! Maybe, Sully will let me switch partners with him tommorow!"
_______________________________________________________________________
Faith watched, her chest tight, as she saw the robbers head down the subway entrance, then Bosco jump back out of the way as one of them turned opening fire on him.
Catching up, she threw the car in park, jumping out as the robber, seeing Bosco draw down on HIM, turned to run down after his buddies.
Quickly reaching him, before he began to run after them, Faith grabbed him, checking him for wounds, "Bosco, are you okay? He didn't hit you did he?"
She saw his shirt indeed had two holes in it, but before she could stop him, "FAITH, I'm FINE, STOP IT!"
He shrugged her off. Pushing past her, he ran headlong down the stairs after the robbers.
"BOSCO ARE YOU CRAZY," she shouted after him, "BACKUP WILL BE HERE! STOP!"
"OH CRAP! Here we go again," she yelled, then radioed central their 'new' location, and that they were following the robbers down.
Then against her better judgement, she followed her obviously heatstroked, addled-brained partner down.
_______________________________________________________________________
Down in the subway, 'the still under-reconstruction subway', Faith followed the sound of running footsteps, coming out onto a platform, she saw the tail end of Bosco running down the empty tracks.
Taking off after him again, she yelled, "BOSCO STOP!! THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THESE GUYS TO RUN TOO! BACK UP IS ON THE WAY!!! STOP!!!"
But as usual, he acted like he didn't hear her, running full tilt after them.
Faith knew that when he was 'on the chase' nothing short of being shot would stop him. Sometimes she thought he must have been a foxhound or bloodhound in another life!
She of course had already decided that she would probably beat the living daylights out of him when she caught him, if they came out of this alive. And she wasn't worried about the perps, the heat down here would probably be the end of them first!
Running after him for about 5 minutes, she suddenly realized the lights had gone out, or at least most had. "Another brown out," she wondered aloud, panting as she paused to take off her flashlight, "yeah, okay, that's what we need down here now, crap!"
Shining her light ahead of her, she continued down the broken tracks, knowing that Bosco had his, he always carried it on his belt. Dark was not Bosco's friend.
She had lost sight of him minutes ago, and sound, as the radios didn't work so well down here.
Slowing to a slow trot, as she didn't want a broken leg, and she hated being down here. Trying not to trip on the debris, "DAMN, could it be hotter down here." She also didn't want to run past one of the perps and not see him.
She suddenly heard shots ring out.
Coming to a split at that time, she stopped, bent over panting, trying to tell which direction the sound was coming from.
Wiping her face, she felt like she was dying down here, "Oh yeah, he's getting his butt kicked when I catch him!"
Deciding that the sounds were coming from the right she headed that way.
Hearing more gunfire and running footsteps, "BOSCO," she yelled, "WHERE ARE YOU? DAM MITT BOSCO ANSWER ME!"
Saving her breath now, she ran faster, she heard more running and now the sounds of a fight.
Desperately she ran faster still, still unable to catch up.
"Damn, if I don't beat him to death, I'm signing him up for the Olympics!" she swore, "How the heck did they run so far so fast?"
She was nearing the sounds, when she heard screaming.
It was the bloodcurdling scream of a child. The scream that wakes parents in the dead of night, as they jump out of bed, raking their shins on bedrails, falling over one another, to save their babies. And it wasn't stopping.
"What the hell," she exclaimed, "is a kid doing down here?"
Running faster, she came around the turn in the track, to see the outline of two men, struggling with whom she assumed to be Bosco. At the time it looked like they were trying to shove him into one of the tack rooms along the track walls.
The screaming was coming from that direction, but Faith couldn't see where the kid was.
As suddenly as it started, the screaming stopped.
Then a loud angry roar came from Bosco as he lunged forward, knocking one of the guys to the ground. He then slammed the other guy in the face with his forearm.
"YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH," he screamed, "NOBODY IS PUTTING HIM IN THE DARK AGAIN! YOU HEAR ME? I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!"
"Wha...Put who in the dark," Faith wondered, looking around for the kid, "what the hell is he yelling about?" Then she called, "WHERE IS HE BOSCO?"
She was running up to the guy lying on the ground, pointing her weapon at him, she yelled, "FACE DOWN, AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK! NOW!!"
Taking one look at her face the perp did as he was told.
"You okay, Bosco," she asked, "where's the kid?"
Faith was panting, hoping she didn't pass out from the heat or lack of oxygen down here, and had just about decided that 'whooping Bosco's butt could wait until Winter' when glancing at him she saw the look on his face.
"BOSCO! DON'T! BOSCO! DON'T DO IT!" she shouted at him, he had that 'on the edge' look, one she'd seen before, hell one she'd worn before, and she knew he was near if not already over it.
She didn't know exactly what had happened, but with the way he'd been acting lately, well, she wasn't taking any chances.
Bosco looked over at her, as if seeing her for the first time.
"Faith...," he asked confusion both in his voice and on his face.
"Yeah, Bos, it's me," she calmly said, "look, you got him, ok? Just put the cuffs on him and lets get the hell out of this oven. Bosco, he's not worth it, alright?"
Bosco was now looking at the guy on the tround in front of him, as if seeing him also for the first time.
"Yeah, okay Faith, sure," he quietly said, his face still unsure.
Taking a deep breath, she was turning back to her own prisoner as he began to lower his gun, seeming to reach for his cuffs, when suddenly, he yelled out, "NO, NOT THIS TIME!"
He startled her so much she almost dropped her cuffs, as she looked up at him, he grabbed his prisoner by the front of the shirt, hauling him to his feet.
Then moving his hand to the back of the guy's collar, he put his gun in the guys back, forcing him along the track, hauling him to the platform ahead of him.
"BOSCO, WHERE ARE YOU GOING!" she shouted at him, as she quickly cuffed the man on the ground, "PUT THE CUFFS ON HIM FIRST! BOSCO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"
Reaching down, she hauled her prisoner to his feet, and followed as fast as she could, as he decided NOW to drag his feet!
When she reached the platform with him, the lights suddenly came back on fully. She spotted Bosco and his prisoner at the foot of the second flight of stairs, moving rapidly.
Not knowing what he might do when he reached the street, she tried to force the man she was hauling to walk faster, when he resisted, she shoved him against the platform base, yelling in his face, "YOU KEEP THAT UP AND I'LL SHOOT YOU AND DUMP YOUR DAMN BODY IN THE HUDSON!"
He decided he might want to walk a little faster.
Walking quickly across the platform to the steps, Faith suddenly remembered the child she'd heard, stopping and shoving him against the wall next to the steps, asking, "What happened to the kid?"
Looking at her funny, he asked, "What kid lady?"
"That's OFFICER to you brainiac! I'm talking about the kid who was screaming down there! Where is he? What did you bastards do to him?"
She was getting pissed off now, let the other guy take his chances with Bosco, there was a child down here in trouble.
Laughing now, he looked at her grinning, shaking his head, "There was no, 'KID' OFFICER, the only one screaming down there was your big bad PARTNER! Rowdy and I waited for him, jumping him when he came round that corner. We were only going to lock him in the tack room, but when we tried to shove him in he started SCREAMING AND CRYING LIKE A BABY! Then suddenly he went crazy, knocked me down and....you were there, you saw it!"
He was breathing heavily, as was she, as he added, "Oh and I didn't have a gun either, that was the others. Think you can put in a good word for me?"
Smiling at her hopefully now.
When he'd finished, Faith stood a moment looking at him as if he had horns, then, "Oh yeah, sure, I'll be sure to give you a 'GOOD WORD' don't you worry about it," her voice dripping with sarcasim, then grabbing him she began to haul him along again, forcing him up the stairs.
She would be forced to come back down now, a search party in tow to find the child, after she turned this ass over the the others.
Reaching the bottom of the last set of steps leading out, she saw a couple of officers running down the steps to her, one of them grabbed her prisoner, the other looking at her strange, "Yokas, you better get up there now!"
"Guys, there's a kid down here..." she paused as she heard his words, then glancing from one anxious face to the other, she swallowed.
Taking off, she took the stairs two at a time, as the prisoner called out to her running back, "I TOLD YOU IT WEREN'T NO KID OFFICER!"
As she came into the sunlight, the sight before her would remain with her for a long long time. _______________________________________________________________________
Standing in the middle of the street holding his gun on the prisoner at his feet, stood Bosco.
Lying on his left side, with his hands covering his face, the prisoner was begging for his life, Bosco standing straddle him, viciously kicked him as Faith watched in horror, Bosco, screaming at him to "SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!"
Then she noticed the others; there were cops everywhere, with more arriving.
Faith registered out of the corner of her eye Sully approaching her.
She watched as Davis, slowly edged up to Bosco, and Lt. Swersky arriving exited his vehicle.
Everything except Bosco seemed to be moving in slow motion.
"Hey, man," Davis quietly said, as he stopped near Bosco, "Hey, Bosco, don't do it, okay? He's not worth it, alright? Bos?"
Faith started forward to join him, but Sully held her back.
"No, Faith don't, something's really not right with him," Sully stated, as usual the obvious.
"Really, Sully, ya think," she asked, looking back at him, shaking her head, and starting forward again.
But she stopped as Davis, not really turning to her, held his hand out to her, "Faith, Stop," he quietly commanded her.
They had both already seen what she had not. ______________________________________________________________________
He was doing the same thing he'd been doing since he came out onto the street, alternating between talking to himself, kicking the guy and yelling at him. Threateing to shoot him, then talking real calmly about how the guy could get a lawyer, then crying, and again back to screaming at him while kicking the shit out of him.
Faith glancing around realized that every officer there, with the exceptions of herself, Davis, Sully and Lieu had his or her gun drawn.
They were aiming not at the perp, but at Bosco.
_______________________________________________________________________
She felt Sully's grip, but she was as mesmerized by what was happening as the rest, and was still.
"What, why, I mean how did you guys know where we were," she asked confused, "our radios...we're...what the hell is he doing Sully?"
"Well," Sully was looking at her sympatheticly, "there are only a few exits down here, Swersky ordered cars at each, there were some uniforms followed you guys down, but not in time to see where you went, so..." he trailed off, seeing she really didn't expect an answer, she was staring at her partner go nuts.
There would be time later to explain, hopefully.
Davis was still trying to talk Bosco down, without much sucess. Well, he hadn't shot the guy yet, so maybe he was having some.
This had been going on for about 10 minutes, when Doc finally showed up.
She was trying not to cry, as she listened to Bosco rant on, but, she didn't think she could hold on much longer, the fear of the others shooting him grew as each minute passed and he became more vicious in his attack of the man lying on the ground.
Figuring that Doc would be able to help him if Davis couldn't, she gained new hope that he would come out of this alive.
Feeling she should have done something, she was like the rest frozen in place, it was as if time had stopped, with the oppressive heat, the sun beating down on them in the late afternoon.
Bosco ranting on and on, everyonce in awhile savagely kicking the man on the ground.
For the first time on this job, Faith knew with out a doubt, she didn't know what to do.
For crying outloud, it was Bosco!
_______________________________________________________________________
Sitting alone in her RMP tonight, Faith wiped tears from her face. She'd not felt so helpless since Emily's OD, or her own injury last year.
Then she drifted back into the memory.
After consulting with Swersky, she saw Doc send Carlos to the front seat of the bus. A few minutes later, he came out, going to the back, he entered the bus, then she saw him approach Doc, handing him something.
Watching as Doc entered the street approaching Bosco, she saw him begin talking to him, but he was speaking low, and she couldn't hear what he was saying.
Bosco looked up, spoke to him, they exchanged a few more words. She could see that Ty was involved in the conversation, when suddenly Bosco started yelling at Doc, and lifting his gun to point it at them, he then began waving it back and forth between Doc and Ty!
Her heart in her throat, Faith's eyes widened as she screamed, "BOSCO, NO!!"
Hearing 15 or more weapons cock, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, expecting to hear them fire on him, as she did the same now in memory, in an attempt to block the vision before her.
Thanking God again, for Lt. Swersky, as he yelled, "STAND DOWN, STAND DOWN!"
That was probably the only thing that kept Bosco alive 6 days ago.
If Lew hadn't been there....well, Faith didn't even want to think about that possibility.
_______________________________________________________________________
The radio startled Faith out of her memory. With lights and sirens she pulled out, on her way to a traffic 'altercation'.
TBC..........