Notes: Thank-you to Angie for everything. If you don't enjoy Bosco torment and torture I don't know what to tell you because I love it. Thank-you to everyone who has
been so nice and asked for more.
Feedback will be loved and well taken care of.
Prologue
I almost killed Faith today.
My hands are shaking. Why can't I stop them?
I didn't mean to shoot her.
How much of this shit have I drank? If I can still remember the blood and her face then it's not
enough.
When I got up this morning there were no warning signs that today was going to end the one
thing that I have that is good in my life.
I need more whiskey. I can't think about this anymore.
God, please make it stop.
Part 1
Bosco drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Nothing was happening, not a damn thing.
Faith had finished the paperwork and they were sitting on the corner under a street lamp
near a gas station. Faith stopped reading the report in front of her, glanced at his fingers,
and sighed.
"Bosco, stop. You're driving me bananas doing that."
"Faith, I'm bored."
Bosco saw her roll her eyes and then close them. She was trying to stay calm. He loved bugging
the hell out of her like this. Nothing else was going on tonight so he had to have fun somehow.
"Bosco, stop whining. Jeez you're worse than Charlie. What do you want me to do about it?
Do you want me to go out and make some idiot shoot somebody just so you have something
to do?"
Bosco tried to force the grin off his face.
"Could you?" he asked, giving her his best innocent look. She wasn't falling for it.
"Get out. Get out of here leave me alone." She reached over and pushed him into the door.
Bosco decided that maybe this time he should stop while he was ahead. After all, he was
going to have to ride with her the rest of the shift. He reached over, pulled on the door handle,
and stepped out of the car. He glanced over at the gas station and realized it was getting cold.
The sun would be down in a couple of hours so it was just going to get worse. Coffee,
that's what he needed; that would wake him up. He turned back and looked at Faith through
the windshield. She was reading again but she was also shaking her head and mumbling.
He tapped on the windshield. She looked up at him. He grinned and motioned toward the
gas station.
"Coffee?"
She stared at him for a second, then looked at the gas station. She nodded yes, waved her
hand in the general direction of the station, then turned back to the report. Bosco shoved
his hands in the pockets of his jacket and started across the lot to the station.
The attendant inside was too cheerful. He waved at Bosco when he stepped inside the
small store. Bosco rolled his eyes at the guy, who looked away and then turned back to
the game show he was watching on TV. Bosco went to the coffee machine, took two cups
from the stack, and poured the coffee. He was dumping sugar into Faith's cup when his
radio crackled and came to life.
"Five-five Charlie is requesting assistance for pursuit of suspects in an armed robbery
at 243 Ninth Avenue." The radio beeped then went silent.
Bosco reached for the button on his radio at his shoulder. He found the button and pressed it.
Finally something to do. There was the double bonus of telling everyone in the locker room
later that night that the Great Officer Sullivan had needed his help.
"Five-five David here, we are on our way to assist Five-five Charlie." Bosco released the button
then turned to leave the store. He heard the clerk shout something about your coffee as he swung
the door open and jogged across the lot to the car. Faith was inside giving him a look.
"What?" Bosco grinned at her as he started the car and rammed it into gear.
Faith just shook her head and grabbed onto the dash as he flipped the siren on and sped out of the
lot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco pulled the car up beside Sully and Davis's car. Sully was standing near a door of a
three-story warehouse. When Bosco stepped out of his car, he could see a dirty, mean-looking
face staring back at him from inside Sully's car. The face looked familiar.
"What ya got?" he asked Sully, pointing at the face.
"Three guys just hit Thelma's Liquor; they killed the clerk and grabbed what they could
from the register before we got there. Phil there was the slowest of the bunch. Davis caught
him before he could follow the rest of them around the corner. He told us that he was supposed
to meet his buddies here."
"You trust him?" Faith asked.
"He's a helpful sort of guy if you ask him nicely," Sully smirked then shrugged. "But, who
knows? Davis is around back waiting for word. There's not much light in there so I called
for more bodies to help with the search."
Faith was staring in at the man in the back of the car. She pursed her lips and then turned to
Bosco. "Boz, isn't that the guy that we lost last week down at Evergreen Liquor? Didn't the
clerk say that there had been two other guys with him?"
Bosco looked at the guy once more. She was right; it was the little punk that had led him on
a five-block chase. Then the jerk had crossed a street suddenly and ran for an apartment
building. Bosco had cut across the street right after him and had almost been creamed
by a taxi.
He hit the window with his palm. "Oh, you little…"
The guy leaned away from Bosco but he had a grin on his face, and he was mouthing a word
slowly through the window at Bosco. Sully stepped toward the car and tapped his stick on the
window. "Cut it out, or I'm going to let him in there with you!" Sully shouted through the
window at the guy who went white, clamped his mouth shut, and suddenly became fascinated
with his feet.
Bosco thumped the window one last time and turned toward his car. Oh no, these punks were
not going to get away with it this time, not if he had anything to do with it.
"Faith, we got to get these guys," he muttered as he passed her. Bosco went to the trunk of his
car and opened it. He pulled out two flashlights and slammed the lid.
Faith stepped in front of him and grabbed his arm. "Bosco, are you crazy? We can't go in there.
We don't know where they are. If they're still armed, what happens if we get in there and
something happens? We need to wait until ESU comes."
Faith looked worried. Bosco sighed. He wasn't going to let Faith pull her worried mother routine
and have them stuck outside directing traffic while ESU came in and saved the day. Not this
time. Bosco could feel adrenaline pumping through his veins.
"Faith, are you coming or not?" he asked her. She shook her head no and tried to hold him back.
He shrugged his shoulders and shook out of her hold then turned and walked to the door. He
handed Sully the other flashlight and then winked at him.
"Tell Davis I'm going to check out the first floor."
Sully rolled his eyes at him. He opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind.
He grabbed the radio at his shoulder and radioed to Davis that Bosco was going in.
"Bosco, please," Faith called behind him.
He ignored her. He pulled his gun from its holster, then grabbed the handle on the door, swung
it open and stepped in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The inside of the building was shadowy and had a damp musty smell. Bosco sniffed the air
and then regretted it; the smells of a high school locker room assaulted his nose. Shafts of
light streamed through small windows lining the ceiling.
Bosco turned the light on and scanned the interior of the room. Boxes and racks were strewn
haphazardly around the inside of the large single room. Bosco could see small offices lining
the right side of the room and metal stairs leading to the second floor on the left.
Bosco turned the light off, and hooked it on his belt. He didn't want to make himself a target,
and the light wasn't too bad in the large room. As he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim
light, he heard the door open behind him. He spun quickly and saw Faith standing with her
gun in her hand and an angry look on her face. He grinned at her. He knew she would come in.
"Don't you say a damn word to me! Do you hear me? Never again, not one word ever,"
she spat at him. Then he heard her mutter, "You hardheaded jackass."
Bosco chuckled to himself and turned back toward the rooms on the right. She was pissed,
but she would get over it. She always did. He knew her too well. Of course, she could always
surprise him.
Bosco turned his attention back to the boxes and garbage that was in front of him. He carefully
scanned each piece before he stepped around it. They made it to the wall and the line of doors
just as he heard sirens from outside. The Calvary was here.
They made it to the first door and Bosco automatically stepped to the side and put his hand on
the knob. Faith stood right behind him and a little to his right so she would be able to cover his
entry. He nodded once and swung the door open. Bosco let his gun follow his eyes as he quickly
scanned the inside of the room from his position at the doorway. The room was dark and empty;
there was no place to hide. He checked the room once more then stepped out.
Faith had stepped one step back and was scanning the rest of the large room behind them.
Bosco motioned toward the other door and moved slowly toward it. Bosco glanced back over
his shoulder at Faith. The light coming from outside was growing dimmer. Maybe she was right
about going in, maybe they should wait for back up. The small rooms were darker than the main
room and they only had one small window. That made it difficult to see. Faith nodded her
head and he pushed all the doubts out of his mind and focused on the door ahead.
Bosco took position beside this door and did everything the same as before. This time however,
someone was standing right behind the door as Bosco swung it open. Big beefy hands grabbed
Bosco's arm from somewhere behind the door and dragged him into the room. Bosco grabbed
at the attacker as he was jerked inside. Bosco used his momentum to pull the man into the room
with him and managed to physically shove him to the ground under him. He swung his fist at the
guy and felt it connect; the man collapsed under him. Bosco sensed another attack from behind.
This man was larger and Bosco could see something in his raised hand. Bosco tried to roll from
the attack but he felt the blow land on the right side of his head. A flash of light flared before his
eyes and then he felt the odd sensation of something warm seeping down onto his right temple.
Bosco shook his head to try to clear it.
The man came at him and grabbed at his gun. Bosco squeezed his fingers tighter around the grip
of his gun. He kicked out with his feet and heard a grunt from the man. In the dim light Bosco
watched as he stumbled backward toward the door, he heard the man fall back and then down.
Bosco tried to take a step toward the sound but a hand reached up and grabbed at his neck.
The pressure increased around his neck; he could feel the man's fingers slowly squeezing until
he couldn't breath. Bosco used his gun as a club to swing at the man's face. The pressure
continued; his eyes started to water. Air, he needed air. Bosco swung blindly at the man in front
of him. He felt his gun connect with the man's head. The man slumped to the ground and Bosco
was able to take a gasping breath. He gulped air and ignored the protests of his injured throat.
The other man suddenly loomed over him. He was going to be attacked again. No thought went
into his actions as Bosco turned and fired his gun up at the approaching figure.
He heard Faith cry out, stumble backwards, and fall to the ground.
Oh God! What did he do? His whole world came crashing down
"Faith! Faith!"
Bosco threw the gun down, pushed himself to his knees, and scrambled across the floor toward
Faith.
He could make out her fallen outline in the dim room. He went to her and fell next to her side.
She wasn't moving. Terror gripped at his chest as he tried to feel for a pulse at the side of her
neck. He could feel a steady beat but when he pulled away his hand, he felt the wetness of her
blood on his hands.
"No, please oh God, please," he pleaded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco pressed his hand over the wetness he could feel on Faith's neck. "No... Please..."
"Bosco?" Faith mumbled.
Bosco bent close over her face; her eyes were open and she was looking for him. He couldn't
tell if she could see him or not.
"I'm right here, Faith, hang on. "
"What...You...Why?" she whispered. Then she slowly closed her eyes.
"No, Faith. Come on, Faith, don't so this. Please come back," he begged her.
He didn't realize that he was no longer alone until the beam of Sully's light slid across Faith.
Bosco heard the older man curse and say something to Davis.
"Bosco, what the hell happened?"
Bosco continued to press his hands against the side of Faith neck, and looked up into Sully's
questioning eyes. He didn't know what to do. Someone please tell me what to do.
"Help me," he pleaded.
Bosco looked back at Faith. Her blood had splattered onto her face. It made odd designs over
her chin. Bosco wiped at the crimson stain as he whispered to Faith. "Hold on, help will be
here soon."
Doc was suddenly by his side; he shook Bosco's shoulder. "Bosco, I need for you to move,
okay?" he said quietly to Bosco.
Kim was tugging on his arm. His legs wouldn't move. He had to stay. He had to help Faith.
Sully gently grasped Bosco by the shoulders and pulled him away from Faith. Sully pulled
him to his feet. But, when Sully tried to push him back into the main room, Bosco shook
out of his grasp. He refused to leave her. He watched as Doc and Kim examined the wound.
He heard their words but his mind wouldn't focus on their meanings. Was she okay?
"Bosco, you've got to give them room," Sully said softly.
Bosco let Sully lead him from the room. When they were a few steps away Sully twisted Bosco
around to face him.
"Bosco, what happened?"
Bosco looked at him for a second, then tried to turn back to Faith. Sully wouldn't let him look
back at Faith; he looked up at Sully's questioning eyes.
Davis rushed by the pair with the stretcher from Doc's bus with Carlos and Alex right behind
him. Bosco could hear Doc and Kim lift Faith onto the stretcher and push it toward the door.
"It was an accident," he muttered as he shook his arm out of Sully's grasp.
Bosco watched Doc and Kim pass with Faith. She was so pale. He looked back at the room.
He could make out Carlos bending over a man on the floor.
Bosco felt his stomach tighten. His thoughts were spinning. He suddenly remembered the feeling
of his air being choked off then a figure that he thought was the other man coming at him again.
He did this, it was his fault and she knew it. She had wanted to know why he did this to her.
"I'm sorry, Faith," he whispered.
Sully grabbed him roughly by the arm and swung him around until they were face to face.
He held Bosco firmly by the folds of his jacket. "Bosco, what in the hell did you do?"
"It was an accident," Bosco repeated.
The words sounded pathetic to his ears but those were the only words making it from his
brain to his mouth. Nothing he said would be able to express the feeling of self-loathing that
was forming a large knot in his stomach.
"You did this?" Sully shook Bosco, then stopped when he got no response. "I told you to stay
outside. She told you to stay outside!" Sully told him angrily."When will you get it through
that thick head of yours that you can't do everything by yourself?" Sully spat at him.
He shook him once more than pushed him away with a grunt. Bosco stumbled back.
He noticed the blood staining his hands; he tried to ignore the taste of rising acid in his throat
as he scrubbed his hands on the legs of his pants.
Kim appeared beside the two. She paused and looked from the anger on Sully's face to the
unusually quiet Bosco, and then she placed a hand on Bosco's shoulder. The sudden touch
startled Bosco and he pulled away from her. "Bosco? Come on, ride with us. We need to
check that out," she told him quietly as she took him by the arm and slowly guided him to
the door.
He stumbled as she led him away from the horrible room. He couldn't seem to make his body
do anything. His mind was too busy praying that Faith would be okay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The noise from dozens of vehicles outside the warehouse deafened Bosco as he allowed Kim
to lead him to the bus. When they got to the open waiting door, Bosco froze. Faith was inside,
Doc was hanging bags of IV fluid from the sides of her stretcher.
Doc looked up just as Bosco and Kim approached. Bosco saw an unfamiliar look flash across
Doc's face as he held Bosco's eyes. Then the look became one of concern, but what had it been
before? Disgust? Pity?
"Bosco? How's your head?" he asked.
Head? What was he talking about?
Bosco warily touched the side of his face and felt warm moisture on his fingers. He pulled his
hand away and stared curiously at the tips of his red fingers. Then he remembered the blow to
his head that had come right before the sudden grip on his throat. He absently touched his neck
then looked back at Faith.
Kim took his chin and raised it carefully so she could look at his neck. She glanced back at Doc
then returned her attention back to Bosco. "What happened?" Kim asked.
Bosco shook his head. He didn't want to open his mouth. He was afraid of what he would have to say. This was entirely his fault, how could this be happening?
"He shot her."
Sully's voice made Bosco jump. He wasn't sure if it was the sudden sound of Sully's voice
behind him or what he said, but the words made Bosco stomach twist uncontrollably and then
he began to shake. He couldn't stop the tremors that started somewhere in his stomach and
traveled out toward his arms and legs. He felt his knees buckle and he stumbled forward.
"Whoa.. take it easy."
Bosco felt Sully's strong hands grab his shoulders and try to steer him toward the open door
of the ambulance. Bosco shook his head like a small child. He didn't want to climb in there,
he didn't want to see his partner, with her blood flowing out where he had shot her. He squeezed
his eyes shut. Why hadn't he listened to her? What if she died?
Bosco felt Kim's light touch on the side of his face; she gently pulled his chin around. Bosco
forced his eyes open and he saw she was smiling at him and looking at him with concerned filled
eyes. "Bosco, listen to me. Faith is going to be okay. You hear me?"
Bosco nodded. He wanted to believe her.
"Come on."
Kim reached up and pressed gauze to the side of his head. Bosco hissed at the sudden pain.
She gave him another smile and then reached for his hand and pressed it to the bandage next
to her hand.
"Hold that," she ordered.
Bosco did as he was told as she led him to the front of the bus and opened the door to the
passenger seat. Bosco slowly climbed into the seat and Kim closed it behind him. His hands
were shaking. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window. He felt
movements in the back. Then someone opened the driver's door and got in.
"Bosco?"
There was a short pause, then Kim started the engine and they pulled away.
been so nice and asked for more.
Feedback will be loved and well taken care of.
Prologue
I almost killed Faith today.
My hands are shaking. Why can't I stop them?
I didn't mean to shoot her.
How much of this shit have I drank? If I can still remember the blood and her face then it's not
enough.
When I got up this morning there were no warning signs that today was going to end the one
thing that I have that is good in my life.
I need more whiskey. I can't think about this anymore.
God, please make it stop.
Part 1
Bosco drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Nothing was happening, not a damn thing.
Faith had finished the paperwork and they were sitting on the corner under a street lamp
near a gas station. Faith stopped reading the report in front of her, glanced at his fingers,
and sighed.
"Bosco, stop. You're driving me bananas doing that."
"Faith, I'm bored."
Bosco saw her roll her eyes and then close them. She was trying to stay calm. He loved bugging
the hell out of her like this. Nothing else was going on tonight so he had to have fun somehow.
"Bosco, stop whining. Jeez you're worse than Charlie. What do you want me to do about it?
Do you want me to go out and make some idiot shoot somebody just so you have something
to do?"
Bosco tried to force the grin off his face.
"Could you?" he asked, giving her his best innocent look. She wasn't falling for it.
"Get out. Get out of here leave me alone." She reached over and pushed him into the door.
Bosco decided that maybe this time he should stop while he was ahead. After all, he was
going to have to ride with her the rest of the shift. He reached over, pulled on the door handle,
and stepped out of the car. He glanced over at the gas station and realized it was getting cold.
The sun would be down in a couple of hours so it was just going to get worse. Coffee,
that's what he needed; that would wake him up. He turned back and looked at Faith through
the windshield. She was reading again but she was also shaking her head and mumbling.
He tapped on the windshield. She looked up at him. He grinned and motioned toward the
gas station.
"Coffee?"
She stared at him for a second, then looked at the gas station. She nodded yes, waved her
hand in the general direction of the station, then turned back to the report. Bosco shoved
his hands in the pockets of his jacket and started across the lot to the station.
The attendant inside was too cheerful. He waved at Bosco when he stepped inside the
small store. Bosco rolled his eyes at the guy, who looked away and then turned back to
the game show he was watching on TV. Bosco went to the coffee machine, took two cups
from the stack, and poured the coffee. He was dumping sugar into Faith's cup when his
radio crackled and came to life.
"Five-five Charlie is requesting assistance for pursuit of suspects in an armed robbery
at 243 Ninth Avenue." The radio beeped then went silent.
Bosco reached for the button on his radio at his shoulder. He found the button and pressed it.
Finally something to do. There was the double bonus of telling everyone in the locker room
later that night that the Great Officer Sullivan had needed his help.
"Five-five David here, we are on our way to assist Five-five Charlie." Bosco released the button
then turned to leave the store. He heard the clerk shout something about your coffee as he swung
the door open and jogged across the lot to the car. Faith was inside giving him a look.
"What?" Bosco grinned at her as he started the car and rammed it into gear.
Faith just shook her head and grabbed onto the dash as he flipped the siren on and sped out of the
lot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco pulled the car up beside Sully and Davis's car. Sully was standing near a door of a
three-story warehouse. When Bosco stepped out of his car, he could see a dirty, mean-looking
face staring back at him from inside Sully's car. The face looked familiar.
"What ya got?" he asked Sully, pointing at the face.
"Three guys just hit Thelma's Liquor; they killed the clerk and grabbed what they could
from the register before we got there. Phil there was the slowest of the bunch. Davis caught
him before he could follow the rest of them around the corner. He told us that he was supposed
to meet his buddies here."
"You trust him?" Faith asked.
"He's a helpful sort of guy if you ask him nicely," Sully smirked then shrugged. "But, who
knows? Davis is around back waiting for word. There's not much light in there so I called
for more bodies to help with the search."
Faith was staring in at the man in the back of the car. She pursed her lips and then turned to
Bosco. "Boz, isn't that the guy that we lost last week down at Evergreen Liquor? Didn't the
clerk say that there had been two other guys with him?"
Bosco looked at the guy once more. She was right; it was the little punk that had led him on
a five-block chase. Then the jerk had crossed a street suddenly and ran for an apartment
building. Bosco had cut across the street right after him and had almost been creamed
by a taxi.
He hit the window with his palm. "Oh, you little…"
The guy leaned away from Bosco but he had a grin on his face, and he was mouthing a word
slowly through the window at Bosco. Sully stepped toward the car and tapped his stick on the
window. "Cut it out, or I'm going to let him in there with you!" Sully shouted through the
window at the guy who went white, clamped his mouth shut, and suddenly became fascinated
with his feet.
Bosco thumped the window one last time and turned toward his car. Oh no, these punks were
not going to get away with it this time, not if he had anything to do with it.
"Faith, we got to get these guys," he muttered as he passed her. Bosco went to the trunk of his
car and opened it. He pulled out two flashlights and slammed the lid.
Faith stepped in front of him and grabbed his arm. "Bosco, are you crazy? We can't go in there.
We don't know where they are. If they're still armed, what happens if we get in there and
something happens? We need to wait until ESU comes."
Faith looked worried. Bosco sighed. He wasn't going to let Faith pull her worried mother routine
and have them stuck outside directing traffic while ESU came in and saved the day. Not this
time. Bosco could feel adrenaline pumping through his veins.
"Faith, are you coming or not?" he asked her. She shook her head no and tried to hold him back.
He shrugged his shoulders and shook out of her hold then turned and walked to the door. He
handed Sully the other flashlight and then winked at him.
"Tell Davis I'm going to check out the first floor."
Sully rolled his eyes at him. He opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind.
He grabbed the radio at his shoulder and radioed to Davis that Bosco was going in.
"Bosco, please," Faith called behind him.
He ignored her. He pulled his gun from its holster, then grabbed the handle on the door, swung
it open and stepped in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The inside of the building was shadowy and had a damp musty smell. Bosco sniffed the air
and then regretted it; the smells of a high school locker room assaulted his nose. Shafts of
light streamed through small windows lining the ceiling.
Bosco turned the light on and scanned the interior of the room. Boxes and racks were strewn
haphazardly around the inside of the large single room. Bosco could see small offices lining
the right side of the room and metal stairs leading to the second floor on the left.
Bosco turned the light off, and hooked it on his belt. He didn't want to make himself a target,
and the light wasn't too bad in the large room. As he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim
light, he heard the door open behind him. He spun quickly and saw Faith standing with her
gun in her hand and an angry look on her face. He grinned at her. He knew she would come in.
"Don't you say a damn word to me! Do you hear me? Never again, not one word ever,"
she spat at him. Then he heard her mutter, "You hardheaded jackass."
Bosco chuckled to himself and turned back toward the rooms on the right. She was pissed,
but she would get over it. She always did. He knew her too well. Of course, she could always
surprise him.
Bosco turned his attention back to the boxes and garbage that was in front of him. He carefully
scanned each piece before he stepped around it. They made it to the wall and the line of doors
just as he heard sirens from outside. The Calvary was here.
They made it to the first door and Bosco automatically stepped to the side and put his hand on
the knob. Faith stood right behind him and a little to his right so she would be able to cover his
entry. He nodded once and swung the door open. Bosco let his gun follow his eyes as he quickly
scanned the inside of the room from his position at the doorway. The room was dark and empty;
there was no place to hide. He checked the room once more then stepped out.
Faith had stepped one step back and was scanning the rest of the large room behind them.
Bosco motioned toward the other door and moved slowly toward it. Bosco glanced back over
his shoulder at Faith. The light coming from outside was growing dimmer. Maybe she was right
about going in, maybe they should wait for back up. The small rooms were darker than the main
room and they only had one small window. That made it difficult to see. Faith nodded her
head and he pushed all the doubts out of his mind and focused on the door ahead.
Bosco took position beside this door and did everything the same as before. This time however,
someone was standing right behind the door as Bosco swung it open. Big beefy hands grabbed
Bosco's arm from somewhere behind the door and dragged him into the room. Bosco grabbed
at the attacker as he was jerked inside. Bosco used his momentum to pull the man into the room
with him and managed to physically shove him to the ground under him. He swung his fist at the
guy and felt it connect; the man collapsed under him. Bosco sensed another attack from behind.
This man was larger and Bosco could see something in his raised hand. Bosco tried to roll from
the attack but he felt the blow land on the right side of his head. A flash of light flared before his
eyes and then he felt the odd sensation of something warm seeping down onto his right temple.
Bosco shook his head to try to clear it.
The man came at him and grabbed at his gun. Bosco squeezed his fingers tighter around the grip
of his gun. He kicked out with his feet and heard a grunt from the man. In the dim light Bosco
watched as he stumbled backward toward the door, he heard the man fall back and then down.
Bosco tried to take a step toward the sound but a hand reached up and grabbed at his neck.
The pressure increased around his neck; he could feel the man's fingers slowly squeezing until
he couldn't breath. Bosco used his gun as a club to swing at the man's face. The pressure
continued; his eyes started to water. Air, he needed air. Bosco swung blindly at the man in front
of him. He felt his gun connect with the man's head. The man slumped to the ground and Bosco
was able to take a gasping breath. He gulped air and ignored the protests of his injured throat.
The other man suddenly loomed over him. He was going to be attacked again. No thought went
into his actions as Bosco turned and fired his gun up at the approaching figure.
He heard Faith cry out, stumble backwards, and fall to the ground.
Oh God! What did he do? His whole world came crashing down
"Faith! Faith!"
Bosco threw the gun down, pushed himself to his knees, and scrambled across the floor toward
Faith.
He could make out her fallen outline in the dim room. He went to her and fell next to her side.
She wasn't moving. Terror gripped at his chest as he tried to feel for a pulse at the side of her
neck. He could feel a steady beat but when he pulled away his hand, he felt the wetness of her
blood on his hands.
"No, please oh God, please," he pleaded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco pressed his hand over the wetness he could feel on Faith's neck. "No... Please..."
"Bosco?" Faith mumbled.
Bosco bent close over her face; her eyes were open and she was looking for him. He couldn't
tell if she could see him or not.
"I'm right here, Faith, hang on. "
"What...You...Why?" she whispered. Then she slowly closed her eyes.
"No, Faith. Come on, Faith, don't so this. Please come back," he begged her.
He didn't realize that he was no longer alone until the beam of Sully's light slid across Faith.
Bosco heard the older man curse and say something to Davis.
"Bosco, what the hell happened?"
Bosco continued to press his hands against the side of Faith neck, and looked up into Sully's
questioning eyes. He didn't know what to do. Someone please tell me what to do.
"Help me," he pleaded.
Bosco looked back at Faith. Her blood had splattered onto her face. It made odd designs over
her chin. Bosco wiped at the crimson stain as he whispered to Faith. "Hold on, help will be
here soon."
Doc was suddenly by his side; he shook Bosco's shoulder. "Bosco, I need for you to move,
okay?" he said quietly to Bosco.
Kim was tugging on his arm. His legs wouldn't move. He had to stay. He had to help Faith.
Sully gently grasped Bosco by the shoulders and pulled him away from Faith. Sully pulled
him to his feet. But, when Sully tried to push him back into the main room, Bosco shook
out of his grasp. He refused to leave her. He watched as Doc and Kim examined the wound.
He heard their words but his mind wouldn't focus on their meanings. Was she okay?
"Bosco, you've got to give them room," Sully said softly.
Bosco let Sully lead him from the room. When they were a few steps away Sully twisted Bosco
around to face him.
"Bosco, what happened?"
Bosco looked at him for a second, then tried to turn back to Faith. Sully wouldn't let him look
back at Faith; he looked up at Sully's questioning eyes.
Davis rushed by the pair with the stretcher from Doc's bus with Carlos and Alex right behind
him. Bosco could hear Doc and Kim lift Faith onto the stretcher and push it toward the door.
"It was an accident," he muttered as he shook his arm out of Sully's grasp.
Bosco watched Doc and Kim pass with Faith. She was so pale. He looked back at the room.
He could make out Carlos bending over a man on the floor.
Bosco felt his stomach tighten. His thoughts were spinning. He suddenly remembered the feeling
of his air being choked off then a figure that he thought was the other man coming at him again.
He did this, it was his fault and she knew it. She had wanted to know why he did this to her.
"I'm sorry, Faith," he whispered.
Sully grabbed him roughly by the arm and swung him around until they were face to face.
He held Bosco firmly by the folds of his jacket. "Bosco, what in the hell did you do?"
"It was an accident," Bosco repeated.
The words sounded pathetic to his ears but those were the only words making it from his
brain to his mouth. Nothing he said would be able to express the feeling of self-loathing that
was forming a large knot in his stomach.
"You did this?" Sully shook Bosco, then stopped when he got no response. "I told you to stay
outside. She told you to stay outside!" Sully told him angrily."When will you get it through
that thick head of yours that you can't do everything by yourself?" Sully spat at him.
He shook him once more than pushed him away with a grunt. Bosco stumbled back.
He noticed the blood staining his hands; he tried to ignore the taste of rising acid in his throat
as he scrubbed his hands on the legs of his pants.
Kim appeared beside the two. She paused and looked from the anger on Sully's face to the
unusually quiet Bosco, and then she placed a hand on Bosco's shoulder. The sudden touch
startled Bosco and he pulled away from her. "Bosco? Come on, ride with us. We need to
check that out," she told him quietly as she took him by the arm and slowly guided him to
the door.
He stumbled as she led him away from the horrible room. He couldn't seem to make his body
do anything. His mind was too busy praying that Faith would be okay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The noise from dozens of vehicles outside the warehouse deafened Bosco as he allowed Kim
to lead him to the bus. When they got to the open waiting door, Bosco froze. Faith was inside,
Doc was hanging bags of IV fluid from the sides of her stretcher.
Doc looked up just as Bosco and Kim approached. Bosco saw an unfamiliar look flash across
Doc's face as he held Bosco's eyes. Then the look became one of concern, but what had it been
before? Disgust? Pity?
"Bosco? How's your head?" he asked.
Head? What was he talking about?
Bosco warily touched the side of his face and felt warm moisture on his fingers. He pulled his
hand away and stared curiously at the tips of his red fingers. Then he remembered the blow to
his head that had come right before the sudden grip on his throat. He absently touched his neck
then looked back at Faith.
Kim took his chin and raised it carefully so she could look at his neck. She glanced back at Doc
then returned her attention back to Bosco. "What happened?" Kim asked.
Bosco shook his head. He didn't want to open his mouth. He was afraid of what he would have to say. This was entirely his fault, how could this be happening?
"He shot her."
Sully's voice made Bosco jump. He wasn't sure if it was the sudden sound of Sully's voice
behind him or what he said, but the words made Bosco stomach twist uncontrollably and then
he began to shake. He couldn't stop the tremors that started somewhere in his stomach and
traveled out toward his arms and legs. He felt his knees buckle and he stumbled forward.
"Whoa.. take it easy."
Bosco felt Sully's strong hands grab his shoulders and try to steer him toward the open door
of the ambulance. Bosco shook his head like a small child. He didn't want to climb in there,
he didn't want to see his partner, with her blood flowing out where he had shot her. He squeezed
his eyes shut. Why hadn't he listened to her? What if she died?
Bosco felt Kim's light touch on the side of his face; she gently pulled his chin around. Bosco
forced his eyes open and he saw she was smiling at him and looking at him with concerned filled
eyes. "Bosco, listen to me. Faith is going to be okay. You hear me?"
Bosco nodded. He wanted to believe her.
"Come on."
Kim reached up and pressed gauze to the side of his head. Bosco hissed at the sudden pain.
She gave him another smile and then reached for his hand and pressed it to the bandage next
to her hand.
"Hold that," she ordered.
Bosco did as he was told as she led him to the front of the bus and opened the door to the
passenger seat. Bosco slowly climbed into the seat and Kim closed it behind him. His hands
were shaking. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window. He felt
movements in the back. Then someone opened the driver's door and got in.
"Bosco?"
There was a short pause, then Kim started the engine and they pulled away.