The Witness
Chapter 15
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Bosco and Faith were traveling home. Faith was driving as Bosco sat in the passenger seat, his foot wrapped in an ace bandage, his crutches and x-rays laying on the back seat. He adjusted the ice pak on his ankle and Faith looked over to see the pained look cross his face.
"You know, you might feel better if you went in the back seat and elevated your foot," Faith said to him in the dim light of the dashboard.
"I don't want you to get lonely," he quipped.
"Well, then by all means, stay there and be in pain and let the swelling get worse," she answered back.
His foot slipped off his other knee where it was propped and hit against the glove compartment. "OW!" he yelled, making Faith jump. "Okay! Pull over so I can get in the back," he finally said. Faith pulled the car over and Bosco hobbled out and into the back seat. She waited until he was situated, with his foot propped up on his coat and then pulled back out onto the highway.
After a few minutes she said, "Any better?"
"Yeah, it's not throbbing so much," he answered. "Man, Swersky's gonna kill me when I tell him I'm out of work. How long do you think?"
"Depends on the what the bone doctor says. Cole's doctor said he thought he saw a fracture, but wanted you to see a bone doctor. You want to go right to Mercy when we get back?" Faith asked.
He thought for a moment and looked at his watch. 10:00 p.m. "Nah. Just drop me off at home and take my car to your place. It's not like I'll be driving it for a while. I'll take a cab in the morning to the doctor," he said.
"No, you'll call me in the morning and I'll pick you up and bring you. Don't forget to call the boss in the morning so he has time to juggle the schedule around for our shift," she reminded him. "Did you take one of those pills the doctor gave you for the pain?" She didn't get an answer and looked in the rearview mirror to see him sound asleep. "Guess so," she said to herself and turned the radio on for the remainder of the ride home.
*^*^*^*^*^*^
She pulled up in front of Bosco's apartment an hour later and turned off the car. She got out and opened the back door. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. I'm not carrying your butt up the stairs so get up," she said, taking his crutches off the back floor and getting them ready as he woke up.
He rubbed his face and sat up. "Man, those are some good pills," he said. "Sorry I zonked out on you."
"No problem. Can you make it up the stairs?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said, getting himself balanced and starting up the steps to his apartment. Faith followed him up to make sure that he didn't fall and got him settled on the couch. "You want something to eat before I take off?" she asked him.
"I think there's some leftover pizza in the fridge. Just slap a piece of that on a plate. I'm gonna go to bed, I think," he answered her. "You want something?"
"No, I ate at the rest stop when I got gas," she said.
"What rest stop?" he asked her. She smiled at him and said, "The one you slept through."
"Why didn't you wake me up? Let me give you money for the gas," he said, leaning forward to get his wallet out of his back pocket.
"I tried to wake you up, but those pills must be potent. Don't worry about the gas. I got it," she said.
"Thanks."
She opened the door to the refrigerator and took out a piece of the pizza and put it in the microwave to heat it up. She grabbed the orange juice and poured him a glass. When the pizza was done she brought it out to him and he finished it off quickly.
"Thanks," he said. "You must be beat. You can head home. I'll be fine. I'm just gonna go crash. I still can't believe this," he said, shaking his head as he looked at his swollen, purple ankle.
"So, what happened out there? Did you talk to Cole about this guardian stuff? He didn't seem too pleased back at the Center," Faith said.
"Yeah, well. He talks a good game in front of other people, but we talked for a while out in the woods. He's okay with it, I think. We'll give it a try. If it's not for him, then that's his decision," Bosco said.
"What if he decides it's not for him? Are you gonna be okay with it? You kind of let yourself get pretty involved with this kid," Faith observed.
"Yeah. I'll be okay with it. It doesn't mean that I won't still be a part of his life. I'm not gonna bail on him," he answered her, trying to stifle a yawn. Faith nodded.
"Well, your hike in the woods took a lot of out of you, so I'll let you get some sleep. Can you get back there okay?" she said, meaning to his bedroom. He stood up and got his crutches as Faith brought the dishes out and washed them up quick.
"Yeah. Thanks. Sorry today turned out so bad," he said heading down the hallway.
"It's okay. It was a nice day. Sorry you broke your ankle. Call me if you need me and call me in the morning when you have to go to the doctor," she said going to the door and opening it. She grabbed his car keys off the table next to the door and watched him make it down the hall to his bedroom.
"Okay. Thanks. Be careful with my car," he said to her.
"Like it's my own," she said as she pulled the door closed behind her and checked to make sure the lock was on before heading out of the building.
*^*^*^*^*^
Bosco got himself ready for bed and took another pain pill to get him through the night. As he turned on the television in his room, the phone next to the bed rang. He grabbed it and said, "Boscorelli."
"Hey, Bosco. It's me, Cole. I just wanted to see if you made it home okay," said the boy.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting ready to crash. Are you supposed to be using the phone this late?" Bosco asked him.
"Yeah, the doctor said I could call you to see if you made it home okay. I'm going to bed now too," he said, hesitating for a minute.
"Um, Bosco?" he said.
"Yeah, Cole."
"Sorry about your ankle, but thanks for everything. I mean for wanting me to stay with you and everything," he said.
"Hey, it got me at least a week's vacation. I'm just sorry I won't be able to drive up there for a while. Unless I can get Faith to take me on the weekend, but it depends on what her family's doing," he explained.
"I know. It's okay. Besides, the doctor said I might be able to come ho..., um get out of here in a couple of weeks," Cole said.
"You can call this home, Cole. It's gonna be your home as long as you want it to be," Bosco said.
Cole cleared his throat. "Uh, okay. Thanks. Well, I've gotta hang up for now. Call me when you can and let me know how you're doing."
"Yeah, I will. And you call me whenever you need to too," Bosco said before hanging up.
He laid back on his pillows and stared at the television without really seeing it. He was thinking about how his life was going to change. It wasn't just him taking care of him anymore. He'd have someone else to consider. He kind of liked the idea of that. He drifted off to sleep, not hearing the news report of the member of the Latin Lords being taken into custody for assault on a female employee of the Office of Child and Family Services.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 15
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco and Faith were traveling home. Faith was driving as Bosco sat in the passenger seat, his foot wrapped in an ace bandage, his crutches and x-rays laying on the back seat. He adjusted the ice pak on his ankle and Faith looked over to see the pained look cross his face.
"You know, you might feel better if you went in the back seat and elevated your foot," Faith said to him in the dim light of the dashboard.
"I don't want you to get lonely," he quipped.
"Well, then by all means, stay there and be in pain and let the swelling get worse," she answered back.
His foot slipped off his other knee where it was propped and hit against the glove compartment. "OW!" he yelled, making Faith jump. "Okay! Pull over so I can get in the back," he finally said. Faith pulled the car over and Bosco hobbled out and into the back seat. She waited until he was situated, with his foot propped up on his coat and then pulled back out onto the highway.
After a few minutes she said, "Any better?"
"Yeah, it's not throbbing so much," he answered. "Man, Swersky's gonna kill me when I tell him I'm out of work. How long do you think?"
"Depends on the what the bone doctor says. Cole's doctor said he thought he saw a fracture, but wanted you to see a bone doctor. You want to go right to Mercy when we get back?" Faith asked.
He thought for a moment and looked at his watch. 10:00 p.m. "Nah. Just drop me off at home and take my car to your place. It's not like I'll be driving it for a while. I'll take a cab in the morning to the doctor," he said.
"No, you'll call me in the morning and I'll pick you up and bring you. Don't forget to call the boss in the morning so he has time to juggle the schedule around for our shift," she reminded him. "Did you take one of those pills the doctor gave you for the pain?" She didn't get an answer and looked in the rearview mirror to see him sound asleep. "Guess so," she said to herself and turned the radio on for the remainder of the ride home.
*^*^*^*^*^*^
She pulled up in front of Bosco's apartment an hour later and turned off the car. She got out and opened the back door. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. I'm not carrying your butt up the stairs so get up," she said, taking his crutches off the back floor and getting them ready as he woke up.
He rubbed his face and sat up. "Man, those are some good pills," he said. "Sorry I zonked out on you."
"No problem. Can you make it up the stairs?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said, getting himself balanced and starting up the steps to his apartment. Faith followed him up to make sure that he didn't fall and got him settled on the couch. "You want something to eat before I take off?" she asked him.
"I think there's some leftover pizza in the fridge. Just slap a piece of that on a plate. I'm gonna go to bed, I think," he answered her. "You want something?"
"No, I ate at the rest stop when I got gas," she said.
"What rest stop?" he asked her. She smiled at him and said, "The one you slept through."
"Why didn't you wake me up? Let me give you money for the gas," he said, leaning forward to get his wallet out of his back pocket.
"I tried to wake you up, but those pills must be potent. Don't worry about the gas. I got it," she said.
"Thanks."
She opened the door to the refrigerator and took out a piece of the pizza and put it in the microwave to heat it up. She grabbed the orange juice and poured him a glass. When the pizza was done she brought it out to him and he finished it off quickly.
"Thanks," he said. "You must be beat. You can head home. I'll be fine. I'm just gonna go crash. I still can't believe this," he said, shaking his head as he looked at his swollen, purple ankle.
"So, what happened out there? Did you talk to Cole about this guardian stuff? He didn't seem too pleased back at the Center," Faith said.
"Yeah, well. He talks a good game in front of other people, but we talked for a while out in the woods. He's okay with it, I think. We'll give it a try. If it's not for him, then that's his decision," Bosco said.
"What if he decides it's not for him? Are you gonna be okay with it? You kind of let yourself get pretty involved with this kid," Faith observed.
"Yeah. I'll be okay with it. It doesn't mean that I won't still be a part of his life. I'm not gonna bail on him," he answered her, trying to stifle a yawn. Faith nodded.
"Well, your hike in the woods took a lot of out of you, so I'll let you get some sleep. Can you get back there okay?" she said, meaning to his bedroom. He stood up and got his crutches as Faith brought the dishes out and washed them up quick.
"Yeah. Thanks. Sorry today turned out so bad," he said heading down the hallway.
"It's okay. It was a nice day. Sorry you broke your ankle. Call me if you need me and call me in the morning when you have to go to the doctor," she said going to the door and opening it. She grabbed his car keys off the table next to the door and watched him make it down the hall to his bedroom.
"Okay. Thanks. Be careful with my car," he said to her.
"Like it's my own," she said as she pulled the door closed behind her and checked to make sure the lock was on before heading out of the building.
*^*^*^*^*^
Bosco got himself ready for bed and took another pain pill to get him through the night. As he turned on the television in his room, the phone next to the bed rang. He grabbed it and said, "Boscorelli."
"Hey, Bosco. It's me, Cole. I just wanted to see if you made it home okay," said the boy.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting ready to crash. Are you supposed to be using the phone this late?" Bosco asked him.
"Yeah, the doctor said I could call you to see if you made it home okay. I'm going to bed now too," he said, hesitating for a minute.
"Um, Bosco?" he said.
"Yeah, Cole."
"Sorry about your ankle, but thanks for everything. I mean for wanting me to stay with you and everything," he said.
"Hey, it got me at least a week's vacation. I'm just sorry I won't be able to drive up there for a while. Unless I can get Faith to take me on the weekend, but it depends on what her family's doing," he explained.
"I know. It's okay. Besides, the doctor said I might be able to come ho..., um get out of here in a couple of weeks," Cole said.
"You can call this home, Cole. It's gonna be your home as long as you want it to be," Bosco said.
Cole cleared his throat. "Uh, okay. Thanks. Well, I've gotta hang up for now. Call me when you can and let me know how you're doing."
"Yeah, I will. And you call me whenever you need to too," Bosco said before hanging up.
He laid back on his pillows and stared at the television without really seeing it. He was thinking about how his life was going to change. It wasn't just him taking care of him anymore. He'd have someone else to consider. He kind of liked the idea of that. He drifted off to sleep, not hearing the news report of the member of the Latin Lords being taken into custody for assault on a female employee of the Office of Child and Family Services.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...