Promises
Part 18
THE CONCLUSION
******
Dun dun dun! It's finally over! It's about time eh?! Keep in mind that I only own the characters that you have never heard of! Enjoy, and thanks for all the great feedback on this story!
Oh yeah, and I have NO medical knowledge!
******
The ambulance ride to Mercy seemed to take an eternity. Rylee sat in the seat in the back of the bus. From where she sat at the head of the gurney she was unable to hold Bosco's hand, so instead she leaned forward so she was hovering over him, and had her hand resting on his shoulder. He was still unconscious, but she thought that maybe he'd be able to feel her presence somehow.
When they got to the hospital a team of nurses and doctors were standing by. They quickly pulled the back doors of the ambulance open, and began wheeling Bosco inside as the senior paramedic rattled off vitals, and all the other important information that Rylee didn't understand. She hurried after the gurney, trying to keep up with the emergency room staff.
Rylee followed them into the trauma room, and stood at the end of the exam table with a lost expression on her face. Everything she saw seemed so foreign yet it also seemed so familiar. She didn't remember a whole lot about the night Johnny was shot; just bits and pieces, but those bits and pieces were enough to haunt her for the rest of her life.
"Officer? Officer?" Rylee barely heard the words the nurse standing next to her had spoken, and in all honesty she wasn't really sure if the nurse was speaking to her. "You can't stay in here," the nurse continued softly.
Rylee slowly turned her head to look at the nurse. "Right," she nodded. "Right," she repeated absently. She turned her attention back to her partner who lay motionless on the exam table, and was surrounded by medical personnel. That's when she realized that something tonight was different from the night Johnny was shot.
There was no blood.
That had to be a good sign.
Right?
******
Rylee stood outside the glassed in room. Even though it was tearing her up inside to see people poking and prodding her injured partner she couldn't seem to unglue her eyes from the scene. She wished it was her in there, and not him. Why didn't Doyle shoot her? Why Bosco? Did Doyle really think he'd get away with it? Did he really think that an officer was searching for him alone-with no backup?
"Rylee?" a worried female voice broke into her thoughts.
"Yeah," she replied in a whisper as she continued to watch the doctors work.
"What happened?" questioned Faith.
O'Neill inhaled deeply, and then closed her eyes. "We tracked Doyle down after that car accident," she said softly. "He hid in an alley...we called for backup...backup never showed...heard him go into the building...we followed," she shrugged as if she didn't know how to continue. Rylee motioned toward the trauma room. She seemed a million miles away. "I didn't think this would happen," her voice was barely audible.
"You should have waited for backup," said a gruff male voice from behind them.
Rylee spun on her heels. "Excuse me?!"
"You heard me. You should have waited for backup, but no, you two hot headed glory hungry wannabe heroes had to go in alone!"
Faith just stared at the officer in disbelief. How could he come in here and say that to a fellow officer whose partner had been shot? Did this man have no conscience?
Rylee didn't take too kindly to the man's words. "We did wait for backup you son-of-a-bitch! We waited over half an hour! Where the hell were you?!"
He shrugged. "It was shift change. What did you expect?"
"Shift change?! Shift change! Your excuse for not getting there to back up two fellow officers is shift change?!"
He looked Rylee in the eye. "Well, that and the fact that you and Boscorelli don't rank so high on my list--" As the words came out of his mouth Rylee flew off the handle. She lunged at the man, and slammed him hard against the nurses' station.
"You fucking asshole! You were going to leave us high and dry cause you don't like us?!" she growled. "What the hell kind of cop are you?!" She grabbed him by the shirt and proceeded to slam him against the counter once more.
"Rylee. Rylee let him go," Faith tried to intervene.
"O'NEILL!" Swersky's voice filled the air.
Rylee loosed her grip on the officer. "You better pray my partner's all right!" She let go of his shirt, and walked away.
Swersky started to go after her, but Faith stopped him. "Come on Lieu. Giver her a chance to cool down."
He shook his head and bit his lip. His face was red with anger. He had warned her that if he ever saw her assault an officer again she was done. "She blew it this time Yokas."
Faith nodded. "Pure emotion Lieu. She's not thinking straight."
Swersky took a deep breath. "How is Boscorelli?"
******
Half an hour later Faith found Rylee in the nurses' lounge. "Hey," she said softly. "Bosco's doctor wants to talk to us." Rylee nodded wordlessly, and slowly followed Faith into the hallway where the doctor was waiting. "So how is he?"
"Officer Boscorelli is doing quite well. He has a concussion which we'll be keeping an eye on, and he has some pretty severe bruising to his chest from the impact of the bullet, and his back is bruised from the way he fell. His left lung is also slightly bruised, and he has a couple cracked ribs, he's going to be very sore, but other than that he is fine. Kevlar is a lifesaver."
"Is he awake?" Faith questioned.
"Not right now, but he did wake up briefly when we transferred him to a room. He basically just opened his eyes and then fell asleep."
"So he's going to be OK?"
"Yes," the doctor smiled. "He's going to be fine."
"May we go see him?"
He nodded. "But just to let you know, we have him hooked up to a heart monitor, and an oxygen mask. Not only because of the injuries he sustained, but also due to his history. We want to be prepared in the event that he wakes up and doesn't know where he is or what happened. Having the heart monitor and oxygen in place will help him if he has a panic attack."
Rylee shot daggers at the doctor, and spoke up for the first time. Her emotions were running hot and cold. First she would be mad, then sad then she'd go back to being mad. It was a vicious cycle, and unfortunately for the doctor he was on the receiving end of one of her bad moods. "He hasn't had a panic attack in ages! You doctors need to quit handling him like he's glass when he comes in here! He isn't going to break!"
The doctor looked shocked as he wasn't expecting an outburst like that. "He's going to need the oxygen anyway because of the injury to his lung, and the heart monitor is standard procedure when a patient has been unconscious," he explained in his defense.
"Then why bring up the panic attacks?!"
He put his hands up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."
Faith stepped in. "So can we see him now?"
"Room 215."
"Thank you." Faith guided Rylee down the hall by her elbow. "You OK?"
"Fine."
Faith knew that no one could be fine in a situation like this. Bosco was going to be OK, but it was still frightening when your partner and friend was shot in the line of duty. Add to that the words of dislike from the other cop, and it made for a mentally draining experience.
They quietly entered Bosco's hospital room, and found him just as they had been told; asleep and hooked up to oxygen and a heart monitor. He looked small and fragile against the sterile white of the hospital gown and linens, compared to how strong he looked in his bold blue police uniform.
Faith walked over to the bed, and placed a gentle kiss on her friend's forehead. "Hey Bos," she whispered then settled into the chair next to the bed. Careful not to disturb the IV in his hand she held onto his fingers.
Rylee sat on the large window ledge, and watched as Faith made their presence known to their unconscious friend. Inside Rylee wished that she were comfortable enough about her friendship with Bosco to kiss his forehead, and hold his hand, but after what happened tonight she wasn't even sure she should be here. So she just looked at Bosco from a distance almost afraid that if she got too close to him she would injure him more. That just seemed to be her luck.
Nurse Proctor entered the room carrying a plastic bag. "These are Bosco's things. I figured I'd bring them up her cause I know one of the first questions out of his mouth when he wakes up is going to be 'where's my gun?'"
Faith chuckled at the nurse's impersonation of Bosco. She took the bag from her. "Thanks Mary."
The nurse smiled warmly at Rylee. "Just let us know if you need anything." Rylee continued to look at Bosco with an absent look on her face. Proctor frowned.
"We will," replied Faith. When Proctor left Faith opened the plastic bag that held Bosco's belongings. She placed his gun and badge on the bedside table. She continued to go through his things to make sure that all of his uniform was there. Faith knew Bosco would have a fit if any of his things were lost and he had to purchase them again. As she went through the bag and folded his clothes she found something at the bottom that made her smile. It was the St. Michael's medallion she had given to him the first day Bosco had started working with Rylee. She shook her head in disbelief. Faith couldn't believe that he had been wearing the necklace. It made her feel good knowing that he didn't resent her for taking the sergeant position.
*****
It was over an hour later, Bosco was still asleep and Faith and Rylee were still keeping their silent vigil. Fred had stopped by earlier to check on Faith, and somehow someone had gotten a hold of Johnny and he had called to let Rylee know that he would take care of Trevor for the night. Rylee hadn't said a word on the phone. In fact she hadn't said anything in the last hour or so.
Faith absently traced Bosco's hand with her index finger. She looked over at Rylee who was still staring at her sleeping partner. Not knowing what exactly to do she put a smile on her face. "He's going to be fine Rylee."
Rylee nodded slowly. "I know," came her hoarse response. A moment passed before she spoke again. "I'm sorry," she said softly, her voice full of emotion.
"What?"
"I let this happen. I should have stopped it from happening."
"You didn't know Rylee. How could you stop it when you didn't know?!"
"I should have waited for backup. I should have thought it through."
"You reacted. It was instinct. Besides, you couldn't have known."
"But I should have."
"But you couldn't."
"But I should have!!"
Faith shook her head. Getting through to Rylee was about as easy as getting through to Bosco. "Rylee you have to stop beating yourself up. OK, so maybe you messed up, but Bosco's going to be fine. You have to let it go."
"I can't." She pulled her knees up to her chest, and turned to stare out the window. "This is too much like the last time," she whispered.
"Last time?" Faith didn't understand.
"The night Johnny got shot."
Faith knew there was something Rylee needed to get off her chest. She didn't want Rylee to keep it to herself any longer, so she approached the subject with caution. "What happened," she asked gently.
Rylee looked over at Faith, and noticed the look of concern on her friend's face. She needed to unload the burden after what had happened tonight because it had triggered all the old memories again. Once again she stared out the window. She took a deep, calming breath to gain control of her emotions.
"It was a little after nine o'clock on a Monday night," she started slowly. "Johnny always hated Mondays." She grinned briefly as she thought of her former partner. "We got a call about a DUI in our sector, and we were getting ready to pull the guy over when he swerved and slammed into a mini van." Rylee paused.
Faith momentarily took her eyes off of Rylee as she felt Bosco weakly squeeze her hand. He was awake and looking at her with confused eyes. She put her finger to her lips indicating for him to stay quiet, and listen. She looked back at Rylee when she continued.
"The driver hopped out of the car and took off. We hurried over to the van. I remember the blood. There was so much blood," her voice wavered slightly and she wiped at her eyes. She continued to stare outside. "The man and woman were both dead, but there was a little boy in the backseat. He was alive, and instantly I thought of the drunk driver who killed the O'Neills and left Trevor without parents. I was furious, and I lost it. I went after the guy without thinking." She sighed. "Everything's pretty much a blur after that. I remember a dark building, Johnny trying to talk sense into me, then the gunshots and Johnny hitting the floor. The guy was so loaded on drugs and alcohol he had just started firing." She hung her head. "Johnny was in so much pain. There was so much blood." She shook the images from her mind. "That's when Johnny left the force and I came to the fifty-fifth. I promised myself I'd never do something that half-cocked again...but tonight...when I heard that Doyle might have been drunk...I lost it. Bosco tried to talk some sense into me, but I wouldn't listen," her voice sounded tormented. "I could have gotten him killed tonight."
Bosco squeezed Faith's hand as hard as he could. Faith knew what he wanted her to say. "But you didn't. He's alive. He's OK."
"But he could have----"
"No buts Rylee. We all have times when we go off when we're reminded of such horrible things. It happens, but you have to find a way to deal with it and move on."
"I don't know if I can. Not after tonight. I can't risk doing this to Reese again," she choked out.
Bosco squeezed Faith's hand again, and she looked down at him. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to say something. Faith watched as he reached up with a shaky hand to try and remove the oxygen mask that covered his nose and mouth. Bosco winced as he moved his arm, the pain from his bruised body causing him to drop his hand back down. He looked determined to give the movement another try, but Faith shook her head.
"Rylee," Faith said softly as she watched Bosco.
"Yeah?" she asked, her head still turned away.
"Come here for a sec."
Rylee slowly shuffled over to the bed, and noticed Bosco's eyes were open. She looked at Faith. "How much did he hear?"
Faith smiled softly. "Every word." She stood up and patted Bosco's shoulder. "I'll be back in a little while."
Bosco slowly lifted his hand about an inch. Rylee took the hint, and took his hand in hers. Rylee looked deep into her friend's eyes and saw the sadness and concern. Bosco could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes.
She closed her eyes for a moment. Bosco's eyes had always made her give in. Even when they were kids he could just look into her eyes and she would crack. It was as if his expressive eyes were the key that unlocked her feelings.
When she opened her eyes he was still looking at her. She squeezed his hand. "Reese I'm sorry. For tonight, the broken birthday promise, for everything. I'm sorry."
His eyes smiled at her, and with that simple expression a huge weight was lifted from her. She leaned over, and placed a kiss on his forehead.
*****
31 DAYS LATER 2:30PM
Bosco burst into the locker room. "Outta my way!"
"Geez, why so cranky? It's your first day back on full duty. I thought you'd be happy," joked Faith from where she stood at her locker.
"Well I would be if I hadn't spent the entire day on the phone with the damn credit card company! I paid off that stupid card over a month ago and those jag-offs say I still owe them two hundred dollars!"
"That'd be enough to piss me off," Rylee commented from where she was changing into her civvies. She walked over to him, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome back Reese."
"Thanks. How you doin'?"
"Good now that the thirty days with no pay suspension Swersky gave me is over."
"It could have been worse," Faith reminded her.
"Oh I know. I'm not complaining."
Bosco turned to the officer sitting next to him on the bench. "So how was your first day back," he asked as he buttoned up his uniform shirt.
"Well I'm a little rusty. Been a long time since I worked days," chuckled Johnny. "But it's good to be back on the force."
"I hear ya," smiled Faith. "Come on Bos. We don't want to be late for roll call."
Bosco followed his partner to the door, but stopped to face his former partner and her new partner. "See Ry, things worked out."
Rylee looked at Johnny then back at Bosco. "Yeah Reese they sure did." She pulled on her jacket. "You and Faith be safe out there today."
He smiled at his friend. "Promise."
**********
**********
Well folks I hope you liked it. Sorry it took me forever to complete! Also I left the whole Doyle thing untouched in this chapter on purpose....who knows maybe I'll revisit it someday :)
Part 18
THE CONCLUSION
******
Dun dun dun! It's finally over! It's about time eh?! Keep in mind that I only own the characters that you have never heard of! Enjoy, and thanks for all the great feedback on this story!
Oh yeah, and I have NO medical knowledge!
******
The ambulance ride to Mercy seemed to take an eternity. Rylee sat in the seat in the back of the bus. From where she sat at the head of the gurney she was unable to hold Bosco's hand, so instead she leaned forward so she was hovering over him, and had her hand resting on his shoulder. He was still unconscious, but she thought that maybe he'd be able to feel her presence somehow.
When they got to the hospital a team of nurses and doctors were standing by. They quickly pulled the back doors of the ambulance open, and began wheeling Bosco inside as the senior paramedic rattled off vitals, and all the other important information that Rylee didn't understand. She hurried after the gurney, trying to keep up with the emergency room staff.
Rylee followed them into the trauma room, and stood at the end of the exam table with a lost expression on her face. Everything she saw seemed so foreign yet it also seemed so familiar. She didn't remember a whole lot about the night Johnny was shot; just bits and pieces, but those bits and pieces were enough to haunt her for the rest of her life.
"Officer? Officer?" Rylee barely heard the words the nurse standing next to her had spoken, and in all honesty she wasn't really sure if the nurse was speaking to her. "You can't stay in here," the nurse continued softly.
Rylee slowly turned her head to look at the nurse. "Right," she nodded. "Right," she repeated absently. She turned her attention back to her partner who lay motionless on the exam table, and was surrounded by medical personnel. That's when she realized that something tonight was different from the night Johnny was shot.
There was no blood.
That had to be a good sign.
Right?
******
Rylee stood outside the glassed in room. Even though it was tearing her up inside to see people poking and prodding her injured partner she couldn't seem to unglue her eyes from the scene. She wished it was her in there, and not him. Why didn't Doyle shoot her? Why Bosco? Did Doyle really think he'd get away with it? Did he really think that an officer was searching for him alone-with no backup?
"Rylee?" a worried female voice broke into her thoughts.
"Yeah," she replied in a whisper as she continued to watch the doctors work.
"What happened?" questioned Faith.
O'Neill inhaled deeply, and then closed her eyes. "We tracked Doyle down after that car accident," she said softly. "He hid in an alley...we called for backup...backup never showed...heard him go into the building...we followed," she shrugged as if she didn't know how to continue. Rylee motioned toward the trauma room. She seemed a million miles away. "I didn't think this would happen," her voice was barely audible.
"You should have waited for backup," said a gruff male voice from behind them.
Rylee spun on her heels. "Excuse me?!"
"You heard me. You should have waited for backup, but no, you two hot headed glory hungry wannabe heroes had to go in alone!"
Faith just stared at the officer in disbelief. How could he come in here and say that to a fellow officer whose partner had been shot? Did this man have no conscience?
Rylee didn't take too kindly to the man's words. "We did wait for backup you son-of-a-bitch! We waited over half an hour! Where the hell were you?!"
He shrugged. "It was shift change. What did you expect?"
"Shift change?! Shift change! Your excuse for not getting there to back up two fellow officers is shift change?!"
He looked Rylee in the eye. "Well, that and the fact that you and Boscorelli don't rank so high on my list--" As the words came out of his mouth Rylee flew off the handle. She lunged at the man, and slammed him hard against the nurses' station.
"You fucking asshole! You were going to leave us high and dry cause you don't like us?!" she growled. "What the hell kind of cop are you?!" She grabbed him by the shirt and proceeded to slam him against the counter once more.
"Rylee. Rylee let him go," Faith tried to intervene.
"O'NEILL!" Swersky's voice filled the air.
Rylee loosed her grip on the officer. "You better pray my partner's all right!" She let go of his shirt, and walked away.
Swersky started to go after her, but Faith stopped him. "Come on Lieu. Giver her a chance to cool down."
He shook his head and bit his lip. His face was red with anger. He had warned her that if he ever saw her assault an officer again she was done. "She blew it this time Yokas."
Faith nodded. "Pure emotion Lieu. She's not thinking straight."
Swersky took a deep breath. "How is Boscorelli?"
******
Half an hour later Faith found Rylee in the nurses' lounge. "Hey," she said softly. "Bosco's doctor wants to talk to us." Rylee nodded wordlessly, and slowly followed Faith into the hallway where the doctor was waiting. "So how is he?"
"Officer Boscorelli is doing quite well. He has a concussion which we'll be keeping an eye on, and he has some pretty severe bruising to his chest from the impact of the bullet, and his back is bruised from the way he fell. His left lung is also slightly bruised, and he has a couple cracked ribs, he's going to be very sore, but other than that he is fine. Kevlar is a lifesaver."
"Is he awake?" Faith questioned.
"Not right now, but he did wake up briefly when we transferred him to a room. He basically just opened his eyes and then fell asleep."
"So he's going to be OK?"
"Yes," the doctor smiled. "He's going to be fine."
"May we go see him?"
He nodded. "But just to let you know, we have him hooked up to a heart monitor, and an oxygen mask. Not only because of the injuries he sustained, but also due to his history. We want to be prepared in the event that he wakes up and doesn't know where he is or what happened. Having the heart monitor and oxygen in place will help him if he has a panic attack."
Rylee shot daggers at the doctor, and spoke up for the first time. Her emotions were running hot and cold. First she would be mad, then sad then she'd go back to being mad. It was a vicious cycle, and unfortunately for the doctor he was on the receiving end of one of her bad moods. "He hasn't had a panic attack in ages! You doctors need to quit handling him like he's glass when he comes in here! He isn't going to break!"
The doctor looked shocked as he wasn't expecting an outburst like that. "He's going to need the oxygen anyway because of the injury to his lung, and the heart monitor is standard procedure when a patient has been unconscious," he explained in his defense.
"Then why bring up the panic attacks?!"
He put his hands up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."
Faith stepped in. "So can we see him now?"
"Room 215."
"Thank you." Faith guided Rylee down the hall by her elbow. "You OK?"
"Fine."
Faith knew that no one could be fine in a situation like this. Bosco was going to be OK, but it was still frightening when your partner and friend was shot in the line of duty. Add to that the words of dislike from the other cop, and it made for a mentally draining experience.
They quietly entered Bosco's hospital room, and found him just as they had been told; asleep and hooked up to oxygen and a heart monitor. He looked small and fragile against the sterile white of the hospital gown and linens, compared to how strong he looked in his bold blue police uniform.
Faith walked over to the bed, and placed a gentle kiss on her friend's forehead. "Hey Bos," she whispered then settled into the chair next to the bed. Careful not to disturb the IV in his hand she held onto his fingers.
Rylee sat on the large window ledge, and watched as Faith made their presence known to their unconscious friend. Inside Rylee wished that she were comfortable enough about her friendship with Bosco to kiss his forehead, and hold his hand, but after what happened tonight she wasn't even sure she should be here. So she just looked at Bosco from a distance almost afraid that if she got too close to him she would injure him more. That just seemed to be her luck.
Nurse Proctor entered the room carrying a plastic bag. "These are Bosco's things. I figured I'd bring them up her cause I know one of the first questions out of his mouth when he wakes up is going to be 'where's my gun?'"
Faith chuckled at the nurse's impersonation of Bosco. She took the bag from her. "Thanks Mary."
The nurse smiled warmly at Rylee. "Just let us know if you need anything." Rylee continued to look at Bosco with an absent look on her face. Proctor frowned.
"We will," replied Faith. When Proctor left Faith opened the plastic bag that held Bosco's belongings. She placed his gun and badge on the bedside table. She continued to go through his things to make sure that all of his uniform was there. Faith knew Bosco would have a fit if any of his things were lost and he had to purchase them again. As she went through the bag and folded his clothes she found something at the bottom that made her smile. It was the St. Michael's medallion she had given to him the first day Bosco had started working with Rylee. She shook her head in disbelief. Faith couldn't believe that he had been wearing the necklace. It made her feel good knowing that he didn't resent her for taking the sergeant position.
*****
It was over an hour later, Bosco was still asleep and Faith and Rylee were still keeping their silent vigil. Fred had stopped by earlier to check on Faith, and somehow someone had gotten a hold of Johnny and he had called to let Rylee know that he would take care of Trevor for the night. Rylee hadn't said a word on the phone. In fact she hadn't said anything in the last hour or so.
Faith absently traced Bosco's hand with her index finger. She looked over at Rylee who was still staring at her sleeping partner. Not knowing what exactly to do she put a smile on her face. "He's going to be fine Rylee."
Rylee nodded slowly. "I know," came her hoarse response. A moment passed before she spoke again. "I'm sorry," she said softly, her voice full of emotion.
"What?"
"I let this happen. I should have stopped it from happening."
"You didn't know Rylee. How could you stop it when you didn't know?!"
"I should have waited for backup. I should have thought it through."
"You reacted. It was instinct. Besides, you couldn't have known."
"But I should have."
"But you couldn't."
"But I should have!!"
Faith shook her head. Getting through to Rylee was about as easy as getting through to Bosco. "Rylee you have to stop beating yourself up. OK, so maybe you messed up, but Bosco's going to be fine. You have to let it go."
"I can't." She pulled her knees up to her chest, and turned to stare out the window. "This is too much like the last time," she whispered.
"Last time?" Faith didn't understand.
"The night Johnny got shot."
Faith knew there was something Rylee needed to get off her chest. She didn't want Rylee to keep it to herself any longer, so she approached the subject with caution. "What happened," she asked gently.
Rylee looked over at Faith, and noticed the look of concern on her friend's face. She needed to unload the burden after what had happened tonight because it had triggered all the old memories again. Once again she stared out the window. She took a deep, calming breath to gain control of her emotions.
"It was a little after nine o'clock on a Monday night," she started slowly. "Johnny always hated Mondays." She grinned briefly as she thought of her former partner. "We got a call about a DUI in our sector, and we were getting ready to pull the guy over when he swerved and slammed into a mini van." Rylee paused.
Faith momentarily took her eyes off of Rylee as she felt Bosco weakly squeeze her hand. He was awake and looking at her with confused eyes. She put her finger to her lips indicating for him to stay quiet, and listen. She looked back at Rylee when she continued.
"The driver hopped out of the car and took off. We hurried over to the van. I remember the blood. There was so much blood," her voice wavered slightly and she wiped at her eyes. She continued to stare outside. "The man and woman were both dead, but there was a little boy in the backseat. He was alive, and instantly I thought of the drunk driver who killed the O'Neills and left Trevor without parents. I was furious, and I lost it. I went after the guy without thinking." She sighed. "Everything's pretty much a blur after that. I remember a dark building, Johnny trying to talk sense into me, then the gunshots and Johnny hitting the floor. The guy was so loaded on drugs and alcohol he had just started firing." She hung her head. "Johnny was in so much pain. There was so much blood." She shook the images from her mind. "That's when Johnny left the force and I came to the fifty-fifth. I promised myself I'd never do something that half-cocked again...but tonight...when I heard that Doyle might have been drunk...I lost it. Bosco tried to talk some sense into me, but I wouldn't listen," her voice sounded tormented. "I could have gotten him killed tonight."
Bosco squeezed Faith's hand as hard as he could. Faith knew what he wanted her to say. "But you didn't. He's alive. He's OK."
"But he could have----"
"No buts Rylee. We all have times when we go off when we're reminded of such horrible things. It happens, but you have to find a way to deal with it and move on."
"I don't know if I can. Not after tonight. I can't risk doing this to Reese again," she choked out.
Bosco squeezed Faith's hand again, and she looked down at him. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to say something. Faith watched as he reached up with a shaky hand to try and remove the oxygen mask that covered his nose and mouth. Bosco winced as he moved his arm, the pain from his bruised body causing him to drop his hand back down. He looked determined to give the movement another try, but Faith shook her head.
"Rylee," Faith said softly as she watched Bosco.
"Yeah?" she asked, her head still turned away.
"Come here for a sec."
Rylee slowly shuffled over to the bed, and noticed Bosco's eyes were open. She looked at Faith. "How much did he hear?"
Faith smiled softly. "Every word." She stood up and patted Bosco's shoulder. "I'll be back in a little while."
Bosco slowly lifted his hand about an inch. Rylee took the hint, and took his hand in hers. Rylee looked deep into her friend's eyes and saw the sadness and concern. Bosco could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes.
She closed her eyes for a moment. Bosco's eyes had always made her give in. Even when they were kids he could just look into her eyes and she would crack. It was as if his expressive eyes were the key that unlocked her feelings.
When she opened her eyes he was still looking at her. She squeezed his hand. "Reese I'm sorry. For tonight, the broken birthday promise, for everything. I'm sorry."
His eyes smiled at her, and with that simple expression a huge weight was lifted from her. She leaned over, and placed a kiss on his forehead.
*****
31 DAYS LATER 2:30PM
Bosco burst into the locker room. "Outta my way!"
"Geez, why so cranky? It's your first day back on full duty. I thought you'd be happy," joked Faith from where she stood at her locker.
"Well I would be if I hadn't spent the entire day on the phone with the damn credit card company! I paid off that stupid card over a month ago and those jag-offs say I still owe them two hundred dollars!"
"That'd be enough to piss me off," Rylee commented from where she was changing into her civvies. She walked over to him, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome back Reese."
"Thanks. How you doin'?"
"Good now that the thirty days with no pay suspension Swersky gave me is over."
"It could have been worse," Faith reminded her.
"Oh I know. I'm not complaining."
Bosco turned to the officer sitting next to him on the bench. "So how was your first day back," he asked as he buttoned up his uniform shirt.
"Well I'm a little rusty. Been a long time since I worked days," chuckled Johnny. "But it's good to be back on the force."
"I hear ya," smiled Faith. "Come on Bos. We don't want to be late for roll call."
Bosco followed his partner to the door, but stopped to face his former partner and her new partner. "See Ry, things worked out."
Rylee looked at Johnny then back at Bosco. "Yeah Reese they sure did." She pulled on her jacket. "You and Faith be safe out there today."
He smiled at his friend. "Promise."
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Well folks I hope you liked it. Sorry it took me forever to complete! Also I left the whole Doyle thing untouched in this chapter on purpose....who knows maybe I'll revisit it someday :)