Faith didn't want any comfort from Fred. He told her from the beginning that nothing was going to happen to Bosco and now it was. Him being taken hostage? What kind of hell was he going to be put through? Faith shuttered to even think about it but she couldn't shake it out of her mind. All Fred did was stare at her, watching her cry like a baby.
~~~~
Bosco and Nikki were placed in a small cell in a place the Iraqi's called a "prison." The floor was just dirt but the walls around them were sturdy and built well. Bosco sat down and leaned against the wall. Nikki stared at him from where she was standing.
"What are we gonna do?"
"I don't know." He ran his hand over some dirt and stared at his combat boots. "What did you do when they had you hostage before I got here?"
"They just kept me in a tent with a guard. They really didn't do anything."
Bosco leaned his head against the wall, feeling sick to his stomach. He had to think of something, Nikki wasn't going to be much help.
~~~~
Faith went into work and Swersky called her in immediately. Of course he knew about Bosco, it was all over the news.
"Faith, I don't want you on the streets today."
"Why?"
"I know your head isn't on the job today."
"What makes you think that Lieu?"
Swersky tossed her a newspaper where Bosco and Nikki's picture were on the front cover. She felt sick as she saw the words 'Maurice Boscorelli' and 'hostage' together.
"That's why Yokas. Go home, get some rest, and visit a church or something. I wish there was something I could do to help."
"Me too boss, me too." Tears ran down her face uncontrollably as she read the article about Bosco and the girl.
"Faith, you and I both know that Bosco is a smart guy. He is a good problem solver. He'll find a way out of this. Now get outta here and do something productive."
~~~~
Corporal Manor and other superiors were stumped. They had no idea where to even look for Bosco.
"This is all my fault." Manor placed a hand on his forehead and looked down at his feet.
General Thorpe, a mean and very good soldier approached them, his anger already boiling. "What do you mean this is your fault?"
"We left him and the girl there so we could complete the mission. I told him we would be back but I should've known that the Iraqi's would find them."
"You left them behind?"
"Yes sir. The girl got shot and we didn't have time to go back. I wanted to complete the mission."
"Well now we have more problems on our hands than if we wouldn't have completed that damn mission! We have a prized officer and a reporter out there, in Iraqi hands, probably being tortured. This is on you Corporal Manor, I just want you to know that."
"I know." Manor looked down at the sand below his feet. He felt bad enough already, the last thing he needed was someone else yelling at him.
~~~~
Two Iraqi soldiers approached Bosco and Nikki's cell. They turned the key in the rusty lock and took them both to the leader of the group. Bosco could feel the bile in the back of his throat as he swallowed hard to get it to go back down. Never before in his life did he feel so scared. To Bosco's surprise the leader of the small group could speak English.
"Hello, fellow Americans, I am Mohammed Babar." His Iraqi accent was thick and Bosco had to listen closely to understand him. "Tell me your names please. The man first."
Bosco coughed and spoke, "I'm Maurice Boscorelli." He couldn't lie about his name; he had dog tags on and a nametag.
"Ah, what is your rank Maurice Boscorelli?" Babar had a hard time saying his name.
"Specialist."
"Woah, so you are a big dog huh? How about the girl, what is your name?"
"Nikki."
Babar leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers over his beard. "I am one of Hussein's main men. I bet you are wondering why we have you here. Well, you'll find out." Babar snapped and one of the guards hit Bosco with the butt of his shotgun, in the face. Bosco fell to the dirt floor and felt his nose that was now gushing with blood.
"I hate American soldiers." Babar kicked him in the stomach. Bosco coughed and the pain went shooting through his body. It was worse than times when his dad would beat him up.
~~~~
Faith sat on the couch and for once turned CNN off. She knew Bosco was hostage and she had pretty much lost hope that he was going to be okay. She stopped Emily as she came through the door after school.
"Em, come here a second."
Emily sat beside her. "What?"
"Bosco has been taken hostage."
"I know mom, I read the newspaper."
"Do you have anything to say about it?"
"No. There's nothing I can do so I'm not going to get all upset about it. Bosco didn't like me anyway."
Faith couldn't believe what she was hearing. Emily was acting so selfish.
"What do you mean he didn't like you? He loves you and Charlie so much."
"Yeah right, the man has no feelings. He just cares about one thing and you know it."
"Emily, don't talk about my best friend like that. Especially at a time like this. He has feelings and he does care for you and Charlie both." Faith began to cry and Emily just stared at her. Faith didn't understand why Emily was acting this way.
~~~~
The guards escorted Bosco and Nikki back to the cell. To Bosco's surprise they didn't handcuff him to Nikki. The Iraqi's probably thought that Bosco was too hurt to try to do anything, but he wasn't. He was used to getting hit like that.
He watched as one guard worked with the rusty lock. The other guard was turned around, doing something. Bosco couldn't tell what. He looked down at his pants of his BDU's. He noticed a string in his pants and bent over slowly, not making it obvious what he was doing. He pulled the string slowly out of his pants. Nikki watched him as he began to make a noose out of the string.
He quickly put the string around the guard's neck and choked him. He watched as the guard fell to the floor, his mouth gasping for oxygen that he couldn't get go his brain. The other guard approached them but Bosco hit him once in the nose, killing him instantly.
"Come on Nikki." Before they left Bosco pulled two small grenades off of one of the guards uniforms.
He turned and looked at Nikki who could barely keep up with him. "How's the leg?"
"It hurts like hell."
In the distance Bosco could see an old truck. "Can you make it up that hill?" He pointed to the truck that was just on the horizon.
"I think so. What are the grenades for?"
"For distraction."
He pulled one out of his pocket and looked at it. He quickly pulled the pin out and threw it as hard as he could, right where Babar and his men were staying.
"C'mon, fast!" Bosco dragged her.
About 10 seconds later the grenade exploded, sending Iraqi soldiers into a chaotic mode. Bosco carried Nikki and ran as fast as he could, making sure he wasn't being spotted by any foreign soldier. They reached the hill and climbed up in the old military truck.
He looked under the steering wheel and found the wires that were needed to hot wire the vehicle. He quickly started it up and took one last glance at the Iraqi base.
"Let's go Bosco!" Nikki yelled from the passenger seat.
He put the vehicle into gear and they were off, away from the Iraqi base and on their way back to an American base.
~~~~
Faith woke up from a deep sleep on the couch to Charlie tugging at her shoulder.
"Mom, are you okay?"
"Yeah baby, I'm fine. I just needed some rest, I haven't slept in God knows how long."
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and smiled.
"I prayed for Bosco all day today mom."
"You did? That's good."
Emily walked in the living room slowly and sat down at the end of the couch.
"Mom, I'm sorry I talked about Bosco that way. He's a good man. I mean, anyone who goes over there and risks their life for people that they don't even know is just awesome."
"Em, why did you say the stuff that you did then?"
"Because I don't know how to handle it. I'm just feeling mixed emotions right now."
Faith pulled Charlie and Emily into a group hug. For some reason Faith felt like everything was going to be okay. She still had the worried feeling in her stomach but she wanted to think positive for a change. As everyone else had said, Bosco was smart. She needed to start thinking that way too.
Before bed Faith sat down and began writing a poem to make herself feel better.
Angels please come and save us
We feel as if the world has betrayed us
Please Lord be with my soul
To live a positive life is my goal
Through you Lord I know I can do this
Your love and praise I will always cherish
Please let me keep a positive mental state
And let me learn not to hate
Be with my enemies, as well as my friends
And let them know that my unconditional love will never end
Guide me through this time of need
Please Lord, I'm down on bended knee
Somehow I know things will be right
The get through the hard part, that's the fight
Please keep me thinking positive Lord
Negative thoughts should be present no more!
Faith read over the poem, amazed what she just created. Now she had to live by it. Tears ran down her face and to her surprise Fred was there to wipe them away.
"Come to bed honey." Fred smiled and escorted her to the bedroom.
~~~~
Bosco and Nikki were placed in a small cell in a place the Iraqi's called a "prison." The floor was just dirt but the walls around them were sturdy and built well. Bosco sat down and leaned against the wall. Nikki stared at him from where she was standing.
"What are we gonna do?"
"I don't know." He ran his hand over some dirt and stared at his combat boots. "What did you do when they had you hostage before I got here?"
"They just kept me in a tent with a guard. They really didn't do anything."
Bosco leaned his head against the wall, feeling sick to his stomach. He had to think of something, Nikki wasn't going to be much help.
~~~~
Faith went into work and Swersky called her in immediately. Of course he knew about Bosco, it was all over the news.
"Faith, I don't want you on the streets today."
"Why?"
"I know your head isn't on the job today."
"What makes you think that Lieu?"
Swersky tossed her a newspaper where Bosco and Nikki's picture were on the front cover. She felt sick as she saw the words 'Maurice Boscorelli' and 'hostage' together.
"That's why Yokas. Go home, get some rest, and visit a church or something. I wish there was something I could do to help."
"Me too boss, me too." Tears ran down her face uncontrollably as she read the article about Bosco and the girl.
"Faith, you and I both know that Bosco is a smart guy. He is a good problem solver. He'll find a way out of this. Now get outta here and do something productive."
~~~~
Corporal Manor and other superiors were stumped. They had no idea where to even look for Bosco.
"This is all my fault." Manor placed a hand on his forehead and looked down at his feet.
General Thorpe, a mean and very good soldier approached them, his anger already boiling. "What do you mean this is your fault?"
"We left him and the girl there so we could complete the mission. I told him we would be back but I should've known that the Iraqi's would find them."
"You left them behind?"
"Yes sir. The girl got shot and we didn't have time to go back. I wanted to complete the mission."
"Well now we have more problems on our hands than if we wouldn't have completed that damn mission! We have a prized officer and a reporter out there, in Iraqi hands, probably being tortured. This is on you Corporal Manor, I just want you to know that."
"I know." Manor looked down at the sand below his feet. He felt bad enough already, the last thing he needed was someone else yelling at him.
~~~~
Two Iraqi soldiers approached Bosco and Nikki's cell. They turned the key in the rusty lock and took them both to the leader of the group. Bosco could feel the bile in the back of his throat as he swallowed hard to get it to go back down. Never before in his life did he feel so scared. To Bosco's surprise the leader of the small group could speak English.
"Hello, fellow Americans, I am Mohammed Babar." His Iraqi accent was thick and Bosco had to listen closely to understand him. "Tell me your names please. The man first."
Bosco coughed and spoke, "I'm Maurice Boscorelli." He couldn't lie about his name; he had dog tags on and a nametag.
"Ah, what is your rank Maurice Boscorelli?" Babar had a hard time saying his name.
"Specialist."
"Woah, so you are a big dog huh? How about the girl, what is your name?"
"Nikki."
Babar leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers over his beard. "I am one of Hussein's main men. I bet you are wondering why we have you here. Well, you'll find out." Babar snapped and one of the guards hit Bosco with the butt of his shotgun, in the face. Bosco fell to the dirt floor and felt his nose that was now gushing with blood.
"I hate American soldiers." Babar kicked him in the stomach. Bosco coughed and the pain went shooting through his body. It was worse than times when his dad would beat him up.
~~~~
Faith sat on the couch and for once turned CNN off. She knew Bosco was hostage and she had pretty much lost hope that he was going to be okay. She stopped Emily as she came through the door after school.
"Em, come here a second."
Emily sat beside her. "What?"
"Bosco has been taken hostage."
"I know mom, I read the newspaper."
"Do you have anything to say about it?"
"No. There's nothing I can do so I'm not going to get all upset about it. Bosco didn't like me anyway."
Faith couldn't believe what she was hearing. Emily was acting so selfish.
"What do you mean he didn't like you? He loves you and Charlie so much."
"Yeah right, the man has no feelings. He just cares about one thing and you know it."
"Emily, don't talk about my best friend like that. Especially at a time like this. He has feelings and he does care for you and Charlie both." Faith began to cry and Emily just stared at her. Faith didn't understand why Emily was acting this way.
~~~~
The guards escorted Bosco and Nikki back to the cell. To Bosco's surprise they didn't handcuff him to Nikki. The Iraqi's probably thought that Bosco was too hurt to try to do anything, but he wasn't. He was used to getting hit like that.
He watched as one guard worked with the rusty lock. The other guard was turned around, doing something. Bosco couldn't tell what. He looked down at his pants of his BDU's. He noticed a string in his pants and bent over slowly, not making it obvious what he was doing. He pulled the string slowly out of his pants. Nikki watched him as he began to make a noose out of the string.
He quickly put the string around the guard's neck and choked him. He watched as the guard fell to the floor, his mouth gasping for oxygen that he couldn't get go his brain. The other guard approached them but Bosco hit him once in the nose, killing him instantly.
"Come on Nikki." Before they left Bosco pulled two small grenades off of one of the guards uniforms.
He turned and looked at Nikki who could barely keep up with him. "How's the leg?"
"It hurts like hell."
In the distance Bosco could see an old truck. "Can you make it up that hill?" He pointed to the truck that was just on the horizon.
"I think so. What are the grenades for?"
"For distraction."
He pulled one out of his pocket and looked at it. He quickly pulled the pin out and threw it as hard as he could, right where Babar and his men were staying.
"C'mon, fast!" Bosco dragged her.
About 10 seconds later the grenade exploded, sending Iraqi soldiers into a chaotic mode. Bosco carried Nikki and ran as fast as he could, making sure he wasn't being spotted by any foreign soldier. They reached the hill and climbed up in the old military truck.
He looked under the steering wheel and found the wires that were needed to hot wire the vehicle. He quickly started it up and took one last glance at the Iraqi base.
"Let's go Bosco!" Nikki yelled from the passenger seat.
He put the vehicle into gear and they were off, away from the Iraqi base and on their way back to an American base.
~~~~
Faith woke up from a deep sleep on the couch to Charlie tugging at her shoulder.
"Mom, are you okay?"
"Yeah baby, I'm fine. I just needed some rest, I haven't slept in God knows how long."
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and smiled.
"I prayed for Bosco all day today mom."
"You did? That's good."
Emily walked in the living room slowly and sat down at the end of the couch.
"Mom, I'm sorry I talked about Bosco that way. He's a good man. I mean, anyone who goes over there and risks their life for people that they don't even know is just awesome."
"Em, why did you say the stuff that you did then?"
"Because I don't know how to handle it. I'm just feeling mixed emotions right now."
Faith pulled Charlie and Emily into a group hug. For some reason Faith felt like everything was going to be okay. She still had the worried feeling in her stomach but she wanted to think positive for a change. As everyone else had said, Bosco was smart. She needed to start thinking that way too.
Before bed Faith sat down and began writing a poem to make herself feel better.
Angels please come and save us
We feel as if the world has betrayed us
Please Lord be with my soul
To live a positive life is my goal
Through you Lord I know I can do this
Your love and praise I will always cherish
Please let me keep a positive mental state
And let me learn not to hate
Be with my enemies, as well as my friends
And let them know that my unconditional love will never end
Guide me through this time of need
Please Lord, I'm down on bended knee
Somehow I know things will be right
The get through the hard part, that's the fight
Please keep me thinking positive Lord
Negative thoughts should be present no more!
Faith read over the poem, amazed what she just created. Now she had to live by it. Tears ran down her face and to her surprise Fred was there to wipe them away.
"Come to bed honey." Fred smiled and escorted her to the bedroom.