Maurice Boscorelli walked in to the small hospital room, pushing through those standing outside it. He got
a couple pats on the back and a couple sorries. Why, he didn't know, it wasn't like Faith was dead or
anything. He appreciated it none the less.
He really hadn't expected himself to take it so hard. To find it difficult to walk through that door, but it was.
To see Faith in a hospital bed was like a knife to his heart. He felt like falling over dead. Instead, he walked
to her bed, pulling up the chair next to her.
"Hey" he nodded.
"Hey yourself"
"How you doin'?"
"Morales says they want me overnight, and it's desk work for a few days. Guess what that means"
" What's that?"
"You get to ride with Gusler" she teased.
"Aw you have got to be-"
She laughed, wincing.
"How're your ribs, you said before it was tough to breath, anything broken?"
"Nope, luckily, bruised a bit, I'll be sore for a few days, but no worse than being hit with a pipe."
"Really funny Faith"
"Jeez Boz, settle down, I'm only gone for a coupla days!"
Bosco looked at her, then couldn't not say anything. "That little girl is gone"
She looked solemn, "I know, Casey right? I heard them call it"
Even as Faith had said that she knew that wasn't what her partner was talking about.
"The other girl, Tatum" he said, "Tatum's gone, turns out she lost her mom and Casey in that accident."
Faith paused for a second, her breath catching. "She looked so-"
"Young, she's eleven"
"What happened to her?"
Police figure someone snatched her at the scene, didn't turn up at home or anything. Whole department is
on it, if they're not stuck doing paperwork that is."
"An eleven year old girl" Faith said, disgusted. "What the hell kind of world do we raise our kids in now"
"It's worse than that"
"What could be worse"
"Six O-Clock news came on, channel seven did interviews with those who were un hurt, turns out that
Tatum was a bit of a hero at the scene, she's the one who got everyone out of the cars that exploded. They
would've died if she hadn't been there"
"Oh god"
"The city's a madhouse Faith, it's nuts trying to do patrol, it's like the whole of New York city is up and out
on the streets, piled around the station, just to talk down to us because of what happened."
She sighed, feeling her head begin to spin. There was a hole there somewhere, where she felt sad for the
girl. Like a mourning almost.
It was almost as though she herself was responsible for this mess. Maybe if she'd gone to grab the kid,
escort her over, maybe if she'd been watching closer or if they'd set up proper barricades.
"What are you thinking?"
She looked at him, sadly, "I'm thinking that it's-"
"Not your fault Faith, don't even start"
"If I'd gone to grab her or-"
"You would've been killed too"
"Well if we'd maybe set up proper barricades or had pylons, something to draw attention-" she continued,
looking at the sheets on the bed now.
"The driver still would have driven up the shoulder Faith. This guy didn't even stop, didn't even hesitate to
keep on going, you know what that means? He's a shitty person and nothing would've helped"
She remained silent for a moment, then spoke, "We have to find that kid Boz, we have to"
"I know, PD's on it"
"I want to help"
"Faith-"
"I'm okay Boz, I mean, you can drive, you dodge calls, we look for the kid"
"It's been almsot four hours, she could be.. anywhere"
"We have to Boz, I have to"
He sat there for a moment, "How're we supposed to get out with half the department here, you got a lotta
friends you know"
"Only when I get hurt" she cracked, then she got serious. "No one knows I'm supposed to stya here
tonight, right? Why don't we just walk out?"
"What about Morales"
"We avoid her"
"They're gonna find out soon that you're gone from this room"
"But we'll be unresponsive and somewhere else by then, please Bosco"
He couldn't turn those eyes down. The eyes he loved. "Okay, where are you clothes?"
She smiled, sitting up and putting her feet over the bed, pulling off the sensors and glue, then removing her
IV. "In the drawer" she told him. He pulled them out and she pulled off the johnny, Bosco could tear his
eyes away.
She was wearing a tank top, but was still in her underwear. Red, he'd never thought of Faith wearing sexy
red underwear before. He felt himself staring and forced himself to look away.
"What?" Faith asked, "I doubt you've never seen a girl half nude before"
"Got that right" he managed to say.
a couple pats on the back and a couple sorries. Why, he didn't know, it wasn't like Faith was dead or
anything. He appreciated it none the less.
He really hadn't expected himself to take it so hard. To find it difficult to walk through that door, but it was.
To see Faith in a hospital bed was like a knife to his heart. He felt like falling over dead. Instead, he walked
to her bed, pulling up the chair next to her.
"Hey" he nodded.
"Hey yourself"
"How you doin'?"
"Morales says they want me overnight, and it's desk work for a few days. Guess what that means"
" What's that?"
"You get to ride with Gusler" she teased.
"Aw you have got to be-"
She laughed, wincing.
"How're your ribs, you said before it was tough to breath, anything broken?"
"Nope, luckily, bruised a bit, I'll be sore for a few days, but no worse than being hit with a pipe."
"Really funny Faith"
"Jeez Boz, settle down, I'm only gone for a coupla days!"
Bosco looked at her, then couldn't not say anything. "That little girl is gone"
She looked solemn, "I know, Casey right? I heard them call it"
Even as Faith had said that she knew that wasn't what her partner was talking about.
"The other girl, Tatum" he said, "Tatum's gone, turns out she lost her mom and Casey in that accident."
Faith paused for a second, her breath catching. "She looked so-"
"Young, she's eleven"
"What happened to her?"
Police figure someone snatched her at the scene, didn't turn up at home or anything. Whole department is
on it, if they're not stuck doing paperwork that is."
"An eleven year old girl" Faith said, disgusted. "What the hell kind of world do we raise our kids in now"
"It's worse than that"
"What could be worse"
"Six O-Clock news came on, channel seven did interviews with those who were un hurt, turns out that
Tatum was a bit of a hero at the scene, she's the one who got everyone out of the cars that exploded. They
would've died if she hadn't been there"
"Oh god"
"The city's a madhouse Faith, it's nuts trying to do patrol, it's like the whole of New York city is up and out
on the streets, piled around the station, just to talk down to us because of what happened."
She sighed, feeling her head begin to spin. There was a hole there somewhere, where she felt sad for the
girl. Like a mourning almost.
It was almost as though she herself was responsible for this mess. Maybe if she'd gone to grab the kid,
escort her over, maybe if she'd been watching closer or if they'd set up proper barricades.
"What are you thinking?"
She looked at him, sadly, "I'm thinking that it's-"
"Not your fault Faith, don't even start"
"If I'd gone to grab her or-"
"You would've been killed too"
"Well if we'd maybe set up proper barricades or had pylons, something to draw attention-" she continued,
looking at the sheets on the bed now.
"The driver still would have driven up the shoulder Faith. This guy didn't even stop, didn't even hesitate to
keep on going, you know what that means? He's a shitty person and nothing would've helped"
She remained silent for a moment, then spoke, "We have to find that kid Boz, we have to"
"I know, PD's on it"
"I want to help"
"Faith-"
"I'm okay Boz, I mean, you can drive, you dodge calls, we look for the kid"
"It's been almsot four hours, she could be.. anywhere"
"We have to Boz, I have to"
He sat there for a moment, "How're we supposed to get out with half the department here, you got a lotta
friends you know"
"Only when I get hurt" she cracked, then she got serious. "No one knows I'm supposed to stya here
tonight, right? Why don't we just walk out?"
"What about Morales"
"We avoid her"
"They're gonna find out soon that you're gone from this room"
"But we'll be unresponsive and somewhere else by then, please Bosco"
He couldn't turn those eyes down. The eyes he loved. "Okay, where are you clothes?"
She smiled, sitting up and putting her feet over the bed, pulling off the sensors and glue, then removing her
IV. "In the drawer" she told him. He pulled them out and she pulled off the johnny, Bosco could tear his
eyes away.
She was wearing a tank top, but was still in her underwear. Red, he'd never thought of Faith wearing sexy
red underwear before. He felt himself staring and forced himself to look away.
"What?" Faith asked, "I doubt you've never seen a girl half nude before"
"Got that right" he managed to say.