The Witness
Chapter 10
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cole felt the warmth of a bright light on his face. He heard voices around him. He felt a weight on his body and couldn't for the life of him figure out where he was. He tried as hard as he could to open his eyes, but he was just too tired. He noticed a weird feeling also. "What was the feeling?" he thought to himself. He thought for a while, listening to the soothing sounds of the voices and feeling the warmth of the light. Finally, he realized what the feeling was. Something he hadn't remembered ever feeling. "This must be what it's like to feel safe," he thought to himself again.
He lay there a bit longer, lingering in the feeling of safety. He began to focus on what the voices were saying, trying to see if he could figure out the identity of the voices.
"So, what's that for?" he heard a man's voice ask.
"That's a cooling blanket. It'll help bring his fever down," the young woman's voice replied. "And this is some antibiotic to give him through his intravenous tubing to fight the infection."
"Uh huh. So he's gonna be okay then, right?" the man's voice asked again.
"I think so, but the doctor will be back in just a minute to talk to you," the woman replied again.
"Thanks," replied the man, sounding very tired. Cole thought he recognized the voice, but he just couldn't place it. He knew, however, that it wasn't a voice he should fear. This person, he felt, could be trusted. And then, he realized whom the voice belonged to. It was Officer Boscorelli's voice.
He remembered suddenly what he'd been through in the last few hours. He remembered Chenise coming in to talk to him in the dark. She'd come to warn him that Raven knew where he was and that he was sending someone to take care of him. She said she'd tried to tell him that Cole wouldn't talk to anyone, but that he said he couldn't take the chance. And then she left just as quickly as she came. He remembered back to his night's journey.
############
Cole couldn't believe how easy it was for him to sneak out. But, after a couple of hours outside in the cold, he realized that he was in no shape to be up and around, let alone in 30 degree weather with only a pair of hospital scrubs on. The reason he'd been able to escape so easily was because no one figured he'd even have strength enough to try.
He glanced down at the card in his hand. On it was the name of the cop that had been coming to see him almost every day. He was the only one that didn't push him for information. He seemed to genuinely care about him. Him and that woman he always brought with him. "What was her name?" he thought to himself. "Oh yeah, Katy, Katy Logan, that's it," he remembered. He read the address of the 55th Precinct off the card and slowly made his way there. He'd had to stop and rest more than once, finally reaching the station at about 11:00 p.m. He sat across the street in a darkened doorway - at least it was some protection from the wind - and waited to see the officer go in or out of the station.
He didn't realize he'd dozed off until he heard a voice from the firehouse across the street call over, "Hey Boscorelli! We're going to Haggerty's. You coming?"
Cole looked around, finally catching site of the officer coming down the steps of the stationhouse. He listened to hear his response, saying to himself, "Please go home. Please go home."
Bosco yelled back to the man at the firehouse. "Thanks, Jimmy. But, I'm beat. I'm heading home. Maybe tomorrow." The man acknowledged his reply and turned to return to the firehouse.
Cole got up off the steps and, while staying in the shadows, started to follow Bosco as he drove home. Luckily, the lights were with Cole and he was able to catch up at each block until he followed him to a parking lot. He hung back in the shadows and waited for the officer to get out of his car and enter the building. The door to the apartment building was slow to close and Cole was able to catch it before it closed and locked. He looked on the directory inside the lobby and found Officer Boscorelli's apartment. He climbed the stairs quietly, feeling weaker and weaker. By the time he got to the third floor, he was lightheaded and sweating. He made it to the door and sat down in the doorway to rest.
And now, he was here - wherever that was - and the man was with him.
##############
He focused again on the conversation between Officer Boscorelli and another man and listened closely.
"Well, Bosco. I'm surprised he made it as far as you say he did. I guess that's determination for you. We're gonna keep him in here overnight, but I suspect that he'll be well enough to transfer over to the jail ward in the morning. I can't imagine that the Detective I saw pacing in the hallway is gonna take a chance on him getting away again...." The man broke off as Cole heard some unusual beeping sounds.
"What's that, Doc?" asked Officer Boscorelli.
"That's his heart monitor. His heart rate is rising. He seems agitated. See how restless he is. He must be starting to wake up," said the man that Cole now knew was the doctor.
"Easy, Son," the doctor tried to soothe him. "You're back at Angel of Mercy and you're in the Emergency Room. You're going to be just fine, you just need to calm down and rest," the doctor continued to no avail.
He felt another hand on his shoulder and then a voice he recognized. "Cole. You're okay. Just relax. It's Officer Boscorelli and I'm here with you. Just relax. I'm not going anywhere," Bosco said, as the boy began to calm down.
"Well, it looks like you've got this under control, Bosco. I've got a couple of other patients to see so I'll leave you to it," the doctor said, leaving the room.
"Okay, Cole. It's just you and me now. You need to just relax. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he said as he stood next to Cole's bed and looked up as Katy walked in the room with some fresh coffee.
Slowly, Cole tried and succeeded in opening his eyes. He focused in on the room and realized that the light was from the overhead light and the heaviness on his body was the blanket. He shivered slightly and looked over at Bosco.
"Hey, Cole. Welcome back," said Bosco with a smile. Cole noticed how tired he looked.
"Can't go to jail," Cole managed to get out. "They'll kill me," he said.
"Who, Cole? Who'll kill you?" Bosco asked him, trying to keep Cole awake long enough to get some answers. Bosco looked up as the monitors began showing an elevated heart rate again.
"Cole, you're going to the hospital ward in the jail. You'll be isolated from everyone else. No one will be able to get to you, but you've gotta let me help you. That's why you showed up at my door tonight, right? You want me to help you? Well, I want to help you. Let me help you, Cole," Bosco said as Cole drifted to sleep again.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Katy and Bosco were still sitting in Cole's room. Bosco was dozing in the chair next to Cole's bed as Katy was doing some paperwork. She looked over at her friend and watched him sleep for a moment. He opened his eyes and caught her looking at him and sat up.
"What? Is he awake again?" he asked, shaking the sleep from his brain.
"No," Katy said, shushing him. "But you had a nice little nap," she added smugly.
"Yeah. I didn't drool or anything, did I?" he asked, self-conscious at falling asleep with her there.
"Well, I wiped it off your chin twice," she said, joking with him.
"Very funny. What're we gonna do about him?" Bosco asked, looking over at Cole. "He's scared to death that someone's gonna get to him. So scared that he's still not talking," Bosco said.
"Well, he came to you. That's a start. We'll just have to work on gaining the rest of his trust," Katy said, standing up. "I've got a couple of court cases today, so I've gotta head home to shower and change," she said, as Bosco stood up and walked over to her.
"Okay. I'm not working today, so I'll hang here until he wakes up again. I talked Thompson into not moving him until he wakes up and I can talk to him again," Bosco said. "Thanks for hanging around here with me tonight," he said to her, putting a hand on her elbow.
"Thanks for letting me," she replied. "I'll call you later to see how things go. If something else happens and you need me, page me and I'll call you right back," Katy said, looking back at Cole again.
"Will do," he said, and they stood together in awkward silence for a moment.
Finally, Katy said, "Has anyone ever told you what a great guy you really are?" She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, catching him off guard.
"Thanks," he said, blushing slightly. "I'll call you later. Drive carefully."
"Will do," she said, turning to grab her briefcase and walking out the door.
Bosco watched her go and then turned back to Cole. "What do I have to do to gain your trust?" he thought to himself as he walked back over and sat down again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 10
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cole felt the warmth of a bright light on his face. He heard voices around him. He felt a weight on his body and couldn't for the life of him figure out where he was. He tried as hard as he could to open his eyes, but he was just too tired. He noticed a weird feeling also. "What was the feeling?" he thought to himself. He thought for a while, listening to the soothing sounds of the voices and feeling the warmth of the light. Finally, he realized what the feeling was. Something he hadn't remembered ever feeling. "This must be what it's like to feel safe," he thought to himself again.
He lay there a bit longer, lingering in the feeling of safety. He began to focus on what the voices were saying, trying to see if he could figure out the identity of the voices.
"So, what's that for?" he heard a man's voice ask.
"That's a cooling blanket. It'll help bring his fever down," the young woman's voice replied. "And this is some antibiotic to give him through his intravenous tubing to fight the infection."
"Uh huh. So he's gonna be okay then, right?" the man's voice asked again.
"I think so, but the doctor will be back in just a minute to talk to you," the woman replied again.
"Thanks," replied the man, sounding very tired. Cole thought he recognized the voice, but he just couldn't place it. He knew, however, that it wasn't a voice he should fear. This person, he felt, could be trusted. And then, he realized whom the voice belonged to. It was Officer Boscorelli's voice.
He remembered suddenly what he'd been through in the last few hours. He remembered Chenise coming in to talk to him in the dark. She'd come to warn him that Raven knew where he was and that he was sending someone to take care of him. She said she'd tried to tell him that Cole wouldn't talk to anyone, but that he said he couldn't take the chance. And then she left just as quickly as she came. He remembered back to his night's journey.
############
Cole couldn't believe how easy it was for him to sneak out. But, after a couple of hours outside in the cold, he realized that he was in no shape to be up and around, let alone in 30 degree weather with only a pair of hospital scrubs on. The reason he'd been able to escape so easily was because no one figured he'd even have strength enough to try.
He glanced down at the card in his hand. On it was the name of the cop that had been coming to see him almost every day. He was the only one that didn't push him for information. He seemed to genuinely care about him. Him and that woman he always brought with him. "What was her name?" he thought to himself. "Oh yeah, Katy, Katy Logan, that's it," he remembered. He read the address of the 55th Precinct off the card and slowly made his way there. He'd had to stop and rest more than once, finally reaching the station at about 11:00 p.m. He sat across the street in a darkened doorway - at least it was some protection from the wind - and waited to see the officer go in or out of the station.
He didn't realize he'd dozed off until he heard a voice from the firehouse across the street call over, "Hey Boscorelli! We're going to Haggerty's. You coming?"
Cole looked around, finally catching site of the officer coming down the steps of the stationhouse. He listened to hear his response, saying to himself, "Please go home. Please go home."
Bosco yelled back to the man at the firehouse. "Thanks, Jimmy. But, I'm beat. I'm heading home. Maybe tomorrow." The man acknowledged his reply and turned to return to the firehouse.
Cole got up off the steps and, while staying in the shadows, started to follow Bosco as he drove home. Luckily, the lights were with Cole and he was able to catch up at each block until he followed him to a parking lot. He hung back in the shadows and waited for the officer to get out of his car and enter the building. The door to the apartment building was slow to close and Cole was able to catch it before it closed and locked. He looked on the directory inside the lobby and found Officer Boscorelli's apartment. He climbed the stairs quietly, feeling weaker and weaker. By the time he got to the third floor, he was lightheaded and sweating. He made it to the door and sat down in the doorway to rest.
And now, he was here - wherever that was - and the man was with him.
##############
He focused again on the conversation between Officer Boscorelli and another man and listened closely.
"Well, Bosco. I'm surprised he made it as far as you say he did. I guess that's determination for you. We're gonna keep him in here overnight, but I suspect that he'll be well enough to transfer over to the jail ward in the morning. I can't imagine that the Detective I saw pacing in the hallway is gonna take a chance on him getting away again...." The man broke off as Cole heard some unusual beeping sounds.
"What's that, Doc?" asked Officer Boscorelli.
"That's his heart monitor. His heart rate is rising. He seems agitated. See how restless he is. He must be starting to wake up," said the man that Cole now knew was the doctor.
"Easy, Son," the doctor tried to soothe him. "You're back at Angel of Mercy and you're in the Emergency Room. You're going to be just fine, you just need to calm down and rest," the doctor continued to no avail.
He felt another hand on his shoulder and then a voice he recognized. "Cole. You're okay. Just relax. It's Officer Boscorelli and I'm here with you. Just relax. I'm not going anywhere," Bosco said, as the boy began to calm down.
"Well, it looks like you've got this under control, Bosco. I've got a couple of other patients to see so I'll leave you to it," the doctor said, leaving the room.
"Okay, Cole. It's just you and me now. You need to just relax. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he said as he stood next to Cole's bed and looked up as Katy walked in the room with some fresh coffee.
Slowly, Cole tried and succeeded in opening his eyes. He focused in on the room and realized that the light was from the overhead light and the heaviness on his body was the blanket. He shivered slightly and looked over at Bosco.
"Hey, Cole. Welcome back," said Bosco with a smile. Cole noticed how tired he looked.
"Can't go to jail," Cole managed to get out. "They'll kill me," he said.
"Who, Cole? Who'll kill you?" Bosco asked him, trying to keep Cole awake long enough to get some answers. Bosco looked up as the monitors began showing an elevated heart rate again.
"Cole, you're going to the hospital ward in the jail. You'll be isolated from everyone else. No one will be able to get to you, but you've gotta let me help you. That's why you showed up at my door tonight, right? You want me to help you? Well, I want to help you. Let me help you, Cole," Bosco said as Cole drifted to sleep again.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Katy and Bosco were still sitting in Cole's room. Bosco was dozing in the chair next to Cole's bed as Katy was doing some paperwork. She looked over at her friend and watched him sleep for a moment. He opened his eyes and caught her looking at him and sat up.
"What? Is he awake again?" he asked, shaking the sleep from his brain.
"No," Katy said, shushing him. "But you had a nice little nap," she added smugly.
"Yeah. I didn't drool or anything, did I?" he asked, self-conscious at falling asleep with her there.
"Well, I wiped it off your chin twice," she said, joking with him.
"Very funny. What're we gonna do about him?" Bosco asked, looking over at Cole. "He's scared to death that someone's gonna get to him. So scared that he's still not talking," Bosco said.
"Well, he came to you. That's a start. We'll just have to work on gaining the rest of his trust," Katy said, standing up. "I've got a couple of court cases today, so I've gotta head home to shower and change," she said, as Bosco stood up and walked over to her.
"Okay. I'm not working today, so I'll hang here until he wakes up again. I talked Thompson into not moving him until he wakes up and I can talk to him again," Bosco said. "Thanks for hanging around here with me tonight," he said to her, putting a hand on her elbow.
"Thanks for letting me," she replied. "I'll call you later to see how things go. If something else happens and you need me, page me and I'll call you right back," Katy said, looking back at Cole again.
"Will do," he said, and they stood together in awkward silence for a moment.
Finally, Katy said, "Has anyone ever told you what a great guy you really are?" She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, catching him off guard.
"Thanks," he said, blushing slightly. "I'll call you later. Drive carefully."
"Will do," she said, turning to grab her briefcase and walking out the door.
Bosco watched her go and then turned back to Cole. "What do I have to do to gain your trust?" he thought to himself as he walked back over and sat down again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...