Notes: Thanks again to Angie for her support. I also want to thank Genie who helped me with the details of Faith's apartment. After all her hard work I had to change the location of Faith's bedroom to make certain things work, sorry about that. The Yokas's approve of their new place, I promised no raise in rent and maybe a new bathroom. Hey I figure if TPTB can change their apartment every season then why can't I. Well I hope everyone enjoys my latest effort.
Part Eight
There was a moment of stunned silence in the room and then Bosco felt Faith's light touch on his shoulder. Doctor Zimmerman cleared his throat and shuffled his feet slightly. He could just imagine the look Faith was giving him at this minute. Bosco tried to take a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. All his anger from seconds before had vanished. He suddenly felt himself sliding back into the fear and uncertainty of the day before.
Zimmerman had given up on him. All of his kind words and his encouragement had been lies. He had said them just to calm down the blind man. Bosco's heart began to pound in his chest. Oh God, the doctor doesn't think I'm ever going to be able to see again. A strong squeeze from Faith's hand broke his thoughts and pulled him back from that place he didn't want to even think about.
She didn't say a word she just squeezed his shoulder again and then relaxed her hand but left it resting on his shoulder. Why was she doing this? How could he ask her to do anymore than she had already done? He forced his head up slightly and said in slight whisper.
"Why are you doing this, after all I have put you through, why would you want more?"
He heard her sigh and then as if she was talking to one of her kids she said, "I'm doing it as a kindness to your nurses here on the floor, they have yet to see you in full 'I am Bosco hear me complain' mode. I'm just saving them from it."
This wasn't what he needed to hear. This was Faith trying to cheer him up, trying to make everything seem right with the world when they both knew that things were far from it. So he clamped his jaw and said a little more forcefully than he had intended to.
"Faith, you have already..."
She cut him off with a firm squeeze to his shoulder, then she bent down until he could feel her hair brush against the side of his face. She whispered quietly in his ear. "I'm your partner. I go where you go. If you want out of here, it's my job to make that happen. I'm sure you would do the same for me, right?"
"You know I would, Faith. But..." He took a deep breath and let the words fall out quickly as he turned from her. "I'm not your partner right now, all I am right now is a pathetic blind man."
Faith sighed and took the side of his face and pulled his face back toward hers. He could feel
her disappointment and it made him feel a little ashamed.
"Maurice Boscorelli, you have never been pathetic a day in your life, and you never will be. You are the strongest, most loyal man I know and I am not going to let you beat yourself up."
He was quiet for a minute. He didn't know what he had ever done to deserve a partner and friend like Faith but he was so happy that he had her. He raised his hand and placed it on hers.
"Thanks, Faith," he said softly, but that was all that he could mange before his voice faltered.
"Besides my ass is getting really tired of that chair so I say it's good for both of us," Faith said with a laugh as she tried to lighten the mood.
Bosco went along with her and held up his hands in a 'I give up' gesture. "Okay, you win." He grinned up at her and she took her hand from his shoulder and swatted him on the top of his head.
Doctor Zimmerman cleared his throat to get their attention back and then spoke as if he was reciting something that he had written down and practiced many times. He probably had for all Bosco knew. Bosco wondered how many times one of his patients proved the good doctor wrong.
"Very well, Mr. Boscorelli. I really don't want to keep you here any longer than is medically necessary. Since your burns are healing nicely, I'll write the orders to let you go home in Mrs. Yokas's care. I want you to be in Dr. Foster's office first thing Monday morning so he can have a look at those eyes. Just let me get the orders written and we can spring you in a few hours."
"A few hours," Bosco moaned.
"That is actually a very conservative estimate for a hospital. I promise you will be out of here by dinner time." He chuckled then turned to leave the room.
Faith patted his arm once then said. "Hey, I'll be right back."
A tingle made it's way up Bosco's spine and he decided that Doctor Zimmerman had motioned her to meet him outside. He didn't like being treated like a child and although he didn't hold it against Faith, he thought the Doctor should talk to him not her. He was, after all, the patient, wasn't he?
"Is it okay if I ask Sully to swing by your house and pick up some of your things?"
Bosco shrugged his shoulders, not really thinking about her question. His mind was still on what Doctor Zimmerman wanted to speak to Faith about. "Sure, doesn't matter to me."
"Anything you really need? Hey you okay?"
Bosco forced his head to nod up and down for yes then decided to tease her a bit so she would know he wasn't upset at her.
"I guess my playboys would be useless huh?"
"Well, we could always start a little bonfire on the roof. You think they would make good kindling?" she said with a giggle, then she turned and he heard her make her way to the door.
Bosco almost choked at the thought as he yelled at her. "How dare you, Faith!"
When he was sure that she had made it out into the corridor, Bosco threw the blanket off his legs and rolled out of the bed. He planted his feet on the ground and got up. Unsure of which way to move, he followed the direction Faith had gone. He moved slowly at first, with his hands out in front of him. That quickly annoyed him, so he just took a deep breath and plowed ahead. He tripped over a clothesbasket on wheels and fell flat on his face. He cursed and dragged himself to his feet. He then rushed the rest of the way across the room to the door, managing to hit it with the side of his hand before his face. He reached down, grabbed the handle, and pulled it open just a crack. He could hear Faith and Dr. Zimmerman's voice nearby. The doctor had probably just waited by the door until Faith came out and then just pulled her to the side.
He heard Faith's angry voice first.
"He wants to go. This has been harder on him than you can ever imagine. If he wants to go, I'm going to do anything I can so he gets what he wants."
"Mrs. Yokas, I know that you want to protect him, but helping him run away from reality is not helping. Mr. Boscorelli may never get his sight back; he has to face that fact. What he needs is counseling, and he needs to be taught new skills for his future."
"What he needs is someone that's not going to give up on him. I suggest that you keep that in mind because I have seen Bosco do some amazing things and if anyone can beat this, my money's on him."
Bosco heard Dr. Zimmerman clear his throat and felt a second of pity for him. Anyone facing down Faith in what Bosco liked to call her 'ultra protective mode' had to be given a little pity.
"I'm sorry, Officer Yokas, but I'm just trying to be realistic. But don't think for one minute that I'm not praying that I'm wrong about him."
Bosco heard him walk away, then stop and say, "He's very lucky to have you watching out for him."
"I'm very lucky to have him watching out for me," he barely heard her whisper as she started to dial her phone.
"Thanks, Faith, you don't know what that means to me." That's all that he could say as he rested his face on the door.
~~~
They sent in a nurse to explain what kind of care he would need once he was sent home. He was given a pain pill and then taken for more blood tests and another battery of tests on his eyes. Then a nurse went over the steps for removing his bandages, applying more of the sticky cream, and then covering them up again. She must have done a pretty good job because the nurse congratulated her and Faith sounded pleased when she announced to Bosco that Kim better look out for her job. Only later when the nurse reminded her to give him a pain pill at least a hour before she changed the bandages because removing the old bandages were very painful did Faith start to apologize for hurting him. Then he had to tell her five times that he was fine before she finally believed him and was able to conquer the next task the nurse insisted on going over.
Over five hours later, Faith was helping him up the stairs of her apartment building to her apartment.
"Okay, almost there."
They were both breathing heavy from the short walk up. Bosco from being cooped up in a bed for days and Faith because she had insisted on carrying all of stuff up from the car. Faith stopped in front of her door and set everything down to find the key to the door. A few seconds later Bosco heard the lock click and she opened the door and touched his arm. He pulled his arm slightly away from her; he knew Faith's apartment and he wanted to be able to do something on his own. Faith paused for a minute then pushed her way past him and said, "Okay, just stay there for a second and let me make sure no one left anything on the floor."
He clung to the doorframe as he listened to Faith move around her apartment. Bosco forced his mind to remember Faith's apartment and was pleased with himself when it appeared. He heard her drop his duffel and then the sound of her putting her keys on the table behind the couch. The bags she carried filled with bandages, bottles of pills and things he would rather not know that she had gotten from the hospital clattered down beside the keys.
"Well, like I said Fred took Charlie camping..." She paused and then grunted as she picked up something in front of him and then threw it across the room. "If you want, you can take Charlie's bed. We just got him a new one so it won't be too short. Emily went to stay with her grandmother so it's just you and me."
"Hi, Mom."
"Emily, what the... what are you doing here? You were supposed to be at your grandmother's house."
Emily sounded a little scared. "She called this morning right after you left. She said she wasn't
feeling very good and I told her that it was okay and that I would stay with Lisa tonight."
"Why didn't you go to Lisa's then and does your dad know you are here all by yourself?"
"Lisa went to the shore with her cousin." Bosco could hear Emily getting closer to him and he hoped that she wouldn't drag him into this.
"Hi, Bosco, you want me to help you to the couch?" When she mentioned the couch, Bosco suddenly felt very tired and trapped by the two females in the room.
Before he could answer, Emily had gently pulled him forward toward the couch and away from her mother. Bosco couldn't help but laugh to himself as he thought that Emily, just like her mother, knew how to throw someone off the scent better than anyone he had ever met.
When they got to the couch Emily was quiet; she waited until Faith left the room before she placed one of her hands on his and asked very seriously.
"It doesn't hurt to be blind does it?"
Bosco was lost for words. He had no clue what to say to her. He wasn't in physical pain but the fear and the dread were just as bad.
So he just smiled and said quietly, "No Em, it doesn't hurt."
"Good," she said softly.
He then leaned back into the soft cushions in the couch and fell asleep.
************************************
Faith let Bosco sleep on the couch until just before it was time to take his medication and have a late dinner.
While Bosco slept, her daughter had been an unwilling recipient of a lecture about the dangers of staying alone when no one knew she was alone. She had been mad at Emily for lying to her father but nothing had happened, thank God, and she had made the girl promise she would never do it again. When Faith asked her why she didn't just go with Charlie and her dad camping Emily had said she was too old to go camping in the yucky dirty woods. Faith suspected the real reason had more to do with being afraid because she had almost lost her mother the day before.
When Faith woke him up she made sure she shook him gently and said his name. "Bosco."
"Yeah...what," he answered sleepily.
"Are you hungry?"
She watched him yawn and then feel the blanket that she had pulled over him an hour or so before.
"Did I fall asleep?"
She laughed. "Yes, you did, so want something to eat?"
"Sure."
Faith moved to help him up but he batted her hand away.
"I want to try, Faith," he said firmly.
Faith stepped back and watched as he slowly got up and shuffled around the couch toward the table behind it. She winced when he ran into the sofa table behind the couch and then again when his knees slammed into the back of his chair. He didn't say anything either time, but she saw the sudden grimace and then the extra effort he made to carefully sit down.
Faith decided that if he wasn't going to mention it, she wouldn't either. She sat down on the other side of the table and watched as his fingers moved restlessly over the bowl of stew in front of him to the spoon sitting next to it. She thought if he only had to deal with one spoon and one food it wouldn't be too hard to eat. Before they had left the hospital, Dr. Zimmerman had forced them to listen to a nurse that specialized in schooling the blind. Among the several things she had drilled Bosco on was how to find his silverware and glass and eat without seeing his food. He was able to eat without too much mess or trouble.
"Where's Emily?" Bosco asked halfway through his stew.
"I sent the ungrateful child to her room." Faith couldn't help but laugh when she saw the pained expression appear on his face. Then she remembered that being sent to his room when he was a child was probably a whole lot different than Faith sending Emily to hers. "Oh, don't give me
that look. She took half a left over pizza and a new video with her."
After dinner Bosco said he wanted to get cleaned up before he went to bed. Much to Bosco and Faith's relief, the nurse had told him that he could take a bath, not a shower, as long as he kept the bandages on his face and hand dry. She didn't know which of them had been happier that they wouldn't have to endure a potentially embarrassing sponge bath.
So Faith helped him down the hallway to the bathroom. She stepped into the bathroom and grabbed a towel from under the sink and some shampoo and soap. She took the clean sweats and shirt he was carrying with him, put everything on the counter next to the sink, and guided his hand forward until he touched it.
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" she asked. "You want me to start the water?"
He grinned at her. He opened his mouth to say something and to her relief he changed his mind and just shook his head. "No, I think I can manage."
"If you need any help..."
She saw the light red blush appear on his cheek. She bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh or say anything to embarrass him or her further and closed the door before he could say anything.
After his bath, Emily had insisted on playing tour guide. Bosco had been patient as Emily had guided him slowly from one room to the next. Faith watched with pride as Emily carefully guided him around furniture and even had him stand in the hall for a few minutes while she picked up Charlie's toys and her books on the floor before she guided him into her room.
After the tour Bosco had been returned to the couch with borrowed CD's from Emily. He had refused to kick Emily out of her room just so he could sleep on Charlie's bed. Instead he convinced her that the couch with plenty of pillows would be just fine.
"Well goodnight. Oh, I'll leave the bathroom door open for you," Faith said.
He nodded but didn't say anything. She turned and headed toward her bedroom and the sound of his voice clearing stopped her.
"Thanks, Faith" He was smiling at her but there was a small touch of sadness in his voice. He was trying to face his situation and he was starting to fight back, he was fighting his fear. It made her happy and she felt a little pride that this man was her friend.
"You're welcome, Bosco."
He nodded his head and then lay back onto the pillow. Faith stood there for just a minute and watched as he fumbled with the player for a few minutes before he was able to find the buttons to start the machine.
~~~
Faith woke the next morning to the phone ringing. She heard it several times before she forced herself to roll over and grab it. She glanced at the clock--it was almost nine--before she pushed the on button and growled into the phone.
"Hello?"
"Faith" It was Sully's voice.
"Sully, why are you calling me at nine in the morning?"
"Is it nine in the morning, I wouldn't know," Sully said sarcastically.
Faith rolled her eyes and sat up in bed. "Bad night?"
"You could say that. Your Agent Wilkerson had us running around beating the bushes for anyone who had seen his hit man."
"Sully." She groaned "First, Agent Wilkerson isn't 'mine'. Second, I haven't any idea what you are talking about."
Faith brought her free hand to her temple and rubbed at the sudden stab of pain just above her eye. She got up and headed toward her door. She opened it and walked quietly down the hall. She didn't want to wake Bosco up. When she stepped into the living room, Bosco was stretched out on the sofa with Davis's earphones on his head, snoring lightly.
"Well, let me tell you the story," Sully went on in her ear.
Faith sighed and made her way quietly to her kitchen. She propped the phone on her shoulder and started making coffee while she listened to Sully.
"Agent Wilkerson snagged Davis and me last night. He thinks he's identified the guy who popped his agent, some big time assassin from Eastern Europe. Well, the only information he has about such an evil man is Covic. That's it, just a name. He told us that was all he had, he said something about the guy never left anyone who could identify him. Agent Wilkerson is a little intense and way too pushy if you ask me. I think you should have hit him harder."
Faith couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she pulled a cup down from the cabinet and poured the coffee into the cup. Sully stopped and said something to someone standing near the phone. Davis was probably trying to calm him down, she thought. When Sully came back on the line he sounded just a little calmer, but not much. She shook the contents of the sweet and low packet into her cup and stirred it with a knife she found next to the sink.
"Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, we dragged our asses in and out of every place we could think of and guess who we came up with?"
Faith had taken a small sip of her coffee so she had to swallow fast so she could answer the unexpected question. "Who?"
"Milo."
"Milo?"
"Yeah, he's back in town. He told us he saw Covic but the little shit only wants to talk to you."
Faith couldn't understand why Milo would want to talk only to her. She and Bosco had sent the guy to prison three years ago on an assault charge. He and his brother had tried to get away in a stolen taxi. Faith remembered that neither Milo nor his brother had been the brightest of guys. But they had run anyway and Faith and Bosco were right behind them. She had been at the wheel when she saw the car cross in front of a bus and collide with another car in the next lane. When Faith and Bosco got to the car, Milo's brother was already dead and Milo was cursing them.
"Why does Milo want to talk to me? He hates us, especially me."
"I know, Faith. I tried to tell Wilkerson that, but he wants you to come down and see what he has to say."
"Okay, I'll be down there as soon as I can get there." She told him and then pressed the off button.
"What was that all about?" Bosco asked.
Faith jumped. When she did she spilled her coffee down the front of her shirt. "Shit."
"What...Faith... Are you okay?" He sounded worried.
Faith sat the cup and phone down, grabbed the towel next to the sink, and dabbed at her shirt. "I'm fine, Boz, I just spilled, oh it doesn't matter. You scared me. I thought you were asleep"
He grinned at her and titled his head toward the coffee maker. "For some reason they wouldn't give me any coffee in the hospital. It smells great."
She grinned at his remark and then thought to herself, they were probably afraid that you would burn yourself with it just like I just did.
"Can you make it to the table? I'll bring you a cup."
"Sure."
Faith watched him turn and take small steps toward the table. He was a little more confident than the night before when he had shuffled through the entire apartment like an old man. Faith turned back to the cabinet and got another cup out. She poured his coffee into the cup and then added a little more to hers.
When she got to the table she sat the cup down in front of him then sat in the chair next to him. She sipped at the warm liquid several times as she watched Bosco slowly take the cup in two hands and raise it to his mouth to drink. When he had sipped it twice he sat it down and then turned in his chair to face her.
"Who was on the phone? Why were you talking about Milo?"
Faith sighed. She had hoped he hadn't heard any of that but she really wasn't surprised that he had.
"Agent Wilkerson thinks he ID'd that guy you saw in the alley. All he has on the guy is a name. Covic."
She paused while he shrugged his shoulder and she put down her own cup.
"Well, he had Sully and Davis out rousting people all night and they turned up Milo."
"How does Milo know someone like Covic? I mean it's not like they run in the same circles."
"Who knows? Milo says he will only talk to me. So they want me down there right away. Are you going to be okay while I'm gone?"
Bosco laughed. "Yes, I think I can handle being by myself for a couple of hours."
"You're not by yourself," Emily said as she hopped into the room.
Faith looked at the huge smile on her daughter's face, then turned to look at the fake smile that Bosco had plastered on his. She had to bite her lip and swallow a few times before she was sure that she wouldn't laugh the minute she opened her mouth.
"Emily, why don't you go get your breakfast?"
Faith watched Emily turn and head into the kitchen Then she turned back to look at her partner.
"I don't know, Faith," he said slowly.
"I don't have anyone else, Boz. It will be fine. I'll only be gone for a few hours. What could happen?" Bosco frowned up at her as she patted his shoulder and rushed by him to her room.
She glanced into the kitchen as she passed it and saw Emily pouring milk into her glass.
She jogged down the hall to her room and found a pair of jeans and a sweater. She decided the quicker she got down there, the quicker she would be able to get back. She went into the bathroom, ran a comb through her hair, and brushed her teeth quickly. By the time she got back to the living room Emily was sitting at the table beside Bosco eating her cereal and explaining why she didn't like Scott Waters from downstairs.
"Okay, guys, I'm going. Emily, be good."
"We'll be fine," Bosco managed to say.
"If you need me, call."
"Okay," Bosco and Emily said at the same time.
Faith laughed as she watched Emily giggle into her glass and Bosco take a deep breath and rub his hands nervously together. Faith grabbed her jacket and purse and left the apartment, hoping that she hadn't pushed Bosco into something he really didn't want to do.
When she reached the 55, Sully was pacing the hall outside the interrogation room. Davis stood behind him and gave Faith a small 'back off' gesture as she walked up. They both looked tired and unhappy. Faith saw Agent Wilkerson sitting at a desk just inside the room and at the far end of the room chained to a chair, Milo sat staring at the floor.
"I'm glad you're here," Sully said quickly as he made another turn in the hallway.
Faith looked at Davis, who shrugged. "He told us he won't say a word until he sees you."
An unexplained fear crept up Faith's spine as opened the door and stepped into the small room. Sully and Davis were right behind her when Agent Wilkerson looked up from the file he was reading. Faith thought he had a strange look on his face as he got up and leaned toward her.
"Sullivan says this guy blames you for his brother's death."
Faith nodded as she glanced over his shoulder and caught Milo's eyes looking up at her from behind his dirty blond hair. He was smirking.
"Well, see what happens, we don't have much to lose."
Faith nodded and stepped around Wilkerson toward Milo.
"How you doing Milo? How long you been out?"
Milo just shook his head slightly and titled his chair back on two legs. He grinned up at her. "Officer Yokas."
Faith stopped just next to his chair and leaned down slightly. "Sullivan says you know where we can find Covic."
Milo shifted his weight slightly until he was looking at her then he grinned again.
"So, Officer Yokas, how is that hard ass partner of yours like being a cripple?"
Before anyone could stop her, Faith reached out with her foot and shoved the chair out from under Milo. Milo landed flat on his back on the ground with the chair on top of him. Sully rushed forward, grabbed Faith, and wrestled her into the corner while Davis and Wilkerson picked Milo up off the floor and sat him back down in the chair.
Faith shook Sully off of her and stepped forward again. This time Davis stayed behind the chair and Wilkerson stood behind Faith.
"Milo, I want a answer."
Milo sneered up at her and then said. "I want my brother back. I guess sometimes you don't get what you want."
Faith stepped back for a second, then turned away from him.
"You don't know Covic, you're just wasting our time."
Milo began to laugh as Faith stormed from the room. Sully and Davis followed her into the hallway. Something was nagging at her but she just couldn't put her finger on it.
"Why would he be stupid enough to pull something like that?" Davis asked.
Faith shrugged. A few minutes later, Wilkerson came out of the room and kicked the trashcan that was sitting next to the water fountain. The three officers watched with some amusement as he mumbled under his breath then turned and looked at them.
"He said a man matching the general description of Covic paid him to tell us he knew Covic."
"Why would Covic pay some guy to turn him in?" Sully asked.
"That's the weird part. Milo told him he would get a thousand more if he made us call in Faith and tell her that he knew Covic."
"I don't get it," Davis said.
A cold knot formed in Faith's chest as the truth hit her suddenly.
"Bosco. He's going after Bosco, he had to get me away from Bosco." Then real terror hit her. "Oh my god, Emily," she whispered.
"What is it, Faith?" Sully asked.
"Emily is with Bosco." Faith looked up at Sully as tears formed in her eyes.
Sully backed up quickly and pulled her toward the front door. Faith heard Davis yelling at the Desk Sargent as they passed. Faith couldn't think of anything but her daughter as Sully pushed her toward his squad and jumped in the driver's seat.
************************************
The morning was going pretty good. Bosco was starting to think that all those people were lying about this parenting thing. It wasn't hard at all. Of course Emily was really sweet. Faith had once told him that she thought he had a crush on him, which made him very uncomfortable. But the crush thing hadn't come up so he thought he was safe.
After breakfast, Emily had opened the door and got the paper. They sat on the couch together as she turned to the comics and tried to explain them in great detail to him. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he could care less how fat Garfield was or what he did to Odie. After the long ordeal of the comics, Bosco had just convinced her to turn to the sports page when someone knocked on the door. Emily sprang from the couch and was heading toward the door before he knew it. He was able to grab her hand before she got to far away.
"Hey, Emily, is anyone supposed to come by this morning?" he asked curiously.
"No, I don't think so. Why?"
"Ask who it is."
She sighed loudly then said, "Okay."
Emily pulled out of his grasp and went to the door. Bosco pulled himself to his feet and stepped toward the door.
"Who is it?"
There was a slight pause then a muffled voice said, "It's Mr. Pearson, the super. I'm here to drop off the new fixtures for the bathroom."
A small shiver ran through Bosco as he heard Emily unlock the door.
"Em, wait don't..."
Before he could finish she opened the door and he heard Emily yelp then the sound of a small scuffle followed by something hitting the floor. Bosco stepped toward the sound but before he could take more than a few steps, Emily was clutching his waist tightly and he couldn't move.
"Who is it?" he asked with fear in his voice. He forced himself to stay calm and stop freaking out at probably nothing.
"Well, Officer Boscorelli, nice to see you again."
The second he heard the voice with the strange accent, his mind flashed to the tall well-dressed man in the alley. The man that Agent Wilkerson said killed his rookie. Covic.
Bosco reached down, pulled Emily from his waist, and shoved her behind him.
"What are you doing here? This is stupid."
He had no idea what to do. He couldn't think. What was he able to do? The man was a professional and he was, what? A blind cop without a weapon, not that he could have seen to use a weapon. Then he remembered the baseball bat Faith had propped up against the back of the couch, the one that he had tripped on in the middle of the night when he had made the long journey to the bathroom. He started to slowly back away from the man.
Covic chuckled and then exhaled loudly. "Well, I suppose it is."
Bosco heard a light rustle of fabric then his voice continued slowly and calmly. "But I just couldn't leave knowing you had seen my face. Who knows what kind of trouble you could have given me?"
Bosco felt Emily's hand on his back as he continued to back up. They had to be almost there. Then he stumbled into Emily because she had stopped; they were at the couch. Bosco forced himself to remember exactly where he had repositioned the bat.
"He has a gun," Emily whispered.
Bosco gave the man a big smile and then held his injured hand out in front of him. He reached awkwardly behind his back for the bat with the other hand. He heard the guy take a step toward them he thought he sounded pretty close. Good thing, Bosco thought because he was only going to get one shot at this.
"Well, hey looks like that fire took care of that for you. I mean, hell. I can't even see to piss so how can I ever ID you for anything?"
Silence engulfed the room for a second, then Bosco heard Covic take another step toward him. Bosco searched for the bat and was relieved when he felt Emily press the handle into his hand.
"Well, that might be true but now I have to do something about her. Don't I?" The closeness of the voice startled him and then the man's words hit him.
Bosco brought the bat out from behind his leg in one swift quick motion. He put some force into it as it passed his knee and aimed mentally for the man's knees or groin. At that moment he wasn't being picky. Bosco grinned when he felt the bat connect solidly. The grunt afterward proved that Covic had been caught off guard at the sudden attack. Bosco yelled for Emily to
run and then swung the bat four more times at the man. The bat hit twice, then Covic fell to the floor.
Bosco turned and scrambled toward the kitchen and Faith's lockable door beyond. As he passed the kitchen a small hand reached out and grabbed his shirt. He stopped and squatted down as he did, he looked uselessly back over his shoulder towards the living room.
She was crying. "I fell," she told him.
Bosco took a deep breath and strained his ears for sounds from the other room. What do I do? What would Faith do? Get Emily the hell out of here is what Faith would do, but how?
"Em, listen you have to go."
"NO! I can't leave you." She began to cry louder.
Bosco tried to shush her quiet. "Listen to me, I need for you to run for help. Can you do that?"
"I don't want to leave. Please don't make me go, please."
"I need you, Em. Please, Emily go get some help. I know you can be brave and strong just like your mom. I need you to go downstairs and call the police."
He didn't have a clue where downstairs she could find a phone but the most important thing running through Bosco's mind was that she would be downstairs and that was all that mattered.
"Okay," she sniffled.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Em. I'm proud of you. Now when I tell you to run, I want you to run. Don't stop until you get downstairs. You got that, no matter what you hear you keep running. Can you do that?"
"Yes."
Now how do I get her past him?
"I'm going to get him to follow me. I want you to wait until he passes you and then head toward the door, when you hear me yell open the door and run."
"He's going to hurt you."
"Don't worry about me. I only care about you getting out of here. I need you to go get help. Promise me, Emily"
"I promise." She sniffed again but it sounded a little stronger this time.
Bosco took a deep breath and stroked Emily's hair once before crawling away from her. He felt the side of the wall until he found the opening to the hall. He tried to listen; he couldn't hear anything but his pounding heart and the small sniffles that were still coming from Emily behind him. He realized that if he could hear them then Covic would know by now exactly where Emily was. He also knew that he had to give Covic a better target than a terrified 12-year-old girl. He forced himself to listen to the sounds in the room and heard a very soft scrap of a shoe coming from the opposite side of the room; Covic was struggling to his feet.
Bosco ran his hands around the side of the wall and took a firm grip; he pulled himself up and stumbled out into the room. He knew that the table was to his right and the bookcase was to his left, beyond that was the hallway to Faith's bedroom. He took a deep breath and then turned down the hall and stumbled quite loudly down the hall. He heard a crash from the living room and knew that Covic was after him.
He had to give Emily time to get out, when he felt the door with his outstretched hands he pulled it open quickly and pulled himself inside. He turned quickly, put his hand on the door, and closed it a few inches until it was open just a crack and he could still hear the steps that were coming down the hallway. He prayed that Covic was well past the door to the kitchen and when he could no longer ignore his mind screaming at him to close the door he yelled 'GO' as loud as he could and shoved the door closed as hard as he could. And in that second he realized he had waited too long because the door didn't slam shut as he thought it would instead it stopped suddenly and he felt it being forced back toward him. He frantically searched for something to push in front of the door and felt a tall rack next to the door he grabbed it and pulled it over, when it was on it's side he kicked it into place in front of the door stopping the door from opening.
Bosco cursed and stepped backwards. He knew the bed was somewhere behind him and beyond that was the bathroom. His only chance now was to get to the bathroom. He turned and started toward where he thought it was. He threw his hands out in front of him and started across the room. He hit the bed with his knee and tried unsuccessfully to stop himself from falling hard. Instead he tumbled over the bed, hit his head on the floor, and ignoring the sharp burst of
pain, he crawled toward the door. He raised his hands and felt relief flood through him as he felt the rough surface of the bathroom door, he dug his fingernails into the side of the door, pried it open, and tried to throw himself into the bathroom. He was almost through when he felt a hand grab his ankle, then another hand grabbed his knee and yanked him backwards.
Bosco tried to grab onto something, anything but nothing was on the ground to help him. He was forcefully pulled back. Then he felt the grip tightening and knew that Covic was trying to flip him. He let Covic flip him onto his back. At the exact moment he felt his back hit the floor he pulled his free leg up and kicked at the man with all the force he could. He heard Covic grunt and felt his grip on his knee loosen, Bosco raised his leg again and kicked again. Bosco heard the grunt again, but this time Covic was able to grab his foot and twist it to the right. Bosco felt a sudden pain shoot through his knee.
"You should have let me do this the easy way," Covic grunted.
That was the last thing he heard as Covic's foot connected painfully with his side. Bosco gasped and had no chance to breathe before another blow landed on his already burning side. Bosco turned to his side to protect his ribs and was rewarded with a kick to his back that sent spasms of pain through his body. Covic then grabbed his shirt and pulled him to his knees. Bosco had no warning before Covic slugged him in the face. Bosco was then pulled to his feet and dragged from the room.
Part Eight
There was a moment of stunned silence in the room and then Bosco felt Faith's light touch on his shoulder. Doctor Zimmerman cleared his throat and shuffled his feet slightly. He could just imagine the look Faith was giving him at this minute. Bosco tried to take a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. All his anger from seconds before had vanished. He suddenly felt himself sliding back into the fear and uncertainty of the day before.
Zimmerman had given up on him. All of his kind words and his encouragement had been lies. He had said them just to calm down the blind man. Bosco's heart began to pound in his chest. Oh God, the doctor doesn't think I'm ever going to be able to see again. A strong squeeze from Faith's hand broke his thoughts and pulled him back from that place he didn't want to even think about.
She didn't say a word she just squeezed his shoulder again and then relaxed her hand but left it resting on his shoulder. Why was she doing this? How could he ask her to do anymore than she had already done? He forced his head up slightly and said in slight whisper.
"Why are you doing this, after all I have put you through, why would you want more?"
He heard her sigh and then as if she was talking to one of her kids she said, "I'm doing it as a kindness to your nurses here on the floor, they have yet to see you in full 'I am Bosco hear me complain' mode. I'm just saving them from it."
This wasn't what he needed to hear. This was Faith trying to cheer him up, trying to make everything seem right with the world when they both knew that things were far from it. So he clamped his jaw and said a little more forcefully than he had intended to.
"Faith, you have already..."
She cut him off with a firm squeeze to his shoulder, then she bent down until he could feel her hair brush against the side of his face. She whispered quietly in his ear. "I'm your partner. I go where you go. If you want out of here, it's my job to make that happen. I'm sure you would do the same for me, right?"
"You know I would, Faith. But..." He took a deep breath and let the words fall out quickly as he turned from her. "I'm not your partner right now, all I am right now is a pathetic blind man."
Faith sighed and took the side of his face and pulled his face back toward hers. He could feel
her disappointment and it made him feel a little ashamed.
"Maurice Boscorelli, you have never been pathetic a day in your life, and you never will be. You are the strongest, most loyal man I know and I am not going to let you beat yourself up."
He was quiet for a minute. He didn't know what he had ever done to deserve a partner and friend like Faith but he was so happy that he had her. He raised his hand and placed it on hers.
"Thanks, Faith," he said softly, but that was all that he could mange before his voice faltered.
"Besides my ass is getting really tired of that chair so I say it's good for both of us," Faith said with a laugh as she tried to lighten the mood.
Bosco went along with her and held up his hands in a 'I give up' gesture. "Okay, you win." He grinned up at her and she took her hand from his shoulder and swatted him on the top of his head.
Doctor Zimmerman cleared his throat to get their attention back and then spoke as if he was reciting something that he had written down and practiced many times. He probably had for all Bosco knew. Bosco wondered how many times one of his patients proved the good doctor wrong.
"Very well, Mr. Boscorelli. I really don't want to keep you here any longer than is medically necessary. Since your burns are healing nicely, I'll write the orders to let you go home in Mrs. Yokas's care. I want you to be in Dr. Foster's office first thing Monday morning so he can have a look at those eyes. Just let me get the orders written and we can spring you in a few hours."
"A few hours," Bosco moaned.
"That is actually a very conservative estimate for a hospital. I promise you will be out of here by dinner time." He chuckled then turned to leave the room.
Faith patted his arm once then said. "Hey, I'll be right back."
A tingle made it's way up Bosco's spine and he decided that Doctor Zimmerman had motioned her to meet him outside. He didn't like being treated like a child and although he didn't hold it against Faith, he thought the Doctor should talk to him not her. He was, after all, the patient, wasn't he?
"Is it okay if I ask Sully to swing by your house and pick up some of your things?"
Bosco shrugged his shoulders, not really thinking about her question. His mind was still on what Doctor Zimmerman wanted to speak to Faith about. "Sure, doesn't matter to me."
"Anything you really need? Hey you okay?"
Bosco forced his head to nod up and down for yes then decided to tease her a bit so she would know he wasn't upset at her.
"I guess my playboys would be useless huh?"
"Well, we could always start a little bonfire on the roof. You think they would make good kindling?" she said with a giggle, then she turned and he heard her make her way to the door.
Bosco almost choked at the thought as he yelled at her. "How dare you, Faith!"
When he was sure that she had made it out into the corridor, Bosco threw the blanket off his legs and rolled out of the bed. He planted his feet on the ground and got up. Unsure of which way to move, he followed the direction Faith had gone. He moved slowly at first, with his hands out in front of him. That quickly annoyed him, so he just took a deep breath and plowed ahead. He tripped over a clothesbasket on wheels and fell flat on his face. He cursed and dragged himself to his feet. He then rushed the rest of the way across the room to the door, managing to hit it with the side of his hand before his face. He reached down, grabbed the handle, and pulled it open just a crack. He could hear Faith and Dr. Zimmerman's voice nearby. The doctor had probably just waited by the door until Faith came out and then just pulled her to the side.
He heard Faith's angry voice first.
"He wants to go. This has been harder on him than you can ever imagine. If he wants to go, I'm going to do anything I can so he gets what he wants."
"Mrs. Yokas, I know that you want to protect him, but helping him run away from reality is not helping. Mr. Boscorelli may never get his sight back; he has to face that fact. What he needs is counseling, and he needs to be taught new skills for his future."
"What he needs is someone that's not going to give up on him. I suggest that you keep that in mind because I have seen Bosco do some amazing things and if anyone can beat this, my money's on him."
Bosco heard Dr. Zimmerman clear his throat and felt a second of pity for him. Anyone facing down Faith in what Bosco liked to call her 'ultra protective mode' had to be given a little pity.
"I'm sorry, Officer Yokas, but I'm just trying to be realistic. But don't think for one minute that I'm not praying that I'm wrong about him."
Bosco heard him walk away, then stop and say, "He's very lucky to have you watching out for him."
"I'm very lucky to have him watching out for me," he barely heard her whisper as she started to dial her phone.
"Thanks, Faith, you don't know what that means to me." That's all that he could say as he rested his face on the door.
~~~
They sent in a nurse to explain what kind of care he would need once he was sent home. He was given a pain pill and then taken for more blood tests and another battery of tests on his eyes. Then a nurse went over the steps for removing his bandages, applying more of the sticky cream, and then covering them up again. She must have done a pretty good job because the nurse congratulated her and Faith sounded pleased when she announced to Bosco that Kim better look out for her job. Only later when the nurse reminded her to give him a pain pill at least a hour before she changed the bandages because removing the old bandages were very painful did Faith start to apologize for hurting him. Then he had to tell her five times that he was fine before she finally believed him and was able to conquer the next task the nurse insisted on going over.
Over five hours later, Faith was helping him up the stairs of her apartment building to her apartment.
"Okay, almost there."
They were both breathing heavy from the short walk up. Bosco from being cooped up in a bed for days and Faith because she had insisted on carrying all of stuff up from the car. Faith stopped in front of her door and set everything down to find the key to the door. A few seconds later Bosco heard the lock click and she opened the door and touched his arm. He pulled his arm slightly away from her; he knew Faith's apartment and he wanted to be able to do something on his own. Faith paused for a minute then pushed her way past him and said, "Okay, just stay there for a second and let me make sure no one left anything on the floor."
He clung to the doorframe as he listened to Faith move around her apartment. Bosco forced his mind to remember Faith's apartment and was pleased with himself when it appeared. He heard her drop his duffel and then the sound of her putting her keys on the table behind the couch. The bags she carried filled with bandages, bottles of pills and things he would rather not know that she had gotten from the hospital clattered down beside the keys.
"Well, like I said Fred took Charlie camping..." She paused and then grunted as she picked up something in front of him and then threw it across the room. "If you want, you can take Charlie's bed. We just got him a new one so it won't be too short. Emily went to stay with her grandmother so it's just you and me."
"Hi, Mom."
"Emily, what the... what are you doing here? You were supposed to be at your grandmother's house."
Emily sounded a little scared. "She called this morning right after you left. She said she wasn't
feeling very good and I told her that it was okay and that I would stay with Lisa tonight."
"Why didn't you go to Lisa's then and does your dad know you are here all by yourself?"
"Lisa went to the shore with her cousin." Bosco could hear Emily getting closer to him and he hoped that she wouldn't drag him into this.
"Hi, Bosco, you want me to help you to the couch?" When she mentioned the couch, Bosco suddenly felt very tired and trapped by the two females in the room.
Before he could answer, Emily had gently pulled him forward toward the couch and away from her mother. Bosco couldn't help but laugh to himself as he thought that Emily, just like her mother, knew how to throw someone off the scent better than anyone he had ever met.
When they got to the couch Emily was quiet; she waited until Faith left the room before she placed one of her hands on his and asked very seriously.
"It doesn't hurt to be blind does it?"
Bosco was lost for words. He had no clue what to say to her. He wasn't in physical pain but the fear and the dread were just as bad.
So he just smiled and said quietly, "No Em, it doesn't hurt."
"Good," she said softly.
He then leaned back into the soft cushions in the couch and fell asleep.
************************************
Faith let Bosco sleep on the couch until just before it was time to take his medication and have a late dinner.
While Bosco slept, her daughter had been an unwilling recipient of a lecture about the dangers of staying alone when no one knew she was alone. She had been mad at Emily for lying to her father but nothing had happened, thank God, and she had made the girl promise she would never do it again. When Faith asked her why she didn't just go with Charlie and her dad camping Emily had said she was too old to go camping in the yucky dirty woods. Faith suspected the real reason had more to do with being afraid because she had almost lost her mother the day before.
When Faith woke him up she made sure she shook him gently and said his name. "Bosco."
"Yeah...what," he answered sleepily.
"Are you hungry?"
She watched him yawn and then feel the blanket that she had pulled over him an hour or so before.
"Did I fall asleep?"
She laughed. "Yes, you did, so want something to eat?"
"Sure."
Faith moved to help him up but he batted her hand away.
"I want to try, Faith," he said firmly.
Faith stepped back and watched as he slowly got up and shuffled around the couch toward the table behind it. She winced when he ran into the sofa table behind the couch and then again when his knees slammed into the back of his chair. He didn't say anything either time, but she saw the sudden grimace and then the extra effort he made to carefully sit down.
Faith decided that if he wasn't going to mention it, she wouldn't either. She sat down on the other side of the table and watched as his fingers moved restlessly over the bowl of stew in front of him to the spoon sitting next to it. She thought if he only had to deal with one spoon and one food it wouldn't be too hard to eat. Before they had left the hospital, Dr. Zimmerman had forced them to listen to a nurse that specialized in schooling the blind. Among the several things she had drilled Bosco on was how to find his silverware and glass and eat without seeing his food. He was able to eat without too much mess or trouble.
"Where's Emily?" Bosco asked halfway through his stew.
"I sent the ungrateful child to her room." Faith couldn't help but laugh when she saw the pained expression appear on his face. Then she remembered that being sent to his room when he was a child was probably a whole lot different than Faith sending Emily to hers. "Oh, don't give me
that look. She took half a left over pizza and a new video with her."
After dinner Bosco said he wanted to get cleaned up before he went to bed. Much to Bosco and Faith's relief, the nurse had told him that he could take a bath, not a shower, as long as he kept the bandages on his face and hand dry. She didn't know which of them had been happier that they wouldn't have to endure a potentially embarrassing sponge bath.
So Faith helped him down the hallway to the bathroom. She stepped into the bathroom and grabbed a towel from under the sink and some shampoo and soap. She took the clean sweats and shirt he was carrying with him, put everything on the counter next to the sink, and guided his hand forward until he touched it.
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" she asked. "You want me to start the water?"
He grinned at her. He opened his mouth to say something and to her relief he changed his mind and just shook his head. "No, I think I can manage."
"If you need any help..."
She saw the light red blush appear on his cheek. She bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh or say anything to embarrass him or her further and closed the door before he could say anything.
After his bath, Emily had insisted on playing tour guide. Bosco had been patient as Emily had guided him slowly from one room to the next. Faith watched with pride as Emily carefully guided him around furniture and even had him stand in the hall for a few minutes while she picked up Charlie's toys and her books on the floor before she guided him into her room.
After the tour Bosco had been returned to the couch with borrowed CD's from Emily. He had refused to kick Emily out of her room just so he could sleep on Charlie's bed. Instead he convinced her that the couch with plenty of pillows would be just fine.
"Well goodnight. Oh, I'll leave the bathroom door open for you," Faith said.
He nodded but didn't say anything. She turned and headed toward her bedroom and the sound of his voice clearing stopped her.
"Thanks, Faith" He was smiling at her but there was a small touch of sadness in his voice. He was trying to face his situation and he was starting to fight back, he was fighting his fear. It made her happy and she felt a little pride that this man was her friend.
"You're welcome, Bosco."
He nodded his head and then lay back onto the pillow. Faith stood there for just a minute and watched as he fumbled with the player for a few minutes before he was able to find the buttons to start the machine.
~~~
Faith woke the next morning to the phone ringing. She heard it several times before she forced herself to roll over and grab it. She glanced at the clock--it was almost nine--before she pushed the on button and growled into the phone.
"Hello?"
"Faith" It was Sully's voice.
"Sully, why are you calling me at nine in the morning?"
"Is it nine in the morning, I wouldn't know," Sully said sarcastically.
Faith rolled her eyes and sat up in bed. "Bad night?"
"You could say that. Your Agent Wilkerson had us running around beating the bushes for anyone who had seen his hit man."
"Sully." She groaned "First, Agent Wilkerson isn't 'mine'. Second, I haven't any idea what you are talking about."
Faith brought her free hand to her temple and rubbed at the sudden stab of pain just above her eye. She got up and headed toward her door. She opened it and walked quietly down the hall. She didn't want to wake Bosco up. When she stepped into the living room, Bosco was stretched out on the sofa with Davis's earphones on his head, snoring lightly.
"Well, let me tell you the story," Sully went on in her ear.
Faith sighed and made her way quietly to her kitchen. She propped the phone on her shoulder and started making coffee while she listened to Sully.
"Agent Wilkerson snagged Davis and me last night. He thinks he's identified the guy who popped his agent, some big time assassin from Eastern Europe. Well, the only information he has about such an evil man is Covic. That's it, just a name. He told us that was all he had, he said something about the guy never left anyone who could identify him. Agent Wilkerson is a little intense and way too pushy if you ask me. I think you should have hit him harder."
Faith couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she pulled a cup down from the cabinet and poured the coffee into the cup. Sully stopped and said something to someone standing near the phone. Davis was probably trying to calm him down, she thought. When Sully came back on the line he sounded just a little calmer, but not much. She shook the contents of the sweet and low packet into her cup and stirred it with a knife she found next to the sink.
"Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, we dragged our asses in and out of every place we could think of and guess who we came up with?"
Faith had taken a small sip of her coffee so she had to swallow fast so she could answer the unexpected question. "Who?"
"Milo."
"Milo?"
"Yeah, he's back in town. He told us he saw Covic but the little shit only wants to talk to you."
Faith couldn't understand why Milo would want to talk only to her. She and Bosco had sent the guy to prison three years ago on an assault charge. He and his brother had tried to get away in a stolen taxi. Faith remembered that neither Milo nor his brother had been the brightest of guys. But they had run anyway and Faith and Bosco were right behind them. She had been at the wheel when she saw the car cross in front of a bus and collide with another car in the next lane. When Faith and Bosco got to the car, Milo's brother was already dead and Milo was cursing them.
"Why does Milo want to talk to me? He hates us, especially me."
"I know, Faith. I tried to tell Wilkerson that, but he wants you to come down and see what he has to say."
"Okay, I'll be down there as soon as I can get there." She told him and then pressed the off button.
"What was that all about?" Bosco asked.
Faith jumped. When she did she spilled her coffee down the front of her shirt. "Shit."
"What...Faith... Are you okay?" He sounded worried.
Faith sat the cup and phone down, grabbed the towel next to the sink, and dabbed at her shirt. "I'm fine, Boz, I just spilled, oh it doesn't matter. You scared me. I thought you were asleep"
He grinned at her and titled his head toward the coffee maker. "For some reason they wouldn't give me any coffee in the hospital. It smells great."
She grinned at his remark and then thought to herself, they were probably afraid that you would burn yourself with it just like I just did.
"Can you make it to the table? I'll bring you a cup."
"Sure."
Faith watched him turn and take small steps toward the table. He was a little more confident than the night before when he had shuffled through the entire apartment like an old man. Faith turned back to the cabinet and got another cup out. She poured his coffee into the cup and then added a little more to hers.
When she got to the table she sat the cup down in front of him then sat in the chair next to him. She sipped at the warm liquid several times as she watched Bosco slowly take the cup in two hands and raise it to his mouth to drink. When he had sipped it twice he sat it down and then turned in his chair to face her.
"Who was on the phone? Why were you talking about Milo?"
Faith sighed. She had hoped he hadn't heard any of that but she really wasn't surprised that he had.
"Agent Wilkerson thinks he ID'd that guy you saw in the alley. All he has on the guy is a name. Covic."
She paused while he shrugged his shoulder and she put down her own cup.
"Well, he had Sully and Davis out rousting people all night and they turned up Milo."
"How does Milo know someone like Covic? I mean it's not like they run in the same circles."
"Who knows? Milo says he will only talk to me. So they want me down there right away. Are you going to be okay while I'm gone?"
Bosco laughed. "Yes, I think I can handle being by myself for a couple of hours."
"You're not by yourself," Emily said as she hopped into the room.
Faith looked at the huge smile on her daughter's face, then turned to look at the fake smile that Bosco had plastered on his. She had to bite her lip and swallow a few times before she was sure that she wouldn't laugh the minute she opened her mouth.
"Emily, why don't you go get your breakfast?"
Faith watched Emily turn and head into the kitchen Then she turned back to look at her partner.
"I don't know, Faith," he said slowly.
"I don't have anyone else, Boz. It will be fine. I'll only be gone for a few hours. What could happen?" Bosco frowned up at her as she patted his shoulder and rushed by him to her room.
She glanced into the kitchen as she passed it and saw Emily pouring milk into her glass.
She jogged down the hall to her room and found a pair of jeans and a sweater. She decided the quicker she got down there, the quicker she would be able to get back. She went into the bathroom, ran a comb through her hair, and brushed her teeth quickly. By the time she got back to the living room Emily was sitting at the table beside Bosco eating her cereal and explaining why she didn't like Scott Waters from downstairs.
"Okay, guys, I'm going. Emily, be good."
"We'll be fine," Bosco managed to say.
"If you need me, call."
"Okay," Bosco and Emily said at the same time.
Faith laughed as she watched Emily giggle into her glass and Bosco take a deep breath and rub his hands nervously together. Faith grabbed her jacket and purse and left the apartment, hoping that she hadn't pushed Bosco into something he really didn't want to do.
When she reached the 55, Sully was pacing the hall outside the interrogation room. Davis stood behind him and gave Faith a small 'back off' gesture as she walked up. They both looked tired and unhappy. Faith saw Agent Wilkerson sitting at a desk just inside the room and at the far end of the room chained to a chair, Milo sat staring at the floor.
"I'm glad you're here," Sully said quickly as he made another turn in the hallway.
Faith looked at Davis, who shrugged. "He told us he won't say a word until he sees you."
An unexplained fear crept up Faith's spine as opened the door and stepped into the small room. Sully and Davis were right behind her when Agent Wilkerson looked up from the file he was reading. Faith thought he had a strange look on his face as he got up and leaned toward her.
"Sullivan says this guy blames you for his brother's death."
Faith nodded as she glanced over his shoulder and caught Milo's eyes looking up at her from behind his dirty blond hair. He was smirking.
"Well, see what happens, we don't have much to lose."
Faith nodded and stepped around Wilkerson toward Milo.
"How you doing Milo? How long you been out?"
Milo just shook his head slightly and titled his chair back on two legs. He grinned up at her. "Officer Yokas."
Faith stopped just next to his chair and leaned down slightly. "Sullivan says you know where we can find Covic."
Milo shifted his weight slightly until he was looking at her then he grinned again.
"So, Officer Yokas, how is that hard ass partner of yours like being a cripple?"
Before anyone could stop her, Faith reached out with her foot and shoved the chair out from under Milo. Milo landed flat on his back on the ground with the chair on top of him. Sully rushed forward, grabbed Faith, and wrestled her into the corner while Davis and Wilkerson picked Milo up off the floor and sat him back down in the chair.
Faith shook Sully off of her and stepped forward again. This time Davis stayed behind the chair and Wilkerson stood behind Faith.
"Milo, I want a answer."
Milo sneered up at her and then said. "I want my brother back. I guess sometimes you don't get what you want."
Faith stepped back for a second, then turned away from him.
"You don't know Covic, you're just wasting our time."
Milo began to laugh as Faith stormed from the room. Sully and Davis followed her into the hallway. Something was nagging at her but she just couldn't put her finger on it.
"Why would he be stupid enough to pull something like that?" Davis asked.
Faith shrugged. A few minutes later, Wilkerson came out of the room and kicked the trashcan that was sitting next to the water fountain. The three officers watched with some amusement as he mumbled under his breath then turned and looked at them.
"He said a man matching the general description of Covic paid him to tell us he knew Covic."
"Why would Covic pay some guy to turn him in?" Sully asked.
"That's the weird part. Milo told him he would get a thousand more if he made us call in Faith and tell her that he knew Covic."
"I don't get it," Davis said.
A cold knot formed in Faith's chest as the truth hit her suddenly.
"Bosco. He's going after Bosco, he had to get me away from Bosco." Then real terror hit her. "Oh my god, Emily," she whispered.
"What is it, Faith?" Sully asked.
"Emily is with Bosco." Faith looked up at Sully as tears formed in her eyes.
Sully backed up quickly and pulled her toward the front door. Faith heard Davis yelling at the Desk Sargent as they passed. Faith couldn't think of anything but her daughter as Sully pushed her toward his squad and jumped in the driver's seat.
************************************
The morning was going pretty good. Bosco was starting to think that all those people were lying about this parenting thing. It wasn't hard at all. Of course Emily was really sweet. Faith had once told him that she thought he had a crush on him, which made him very uncomfortable. But the crush thing hadn't come up so he thought he was safe.
After breakfast, Emily had opened the door and got the paper. They sat on the couch together as she turned to the comics and tried to explain them in great detail to him. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he could care less how fat Garfield was or what he did to Odie. After the long ordeal of the comics, Bosco had just convinced her to turn to the sports page when someone knocked on the door. Emily sprang from the couch and was heading toward the door before he knew it. He was able to grab her hand before she got to far away.
"Hey, Emily, is anyone supposed to come by this morning?" he asked curiously.
"No, I don't think so. Why?"
"Ask who it is."
She sighed loudly then said, "Okay."
Emily pulled out of his grasp and went to the door. Bosco pulled himself to his feet and stepped toward the door.
"Who is it?"
There was a slight pause then a muffled voice said, "It's Mr. Pearson, the super. I'm here to drop off the new fixtures for the bathroom."
A small shiver ran through Bosco as he heard Emily unlock the door.
"Em, wait don't..."
Before he could finish she opened the door and he heard Emily yelp then the sound of a small scuffle followed by something hitting the floor. Bosco stepped toward the sound but before he could take more than a few steps, Emily was clutching his waist tightly and he couldn't move.
"Who is it?" he asked with fear in his voice. He forced himself to stay calm and stop freaking out at probably nothing.
"Well, Officer Boscorelli, nice to see you again."
The second he heard the voice with the strange accent, his mind flashed to the tall well-dressed man in the alley. The man that Agent Wilkerson said killed his rookie. Covic.
Bosco reached down, pulled Emily from his waist, and shoved her behind him.
"What are you doing here? This is stupid."
He had no idea what to do. He couldn't think. What was he able to do? The man was a professional and he was, what? A blind cop without a weapon, not that he could have seen to use a weapon. Then he remembered the baseball bat Faith had propped up against the back of the couch, the one that he had tripped on in the middle of the night when he had made the long journey to the bathroom. He started to slowly back away from the man.
Covic chuckled and then exhaled loudly. "Well, I suppose it is."
Bosco heard a light rustle of fabric then his voice continued slowly and calmly. "But I just couldn't leave knowing you had seen my face. Who knows what kind of trouble you could have given me?"
Bosco felt Emily's hand on his back as he continued to back up. They had to be almost there. Then he stumbled into Emily because she had stopped; they were at the couch. Bosco forced himself to remember exactly where he had repositioned the bat.
"He has a gun," Emily whispered.
Bosco gave the man a big smile and then held his injured hand out in front of him. He reached awkwardly behind his back for the bat with the other hand. He heard the guy take a step toward them he thought he sounded pretty close. Good thing, Bosco thought because he was only going to get one shot at this.
"Well, hey looks like that fire took care of that for you. I mean, hell. I can't even see to piss so how can I ever ID you for anything?"
Silence engulfed the room for a second, then Bosco heard Covic take another step toward him. Bosco searched for the bat and was relieved when he felt Emily press the handle into his hand.
"Well, that might be true but now I have to do something about her. Don't I?" The closeness of the voice startled him and then the man's words hit him.
Bosco brought the bat out from behind his leg in one swift quick motion. He put some force into it as it passed his knee and aimed mentally for the man's knees or groin. At that moment he wasn't being picky. Bosco grinned when he felt the bat connect solidly. The grunt afterward proved that Covic had been caught off guard at the sudden attack. Bosco yelled for Emily to
run and then swung the bat four more times at the man. The bat hit twice, then Covic fell to the floor.
Bosco turned and scrambled toward the kitchen and Faith's lockable door beyond. As he passed the kitchen a small hand reached out and grabbed his shirt. He stopped and squatted down as he did, he looked uselessly back over his shoulder towards the living room.
She was crying. "I fell," she told him.
Bosco took a deep breath and strained his ears for sounds from the other room. What do I do? What would Faith do? Get Emily the hell out of here is what Faith would do, but how?
"Em, listen you have to go."
"NO! I can't leave you." She began to cry louder.
Bosco tried to shush her quiet. "Listen to me, I need for you to run for help. Can you do that?"
"I don't want to leave. Please don't make me go, please."
"I need you, Em. Please, Emily go get some help. I know you can be brave and strong just like your mom. I need you to go downstairs and call the police."
He didn't have a clue where downstairs she could find a phone but the most important thing running through Bosco's mind was that she would be downstairs and that was all that mattered.
"Okay," she sniffled.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Em. I'm proud of you. Now when I tell you to run, I want you to run. Don't stop until you get downstairs. You got that, no matter what you hear you keep running. Can you do that?"
"Yes."
Now how do I get her past him?
"I'm going to get him to follow me. I want you to wait until he passes you and then head toward the door, when you hear me yell open the door and run."
"He's going to hurt you."
"Don't worry about me. I only care about you getting out of here. I need you to go get help. Promise me, Emily"
"I promise." She sniffed again but it sounded a little stronger this time.
Bosco took a deep breath and stroked Emily's hair once before crawling away from her. He felt the side of the wall until he found the opening to the hall. He tried to listen; he couldn't hear anything but his pounding heart and the small sniffles that were still coming from Emily behind him. He realized that if he could hear them then Covic would know by now exactly where Emily was. He also knew that he had to give Covic a better target than a terrified 12-year-old girl. He forced himself to listen to the sounds in the room and heard a very soft scrap of a shoe coming from the opposite side of the room; Covic was struggling to his feet.
Bosco ran his hands around the side of the wall and took a firm grip; he pulled himself up and stumbled out into the room. He knew that the table was to his right and the bookcase was to his left, beyond that was the hallway to Faith's bedroom. He took a deep breath and then turned down the hall and stumbled quite loudly down the hall. He heard a crash from the living room and knew that Covic was after him.
He had to give Emily time to get out, when he felt the door with his outstretched hands he pulled it open quickly and pulled himself inside. He turned quickly, put his hand on the door, and closed it a few inches until it was open just a crack and he could still hear the steps that were coming down the hallway. He prayed that Covic was well past the door to the kitchen and when he could no longer ignore his mind screaming at him to close the door he yelled 'GO' as loud as he could and shoved the door closed as hard as he could. And in that second he realized he had waited too long because the door didn't slam shut as he thought it would instead it stopped suddenly and he felt it being forced back toward him. He frantically searched for something to push in front of the door and felt a tall rack next to the door he grabbed it and pulled it over, when it was on it's side he kicked it into place in front of the door stopping the door from opening.
Bosco cursed and stepped backwards. He knew the bed was somewhere behind him and beyond that was the bathroom. His only chance now was to get to the bathroom. He turned and started toward where he thought it was. He threw his hands out in front of him and started across the room. He hit the bed with his knee and tried unsuccessfully to stop himself from falling hard. Instead he tumbled over the bed, hit his head on the floor, and ignoring the sharp burst of
pain, he crawled toward the door. He raised his hands and felt relief flood through him as he felt the rough surface of the bathroom door, he dug his fingernails into the side of the door, pried it open, and tried to throw himself into the bathroom. He was almost through when he felt a hand grab his ankle, then another hand grabbed his knee and yanked him backwards.
Bosco tried to grab onto something, anything but nothing was on the ground to help him. He was forcefully pulled back. Then he felt the grip tightening and knew that Covic was trying to flip him. He let Covic flip him onto his back. At the exact moment he felt his back hit the floor he pulled his free leg up and kicked at the man with all the force he could. He heard Covic grunt and felt his grip on his knee loosen, Bosco raised his leg again and kicked again. Bosco heard the grunt again, but this time Covic was able to grab his foot and twist it to the right. Bosco felt a sudden pain shoot through his knee.
"You should have let me do this the easy way," Covic grunted.
That was the last thing he heard as Covic's foot connected painfully with his side. Bosco gasped and had no chance to breathe before another blow landed on his already burning side. Bosco turned to his side to protect his ribs and was rewarded with a kick to his back that sent spasms of pain through his body. Covic then grabbed his shirt and pulled him to his knees. Bosco had no warning before Covic slugged him in the face. Bosco was then pulled to his feet and dragged from the room.