Disclaimer: See previous installments.
Dark Places part 9
Faith woke with a jolt as her head slipped off the support of her hand. It took her only a
moment to remember where she was, and as she stretched her painfully cramped back, she
looked over at Bosco's sleeping form. She felt a few vertebrae pop and silently cursed the
straight-backed chair. If she were smart, she would request a cot or a bed since it didn't look as
if she would be sleeping at home any time soon.
After three days, the doctors had finally deemed Bosco's lungs healed enough to be able
to handle breathing without aid of the ventilator. Faith had never been so relieved to hear her
partner's raspy voice begin one of his signature ranting tirades as she had in the moments after
the ventilator tube had been removed from his throat. Even the familiar feeling of
embarrassment that she always had when Bosco went off on something or someone was not
strong enough to keep her from laughing happily at that time.
But he still had a long way to go. The NG tube had remained after Bosco continued to
experience intense bouts of nausea, and the doctors weren't sure when they would be able to
operate on his pelvis. He was still fighting extraordinary pain, and Faith was also aware that he
was facing psychological difficulties now as well.
She sighed heavily as she thought back on the evening before when she had woken to
find her partner struggling with an intense nightmare. She hadn't been surprised to discover that
he was having nightmares, because he had, after all, been through an ordeal that anyone would
find difficult to manage. But what had alarmed her was that Bosco maintained that he was fine
and that, with the exception of his resulting physical weaknesses the whole incident didn't bother
him.
She would have to find a way to get him to admit to the problem, but right now she was
too tired to figure out the best way to do that. She yawned, and then looked at the clock on the
wall to see that it was late, but not so late that she would wake Fred up if she called him. The
two of them continued to argue about her prolonged vigil with Bosco, but she felt as if she at
least owed her husband a phone call. She knew that they would only stop arguing when she was
no longer sleeping at the hospital, but she still could not bring herself to leave her partner's side.
It might have been a slightly different story if only she could contact Boz's mother, but the
woman had apparently gone to Atlantic City without telling any of her family members. Sully
had asked around at several bars before someone had told him of her whereabouts, and they were
still searching for her in New Jersey but to no avail yet.
She was standing up to leave the room and walk to the pay phones that were located
down the hall when she saw Bosco shudder violently. Suddenly, sweat broke out on his
forehead, and his eyes snapped open. He was visibly trembling, and she quickly went to his side.
"Bosco! Bosco! Are you okay? What's wrong?!"
Bosco stared at her without recognition for a few seconds before she saw him rapidly
blink his eyes. He took a deep and shaky breath, and then she saw his eyes clear.
"Faith?" he asked in a quiet and strained voice.
"Yeah, Boz. It's me. You okay?" She had a sudden wish to smooth his hair back as she
did with her children when they were sick, but she restrained herself.
"Yeah," he said and then grimaced with pain. "My hip hurts a little, is all," he continued
sleepily.
"It's about time for your painkiller. I'll notify one of the nurses." She moved away from
his bed, but then hesitated. "Bosco, did you have a nightmare?" she asked cautiously.
"Hmmm? A what? What? A nightmare. No. My leg just hurts, that's all."
Faith knew he was lying because he couldn't bring himself to look at her when he
answered. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the darkness outside the window of the room.
"Boz, you know, it's normal to have nightmares and other emotional after-effects after
what you've been through. Maybe you should…"
"I'm fine Faith!" Bosco interrupted angrily. "Jeez. It's not as if I'm dying or anything."
"But you almost did, Boz! You can't tell me that you aren't experiencing any problems
dealing with that or with the situation that lead you to this hospital room! You haven't even
asked me what happened after you lost consciousness. You can't stay in denial forever, Boz!
You're going to have to talk to someone about it eventually or you'll never…"
Suddenly, Bosco turned his gaze on her.
"Never what, Faith? Never get over it? Believe me. I've gotten over plenty in my life,
and on my own I might add! I'll handle it, you just have to trust…" his voice, fragile since
coming off the ventilator, gave out and he couldn't continue.
"Okay, Boz. Okay." Faith soothed. "I'll leave it alone…for now. Let me get a nurse for
you."
He coughed and then nodded. His hip was killing him, and he really wanted the
painkiller. He couldn't wait to get out of the hospital bed and start concentrating on getting
physically fit again. He wanted to get back on the job as soon as possible so that he could put
this terrible nightmare behind him.
It was only a minute or two before Faith returned with a nurse who quickly administered
the shot that soon had him feeling less pain but more drowsiness. He fought sleep for a while as
he considered his partner. He felt guilty for yelling back at Faith, especially after all that she had
done for him. He didn't deserve all of her attention right now, particularly since she was
neglecting her family at the same time as she was tending to him.
"Faith, how long has it been since you went home to see Fred and the kids?" he asked in
a voice slurred by the medication.
"It's okay, Bosco. You shouldn't be worrying about that right now. Go to sleep," Faith
said as she placed a comforting hand on his chest.
His eyes drooped closed, but he fought to open them again.
"Faith, c'mon. Three days, a' least? Right?"
She chuckled. "Four, actually."
"Go home, Faith. It's o…kay."
"Bosco, I don't want to leave you right now. I've talked to the kids on the phone, and
they understand. Really, they do. They just want you to be okay, and they know why I want to
be here."
Bosco wasn't so tired that he didn't notice that she hadn't mentioned Fred. But he was
rapidly losing his fight against sleep, and he had to make his point as quickly and effectively as
possible.
"Go home, Faith. Take a shower…you're starting to smell…." He said, and with a
breathy sigh, he lost his fight against sleep.
Faith laughed openly and finally gave in to her impulse to smooth his hair back.
"Bosco, you're such a character," she chuckled to herself. But after some consideration,
she knew he was right. She had to get back to her family if only for a few hours. They needed
her, too. She looked down on her partner's sleeping form for a moment longer and a worried
crease etched itself between her brows. She only wished that he would admit that he needed help
dealing with the after-effects of his ordeal. She smoothed his hair back a bit longer and then
gave him a brief kiss on his forehead.
She'd leave tonight, but she would be back before he woke in the morning, she decided
firmly.
Dark Places part 9
Faith woke with a jolt as her head slipped off the support of her hand. It took her only a
moment to remember where she was, and as she stretched her painfully cramped back, she
looked over at Bosco's sleeping form. She felt a few vertebrae pop and silently cursed the
straight-backed chair. If she were smart, she would request a cot or a bed since it didn't look as
if she would be sleeping at home any time soon.
After three days, the doctors had finally deemed Bosco's lungs healed enough to be able
to handle breathing without aid of the ventilator. Faith had never been so relieved to hear her
partner's raspy voice begin one of his signature ranting tirades as she had in the moments after
the ventilator tube had been removed from his throat. Even the familiar feeling of
embarrassment that she always had when Bosco went off on something or someone was not
strong enough to keep her from laughing happily at that time.
But he still had a long way to go. The NG tube had remained after Bosco continued to
experience intense bouts of nausea, and the doctors weren't sure when they would be able to
operate on his pelvis. He was still fighting extraordinary pain, and Faith was also aware that he
was facing psychological difficulties now as well.
She sighed heavily as she thought back on the evening before when she had woken to
find her partner struggling with an intense nightmare. She hadn't been surprised to discover that
he was having nightmares, because he had, after all, been through an ordeal that anyone would
find difficult to manage. But what had alarmed her was that Bosco maintained that he was fine
and that, with the exception of his resulting physical weaknesses the whole incident didn't bother
him.
She would have to find a way to get him to admit to the problem, but right now she was
too tired to figure out the best way to do that. She yawned, and then looked at the clock on the
wall to see that it was late, but not so late that she would wake Fred up if she called him. The
two of them continued to argue about her prolonged vigil with Bosco, but she felt as if she at
least owed her husband a phone call. She knew that they would only stop arguing when she was
no longer sleeping at the hospital, but she still could not bring herself to leave her partner's side.
It might have been a slightly different story if only she could contact Boz's mother, but the
woman had apparently gone to Atlantic City without telling any of her family members. Sully
had asked around at several bars before someone had told him of her whereabouts, and they were
still searching for her in New Jersey but to no avail yet.
She was standing up to leave the room and walk to the pay phones that were located
down the hall when she saw Bosco shudder violently. Suddenly, sweat broke out on his
forehead, and his eyes snapped open. He was visibly trembling, and she quickly went to his side.
"Bosco! Bosco! Are you okay? What's wrong?!"
Bosco stared at her without recognition for a few seconds before she saw him rapidly
blink his eyes. He took a deep and shaky breath, and then she saw his eyes clear.
"Faith?" he asked in a quiet and strained voice.
"Yeah, Boz. It's me. You okay?" She had a sudden wish to smooth his hair back as she
did with her children when they were sick, but she restrained herself.
"Yeah," he said and then grimaced with pain. "My hip hurts a little, is all," he continued
sleepily.
"It's about time for your painkiller. I'll notify one of the nurses." She moved away from
his bed, but then hesitated. "Bosco, did you have a nightmare?" she asked cautiously.
"Hmmm? A what? What? A nightmare. No. My leg just hurts, that's all."
Faith knew he was lying because he couldn't bring himself to look at her when he
answered. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the darkness outside the window of the room.
"Boz, you know, it's normal to have nightmares and other emotional after-effects after
what you've been through. Maybe you should…"
"I'm fine Faith!" Bosco interrupted angrily. "Jeez. It's not as if I'm dying or anything."
"But you almost did, Boz! You can't tell me that you aren't experiencing any problems
dealing with that or with the situation that lead you to this hospital room! You haven't even
asked me what happened after you lost consciousness. You can't stay in denial forever, Boz!
You're going to have to talk to someone about it eventually or you'll never…"
Suddenly, Bosco turned his gaze on her.
"Never what, Faith? Never get over it? Believe me. I've gotten over plenty in my life,
and on my own I might add! I'll handle it, you just have to trust…" his voice, fragile since
coming off the ventilator, gave out and he couldn't continue.
"Okay, Boz. Okay." Faith soothed. "I'll leave it alone…for now. Let me get a nurse for
you."
He coughed and then nodded. His hip was killing him, and he really wanted the
painkiller. He couldn't wait to get out of the hospital bed and start concentrating on getting
physically fit again. He wanted to get back on the job as soon as possible so that he could put
this terrible nightmare behind him.
It was only a minute or two before Faith returned with a nurse who quickly administered
the shot that soon had him feeling less pain but more drowsiness. He fought sleep for a while as
he considered his partner. He felt guilty for yelling back at Faith, especially after all that she had
done for him. He didn't deserve all of her attention right now, particularly since she was
neglecting her family at the same time as she was tending to him.
"Faith, how long has it been since you went home to see Fred and the kids?" he asked in
a voice slurred by the medication.
"It's okay, Bosco. You shouldn't be worrying about that right now. Go to sleep," Faith
said as she placed a comforting hand on his chest.
His eyes drooped closed, but he fought to open them again.
"Faith, c'mon. Three days, a' least? Right?"
She chuckled. "Four, actually."
"Go home, Faith. It's o…kay."
"Bosco, I don't want to leave you right now. I've talked to the kids on the phone, and
they understand. Really, they do. They just want you to be okay, and they know why I want to
be here."
Bosco wasn't so tired that he didn't notice that she hadn't mentioned Fred. But he was
rapidly losing his fight against sleep, and he had to make his point as quickly and effectively as
possible.
"Go home, Faith. Take a shower…you're starting to smell…." He said, and with a
breathy sigh, he lost his fight against sleep.
Faith laughed openly and finally gave in to her impulse to smooth his hair back.
"Bosco, you're such a character," she chuckled to herself. But after some consideration,
she knew he was right. She had to get back to her family if only for a few hours. They needed
her, too. She looked down on her partner's sleeping form for a moment longer and a worried
crease etched itself between her brows. She only wished that he would admit that he needed help
dealing with the after-effects of his ordeal. She smoothed his hair back a bit longer and then
gave him a brief kiss on his forehead.
She'd leave tonight, but she would be back before he woke in the morning, she decided
firmly.