And on, and on, lol

Enjoy,

M

VACATION

By M

Chapter 53

Moe stood back watching as the Paramedics worked on Jamie while he was glaring at Jimmy the whole time and ignoring everyone else though occasionally Faith caught him looking down at the floor; she stayed out of it for now, not wanting to set him off again. As of now, Moe's arm was back in its sling with him holding an icepack to his face and he was still looking like he was out of control.

Jamie had begun to come around and a collective sigh of relief went around the room as the paramedic who had been told about her shock declared it to actually be a mild bump and that her vitals were okay, she simply told her that she should get checked out at the hospital when Jamie refused to go with them, she didn't seem to remember what had happened to make her faint. She still hadn't seen Moe yet as Faith had made him stand out of sight, at least until she could explain that he wasn't a ghost, and the others kept quiet about him being there letting Faith take the lead just now on that issue.

Jimmy was kneeling at her feet giving her an encouraging smile, while CJ who was unsure how he'd gotten put with the 'bad child' was standing beside Moe, also out of her line of vision.

A few of the other cops and firemen from the 55 had showed up to help her move as well as a few of her friends and they were now outside, waiting for word on what was happening.

Faith seeing that she was trying to get up, hurriedly moved CJ out of the room, dragging Moe with her, he didn't put up much of a fight just gave Jimmy a glare and followed her.

She whispered to them, "Look, you guys need to stay in here, at least until we tell her what went on," she had taken them to the living room across the hall.

CJ nodded, smiling at Faith, then trying to make light of the situation said, "Sure, I think one bump on the head a day is enough!" Then he looked pointedly at Moe who rolled his eyes at him and turned away.

Faith seeing this looked at Bosco with concern, "You aright, how's your shoulder?"

"I'm fine," he said bitterly, "Don't you know that yet Faith, I'm always fine."

She sighed, "Look Bosco, I don't know exactly what happened, or what you think you heard, but..."

Cutting her off, "You know, I don't give a shit what happened, okay! I just came here to tell her I was back, and that it's over! But since you're all here? All my friends," his anger was evident and it was also evident he was not going to listen to anything anyone had to say, "I'll just leave it to you, you tell her what ever the hell you want, I'm out of here!"

Then before Faith or CJ could say anything else he turned and walked out, leaving CJ shaking his head and Faith with her mouth open, then "Bosco!" Faith called out softly as she went after him, CJ right behind her, "Stop! You don't understand!"

He was in the yard now heading for the road but he was so angry at them all that he ignored all the "Hey, man its great news, glad to see you back!" and other happy comments that were being made. He also ignored Faiths' pleas for him to stop and come back.

"Let him go." CJ said grabbing Faith by the arm and pulling her to a stop, "He's not going to listen or believe anything right now, trust me on that. Faith, let him go, I'll talk to him later at his mom's house when he's calmed down enough to listen to reason."

"TRUST ME I already know what an ass he can be," Faith said fuming, "sometimes his hardheadedness is only outdone by his stupidity, and as far as listening to reason, yea good one CJ..." she sighed, "but, with all you guys have been through..." she paused shaking her head then turned and went back inside.

"You have no idea." CJ said quietly to her back before he followed her in.

"WHAT, OH GOD!!" Jamie exclaimed, "WHERE IS HE?" she was getting to her feet, and pushing away the paramedic as she was checking her vitals again and whom was trying to make her stay sitting in the chair, "STOP IT!! I'm fine!" Faith had just told her about the 'resurrection' of Bosco and CJ, and after staring at Faith like she'd gone insane, and seeing the others nodding that it was the truth, Jamie was on the move.

"Jamie, he's not here." Faith moved to block her, then hoping that more fireworks could be avoided, she didn't add why he'd left, only replied, "he left a while ago."

"WHY!!" Jamie was confused, "He comes to see me and then leaves before I actually do,", then narrowing her eyes at Faith, "I know that look Faith, Why did he leave?"

She turned to the others there, and seeing Jimmy's bruised face her eyes widened, "What happened to YOU?" No one answered her, and then CJ walked into the room.

Jamie's look was one of disbelief at seeing him, even though she had believed Faith it wasn't real until she saw his face smiling at her, then her expression of shock dissolving into tears she got up and quickly went to him, reaching up to touch his face to see if he was real as she hugged him, "OH MY GOD," she was sobbing, "Oh CJ!", then she couldn't speak, as they stood there, CJ was grinning from ear to ear, but he was teary himself.

Jamie kept looking at his face and then hugging him again, as if to let him go would prove this unreal, Faith finally said laughing, "Yeah, that's how I was last night, but let the boy go already Jamie save some of him for his mom!"

Then they were laughing, and CJ said, "Hey I'm a big guy, there's plenty to go around!"

"AWW you just did this to get the women cause you weren't getting them before!" Sully walking in teased, "Where's Bosco," he asked looking around the room, "Hell I thought he'd be the one we'd have to pull you off of!" he was laughing, but, then noticing no one else was he crossed his arms over his chest asking, "What now?"

"Maurice, decided not to stay," Jamie was already hurt and now she was getting angry.

"WHAT?" Sully was asking the same question that everyone but Faith, CJ, and Jimmy were, "WHY?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Jamie said looking at Jimmy's face again, Jimmy had been filled in by CJ a few minutes before and he had been debating something as they dealt with Jamie, looking at her with a slight frown he said, "I'll be back, I have something to take care of," then leaving Jamie looking at him with suspicion he left the house.

"What went on here?" Jamie asked pinning Faith and CJ with her 'look'.

Exchanging looks themselves, Faith then said, "Um, well, it seems as if Bosco got the wrong idea about something."

CJ muttered, "As usual," then he stopped as Faith elbowed him, "ow."

Raising one eyebrow at her, Jamie asked in confused surprise, "Wrong IDEA about WHAT!"

Faith looked at CJ her own eyebrow raised as she did a 'Sully' and folded her arms across her chest waiting for him to answer, "Well?"

CJ sighed as he dropped his head, "How did I know I would be the one?" Taking a deep breath he proceeded to fill Jamie in on what he had been told by Moe, about what he had seen and heard at the convenience store.

"OH MY GOD!!! I saw that 'kid'!!" Jamie was beside herself, "You mean to tell me he heard Jimmy and me talking about whose house we would be...Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't recognize him, but I still don't see why he...!" she was trying to think about the 'entire' conversation.

"Well, Jamie, he does have longer hair now and it is bleached baby pink! How could you have known! Plus, I saw the clothes he was in! His own mother wouldn't have known him, and with all those bruises..." Faith was trying to calm her down, "and after all you only saw him for a second."

Nodding, CJ added, "He didn't want you to see him Jamie, he knew that it would be dangerous, I was in the car with the others, plus, Sidney wouldn't have hesitated to use you to control him."

"That's beside the point, I mean, yeah sure I see what you're saying but, he couldn't have heard the entire conversation, or he would never think what he's thinking!" she turned to the counter.

"Um Jamie?" Faith said, "Bosco's famous for going off half-cocked, remember, especially when he's hurt."

Jamie just looked at her, then she was moving to the door, "I've got to go find him, explain what's really going on its not fair that he is left thinking something's going on between Jimmy and I while he was, or is, I mean...oh damn it Moe!"

"Um, that might not be such a good idea, maybe you should wait till he calms down, he might say something you'll both regret, he's pretty upset." CJ speaking up was remembering that bathroom and bedroom he'd destroyed as well as what had happened in the hallway after, and what he and Faith had come in on here earlier.

"Yeah, well so might I if I don't do it now!" Jamie was pissed herself, "Lot of trust in me if he thinks I would....I mean come on he was only 'dead' a few weeks! Good lord! You know I might just kick his ass when I find him for even Thinking such a thing!!"

Faith and CJ exchanged looks, again, as they followed her out of the house, "Think we should be armed," CJ whispered to Faith as they went down the steps.

"Couldn't hurt, might need it for our own safety!" Faith whispered back to him, "Probably should keep that bus available, too!"

XXXX

Walking down the street, Moe was livid as well as hurt, 'Some freaking friends, not only do they think its ok but, they're helping her move into his place!' He still didn't believe them, not after hearing what he'd heard and seeing Jimmy's reaction, then he heard a car behind him but was ignoring it until it pulled alongside and he heard "Hey, you need a ride?"

Turning he saw Jimmy driving slowly beside him, "What the fuck you want asshole," he walked faster, "Dougherty, you got any damn sense, you'll go back to your new girlfriend, she might need more help moving that bed!"

Jimmy had had enough of this nonsense, pulling the car forward in front of Bosco he whipped it up onto the sidewalk to block his path, Moe stopped walking, shaking his head in anger, "Man, you better just stay the hell in that car, I'm warning you Jimmy!"

"Yeah, whatever little man," Jimmy muttered getting out, then louder, "I've got something to say and damn it I'm going to say it!"

Moe stepped back as Jimmy approached him, he was clenching his fists and his face was tight with restrained fury, Jimmy noticing it stopped, looking down at the ground then back up to him, "I'm not going to fight you Bosco, I just want to talk."

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say," he was red in the face and white around the mouth, "Get the hell out of my way, you already got what you wanted right, so what the hell could you possibly want from me NOW?"

"I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING OF yours Bosco," Jimmy was pissed as he first yelled then lowered his voice as he was trying to stay calm, he knew now why Bosco thought what he did and he was going to try to fix this, if only for Jamie's sake, even if it killed Bosco, holding up his hands, palms up, adding more calmly, "Now will you listen to me? Or do we do this the hard way?"

"Bring it on, bucket boy, if you think you can handle it," Moe was speaking in a low hard tone.

Looking down at the ground, Jimmy blew a breath out, then, "You have to be the most stubborn, pigheaded, idiot, moron I have ever known! You don't deserve this, or her with what you thought of her, but here goes."

Moe was glaring at him, but didn't speak, what Jimmy said next, almost set him off again, "Yeah, I care about her, A LOT, okay?" Jimmy said quietly, then seeing Bosco's face begin to twist in rage, Jimmy hurriedly added, "AND if you had stayed 'dead' I would have eventually told her that, but, she doesn't know, she just knows that I'm her friend, okay, and I really am just a friend," Bosco began to frown in doubt, as Jimmy went on, "I know what you think you heard, CJ filled me in," and seeing the look of embarrassed anger on his face he quickly continued, "I would have probably thought exactly what you did if I'd have heard that, but you were and are wrong!"

"I know what I heard." Moe said quietly some of his anger dropping off, the hurt now more evident in his voice, "You and she were talking about whose house you would sleep at last night. There is nothing wrong with my hearing."

"No, there's not, but there is something wrong with the fact that you didn't hear all the conversation or you would know why, and Bos, what I want to know is how you could," he paused, then shaking his head, "how you could almost die, refusing help because you couldn't leave her, because you loved her, then knowing how much she loved you; I mean she stayed a lot longer than she had to down there with you; how you could believe that she could just throw that away so easily! Bosco sometimes I really don't get you, well actually I don't get you a lot of times, but that's beside the point," Jimmy was trying to lighten it up, "Man, look, I don't know what you've been through these last months..."

"Damn straight you don't but if you think I'm about to get all touchy feely with you and..." Moe began as he looked around for an escape in case Jimmy got stupid on him.

"SHUT UP OKAY!! JUST LISTEN!!" Jimmy wasn't stopping now, "BUT, I do know what she's been through,", he looked off a moment, then, "I'm not going to get into it with you, about where I found her, or what was going on, that's for her if she lets you back in, but I will tell you this, she disappeared for two weeks after she came back here. She didn't go to CJ's funeral and she tore Faith a new one for trying to comfort her about your death. And the day of your funeral she didn't show, in fact that's the day she disappeared."

Moe was paying attention now, his hands still clenched, but his face was calmer, he was looking confused, but less doubtful of what Jimmy was telling him.

"I found her by accident, and I've had a lot of guilt over the fact that we, all of us, let her down by not looking for her sooner." Jimmy was looking back at Moe now, "She was in a bad way, man, and Faith and I stayed with her at my place until she was better. I heard her, and I saw her, okay? No one grieves like that over someone they can just throw away. She didn't betray your memory, not then and not later!"

"Then why is she moving in with you?" Bosco asked softly his voice cracking, "Something must be going on..."

Jimmy's mouth dropped open in surprise, "BOSCO, she's not MOVING in with me!" Jimmy exclaimed, "She's moving into the city, she, well, it's up to her to tell you why she's sold this house, but man she ain't moving in with ME!"

Moe was unsure whether to believe Jimmy or not, and he said so.

"Then how about believing me?" came a voice he knew and loved from behind him.

Moe whirled around, startled, and seeing Jamie now in front of him, looking as stunned by seeing him as he was seeing her right now, stood silent, now unsure of what to do or say.

Jimmy immediately spoke up, "I'm out of here, you deal with him," and he walked off, tossing the keys to his car to Jaime as he passed, but first he paused as he passed Bosco, whispering to him, "Screw this up? And Game On little man, I'll make a move on her so fast your hair will curl," adding a wink as he walked off. Moe glanced at him, giving him a glare, then ignoring his comment looked back at Jamie.

As Jimmy walked to meet Faith and CJ, Jamie asked, "What did he just tell you?"

Moe shrugged making no comment as he stared at her.

"You left," she stated trying to take in that he was really standing before her.

He nodded, unable to speak at the moment, all he wanted to do was hold her, but he was still trying to digest what Jimmy had said, reconcile it with what he'd heard and seen.

She was staring at him quietly, looking at his face then moving to his arm and finally to his hair, tears started, "I thought you were a ghost. Although I wondered why you would have a halo? I mean, with your attitude, I would have expected horns and a tail!"

His bottom lip was trembling, but, he couldn't stop the small smile from forming, as he reached up and touched his hair, "Yeah, well it wasn't my idea."

"How," she said crying now, "How could you think that I would just toss you aside like that!? How could you not trust me after what we went through! I don't understand! And how could you think Jimmy would treat you or ME like that!?"

He was looking down at the ground now, fighting back tears of his own.

"Maurice! Look at me!" she cried, he looked up and she continued, "I know you think you heard something, but you didn't! Jimmy was a friend, and only that! He...found me when I was in a bad place, and he stayed with me until I was in a better place, it was never a good place, just better than the one I was in," he nodded, as she continued, "I am selling this place because it became a 'bad' place for me, the night I came home," she paused, then, "The only message on my machine was you telling me that you loved me, and asking me to 'lay one on you' if you were with me, and how much..."

"Yeah, I remember." he said softly, a smirk stealing the place of his slight frown and he was staring into her eyes now.

Now she had to look away so she could finish, "Well, you have no idea what that did to me! I blew up at Faith later that night, not because of anything she'd done or said, but because I realized I hated this house, for all that it would never be, because you would not be here, because of all the dreams I'd had for us in this house!" she paused, looking back at him.

'I'm sorry." was all he could say as the smirk slipped off of his face and he was looking at the ground again.

"Maurice, you have nothing to be sorry about, it was out of all of our control." then she was the one looking down, "I left the next morning, and left my son with his sister and a credit card, and I hadn't even seen them yet. And it was over two weeks before I did see them, and I've been staying in the city since. I only came back here to get some stuff and to sell it."

He was stunned, "You left Warren with Katy? Did they know where you were?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing!

"Yes, and no." she stated simply with a shrug, "Their Father knew but he didn't share it with them."

"I'm so sorry," he said again as he shoved his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but you haven't answered my questions, how could you believe that I could just throw you away so easily? Is there ever going to be anyone, any woman, who you trust? Really trust? Or are you going to go through your life waiting for the other shoe to fall Moe", then suddenly she was so angry she wanted to hit him with something, "You know what? I can't do this, I can't stand here and let you make me justify myself like this, I spent the last month thinking you were dead, and wanting to die myself, and the first thing you do when you 'return from the dead' is accuse me of screwing your friend!"

He started to say something, to try to explain, but she cut him off, yelling at him now, "I REMEMBER NOW WHAT YOU SAID TO ME IN THAT KITCHEN, BOSCO!" she was crying harder now, "HOW COULD YOU!! YOU HAD NO RIGHT!! I WANT YOU TO LEAVE, NOW!!" then she turned on her heel and walked away as fast as she could.

"JAMIE!" he choked out, but she kept going, throwing her hand up over her shoulder to ward him off.

She flew by Faith, CJ and Jimmy and kept going.

Jimmy looked back at Moe, shaking his head sadly, and then turned and followed slowly behind her.

Faith glanced at CJ and then followed behind them, "I'll talk to her." she said to CJ, who nodded then approached Moe.

Moe was standing with his head down, and his eyes closed, his hands down by his side, he looked defeated and ashamed.

"Moe?" CJ asked, "Look, give it some time, she'll come around, realize she was wrong, I mean..."

"Don't, she's right." Moe said quietly, "Jimmy told me, what she went through, or at least enough. She's right, CJ, I had no right. And now I've lost her."

"You haven't lost anything, YET." CJ replied, "give her time to cool off, its been a rough day for both of you. I mean how could you know that what you overheard wasn't really what was going on? You were in a really bad place yourself! Just wait and talk to her tomorrow, Moe. Give her time to adjust, and Faith to talk to her."

"No, I know her, she won't 'cool off' about this." he looked up at CJ, "She won't cool off about this."

Then he turned and continued down the sidewalk, around the car and soon was out of sight.

CJ stood there for awhile, trying to think of a way to help his friends, but for once was out of ideas.

TBC...