Returning the Favor
Chapter 10
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mrs. Boscorelli," the doctor started as Bosco's coworkers and friends gathered around. "As you know, your son was shot while performing his duties today. He sustained what we call a through-and-through gunshot wound to his left thigh. That means that the bullet entered and exited his leg - it didn't remain inside his leg. Fortunately, on the way through, the bullet didn't hit any major vessels or his femur. This wound has been cleaned out and should heal nicely on its own," he explained.
Rose nodded her understanding and then cautiously said, "What about the other one?"
"Well, that one presents us with more of a challenge. The bullet entered just under his right arm. It traveled until it struck a piece of his rib, then ricocheted up and glanced off his collarbone. From there, it traveled downward along his back. Now, while it missed any major organs, the bullet is resting right up against his spinal cord right about here," the doctor said, indicating the middle of the back on Fred's who happened to be standing closest. "Now, the CT Scan we did doesn't show any actual penetration of the cord, but we believe that it is pressing on the nerves of the cord. This causes swelling of the cord, which we believe is causing his present paralysis," he said, pausing to let the news sink in.
"Paralysis?" Rose asked, trying to remain calm, but losing the battle. "Maurice is paralyzed? Does he know it?" she asked.
"Doctor," Faith interrupted, taking over for Rose who seemed unable to speak at this news. "Is the paralysis permanent?"
"We don't know yet, Officer Yokas. Most of the time, we can leave everything the way it is and monitor with x-rays and CT Scan before we have to decide whether the foreign body - in this case, the bullet - has to be removed," he explained.
"Usually?" Lieutenant Swersky said.
"Yes, well I've had the neurosurgeon and orthopaedic surgeon look at the scan and examine Officer Boscorelli. They feel, and I concur, that because of the closeness of the bullet to the cord and because there are some jagged edges to the remains of the bullet, it has to come out right away. This is to avoid the possibility of the bullet shifting and slicing through the cord, which COULD make paralysis permanent," he explained.
"Any questions for me so far?" asked the doctor, looking around at Bosco's friends.
"When will you do the surgery?" Rose asked, suddenly in control of her emotions again.
"The neuro and bone surgeons are getting ready now," he answered. "The sooner the better."
"Can I see my son before you take him to surgery?" Rose asked.
"Of course. Follow me," the doctor said. Rose started to go and then took Faith's hand. "Please come with me?" she said to Faith.
Faith looked over at the Lieutenant and Fred, then back to Mrs. Boscorelli. "Absolutely," she answered following the doctor and Rose.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
As they approached the bed, the doctor explained to Rose what he had told Faith earlier. "He may not be able to talk to you. We have him pretty heavily sedated so that he doesn't move until we get that bullet out. But, you can talk to him, because he may be able to hear you," he finished as they reached Bosco's bed.
Rose hesitated a moment, taking in the sight of her son with the oxygen and and IVs hooked up to him. She reached out and took gentle hold of his hand and leaned down to kiss his cheek. In his ear she whispered something that Faith couldn't hear, but she noticed that Bosco's grip on his mother's hand tightened slightly, a lone tear escaping from the corner of his eye.
Rose stood up slightly and looked at Bosco's face. She wiped the tear away for him. "Maurice? Can you hear me, honey? Could you please just try to open your eyes for me for a minute?" she asked him. His eyelids fluttered and then opened slightly, focusing on his mother. He tried to say her name, but because of the medication and trauma that he'd been through, he didn't have the strength.
"I love you, Maurice. The doctor has to do some surgery to take that bullet out of you, but we're all waiting for you," she said, looking over at Faith. "Faith's here and so is the rest of the police department and fire department it seems," she said, smiling back down at her son.
Rose reached over with her other hand and took hold of Faith's hand, gently pulling her toward Bosco. Bosco's eyes moved toward Faith and he saw the look of guilt in her eyes. "Please, Faith. This isn't your fault. Please know that," he thought to himself, trying to convey those thoughts to her.
Faith put a hand on his arm. "Bos. I'll be right outside, waiting for you to get out of surgery. We all will. The Lieu's out there and Sully and Davis and, well, just about everyone - even Fred wanted to be here. I gave Littrell your message. He'll be back with Kim and Alex as soon as they can," she said to her partner. She saw that he was starting to drift off again and wanted Rose to have a few last words before they took him up to surgery, so she stepped back.
Rose stepped back in and gently said, "Maurice, I love you. We're gonna get you through this so just be as strong as you can be and I'll see you in a little while," she said as he closed his eyes and succumbed to the combination of drugs and exhaustion. Rose kissed her son again and moved away so that the staff could finish getting him ready for surgery.
They followed as he was wheeled back to the elevators past his friends and co-workers, the closer of them reaching out to touch his arm or leg as he went by to send him their prayers and good thoughts - even if he couldn't hear or feel them.
The elevator doors closed and Rose slowly started to lean more on Faith, the seriousness of the situation finally settling on her. Faith supported Rose and the group parted so that she could lead her to a chair. Everyone seemed to step back to let her get some fresh air and suddenly a glass of water appeared from somewhere.
"Rose. Everything's gonna be fine. They're gonna get that bullet out and Bosco's gonna be okay," Faith said to her strongly.
"Mikey. I've gotta call Mikey," Rose said, suddenly realizing that Maurice's brother should be here.
Mary Proctor came over to the group and looked over Mrs. Boscorelli to see that she was going to be okay. "You know, you can go upstairs to the waiting room near the Operating Rooms. His surgery will probably be at least two to four hours. You can be closer to him, the chairs there are much more comfortable and there are phones you can use. I'll send up anyone else that comes in," she offered.
"Thanks, Mary," Faith said, looking at the nurse who not so long ago was mistaken for an enemy by Faith when Fred was brought in with his heart attack. Faith helped Rose to her feet and paused for a moment to make sure she was okay. They headed to the elevator, "We'll get a call to Mikey from upstairs, okay?" Faith said, leading her onto the elevator. The group let the two women go up first to give them a few minutes to gather themselves.
The Lieutenant said, "Well, whoever needs to get back on the street, let's get going. Whoever is due to hand over their RMPs, do that. Christopher, get me back to the station so I can start paperwork and temporarily fill Boscorelli's and Yokas' shifts."
The crowd disbursed. It remained unsaid, but everyone knew that they'd all meet up back here as soon as they could. A number of them planned on stopping down to the blood bank to give blood in case their fellow officer and friend needed it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 10
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mrs. Boscorelli," the doctor started as Bosco's coworkers and friends gathered around. "As you know, your son was shot while performing his duties today. He sustained what we call a through-and-through gunshot wound to his left thigh. That means that the bullet entered and exited his leg - it didn't remain inside his leg. Fortunately, on the way through, the bullet didn't hit any major vessels or his femur. This wound has been cleaned out and should heal nicely on its own," he explained.
Rose nodded her understanding and then cautiously said, "What about the other one?"
"Well, that one presents us with more of a challenge. The bullet entered just under his right arm. It traveled until it struck a piece of his rib, then ricocheted up and glanced off his collarbone. From there, it traveled downward along his back. Now, while it missed any major organs, the bullet is resting right up against his spinal cord right about here," the doctor said, indicating the middle of the back on Fred's who happened to be standing closest. "Now, the CT Scan we did doesn't show any actual penetration of the cord, but we believe that it is pressing on the nerves of the cord. This causes swelling of the cord, which we believe is causing his present paralysis," he said, pausing to let the news sink in.
"Paralysis?" Rose asked, trying to remain calm, but losing the battle. "Maurice is paralyzed? Does he know it?" she asked.
"Doctor," Faith interrupted, taking over for Rose who seemed unable to speak at this news. "Is the paralysis permanent?"
"We don't know yet, Officer Yokas. Most of the time, we can leave everything the way it is and monitor with x-rays and CT Scan before we have to decide whether the foreign body - in this case, the bullet - has to be removed," he explained.
"Usually?" Lieutenant Swersky said.
"Yes, well I've had the neurosurgeon and orthopaedic surgeon look at the scan and examine Officer Boscorelli. They feel, and I concur, that because of the closeness of the bullet to the cord and because there are some jagged edges to the remains of the bullet, it has to come out right away. This is to avoid the possibility of the bullet shifting and slicing through the cord, which COULD make paralysis permanent," he explained.
"Any questions for me so far?" asked the doctor, looking around at Bosco's friends.
"When will you do the surgery?" Rose asked, suddenly in control of her emotions again.
"The neuro and bone surgeons are getting ready now," he answered. "The sooner the better."
"Can I see my son before you take him to surgery?" Rose asked.
"Of course. Follow me," the doctor said. Rose started to go and then took Faith's hand. "Please come with me?" she said to Faith.
Faith looked over at the Lieutenant and Fred, then back to Mrs. Boscorelli. "Absolutely," she answered following the doctor and Rose.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
As they approached the bed, the doctor explained to Rose what he had told Faith earlier. "He may not be able to talk to you. We have him pretty heavily sedated so that he doesn't move until we get that bullet out. But, you can talk to him, because he may be able to hear you," he finished as they reached Bosco's bed.
Rose hesitated a moment, taking in the sight of her son with the oxygen and and IVs hooked up to him. She reached out and took gentle hold of his hand and leaned down to kiss his cheek. In his ear she whispered something that Faith couldn't hear, but she noticed that Bosco's grip on his mother's hand tightened slightly, a lone tear escaping from the corner of his eye.
Rose stood up slightly and looked at Bosco's face. She wiped the tear away for him. "Maurice? Can you hear me, honey? Could you please just try to open your eyes for me for a minute?" she asked him. His eyelids fluttered and then opened slightly, focusing on his mother. He tried to say her name, but because of the medication and trauma that he'd been through, he didn't have the strength.
"I love you, Maurice. The doctor has to do some surgery to take that bullet out of you, but we're all waiting for you," she said, looking over at Faith. "Faith's here and so is the rest of the police department and fire department it seems," she said, smiling back down at her son.
Rose reached over with her other hand and took hold of Faith's hand, gently pulling her toward Bosco. Bosco's eyes moved toward Faith and he saw the look of guilt in her eyes. "Please, Faith. This isn't your fault. Please know that," he thought to himself, trying to convey those thoughts to her.
Faith put a hand on his arm. "Bos. I'll be right outside, waiting for you to get out of surgery. We all will. The Lieu's out there and Sully and Davis and, well, just about everyone - even Fred wanted to be here. I gave Littrell your message. He'll be back with Kim and Alex as soon as they can," she said to her partner. She saw that he was starting to drift off again and wanted Rose to have a few last words before they took him up to surgery, so she stepped back.
Rose stepped back in and gently said, "Maurice, I love you. We're gonna get you through this so just be as strong as you can be and I'll see you in a little while," she said as he closed his eyes and succumbed to the combination of drugs and exhaustion. Rose kissed her son again and moved away so that the staff could finish getting him ready for surgery.
They followed as he was wheeled back to the elevators past his friends and co-workers, the closer of them reaching out to touch his arm or leg as he went by to send him their prayers and good thoughts - even if he couldn't hear or feel them.
The elevator doors closed and Rose slowly started to lean more on Faith, the seriousness of the situation finally settling on her. Faith supported Rose and the group parted so that she could lead her to a chair. Everyone seemed to step back to let her get some fresh air and suddenly a glass of water appeared from somewhere.
"Rose. Everything's gonna be fine. They're gonna get that bullet out and Bosco's gonna be okay," Faith said to her strongly.
"Mikey. I've gotta call Mikey," Rose said, suddenly realizing that Maurice's brother should be here.
Mary Proctor came over to the group and looked over Mrs. Boscorelli to see that she was going to be okay. "You know, you can go upstairs to the waiting room near the Operating Rooms. His surgery will probably be at least two to four hours. You can be closer to him, the chairs there are much more comfortable and there are phones you can use. I'll send up anyone else that comes in," she offered.
"Thanks, Mary," Faith said, looking at the nurse who not so long ago was mistaken for an enemy by Faith when Fred was brought in with his heart attack. Faith helped Rose to her feet and paused for a moment to make sure she was okay. They headed to the elevator, "We'll get a call to Mikey from upstairs, okay?" Faith said, leading her onto the elevator. The group let the two women go up first to give them a few minutes to gather themselves.
The Lieutenant said, "Well, whoever needs to get back on the street, let's get going. Whoever is due to hand over their RMPs, do that. Christopher, get me back to the station so I can start paperwork and temporarily fill Boscorelli's and Yokas' shifts."
The crowd disbursed. It remained unsaid, but everyone knew that they'd all meet up back here as soon as they could. A number of them planned on stopping down to the blood bank to give blood in case their fellow officer and friend needed it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...