"Let him go Fred"
"I'm taking him with me"
"No, you're not!"
"Charlie wantsta go with me doesn't he" he slurred, looking at Charlie, who was crying.
"Fred, you're scaring him, let him go" She took Charlie's hand and he stood behind her.
"Stupid Bitch, you can't take away my kids!" he said.
It was a shock really. She hadn't expected it at all. She'd been aware of the possibility but had never put the idea to action. She fell against the wall, thrown off balance for a moment.
"Mom!" Emily cried from the bed, "Mom are you okay?" she crouched beside Faith.
"I'm okay Em, come here Charlie" Faith embraced her kids, hearing the apartment door slam. "I'm okay" she whispered, tears falling from her eyes.
"What's wrong with daddy?" Charlie asked.
"He's sick, he has a problem" Faith said quietly, "But don't you worry about it okay, he won't hurt you guys."
"What about you mom?"
"He won't hurt me anymore either Em, don't worry. This is the end."
"You're leaving dad?" Emily asked.
Faith nodded, biting her lip. "Yes Em, I am"
Emily paused for a moment, "I understand" she whispered. Faith leaned over and gave her a big hug. "Lets get out of here" Faith said, getting up from the floor. "You guys pack some clothes okay? Mom's gonna go pack some of her clothes-" Faith paused, holding her ribs.
"You okay mom?"
"I'm okay, a bad man hit me today when I was at work"
"With a bar again?" Charlie looked up at her.
"No sweetie, who told you that?"
"Daddy told us" Emily spoke up.
"What else did daddy say?" Faith crouched.
"Nothing" emily said quickly. Faith could tell she was holding back for Charlie's sake.
"Okay, lets get out of here" Faith said. "Em, can you help Charlie pack some things?"
"Yea"
"Lets make it a game ok, who ever packs in five minutes gets my McDonald's hashbrown in the morning"
"McDonalds?" Charlie asked, he ran over to his bed, Emily just smiled. "I'm gonna beat you Charlie" she teased. Faith smiled, leaving the room to pack her own things.
"Where are we going?" Emily asked once they were in the car.
"I was thinking of going to Bosco's for the night, how does that sound?"
"Yea! Bosco!" Charlie piped up from the back seat.
"Mom?" Emily asked.
"Yea sweetie?"
"Does your face hurt?" she asked.
"Just a little, why?"
"Because it's bruised now, and you're crying"
"Oh baby, don't worry about it, I'm okay, I was just thinking is all"
"Thinking about what?"
"A little girl that died today. Or yesterday now I guess"
"How old was she?"
"Eleven"
"What happened to her?"
"Well, she was a big hero, see, she saved all these people at an accident site... but then she went home and her daddy.." Faith sniffed, holding back tears. "Her daddy hurt her, so badly that she couldn't live anymore"
"Her dad killed her?"
"Yes"
"Do you think dad would do that to us?" Charlie asked from the back. The car was silent for awhile.
"I didn't think so Charlie, but now I don't know anymore. How's your arm?"
"It's okay, I have a new bruise to show my friends!" he smiled. Faith cried silently.
Bosco got up off the couch. Why had Faith said goodbye like that? Was she mad mad at him? What had he said? There was a knock on the door. He opened it to find Faith and her kids standing there.
"Faith?" he asked.
"Hey" she smiled, tentativly, " Could we uh, could we come in?"
Bosco nodded. "I'll go make up my bed for the kids" he offered. Faith just nodded, putting a sleepy Charlie on to the couch.
"Em, can you stay here with your brother?" Faith asked.
"Yes, but mom?"
"Yea sweetie?"
"I have a field trip tomorrow, I want to go on it and I already paid for it.. are we going to school tomorrow?"
Faith smiled, "If you want to sweetie, but get some rest okay" she kissed her kids on the top of their heads.
"So you gonna tell me what happened Faith?" Bosco asked once the kids were asleep.
"I just.. Boz maybe in the morning" she looked at him for the first time that night.
"What happened to your face Faith?" he demanded.
"Boz, please"
"Faith!"
"It was just.. "
"Fred?"
"He was drunk Boz, he didn't mean it-" she began to feel bad about the situation. They'd had a fight about Bosco, and here she was with Bosco.
"Don't even think about excusing him Faith. You're the one who always got pissed about the drunks we find on our beat"
Faith swallowed, "I don't know what I did, I.. I threatened to take the kids away, but he was hurting Charlie and-"
"He hurt Charlie?"
"His arm, he..he grabbed Charlie by the arm, Boz I don't know what I'm doing anymore, I don't know what I'm supposed to do any more.. everything's just falling apart and.... I can't do anything about it" she cried, putting her face in to her hands.
"This isn't your fault" Bosco said quietly.
"I know"
"It's not Faith, it is not your fault, it's Fred's"
"I know"
"Not your fault"
Faith cried harder and Bosco wrapped his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and let the tears fall.
For the first time in awhile, Bosco cried instead of punching something.
Once they stopped crying, they pulled apart slowly. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore Boz.. I can't.. I can't be in two place at once.. Who's gonna watch the kids? Bring them to school and pick them up?"
"We'll get a good babysitter"
"I can't afford it Bosco, city pay"
"We'll figure out something"
"We?" she asked.
"We" he nodded.
"You know.. I can't remember the last time that I really loved Fred. It used to be a good relationship and then.. then it fell apart" she paused, wiping away her tears.
Bosco looked at her, silent, willing her to keep talking. She needed to get this out.
"I was afraid to leave him before. Every time he did something, I forgave him because I was too afraid to see the truth, to let him go. He was.. he was normal for me. Dependable. He was always at home, just something familiar. Was that selfish?" she asked rhetorical, "I think it was, Look what happened to Charlie, if I'd just.. just let go of it maybe none of this would have happened. Instead, now everything is changing at one time"
"Faith?" Bosco asked quietly.
She looked up.
"I'm sorry"
"About what?"
"Convincing you to stay with him before"
"I wouldn't have Boz, if I didn't want to somewhere inside me."
"I'm still sorry"
"It's okay" she whispered, looking down.
"Stop that" Bosco said gently.
"What?"
"Looking down like your dog just died"
"I'm divorcing Fred"
"Good Faith, that's a good thing" he reassured.
"What about the kids?"
"The kids will be fine, they'll understand. And they won't have to live with the knowledge that any moment their dad could turn around and hit them"
Faith looked in to his eyes then, but though he was looking right at her, his mind was somewhere else. Back in one of the times his father had come home and beat him. She reached over and squeezed his hand. It was her turn to comfort.
"It's okay Bosco.. it's in the past"
"Is it really though?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is it really in the past? People are still doing it today. Tatum's father, Fred. I mean, maybe I'm going to turn out like my father. I worry about that sometimes. A lot actually."
"Of course you won't Boz, you're so different from him, you see it as wrong"
"But I go around letting my anger get to me. Have I gone a day without punching something or someone?"
"I don't know, I wasn't with you on Thanksgiving" she joked mildly. He gave a small smile.
"You can get past all this Boz, I know you're a good person. Maybe no one else does, but that's because they're blind. I see someone under all that anger, someone who's really decent and considerate. Someone who, some day, is going to make a girl really proud and happy"
Bosco didn't say anything for a moment. But he briefly thought about how the only person he wanted to make happy was Faith. "Lets get some sleep" he suggested quietly.
Faith nodded.
"I'll take the couch, you go sleep with the kids, okay?"
"You sure?"
"I'm sure" he said.
"I'll see you in the morning, I have to take the kids to school"
"Should they even go tomorrow?"
"Em wants to go on a field trip" she smiled softly.
"If it were any other day" Bosco commented.
"I know" Faith whispered.
"I'm taking him with me"
"No, you're not!"
"Charlie wantsta go with me doesn't he" he slurred, looking at Charlie, who was crying.
"Fred, you're scaring him, let him go" She took Charlie's hand and he stood behind her.
"Stupid Bitch, you can't take away my kids!" he said.
It was a shock really. She hadn't expected it at all. She'd been aware of the possibility but had never put the idea to action. She fell against the wall, thrown off balance for a moment.
"Mom!" Emily cried from the bed, "Mom are you okay?" she crouched beside Faith.
"I'm okay Em, come here Charlie" Faith embraced her kids, hearing the apartment door slam. "I'm okay" she whispered, tears falling from her eyes.
"What's wrong with daddy?" Charlie asked.
"He's sick, he has a problem" Faith said quietly, "But don't you worry about it okay, he won't hurt you guys."
"What about you mom?"
"He won't hurt me anymore either Em, don't worry. This is the end."
"You're leaving dad?" Emily asked.
Faith nodded, biting her lip. "Yes Em, I am"
Emily paused for a moment, "I understand" she whispered. Faith leaned over and gave her a big hug. "Lets get out of here" Faith said, getting up from the floor. "You guys pack some clothes okay? Mom's gonna go pack some of her clothes-" Faith paused, holding her ribs.
"You okay mom?"
"I'm okay, a bad man hit me today when I was at work"
"With a bar again?" Charlie looked up at her.
"No sweetie, who told you that?"
"Daddy told us" Emily spoke up.
"What else did daddy say?" Faith crouched.
"Nothing" emily said quickly. Faith could tell she was holding back for Charlie's sake.
"Okay, lets get out of here" Faith said. "Em, can you help Charlie pack some things?"
"Yea"
"Lets make it a game ok, who ever packs in five minutes gets my McDonald's hashbrown in the morning"
"McDonalds?" Charlie asked, he ran over to his bed, Emily just smiled. "I'm gonna beat you Charlie" she teased. Faith smiled, leaving the room to pack her own things.
"Where are we going?" Emily asked once they were in the car.
"I was thinking of going to Bosco's for the night, how does that sound?"
"Yea! Bosco!" Charlie piped up from the back seat.
"Mom?" Emily asked.
"Yea sweetie?"
"Does your face hurt?" she asked.
"Just a little, why?"
"Because it's bruised now, and you're crying"
"Oh baby, don't worry about it, I'm okay, I was just thinking is all"
"Thinking about what?"
"A little girl that died today. Or yesterday now I guess"
"How old was she?"
"Eleven"
"What happened to her?"
"Well, she was a big hero, see, she saved all these people at an accident site... but then she went home and her daddy.." Faith sniffed, holding back tears. "Her daddy hurt her, so badly that she couldn't live anymore"
"Her dad killed her?"
"Yes"
"Do you think dad would do that to us?" Charlie asked from the back. The car was silent for awhile.
"I didn't think so Charlie, but now I don't know anymore. How's your arm?"
"It's okay, I have a new bruise to show my friends!" he smiled. Faith cried silently.
Bosco got up off the couch. Why had Faith said goodbye like that? Was she mad mad at him? What had he said? There was a knock on the door. He opened it to find Faith and her kids standing there.
"Faith?" he asked.
"Hey" she smiled, tentativly, " Could we uh, could we come in?"
Bosco nodded. "I'll go make up my bed for the kids" he offered. Faith just nodded, putting a sleepy Charlie on to the couch.
"Em, can you stay here with your brother?" Faith asked.
"Yes, but mom?"
"Yea sweetie?"
"I have a field trip tomorrow, I want to go on it and I already paid for it.. are we going to school tomorrow?"
Faith smiled, "If you want to sweetie, but get some rest okay" she kissed her kids on the top of their heads.
"So you gonna tell me what happened Faith?" Bosco asked once the kids were asleep.
"I just.. Boz maybe in the morning" she looked at him for the first time that night.
"What happened to your face Faith?" he demanded.
"Boz, please"
"Faith!"
"It was just.. "
"Fred?"
"He was drunk Boz, he didn't mean it-" she began to feel bad about the situation. They'd had a fight about Bosco, and here she was with Bosco.
"Don't even think about excusing him Faith. You're the one who always got pissed about the drunks we find on our beat"
Faith swallowed, "I don't know what I did, I.. I threatened to take the kids away, but he was hurting Charlie and-"
"He hurt Charlie?"
"His arm, he..he grabbed Charlie by the arm, Boz I don't know what I'm doing anymore, I don't know what I'm supposed to do any more.. everything's just falling apart and.... I can't do anything about it" she cried, putting her face in to her hands.
"This isn't your fault" Bosco said quietly.
"I know"
"It's not Faith, it is not your fault, it's Fred's"
"I know"
"Not your fault"
Faith cried harder and Bosco wrapped his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and let the tears fall.
For the first time in awhile, Bosco cried instead of punching something.
Once they stopped crying, they pulled apart slowly. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore Boz.. I can't.. I can't be in two place at once.. Who's gonna watch the kids? Bring them to school and pick them up?"
"We'll get a good babysitter"
"I can't afford it Bosco, city pay"
"We'll figure out something"
"We?" she asked.
"We" he nodded.
"You know.. I can't remember the last time that I really loved Fred. It used to be a good relationship and then.. then it fell apart" she paused, wiping away her tears.
Bosco looked at her, silent, willing her to keep talking. She needed to get this out.
"I was afraid to leave him before. Every time he did something, I forgave him because I was too afraid to see the truth, to let him go. He was.. he was normal for me. Dependable. He was always at home, just something familiar. Was that selfish?" she asked rhetorical, "I think it was, Look what happened to Charlie, if I'd just.. just let go of it maybe none of this would have happened. Instead, now everything is changing at one time"
"Faith?" Bosco asked quietly.
She looked up.
"I'm sorry"
"About what?"
"Convincing you to stay with him before"
"I wouldn't have Boz, if I didn't want to somewhere inside me."
"I'm still sorry"
"It's okay" she whispered, looking down.
"Stop that" Bosco said gently.
"What?"
"Looking down like your dog just died"
"I'm divorcing Fred"
"Good Faith, that's a good thing" he reassured.
"What about the kids?"
"The kids will be fine, they'll understand. And they won't have to live with the knowledge that any moment their dad could turn around and hit them"
Faith looked in to his eyes then, but though he was looking right at her, his mind was somewhere else. Back in one of the times his father had come home and beat him. She reached over and squeezed his hand. It was her turn to comfort.
"It's okay Bosco.. it's in the past"
"Is it really though?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is it really in the past? People are still doing it today. Tatum's father, Fred. I mean, maybe I'm going to turn out like my father. I worry about that sometimes. A lot actually."
"Of course you won't Boz, you're so different from him, you see it as wrong"
"But I go around letting my anger get to me. Have I gone a day without punching something or someone?"
"I don't know, I wasn't with you on Thanksgiving" she joked mildly. He gave a small smile.
"You can get past all this Boz, I know you're a good person. Maybe no one else does, but that's because they're blind. I see someone under all that anger, someone who's really decent and considerate. Someone who, some day, is going to make a girl really proud and happy"
Bosco didn't say anything for a moment. But he briefly thought about how the only person he wanted to make happy was Faith. "Lets get some sleep" he suggested quietly.
Faith nodded.
"I'll take the couch, you go sleep with the kids, okay?"
"You sure?"
"I'm sure" he said.
"I'll see you in the morning, I have to take the kids to school"
"Should they even go tomorrow?"
"Em wants to go on a field trip" she smiled softly.
"If it were any other day" Bosco commented.
"I know" Faith whispered.