Title: No Mercy (7/?)

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters belong to John Wells, Edward Allen Bernero, NBC and a bunch of other people I've never met before in my life.

Rating: R for language, violence and content: deals with the issues of rape

Spoilers: Up through and including "Act Brave."

Summary: When one of their own is attacked by a serial rapist, the third watch crew sets out to find him before he strikes again.

Distribution: If you want it, take it. Just let me know the link. Otherwise, its permanent home is at my site, Only Time: www.geocities.com/angel_roswell/onlytime.html.

Category: Story

Subcategories: Angst, angst, angst, drama, angst, friendship and did I mention angst?

Author's Note: I'm not an expertise in the medical or legal fields. What knowledge I do have comes from: Lights and Sirens: A Writer's Guide to Emergency Rescue Professions by James and Lois Cowan, Police Procedure: A Writer's Guide to the Police and How They Work by Russell Bintliff, and years of watching E.R. and Third Watch. However, if everything isn't accurate, please don't flame me.

Author's Note II: I seriously apologize for not having this out sooner. Between massive amounts of school work and several rewrites of the last few scenes in this part, it didn't get out nearly as early as I'd originally planned. I'll try to be more prompt with the next part. ;)

Feedback: I crave it. And it tends to make me write faster.

No Mercy (Part Seven)

"Well, everything looks good." Dr. Brown smiled at Faith, then glanced at Bosco. "I'll start on the paperwork so you can get out of this place."

"Thank you," Faith said quietly.

"You're welcome. I'll give you a few minutes to get dressed and then I'll send one of the nurses in to go over your home care instructions." He made eye contact with Bosco, who looked at Faith.

"I'll be out in the hall."

Faith just nodded as they left the room.

"Are you sure it's not too soon to release her?" Bosco questioned.

"She's not suffering from any after-effects of the concussion now. There's no reason for her to stay another day." Dr. Brown studied him for a moment. "To be honest with you, I'm more concerned about her mental and emotional well-being at this point."

"What do you mean?"

"The attack took place in her home, correct?"

"Yeah..."

"I don't think it's such a good idea for Faith to return to the place where she was traumatized this soon after the attack."

Bosco frowned. "I hadn't thought of that."

Dr. Brown nodded in understanding. "I don't usually get personally involved in cases, but...my sister was raped a few years ago, so unfortunately I know a bit about it." He paused. "Is there somewhere else she can stay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, there is," he answered, his voice quiet. "But she's not gonna like it."

"And here's the written list of preventative steps," the nurse, Susan, told Faith as she handed her a sheet of paper about the things she could do to help maintain her blood platelet levels and avoid possible accidents.

"Thanks." Faith glanced down at it as she sat in the wheelchair.

"No work for at least a week. Don't try lifting anything over ten pounds or you'll be risking further injury to your ribs. If you have any dizzy spells, or black outs at all, call or have someone drive you back here to the hospital. Any questions?"

"No, I think that covers it."

"Ready to go?" Bosco asked, his eyes on her.

Faith nodded.

"I'll go get the car."

Susan wheeled her down the hospital corridor, Bosco a few steps ahead of them, carrying the bag of her clothes and personal items.

She drew curious glances and stares from passerbys, and she shifted uncomfortably and tried her best to ignore them as well as the pain in her ribs that the movement caused. She was relieved when they finally made it outside and Bosco's car pulled up to the curb.

Faith carefully pushed herself to her feet just as Bosco came around and opened the passenger side door. She turned to glance at Susan. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Don't come back, okay?"

She half-smiled. "Believe me, I won't if I don't have to."

Susan smiled back and then turned and wheeled the chair back inside the hospital.

Faith took a deep breath and walked slowly to her partner's blue Mustang. She eased herself down into the seat, grimacing. Then she glanced at Bosco, who had a concerned expression on his face. "I'm okay," she assured him.

He frowned briefly and closed the door. He slid into the driver's seat as she was fastening her seat belt. She leaned her head against the headrest as Bosco shifted the car into drive.

Faith felt dread churning in her stomach, but couldn't determine the cause of it. She stared out the window and tried to focus on breathing in order to stay calm. After a few moments, it occurred to her that they weren't headed towards her apartment. She glanced over at Bosco, frowning. "Where are we going?"

He kept his eyes on the road. "Oh. I forgot to tell you. Detective Masters told me that they were still searching your place for evidence, so you're going to stay with me for awhile." Bosco glanced at her for a brief second. "Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather go."

Her frown deepened. "They're still collecting evidence?"

"Apparently." He hesitated. "So is my place okay, or--?"

Faith bit her lower lip. "Look, Bosco....you don't have to...I don't want to be a bother. I'll just go to a hotel or something."

"It's not a problem."

"I don't want to cramp your style."

Bosco shook his head. "You won't be."

"Are you sure?"

He turned his head and glanced at her again. "Positive."

She met his eyes for a second. "Okay."

Bosco turned his attention back to driving. "Okay," he repeated.

Faith felt some of the tension fade away and a hint of relief took its place. Maybe it was because she and Bosco had been partners for so long, because they'd been through so much together--dangerous, life-threatening situaions--and had always come through alive and emerged together, but she felt safe and secure with him. No one was going to bother her while he was around.

It wasn't like she usually thought she needed him--or any other guy--to protect her. It was just how Bosco was. Some people considered him to be a real jerk--and she herself had called him a few choice names in the past and most of the time they were well-deserved. He *could* be a real jerk sometimes. But when Bosco cared about someone, he tended to be fiercely protective of them. That list of people was fairly short because very few tended to try and see past his attitude and short temper, but Faith knew she was included on it, and she felt honored to be there.

And knowing that she was, at that moment, gave her frazzled nerves some much-needed reassurance. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Everything's going to be just fine, she told herself.

Bosco hated lying.

Especially to Faith, because they'd been partners--friends--for so long and she deserved the truth. But when she'd asked where they were going, he knew she'd insist on going back to her and Fred's apartment if he didn't come up with a reason why she couldn't. She wouldn't come willingly to his place if she could go to her own because she wouldn't want to burden him. He knew her and that's just how she was.

So he'd lied. To protect her, both from possible physical danger and from more emotional upset.

Not that she was showing much emotion anyway. He wasn't sure if she was still in somewhat of a shocked state, or if she was just hiding her feelings, or maybe even a little of both.

Bosco pulled into a parking space across from his apartment building and shut his car off. He quickly took off his seatbelt and climbed out of the car, grabbing Faith's bag from the backseat. He hurried around to the passenger side and opened the door, extending his hand to help her out.

Faith stared up at him, her face the picture of surprise. She hesitated a moment, then slid her hand into his. He remained motionless, letting her pull herself out of the Mustang with his arm for support, afraid he'd hurt her if he pulled on her.

Bosco lead her into his building and up to his apartment, where he unlocked the door and stepped inside. He flipped the lights on and was relieved to see he hadn't left his place in a mess. Then he rolled his eyes and wondered why he cared. It was just Faith, not some chick he was trying to impress.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Bosco said as he set her bag down on the floor.

"Thanks," she murmured, glancing around.

"Make yourself at home. Do you want something to drink? I've got juice, soda--" He opened the door to his refridgerator and then frowned. "Actually, that's it." Other than that, the fridge was nearly empty. He usually ate out.

"No, I don't want anything, except..." She hesitated for a moment and wouldn't look at him.

"What?"

"Do you mind if...I use your shower?"

Bosco closed the fridge and looked at her. "No, go ahead. The towels are in the closet."

"Thanks." She turned and disappeared down the hallway.

He saw the door close a moment later. Before he had the chance to do anything, his telephone rang. He quickly grabbed it. "Hello?"

"Is this Officer Boscorelli?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"Detective Masters. I got this number from Captain Stick. You said you wanted to be updated with any new developments on your partner's case."

Bosco straightened. "Yeah. What've you got?"

"Well, it's not good news, I'm afraid. The results from the evidence we removed from her apartment are back from the crime lab. Other than traces of semen in the living room carpet, all the samples belong to Officer Yokas. The blood was a match from the tests the doctors ran at the hospital, as well as the hair samples that were collected both in her apartment and during the rape kit exam."

"What about the caller?" he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"We traced the number to an elderly woman in apartment B214. Flannigan went to talk to her, but she refused to answer any questions."

Bosco frowned. "B214...is that Mrs. Coleman?"

"Yeah. Adele Coleman. You know her?"

"Sort of."

"Any chance she'd talk to you?"

"Maybe, yeah."

"I know that you're not supposed to officially be involved on this case, but any help you can offer--"

"I'll do it," Bosco interuppted.

"Good. We could really use a break on this case." There was a long pause. "There's been another one."

"What?"

"One of the previous victims was attacked again last night. She's in the hospital listed in critical condition. He assaulted her, then repeatedly struck her in the head with a blunt object. She has a pretty serious skull fracture."

"Jesus." Bosco leaned his head on one hand.

"There was something different about this victim." Bosco could hear the hesitancy in the detective's voice.

"What?"

"She's a brown belt in tae kwan do. She's one of the only two victims who tried to physically fight back and not just resist. The other one is--"

"Faith," he finished, his jaw clenching.

"And since she saw his face, it's even more of a possibility that--"

"--he'll come after her again."

"We're putting her building under survelliance. A plain clothes officer will be on the property around the clock." Detective Masters paused again. "I stopped by the hospital this morning but the nurse said Officer Yokas had been released. Is she at home?"

"No. She's staying with me for awhile."

"That's probably a wise decision. How is she?"

Bosco's gaze traveled down the hallway and focused on the closed bathroom door from where he could hear water running on the other side. "I wish I knew."

Faith emerged from Bosco's bathroom awhile later, her hair still damp from the shower. The water had been hot and it had stung, but hot water got rid of dirt better. Between that and furiously scrubbing at her skin with a full bar of soap until it was whittled down to a small sliver, she'd hoped she'd get rid of the unclean feeling she had. It had helped some, but she knew she hadn't gotten rid of all the dirt.

After awhile the water had started to turn tepid and she'd given up for the time being. She'd pulled on the other pair of sweats that Bosco had brought from the hospital for her. She threw her dirty towel in the laundry hamper, finding herself somewhat surprised by the fact that Bosco *had* a laundry hamper. She shook her head and opened the door, freezing when she heard voices from the kitchen.

She relaxed when she realized she recognized the voices. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom. She walked down the hallway silently and paused in the entryway to the kitchen where Bosco was standing faced away from her, his voice low and serious as he talked to Sully.

Sully was silent, shaking his head slightly at whatever Bosco was saying, his eyes staring down at the tile floor.

"Boz?"

Bosco turned around to see her. He had a guilty look on his face. "Hey. Sully dropped by to see how you were."

Faith managed to smile at her colleague. "Hey, Sully."

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Thanks."

There was a moment of silence and she had the distinct feeling that she was the cause of that silence. They'd been talking about her.

"So, Bosco, why don't you go run those errands you said you needed to run?" Sully suggested.

"Right."

Faith looked at him. "Errands?"

"Yeah, I need to get some stuff from the store. Groceries and stuff," Bosco said vaguely. "Sully's going to keep you company til I get back." He grabbed his NYPD jacket off the rack, then paused on his way to the door and glanced back at her. "I won't be long."

A frown settled on her lips. "Okay. Be careful."

"I will." He turned and left.

Faith stared after him, wondering what was really going on.

Bosco stood on the doorstep of apartment B214. He reached up and knocked on the door. A moment later, an elderly woman with a frown on her face opened the door a crack, the chain lock still in place. "Whaddya want?"

"I'm Maurice Boscorelli, Mrs. Coleman."

Her frown deepened for a moment, then faded. "I remember you. You're the nice man that fixed my car."

Bosco felt relieved that she had remembered and he nodded. "That's right. I need to talk to you about something important, Mrs. Coleman. May I come in?"

She closed the door, removed the chain lock, then held the door open for him.

"Thanks." He stepped inside the apartment and turned to face her.

"Can I get you something to drink? Some coffee or tea?"

"No thanks." He took a deep breath. "I'm here because yesterday morning a friend of mine was attacked. She lives in the apartment next door to you. Faith Yokas."

Mrs. Coleman looked surprised. "You know Faith?"

"Yeah. You know she's a cop, right?"

She nodded, a slight frown on her face.

"Well, so am I. We work together. She's my partner." Bosco studied her for a moment. "You know that day I fixed your car? I was on my way to pick her up for work."

"I see."

"I want to thank you. I know you're the one who called for help. If you hadn't, she probably would have died."

"Well, I didn't realize at the time it was so serious. Is she going to be all right?"

"I think so, yeah. At least physically." Bosco took another deep breath. "Mrs. Coleman, I really need your help."

"What can I do?"

He was a bit surprised by her immediate cooperation.

She noticed. "I didn't like the man that came here before. He was rude and pushy." She perched on the edge of her sofa. "You I like. What can I do?"

Bosco sat down on the armoir across from her. "Tell me everything you can about what happened yesterday morning."

Mrs. Coleman nodded. "I was reading. It was about 2:45 a.m. I'm a bit of an insomniac, you see. Have been ever since Bill died...anyway, I was about to get up and fix myself some hot cocoa when I heard a noise from next door. I heard some shouting. At first I thought it was just her and her husband fighting again. They do that a lot, you know. But not generally at late hours. And then I heard things breaking...and it sounded like someone was thrown into a wall or something. I called next door, but when I didn't get any answer, I dialed 911. I was afraid he had hurt her."

"Fred?"

She nodded. "I don't know him well, but I don't like him. Anyway, after I called the police, I watched out the peep hole in my door. A few minutes later a man left Faith's apartment and I saw it wasn't her husband."

"You saw him?" He felt a rush of hope.

"Just well enough to see it wasn't Fred. He was taller--a big guy. And he had dark hair."

"Was he white?"

"Yes."

"Anything else you can remember?"

Mrs. Coleman shook her head. "The paramedics and the police showed up a few minutes later. I'm sure you know the rest."

Bosco nodded and stood up. "Thanks for your help, Mrs. Coleman."

"You're welcome. How is Faith doing?"

"She's..." He faltered, not sure how to answer her. He just shook her head.

"Well, if she needs anything, have her call me."

"I'll do that," Bosco agreed, nodding at her. "Thanks again." He left her apartment, closing the door behind him. He paused outside B212 and swallowed hard, his mind flashing to the blood stain in the middle of the living room carpent beyond the door.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then walked away.

Bosco unlocked the door to his apartment and pushed it open, carrying two sacks of groceries inside. He set them on the counter in the kitchen. "Sorry I took so long. Lines at the grocery store were hell," he told Faith and Sully, who were both seated in his living room.

"That's all right. But I should be heading home. Tatiana's expecting me." Sully stood up. "Take care, Faith. See you later."

"Sure. Thanks, Sully." Faith remained seated on the couch, looking out the window.

Sully walked over to Bosco. "She knows something's up. She's been asking a lot of questions," he said quietly.

Bosco scratched his head and sighed. "Thanks for the head's up. See you later, Sullivan."

"Yep." Sully let himself out of the apartment.

Bosco walked back into the kitchen and began unpacking all the groceries and putting the perishables in the refridgerator. After a few moments, he became aware of Faith's presence behind him. He turned to see her leaning against the kitchen counter, staring at him.

"Boz." Her voice was quiet, serious.

"Yeah?"

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to act casual.

None to his surprise, she didn't buy into it. She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I mean, something's going on and I want to know what it is."

Their eyes met and Bosco sighed. "All right. Let's go sit down." He followed her into the living room.

Faith sat down on the sofa and he sat down next to her. For a long moment they were both silent.

"Where were you really?"

"I went to see Mrs. Coleman," he said truthfully.

"Mrs. Coleman?" she repeated.

"Yeah. Detective Masters called me. Said she was the one who called the police yesterday morning. She wouldn't talk to them. So I went to see her to find out what she knew."

"And did you?"

He nodded. "She saw the guy through the peep hole on her door. Said he was big. Dark hair, caucasion. After I talked to her, I went to talk to Masters at the station to tel him what she said. Then I picked up some groceries and came back here."

She was silent for a moment. "And Sully just happened to drop by?"

Bosco looked away. "No. I called him."

"Why?"

"Faith--"

"Bosco. Tell me why."

"Because I think you may still be in danger, that's why." He stood up, walked over to the window and looked out. "One of the other victims was attacked again last night. Same guy." Bosco turned to face her.

Her eyes were cloudy with confusion. "Is she--"

"In the hospital. In critical condition." He felt his anger, fear and frustration flood through his veins. "That's why I called Sully. Because I'm not letting this bastard get anywhere near you again. Ever," he said, his voice much harsher than he'd intended it to be. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

She stared at him, stunned by the intensity behind his words. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, unsure of what to say. So she simply nodded instead of speaking.

Bosco took another deep breath to calm himself, then sat down next to her on the sofa again. "All right. I told you the truth. Now I need to ask you something."

Faith swallowed hard, wondering what he was about to say. Had he somehow found out about her cancer? Was that what he was about to ask her? Whatever it was, it was taking all his resolve to ask. She could feel the tension rolling off him in waves. She waited nervously.

"Has Fred..." Bosco clenched his jaw and wouldn't look at her. "Has he ever hurt you?"

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Has he ever hurt you? Physically, I mean."

"No, of course not." Faith shook her head, totally confused by the question and what had made him think to ask it.

He nodded slowly, feeling relieved.

"What made you--?"

"Mrs. Coleman...said that she heard you two fighting a lot. Yelling...I just wanted to make sure."

"Feel better?"

Bosco glanced at her sideways. "Yeah." He looked away again. "So where is he?" he asked quietly.

She felt tears sting her eyes and she blinked furiously to keep them from falling. "He left. We had a fight. He took the kids and went to stay with his parents." She looked down at her hands.

He was silent for a moment. "Maybe you should call him. Let him know what's happened."

She immediately shook her head in refusal. "No."

"Faith, he's your husband. He should be here to support you."

"I can't deal with him right now, Bosco."

"But--"

"You don't know him, all right? If I called him and told him what happened, he'd be here in a minute, but..."

"But what?"

"Fred doesn't handle this kind of thing well, okay? I don't think he could deal with it. And I can't...I can't deal with him and this, too right now, Boz...I just...can't." She looked away from him, her ribs aching with the pain of fighting to hold in the sobs she felt building. She would not cry. She wouldn't do it.

"Okay," Bosco said quietly. "So then it's just you and me. All right? How 'bout some coffee?"

Faith nodded slightly. "That'd be nice."

End Part 7