Reflections - Chapter 5
It had been about two hours since Faith last got a glimpse of Bosco as they wheeled him down the hallway into the Recovery Room. She sat in the chairs of the waiting room, with her head resting back against the wall and her eyes closed. She couldn't help but keep blaming herself for not getting him here sooner. She thought back to what the doctor had told her before he had gone to start his surgery....
"Officer Yokas," the doctor began. "Does your partner have any family here? I'd really like to discuss his case with them before I begin."
Faith remembered sadly shaking her head and replying, "Just me, Doctor."
"You're family?" he asked. "I thought you were his partner," he said, obviously confused.
"I am his partner. I mean, I called his Mom, but she wasn't home so I left a message. You can tell me and I'll pass it on to her when and if she gets here. I'm as close to family as he has," Faith offered, hoping the doctor would fill her in.
"Okay. First, let me tell you that he's pretty sick. Although the appendix really doesn't have a use, we still keep coming off the assembly line with it as standard equipment on all models. What happens is that the appendix fills with infection. If left untreated, the appendix eventually enlarges to the point where it bursts. The infection spills into the abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis, which is potentially life-threatening," he paused, waiting to see if Faith was comprehending all of what he was saying. She nodded her understanding and the doctor continued.
"Did he complain of any pain or have any nausea, vomiting or decreased appetite?" the Doctor asked her, almost as an after thought.
"Well, Doc. He went out with the guys last night and got pretty trashed. I got a call from the bartender asking me to come get him because he was afraid to send him home in a cab. He passed out until about 6:00 this morning when he started throwing up non-stop. I thought it was from the drinking, but he kept throwing up. Finally, he stood up, grabbed his side and passed out again. That's when I noticed the fever and decided it was more than just the alcohol," she said guiltily.
"I see. Well, you couldn't really know he was sick if he was passed out, could you? Anyway, what we're going to do is make an incision and remove the remains of the burst appendix and flush out whatever toxins we can. Now, because his appendix apparently burst some time ago, he runs a higher risk of infection, or peritonitis. After surgery, he'll go to the Recovery Room until he wakes up a little. After that, he'll be in ICU so that we can watch him round the clock for any signs of infection or trouble," he finished.
"Okay, Doctor. Thank you," she said as he shook her hand and started to leave. "Doctor?" she called to him. He turned back to Faith, sensing that she was more than just his partner. "Is he going to be okay? I really don't know what I'd do if I lost him," she said, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Officer Yokas," he said as he came back and squatted down in front of her. "I can't promise you that he's going to be fine, but he has a very good chance. He is young and strong, and from the looks of his past medical records, he's a fighter," the doctor smiled and Faith chuckled. "That he is, Doctor. That he is," she agreed.
"It all depends on how well we can get him cleaned out and how well his body fights off the inevitable infection. But, I will do everything in my power to pull him through this," he finished, squeezing Faith's hand and standing to go begin the surgery. "I know you will," she answered as the door closed and he was gone.
She was brought out of those memories by the ringing of her cell phone. "Hello?" she answered, glancing at her watch. It was 11:30 p.m. "Faith, it's Angela Boscorelli. What's Maurice gone and gotten himself into now?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "I told him that being a cop was a dumb thing to do," she continued before she was interrupted by Faith who could hear what sounded like a party in the background.
"Look, Angela. This had nothing to do with Bosco being a cop. He had appendicitis and didn't realize it and his appendix burst. He's finished with the surgery and is in the Recovery Room right now and he's very sick," she said angrily. It had been almost eight hours since Faith had left messages on her answering machine and at the bar. "Now, I'm sure it would mean a lot to Bosco if you were here when he woke up, but if you're going to berate and belittle him and his life like you usually do, well - then maybe you should stay away," she finished.
"Well, if he's in the Recovery Room then he won't know I'm there anyway," she said, somewhat put off by Faith's angry response. "Tell him I called and please call me when he wakes up and I'll come over," she said before she hung up abruptly.
"What a piece of work," Faith said out loud to herself. "Who?" came a voice as Faith jumped in her seat. She looked up and saw Kim, Doc, Sully, Davis, and Alex who all had come over after their shift.
"Oh, you know what, nothing," said Faith, relieved to see some companionship. "Thanks for coming over guys," she said as Alex handed her a cup of coffee and Kim handed her a sandwich. She smiled warmly and said, "Thanks you guys."
"Well, we figured you hadn't left here so you probably didn't eat anything all day," said Alex. "Um, someone else is here, but he doesn't know if he should come in or not," continued Alex.
"Who is it?" asked Faith, curiously. With that Carlos walked around the corner into the waiting area with a guilty look on his face. "Oh, you I'll deal with later," she said with that motherly "you're soooo grounded look.'
"So, what's the word?" she asked.
"Well, the appendix did burst. Apparently it was while he was out cold during the night," she said, glancing at Carlos before looking at Sully with a guilty look. He shook his head at her and made a face as if to say, "There's no way you could have known."
"Anyway, they took him to surgery to remove what was left of it and to clean out what they could of the infection. He's in Recovery now and then they'll move him to ICU to watch him closely for a while. He's pretty sick and he has a little bit of rough road ahead of him, but he's a fighter so I think he's gonna be just fine," she said, trying to convince herself more than her friends.
"Of course he will," said Kim with a hand on her shoulder. Just then, a nurse came out, looked around the group, and said, "Officer Yokas?"
"Um, that's me," Faith said as she stood up. "Dr. Campbell said that I should let you in to see Mr. Boscorelli as soon as I could so if you want to come with me you can see him; but, only for a moment. We're going to move him up to ICU in a few minutes," she said.
"Okay, great," she said looking at her friends. "We'll wait right here, Faith," Sully said. "Tell him we all say hi," Ty called after her.
Faith walked into the Recovery Room behind the nurse who was telling her that Bosco was still sleeping pretty heavily and not to expect him to just open his eyes and strike up a conversation. Faith nodded and slowly stepped up to the bed as the nurse backed up a little to give her some privacy.
"Hey Bos, you gave me a pretty good scare today," she said quietly, taking the hand without the IV in her's. His hand felt cool and she noticed that he was shivering slightly. She turned to the nurse and said, "He's shivering."
"That's a normal body response after surgery, but it IS kind of cool in here. I'll go get him another blanket," she said, turning to get the blanket.
Faith turned her attention back to Bosco and leaned closer to him. "Don't worry, the nurse is getting you another blanket, Bos. You really scared me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you Bosco," she said as a tear ran down her cheek and landed on his. She thought she saw him flinch at the feel of the tear hitting his face. "Bosco? Can you hear me?" she asked him and was rewarded with a squeeze of her hand. Faith smiled and a few more tears fell. She wiped them off his cheek.
The nurse came back with a warmed blanket and placed it over him and his shivering diminished. She took his vital signs and marked them in the bedside chart. She turned to Faith and said, "They're just about ready to move him upstairs and he really does need to get his rest."
"Okay, I'll just tell him that I'll be outside. Thanks," Faith said and the nurse nodded and returned to her desk.
Faith once again leaned close to Bosco and said, "There's a big group from the 55 outside waiting to see how you are so I'll let them know you're gonna be okay." She paused for a moment then continued, "Bosco, I meant what I said before when I said I loved you. I'm just sorry it took so long for me to say anything to you, but I promise I'll talk to you about it when you're awake," she said as she placed a kiss on his forehead. She gave his hand a squeeze and told him that she'd be right outside the door if he needed her and turned to walk out.
"Thank you," she said to the nurse, adding, "I'll be here all night, so please come get me if he calls for me?" The nurse nodded and said, "I'll note it in the chart for the ICU nurses," she said, saying goodnight to Faith as she left.
Faith went back out to the waiting room to let everyone know that he was okay and they could go home. "Thanks for coming over guys. I'll make sure Bosco knows you were here. It'll mean a lot to him," she said as they all said their goodnights and the 'call me if you need me's.'
Everyone left, except for Sully who turned to Faith. "Do you need a lift home?" he asked her. "No, I'm good. I'm gonna stay here for a while more. You know, in case he wakes up. I don't want him to be alone," she said quietly.
Sully gave her a knowing look and a hug around the shoulders. "Stop beating yourself up, Faith. You did everything right and got him here as soon as you sensed anything was wrong. He's strong. He's gonna be fine," he said firmly.
"Thanks, Sul," she said as he headed for the doorway. He turned to her and said, "So, does he know how much you care for him?"
"I don't know," she smiled wearily. "But I'm gonna make sure he knows as soon as he wakes up."
Sully nodded and walked out of the room to go home.
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Well, here's another chapter for you. Hope you are still enjoying it.
It had been about two hours since Faith last got a glimpse of Bosco as they wheeled him down the hallway into the Recovery Room. She sat in the chairs of the waiting room, with her head resting back against the wall and her eyes closed. She couldn't help but keep blaming herself for not getting him here sooner. She thought back to what the doctor had told her before he had gone to start his surgery....
"Officer Yokas," the doctor began. "Does your partner have any family here? I'd really like to discuss his case with them before I begin."
Faith remembered sadly shaking her head and replying, "Just me, Doctor."
"You're family?" he asked. "I thought you were his partner," he said, obviously confused.
"I am his partner. I mean, I called his Mom, but she wasn't home so I left a message. You can tell me and I'll pass it on to her when and if she gets here. I'm as close to family as he has," Faith offered, hoping the doctor would fill her in.
"Okay. First, let me tell you that he's pretty sick. Although the appendix really doesn't have a use, we still keep coming off the assembly line with it as standard equipment on all models. What happens is that the appendix fills with infection. If left untreated, the appendix eventually enlarges to the point where it bursts. The infection spills into the abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis, which is potentially life-threatening," he paused, waiting to see if Faith was comprehending all of what he was saying. She nodded her understanding and the doctor continued.
"Did he complain of any pain or have any nausea, vomiting or decreased appetite?" the Doctor asked her, almost as an after thought.
"Well, Doc. He went out with the guys last night and got pretty trashed. I got a call from the bartender asking me to come get him because he was afraid to send him home in a cab. He passed out until about 6:00 this morning when he started throwing up non-stop. I thought it was from the drinking, but he kept throwing up. Finally, he stood up, grabbed his side and passed out again. That's when I noticed the fever and decided it was more than just the alcohol," she said guiltily.
"I see. Well, you couldn't really know he was sick if he was passed out, could you? Anyway, what we're going to do is make an incision and remove the remains of the burst appendix and flush out whatever toxins we can. Now, because his appendix apparently burst some time ago, he runs a higher risk of infection, or peritonitis. After surgery, he'll go to the Recovery Room until he wakes up a little. After that, he'll be in ICU so that we can watch him round the clock for any signs of infection or trouble," he finished.
"Okay, Doctor. Thank you," she said as he shook her hand and started to leave. "Doctor?" she called to him. He turned back to Faith, sensing that she was more than just his partner. "Is he going to be okay? I really don't know what I'd do if I lost him," she said, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Officer Yokas," he said as he came back and squatted down in front of her. "I can't promise you that he's going to be fine, but he has a very good chance. He is young and strong, and from the looks of his past medical records, he's a fighter," the doctor smiled and Faith chuckled. "That he is, Doctor. That he is," she agreed.
"It all depends on how well we can get him cleaned out and how well his body fights off the inevitable infection. But, I will do everything in my power to pull him through this," he finished, squeezing Faith's hand and standing to go begin the surgery. "I know you will," she answered as the door closed and he was gone.
She was brought out of those memories by the ringing of her cell phone. "Hello?" she answered, glancing at her watch. It was 11:30 p.m. "Faith, it's Angela Boscorelli. What's Maurice gone and gotten himself into now?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "I told him that being a cop was a dumb thing to do," she continued before she was interrupted by Faith who could hear what sounded like a party in the background.
"Look, Angela. This had nothing to do with Bosco being a cop. He had appendicitis and didn't realize it and his appendix burst. He's finished with the surgery and is in the Recovery Room right now and he's very sick," she said angrily. It had been almost eight hours since Faith had left messages on her answering machine and at the bar. "Now, I'm sure it would mean a lot to Bosco if you were here when he woke up, but if you're going to berate and belittle him and his life like you usually do, well - then maybe you should stay away," she finished.
"Well, if he's in the Recovery Room then he won't know I'm there anyway," she said, somewhat put off by Faith's angry response. "Tell him I called and please call me when he wakes up and I'll come over," she said before she hung up abruptly.
"What a piece of work," Faith said out loud to herself. "Who?" came a voice as Faith jumped in her seat. She looked up and saw Kim, Doc, Sully, Davis, and Alex who all had come over after their shift.
"Oh, you know what, nothing," said Faith, relieved to see some companionship. "Thanks for coming over guys," she said as Alex handed her a cup of coffee and Kim handed her a sandwich. She smiled warmly and said, "Thanks you guys."
"Well, we figured you hadn't left here so you probably didn't eat anything all day," said Alex. "Um, someone else is here, but he doesn't know if he should come in or not," continued Alex.
"Who is it?" asked Faith, curiously. With that Carlos walked around the corner into the waiting area with a guilty look on his face. "Oh, you I'll deal with later," she said with that motherly "you're soooo grounded look.'
"So, what's the word?" she asked.
"Well, the appendix did burst. Apparently it was while he was out cold during the night," she said, glancing at Carlos before looking at Sully with a guilty look. He shook his head at her and made a face as if to say, "There's no way you could have known."
"Anyway, they took him to surgery to remove what was left of it and to clean out what they could of the infection. He's in Recovery now and then they'll move him to ICU to watch him closely for a while. He's pretty sick and he has a little bit of rough road ahead of him, but he's a fighter so I think he's gonna be just fine," she said, trying to convince herself more than her friends.
"Of course he will," said Kim with a hand on her shoulder. Just then, a nurse came out, looked around the group, and said, "Officer Yokas?"
"Um, that's me," Faith said as she stood up. "Dr. Campbell said that I should let you in to see Mr. Boscorelli as soon as I could so if you want to come with me you can see him; but, only for a moment. We're going to move him up to ICU in a few minutes," she said.
"Okay, great," she said looking at her friends. "We'll wait right here, Faith," Sully said. "Tell him we all say hi," Ty called after her.
Faith walked into the Recovery Room behind the nurse who was telling her that Bosco was still sleeping pretty heavily and not to expect him to just open his eyes and strike up a conversation. Faith nodded and slowly stepped up to the bed as the nurse backed up a little to give her some privacy.
"Hey Bos, you gave me a pretty good scare today," she said quietly, taking the hand without the IV in her's. His hand felt cool and she noticed that he was shivering slightly. She turned to the nurse and said, "He's shivering."
"That's a normal body response after surgery, but it IS kind of cool in here. I'll go get him another blanket," she said, turning to get the blanket.
Faith turned her attention back to Bosco and leaned closer to him. "Don't worry, the nurse is getting you another blanket, Bos. You really scared me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you Bosco," she said as a tear ran down her cheek and landed on his. She thought she saw him flinch at the feel of the tear hitting his face. "Bosco? Can you hear me?" she asked him and was rewarded with a squeeze of her hand. Faith smiled and a few more tears fell. She wiped them off his cheek.
The nurse came back with a warmed blanket and placed it over him and his shivering diminished. She took his vital signs and marked them in the bedside chart. She turned to Faith and said, "They're just about ready to move him upstairs and he really does need to get his rest."
"Okay, I'll just tell him that I'll be outside. Thanks," Faith said and the nurse nodded and returned to her desk.
Faith once again leaned close to Bosco and said, "There's a big group from the 55 outside waiting to see how you are so I'll let them know you're gonna be okay." She paused for a moment then continued, "Bosco, I meant what I said before when I said I loved you. I'm just sorry it took so long for me to say anything to you, but I promise I'll talk to you about it when you're awake," she said as she placed a kiss on his forehead. She gave his hand a squeeze and told him that she'd be right outside the door if he needed her and turned to walk out.
"Thank you," she said to the nurse, adding, "I'll be here all night, so please come get me if he calls for me?" The nurse nodded and said, "I'll note it in the chart for the ICU nurses," she said, saying goodnight to Faith as she left.
Faith went back out to the waiting room to let everyone know that he was okay and they could go home. "Thanks for coming over guys. I'll make sure Bosco knows you were here. It'll mean a lot to him," she said as they all said their goodnights and the 'call me if you need me's.'
Everyone left, except for Sully who turned to Faith. "Do you need a lift home?" he asked her. "No, I'm good. I'm gonna stay here for a while more. You know, in case he wakes up. I don't want him to be alone," she said quietly.
Sully gave her a knowing look and a hug around the shoulders. "Stop beating yourself up, Faith. You did everything right and got him here as soon as you sensed anything was wrong. He's strong. He's gonna be fine," he said firmly.
"Thanks, Sul," she said as he headed for the doorway. He turned to her and said, "So, does he know how much you care for him?"
"I don't know," she smiled wearily. "But I'm gonna make sure he knows as soon as he wakes up."
Sully nodded and walked out of the room to go home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, here's another chapter for you. Hope you are still enjoying it.