The Witness
Chapter 13
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"Thanks for coming with me, Faith. Katy had a custody case to testify at and I didn't want this to wait," Bosco said, looking over at Faith in the passenger seat.
"No problem, Bos. Emily's at her friends house for the weekend and Fred took Charlie camping - not my thing," she said, making a face of disgust.
"I just didn't want to drag you into the middle of something you didn't want to be in," Bosco said, squinting as the sun came out from behind a cloud. He flipped his sun visor down.
"It's a beautiful day for a drive anyway. And if I didn't want to be involved, I'd have said no," she said matter of factly.
"Yeah, right. Like you ever say 'no' to anyone," he teased her.
"Yeah, well. Anyway, did they say what may be causing Cole's outbursts?" she asked him referring to the phone call he received from the rehab center saying that Cole had had a couple of altercations over the last couple of days.
"No. I hope it's nothing major. He seemed to be getting along so well until now. I was going to tell him about being his guardian, but I guess I'll wait to see what's going on first," he said. "Here we are," he told her as he turned off the highway onto a side road.
"It's beautiful up here," she said, noticing all the trees and then the landscaping as they approached the facility. She read the sign as they entered the lot, "Shady Haven." "Corny, but most of the names of these places were. As long as the care and treatment are good, who cares," Faith thought to herself.
"Yeah, I know. I hate the name too," Bosco said with a smile, reading her mind. She laughed as Bosco maneuvered into a parking space.
They both got out and walked toward the entrance. As they entered Faith said, "Maybe I should wait here until you talk to him. You know, don't want him to think we're ganging up on him," she reasoned.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll be quick," he said as he went to the desk and signed in. Faith walked over to the lounge area and looked through the magazines. She watched as Bosco clipped the visitors tag to his jacket and followed the woman down the hallway.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Bosco was led to Cole out on the patio at one of the picnic tables. He was reading a book, the sun shining on him. He looked up at the sound of someone approaching and saw Bosco.
"They told me that they called you," he said in an angry tone.
"Yeah? Well, I was coming up today anyway, remember? So don't think I'm coming just because of that," Bosco said to him, wondering what he'd done to deserve Cole's angry tone.
Cole didn't reply, but went back to his book. Bosco took a seat at the table across from him. "So, what's going on? You look great. You got a good tan going there," he said, making small talk to draw him out.
"Nothing much. Yeah, not much to do here besides get analyzed and soak up the sun," he said sarcastically.
"Cole. What's the problem? Is someone here giving you crap?" Bosco asked gently.
"You have no idea. You're living your life. You get up every day with a purpose and go and do your job. You get a paycheck and come home every night and do whatever it is that you want to do. So, don't even pretend like you can understand," he said, his words full of frustration.
Bosco nodded and took a deep breath. "You get up every day with a purpose too, Cole. Remember? To get well and to be able to come back and live your life and do whatever it is that YOU want to do. As far as getting a paycheck, you earn money here with the jobs they give you. You get to use it, right?" he asked him.
"Where!?" Cole yelled at him. "It's not like I can go to a store or anything. I'm stuck here, 24-7, with no one to talk to until you come up. And, I know you can't come up every weekend. I know that, but I can't stand being here anymore. I need to get out of here!" he said, drawing some attention from the staff.
Bosco looked at the staff and indicated that everything was okay. "Look, Cole. I understand. I really do, but you need to work on getting better. How about if I talk to your doctor about going out tonight for dinner. They allow some outpatient time, right?" he said.
Cole shrugged. "Faith's with me. She wanted to come with me and see you today. She's out in the lobby. Want to go find her with me?" he said. Cole nodded and the two stood up and walked down the hallway.
"The doctor told me last time that you're doing really well. You just need to hang in there and work a little longer and you'll be able to come home," Bosco encouraged him.
"It's just hard. Sometimes I think jail would have been better. I'd probably be out by now," he said, a catch in his voice.
"Out where, Cole? Back on the streets? You saw where that landed you. There's people that want to help you. People like me," Bosco said as they reached the lobby where Faith was. "Why don't you visit with Faith for a little bit. I'm gonna see if I can talk to your doctor about tonight, okay?" Cole nodded as Faith walked over to him. Bosco told her what he was going to do and Cole and Faith headed back toward the courtyard.
Bosco went over to the desk and talked to the woman about seeing Cole's doctor. She picked up the phone, made a call and told Bosco he could go down the hallway on the left to Dr. Hanson's office.
"Thanks," Bosco said, heading off down the hallway.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"So, Doctor Hanson, how is Cole doing? He seems a little down to me," Bosco said.
"Well, Officer Boscorelli..," he started as Bosco interrupted him.
"I'm not here as Officer Boscorelli, Doc. I'm here as Maurice Boscorelli, Bosco, friend of Cole Taylor," he said.
"Very well, Mr. Boscorelli. Cole had been making some great progress, but he seems to have fallen into some kind of a depression. I'm not sure what's causing it, but I'm working on it. From what I can tell, he feels abandoned. It's different than living on the streets. He feels like he's been put here and left. Sure, he knows you come up as often as you can, but it's not like he can go and see you whenever he feels like it. He can't just come and go like he's done for as long as he can remember. It's causing him to act out - which explains the last couple of incidents. But, while I can understand his feelings, I can't let him act out. It's detrimental to both his treatment as well as to those around him," the doctor explained.
"I understand. Do you think it'd be better if he came back with me? I've filed to be his legal guardian. I'm ready to take on the responsibility of his care and well being," Bosco told the doctor.
He nodded. "Yes, I just received the paperwork on that and I'm glad that you're doing that. Have you discussed it with him yet?"
"I was planning on doing that today, but after talking to him, I wanted to talk to you about it first. My sense is that he feels like he's a prisoner here and that's the last thing I wanted for him. I want him to feel like we're trying to help him. You know, get him off on the right foot to being able to live by himself and earn a living. I was wondering if it would be possible for me and my partner, Faith Yokas, to take him to town for dinner tonight. Just a quick dinner and then back here. I was planning on talking to him about coming to stay with me when he's discharged from here at dinner. Is that possible?" Bosco asked the doctor.
The doctor thought for a moment and finally said, "I don't see a problem with that. As long as it isn't too long of an outing. Just dinner and then back here. And, if you notice him getting upset about what you're going to tell him, stop and come back right away. We don't want to wreck any progress we've made in his treatment. And, of course, no alcohol - that means for you or your partner either," he warned.
"Absolutely. We'll make it a quick, quiet night. Thanks, Doc," Bosco said, standing up and shaking the doctor's hand. "Any idea how much longer he'll have to stay here?" he added.
"He's close, Maurice. He's very close. We just have to keep a close eye on him," the doctor said.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Cole seemed to be in a little better mood since Bosco had told him that he had permission to take him off the grounds for dinner. "So, what do you want to eat?" Bosco asked him. "What kinds of food do you miss the most?"
"Hmmmm. Let me think. Pizza! That's it. I haven't had a decent pizza since I've been here," Cole said.
"Pizza!? That's it? Very glamerous," Faith teased him, causing the first smile they'd seen from Cole all day.
"Pizza it is!" Bosco announced as they finished signing him out on a pass and headed to Bosco's car. Faith climbed into the back to allow Cole to take in the fresh air and scenery. They drove into town and found a nice Italian restaurant to eat at that boasted authentic New York City-style pizza.
"We'll be the judge of that, right?" Bosco said to Cole.
"Fuggettaboutit," Cole joked in the thickest Brooklyn accent he could muster. All three chuckled as they headed in to get a table.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They'd had a nice dinner and were just finishing up dessert when Bosco said, "Cole, there's something I wanted to talk to you about today. I talked to your doctor and he said that it'd be a good time to talk about it." Bosco fiddled with the fork on the table until Faith nudged him under the table to get him going again.
"This sounds serious," Cole said, getting a little nervous.
"It's really a good thing, Cole," Faith said happily. "At least I think so. I hope you will too."
Bosco cleared his throat and decided to dive right in. "I've filed to become your legal guardian, Cole," he said, looking to try and read Cole's reaction. He saw a frown form on his forehead.
"You did what?!" Cole said a little loudly.
"I want you to come and stay with me when you get out of Shady Haven. I want to be your legal guardian," Bosco repeated.
"I don't need a guardian. I've taken care of myself for a long time and I'll continue to," Cole said, standing up to leave.
"Cole," Bosco said as he and Faith stood up also. Bosco threw money down on the table to cover the bill and the three walked out to Bosco's car.
"Cole. They're not gonna let you just walk out of here and go on your merry way. You're a minor. You're only 15 years old. And, you're a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. Now, I don't want to hang that over your head, but how long do you think you can take the pressure of living on your own before you revert back to that life?" Bosco said, regretting it as soon as he'd said it. Cole bolted and started running.
"Dammit!" Bosco said under his breath. He tossed his keys to Faith and started running after the boy. "Cole! Come back. Let's talk about it," he yelled, trying to catch up to him. Faith started the car and began to follow them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 13
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Thanks for coming with me, Faith. Katy had a custody case to testify at and I didn't want this to wait," Bosco said, looking over at Faith in the passenger seat.
"No problem, Bos. Emily's at her friends house for the weekend and Fred took Charlie camping - not my thing," she said, making a face of disgust.
"I just didn't want to drag you into the middle of something you didn't want to be in," Bosco said, squinting as the sun came out from behind a cloud. He flipped his sun visor down.
"It's a beautiful day for a drive anyway. And if I didn't want to be involved, I'd have said no," she said matter of factly.
"Yeah, right. Like you ever say 'no' to anyone," he teased her.
"Yeah, well. Anyway, did they say what may be causing Cole's outbursts?" she asked him referring to the phone call he received from the rehab center saying that Cole had had a couple of altercations over the last couple of days.
"No. I hope it's nothing major. He seemed to be getting along so well until now. I was going to tell him about being his guardian, but I guess I'll wait to see what's going on first," he said. "Here we are," he told her as he turned off the highway onto a side road.
"It's beautiful up here," she said, noticing all the trees and then the landscaping as they approached the facility. She read the sign as they entered the lot, "Shady Haven." "Corny, but most of the names of these places were. As long as the care and treatment are good, who cares," Faith thought to herself.
"Yeah, I know. I hate the name too," Bosco said with a smile, reading her mind. She laughed as Bosco maneuvered into a parking space.
They both got out and walked toward the entrance. As they entered Faith said, "Maybe I should wait here until you talk to him. You know, don't want him to think we're ganging up on him," she reasoned.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll be quick," he said as he went to the desk and signed in. Faith walked over to the lounge area and looked through the magazines. She watched as Bosco clipped the visitors tag to his jacket and followed the woman down the hallway.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Bosco was led to Cole out on the patio at one of the picnic tables. He was reading a book, the sun shining on him. He looked up at the sound of someone approaching and saw Bosco.
"They told me that they called you," he said in an angry tone.
"Yeah? Well, I was coming up today anyway, remember? So don't think I'm coming just because of that," Bosco said to him, wondering what he'd done to deserve Cole's angry tone.
Cole didn't reply, but went back to his book. Bosco took a seat at the table across from him. "So, what's going on? You look great. You got a good tan going there," he said, making small talk to draw him out.
"Nothing much. Yeah, not much to do here besides get analyzed and soak up the sun," he said sarcastically.
"Cole. What's the problem? Is someone here giving you crap?" Bosco asked gently.
"You have no idea. You're living your life. You get up every day with a purpose and go and do your job. You get a paycheck and come home every night and do whatever it is that you want to do. So, don't even pretend like you can understand," he said, his words full of frustration.
Bosco nodded and took a deep breath. "You get up every day with a purpose too, Cole. Remember? To get well and to be able to come back and live your life and do whatever it is that YOU want to do. As far as getting a paycheck, you earn money here with the jobs they give you. You get to use it, right?" he asked him.
"Where!?" Cole yelled at him. "It's not like I can go to a store or anything. I'm stuck here, 24-7, with no one to talk to until you come up. And, I know you can't come up every weekend. I know that, but I can't stand being here anymore. I need to get out of here!" he said, drawing some attention from the staff.
Bosco looked at the staff and indicated that everything was okay. "Look, Cole. I understand. I really do, but you need to work on getting better. How about if I talk to your doctor about going out tonight for dinner. They allow some outpatient time, right?" he said.
Cole shrugged. "Faith's with me. She wanted to come with me and see you today. She's out in the lobby. Want to go find her with me?" he said. Cole nodded and the two stood up and walked down the hallway.
"The doctor told me last time that you're doing really well. You just need to hang in there and work a little longer and you'll be able to come home," Bosco encouraged him.
"It's just hard. Sometimes I think jail would have been better. I'd probably be out by now," he said, a catch in his voice.
"Out where, Cole? Back on the streets? You saw where that landed you. There's people that want to help you. People like me," Bosco said as they reached the lobby where Faith was. "Why don't you visit with Faith for a little bit. I'm gonna see if I can talk to your doctor about tonight, okay?" Cole nodded as Faith walked over to him. Bosco told her what he was going to do and Cole and Faith headed back toward the courtyard.
Bosco went over to the desk and talked to the woman about seeing Cole's doctor. She picked up the phone, made a call and told Bosco he could go down the hallway on the left to Dr. Hanson's office.
"Thanks," Bosco said, heading off down the hallway.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"So, Doctor Hanson, how is Cole doing? He seems a little down to me," Bosco said.
"Well, Officer Boscorelli..," he started as Bosco interrupted him.
"I'm not here as Officer Boscorelli, Doc. I'm here as Maurice Boscorelli, Bosco, friend of Cole Taylor," he said.
"Very well, Mr. Boscorelli. Cole had been making some great progress, but he seems to have fallen into some kind of a depression. I'm not sure what's causing it, but I'm working on it. From what I can tell, he feels abandoned. It's different than living on the streets. He feels like he's been put here and left. Sure, he knows you come up as often as you can, but it's not like he can go and see you whenever he feels like it. He can't just come and go like he's done for as long as he can remember. It's causing him to act out - which explains the last couple of incidents. But, while I can understand his feelings, I can't let him act out. It's detrimental to both his treatment as well as to those around him," the doctor explained.
"I understand. Do you think it'd be better if he came back with me? I've filed to be his legal guardian. I'm ready to take on the responsibility of his care and well being," Bosco told the doctor.
He nodded. "Yes, I just received the paperwork on that and I'm glad that you're doing that. Have you discussed it with him yet?"
"I was planning on doing that today, but after talking to him, I wanted to talk to you about it first. My sense is that he feels like he's a prisoner here and that's the last thing I wanted for him. I want him to feel like we're trying to help him. You know, get him off on the right foot to being able to live by himself and earn a living. I was wondering if it would be possible for me and my partner, Faith Yokas, to take him to town for dinner tonight. Just a quick dinner and then back here. I was planning on talking to him about coming to stay with me when he's discharged from here at dinner. Is that possible?" Bosco asked the doctor.
The doctor thought for a moment and finally said, "I don't see a problem with that. As long as it isn't too long of an outing. Just dinner and then back here. And, if you notice him getting upset about what you're going to tell him, stop and come back right away. We don't want to wreck any progress we've made in his treatment. And, of course, no alcohol - that means for you or your partner either," he warned.
"Absolutely. We'll make it a quick, quiet night. Thanks, Doc," Bosco said, standing up and shaking the doctor's hand. "Any idea how much longer he'll have to stay here?" he added.
"He's close, Maurice. He's very close. We just have to keep a close eye on him," the doctor said.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Cole seemed to be in a little better mood since Bosco had told him that he had permission to take him off the grounds for dinner. "So, what do you want to eat?" Bosco asked him. "What kinds of food do you miss the most?"
"Hmmmm. Let me think. Pizza! That's it. I haven't had a decent pizza since I've been here," Cole said.
"Pizza!? That's it? Very glamerous," Faith teased him, causing the first smile they'd seen from Cole all day.
"Pizza it is!" Bosco announced as they finished signing him out on a pass and headed to Bosco's car. Faith climbed into the back to allow Cole to take in the fresh air and scenery. They drove into town and found a nice Italian restaurant to eat at that boasted authentic New York City-style pizza.
"We'll be the judge of that, right?" Bosco said to Cole.
"Fuggettaboutit," Cole joked in the thickest Brooklyn accent he could muster. All three chuckled as they headed in to get a table.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They'd had a nice dinner and were just finishing up dessert when Bosco said, "Cole, there's something I wanted to talk to you about today. I talked to your doctor and he said that it'd be a good time to talk about it." Bosco fiddled with the fork on the table until Faith nudged him under the table to get him going again.
"This sounds serious," Cole said, getting a little nervous.
"It's really a good thing, Cole," Faith said happily. "At least I think so. I hope you will too."
Bosco cleared his throat and decided to dive right in. "I've filed to become your legal guardian, Cole," he said, looking to try and read Cole's reaction. He saw a frown form on his forehead.
"You did what?!" Cole said a little loudly.
"I want you to come and stay with me when you get out of Shady Haven. I want to be your legal guardian," Bosco repeated.
"I don't need a guardian. I've taken care of myself for a long time and I'll continue to," Cole said, standing up to leave.
"Cole," Bosco said as he and Faith stood up also. Bosco threw money down on the table to cover the bill and the three walked out to Bosco's car.
"Cole. They're not gonna let you just walk out of here and go on your merry way. You're a minor. You're only 15 years old. And, you're a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. Now, I don't want to hang that over your head, but how long do you think you can take the pressure of living on your own before you revert back to that life?" Bosco said, regretting it as soon as he'd said it. Cole bolted and started running.
"Dammit!" Bosco said under his breath. He tossed his keys to Faith and started running after the boy. "Cole! Come back. Let's talk about it," he yelled, trying to catch up to him. Faith started the car and began to follow them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...