Arrival Overdue
Chapter 8
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"So, the Boss said that Sully's coming up today and he's bringing your Mom up," Ty told Bosco as he and Faith sat in his room.
"Sully's bringing my Mom up here?" Bosco asked in surprise.
"Yeah, why? Didn't you think your Mom'd wanna be here?" Faith asked him.
"Yeah, but with Sully? I don't know who's in store for what with the two of them together," Bosco said, chuckling slightly until he felt the pain from it. "Ow," he said.
"How's Sully doing anyway?" Faith asked Ty.
"I don't know. He's still messed up. I'm worried about his drinking," Ty said, looking at the expressions on Faith's and Bosco's face.
"I don't think he's drinking on the job - at least not that I've seen. But, I know how he looks when he comes in to work. I mean, he's not still drunk, but you can tell that he had a rough night," he explained.
"Well, he's been through a lot. He feels guilty, I'm sure," Faith said.
"We gotta find a way to help him out," Bosco added, hearing a knock on his door.
"Yeah," he called out as loud as he could without hurting himself. The door opened and the two Troopers that Faith and Ty had met in the Emergency Room entered. Ty stood up and shook their hands.
"Hey guys. How's it going. Bosco, these are the two Troopers that found you. Trooper Kavanaugh and Trooper Franklin," Ty said, introducing them. They each stepped forward and shook Bosco's hand.
"Thanks. I don't know how much longer I would've lasted out there," Bosco said.
"Well, we're glad we got that call from the trucker, although we never did find him," Franklin said.
"So, do you feel up to answering some questions?" asked Kavanaugh.
"Sure, if I can," Bosco said, trying to sit up a little more with some difficulty. Faith got up and helped to adjust the pillows behind him. Ty and Faith then got comfortable - this would be the first time they heard the story as well.
"Can you tell us what happened from the time you picked Mason up here in Albany until the wreck?" the Trooper asked him.
"Uh, let's see," he started thinking back. "We got to the police station at about 4:15 p.m. We were told that he was meeting with his lawyer. So, we grabbed some coffee and waited until they were done, which was about 5:00 p.m. We had signed the paperwork for the transfer in the meantime so we were all ready to go as soon as the meeting was done. We loaded up and headed out. We stopped at the Catskill rest area because Mason started yelling about his right to a meal and Hogan had to hit the head," Bosco said, pausing for a moment.
"And, about what time was that?" asked Kavanaugh.
"Let's see, we got stuck in some traffic because it was rush hour in the City. I think it was about 6:00 or 6:30," Bosco said with a frown. He was having trouble remembering everything.
"That's right," came Dr. Tate's voice from the doorway. No one had heard her come in. Everyone turned to look at her.
"I was there with my daughter. That's where I first met Maur... - er, Officer Boscorelli," she said with a slight blush. "It was about 6:15 actually," she said.
"Thanks," Bosco said, offering a slight smile and hoping no one else noticed. "Anyway, we hit the hea... - uh, bathroom and then we got some food for Mason and then got back on the road about 6:45 or so," he said pausing again. "I'm kind of fuzzy on the times, I guess."
"That's perfectly normal, and surprisingly accurate, considering the trauma to your head, Officer," Dr. Tate assured him.
"So, we were traveling south on the Thruway again and I noticed there wasn't much traffic. It was starting to get dark and I noticed some traffic - maybe four or five vehicles - moving up quickly behind us. I mentioned something about it to Hogan and I remember glancing in the mirror and seeing this smug grin on Mason's face. I guess I knew right then that things were about to take a turn for the worse. Hogan tried to use the radio, but we were out of range for our radios. Two cars got in front of me and slowed down while the other cars cut us off and tried to force me to the shoulder of the road. I was able to maneuver and stay in the middle lane. I figured that'd be my best bet to stay on the road," he said, becoming a little agitated.
Jennifer watched as she saw her patient become upset. If he got anymore agitated, she'd have to cut off the interview until he calmed down again. But, she also sensed that he needed to get the story out, so she stayed where she was and observed.
"A car came up on either side of us and they opened fire on us. I saw Hogan slump in the seat next to me, but I couldn't see where he was hit," he said, looking up at the Troopers for the answer to that, but they didn't go into anything yet. They just wanted to get his story first.
"Then, I felt pain in my left shoulder. I felt it before I heard the shot," he noted, a layer of sweat forming across his forehead. The car to the right fell back and tried to make me fishtail, and the car on my side started to push me over to the side. I tried to hold on, but there was too many of them," he said, his breathing heavier now has he relived the whole incident.
Jennifer started to step forward to stop it, but he caught sight of her and waved her off. She stood still, hoping that she wouldn't have to put an end to it - that he'd get it all out.
"I remember going down the side of the road and then nothing until I woke up. I was upside down in the car, the seat belt held me in the seat. I looked over at Hogan and tried to feel for a pulse. There wasn't one," he said quietly and Faith put a hand on his arm as Ty stood and moved closer to the bed, trying to offer silent support.
"I looked into the back seat and saw that the back door was open and Mason was gone. I unhooked my seatbelt and tried to move. I knew I was hurt. I was shivering from being cold. I was in and out of it for I don't know how long. I remember waking up and hearing my cell phone beeping," he said, looking at Faith.
"I crawled over to it and heard your messages, but I couldn't get a signal to call out and the battery was getting low so I turned it off to save the battery and try again later," he said. "Then, I started using my flashlight to try to signal passing traffic. I don't know how long that went on - I was in and out of it some more - and finally I heard a truck stop. I remember hearing a guy yell that he was coming...," he said, looking up at the concerned faces. "That's all until I woke up here," he finished, taking in a ragged breath.
"And I'm afraid that's all I can allow for now," Dr. Tate said, stepping forward. "You need to rest, Officer," she said as the Trooper that was writing closed his notepad.
"Any luck finding Mason yet?" Bosco asked them.
"Nothing yet," Kavanaugh replied. "But, we've got help from Albany and NYPD looking for the guy. We brought his lawyer in for questioning, but he says he had nothing to do with it. Look, we'll let you get some rest for now and get this information in. Thanks," they said, turning to leave.
"We're gonna head out for a little while so you can get some rest, Bos," Faith said. "Your Mom should be here anytime so just relax for a little bit. I'll be right outside, okay?" she said.
"Yeah. Thanks," Bosco said, the fatigue evident. Ty and Faith walked out, leaving Jennifer in the room.
"You okay?" she asked him as she checked his IV and his abdominal incision for signs of infection.
He was quiet for a moment and Jennifer pretended to be writing in the chart, sensing he wanted to say something.
After a moment, he said, "Um... What happened to Hogan?"
She looked at him and said, "He received a gunshot wound to the right side of his skull. He was killed instantly. There's nothing you could have done," she assured him.
"I could've driven better," he said, the loss of a fellow officer finally hitting him.
Jennifer put a hand on his right shoulder. "Maurice. It was one against at least three or four that I could determine from what you told those Troopers. And you came very close to dying also. This was NOT your fault. Just be thankful that he didn't suffer at all," she said, giving a slight squeeze.
"Now, try to get some rest. Do you need anything for pain?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I could use something, I guess," he said, feeling the pain in his abdomen and shoulder from the tenseness of telling his story.
"Okay. I'll send the nurse in with something. You're okay now?" she asked him.
"Yeah. Thanks, Jennifer. Could you make sure they send my Mom in as soon as she gets here. Trust me, they don't want to make her wait - it won't be pretty," he joked, trying to lighten up the moment a little.
"Will do. I'll check back in later," she said.
"Oh, I almost forgot," she said, stopping at the door and reaching into her pocket. She walked back toward Bosco and handed him a folded up piece of paper. "Jordan drew this for you this morning. She sends her best and she thinks it's cool that I'm your doctor," she said.
"Thanks. Tell her I think it's cool too," he said, leaning back on the pillows and beginning to relax as he looked at the picture Jordan drew of their meeting in the rest area.
Jennifer looked back at him once as she walked out the door and let it close behind her. Bosco was asleep before the door closed and didn't even hear the nurse come in to give him the medication that Jennifer ordered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 8
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, the Boss said that Sully's coming up today and he's bringing your Mom up," Ty told Bosco as he and Faith sat in his room.
"Sully's bringing my Mom up here?" Bosco asked in surprise.
"Yeah, why? Didn't you think your Mom'd wanna be here?" Faith asked him.
"Yeah, but with Sully? I don't know who's in store for what with the two of them together," Bosco said, chuckling slightly until he felt the pain from it. "Ow," he said.
"How's Sully doing anyway?" Faith asked Ty.
"I don't know. He's still messed up. I'm worried about his drinking," Ty said, looking at the expressions on Faith's and Bosco's face.
"I don't think he's drinking on the job - at least not that I've seen. But, I know how he looks when he comes in to work. I mean, he's not still drunk, but you can tell that he had a rough night," he explained.
"Well, he's been through a lot. He feels guilty, I'm sure," Faith said.
"We gotta find a way to help him out," Bosco added, hearing a knock on his door.
"Yeah," he called out as loud as he could without hurting himself. The door opened and the two Troopers that Faith and Ty had met in the Emergency Room entered. Ty stood up and shook their hands.
"Hey guys. How's it going. Bosco, these are the two Troopers that found you. Trooper Kavanaugh and Trooper Franklin," Ty said, introducing them. They each stepped forward and shook Bosco's hand.
"Thanks. I don't know how much longer I would've lasted out there," Bosco said.
"Well, we're glad we got that call from the trucker, although we never did find him," Franklin said.
"So, do you feel up to answering some questions?" asked Kavanaugh.
"Sure, if I can," Bosco said, trying to sit up a little more with some difficulty. Faith got up and helped to adjust the pillows behind him. Ty and Faith then got comfortable - this would be the first time they heard the story as well.
"Can you tell us what happened from the time you picked Mason up here in Albany until the wreck?" the Trooper asked him.
"Uh, let's see," he started thinking back. "We got to the police station at about 4:15 p.m. We were told that he was meeting with his lawyer. So, we grabbed some coffee and waited until they were done, which was about 5:00 p.m. We had signed the paperwork for the transfer in the meantime so we were all ready to go as soon as the meeting was done. We loaded up and headed out. We stopped at the Catskill rest area because Mason started yelling about his right to a meal and Hogan had to hit the head," Bosco said, pausing for a moment.
"And, about what time was that?" asked Kavanaugh.
"Let's see, we got stuck in some traffic because it was rush hour in the City. I think it was about 6:00 or 6:30," Bosco said with a frown. He was having trouble remembering everything.
"That's right," came Dr. Tate's voice from the doorway. No one had heard her come in. Everyone turned to look at her.
"I was there with my daughter. That's where I first met Maur... - er, Officer Boscorelli," she said with a slight blush. "It was about 6:15 actually," she said.
"Thanks," Bosco said, offering a slight smile and hoping no one else noticed. "Anyway, we hit the hea... - uh, bathroom and then we got some food for Mason and then got back on the road about 6:45 or so," he said pausing again. "I'm kind of fuzzy on the times, I guess."
"That's perfectly normal, and surprisingly accurate, considering the trauma to your head, Officer," Dr. Tate assured him.
"So, we were traveling south on the Thruway again and I noticed there wasn't much traffic. It was starting to get dark and I noticed some traffic - maybe four or five vehicles - moving up quickly behind us. I mentioned something about it to Hogan and I remember glancing in the mirror and seeing this smug grin on Mason's face. I guess I knew right then that things were about to take a turn for the worse. Hogan tried to use the radio, but we were out of range for our radios. Two cars got in front of me and slowed down while the other cars cut us off and tried to force me to the shoulder of the road. I was able to maneuver and stay in the middle lane. I figured that'd be my best bet to stay on the road," he said, becoming a little agitated.
Jennifer watched as she saw her patient become upset. If he got anymore agitated, she'd have to cut off the interview until he calmed down again. But, she also sensed that he needed to get the story out, so she stayed where she was and observed.
"A car came up on either side of us and they opened fire on us. I saw Hogan slump in the seat next to me, but I couldn't see where he was hit," he said, looking up at the Troopers for the answer to that, but they didn't go into anything yet. They just wanted to get his story first.
"Then, I felt pain in my left shoulder. I felt it before I heard the shot," he noted, a layer of sweat forming across his forehead. The car to the right fell back and tried to make me fishtail, and the car on my side started to push me over to the side. I tried to hold on, but there was too many of them," he said, his breathing heavier now has he relived the whole incident.
Jennifer started to step forward to stop it, but he caught sight of her and waved her off. She stood still, hoping that she wouldn't have to put an end to it - that he'd get it all out.
"I remember going down the side of the road and then nothing until I woke up. I was upside down in the car, the seat belt held me in the seat. I looked over at Hogan and tried to feel for a pulse. There wasn't one," he said quietly and Faith put a hand on his arm as Ty stood and moved closer to the bed, trying to offer silent support.
"I looked into the back seat and saw that the back door was open and Mason was gone. I unhooked my seatbelt and tried to move. I knew I was hurt. I was shivering from being cold. I was in and out of it for I don't know how long. I remember waking up and hearing my cell phone beeping," he said, looking at Faith.
"I crawled over to it and heard your messages, but I couldn't get a signal to call out and the battery was getting low so I turned it off to save the battery and try again later," he said. "Then, I started using my flashlight to try to signal passing traffic. I don't know how long that went on - I was in and out of it some more - and finally I heard a truck stop. I remember hearing a guy yell that he was coming...," he said, looking up at the concerned faces. "That's all until I woke up here," he finished, taking in a ragged breath.
"And I'm afraid that's all I can allow for now," Dr. Tate said, stepping forward. "You need to rest, Officer," she said as the Trooper that was writing closed his notepad.
"Any luck finding Mason yet?" Bosco asked them.
"Nothing yet," Kavanaugh replied. "But, we've got help from Albany and NYPD looking for the guy. We brought his lawyer in for questioning, but he says he had nothing to do with it. Look, we'll let you get some rest for now and get this information in. Thanks," they said, turning to leave.
"We're gonna head out for a little while so you can get some rest, Bos," Faith said. "Your Mom should be here anytime so just relax for a little bit. I'll be right outside, okay?" she said.
"Yeah. Thanks," Bosco said, the fatigue evident. Ty and Faith walked out, leaving Jennifer in the room.
"You okay?" she asked him as she checked his IV and his abdominal incision for signs of infection.
He was quiet for a moment and Jennifer pretended to be writing in the chart, sensing he wanted to say something.
After a moment, he said, "Um... What happened to Hogan?"
She looked at him and said, "He received a gunshot wound to the right side of his skull. He was killed instantly. There's nothing you could have done," she assured him.
"I could've driven better," he said, the loss of a fellow officer finally hitting him.
Jennifer put a hand on his right shoulder. "Maurice. It was one against at least three or four that I could determine from what you told those Troopers. And you came very close to dying also. This was NOT your fault. Just be thankful that he didn't suffer at all," she said, giving a slight squeeze.
"Now, try to get some rest. Do you need anything for pain?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I could use something, I guess," he said, feeling the pain in his abdomen and shoulder from the tenseness of telling his story.
"Okay. I'll send the nurse in with something. You're okay now?" she asked him.
"Yeah. Thanks, Jennifer. Could you make sure they send my Mom in as soon as she gets here. Trust me, they don't want to make her wait - it won't be pretty," he joked, trying to lighten up the moment a little.
"Will do. I'll check back in later," she said.
"Oh, I almost forgot," she said, stopping at the door and reaching into her pocket. She walked back toward Bosco and handed him a folded up piece of paper. "Jordan drew this for you this morning. She sends her best and she thinks it's cool that I'm your doctor," she said.
"Thanks. Tell her I think it's cool too," he said, leaning back on the pillows and beginning to relax as he looked at the picture Jordan drew of their meeting in the rest area.
Jennifer looked back at him once as she walked out the door and let it close behind her. Bosco was asleep before the door closed and didn't even hear the nurse come in to give him the medication that Jennifer ordered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
