Walk the Distance Part 8
Note: Sorry it has taken me so long. You all should know by now that I'm not very prompt with my posting. I'm a major slacker. Sorry. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.
Thanks to CCA for being my sounding board when I needed input and encouragement. And thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. It means so much to me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, how's the idea of being father growing on you?" Faith asked as they drove around their sector.
"I'm excited. I'm terrified. I'm . . . I don't know. Ask me again later."
"Oh, Bosco. It's normal for a guy to be scared."
"I just don't want to screw things up. Last week, at Sadie's party, I was actually scared to say anything. I was afraid everyone would think I'd screw something up." Bosco turned the corner.
"Everyone who was there supports the two of you. Don't worry so much. You won't screw this up."
Bosco scuffed at Faith's comment. He screwed up at everything. It was what he did. Sadie and their unborn child was one thing he desperately needed in his life. Along with Faith. They kept him grounded. He would give his life just for their safety.
"Bosco? Where are we going?"
"Sully said he heard DiPaulo's been hanging around here."
"And you wanted to check it out?"
He just nodded. All that he wanted was to see DiPaulo behind bars. No one threatened his family or friends. Each day that went by was a day that DiPaulo could be plotting against Sadie.
"What do you know," Bosco began as he parked the car.
They were parked next to a laundry mat. Standing outside was Murdock and another man Bosco know from pictures to be DiPaulo. In front of their squad was a Lincoln double parked. Murdock held a small bag in his hand.
"Oh, it's my lucky day." Bosco got out of the car and approached the two men.
"Don't do anything stupid," Faith said.
"Officers." Murdock nodded.
"Yeah, yeah. Enough of the small talk. What I wanna know is why a police officer is socializing with a known criminal."
"How's the little whore?" Murdock grinned.
"Shut up," DiPaulo snapped.
"Better listen to your boyfriend." Bosco glanced at the Lincoln. What he really wanted to do was wipe that smug look off Murdock. "Looks like I'm gonna have to ticket you. Double parked and all."
"That's all you got?" DiPaulo laughed.
"You are double parked in a fire lane." Bosco stared both men in the eye. "Officer Logan is off limits. Got it?"
"We'll see," Murdock hissed.
"Hey, asshole. Restraining order is in effect. I'll have your ass in jail before you know it." He walked up to DiPaulo. "You don't scare me."
"I don't? Talk to your brother about it."
"You stay away from him too."
"Bosco, we gotta go." Faith called from the car. "Jumper!"
"Stay away from my family."
Bosco turned and got in the car. After this call he was going to get in touch with Mikey. The tone of DiPaulo's voice chilled him. Almost like he knew something deadly and terrible. They pulled up to the apartment building and rushed up the stairs. Sadie and Gulser were just pulling up. Bosco thought about the last jumper call they responded to and how it all ended. He acted like it didn't effect him, but it did. They all did.
"Be calm, Bosco." Faith was at his side.
"Yeah?" he replied with sarcasm. He opened the door. "Sir? Can we talk to you?"
"Go away," came the shaky reply.
"I can't." Bosco looked at the man who's back was facing them. There was something oddly familiar about his voice.
"What's your name?" Faith asked.
"It doesn't matter. I'm dead," the man said. "Get everyone out of this building or they die." He slowly turned his head around. "Mo?"
"Mikey?" Bosco gasped at the sight of his brother.
"I've got two more hours."
"What?" Bosco's eyes widened as Mikey revealed the bomb strapped to his chest. "Oh god. Why Mikey?"
"55-Central, this is 55-David. We need the bomb squad ASAP," Faith radioed.
"It's not me, Mo. I swear. I woke up here. Some guy in a ski mask made me sit here. If I didn't he was going to set these off." He pointed to the explosives strapped to him. "Turns out he wanted to get the job done, because if I move another bomb goes off. Oh, yeah and I did mention the timer, right?"
"Maurice?" Sadie whispered from the door.
"Evacuate the building, then get the hell out of here," he ordered.
"No," Sadie said.
"Yes. Gusler, take her and go now."
"We're coming back." Gusler said as he pulled Sadie.
"No. Keep her safe." Bosco turned to Faith. "Go."
"No. I stay with my partner. How ya doing there, Mikey?" Faith began to walk towards the two men.
"Can I get back to ya?"
Bosco slowly walked to Mikey. Who would want to bother strapping a bomb on Mikey. This seemed like a complicated way to get rid of someone. Unless, it was a way to get at someone else. DiPaulo's warning earlier ran through his mind.
"Do you know Vito DiPaulo?"
"He's one crazy SOB. I'm not that stupid."
"That remains to be seen."
"Can you not fight with me when there is a bomb strapped to me?" Mikey snapped.
"Sorry. We'll get you out of this. I promise." Bosco rested his hand over Mikey's. "I'm not going anywhere."
"You always were a glutton for punishment. I'm not worth you dying over, Mo. Ma would go nuts is she lost both of us."
"And she'd kill me if I didn't stay with you."
"Bomb squad just pulled up." Faith peered over the side.
"What do we have?" A man dressed in bomb gear approached them a few minutes later.
"A bomb maybe?" Mikey hissed. "Some prick strapped it on me. There's a timer and if I move it goes off. Sounds like someone sure wants me dead."
"You two need to leave," the bomb squad officer said.
"I'm not leaving my brother." Bosco stood in place.
"And I don't leave my partner," Faith added.
"Yes, you do." The bomb squad officer looked to his partner who was coming. "Get these two outta here."
"I said I don't leave my brother."
"If you want to risk your life, that's fine. Don't risk hers because of me." Mikey looked straight into his brother's eyes pleading for him to leave. "Please, I know I'm a screw up, but I don't want either of you to get hurt or killed because of me."
"Fine. I'll be waiting for you the minute you get down." Bosco locked eyes with Mikey for a moment before slowly walking towards the stairwell.
He found Sadie and Gusler keeping the crowds back. Sully and Davis were helping. He kept his eyes fixed on the roof of the building. Mikey didn't want anyone hurt because of him, he had said. What if Mikey was up there because of him? That was something Bosco couldn't live with and as he glanced over at Sadie he knew she couldn't either. If it was DiPaulo who was behind this, he would pay.
"He'll be fine." Faith had grabbed his hand in support.
How could Mikey be fine? Someone put a bomb on him. He could feel Faith's hand and was grateful she was there. He wanted his best friend. He also wanted Sadie with him. Faith and Sadie were the two most strongest women he knew.
"Look, he's getting down." Faith pointed up an hour later.
Bosco took a deep breath. Mikey was slowly coming down with the help of the bomb squad. A loud bang went off and Mikey fell. Bosco frantically searched to see where the shots were coming from. It was all slow motion. Alex and Kim who were waiting nearby jumped under their bus. Doc and Carlos were there as well, but were near the building. As the shots continued, Bosco drew his gun.
"Down!" Faith called.
Bosco had three people on his mind. Sadie, Mikey and Faith. Sadie was topping his list and he knew that was wrong. Gusler would protect her. He needed to protect Faith. He watched in horror as Gusler covered Sadie and fell. Sully and Davis now had their guns trained on the fourth floor of th apartment building across the street.
"Faith?" Bosco called out.
"I'm fine," she said just as the shots ceased.
"Officer down! Oh god, Officer down!
"Get a medic up here, now!"
Bosco and Faith ran to Sadie and Gusler. Sadie was over Gusler pulling at his shirt. Her head was bleeding. Gusler's eyes were closed, but he was bleeding. It looked to Bosco like his shoulder got hit. He moved to Sadie and tried to look at her head, but she pulled away.
"I'm fine! He covered me. Help." Sadie started to unbutton her shirt to use on Gusler's shoulder. Then she looked up to Bosco. "Go to Mikey."
"I'll stay. Go," Faith said.
"I'll send Kim and Alex." Bosco jumped up and ran off to Mikey.
On his way he sent Alex and Kim to treat Gusler. He was relieved to hear Sadie call out 'officer down' because that meant she wasn't hit, but Gusler was. Sadie and Faith were fine, but he was afraid he couldn't say the same for Mikey. Doc and Carlos were on Bosco's heals as he raced up the stairs. The bomb squad had pulled Mikey off the roof and they were now in the landing at the top of the stairs.
"Mikey?" Bosco dropped to his knees.
"Someone sure does want me dead," he said then began to cough violently.
"Out of the way, Bosco," Doc said.
"You're gonna be ok. I'll get who did this."
"Who was the officer shot?" Carlos asked.
"Gusler."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sadie sat in the back of the ambulance as Alex worked on Gusler. She was trying to recall what happened. They responded to a jumper who as it turned out was Maurice's brother. She still couldn't believe that someone had strapped a bomb on him. Then just as Mikey was coming down shots were fired. Steve had pushed her down and taken a bullet for her.
"Steve?" she called out.
"Sadie? You ok?" he managed to get out as he lifted his oxygen mask off.
"Thanks to you, yeah."
"Keep the oxygen on," Alex ordered.
"How bad?"
"A bullet to your shoulder. Your vest took a few. To be honest, you'll live." Alex smiled.
"That's good to know then. Bosco's brother?"
"That was his brother?" Kim questioned from the front.
"Yeah," Sadie answered.
"I don't know, but he's got Doc and Carlos on his side." Alex continued to check on Gusler's vitals. "You get your head checked out the minute we get there."
"After I know my partner is settled." She wanted to say after she knew he would be fine.
"You heard her. I'll live. Get your head fixed up then see how Bosco's brother is." Gusler took off the mask.
"Hey, hey. The oxygen mask. Back on," Alex demanded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Faith waited outside the apartment building for Bosco to come down. Sully and Davis managed to find the shooter fleeing but lost him after four blocks. She couldn't believe how moments after Mikey was freed from the bomb, shots rang out. She was also concerned for Gusler.
"Jimmy," Doc turned to the firefighter who was standing by incase the bomb
went off and they were needed. "Can you drive?"
"Yeah." He rushed to the bus and hopped in.
"Mercy, right?" Faith asked as Carlos and Doc lifted Mikey in.
"Mercy," Carlos confirmed. "Bosco, in the front with Jimmy."
"I'll run interference," Faith said as she rushed to her squad.
She flipped on her lights and sirens and sped off with the ambulance not far behind. Sully and Davis were not far behind and were closing in. It appeared they too wanted to help. The police escort/interference wasn't even necessary, but Faith didn't want to chance anything. Mikey needed a doctor as soon as possible and Bosco was going to need his friends.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Man, look at Yokas drive," Jimmy said in awe.
"Never knew she had it in her," Bosco added. He turned around to watch Doc and Carlos work on his brother.
Mikey looked so pale. Bosco had never seen his brother so pale before. Sure, there was the time Mikey fell into the river in the middle of January and Bosco frantically pulled him out. Even then he was just blue. Mikey looked almost ghostly. He took a deep breath as Jimmy pulled up the ER.
"20 something male. Multiple gunshot wounds. One to the lower back and a second to the left arm," Doc rattled off the vitals to the ER doctor as they rolled Mikey in.
"He a prisoner?" the doctor asked Bosco.
"No!" he shouted. "My brother."
"Bosco, let them work." Doc pulled Bosco away. "Gusler should have been brought in by now."
He allowed Doc to move him. Soon Faith, Sully and Davis were there. Faith was at his side in no time. He wanted to throw something, shoot something, anything. It was like a huge cloud just settled overhead. All he wanted was to make the cloud disappear. Clouds were supposed to light and fluffy, why was this one's weight crushing him?
"Where's Gusler?" Bosco finally asked.
"Hey, guys." Alex and Kim appeared as if on cue.
"Gusler?" Faith asked.
"Up in surgery. GSW to the right shoulder. He'll make it," Alex offered.
"And Sadie?" Bosco questioned.
"She's getting looked at." Alex placed a hand on his shoulder.
"She wasn't hurt." Bosco looked at her hand.
"Nasty bump on her head. The doctor wanted to check her out, after the fall she took. Gusler saved her life. He got hit three other times in the vest." Alex paused. "The doctor just wants to check on the baby."
"The baby?"
"Sadie said for you not to worry," Kim added as Alex stepped back. "She wants you to stay with your brother."
"She's gotta be scared." Bosco sighed.
"Where is she? I'll go." Sully stepped up. "Davis, go get your knee looked."
"You hurt?" Alex asked.
"Just hurt it chasing the shooter. Sorry we lost him Bosco."
He just nodded. Alex led Sully to Sadie's room, but not before demanding Ty go see a doctor. Bosco just didn't know what to do. Sadie needed him and so did Mikey. How could he choose who needed him more? Sadie must have known this and that's why she sent her message.