Arrival Overdue
Chapter 11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three days later...
"Can you ask one of the nurses for another blanket, Ma?" Bosco asked through chattering teeth.
Rose was just thinking how warm and stuffy the room was and now Bosco wanted another blanket. "Sure, Maurice. I'll be right back," Rose said as she left to find another blanket.
Bosco tried to readjust himself in the bed to get comfortable and grimaced as the pain of his shoulder shot down his arm and up into his neck. "Damn, this shouldn't still be hurting this much," he thought to himself as he rang for the nurse for some more pain medication.
Rose came back into the room with a blanket and was followed by a nurse answering the call bell.
"Mr. Boscorelli? What can I do for you?" asked the nurse as she took in the pained look on his face and his pale skin color and light sweating.
"My shoulder's killing me again. Can I have something for it yet?" he asked as the nurse came over and put a hand on his forehead as Rose put the blanket over her son.
The nurse took his pulse and blood pressure and then put a thermometer in his mouth. After a few minutes, the machine beeped and she looked at the thermometer, noting the 103 degree fever indicated.
"I can get you something for the pain, but I think I better call Dr. Tate. I think you may have an infection in one of your wounds - probably the shoulder since that's where you're having the most discomfort. I'll be back in just a moment with your pain medicine," she said, turning and walking out.
"Oh, Maurice. Like you haven't been through enough already," Rose said, moving closer and feeling her son's forehead herself.
"I'm okay, Ma. It'll be okay," he said, reassuring his mother.
"Of course you will be," Rose said. "So, Dr. Tate is a very nice woman. And very interested in you also," she added getting a sideways glance from her son.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked her as the nurse walked in with medicine for Bosco's IV.
"Dr. Tate called back. She's just finishing up in surgery and she'll be down in a little bit," the nurse said as she administered the medicine. Bosco started to feel some relief as the pain medication coursed through him.
"Better?" the nurse asked him.
"Getting there. Thanks," he told her.
"I'll check back in a few minutes, okay?" she said and Bosco nodded. Rose thanked the nurse and then she was gone.
"So, what'd you mean?" Bosco asked his mother again.
"Oh. Just that she was asking me a lot of questions about you last night at her place. That Jordan certainly is a cute little thing," she said. "You seem to have made quite an impression on her also."
"I only met her the one time at the rest stop," he said, the medication making him drowsy.
"Well, she's a fine lady. You could do a lot worse," Rose started only to be interrupted.
"Ma! No matchmaking. Please," he said, closing his eyes for a moment.
"You get some sleep, Maurice. I'm going to go get some coffee. Do you need anything else?" she asked, not getting a response because he'd already fallen asleep. She watched her son peacefully sleeping for a moment and then left to get some coffee.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Dr. Tate came into the room and saw her patient sleeping. The nurse followed her in to see if there was anything she needed assistance with.
"How long since his last pain medication?" Dr. Tate asked the nurse.
"About a half hour, Doctor," the nurse replied after looking at her watch. Jennifer took Bosco's wrist to take his pulse and he didn't stir. She grabbed his chart and looked it over for a few moments.
"Get me some more dressings. I'm going to take a look at his shoulder wound and probably start him on a different antibiotic," she instructed the nurse, who turned to get the supplies.
Jennifer took the blankets off Bosco's torso and pulled down his hospital gown, taking in his appealing physique. He didn't stir until she started trying to gently remove the adhesive tape from the dressing. She stopped as soon as he stirred and waited for him to open his eyes.
"Hey," he said as he realized who was in the room.
"Hey yourself, troublemaker," she said, going back to removing the dressing.
"Troublemaker? I was just lying here," he said back to her. She smiled and he again noticed that smile that caught his attention the first time they'd met.
"Yeah, just lying here and festering. I'm just gonna take a look at this then we'll probably put you on a different antibiotic. Infections from gunshot wounds are not uncommon - not to mention you were laying out in the dirt for who knows how long," she said, peeling back the old bandage and discarding it. The nurse brought in the new supplies and assisted as Dr. Tate debrided the wound edges and reapplied another dressing. She wrote an order for the antibiotic change in the chart and the nurse went to get the new medication.
"Better?" she asked, pulling his gown back up over his shoulders after checking his abdominal incision, which was healing nicely.
"Oh yeah. Great since you've been poking around at it," he said sarcastically.
"Oh don't be a baby. This is nothing compared to what you've been through," she teased him back, laughing.
"Nice bedside manner," he joked. "I hope my Ma's not driving you crazy. Thanks for letting her stay at your place," he said as Jennifer finished making notes in his chart.
"She's great. She's got quite a sense of humor and lots of stories about you. Jordan loves her too," Jennifer said, putting the chart down and slipping her pen back into her coat pocket.
"Stories about me?! That can't be good," he groaned.
"Actually, some of them were quite funny," she said, reaching over to feel his forehead for fever - or at least that's what she wanted it to seem like. She couldn't help this strong feeling of attraction she had despite trying to fight it. She didn't need another cop in her life. Waiting for the phone call every night while her husband worked was bad enough. "Did she really want to go through all that again?" she thought to herself.
As Bosco reached up and took hold of her hand, she took in a sharp breath. "Yes," she answered her own question. She'd never felt these strong feelings since her husband.
"I mean it. Thanks for everything," he said to her. He'd never felt what he was feeling for any of the other girls he'd known and dated. This woman was different and he couldn't ignore the attraction. She had her life together and knew what she wanted it seemed - not like the others who were just basically one-night stands.
"It's no trouble. I'm enjoying all the company and Jordan is having a blast," she said, letting her hand linger in his as they both looked at each other.
After a moment, Bosco cleared his throat and said, "Look. I know you probably have a rule against this, but, do you think we could maybe get together for some dinner or something when I get out of here?"
"I think I'd like that, Maurice," she answered quietly as she bent over and kissed his lips. She'd been unable to control the urge and was pleasantly surprised when he recovered from the shock and kissed her back.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Rose had taken advantage of Bosco getting some sleep and walked down to the hospital newsstand. She bought the NY Post and went to the cafeteria to get some breakfast and sat and read the paper in a sunny window.
She was just coming back into the room and saw Dr. Tate and Bosco kissing. She smiled and quietly stepped back into the hallway until she heard them talking again, hearing Dr. Tate's quiet laugh at one of Bosco's jokes. "That boy always did know what to say," she thought to herself. "He just never knew when to stop saying it," she finished, stepping into the room in hopes of avoiding him saying the wrong thing.
She heard Bosco ask, "So when do you think I'll be able to get out of here?"
"Well, that all depends on how fast you can fight this infection. If you're fever's gone tomorrow and the wound looks better, and you really hate it here that much..." she said as Bosco interrupted.
"Sorry. No disrespect intended. I just hate these places," Bosco said to her.
"None taken. Anyway, if all looks good by tomorrow when I get off duty, you're more than welcome to spend the last couple of days at my place with your Mom. I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable and I think I can even find a doctor to take care of you - at no extra charge, of course," she joked.
"I don't want to put you out. You've housed my friends and now my family. I don't want to overstay my welcome," he said as their gazes locked on one another.
"I don't think there's any danger of that. Besides, Jordan asks about you daily. If I tell her you're coming to stay for a couple of days, she won't keep pestering me to bring her in here to see you," Jennifer said, the decision made for him.
"Well, I'll try to do my part in getting better by tomorrow. It's up to you to pick the right medicine to help me, Dr. Tate," he said and Angela cleared her throat behind them.
"Oh. Mrs. Boscorelli. I didn't hear you come in," Jennifer said, a slight blush appearing on her face.
"I just walked in," she said, holding a cup of coffee for Bosco. "Can he have this? It's decaf," Rose said.
"Sure. I don't see any problem with that. You've been on solid food for a day and a half so I guess if you were going to have a problem it would've shown up by now," she said, stepping aside to let Rose next to Bosco with the coffee.
"Well, I've got other patients to see if you're done taking up my time with this piddly problem," she said, excusing herself. "I'll stop down later and then I'll let you know what time we can take off, Rose," she said. "Of course, you're welcome to go to my place whenever you'd like. Would you like a key so you can go there earlier or in case I get stuck on a case?" she said as an afterthought.
"No. I'll wait for you, Jennifer. Thank you, dear," Rose said.
"You're very welcome. Jordan's loving all the visitors," Jennifer said before leaving.
After the door had closed, Rose turned to Bosco with a smirk on her face. "What?" Bosco said, a little color rising in his cheeks as well.
"How's the coffee?" she asked as the phone next to Bosco's bed rang. He reached for it and answered.
"Boscorelli," he said into the phone and Faith heard the light tone of his voice.
"Bosco, it's Faith. How're you doing?" she asked him.
"Great. I'll probably be getting out of here tomorrow if the antibiotics work on this little infection in my shoulder," he said.
"Tomorrow? Okay. I'll let the Boss know of the possibility of needing the day off tomorrow and you can let me know for sure in the morning," she told him, happy that he appeared to be doing better than they'd thought he would this early.
"No. Actually, I'll be staying at Jenn - Dr. Tate's house for a couple of days. So, Tuesday still sounds like the day," he said and then listened to the empty air on the other end of the phone.
"Faith? You still there?" he asked.
"Yeah, Bos. I'm here," Faith said and he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Don't, Faith," he said, a smile coming across his face.
"Don't what?" she asked him.
"You know don't what," he said again. "I'll talk to you in a couple of days. Everything okay down there?"
"Yeah. Christopher's missing you terribly, but we're trying to keep his spirits up," she said sarcastically.
"Yeah, I'm sure. So, who's he busting on since I'm not there to feel his wrath?" he asked her.
"Actually, I think he's saving it all up for your return, Bos. It should be a really special homecoming for you. I've got a call so I gotta go. Take care and let me know if you're ever coming home," she said quickly, hanging up before he could respond.
"What's that supposed to mean..?" he shouted into the phone, realizing that his partner was already gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three days later...
"Can you ask one of the nurses for another blanket, Ma?" Bosco asked through chattering teeth.
Rose was just thinking how warm and stuffy the room was and now Bosco wanted another blanket. "Sure, Maurice. I'll be right back," Rose said as she left to find another blanket.
Bosco tried to readjust himself in the bed to get comfortable and grimaced as the pain of his shoulder shot down his arm and up into his neck. "Damn, this shouldn't still be hurting this much," he thought to himself as he rang for the nurse for some more pain medication.
Rose came back into the room with a blanket and was followed by a nurse answering the call bell.
"Mr. Boscorelli? What can I do for you?" asked the nurse as she took in the pained look on his face and his pale skin color and light sweating.
"My shoulder's killing me again. Can I have something for it yet?" he asked as the nurse came over and put a hand on his forehead as Rose put the blanket over her son.
The nurse took his pulse and blood pressure and then put a thermometer in his mouth. After a few minutes, the machine beeped and she looked at the thermometer, noting the 103 degree fever indicated.
"I can get you something for the pain, but I think I better call Dr. Tate. I think you may have an infection in one of your wounds - probably the shoulder since that's where you're having the most discomfort. I'll be back in just a moment with your pain medicine," she said, turning and walking out.
"Oh, Maurice. Like you haven't been through enough already," Rose said, moving closer and feeling her son's forehead herself.
"I'm okay, Ma. It'll be okay," he said, reassuring his mother.
"Of course you will be," Rose said. "So, Dr. Tate is a very nice woman. And very interested in you also," she added getting a sideways glance from her son.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked her as the nurse walked in with medicine for Bosco's IV.
"Dr. Tate called back. She's just finishing up in surgery and she'll be down in a little bit," the nurse said as she administered the medicine. Bosco started to feel some relief as the pain medication coursed through him.
"Better?" the nurse asked him.
"Getting there. Thanks," he told her.
"I'll check back in a few minutes, okay?" she said and Bosco nodded. Rose thanked the nurse and then she was gone.
"So, what'd you mean?" Bosco asked his mother again.
"Oh. Just that she was asking me a lot of questions about you last night at her place. That Jordan certainly is a cute little thing," she said. "You seem to have made quite an impression on her also."
"I only met her the one time at the rest stop," he said, the medication making him drowsy.
"Well, she's a fine lady. You could do a lot worse," Rose started only to be interrupted.
"Ma! No matchmaking. Please," he said, closing his eyes for a moment.
"You get some sleep, Maurice. I'm going to go get some coffee. Do you need anything else?" she asked, not getting a response because he'd already fallen asleep. She watched her son peacefully sleeping for a moment and then left to get some coffee.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Dr. Tate came into the room and saw her patient sleeping. The nurse followed her in to see if there was anything she needed assistance with.
"How long since his last pain medication?" Dr. Tate asked the nurse.
"About a half hour, Doctor," the nurse replied after looking at her watch. Jennifer took Bosco's wrist to take his pulse and he didn't stir. She grabbed his chart and looked it over for a few moments.
"Get me some more dressings. I'm going to take a look at his shoulder wound and probably start him on a different antibiotic," she instructed the nurse, who turned to get the supplies.
Jennifer took the blankets off Bosco's torso and pulled down his hospital gown, taking in his appealing physique. He didn't stir until she started trying to gently remove the adhesive tape from the dressing. She stopped as soon as he stirred and waited for him to open his eyes.
"Hey," he said as he realized who was in the room.
"Hey yourself, troublemaker," she said, going back to removing the dressing.
"Troublemaker? I was just lying here," he said back to her. She smiled and he again noticed that smile that caught his attention the first time they'd met.
"Yeah, just lying here and festering. I'm just gonna take a look at this then we'll probably put you on a different antibiotic. Infections from gunshot wounds are not uncommon - not to mention you were laying out in the dirt for who knows how long," she said, peeling back the old bandage and discarding it. The nurse brought in the new supplies and assisted as Dr. Tate debrided the wound edges and reapplied another dressing. She wrote an order for the antibiotic change in the chart and the nurse went to get the new medication.
"Better?" she asked, pulling his gown back up over his shoulders after checking his abdominal incision, which was healing nicely.
"Oh yeah. Great since you've been poking around at it," he said sarcastically.
"Oh don't be a baby. This is nothing compared to what you've been through," she teased him back, laughing.
"Nice bedside manner," he joked. "I hope my Ma's not driving you crazy. Thanks for letting her stay at your place," he said as Jennifer finished making notes in his chart.
"She's great. She's got quite a sense of humor and lots of stories about you. Jordan loves her too," Jennifer said, putting the chart down and slipping her pen back into her coat pocket.
"Stories about me?! That can't be good," he groaned.
"Actually, some of them were quite funny," she said, reaching over to feel his forehead for fever - or at least that's what she wanted it to seem like. She couldn't help this strong feeling of attraction she had despite trying to fight it. She didn't need another cop in her life. Waiting for the phone call every night while her husband worked was bad enough. "Did she really want to go through all that again?" she thought to herself.
As Bosco reached up and took hold of her hand, she took in a sharp breath. "Yes," she answered her own question. She'd never felt these strong feelings since her husband.
"I mean it. Thanks for everything," he said to her. He'd never felt what he was feeling for any of the other girls he'd known and dated. This woman was different and he couldn't ignore the attraction. She had her life together and knew what she wanted it seemed - not like the others who were just basically one-night stands.
"It's no trouble. I'm enjoying all the company and Jordan is having a blast," she said, letting her hand linger in his as they both looked at each other.
After a moment, Bosco cleared his throat and said, "Look. I know you probably have a rule against this, but, do you think we could maybe get together for some dinner or something when I get out of here?"
"I think I'd like that, Maurice," she answered quietly as she bent over and kissed his lips. She'd been unable to control the urge and was pleasantly surprised when he recovered from the shock and kissed her back.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Rose had taken advantage of Bosco getting some sleep and walked down to the hospital newsstand. She bought the NY Post and went to the cafeteria to get some breakfast and sat and read the paper in a sunny window.
She was just coming back into the room and saw Dr. Tate and Bosco kissing. She smiled and quietly stepped back into the hallway until she heard them talking again, hearing Dr. Tate's quiet laugh at one of Bosco's jokes. "That boy always did know what to say," she thought to herself. "He just never knew when to stop saying it," she finished, stepping into the room in hopes of avoiding him saying the wrong thing.
She heard Bosco ask, "So when do you think I'll be able to get out of here?"
"Well, that all depends on how fast you can fight this infection. If you're fever's gone tomorrow and the wound looks better, and you really hate it here that much..." she said as Bosco interrupted.
"Sorry. No disrespect intended. I just hate these places," Bosco said to her.
"None taken. Anyway, if all looks good by tomorrow when I get off duty, you're more than welcome to spend the last couple of days at my place with your Mom. I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable and I think I can even find a doctor to take care of you - at no extra charge, of course," she joked.
"I don't want to put you out. You've housed my friends and now my family. I don't want to overstay my welcome," he said as their gazes locked on one another.
"I don't think there's any danger of that. Besides, Jordan asks about you daily. If I tell her you're coming to stay for a couple of days, she won't keep pestering me to bring her in here to see you," Jennifer said, the decision made for him.
"Well, I'll try to do my part in getting better by tomorrow. It's up to you to pick the right medicine to help me, Dr. Tate," he said and Angela cleared her throat behind them.
"Oh. Mrs. Boscorelli. I didn't hear you come in," Jennifer said, a slight blush appearing on her face.
"I just walked in," she said, holding a cup of coffee for Bosco. "Can he have this? It's decaf," Rose said.
"Sure. I don't see any problem with that. You've been on solid food for a day and a half so I guess if you were going to have a problem it would've shown up by now," she said, stepping aside to let Rose next to Bosco with the coffee.
"Well, I've got other patients to see if you're done taking up my time with this piddly problem," she said, excusing herself. "I'll stop down later and then I'll let you know what time we can take off, Rose," she said. "Of course, you're welcome to go to my place whenever you'd like. Would you like a key so you can go there earlier or in case I get stuck on a case?" she said as an afterthought.
"No. I'll wait for you, Jennifer. Thank you, dear," Rose said.
"You're very welcome. Jordan's loving all the visitors," Jennifer said before leaving.
After the door had closed, Rose turned to Bosco with a smirk on her face. "What?" Bosco said, a little color rising in his cheeks as well.
"How's the coffee?" she asked as the phone next to Bosco's bed rang. He reached for it and answered.
"Boscorelli," he said into the phone and Faith heard the light tone of his voice.
"Bosco, it's Faith. How're you doing?" she asked him.
"Great. I'll probably be getting out of here tomorrow if the antibiotics work on this little infection in my shoulder," he said.
"Tomorrow? Okay. I'll let the Boss know of the possibility of needing the day off tomorrow and you can let me know for sure in the morning," she told him, happy that he appeared to be doing better than they'd thought he would this early.
"No. Actually, I'll be staying at Jenn - Dr. Tate's house for a couple of days. So, Tuesday still sounds like the day," he said and then listened to the empty air on the other end of the phone.
"Faith? You still there?" he asked.
"Yeah, Bos. I'm here," Faith said and he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Don't, Faith," he said, a smile coming across his face.
"Don't what?" she asked him.
"You know don't what," he said again. "I'll talk to you in a couple of days. Everything okay down there?"
"Yeah. Christopher's missing you terribly, but we're trying to keep his spirits up," she said sarcastically.
"Yeah, I'm sure. So, who's he busting on since I'm not there to feel his wrath?" he asked her.
"Actually, I think he's saving it all up for your return, Bos. It should be a really special homecoming for you. I've got a call so I gotta go. Take care and let me know if you're ever coming home," she said quickly, hanging up before he could respond.
"What's that supposed to mean..?" he shouted into the phone, realizing that his partner was already gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
