Chapter 43-
"Nah. I appreciate the thought but Joey probably doesn't remember your mom and Charlie's never met her."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Hey any luck convincing my mom to get some rest?"
"She's not budging." Bobby sighed. "I always wondered where you got your brick head. Now I know."
"Thanks Bobby." Kim muttered.
"So how's it going over there?"
"What do you mean?"
"C'mon Kimmy. I've seen you and Jimmy go down this road before. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize the signs."
"What signs?" Kim tried to play dumb but Bobby wasn't having any.
"Kim, you can't fool me. I know you too well for that."
"Well," Kim quickly looked around her and then crouched down behind the counter, "I'm pretty sure I'm still in love with him. How's that?"
"A blind and deaf man could have figured that one out."
"Thank you Bobby."
"Any time. What are you gonna do about it?"
"I don't know."
"Not the answer I was looking for but we can work on it. What do you wanna do about it?"
"Jump his bones."
"Oh, thank you very much. I really needed that image."
Kim giggled. "Sorry." She sighed. "Is there any change with Mel?"
"Nah. The doctors say that that's a good thing. She's not getting any worse. Bosco called?"
"No not yet. Look I'll be down there in about an hour okay? Then you can go get some sleep."
"I have a better idea. I'll trade with Jimmy. He can stay here with you and Mel. I'll stay with the kids."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I hate to sound like a guy but I'd feel better if a guy was here with you, your mom, and Mel."
"All is forgiven for sounding like a guy. I'll talk to Jimmy. See you later." Kim got up and hung up the phone. "Jimmy?" She called.
"Right here." He said coming in from the living room. "Who was on the phone?"
"Bobby. His mom offered to watch the kids tonight."
"That was nice of her."
"She's watched Abby a couple of times. I turned him down. He offered an alternate suggestion. Do you wanna come to the hospital with me for the night? Mom refuses to leave so he said he'd watch them if you came with me."
"Yeah." Jimmy nodded, glad she'd asked. "When do you wanna leave?"
"I'm gonna go in half hour. Can you wait here till Bobby gets here and then meet me at the hospital?"
"Sounds good. I'm gonna go get some jeans on."
"Okay." Kim nodded. "Jimmy?"
"Yeah?" He stopped at the doorway.
"Thank you. You don't have to do this and you're doing it anyway."
"She's Charlie's godmother and she's Joey's aunt. That makes her my family."
Kim nodded.
"Be ready in a minute."
"Okay."
hr
"What's Bosco doing here?" Kim asked herself as she walked onto the ICU floor. "Bobby?"
He turned around. "Hey Kim. I tried to get you before you left but Jimmy said you left already. He's on his way and he's bringing Joey, Charlie, and Abby with him."
"What happened?" She peered over his shoulder. "Is Mel okay?"
"She's fine for now."
"What?"
"Bos?"
Kim looked at the police officer Bobby had deferred to. "Bosco?" She asked.
"We had him."
"Tony? Good. Wait. IHad/I him?"
"Yeah. We took him down and processed him. Then he got arraigned."
"And bailed out." Kim finished. "Who bailed him out?"
"Well, it was-"
"Brooke." Kim said. "Does she even know why you arrested him? Did anyone bother telling the woman what her partner did?"
"I don't know what she knows."
"Can we get a restraining order at least?" Kim asked. "I want to be able to have him arrested if he steps foot near Mel or Abby."
"Speaking of where is she?" Faith asked.
"Jimmy's got her. He's bringing her, Joey, and Charlie in." Bobby said.
"Why?" Kim asked.
"We think it'd be better if Abby was in a safe house or at least under police protection." Faith explained.
"Fine but she has to stay with family. Mom?" Kim looked to her mother.
Catherine nodded. "I'll go with Abby but you have to promise to get word to me if anything happens to Melanie."
"I will I promise."
"Kim."
Jimmy was walking up when she turned around. She took pity on him and took Abby from him. She gave the little girl a hug and whispered, "You be good for Grandma," before handing her to Catherine. "Be careful, okay Mom?"
"I will."
"Mrs. Zambrano." Bosco led her out with Faith behind them.
"Kim, what happened?"
"Bobby, would you take Charlie and Joey home? Have they eaten?"
"No not yet." Jimmy gave Charlie to Bobby. Joey was carrying the bag with her stuff in it.
"Okay. Feed them and I'll see you later okay. Be good okay Joey?"
"Okay Mom. Tell Aunt Mel I hope she feels better."
"I will. Bobby?"
"Yeah."
"Take 'em to your mom's house. He won't know to look there."
"Yeah you got it." Bobby left with Charlie and Joey.
Kim turned back to Jimmy.
"Kim, what happened?"
"The police had him and now he's out on bail."
"Courtesy of Brooke?"
"Yeah. Bosco and Faith want Abby under police protection and obviously they want the same for Mel." She nodded to the uniform outside of Mel's door. "I hope you don't mind Bobby taking the kids to his mom's."
"No. You're right they'll be safer there."
Kim sighed. "It's going to be a long night."
"Nah. I appreciate the thought but Joey probably doesn't remember your mom and Charlie's never met her."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Hey any luck convincing my mom to get some rest?"
"She's not budging." Bobby sighed. "I always wondered where you got your brick head. Now I know."
"Thanks Bobby." Kim muttered.
"So how's it going over there?"
"What do you mean?"
"C'mon Kimmy. I've seen you and Jimmy go down this road before. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize the signs."
"What signs?" Kim tried to play dumb but Bobby wasn't having any.
"Kim, you can't fool me. I know you too well for that."
"Well," Kim quickly looked around her and then crouched down behind the counter, "I'm pretty sure I'm still in love with him. How's that?"
"A blind and deaf man could have figured that one out."
"Thank you Bobby."
"Any time. What are you gonna do about it?"
"I don't know."
"Not the answer I was looking for but we can work on it. What do you wanna do about it?"
"Jump his bones."
"Oh, thank you very much. I really needed that image."
Kim giggled. "Sorry." She sighed. "Is there any change with Mel?"
"Nah. The doctors say that that's a good thing. She's not getting any worse. Bosco called?"
"No not yet. Look I'll be down there in about an hour okay? Then you can go get some sleep."
"I have a better idea. I'll trade with Jimmy. He can stay here with you and Mel. I'll stay with the kids."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I hate to sound like a guy but I'd feel better if a guy was here with you, your mom, and Mel."
"All is forgiven for sounding like a guy. I'll talk to Jimmy. See you later." Kim got up and hung up the phone. "Jimmy?" She called.
"Right here." He said coming in from the living room. "Who was on the phone?"
"Bobby. His mom offered to watch the kids tonight."
"That was nice of her."
"She's watched Abby a couple of times. I turned him down. He offered an alternate suggestion. Do you wanna come to the hospital with me for the night? Mom refuses to leave so he said he'd watch them if you came with me."
"Yeah." Jimmy nodded, glad she'd asked. "When do you wanna leave?"
"I'm gonna go in half hour. Can you wait here till Bobby gets here and then meet me at the hospital?"
"Sounds good. I'm gonna go get some jeans on."
"Okay." Kim nodded. "Jimmy?"
"Yeah?" He stopped at the doorway.
"Thank you. You don't have to do this and you're doing it anyway."
"She's Charlie's godmother and she's Joey's aunt. That makes her my family."
Kim nodded.
"Be ready in a minute."
"Okay."
hr
"What's Bosco doing here?" Kim asked herself as she walked onto the ICU floor. "Bobby?"
He turned around. "Hey Kim. I tried to get you before you left but Jimmy said you left already. He's on his way and he's bringing Joey, Charlie, and Abby with him."
"What happened?" She peered over his shoulder. "Is Mel okay?"
"She's fine for now."
"What?"
"Bos?"
Kim looked at the police officer Bobby had deferred to. "Bosco?" She asked.
"We had him."
"Tony? Good. Wait. IHad/I him?"
"Yeah. We took him down and processed him. Then he got arraigned."
"And bailed out." Kim finished. "Who bailed him out?"
"Well, it was-"
"Brooke." Kim said. "Does she even know why you arrested him? Did anyone bother telling the woman what her partner did?"
"I don't know what she knows."
"Can we get a restraining order at least?" Kim asked. "I want to be able to have him arrested if he steps foot near Mel or Abby."
"Speaking of where is she?" Faith asked.
"Jimmy's got her. He's bringing her, Joey, and Charlie in." Bobby said.
"Why?" Kim asked.
"We think it'd be better if Abby was in a safe house or at least under police protection." Faith explained.
"Fine but she has to stay with family. Mom?" Kim looked to her mother.
Catherine nodded. "I'll go with Abby but you have to promise to get word to me if anything happens to Melanie."
"I will I promise."
"Kim."
Jimmy was walking up when she turned around. She took pity on him and took Abby from him. She gave the little girl a hug and whispered, "You be good for Grandma," before handing her to Catherine. "Be careful, okay Mom?"
"I will."
"Mrs. Zambrano." Bosco led her out with Faith behind them.
"Kim, what happened?"
"Bobby, would you take Charlie and Joey home? Have they eaten?"
"No not yet." Jimmy gave Charlie to Bobby. Joey was carrying the bag with her stuff in it.
"Okay. Feed them and I'll see you later okay. Be good okay Joey?"
"Okay Mom. Tell Aunt Mel I hope she feels better."
"I will. Bobby?"
"Yeah."
"Take 'em to your mom's house. He won't know to look there."
"Yeah you got it." Bobby left with Charlie and Joey.
Kim turned back to Jimmy.
"Kim, what happened?"
"The police had him and now he's out on bail."
"Courtesy of Brooke?"
"Yeah. Bosco and Faith want Abby under police protection and obviously they want the same for Mel." She nodded to the uniform outside of Mel's door. "I hope you don't mind Bobby taking the kids to his mom's."
"No. You're right they'll be safer there."
Kim sighed. "It's going to be a long night."