TITLE: THE REPLACEMENT
AUTHOR: MINN
DISCLAIMER: I don't own nothin' - mores the pity - just playing. No character was really harmed during the typing of this nonsense. The creators of Third Watch are, of course, gods. (But if you ever do get stuck for ideas, guys, gimme a call...HAH!)
CHEERS! to all the kind folks who said such nice things about my maiden outing "Grace". Just remember, if you encourage me, you'll NEVER get rid of me...
EXPLAINATION: This wasn't HALF as much fun to write as Grace was, so don't feel too bad if you find yourself not liking it. Consider this as back-story - the journey to Grace, if you like. But be patient. Nothing in the Minn-verse ever happens quickly...
*********
PART TWO
The others were dubious about the plan, but their faith in Manny was such that they chose, in the main, not to question it.
Bob, Rita, Little D, Byron, Angus, Partridge and Meredith were either too disinterested, or self concerned, or just plain ditzy to be bothered. They had a new friend, a new ally, and as far as they were concerned questions of past and identity were irrelevant.
Lockey, however, was another story.
Manny and Lockey sat by the old furnace that night after everyone else had retired to bed. After some long moments of silence Lockey leaned forward and fixed the older man with a sharp stare.
"What's this all about Manny?"
"What's what all about?"
Lockey's face darkened. "Don't play dumb with an old con like me, schoolteacher. You got me to lie like a flat fish to a houseful of NYPD that old Bob told me he saw two shitbags dumping her body into the river. I wanna know why."
Manny stared into the flames of the small fire. "This one has heart," he murmured.
"This one probably has family, Manny!"
"Keep your voice down," the old man whispered harshly. "She doesn't remember her life. We can keep her till she does...if she does..."
"Keep her?! She's not a frikkin' stray dog!" Lockey snarled. "She's probably someone's wife and mother! They'll be needin' her..."
"We need her more."
Lockey regarded Manfred with a deepening frown. "What's that s'posed to mean?"
"I'm not going to be around forever..."
Lockey was incredulous. "You want her to replace you?!"
"A ship needs a Captain," Manny said quietly.
Lockey threw himself back in the chair he sat in and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "You've been hangin' round these fruit cakes way too long old man. You've finally gone round the bend yourself."
Manny shook his head slowly. "Think what you like Lockey - just keep your mouth shut. If she asks about her past, just tell her you don't know anything, she just turned up one day."
"And what happens when she gets her memory back?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Manny replied.
"WE'LL cross the bridge?" Lockey hissed. " No way. YOU'LL cross the god damn bridge Manny - and you'll do it alone."
------
"We thought we'd lost them."
In the long silence that followed Bosco carefully scrutinised the faces of his superior officers, looking for any clues as to their thoughts.
He noticed the Captain tapping a pen on the report Bosco had written about the incident upon his discharge from hospital.
"Go on Boscorelli," said Swerskey patiently.
"It happened fast. One minute I'm standing there, the next I get clubbed from behind - never heard a thing. I couldn't so much as see straight, let alone..."
He let the sentence hang hopelessly on the air.
"Is that when you were relieved of your weapons?"
Bosco fixed the Captain with a steady, unimpressed gaze. "Yeah, I guess. I was too out of it to know much."
"And Officer Yokas?"
As surely as if she were in the room with them he heard her shout his name. He remembered looking up, groggy and disoriented, only to see her felled by a blow to her head courtesy of a pipe wielding teenager, one of two they'd been tracking for who knew how many city blocks. They moved so fast, so quietly, like ghosts...
Faith had hit the ground so hard, lain so still. In his attempt to get to her he had been set upon again.
"I must have blacked out," he murmured. The last clear image he had of Faith was seeing her jacket being stripped from her limp body.
"A witness spoken to..." Swerskey began only to have Bosco sharply interrupt him.
"There was a witness?"
"An elderly man..."
"What'd he see?" Bosco's innate intensity, never a comfortable thing to be around anyway, positively engulfed every square inch of the small room in which they sat.
"He says he saw the suspects put Yokas in the squad and drive away," the Captain answered him patiently.
"That's it?"
"That's all," the Captain replied.
"Another witness came forward three days ago claiming an old drunk he knows told him he saw two teens dumping an officer's body into the river not far from where they found the squad," Swerskey continued. "We're trying to verify the man's statement now."
"They don't know she was dead," said Bosco quickly.
"We don't know if she was alive either." Lieu's tone had a chilling finality to it.
"If Yokas survived the blow to her head but was unconscious at the time she was dumped into the river, there's every likelihood she would have drowned," the Captain said grimly.
Bosco was staring at the table like it was a suspect.
"I don't believe this," he murmured.
"Dive teams have combed the river..."
"Maybe she's not in the river to find," said Bosco quickly.
A jaded but not unsympathetic silence greeted the statement.
"It's been five days, Boscorelli, and in that time the whole area has been searched thoroughly. There's no sign," the Captain answered. "Now, that could be a good thing, or it could just mean we're looking in the wrong place."
Swerskey leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table in front of him.
"Bosco, you know as well as I do," he said softly, "that Faith's first priority, if she survived and was capable of doing so, would be to make contact with her family. She hasn't."
Bosco continued to stare at the table, his fists clenched tightly in front of him.
"There's nothing I can add to my report," he said stiffly. "Can I go now?"
"We want you to see someone about this Boscorelli."
"Counselling? Sure Lieu. Anything you say. Can I go?"
Swerskey eyed him sceptically. "Make sure you..."
Bosco was already on his way out the door.
********************** TBC
AUTHOR: MINN
DISCLAIMER: I don't own nothin' - mores the pity - just playing. No character was really harmed during the typing of this nonsense. The creators of Third Watch are, of course, gods. (But if you ever do get stuck for ideas, guys, gimme a call...HAH!)
CHEERS! to all the kind folks who said such nice things about my maiden outing "Grace". Just remember, if you encourage me, you'll NEVER get rid of me...
EXPLAINATION: This wasn't HALF as much fun to write as Grace was, so don't feel too bad if you find yourself not liking it. Consider this as back-story - the journey to Grace, if you like. But be patient. Nothing in the Minn-verse ever happens quickly...
*********
PART TWO
The others were dubious about the plan, but their faith in Manny was such that they chose, in the main, not to question it.
Bob, Rita, Little D, Byron, Angus, Partridge and Meredith were either too disinterested, or self concerned, or just plain ditzy to be bothered. They had a new friend, a new ally, and as far as they were concerned questions of past and identity were irrelevant.
Lockey, however, was another story.
Manny and Lockey sat by the old furnace that night after everyone else had retired to bed. After some long moments of silence Lockey leaned forward and fixed the older man with a sharp stare.
"What's this all about Manny?"
"What's what all about?"
Lockey's face darkened. "Don't play dumb with an old con like me, schoolteacher. You got me to lie like a flat fish to a houseful of NYPD that old Bob told me he saw two shitbags dumping her body into the river. I wanna know why."
Manny stared into the flames of the small fire. "This one has heart," he murmured.
"This one probably has family, Manny!"
"Keep your voice down," the old man whispered harshly. "She doesn't remember her life. We can keep her till she does...if she does..."
"Keep her?! She's not a frikkin' stray dog!" Lockey snarled. "She's probably someone's wife and mother! They'll be needin' her..."
"We need her more."
Lockey regarded Manfred with a deepening frown. "What's that s'posed to mean?"
"I'm not going to be around forever..."
Lockey was incredulous. "You want her to replace you?!"
"A ship needs a Captain," Manny said quietly.
Lockey threw himself back in the chair he sat in and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "You've been hangin' round these fruit cakes way too long old man. You've finally gone round the bend yourself."
Manny shook his head slowly. "Think what you like Lockey - just keep your mouth shut. If she asks about her past, just tell her you don't know anything, she just turned up one day."
"And what happens when she gets her memory back?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Manny replied.
"WE'LL cross the bridge?" Lockey hissed. " No way. YOU'LL cross the god damn bridge Manny - and you'll do it alone."
------
"We thought we'd lost them."
In the long silence that followed Bosco carefully scrutinised the faces of his superior officers, looking for any clues as to their thoughts.
He noticed the Captain tapping a pen on the report Bosco had written about the incident upon his discharge from hospital.
"Go on Boscorelli," said Swerskey patiently.
"It happened fast. One minute I'm standing there, the next I get clubbed from behind - never heard a thing. I couldn't so much as see straight, let alone..."
He let the sentence hang hopelessly on the air.
"Is that when you were relieved of your weapons?"
Bosco fixed the Captain with a steady, unimpressed gaze. "Yeah, I guess. I was too out of it to know much."
"And Officer Yokas?"
As surely as if she were in the room with them he heard her shout his name. He remembered looking up, groggy and disoriented, only to see her felled by a blow to her head courtesy of a pipe wielding teenager, one of two they'd been tracking for who knew how many city blocks. They moved so fast, so quietly, like ghosts...
Faith had hit the ground so hard, lain so still. In his attempt to get to her he had been set upon again.
"I must have blacked out," he murmured. The last clear image he had of Faith was seeing her jacket being stripped from her limp body.
"A witness spoken to..." Swerskey began only to have Bosco sharply interrupt him.
"There was a witness?"
"An elderly man..."
"What'd he see?" Bosco's innate intensity, never a comfortable thing to be around anyway, positively engulfed every square inch of the small room in which they sat.
"He says he saw the suspects put Yokas in the squad and drive away," the Captain answered him patiently.
"That's it?"
"That's all," the Captain replied.
"Another witness came forward three days ago claiming an old drunk he knows told him he saw two teens dumping an officer's body into the river not far from where they found the squad," Swerskey continued. "We're trying to verify the man's statement now."
"They don't know she was dead," said Bosco quickly.
"We don't know if she was alive either." Lieu's tone had a chilling finality to it.
"If Yokas survived the blow to her head but was unconscious at the time she was dumped into the river, there's every likelihood she would have drowned," the Captain said grimly.
Bosco was staring at the table like it was a suspect.
"I don't believe this," he murmured.
"Dive teams have combed the river..."
"Maybe she's not in the river to find," said Bosco quickly.
A jaded but not unsympathetic silence greeted the statement.
"It's been five days, Boscorelli, and in that time the whole area has been searched thoroughly. There's no sign," the Captain answered. "Now, that could be a good thing, or it could just mean we're looking in the wrong place."
Swerskey leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table in front of him.
"Bosco, you know as well as I do," he said softly, "that Faith's first priority, if she survived and was capable of doing so, would be to make contact with her family. She hasn't."
Bosco continued to stare at the table, his fists clenched tightly in front of him.
"There's nothing I can add to my report," he said stiffly. "Can I go now?"
"We want you to see someone about this Boscorelli."
"Counselling? Sure Lieu. Anything you say. Can I go?"
Swerskey eyed him sceptically. "Make sure you..."
Bosco was already on his way out the door.
********************** TBC