Returning the Favor
Chapter 8
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone had gathered in the waiting room. They were all waiting to hear news about how Bosco was. Faith hadn't moved from the window to the trauma room. She wanted him in her sight at every moment. Littrell stood beside her.
"He just told me about you today, you know," Faith said quietly to Littrell.
"Oh yeah? I'm sure it was glowing," he said sarcastically, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
She smirked. "Actually, it wasn't bad. He hoped he'd done right by you. He saw something in you - he didn't know - something worth saving, I guess," she said. "I guess you showed him today that he was right," Faith said, for the first time looking away from her partner to the man next to her. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw an additional pride instilled in him; the knowledge that he was doing something good with his life.
"Well, I'm glad that I could be there when he needed me," Littrell replied slowly and quietly. "He grabbed me up at a pivotal time in my life. I was just back from the service. I was trying to resist be pulled back into the bad, but it was hard not going back to my old ways - ways I lived before I was in the marines," he said. "He gave me another chance and when the door to that cell opened up, he said 'good luck' and shook my hand before he stepped aside," he said, looking over at Faith and then back to Bosco who remained unconscious on the hospital bed.
"I never looked back after that. I took some refresher courses and worked in this very emergency room to keep my skills sharp. I owe where I am today to Bosco. My instructor during my FDNY training told me that he had heard good things from someone about me. When I asked him who it was he wouldn't tell me. All he would say was that it was someone from the NYPD. He told me that for that person to stand up for me I must be something special," Littrell explained with a smile on his face. "I vowed not to let that person down," he finished as one of the doctors stepped away from Bosco and turned to come into the waiting room.
Faith tensed as the doctor walked out of the trauma room toward the group waiting in the hallway. "Officer Yokas?" he called out.
"Right here, Doctor," Faith said, stepping forward. Everyone stood up to listen to the doctor.
"Well, Officer. He's is in serious condition. We have him stabilized right now. The portable x-rays we did here in the ER weren't conclusive. We're getting him ready to go for a CT Scan and we've called a neurologist who should be here shortly," the doctor said, absently glancing at his watch out of reflex. "He'll need surgery to clean up the leg wound, but it appears that no major arteries or bony structures were hit. We won't know until the CT Scan is done and the neurosurgeon looks him over..." he said, suddenly interrupted by Faith.
"Officer Boscorelli. My partner. Not 'him,'" she said to the doctor. The doctor looked surprised for a moment, then remembered that he was dealing with a police officer. Police officers and firefighters were a different breed. They commanded, and deserved, respect.
"I'm sorry. Officer Boscorelli. When the neurosurgeon is finished with Officer Boscorelli's examination and looking over the CT Scan, we'll be better able to assess what your partner will require in the way of surgery or just time to heal on his own," the doctor finished.
"Thank you, Doctor. Has my partner regained consciousness? Can I see him?" she asked him.
He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid he's still unconscious. But, you can come in for a few moments until they're ready to move Officer Boscorelli to the CT Scan. After that, maybe you'll want to get cleaned up a bit," he said, looking at the blood on her hands, uniform and cheek where she must have absently wiped at her face with her hands.
Faith looked at herself, nodded, and looked at her fellow officers and friends from the fire department. She glanced over at Littrell who nodded for her to go ahead. She followed the doctor into the trauma room.
A couple of nurses moved away so that Faith could get closer to the bed. She looked him over and saw how peaceful he looked. She put a hand on his shoulder and gently tightened her grip. "Bos? Can you hear me?" she asked quietly. "It's me, Faith. Look, the doctors are taking really good care of you and you're gonna be just fine. Just keep fighting, okay?" she said. She reached with her other hand and held onto his. She felt the slightest tightening in his grip and looked at his face to see his eyes slightly open. She moved closer to him.
"Bosco? Can you hear me?" she said. He tried to nod his head, but couldn't because of the cervical collar that remained on him. "Faith," he said barely audible. "Tell Littrell he was right. Tell him I said he IS something," he finished, remembering his words the night he re-cuffed him in the ER after they cleaned up from the shotgun patient. He'd asked him why he had the drugs - that he could BE something. He lightly squeezed her hand and drifted off again.
"I will, Bos. They're ready to take you to the scan now, so I have to wait outside. But I'm not going anywhere, Bos. I'm right here," she said as the staff came back in to begin moving him and his equipment along with him.
She backed up and watched as he was wheeled from the room. Kim and Alex poked their heads into the room to let Faith know that they had another call, but they'd be back as soon as they could. "Wait. I need to tell Littrell something quickly before you go. Something Bosco wanted me to tell him," Faith said, walking out behind the two female medics.
"Littrell," Faith called and motioned for him to come over to her so she could speak privately. When he had reached her, she said "He woke up for a moment. He wanted me to tell you something. I hope you understand it," she said.
"What is it?" he asked, as Kim told Faith that they really had to go.
"He said to tell you that you were right. You ARE something," she said. She saw Littrell smile and turn to follow the two medics out to the bus for another call.
"I guess he understood it," Faith said to herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 8
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone had gathered in the waiting room. They were all waiting to hear news about how Bosco was. Faith hadn't moved from the window to the trauma room. She wanted him in her sight at every moment. Littrell stood beside her.
"He just told me about you today, you know," Faith said quietly to Littrell.
"Oh yeah? I'm sure it was glowing," he said sarcastically, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
She smirked. "Actually, it wasn't bad. He hoped he'd done right by you. He saw something in you - he didn't know - something worth saving, I guess," she said. "I guess you showed him today that he was right," Faith said, for the first time looking away from her partner to the man next to her. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw an additional pride instilled in him; the knowledge that he was doing something good with his life.
"Well, I'm glad that I could be there when he needed me," Littrell replied slowly and quietly. "He grabbed me up at a pivotal time in my life. I was just back from the service. I was trying to resist be pulled back into the bad, but it was hard not going back to my old ways - ways I lived before I was in the marines," he said. "He gave me another chance and when the door to that cell opened up, he said 'good luck' and shook my hand before he stepped aside," he said, looking over at Faith and then back to Bosco who remained unconscious on the hospital bed.
"I never looked back after that. I took some refresher courses and worked in this very emergency room to keep my skills sharp. I owe where I am today to Bosco. My instructor during my FDNY training told me that he had heard good things from someone about me. When I asked him who it was he wouldn't tell me. All he would say was that it was someone from the NYPD. He told me that for that person to stand up for me I must be something special," Littrell explained with a smile on his face. "I vowed not to let that person down," he finished as one of the doctors stepped away from Bosco and turned to come into the waiting room.
Faith tensed as the doctor walked out of the trauma room toward the group waiting in the hallway. "Officer Yokas?" he called out.
"Right here, Doctor," Faith said, stepping forward. Everyone stood up to listen to the doctor.
"Well, Officer. He's is in serious condition. We have him stabilized right now. The portable x-rays we did here in the ER weren't conclusive. We're getting him ready to go for a CT Scan and we've called a neurologist who should be here shortly," the doctor said, absently glancing at his watch out of reflex. "He'll need surgery to clean up the leg wound, but it appears that no major arteries or bony structures were hit. We won't know until the CT Scan is done and the neurosurgeon looks him over..." he said, suddenly interrupted by Faith.
"Officer Boscorelli. My partner. Not 'him,'" she said to the doctor. The doctor looked surprised for a moment, then remembered that he was dealing with a police officer. Police officers and firefighters were a different breed. They commanded, and deserved, respect.
"I'm sorry. Officer Boscorelli. When the neurosurgeon is finished with Officer Boscorelli's examination and looking over the CT Scan, we'll be better able to assess what your partner will require in the way of surgery or just time to heal on his own," the doctor finished.
"Thank you, Doctor. Has my partner regained consciousness? Can I see him?" she asked him.
He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid he's still unconscious. But, you can come in for a few moments until they're ready to move Officer Boscorelli to the CT Scan. After that, maybe you'll want to get cleaned up a bit," he said, looking at the blood on her hands, uniform and cheek where she must have absently wiped at her face with her hands.
Faith looked at herself, nodded, and looked at her fellow officers and friends from the fire department. She glanced over at Littrell who nodded for her to go ahead. She followed the doctor into the trauma room.
A couple of nurses moved away so that Faith could get closer to the bed. She looked him over and saw how peaceful he looked. She put a hand on his shoulder and gently tightened her grip. "Bos? Can you hear me?" she asked quietly. "It's me, Faith. Look, the doctors are taking really good care of you and you're gonna be just fine. Just keep fighting, okay?" she said. She reached with her other hand and held onto his. She felt the slightest tightening in his grip and looked at his face to see his eyes slightly open. She moved closer to him.
"Bosco? Can you hear me?" she said. He tried to nod his head, but couldn't because of the cervical collar that remained on him. "Faith," he said barely audible. "Tell Littrell he was right. Tell him I said he IS something," he finished, remembering his words the night he re-cuffed him in the ER after they cleaned up from the shotgun patient. He'd asked him why he had the drugs - that he could BE something. He lightly squeezed her hand and drifted off again.
"I will, Bos. They're ready to take you to the scan now, so I have to wait outside. But I'm not going anywhere, Bos. I'm right here," she said as the staff came back in to begin moving him and his equipment along with him.
She backed up and watched as he was wheeled from the room. Kim and Alex poked their heads into the room to let Faith know that they had another call, but they'd be back as soon as they could. "Wait. I need to tell Littrell something quickly before you go. Something Bosco wanted me to tell him," Faith said, walking out behind the two female medics.
"Littrell," Faith called and motioned for him to come over to her so she could speak privately. When he had reached her, she said "He woke up for a moment. He wanted me to tell you something. I hope you understand it," she said.
"What is it?" he asked, as Kim told Faith that they really had to go.
"He said to tell you that you were right. You ARE something," she said. She saw Littrell smile and turn to follow the two medics out to the bus for another call.
"I guess he understood it," Faith said to herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...