Walk the Distance Chapter 10
Note: I thought it was about time I updated something and this story hasn't been updated in a while. It's a little shorter but, hey it's something. I hope you like and I hope you are all still reading.
Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. CCA, thanks as usual. Dina, thanks for getting on my case. I know this wasn't the story you wanted updated, but I promise you'll get that one soon.
Feedback: Please. I can beg if you'd like.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco smiled down at Mikey. He had woken up two hours earlier and hadn't stopped talking since. He wanted to know all about the 'cop chick' on the roof. Their mother took that as her cue to go and find some food.
"So, Mo. You gonna tell me?"
"Maybe." Bosco grinned. "I'm surprised you care."
"Look, I'm still mad that you locked me up. I also realized that I missed my brother." Mikey laughed. "You used to be fun."
"I'm still fun."
"I'm not so sure. Is that chick yours? She's hot, Mo."
"I can't believe you were checking out my girlfriend while you had a bomb strapped to you," Bosco groaned. "Besides, she isn't a chick."
"So, she is your girlfriend." Mikey smiled triumphantly.
"I hate you."
"I'm hurt," he cried. "So, when do I meet her?"
"We'll see when," Bosco said. He looked out the window to see his mother was back. "Ma's back. I'm gonna go. I'll be back. The nurse will kill me if there is more than one of us. She nearly did earlier."
"See ya later, Mo."
Bosco said goodbye before moving to the door. His mother handed him a coffee as she passed by. He leaned against the wall and watched from the window his mother and brother talk. Turning to go sit down, he noticed Sully and Sadie move closer.
"Hey," he said as they embraced. "Thanks, Sul."
"Don't mention it," Sully replied.
"Mikey wake up?" Sadie moved to Bosco's side.
"Two hours ago. He thinks you are hot." Bosco flashed her a smile.
"There's only one Boscorelli I want."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Get a room would ya?" Sully teased.
"There are plenty here," Bosco said with a devilish grin.
"Not likely," Sadie warned.
"What are you doing here?" Sully barked.
Bosco quickly turned to see who Sully was glaring at. Murdock was leading an older man closer to them. It wasn't as if Murdock wasn't enough to set off his temper, but the man with him was. The one man who was able to put the fear of god in him. The one man who haunted his dreams.
"I was just escorting Mr. Boscorelli here to see his son," Murdock explained.
"Two problems. One, you just broke the restraining order. Two. He's not welcome here." Bosco stood in front of Sadie protectively.
"Judge said it if it was work related it couldn't be helped."
"You are not involved in this," Sully growled.
"Michael Boscorelli resides in the 29th. Witnesses saw his abduction. I felt it my duty to inform his father."
"Get lost." Sadie stepped up.
"I love you too, baby."
"I'll say it one more time. Leave."
"And take him with you." Bosco pointed to his father.
"I'm not leaving," his father growled.
"My work is done." Murdock chuckled as he left.
"You're Bosco's father? I'm . . .," Sully began to say as he extended his hand.
"Don't Sully," Bosco interrupted.
"I just want to see how Michael is."
"That's right. Because you know when I could've been dead you didn't show. But, the minute Mikey needs you there ya are." Bosco sighed deeply. "He doesn't need you. Go."
"I didn't come to fight with you, Maurice. I came to see my son." Bosco's dad moved towards Mikey's door.
"I said he doesn't need you."
"And he doesn't need a brother who will arrest him. Get out my way, boy," he growled.
"That's right. Get mad. Show me the man I grew up with. Mikey says you changed, but you haven't. I bet you just want to show me who's in charge. Huh? Big bad dad, showing poor little stupid Maurice his place. That's what you want, right?"
"Don't push me. You know that. You were always in my face."
"Because you were beating on my mother! Then when I tried to stop you, you turned on me."
"I never touched Michael!"
"You were too intent on beating on Ma, that you never noticed me hiding him. And then, dad, when you did catch on and tried to go after Mikey I took his beatings. That's why you never touched him. I kept him safe from you the best I could back then, and now I'm going to do it now." Bosco was now in his father's face.
"Back off boy. I'm still your father."
"Maurice, calm down." Sadie placed her arm on his shoulder.
"So this is the one you knocked up? That Murdock prick told me all about her." He stood tall. "Ever get to the point where her bitching and whining is too much and you just want to shut her up? Anything it takes?"
"That's not my style." Bosco found it to keep his anger in check. "I never needed to beat on women and children to feel like a man."
"You little . . .," he began.
"Gonna hit me?" Bosco goaded. He felt his dad's fist connect with his jaw. "You feel more of man, now?" Before his father could strike again Bosco grabbed his arm and tackled him. "I'm not the scared little boy you remember. I can fight back this time."
"Bosco!" Sully yelled.
"I should arrest you for assault," he hissed through clenched teeth.
"Do it then."
"You know, you aren't worth the paper work." Bosco kept his knee pressed to his father's back.
"Maurice!" Angela yelled out from Mikey's doorway.
"Ma." He sheepishly looked up.
"Get this little piece . . . oww . . . oww," he moaned as Bosco pressed his knee harder into his back. "Get off me."
"Mikey wants to talk to his father. Otherwise, I'd say keep him there all day." Angela walked up to her son and ex-husband. "You touch either of my boys again, and I'll be the one pressing charges."
Bosco jumped off. There was nothing more for him to do. He couldn't interfere if Mikey wanted to talk to their father. He watched as his father got up and limped to Mikey's room. Ignoring everyone else, Bosco kept his eye on the two men talking. His father was out of his life for good. No more hoping for him to apologize for all the things he had done.
"He hit you." Angela reached out to touch Bosco's jaw. "I didn't do enough to protect you and your brother when you were boys." She turned to Sully. "Arrest him."
"Ma, he can't. Not unless I press charges and I won't."
"Why?"
"He's not worth it." Bosco shrugged. "Mikey needs to learn that." He jumped back when he heard Mikey yell.
"What the hell?" Sully quickly turned to the room.
"I'm going in." Bosco rushed in followed by Angela, Sadie and finally Sully. "What's going on?"
"Mind your own business," his father hissed. "See, Mikey. I told you. He always wanted to be the hero."
"No. He had to be my hero because you were the monster in my dreams. I've been too screwed up to realize all the things he did for me back then. I remember all too well how you would beat him just because he tried to help Ma or some kid in the school yard. You know the reason I'm a junkie? You. I couldn't accept that my father could hurt my mother and brother the way you did."
"I never hurt you."
"Not physically for the most part. But how do you think it felt to see Maurice all beaten up because he wanted to keep me safe! Do you know what that kind of guilt can do to a person?! Do you?" Mikey yelled.
"Michael, I think you need to calm down," Sadie said softly after noticing his heart monitor. His heart rate was rising.
"Maurice, shut your woman up." His father turned to Bosco then to Sadie.
"You want him to shut me up?" Sadie glared at the man.
"Hell, yes. One day, that mouth of yours will push him to the edge. Then, you can truly say 'like father, like son'." He grinned a devilish grin.
"You don't know him at all. He is never going to be like you."
"Sadie, I can fight my own battles."
"Your girlfriend is gonna find herself in a bad situation real soon if she doesn't shut up." Bosco's dad moved towards Sadie but Sully and Bosco got in between them.
"Leave her alone. This is between us, not her," Mikey pleaded.
"What?" his father cried. "You are letting them turn you against me?" He looked straight at Bosco. "You know, when you were a baby I should have killed you. I thought about it once, ya know. One night you just cried and cried. I stood over your crib with a pillow in my hand. If your mother hadn't come in, you might not even be here today."
"Yeah? Is that supposed to upset me?" Bosco asked.
He tried to squish the hurt from his voice. He knew his father wasn't a good man, but to actually think about killing a baby. His own flesh and blood. Bosco looked back at Sadie for a moment and noticed she was no longer behind him. She stood besides Sully, with her hands clenched in a fist.
"Oh, is little Maurice gonna cry."
"It's apparent no one wants you here. Just leave. Don't come back," Sadie said calmly.
"You are a mouthy one."
"I've been called worse. Bitch. Whore. Pig. They bugged me. Mouthy? Now, that I'm proud of. Know what I'm most proud of?" Sadie moved closer to Bosco's father.
"What?" he asked in a sarcastic tone.
"Slugger," she hissed as she first. It connected straight to his nose. "Get the hell out!"
"Logan," Sully said in shock.
"I don't take orders from women," he said as he reached out to grab her.
"Touch her and I'll make it so your body is never found," Bosco spat as he stepped in front of Sadie.
"Why did I waste my time with you losers." He brushed past Bosco then Sully as he left.
"Wow, I like her already." Mikey laughed trying to lighten the mood. "People really call you Slugger?"
"Just the boys in grade school that made me mad," Sadie laughed.
A silence soon fell over the room. Bosco ran the events back over in over in his head. He had stood up to his dad. Mikey kicked him out of his life. Sadie had punched him in the nose, more than likely breaking it. All in all not a bad finish to a bad situation. Except Sully witnessed it all.
No one from work needed to know what his childhood was like. It had always just been one big long nightmare that refused to go away. Few people actually knew outside his family. Faith and Sadie knew about the abuse he endured, but neither knew the extent at which his father would go. Now, Sully and Sadie had actually seen the monster who helped give him life.
"Sorry you had to see all that, John," Angela apoligized.
"It's not your fault."
"I married him," she said sadly.
"Ma, Sully's right. It's not your fault. He's out of our lives now, lets keep it that way." Bosco rubbed his sore jaw. "You shouldn't have gotten in his face, Sadie."
"I had you and Sully behind me. Besides, he deserved it." She looked down at the red marks forming on her knuckles. "That's gonna hurt for a few days."
"Can you move your fingers?" Sully questioned.
"Of course," she laughed. She looked at her hand that was now starting to swell. "Not without pain. A lot of pain."
"I bet you fractured it. Let's go get it looked at." Sully looked at Bosco. "What just happened here, stays here. I promise." Without waiting for a response he turned and left.
"He means it," Sadie sighed. "I'm going to go see what kind of damage I did."
"Ok. Come back and let me know."
"Sure thing. Besides, Mikey and I need to talk." She turned to Mikey. "You can give me all the good dirt on him."
"Oh, and there's lots of it." Mikey grinned.
"See ya boys later. Bye, Angela." Sadie smiled as she turned and walked away.
"Man, she is great," Mikey commented. "The way she stood up to him. Wow."
"Yeah. But it was stupid. He could have hurt her." Bosco sat down.
"He knew better, Mo. Dad knows he can't push you anymore. That's why he's stayed away from you. He knows you won't take his crap. Don't worry."
Bosco closed his eyes for few minutes and opened them to reveal the watery pools collecting. He wouldn't cry. Not over the waste of a man that was his father. He felt his mother's arm on his shoulder. When he looked up he could see the tears streaming down her face. Of course that caused him to finally lose his composure and he broke down in her arms.