Paybacks
Chapter 31
"Ma?" Bosco asked as if his eyes were playing tricks on him, and she wasn't really there. He tried to sit up straighter in the bed so he would look more "presentable". He winced at the pain it caused, but tried to put on a strong, brave face for his mother. Bosco hated for her to see him so weak, but he knew there wasn't a whole lot he could do about that right now.
"Hi Maurice," she approached the foot of the bed. "How's my boy?"
"Fine."
Faith tensed, and shot a look at her partner. Fine? Fine? Since when has he been fine? Why does he always put on this tough guy act around his mom? Why doesn't he just tell her how he feels? Why isn't he pissed at her for not coming sooner? He cried himself to sleep earlier, and now he's going to say he's fine!
She stood up to leave. "I'll leave you two alone to talk."
"No Faith. Stay. You need to hear this too," cut in Angela before Faith could make her exit.
Bosco looked from his mom to Faith. He could feel the tension between them. Something must have happened earlier that Faith didn't tell him. Faith sat back down, and waved her hand at Angela to tell her to say whatever it was she came to say.
"Maurice I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I just couldn't. I couldn't because I didn't want to see you like this. I couldn't stand to think that my baby was in the hospital so close to death," she began to cry softly. "Maurice you are my rock. You are the one good thing in my life. The one thing that keeps me going. If I were to lose you I don't know what I'd do. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I just--"
Faith couldn't take it anymore. "How can you be so selfish?!"
"Faith!" Bosco exclaimed in disbelief.
"No Bosco. I'm right on this." She stood up and faced Angela. "Did you stop to think about what this was, *is*, like for him? The hell that he's gone through the last few days. The hell he is going to have to endure to get back on the job."
"Faith please," Bosco begged her to stop.
She just waved him off. "How can you even come in here and tell him *you* couldn't handle this?! He needed you, his mother, and you weren't here! You really think sorry is going to make everything OK?"
"You're right. I wasn't thinking about his pain. I only thought of mine. But he had you Faith. He didn't need me."
"You just don't get it do you?! I'm his partner. His best friend. He knows I'll be there for him, but there's a bond between mother and child. You know what makes him feel better when he's sick. You know how to stop the nightmares. I don't. Whether you like it or not he needs you!"
Silence filled the tiny hospital room. Angela hung her head. She knew Faith was right, and there was no excuse for what she had done, and she didn't know what to say.
Bosco looked at his partner, shocked and angered by how she had treated his mother. Faith couldn't meet his eyes. She didn't want to see the look. The one that would say that she was wrong for yelling at his mother. The look that would tell Faith that he had forgiven his mother as soon as she walked in the door, and Faith was out of line.
"Maurice," Angela began. He looked at her. "About Mikey---"
He thought she was going to start in on him for having arrested his little brother. "Ma I had to. It's my job."
"I know. I was wrong for the way I treated you, but you know your little brother always needed extra attention. You were always so independent, and were such a good boy. Mikey needed me to be on his side."
"He was selling drugs!," Bosco shouted as best he could. "It's illegal...there are no sides!" His outburst caused him to cough as he tried to breath without the oxygen mask. He quickly put his hand to his chest to try and stop the pain.
"Bos take it easy. Slow down," soothed Faith as she rubbed his shoulder.
Bosco's mom had started to cry even harder when she say how much pain her son was in. "Oh Maurice, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I helped him do this to you. I didn't know."
Bosco's face twisted into a look of confusion. "What are you...talking about?" He glanced at Faith, and she looked at him with apologetic eyes.
"Steve and I...we got back together," she began to rush what she was saying. "I didn't know he was using me to get to you." Bosco's heart began to beat faster, and the beep of the heart monitor steadily increased its tempo. "I swear I didn't know. I'm so sorry."
His skin began to pale, and he began to sweat. His heart still racing. "How could you...go back to him? After...what he did to you?"
"I loved him."
"You what?! How could you love him?" Bosco swallowed hard. His words were coming in a rush as he gasped for air. "How could you ma?"
Bosco's heart was still beating way too fast, and he was having trouble catching his breath. Faith could tell that this was too much for him to handle right now. She quickly helped him put the oxygen mask back on, and then turned to Angela. "Maybe you should leave."
"But I--"
"Just go."
Angela left the room crying.
"Bos try to relax. If you don't calm down the nurse is going to --"
He looked at Faith. "I'm gonna be sick."
She grabbed the wastebasket that was by the bed, and handed it to him just in time. When he finished she took the wastebasket from him, went into the bathroom, and returned with a damp cloth. He leaned back in the bed with his good arm wrapped around his body.
Faith wiped his face, and moved his now damp hair off his forehead. "You OK?"
His heart rate was returning to normal, and she could tell that vomiting had not helped his sore, weak body. he looked at Faith. She could see the hurt in his eyes. "How could she?"
"She didn't know Bos."
"No. How could she...go back with him? Why...does she do this...to herself?"
Faith took his hand, "I wish I knew Bos."
For the next few minutes Faith stood by her partner as he stared at the ceiling. She was heart broken seeing him like this, but for a brief second she smiled.
She smiled because she had another glimpse of the Bosco that few people knew. The kind, sensitive, caring Bosco who puts other people's feelings above his own. The Bosco who was more concerned about his mother going back to an abusive boyfriend than he was about his present situation. This was the Maurice Boscorelli she wished other people had a chance to know.
She felt she needed to say something to him about what had just happened. "Bosco, do you want to talk about--"
"No."
"What I said to your mom...I'm not sorry. I'd say it again."
"Didn't I say I didn't want...to talk about it?"
"Yeah, but I want to talk about it."
"It's over Faith. Give it a rest."
She could tell he wasn't going to talk to her, and right now there really wasn't much more to say. Faith wasn't sure if he was mad at her or not. Earlier he was wearing his emotions on his sleeve, but now he was trying to hide them.
"Faith?"
"Yeah."
"Can you get the nurse?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"You all right?"
"Just hurts some. No big deal." He tried to shrug it off, and show her it was nothing to worry about. Maybe then his partner would leave him alone.
"Yup," Faith thought, "he's back to being his stubborn self. Acting like this isn't bothering him. Too bad for him that I know it is. He'll have to talk to me sooner or later. He can't take much more of this."
*******
Hope this chapter wasn't too lame!
Chapter 31
"Ma?" Bosco asked as if his eyes were playing tricks on him, and she wasn't really there. He tried to sit up straighter in the bed so he would look more "presentable". He winced at the pain it caused, but tried to put on a strong, brave face for his mother. Bosco hated for her to see him so weak, but he knew there wasn't a whole lot he could do about that right now.
"Hi Maurice," she approached the foot of the bed. "How's my boy?"
"Fine."
Faith tensed, and shot a look at her partner. Fine? Fine? Since when has he been fine? Why does he always put on this tough guy act around his mom? Why doesn't he just tell her how he feels? Why isn't he pissed at her for not coming sooner? He cried himself to sleep earlier, and now he's going to say he's fine!
She stood up to leave. "I'll leave you two alone to talk."
"No Faith. Stay. You need to hear this too," cut in Angela before Faith could make her exit.
Bosco looked from his mom to Faith. He could feel the tension between them. Something must have happened earlier that Faith didn't tell him. Faith sat back down, and waved her hand at Angela to tell her to say whatever it was she came to say.
"Maurice I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I just couldn't. I couldn't because I didn't want to see you like this. I couldn't stand to think that my baby was in the hospital so close to death," she began to cry softly. "Maurice you are my rock. You are the one good thing in my life. The one thing that keeps me going. If I were to lose you I don't know what I'd do. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I just--"
Faith couldn't take it anymore. "How can you be so selfish?!"
"Faith!" Bosco exclaimed in disbelief.
"No Bosco. I'm right on this." She stood up and faced Angela. "Did you stop to think about what this was, *is*, like for him? The hell that he's gone through the last few days. The hell he is going to have to endure to get back on the job."
"Faith please," Bosco begged her to stop.
She just waved him off. "How can you even come in here and tell him *you* couldn't handle this?! He needed you, his mother, and you weren't here! You really think sorry is going to make everything OK?"
"You're right. I wasn't thinking about his pain. I only thought of mine. But he had you Faith. He didn't need me."
"You just don't get it do you?! I'm his partner. His best friend. He knows I'll be there for him, but there's a bond between mother and child. You know what makes him feel better when he's sick. You know how to stop the nightmares. I don't. Whether you like it or not he needs you!"
Silence filled the tiny hospital room. Angela hung her head. She knew Faith was right, and there was no excuse for what she had done, and she didn't know what to say.
Bosco looked at his partner, shocked and angered by how she had treated his mother. Faith couldn't meet his eyes. She didn't want to see the look. The one that would say that she was wrong for yelling at his mother. The look that would tell Faith that he had forgiven his mother as soon as she walked in the door, and Faith was out of line.
"Maurice," Angela began. He looked at her. "About Mikey---"
He thought she was going to start in on him for having arrested his little brother. "Ma I had to. It's my job."
"I know. I was wrong for the way I treated you, but you know your little brother always needed extra attention. You were always so independent, and were such a good boy. Mikey needed me to be on his side."
"He was selling drugs!," Bosco shouted as best he could. "It's illegal...there are no sides!" His outburst caused him to cough as he tried to breath without the oxygen mask. He quickly put his hand to his chest to try and stop the pain.
"Bos take it easy. Slow down," soothed Faith as she rubbed his shoulder.
Bosco's mom had started to cry even harder when she say how much pain her son was in. "Oh Maurice, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I helped him do this to you. I didn't know."
Bosco's face twisted into a look of confusion. "What are you...talking about?" He glanced at Faith, and she looked at him with apologetic eyes.
"Steve and I...we got back together," she began to rush what she was saying. "I didn't know he was using me to get to you." Bosco's heart began to beat faster, and the beep of the heart monitor steadily increased its tempo. "I swear I didn't know. I'm so sorry."
His skin began to pale, and he began to sweat. His heart still racing. "How could you...go back to him? After...what he did to you?"
"I loved him."
"You what?! How could you love him?" Bosco swallowed hard. His words were coming in a rush as he gasped for air. "How could you ma?"
Bosco's heart was still beating way too fast, and he was having trouble catching his breath. Faith could tell that this was too much for him to handle right now. She quickly helped him put the oxygen mask back on, and then turned to Angela. "Maybe you should leave."
"But I--"
"Just go."
Angela left the room crying.
"Bos try to relax. If you don't calm down the nurse is going to --"
He looked at Faith. "I'm gonna be sick."
She grabbed the wastebasket that was by the bed, and handed it to him just in time. When he finished she took the wastebasket from him, went into the bathroom, and returned with a damp cloth. He leaned back in the bed with his good arm wrapped around his body.
Faith wiped his face, and moved his now damp hair off his forehead. "You OK?"
His heart rate was returning to normal, and she could tell that vomiting had not helped his sore, weak body. he looked at Faith. She could see the hurt in his eyes. "How could she?"
"She didn't know Bos."
"No. How could she...go back with him? Why...does she do this...to herself?"
Faith took his hand, "I wish I knew Bos."
For the next few minutes Faith stood by her partner as he stared at the ceiling. She was heart broken seeing him like this, but for a brief second she smiled.
She smiled because she had another glimpse of the Bosco that few people knew. The kind, sensitive, caring Bosco who puts other people's feelings above his own. The Bosco who was more concerned about his mother going back to an abusive boyfriend than he was about his present situation. This was the Maurice Boscorelli she wished other people had a chance to know.
She felt she needed to say something to him about what had just happened. "Bosco, do you want to talk about--"
"No."
"What I said to your mom...I'm not sorry. I'd say it again."
"Didn't I say I didn't want...to talk about it?"
"Yeah, but I want to talk about it."
"It's over Faith. Give it a rest."
She could tell he wasn't going to talk to her, and right now there really wasn't much more to say. Faith wasn't sure if he was mad at her or not. Earlier he was wearing his emotions on his sleeve, but now he was trying to hide them.
"Faith?"
"Yeah."
"Can you get the nurse?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"You all right?"
"Just hurts some. No big deal." He tried to shrug it off, and show her it was nothing to worry about. Maybe then his partner would leave him alone.
"Yup," Faith thought, "he's back to being his stubborn self. Acting like this isn't bothering him. Too bad for him that I know it is. He'll have to talk to me sooner or later. He can't take much more of this."
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Hope this chapter wasn't too lame!