Author: Kate Anderson
Email: sam_loves_jack@yahoo.ca
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine! They belong to Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells and um, some other people! No money is being made from this work. Don't sue!
Rating: PG-13, just be on the safe side
Pairing: Bosco/Faith, UST - eventual romance
Spoilers: None, I think (??)
Summary: After a criminal attempts to attack Faith's kids, Faith finds that her life is changing.
Author's Notes: Everything I know about emergency medicine, I learned from ER and even then my knowledge is a little spotty. So please, if the details are wrong, just remember, I am not a trained doctor or paramedic!
Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated. I apologize if this is moving slowly, but I'm trying to build a few things up.
"What happened?" asked Sully as he and Davis entered the building.
"Someone shot at us. Bosco took a hit, his vest stopped the bullet, but he's in a lot of pain." Faith replied, still kneeling down beside Bosco.
"Either of you see who did it?" Davis asked.
Faith shook her head. "I heard a noise, and then a second later a shot was fired and Bosco was on the ground."
Sully nodded. "We'll take a look around. The bus was right behind us, they should be here soon."
Bosco groaned and Faith grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Hold on Bos." she said.
"It hurts." Bosco managed to get out. His breathing was shallow and sounded forced.
Faith heard sirens approach the building and then stop. A minute later Alex and Kim came running down the hallway with their bags slung over their shoulders, Kim pushing a stretcher.
"What happened?" Kim asked as she knelt down beside Bosco. Faith moved slightly but still kept ahold of Bosco's hand.
"Some idiot shot him, that's what happened!" Faith said.
"He's lucky his vest stopped the bullet." Alex said. "We've gotta get it off of him."
Kim and Alex moved Bosco a bit so that they could remove his vest. Bosco kept his eyes closed and his breathing became increasingly ragged. Faith could see a large bruise on the right side of Bosco's chest and knew that he had probably had a broken rib.
Kim placed a stethoscope to Bosco's chest. "Decreased breath sounds on the right!" she said. "We're going to have to put a chest tube in."
Alex looked at Kim. "Tension pneumo?"
Kim nodded and reached into her bag for a tube. Faith looked anxiously at both paramedics. "What's wrong with him?" she asked.
"When the bullet impacted his vest." Alex began to explain as Kim carefully made a small incision in Bosco's side. "It shattered one or more of his ribs. The jagged edge of the bone most likely punctured a lung. If we don't get a tube into him now to equalize the pressure in the chest cavity, we're looking at serious problems ."
"Give me a hand here!" Kim said and Alex moved swiftly to comply.
"So that's why he's in so much pain?" Faith asked and both women nodded. "We've gotta move him." Kim said. Bosco was placed onto the stretcher and as Kim and Alex wheeled him away, Sullivan and Davis returned to Faith.
"Couldn't find anyone in the building except for a very frightened old woman who I doubt could even hold her cane let alone fire a gun." Sully said.
"Guy probably took off as soon as he shot Bosco." Davis added. "He gonna be alright?"
"Taylor and Zambrano just took him to Mercy." Faith replied. "He probably has a punctured lung."
"You alright?" Sully asked, looking at Faith critically.
"I'm fine." she said.
"Look, if you want to head over to Mercy." Sully said. "We'll take care of things here."
"Yeah thanks." Faith said. "I'll call in."
Faith turned and left Sully and Davis standing in the hallway. "You think she's really okay?" Davis asked. Sully shrugged. "She's seen her partner shot more times than I care to think about." Sully replied. "But she'll be okay."
Davis scratched his head. "I heard a rumour in the lockers that those two are living together."
Sully laughed. "Living together yes, but not what you're thinkin'! Faith's been lookin' for a place of her own. Come on, let's canvass the area."
____________
Faith parked the squad near the entrance to the ER. She ran in and headed for the desk. "My partner was just brought in here!" she said, slightly out of breath.
The desk clerk looked at her. "Your partner? Officer, I'm going to have to ask you to please wait in chairs."
"His name is Boscorelli, Maurice Boscorelli." Faith said. "I have to see him!"
"Faith!" said a voice and Faith looked to her right and saw Kim walking towards her.
"How is he?" Faith asked.
"He's been taken into a trauma room." Kim said. "The doctors have checked the chest tube and his pressure is doing good. He'll be okay Faith."
Faith's eyes still held a wild look in them and Kim put her hand on Faith's arm. "Why don't you sit down?" Kim said, trying to guide Faith towards the row of chairs. "The doctor will be out once he's stable."
"We shouldn't have gone in alone." Faith said, sitting down in a chair.
"What?" Kim asked.
"We should have waited for backup. We got a report of shots fired and we went in alone."
"It's not your fault." Kim said as Alex approached the two of them.
"We got a call." Alex said.
Kim frowned. "Can't Carlos and Doc take it?"
Alex shook her head. "They're busy. We gotta take it."
Kim leaned closer to Faith. "You gonna be okay here?" she asked. Faith nodded. "Go." she said and waved her hand.
Kim stood up and hurried to join Alex who was already heading out the door towards the bus. "She looked pretty upset." Alex commented as Kim jumped into her seat.
"Her partner just got shot." Kim said. "Of course she's upset."
"Someone told me that her and Bosco are shacked up together." Alex said as Kim flipped on the lights and sirens.
"That person wouldn't have been my charming ex-husband would it?" Kim asked as she began to drive. "Where am I going anyway?"
Alex gave her the directions to their call and then said. "It might have been Jimmy."
Kim shook her head and scoffed. "He never knows what he's talking about."
_____________
"Officer Yokas?"
Faith's head snapped up and she saw a young doctor walking towards her. She stood up immediately. "Yes." she said.
The doctor smiled at her. " I'm Doctor Peters, I worked on your partner when he was brought in. He's been asking for you."
Faith exhaled. "He's alright?"
The doctor nodded. "He's got a chest tube in, but his breathing is returning to normal. We're going to keep him here overnight at least. He's going to be in a lot of pain for the next little while as his broken ribs and bruising heals, but he's lucky."
Faith looked extremely relieved. "So, I can see him?"
"He's been moved into semi-private room on the second floor. Follow me."
Peters led Faith into the elevator and then into the room. Bosco lay on his back with his eyes closed. An IV line was in one arm and his chest was wrapped in bandages with a small tube protruding from them.
"We've got him on a morphine drip to quell the pain." Peters said.
Faith approached the bed slowly. "Bos?" she said softly. Bosco's eyes opened and he attempted to smile at her.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"They've got me pretty well drugged up." Bosco said, his voice raspy.
"Do you remember what happened?" Faith asked. Bosco closed his eyes again and his forehead wrinkled as though he were deep in thought.
"I got shot." he said finally. "Did you find who did it?"
Faith shook her head. "Sully and Davis arrived and they couldn't find anyone. I left them at the scene to come here."
Faith touched Bosco's arm with her hand and looked at him. "Officer Yokas?" said Doctor Peters from behind her. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you leave now. He's been through a lot, he needs rest."
"I'll be back as soon as I can okay Bos?" Faith asked and Bosco's head moved slightly in what Faith determined to be a nod.
_____________
Faith opened the door to Bosco's apartment and slipped inside. It seemed unnaturally silent without him there. As she went to crash on the sofa, Faith remember that her cell phone was still in her coat pocket. She hadn't checked it for messages since the time in the car before she and Bosco had responded to that call.
She pushed a few buttons and it came up with one message. She listened to it and sighed. Well that's just great, she thought and sat down the couch. Her eyes started to droop and before she could even think of getting up and brushing her teeth and actually going to the bed, Faith was asleep.
It was just after 7:00 am when Faith was awoken by a ringing phone. She fumbled around trying to find the phone on the end table before realizing that it was in the kitchen. Thinking it was the hospital calling about Bosco, she snatched it up and practically shouted her greeting.
"Faith, is that you?" came the voice on the other end. A voice that Faith knew all too well.
"Yeah Fred, it's me." she said. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to let you know that I'm taking the kids on a trip." he said.
"A trip? To where?" Faith asked.
"If you must know, we're going to Disneyland."
"You're pulling the kids out of school and taking them to Disneyland?" Faith almost shouted. "You can't just do that!"
"We'll be gone over Thanksgiving, they won't be missing that much school. I just thought with all the shit you've put them through lately, they could use a vacation."
"All the shit I've put them through? As if you've been the perfect saint Fred." Faith hissed. "Not letting them see their mother."
"That wasn't my decision." Fred said haughtily. "The courts decided that and you know it."
"When are you leaving?" Faith asked.
"The day after tomorrow. They're both really excited."
"Can I at least say goodbye?" Faith asked, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over.
"I suppose so." Fred huffed. "I'll see if they want to speak with you."
Faith waited with one hand pressed over her mouth and the other clutching the phone. "Mommy?" said a small voice over the phone. "Charlie sweetie." Faith said. A tear ran down her cheek.
"Mommy!" he said. "Daddy's taking us to Disneyland!"
"So I hear." Faith said, holding back a sob. "Are you looking forward to meeting Mickey?"
"Yeah, but I wish you were going too." Charlie said. "Not Melissa. I don't like her."
"Sweetie? Who's Melissa?" Faith asked.
"Daddy's girlfriend." Charlie replied. "She comes over every night. She tries to call me honey but I don't like her doing that."
Faith's heart thudded in her chest as Charlie told her that Fred had a girlfriend. Here he was accusing her of shacking up with Bosco when he wasn't any better. "Charlie, is your sister there?" Faith asked.
"She's in the bathroom." Charlie replied. "Probably putting all her makeup on."
"Oh." Faith said. "You know what sweetie? I have to go because Bosco is in the hospital and I promised him that I'd be there in the morning. Promise me that you'll have a good time?"
"Why is Bosco in the hospital?" Charlie asked. "He is hurt?"
"He got hurt a bit yesterday." Faith replied. "But he's alright. You know I love you, right?"
"I love you too." Charlie replied. "Want me to give Goofy a hug for you?"
Faith laughed. "Yeah hon, give Goofy a hug for me."
"Okay, bye Mommy!" Charlie said and hung up the phone. Faith lowered the phone from her ear and stared at it numbly. Fred was taking her kids to Disneyland, with his new girlfriend.
_____________
Faith entered the room quietly, not wanting to wake either occupant. Bosco's roommate was snoring soundly and from what Faith could see, Bosco lay on his back, sleeping silently. She approached the bed and reached out a hand and lightly touched Bosco's face.
Bosco stirred slightly and mumbled something incoherent. "Hey Bos." Faith said, barely above a whisper. Bosco moved again slightly and Faith gently brushed his hair back a bit. His eyes opened a crack and then closed again when the light from the room hit his pupils.
"Faith." he said groggily.
"Yeah, it's me. How do you feel?" Faith asked with concern.
"Kind of thirsty."
Faith noticed a pitcher of water and a paper cup sitting on the table and poured some water into the cup. Bosco was struggling to get into a sitting position and Faith put the cup down to help him. When Faith handed him the cup and he put it up to his mouth, Bosco almost sighed with relief.
"I think they took the chest tube out last night." Bosco said glancing down. Faith also looked and didn't see the tube anymore.
"How's your breathing?" Faith asked.
"Hurts a bit." Bosco said. "I don't think I'll be chasing down any perps any time soon."
Faith shook her head. "No, you won't be. Lieu's gonna have you riding a desk."
"They ever find the shooter?" Bosco asked.
Again Faith shook her head. "I stopped by the station on my way over here. Sully and Davis found nothing and if you can't give any description, they don't know how they're going to find him."
"I didn't see anything." Bosco said somewhat sadly. "He must have been firing from around a corner."
"The only occupant in the building at the time was an older woman." Faith said. "Sully doubted she could even hold her cane let alone a gun."
Bosco started to laugh but then stopped when it made his chest hurt too much. "Any news on when they're springing me from this joint?" he asked.
"Depending on how your chest x-rays looks, they might be releasing you later today." Faith replied. "I talked with your doctor on my way up. He said someone should be coming by to take you to x-ray soon."
"Hey." Bosco said. "You ever hear about that apartment?"
Faith looked down as though suddenly intrigued by her boots. "Yeah." she muttered. "Didn't get it."
"Hey, I'm sorry." Bosco said sincerely. "I know how much you wanted it."
"I guess he got a better offer that he couldn't refuse." Faith said. "And I thought my day couldn't have gotten any better."
Bosco gave her a weak smile. "You'll find something." he said. "My place is yours until then, you know."
Faith smiled back at him and then frowned. "Fred called me this morning." she said.
Bosco's smile faded. "What did he want?"
"Called to tell me that he's taking the kids to Disneyland. Can you believe that? I talked to Charlie, apparently Fred's got some new girlfriend who's coming with them."
"Fred has a girlfriend?"
Faith nodded. "Apparently she's over every night. Charlie doesn't think much of her."
"He sure didn't waste anytime." Bosco said.
Faith shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was already seeing her before this whole mess happened. He's the one that mentioned getting a divorce."
Bosco opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a cheery nurse who came into the room and announced it was time for Bosco to get his x-rays done. Faith waved to Bosco as he was pushed from the room and then decided that a stop at the cafeteria for some coffee was definitely the order of the morning.
____________
"I can't believe they're keeping me here another night." Bosco groaned.
"Your x-ray wasn't satisfactory." Faith said evenly. "It's for your own good Bos."
"Do you know how much that guy snores?" Bosco asked, waving a hand in the direction of his roommate who was obscured by a curtain.
Faith laughed. "I heard him this morning when I came to see you."
Bosco looked at Faith critically. "You look tired." he announced. "Why don't you head home, get some rest."
Faith rubbed her eyes and suddenly found herself yawning. "You're probably right." she said.
"You on tomorrow?" Bosco asked. Faith nodded. "Riding with Gusler?" he asked. Faith shrugged. "Don't know." she replied.
"You know how everyone was after me when you were off work?" he asked. Faith nodded, remembering the various comments she'd heard from everyone around the station.
"It's because I 'forgot' to retrieve Gusler after responding to a call." Bosco said.
"What?" Faith asked. "You forgot to get Gusler?"
"He pissed me off, so I left without him. Lieu got Sully and Davis to swing by the place and pick him up."
Faith laughed and gently cuffed Bosco on the shoulder. "The poor guy." she said. "No wonder he's afraid of you now."
"Yeah well, I'm just warning you that if you're riding with Gusler tomorrow, he probably won't ever let you out of his sights."
Faith yawned again. "I'm gonna head off now." she said. "I'll drop by tomorrow before my shift and see you."
"Maybe they'll let me outta here tomorrow!" Bosco said.
"We can only hope." muttered the nurse who had just come on duty and entered the room. Faith exchanged knowing looks with the woman and then left the room.