Arrival Overdue
Chapter 21
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This time it was Bosco that was waiting in the hospital for news on HIS partner. Bosco had contacted Jennifer on her cell phone at her sister's house from the scene of the shooting. He could tell that she was relieved to hear his voice and find out that he was okay, but she was concerned over the fate of Faith and Kavanaugh. Jennifer had arrived at the hospital at the same time as Kavanaugh and was already in the operating room by the time Faith came in with Bosco in the other ambulance. He had called Fred and he was on his way up from the City. Bosco had assured him that she was gonna be fine, but he was sure that Fred was breaking speed limis to get here.
"Are you sure you're supposed to be walking around that much?" came a voice intruding on Bosco's thoughts. He turned to the voice and saw Lieutenant Swersky and Trooper Franklin coming back with coffee.
"What?" Bosco asked, not sure what the Lieutenant had asked him.
"Your toes are turning purple in that cast. I think you should probably sit down and give your leg a break - no pun intended," the Lieutenant said as everyone looked down at Bosco's foot. After seeing how swollen his toes were he suddenly started to feel the pain in his leg.
"Maybe you're right," he admitted, walking over and sitting down. Just then, an elderly nurse walked by the waiting area and noticed Bosco's foot.
"That needs to be elevated, young man," said the nurse as she pulled another chair over in front of him and, grabbing a pillow off the shelf in the corner, propped his foot up so that it was higher than his heart. "Elevated means higher than your own heart - keeps the blood from staying in your toes."
"Yes, ma'am," Bosco said. "I don't suppose I could get some Tylenol or something for the pain?" he asked hopefully. The elderly nurse gave him a look and then looked up and down the hallway.
"We're not supposed to be giving out medications without a doctor's order, but I can get you some from my purse. You wait here," she said, giving him a wink. After a moment, she returned with a bottle of water and some Tylenol. "You're not allergic to anything, are you?" she asked, pulling the hand holding the pills back away from him.
"No ma'am," Bosco replied. She handed him the pills back and watched while he took them. "Thank you," Bosco said, giving her his famous smile. She broke her grumpy look and gave him a smile back and nodded her head. She turned to go and Franklin and Swersky heard her say, "Such a polite young man."
Swersky looked at Franklin and the two started to laugh. "He has that affect on every woman. I can't figure it out," the Lieutenant said.
"Hey, when you got it, you got it," Bosco said proudly as Jennifer walked out of the double doors leading to the operating suites.
"Got what?" she asked, coming in on the tail end of the conversation.
"My charm," Bosco said as Jennifer walked over and, noticing the color of his toes, reached over to feel if they were cold from lack of circulation. At his comment, she pinched his toes rather hard. "OW!" he said, pulling his foot away.
"How's Faith and Kavanaugh?" Bosco asked quickly, sitting up in the chair as Swersky and Franklin came over.
"She's good. I got the bullet out of them both and the orthopedic teams are just checking on them each now. I don't see any fractures or bone involvement with Faith's wound; however, Kavanaugh's got a fracture of his femur and is gonna be with us for a few days. Faith'll be able to go home tomorrow if she feels up to it," Jennifer reported. They all breathed a sigh of relief at the news.
"When can I see her?" Bosco asked.
Jennifer turned to look back through the doors and said, "Looks like they're bringing her to Recovery now. I'll go see if she's awake and come back and let you know. Kavanaugh's gonna be a little while longer," she said to his partner.
Jennifer gave Bosco a wink and walked through the door to see about Faith.
"You better not be jerkin' her around," he heard Franklin say in his ear as he let his gaze fall from the doors.
Bosco looked at Franklin and said simply, "You don't have to worry. I think I'm gonna marry that woman. Nothing wrong with commuting to work from here is there, Lieu?" he asked his boss.
Swersky just smiled. "Where you go on your off-time doesn't have anything to do with me as long as you make it to roll call on time, in complete uniform. Oh wait, I forgot. You can't do that even now when you live right in the City."
"You're a funny guy, Lieu," Bosco quipped as Jennifer came back into the waiting area pushing a wheelchair. She stopped in front of Bosco and motioned for him to get in.
"Uh uh," he said, standing up. "I can walk."
"Get in the chair, Boscorelli. This is the only way you get so see Faith," Jennifer ordered and Bosco knew by the look on her face she wasn't kidding. He shrugged his shoulders and climbed in. She turned him around and pushed him back through the doors. "Be right back," she called over her shoulders.
Franklin and Swersky were left standing in the waiting room looking after them as they went down the hallway.
"Boscorelli seems like an okay guy," Franklin said. "But, you know him better than me. He okay? 'Cause we're all pretty protective of Dr. Tate."
Swersky nodded his head. "He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a good cop and a good man. She'll smooth him out, I think. He's ready," he said. The two of them sat down as Fred came swooping into the waiting area out of breath. The Lieutenant stood up.
"Mr. Yokas. I'm Lieutenant Swersky," he said, extending his hand and shaking Fred's. "Officer Yokas is out of surgery. The bullet was removed and didn't do any damage inside the shoulder joint. She's in Recovery now. Officer Boscorelli just went back to see her. I'll let the nurses know you're here."
Fred let out a deep breath. "Thank God," he said, sitting down as his nerves got the better of him for a moment.
"She saved my partner's life," Franklin said to Fred. "She's a good cop."
"Thanks. I've heard that," he said, giving a faint smile. "How IS your partner?" he asked Franklin.
"He's gonna be okay too. He's took a bullet in the leg that fractured his femur, but he's gonna be okay," the Trooper advised Fred.
"What exactly happened?" Fred asked and Franklin began to explain.
^*^*^**^*^*^*
"Faith?" Bosco said quietly as he sat next to her bed. He watched as his partner slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room finally finding him in the chair next to her.
"Hey," she said tiredly.
"Hey yourself. You okay?" he asked. Faith nodded.
"Yeah. It's a little sore, but I guess that's to be expected. Everything go okay, Doctor?" Faith asked of Dr. Tate.
"Everything went great, Faith. And it's Jennifer, remember?" Faith nodded as Jennifer continued.
"I took the bullet out. There was no damage to the bone or joint, but you're gonna be sore for a bit. I think you'll be able to work on the range of motion yourself, so you probably will only need a little physical therapy - if at all."
"How's Kavanaugh?" Faith asked, fighting sleep.
"He's gonna be okay. The bullet went into his leg and fractured his femur, but the bone docs are working on that. He'll be fine, but it's gonna take a little longer than you. You can probably go home tomorrow as long as you don't have any complications," she told her.
"Fred," Faith said suddenly.
"I called him. He's on his way. He should be here any time now," Bosco said, putting a hand on Faith's arm. "You sure you're okay, Faith?" he asked again and Jennifer smiled at the concern he showed for his partner. He truly cared about her - that was clearly evident. It went along with everything you've ever heard about partners in the police department. They are a special breed. A nurse poked her head in the room.
"Dr. Tate? Officer Yokas' husband is here," she said.
"Okay. Bring him back and I'll take Officer Boscorelli back out. You're on your way to my place to get into bed and off that leg," she said scoldingly.
"Oooh. I like the sound of that," he said sarcastically. "But, I need to stay here with Faith tonight," he argued.
"No, Bos. Go ahead. Fred's here. I'll be fine. Go let your leg heal up, among other things," she said with a grin.
"You are a bad girl, Faith Yokas," Bosco said with a smile as Jennifer pushed him toward the door. He held up a hand to Jennifer to tell her to stop. "Can I have a minute, please?" he asked her. Jennifer nodded and stepped outside.
"Faith. I just wanted to thank you for coming up here and saving my ass. If it wasn't for you, this would have been an entirely different outcome. I'm just sorry you got shot because of it," he said.
"I'm glad we got here in time, Bos. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you. You're too good of a friend. So, how're things going with you and the good Doctor?" she asked him and the smile that came across his face said it all.
"I think she's the one, Faith. I really do."
"Good for you, Bos. Good for you," she said as the nurse brought Fred in followed by Jennifer. Fred stopped alongside Bosco for a moment and then rushed over to Faith's side. Bosco watched them for a moment and then Jennifer quietly wheeled him from the room.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Bosco and Jennifer wearily dragged themselves into Jennifer's house. They avoided the kitchen totally other than noticing that someone had boarded up the broken windows. "That must have been my neighbor," she said, flipping off the lights as they headed up the stairs. She noticed Bosco's limp and knew he was hurting. She went back to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and his pain medicine then followed him up the stairs. Jordan was going to stay at her Aunt's house until they were able to get the windows repaired and the mess in the kitchen cleaned up. She didn't want her daughter to see her home like this and lose the safe feeling she had here. She'd call her first thing in the morning.
Jennifer walked into the bedroom and saw Bosco sitting on the edge of the bed, not sure if he was welcomed there or not. He just automatically walked up there and then realized that he may be overstepping his bounds.
It had been a long time since she'd had someone to talk to at night while she was getting ready for bed. She missed it and liked it a lot. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of oversized sweats and a t-shirt. She turned and threw them to him.
"Get changed and get into bed. I put a glass of water and one of your pain pills there on the nightstand. Doctor's orders for a good night's sleep without any discomfort. I'll be out in a minute," she said as she grabbed her things and headed for the bathroom to change.
Bosco stood up and stepped in front of her on her way to change. They were inches apart and he said. "You can change here. I don't mind if you don't, Jen." The tension of the night - now morning - seemed to fade away and she found herself in his arms being kissed. She let herself relax and kissed him back and soon it was as if the events of the night had never happened and they were right where they'd left off in front of the fireplace.
They slowly undressed each other, exploring each other all over again as if it was the first time. But the first time had been rushed, filled with sexual tension and urgency. This time was slow as they each wanted to take in the sight of the other and commit each other to memory. When they were both completely undressed, Bosco kissed her and gently walked her backward toward the bed. He lowered her to the bed and followed her, taking in every mark, childhood scar and mole as he kissed up and down the length of her body. He felt her hands on him; moving, exploring and then felt her push him to the bed and begin exploring him. Soon they were both at a feverish pitch and Bosco raised himself up over her. He watched her face as her arousal was almost more than she could bear and he then he took over the edge and joined her.
Now they lay spent in each other's arms with no sound but their slow, even breathing.
"Jen?" he said quietly in the dark.
"Yes, Maurice?" she answered, snuggling up closer to him.
"I think... No, I know, I'm in love with you. Do you think you're ready for that?" he asked her, not sure what he'd do if she said no.
He waited a moment and then realized that he felt her trembling as a tear escaped and fell onto his chest. "Jen? Are you okay?" he asked, moving so that he could see her face.
She shook her head, "Yes, Maurice. I think I'm finally ready and I know that I love you, too." Bosco's eyes got teary as he thought of the life that they could have together. They lay together and fell asleep.
It was 10:00 a.m. when they awoke to the sun streaming in through the skylight above them. They committed themselves to their love again before getting up to begin their life together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Epilogue to follow.
Chapter 21
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This time it was Bosco that was waiting in the hospital for news on HIS partner. Bosco had contacted Jennifer on her cell phone at her sister's house from the scene of the shooting. He could tell that she was relieved to hear his voice and find out that he was okay, but she was concerned over the fate of Faith and Kavanaugh. Jennifer had arrived at the hospital at the same time as Kavanaugh and was already in the operating room by the time Faith came in with Bosco in the other ambulance. He had called Fred and he was on his way up from the City. Bosco had assured him that she was gonna be fine, but he was sure that Fred was breaking speed limis to get here.
"Are you sure you're supposed to be walking around that much?" came a voice intruding on Bosco's thoughts. He turned to the voice and saw Lieutenant Swersky and Trooper Franklin coming back with coffee.
"What?" Bosco asked, not sure what the Lieutenant had asked him.
"Your toes are turning purple in that cast. I think you should probably sit down and give your leg a break - no pun intended," the Lieutenant said as everyone looked down at Bosco's foot. After seeing how swollen his toes were he suddenly started to feel the pain in his leg.
"Maybe you're right," he admitted, walking over and sitting down. Just then, an elderly nurse walked by the waiting area and noticed Bosco's foot.
"That needs to be elevated, young man," said the nurse as she pulled another chair over in front of him and, grabbing a pillow off the shelf in the corner, propped his foot up so that it was higher than his heart. "Elevated means higher than your own heart - keeps the blood from staying in your toes."
"Yes, ma'am," Bosco said. "I don't suppose I could get some Tylenol or something for the pain?" he asked hopefully. The elderly nurse gave him a look and then looked up and down the hallway.
"We're not supposed to be giving out medications without a doctor's order, but I can get you some from my purse. You wait here," she said, giving him a wink. After a moment, she returned with a bottle of water and some Tylenol. "You're not allergic to anything, are you?" she asked, pulling the hand holding the pills back away from him.
"No ma'am," Bosco replied. She handed him the pills back and watched while he took them. "Thank you," Bosco said, giving her his famous smile. She broke her grumpy look and gave him a smile back and nodded her head. She turned to go and Franklin and Swersky heard her say, "Such a polite young man."
Swersky looked at Franklin and the two started to laugh. "He has that affect on every woman. I can't figure it out," the Lieutenant said.
"Hey, when you got it, you got it," Bosco said proudly as Jennifer walked out of the double doors leading to the operating suites.
"Got what?" she asked, coming in on the tail end of the conversation.
"My charm," Bosco said as Jennifer walked over and, noticing the color of his toes, reached over to feel if they were cold from lack of circulation. At his comment, she pinched his toes rather hard. "OW!" he said, pulling his foot away.
"How's Faith and Kavanaugh?" Bosco asked quickly, sitting up in the chair as Swersky and Franklin came over.
"She's good. I got the bullet out of them both and the orthopedic teams are just checking on them each now. I don't see any fractures or bone involvement with Faith's wound; however, Kavanaugh's got a fracture of his femur and is gonna be with us for a few days. Faith'll be able to go home tomorrow if she feels up to it," Jennifer reported. They all breathed a sigh of relief at the news.
"When can I see her?" Bosco asked.
Jennifer turned to look back through the doors and said, "Looks like they're bringing her to Recovery now. I'll go see if she's awake and come back and let you know. Kavanaugh's gonna be a little while longer," she said to his partner.
Jennifer gave Bosco a wink and walked through the door to see about Faith.
"You better not be jerkin' her around," he heard Franklin say in his ear as he let his gaze fall from the doors.
Bosco looked at Franklin and said simply, "You don't have to worry. I think I'm gonna marry that woman. Nothing wrong with commuting to work from here is there, Lieu?" he asked his boss.
Swersky just smiled. "Where you go on your off-time doesn't have anything to do with me as long as you make it to roll call on time, in complete uniform. Oh wait, I forgot. You can't do that even now when you live right in the City."
"You're a funny guy, Lieu," Bosco quipped as Jennifer came back into the waiting area pushing a wheelchair. She stopped in front of Bosco and motioned for him to get in.
"Uh uh," he said, standing up. "I can walk."
"Get in the chair, Boscorelli. This is the only way you get so see Faith," Jennifer ordered and Bosco knew by the look on her face she wasn't kidding. He shrugged his shoulders and climbed in. She turned him around and pushed him back through the doors. "Be right back," she called over her shoulders.
Franklin and Swersky were left standing in the waiting room looking after them as they went down the hallway.
"Boscorelli seems like an okay guy," Franklin said. "But, you know him better than me. He okay? 'Cause we're all pretty protective of Dr. Tate."
Swersky nodded his head. "He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a good cop and a good man. She'll smooth him out, I think. He's ready," he said. The two of them sat down as Fred came swooping into the waiting area out of breath. The Lieutenant stood up.
"Mr. Yokas. I'm Lieutenant Swersky," he said, extending his hand and shaking Fred's. "Officer Yokas is out of surgery. The bullet was removed and didn't do any damage inside the shoulder joint. She's in Recovery now. Officer Boscorelli just went back to see her. I'll let the nurses know you're here."
Fred let out a deep breath. "Thank God," he said, sitting down as his nerves got the better of him for a moment.
"She saved my partner's life," Franklin said to Fred. "She's a good cop."
"Thanks. I've heard that," he said, giving a faint smile. "How IS your partner?" he asked Franklin.
"He's gonna be okay too. He's took a bullet in the leg that fractured his femur, but he's gonna be okay," the Trooper advised Fred.
"What exactly happened?" Fred asked and Franklin began to explain.
^*^*^**^*^*^*
"Faith?" Bosco said quietly as he sat next to her bed. He watched as his partner slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room finally finding him in the chair next to her.
"Hey," she said tiredly.
"Hey yourself. You okay?" he asked. Faith nodded.
"Yeah. It's a little sore, but I guess that's to be expected. Everything go okay, Doctor?" Faith asked of Dr. Tate.
"Everything went great, Faith. And it's Jennifer, remember?" Faith nodded as Jennifer continued.
"I took the bullet out. There was no damage to the bone or joint, but you're gonna be sore for a bit. I think you'll be able to work on the range of motion yourself, so you probably will only need a little physical therapy - if at all."
"How's Kavanaugh?" Faith asked, fighting sleep.
"He's gonna be okay. The bullet went into his leg and fractured his femur, but the bone docs are working on that. He'll be fine, but it's gonna take a little longer than you. You can probably go home tomorrow as long as you don't have any complications," she told her.
"Fred," Faith said suddenly.
"I called him. He's on his way. He should be here any time now," Bosco said, putting a hand on Faith's arm. "You sure you're okay, Faith?" he asked again and Jennifer smiled at the concern he showed for his partner. He truly cared about her - that was clearly evident. It went along with everything you've ever heard about partners in the police department. They are a special breed. A nurse poked her head in the room.
"Dr. Tate? Officer Yokas' husband is here," she said.
"Okay. Bring him back and I'll take Officer Boscorelli back out. You're on your way to my place to get into bed and off that leg," she said scoldingly.
"Oooh. I like the sound of that," he said sarcastically. "But, I need to stay here with Faith tonight," he argued.
"No, Bos. Go ahead. Fred's here. I'll be fine. Go let your leg heal up, among other things," she said with a grin.
"You are a bad girl, Faith Yokas," Bosco said with a smile as Jennifer pushed him toward the door. He held up a hand to Jennifer to tell her to stop. "Can I have a minute, please?" he asked her. Jennifer nodded and stepped outside.
"Faith. I just wanted to thank you for coming up here and saving my ass. If it wasn't for you, this would have been an entirely different outcome. I'm just sorry you got shot because of it," he said.
"I'm glad we got here in time, Bos. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you. You're too good of a friend. So, how're things going with you and the good Doctor?" she asked him and the smile that came across his face said it all.
"I think she's the one, Faith. I really do."
"Good for you, Bos. Good for you," she said as the nurse brought Fred in followed by Jennifer. Fred stopped alongside Bosco for a moment and then rushed over to Faith's side. Bosco watched them for a moment and then Jennifer quietly wheeled him from the room.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Bosco and Jennifer wearily dragged themselves into Jennifer's house. They avoided the kitchen totally other than noticing that someone had boarded up the broken windows. "That must have been my neighbor," she said, flipping off the lights as they headed up the stairs. She noticed Bosco's limp and knew he was hurting. She went back to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and his pain medicine then followed him up the stairs. Jordan was going to stay at her Aunt's house until they were able to get the windows repaired and the mess in the kitchen cleaned up. She didn't want her daughter to see her home like this and lose the safe feeling she had here. She'd call her first thing in the morning.
Jennifer walked into the bedroom and saw Bosco sitting on the edge of the bed, not sure if he was welcomed there or not. He just automatically walked up there and then realized that he may be overstepping his bounds.
It had been a long time since she'd had someone to talk to at night while she was getting ready for bed. She missed it and liked it a lot. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of oversized sweats and a t-shirt. She turned and threw them to him.
"Get changed and get into bed. I put a glass of water and one of your pain pills there on the nightstand. Doctor's orders for a good night's sleep without any discomfort. I'll be out in a minute," she said as she grabbed her things and headed for the bathroom to change.
Bosco stood up and stepped in front of her on her way to change. They were inches apart and he said. "You can change here. I don't mind if you don't, Jen." The tension of the night - now morning - seemed to fade away and she found herself in his arms being kissed. She let herself relax and kissed him back and soon it was as if the events of the night had never happened and they were right where they'd left off in front of the fireplace.
They slowly undressed each other, exploring each other all over again as if it was the first time. But the first time had been rushed, filled with sexual tension and urgency. This time was slow as they each wanted to take in the sight of the other and commit each other to memory. When they were both completely undressed, Bosco kissed her and gently walked her backward toward the bed. He lowered her to the bed and followed her, taking in every mark, childhood scar and mole as he kissed up and down the length of her body. He felt her hands on him; moving, exploring and then felt her push him to the bed and begin exploring him. Soon they were both at a feverish pitch and Bosco raised himself up over her. He watched her face as her arousal was almost more than she could bear and he then he took over the edge and joined her.
Now they lay spent in each other's arms with no sound but their slow, even breathing.
"Jen?" he said quietly in the dark.
"Yes, Maurice?" she answered, snuggling up closer to him.
"I think... No, I know, I'm in love with you. Do you think you're ready for that?" he asked her, not sure what he'd do if she said no.
He waited a moment and then realized that he felt her trembling as a tear escaped and fell onto his chest. "Jen? Are you okay?" he asked, moving so that he could see her face.
She shook her head, "Yes, Maurice. I think I'm finally ready and I know that I love you, too." Bosco's eyes got teary as he thought of the life that they could have together. They lay together and fell asleep.
It was 10:00 a.m. when they awoke to the sun streaming in through the skylight above them. They committed themselves to their love again before getting up to begin their life together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Epilogue to follow.
