Title: Wherever You Will Go series, fic #2: Here With Me (2/2)
Authors: Demelza and X_tremeroswellian
Email(s): demelza81@yahoo.co.nz and X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to us. They belong to Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells and a bunch of other people that we've never met before. Please don't sue. Song is "Here With Me" by Dido.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Up through and including "The Unforgiven."
Author's Note: This is the second story in a series of Third Watch fics we're writing titled "Wherever You Will Go." The first one is "Confessions." You may want to read that one first before continuing.
Here With Me (Part Two)
Davis sat staring out the passenger side window of he and Sully's squad car. He frowned, a thought nagging at him. He turned to glance at his partner. "So you were really in a chat room last night?"
Sully looked at his partner for a moment, blinking once, before returning his attention to the road ahead of him. "Yeah. Why, that so hard to believe?"
He shook his head. "No, it's just...what room were you in?"
"Uh, All Night Cafe, why's that?"
Davis almost laughed. "You serious?"
Sully frowned, nodding. "Yes. Why do you ask?" he asked, his tone showing his discomfort at his friend's insistence to know.
"Because I was in that chat room last night."
Sully's mouth dropped. "You're kidding me."
Davis shook his head. "No, I'm not."
He shook his head, looking at his partner. "What time, though?"
"Midnight," he answered. "What's your online name?"
"Mediator... what about yours?"
"Superman."
Sully stared blankly at his partner, swallowing. "Figures."
"What does that mean?"
"It sounded like you, is what I meant."
He grinned. "Yeah, I am pretty cool like Superman."
Sully laughed. "In your dreams."
Davis chuckled.
Just then their radio crackled to life. "Central to 55-Charlie."
Sully grabbed the radio on his jacket. "55-Charlie to Central, go ahead Central."
"55-Charlie, have you been in contact with 55-David in the last couple hours?" the dispatcher asked.
Davis frowned and looked over at Sully.
Sully looked at Davis, then clicked the button his radio again. "Negative, Central."
"Why are they asking us about Bosco and Yokas?"
He shook his head. "I have no idea."
"If you have contact with them, please tell them to radio in."
"What's the situation with 55-David?" Sully asked into the radio.
"We've been unable to make contact with them and they haven't called in since their shift began."
Davis looked at the clock. "That was four hours ago."
"Damn." He reached for his radio again. "10-4 Central. We'll keep in touch." He released his radio and looked at Davis. "I think I know where they went."
"Where?"
"Azzer. An informant who knows where Matt Harris is."
He nodded. "Let's go check it out."
Sully nodded his agreement, turning the key to start the engine.
Bosco looked over at her. "So you never answered me this morning..."
"Answered you about what?"
"If we were gonna talk about last night."
Faith sighed and closed her eyes briefly. "Bosco....do we really have to do this now?"
Bosco looked around him, then back to Faith. "Seems like as good a time as any to me."
She felt a surge of anger toward him. "Fine. You know what? If it's gonna shut you up, let's talk about it!"
He shook his head, taking his eyes off her for a moment as he let out a calming breath before looking back at her. "Why is it when it's something about me, we've gotta talk about it. But when it involves you, you never damn well want to!?"
"Maybe it's because it doesn't matter, Bosco." She turned away from him.
"What? Don't turn your back on me! Faith, this *does* matter."
"Oh yeah? In what way?"
"Because, damnit, Faith...you're not happy!"
She almost laughed. She turned to face him. "When have I ever been happy, Bosco?" she said to him with a joking tone, but her eyes remained serious.
Bosco noticed the look in her eyes, and took a step toward her. "I think that's what you need to ask yourself... when have you ever been happy?" He paused for a moment. "Why do you put up with it, Faith?"
She immediately looked away, then felt herself getting defensive and upset. "Look, why is this bugging you so much anyway? It's my life!"
"Because you're my partner... you're my friend, damnit! And I don't like seeing you unhappy. I don't like... I don't like the way he makes you so unhappy!"
Faith took a deep breath and tried to will away the tears she could feel forming in her eyes. "He's my husband. He loves me. Nothing else matters."
He laughed, shaking his head. "If he loved you, Faith, he'd support you. He'd treat you the way you deserve to be treated!"
"We have our problems, but we always work them out eventually. He'll get over this, too," she said, her voice quiet as she stared at the floor.
Bosco lowered his own voice. "He doesn't love you like you should be loved."
"That's not for you to decide. We have two kids together, Bosco. It's not that easy to just walk away."
"Faith, kids aren't dumb, they can see when their parents are unhappy...just like I can."
"I'm not unhappy." She shook her head slightly but wouldn't look at him.
"'Since when have I ever been happy?' Isn't that what you said?" he asked.
"I was joking, Bosco," she replied.
"I can see through that, Faith. I know you're not happy. I've seen you when you're happy... you're not happy."
"Yeah, well maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do," she said, finally looking at him.
Bosco ignored her statement. "So what you're saying is that everything you told me last night was just a load of bullshit?"
"I didn't know that I was talking to you, Bosco!"
"It didn't matter, Faith! You said those things because you meant them!"
"I said those things because I was upset and I didn't know that I was talking to someone that I actually knew!"
Bosco half laughed. "It doesn't matter who you were talking to, I could have been a perfect stranger and every word you typed was how *you felt*!"
"Damn it, Bosco, just let it go, all right?"
He got angry, running his hands through his hair again. "No, damn it!" His breathing began to get deeper.
"I never would have said what I did if I knew you were there, all right? So just forget it and let's pretend like it never happened."
He shook his head. "Why do you do that?"
"Why do I do what?" she asked back with a demanding tone of voice.
"Stop talking about something when you know it needs to be sorted?"
"You're one to talk, Bosco," Faith retorted sarcastically.
"Yeah, I am."
"You do the same damn thing."
Bosco looked at her, not saying anything.
"What? You gonna deny it?"
"No, I admit that I'm not the easiest person in the world to talk to. But look where not talking to anyone got me."
Faith looked away. "What do you want me to say?"
"I want you to tell me the truth, like you did last night, when you didn't know it was me."
"I can't," she whispered.
He lowered his voice to match hers. "Why not, Faith?"
"Because if I do, I can't take it back, and I..." She shook her head, turned away and brushed away a tear with the back of her hand.
Bosco didn't say anything for a moment. "And you.. what?"
"Bosco, please...don't do this to me."
"Faith... please, tell me..."
"He saved me."
"What?"
Faith closed her eyes tightly. "It was bad at home, growing up. When I met Fred, I was a mess. He saved me, Bosco. He got me out of there. If he hadn't..."
"Faith... do you think it means you owe him?"
She didn't answer for a moment. "Yes."
Bosco shook his head again, angry at the mere thought that Faith thought she owed Fred, simply because he helped her get away from her family. "Damn it, Faith, you don't owe him. You don't owe him a damn thing."
"You're wrong." She turned around to face him, tears and anger mixing. "I do owe him. You don't know, Bosco, you weren't there."
"You're right, I wasn't there! But, I... I wish the hell I was...." He stopped, stepping against the wall.
She looked at him, confused and startled by his sudden movement. "Bosco?"
"I wish it was me, Faith..." he said, his voice low.
Faith frowned, not sure what he meant. "What?"
He looked away from her. "I wish I met you first..."
Her expression changed to one of surprise. "Bosco," she said, softly, shaking her head.
Bosco slowly turned his head to meet her gaze. "I could have treated you better."
She held his gaze. "You do."
"I..." he stopped himself, not wanting to say something he shouldn't.
"What?"
"I...I care about you, Faith..."
"I know that, Bosco. I care about you, too."
Bosco met her eyes with a steady gaze. "That's not what I meant..."
She stared at him for a moment, totally confused. "Then, what--?"
He swallowed. "I care, a lot more than I'm supposed to... I..." he stopped himself again.
Faith shook her head. He couldn't possibly be saying what she thought he was saying. "Bosco...whatever it is that you think you're feeling....it's normal, all right? We work together, we spend a lot of time together, just the two of us. I see you more than I see Fred. But that doesn't mean that..." She shook her head again. "...it doesn't mean what you think it means."
Bosco looked at her, slightly confused. "So, it's normal to go to sleep at night, thinking about your partner... wake up in the morning, and wonder how their night was? I don't think it means anything... I know what I feel means..."
"But see, what you're feeling isn't real. Boz, I'm not even your type."
He tried to hide a smile. "Not my type?"
"No, I'm not." She shook her head.
Bosco's grin grew a little. "Strawberry blond hair, about my height... that about covers it."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, which is why you always date tall, leggy, drop-dead gorgeous blonds."
"You've never heard of guys dating the opposite of what they like, to keep their type hidden?"
She raised her eyebrows. "Not guys like you, no."
Bosco smiled a little. "Especially guys like me."
"You were pretty happy with Nicole."
"For a while... but she wasn't who I wanted..."
Faith turned away. "You know what I think?"
"No, what?"
"I think we've been trapped in this elevator too long and you're getting delusional on me."
Bosco smiled, trying to hide a short laugh. "Maybe you're just in denial.......?"
"Bosco...I'm not what you want." She shook her head, her voice low and serious.
"How do you know what I want?"
"Why me, Bosco? Out of everyone you could pick to fall for...why me?"
"Why not you?"
She shook her head. "You're kidding me, right?"
Bosco kept his voice low and serious. "No."
"Well, for starters, I'm married. I have two kids. And in case you hadn't noticed, Bosco, I'm not exactly a model-type like Nicole. Should I continue?"
"That's what I love about you, Faith... you're not like Nicole, you're not like any of those other wannabe's... you're you. You're Faith."
Faith froze at his words. Had he just said 'love?'
"Faith?" he asked, worried when she didn't responded.
She turned around slowly to face him. "You don't love me," she said, her voice leaving no room for him to doubt she believed her own words.
Bosco stepped over to Faith, leaving only a few inches between them. He gently touched the side of her face, nodding. "I do, I love you, Faith..." he said softly.
"Why?" she whispered, her eyes filled with tears.
Bosco swallowed a little. "Because you're the best thing in my life...."
She blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't think anyone's ever said that to me before..."
He used his thumb to gently wipe away the tear. He closed the gap between them, and looked at her. "I meant it, I don't know where I'd be if you weren't in my life..."
Faith shook her head slightly, a couple more tears falling. "If you knew how messed up I really was you wouldn't say that."
He gently caressed her cheek. "I'm here...."
She looked away. "So was Fred. For awhile." Her voice was very quiet, but laced with emotion.
Bosco wanted to pull her into a hug, but didn't want to at the same time, fearing how she might react. "And I'm not going to go away... I'm here for good, Faith..."
"Promise?" her voice was barely audible.
He caressed her cheek again, this time leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her lips as his response. She pulled away for a brief moment to look at him, then leaned forward and kissed him back, closing her eyes against the rush of tears building. He put his arms around her just moments before their kiss ended.
Faith opened her eyes and looked back at him for a moment before her face crumpled. She choked back a sob as she laid her forehead against his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Bosco pressed his lips against her head for a moment. "Don't..." he said, whispering.
She shook her head slightly, unable to stop the tears from coming. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me, Bosco."
He put his arms around her tighter, then brushed aside strands of hair from her face. "Faith, don't say sorry...it's okay..."
She pressed her face against his shoulder, trying to get control over her emotions. "What if it's not okay?" Her voice was muffled.
His eyes focused on the far wall for a moment, before he looked back at her. "Faith..." Stuck for words, he leaned his head against hers for a moment. "It will be."
"I wish I could believe that," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"It will be, because I'm not going anywhere..."
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Boz."
"I don't care, as long as I'm with you, Faith."
Faith almost laughed, but it came out more of a half-sob. "And what happens if I'm the problem?"
"You're not... and if there are any, we'll work through them... together."
She looked at him, her eyes serious and sad. "Bosco..." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head slightly.
Bosco looked back at her. He raised his hand to cup her cheek. "I love you, Faith... I know we could make it work."
She blinked rapidly trying to hold back more tears. "I don't want you to walk into this thinking that..." she sighed, trying to find the words to tell him what she was trying to say. "I'm pretty messed up, Boz," she said, her voice very quiet, her eyes downcast. "And I don't want you to walk into this without knowing that because it wouldn't be fair to you."
Bosco caressed her cheek gently. "We'll deal with it, Faith, all of it... he can't continue hurting you, I won't let him... I won't let you be that unhappy."
A perturbed look crossed her face. "You're gonna save me from Fred?"
"You can't stay there anymore....."
"I have to think about my kids, too, Bosco...this isn't just about me."
"And neither can they, Faith... you, Em and Charlie... he's hurting all of you."
"He is a good father to them. He loves them."
"I know, but by him hurting you, it hurts them too. You can't stay living like that."
"What else am I supposed to do? I can't take my kids away from their dad...it wouldn't be right. Emily...she loves him so much..." Faith shook her head, closing her eyes tightly. "If I made them leave Fred, she'd never forgive me."
Bosco closed his own eyes for a moment, before opening them again. "Give them a choice...."
"A choice?"
"Let Em and Charlie choose, to live with you, or him. And you don't work weekends... so you could have them then, too."
Faith swallowed hard. "They're gonna hate me for this, Bosco."
"No, they won't... they'll realize that you were hurting, and needed to escape the pain..."
"Maybe in a few years they'll understand...but right now? They're kids...all they're gonna realize is that their mom and dad aren't together anymore and that it's their mom's fault for leaving."
"So explain it to them, let them understand... you give those kids a lot less credit for understanding stuff than you realize."
"You once told me that the worst thing that happened to you in your life was when your parents split up."
"Yeah, I did say that once... but look what happened when they were together as long as they were."
"He'd never hurt me physically, Bosco."
Bosco's tone became serious again. "How do you know that, Faith? My parents were together for years before he started beating on my mom."
Faith frowned deeply. "Fred has his problems, but he wouldn't...I just know."
"Has he ever yelled at you?" he asked painfully. "Shouted to such a level, that you're wishing he'd leave you alone? Because that's how it started..."
"Don't do this to yourself, Bosco," she said softly, reaching up to touch his face gently.
Bosco swallowed, looking back at her. "I couldn't bear to see that happen to you, Faith," he said, choking back tears he didn't want to cry.
"It's not going to...I promise." She kissed his forehead gently.
A tear formed in the corner of his eye. He blinked and it rolled down his cheek.
Faith carefully brushed the tear away. "Boz, I'm sorry..I shouldn't have brought all this up." She shook her head regretfully.
Bosco reciprocated with a gentle half smile. "It's not your fault... it's... I don't want to see you hurting anymore, Faith. I want to see you happy."
"Guess I'm not as good of an actress as I thought, huh?" she asked, her voice quiet.
He gently touched her face. "You should never hide the fact you're not happy, not from me. I know you better than that..." he replied, smiling a little.
She managed a small smile. "You're the only one."
"So what'll we do?"
She closed her eyes. "I don't know," she admitted quietly.
He brought her closer to him, in a hug. "Guess we've got time..." he remarked of them being trapped in the elevator.
Faith couldn't supress the laugh that escaped her lips. "Yeah, I guess so."
Bosco laughed with her, pressing a kiss against her forehead. "I'm glad this happened..."
"Glad we got stuck in an elevator?" She raised an eyebrow and met his eyes.
Bosco shrugged with a warm smile. "That too."
Faith looked down at the floor, her mood turning serious again. "Bosco, I'm sorry..."
He began to get a little worried. "Why?"
She swallowed hard. "For last night. For this morning. For not telling you--" she forced herself to look up at him. "--about things I should have told you about."
Bosco let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "You had your reasons... I respect that."
"You had a right to know."
"You would have told me, when you were ready."
She bit her lip. "I almost got you killed."
Bosco paused for a moment before speaking. "I should have listened when you said you were sick..."
She shook her head. "I should have told you why I was sick. I shouldn't have taken that medicine while I was working. The doctor warned me not to. He said it would make me sick and I didn't listen."
Bosco closed his eyes for a moment. "Faith..." he opened his eyes again. "It's okay... we've both made mistakes, kept secrets..."
"That may be, but you didn't almost get me killed with your mistakes."
"No, I almost got me killed."
"You were doing your job, Bosco. I didn't back you up. That was my fault. Not yours." She looked away, ashamed and feeling guilty.
Bosco turned Faith around so he was looking right at her. "I don't care about that, Faith... I was as much to blame that day as you."
She met his gaze. "What if he hadn't hit your vest?" Her voice was quiet. "What if you had been hit, had died because of me?"
He touched her face again. "It would have been my fault, because I went in there without my backup... I went in there, knowing my partner was sick... it would have been my fault."
Faith blinked back tears. "How can you just forgive me like that? Pretend like it's not my fault?"
"Because it wasn't your fault, I should have listened to you."
"If anything ever happened to you because of me....I'd never be able to forgive myself. I can't lose you, Bosco."
"Don't do that to yourself, Faith... nothing happened to me, and nothing will...." He touched her face again, this time moving even closer to her. "You're not going to lose me... you and me..." He searched her eyes, brushing back a loose strand of her hair. "We'll always be together."
The breath caught in her throat as his hand touched her cheek. She struggled to keep her composure. "You don't know how much I want to believe that," she whispered.
He leaned closer, so their faces were only a breath away. "I mean every word..." he whispered back.
She swallowed hard, then, unable to stop herself, leaned forward and kissed him hesitantly.
Bosco kissed her back, holding her tight in his arms.
Sully was look out to the left hand side of the road, while Davis kept his eye on the right. They'd had no luck tracking down Azzer. Bosco and Faith had been missing for the last six hours and it was starting to hit him how serious the situation really was. "I hope we find them soon.... it's getting dark..."
Davis nodded in agreement, a frown on his face. "You think they're okay?"
He couldn't hide his fear much longer, but he tried. Nodding, "Yeah, it's all we've got to hold onto at this point..."
Davis's frown deepened. "It's not like Yokas not to call in to Central," he said, looking sideways at Sully.
Sully looked back at his partner. "I know..." he replied, turning his attention back to the road.
"I mean, Bosco never calls in...but if she doesn't..." He shook his head.
"We'll find them, don't you worry..."
Davis nodded, trying to stay positive. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of something up ahead. "Sully. Sul, is that their car?"
He looked in direction where Davis was, a more concerned look appeared on his face as he put pressure on the gas pedal. "Let's hope so..."
Davis gripped onto the door handle as his partner sped their car up.
They approached the car quickly, and Sully pulled in behind it. He put the car in park and climbed out, rushing over to his colleagues' car.
Davis followed Sully to the other squad car. He looked at Sully over the top of it, glancing in the empty window. "I'll call it in to Central."
He nodded, looking in the window. He could see Bosco's radio sitting on the seat. "Damn, that's not like him..." He looked around them, trying to see where it was they might have gone, but he really had no damn idea.
"This is 55-Charlie to Central. We've located unit 55-David, but Officers Boscorelli and Yokas are not with the car." Davis looked at Sully and then glanced at the buildings in the immediate vicinity. "You think they may be inside one of these abandoned apartment complexes?"
Sully removed his hat for a moment as he ran his hand over his head. He put it back on and walked around to Davis. "Probably... I think we should check in here first," he said, nodding towards the broken down door directly ahead of them.
Davis glanced at the building and nodded slowly. "Okay."
He took in a breath, and walked toward the building. Davis followed beside him, and the two entered inside. All that he could smell was rotten wood mixed with a strong urine smell. "Aw, that's disgusting..." he said, walking into the middle of the small foyer, looking around him for any sign of his colleagues.
Davis made a face. "No wonder this is an abandoned building." He looked up the stairs, then glanced at Sully. "I'll check the next floor."
He nodded. "Be careful, they don't look safe." He walked toward a door opposite the staircase, and shone his light inside. But it was blocked within a few feet inside the room, so he turned back around and walked out.
Davis nodded in agreement, and walked over to the stairs. There was a hole in the second step. "Yeah, maybe that's not such a--" his voice trailed off as his gaze focused on something on the step. "Sully? Come here."
Sully quickly walked over to his partner, and followed his train of eye sight. "Hey, that looks like..."
He knelt down on the floor and removed a piece of blue fabric from the jagged wood protruding from the step. He held it up for Sully to see. "It looks like there's blood on it." He nodded toward the step. "On the stair, too." He glanced around the room. "Do you think one of them's hurt?"
"Looks like they tried to use the stairs, from the look of the stairs, it just broke under them."
Davis looked up at the stairs and frowned. "You think they made it all the way up?"
Sully shrugged, then shook his head. "No, look, there's no footprints in the dust on the other steps."
Davis scratched his head. "So they were here...where did they go?"
He stepped away from the steps, and slowly turned around. "Elevator?"
Davis's eyes widened. "We better check it out."
Faith sat on the floor of the elevator next to Bosco, her head resting on his shoulder. Her ankle was throbbing painfully and she was trying to ignore it. Finally, unable to resist, she reached down and pulled up her pant leg slightly, wincing at the dried blood caking her skin.
Bosco had his arm around her. "Damn, that looks bad..."
Faith shook her head slightly, not wanting him to worry. "It'll be okay. I'll live."
He nodded, but disagreed with her on the 'It'll be okay' part. "We really need to get that looked at."
She gave him a half-smile. "Yeah, well. We have to get out of here first." She took a deep breath. "Is it just me or is it really getting warm in here?"
Bosco looked around the room, as if trying to 'see' the warmth. He could feel it, too, and it was *not* a good sign. "No, it's getting warmer...the oxygen in here is running out."
She looked at him. "Oh, that's great," she said sarcastically, shaking her head.
He stifled a laugh. He merely smiled warmly. "We'll be out of here in no time."
"Okay, you know what? I find this new-found optimism frightening, Boz."
Bosco smiled, pulling her closer to him. "What, you'd rather me say, I think we're not gonna make it... we're gonna die in here?" his voice a little shaky.
She looked at him, noticing the catch in his voice. "Please. Like after all we've been through we're gonna die in an elevator." She squeezed his arm gently.
"I hope not..." he said, his voice low as he gave her a warm smile again.
"Trust me. We are *not* going to die in here." She climbed to her feet, biting down on her lip as her ankle protested. She put her hand against the wall for support.
Bosco stood up behind her, carefully putting his hand on her shoulder to make sure she was okay. "Maybe you should sit again..."
She shook her head, distracted. "Do you hear that?"
He looked at her, then turned his head toward the door. "Someone's out there," he said, his voice sounding hopeful.
Faith stepped forward and leaned her ear against the elevator doors. "Is that--? It sounds like Sully!" She looked at Bosco, feeling relieved.
Bosco stepped over toward the elevator doors, and listened carefully. He could hear mumblings of a familiar voice... no, two. He looked back toward Faith, seeing the look of relief on her face. "Told you we'd get out of here."
She nodded. "Sully!" she yelled.
"Sully! Davis!" he yelled along with her. He pounded on the elevator doors, shouting out to Sully again.
"Oh they are definitely in there!" He looked at Sully.
Sully looked at his partner, then back to the elevator doors. He could hear the thumping, Bosco and Faith's voices, both of them. "Bosco!?" he shouted close to the door. "We'll get you out!"
Davis pushed the button on his police radio. "This is 55-Charlie to Central. We've located Officers Boscorelli and Yokas. We're gonna need FDNY to 764 North Center Street."
"FDNY?" the Central dispatcher replied.
Davis looked at Sully. "They're trapped in an elevator."
After a pause, the dispatcher came through again. "10-4, 55-Charlie. FDNY is on the way."
Bosco let out a sigh, and stepped back against the wall, leaning against it with relief. "Man, it feels so great to finally be rescued..."
Faith nodded in agreement, forcing herself to smile. "Yeah, it is," she said softly.
He could tell something more was wrong, sadness in her voice. "You alright, Faith?"
She nodded quickly. "Yeah, it's just...my leg's really starting to hurt," she said.
Bosco nodded. But he still didn't believe her. "We'll get you to a hospital, real soon."
"That'll be good." Suddenly feeling a bit dizzy, she leaned back against the elevator doors, closing her eyes for a moment.
He walked over to her quickly. "Here," he said, helping her to sit back down again. "We'll sit down."
Faith swallowed hard, gripping onto his arm. "Bosco?" she said, her voice weak.
"Faith," his voice deeply concerned, "What's wrong?"
She tried to focus on his face, on the sound of his voice. "I'm not feeling so great..." her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell into unconsciousness.
"Faith? Faith!" he held her in his arms, frantically looking about the elevator, his mind cursing the fact they still weren't the hell outta there. "Damn it, Faith, no, not now! Come on... stay with me..." Getting no response, he turned his attention toward the elevator doors. "Sully! Hurry up! She's unconscious!!"
Davis looked at Sully. "Did he just say she was unconscious?"
Sully turned to Davis. "The oxygen must be running out..." He pressed the button on his radio, and called in central again. "55-Charlie to Central...request EMS to this location."
"Central to 55-Charlie, EMS is en-route."
"I hope they get here soon. They've been in there too long."
"And we don't know how long *that* is." Sully replied.
Davis nodded in agreement, worried.
The wail of sirens could be heard in the distance.
Bosco brushed back strands of hair from Faith's face, his heart pounded heavily inside. But hearing the sirens screaming from beyond the elevator walls, it set his heart at ease a little. "They're coming, Faith... we'll get you outta here... just stay with me... please," he whispered.
She stirred slightly, but didn't fully awaken. "Bosco..." she mumbled.
He gently touched her face, smiling a reassuring smile, or as best he could. "We're almost there."
The fire truck screamed to a halt, and Jimmy and the others climbed out of the truck. He raced to the back of the truck first, and opened up a side compartment, retrieving a crowbar before running straight into the building where their unit had been called to. He went straight to the elevator doors.
"They're inside, Faith's unconscious..." Sully said.
Alex and Kim hurried through the doorway next, holding med bags. Alex walked over to Davis and Sully. "What's going on?" she asked.
Sully turned to Alex. "Bosco and Faith are trapped inside."
"Bosco and Faith? Are you kidding me?" she asked, shocked.
Jimmy waited for DK and Lombardo to come in, before proceeding to use the crowbar to try wedge the doors open. Kim stood there, quietly, just as shocked as Alex.
Bosco cradled Faith in his arms, gently brushing her hair. "The guys are here now, Faith, just hold on a little longer... and we'll be free," he whispered to her.
At that moment, Jimmy, with the help of DK and Lombardo, managed to pry open the elevator doors. Jimmy peered up into the elevator. "She okay?"
"Her pulse is weak... we need to get her outta here, fast."
Jimmy nodded quickly. "Taylor and Kim are right behind me." He held out his arms, ready to take Yokas from Bosco.
Bosco moved Faith toward Jimmy, and helped her into his arms. "Careful..."
Jimmy nodded and carefully took Faith from him. He backed away and carefully took her over to Kim and Alex, laying her gently on the floor.
Kim rushed to her straight away, checking her pulse. "It's getting weaker..." She shuffled through her bag, and removed an oxygen mask, and placed it over Faith's mouth and nose.
With Jimmy's help, Bosco got down from inside the elevator, and once on his feet, he rushed over to Faith and grabbed her by the hand. "It's gonna be alright, Faith..."
"I need you to go over with Sully and Davis." Alex said gently to Bosco.
Bosco didn't want to let go of Faith, not now, not ever. But he reluctantly agreed, brushing back a strand of Faith's hair and stood up. He took in a breath, before walking over to Sully and Davis.
Davis patted Bosco's shoulder. "She'll be okay, man."
Bosco wrapped his arm around himself. "I hope so..."
On the other side of him, Sully nodded toward Kim and Alex. "They won't let anything happen."
"B.P.'s 100 over 60." She looked at Kim. "We need to roll."
Kim nodded, looking over at Jimmy. "We need the gurney."
Jimmy nodded, took off and retrieved it from the ambulance. He brought it back a moment later, watching Kim and Alex work. "She gonna be all right?"
Kim lined the gurney up, and looked over at Alex, ignoring Jimmy's question. "On the count of three, okay? 1...2...3..." She lifted at the same time as Alex, and put Faith up on the gurney. She fastened the straps, and raised the gurney for ease of pushing out the front doors they had came in. "Ready."
Alex glanced over her shoulder at Bosco as they wheeled Faith out the door. "You coming?"
Bosco nodded, quickly following, before turning back to Sully and Davis. "One of you bring the unit in?" Not waiting for a response, he followed out behind the two paramedics as they wheeled Faith to the ambulance and loaded her in.
Davis glanced at Sully. "I'll take it in."
Sully nodded, and walked out, thanking Jimmy and the others as he left.
Faith sat on the exam table in the emergency room as Dr. Wilkins finished stitching up her ankle. She bit down hard on her tongue to try and block the pain.
"I'd stay off of it for a few hours if at all possible to avoid yanking out the stitches. If you come back in two weeks, I'll remove them for you," Dr Wilkins told her.
Faith nodded tiredly. "Thanks." She looked over at Bosco, who was staring at her worriedly and she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
Bosco looked back at Faith, seeing the smile she gave him. He wanted to believe that she was okay. In time, he knew she would be. But as of right at that moment, all he could do was worry. "You feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Boz." She nodded quickly.
"You sure? You blacked out."
Faith was touched by the concern and worry in his tone. "I'm okay. It was just lack of air." She reached out for his hand.
Bosco willingly took her hand, and squeezed it gently. "You had me worried."
She squeezed his hand back, feeling bad for worrying him. "Sorry about that."
He smiled at her. "I just don't want to lose you, not after... after what we've been through today."
"You're not gonna lose me." Faith looked past him and her eyes widened slightly.
Bosco turned and looked over his shoulder, to see Fred standing there.
Faith immediately let go of Bosco's hand before her husband could notice. "Fred? What are you doing here?"
Bosco moved his own hand, and stepped aside.
"I came down as soon as I heard. What happened?"
Faith glanced at Bosco for a second before turning her attention to her husband.
It hurt Bosco inside, seeing Fred there with Faith. It was meant to be him. Only him.
"It's nothing, Fred. Just a little cut on my ankle, that's all," she replied.
Fred ignored what she said and turned to the doctor. "What happened?"
"She cut it on a step," Bosco said, his voice tense.
Dr. Wilkins looked at him, surprised. "She has a laceration on her foot and required a few stitches. She's going to be just fine."
Fred turned and shot Bosco a brief glare before looking at Faith again. "You sure you're all right?"
Faith nodded, feeling confused and overwhelmed. "Fred, who called you?"
Bosco shook his head, angered at Fred.
"Your Sergeant. Christopher. Said you'd been hurt, that you were at the hospital."
"Well, I'm okay. It's not a big deal." She shrugged and looked away, her gaze immediately locking on her partner.
"Not a big deal?"
Bosco looked right back at her, wanting her to tell him if he should stay or go. He wanted to stay, by every fiber in his body he wanted to stay. But then there was Fred.
"Fred, I'm okay, really."
"Can I take her home?" Fred asked Dr. Wilkins.
"I don't see why not. There's no reason for her to stay here," the doctor replied.
Instantly Bosco looked over at Fred, then back to Faith. He wanted to be the one to take her home.
Faith looked at Fred, then over at Bosco, feeling torn. She swallowed hard and looked back at Fred. "Can you give me a minute to talk to Boz?"
Fred stared at her for a moment, then turned and looked at Bosco, his eyes narrowing. "Sure. I'll be right outside."
Dr. Wilkins left the room, as well.
Bosco watched as he left, finally turning back to Faith. "Faith...I..."
Faith looked down at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. "Bosco, I know that..." her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard again, trying to find the words. "...I'm sorry, Boz," she whispered, tears in her eyes as she finally looked up at him.
He swallowed. "So, this afternoon..."
She bit her lip and tried to hold back the tears. "If things were different....if it was just me I had to think about...you know that..." She shook her head, put her face in her hands, unable to finish.
Bosco nodded, hurting inside. "Yeah, I know... I just wish..." He let out a sigh. "I should probably go, I have to...see Ma...about something..."
Faith took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but had to fight the urge to cry even more. "Bosco, I'm really sorry...." Her voice crackled with emotion.
He swallowed again, trying himself to fight the urge to shed a tear, or beg her to change her mind. As much as he wanted her to. "Yeah, me too."
At that moment, Fred walked into the room. "You ready to go?"
Faith looked at Fred, nonchalantly trying to brush away a tear. Bosco watched Faith brush away the tear. [Damn, why did Fred have to come here?]
"Yeah, I'm ready."
"You okay, honey? Does it hurt?"
Faith looked at Bosco sadly. "Yeah. A lot," she whispered.
"Of course it would, stupid," Bosco muttered under his breath.
"Well, let's get you home and into bed, okay?"
Bosco watched painfully as Faith nodded and slid carefully off the exam table. She cringed slightly as Fred wrapped his arm around her. She turned and looked over her shoulder as they left the room. 'I'm sorry' she mouthed to Bosco. Please forgive me, she added silently. Without waiting for his response, she turned and left the hospital with her husband.
Bosco's hands were clenched into fists, and he watched painfully as she left with *him*. Every part of him was hurting through and through. It was only after taking in a few breaths and letting them back out, that he realized he'd been digging his fingernails hard into his hands, and had, on one hand, punctured through the skin.
I didn't hear you leave
I wonder how am I still here
And I don't want to move a thing
It might change my memory
Oh, I am what I am
I'll do what I want
But I can't hide
And I won't go
And I won't sleep
And I can't breathe
Until you're resting here with me
And I won't leave
And I can't hide
I cannot be
Until you're resting here with me...
To be continued in Wherever You Will Go fic #3: Pain