Returning the Favor
Chapter 16
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco began waking up. He looked around the room and saw that he was in the recovery room, which meant he'd had more surgery. He immediately tried to move his legs and discovered he was unable to. He started to panic slightly until he heard a voice beside him.
"It's okay. It's just the spinal anesthesia they gave you. You can still move," said Littrell who was in the bed next to him.
"Hey, man. How are you?" asked Bosco sleepily.
"Okay, I guess. They did some exploratory surgery, but nothing needed to be repaired. I'll be out of here in a couple of days," he answered, still a little groggy himself. He'd been done with his surgery and awake for about an hour and a half, but had talked the doctor into letting him stay here instead of going to his room until Bosco woke up.
"Good. What the hell happened?" Bosco said, thinking back to the shooter at the firehouse. "Who was that guy?"
And there it was. Bosco had heard what Johnny said. Bosco noticed that Littrell hadn't answered and he turned his head to look at him, fighting off the sleep from the pain medication that was calling to him. "Littrell?"
"That was my brother-in-law, Johnny Branson. He wants me to tell him where my sister and his kids are, but that ain't gonna happen," Littrell answered finally. "He's crazy. There's no telling what he'll do now. Your Lieutenant sent Sully and Davis over to the shelter to check on them and my guess is they're out looking for Johnny. But, he's good. They won't find him until he wants to be found," Littrell said somberly.
After a moment of silence, Littrell said, "I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of this, Bosco."
Bosco made a face, dismissing it and said, "No problem. It wasn't your fault. You're just trying to protect your sister. The same thing I would've done. They'll find him and Sully and Davis won't let anything happen to them," he said, drifting off to sleep.
^*^*^*^*^*^
When Bosco woke again, he was in a room in the post-surgery wing and he looked over to see Faith sitting beside him.
"Hey. Welcome back," she said with a smile. "How're you feeling?"
"I'm not feeling much. You tell me how I am. Did you talk to the doctor?" he asked her as a nurse came in to check on him.
"He told me that the x-rays showed that a bone fragment left over from your original injury had dislodged when you dove off the bench trying to get to your gun. It was pressing on some muscles and nerves in your back, which was causing your pain and leg weakness. They removed the fragment and you should be out of here in a couple of days," she said.
He nodded his understanding and tried to move his legs again. This time he was successful, although there was still some tingling and numbness. "That feeling should go away over the next hour or so, Maurice," said the nurse and Bosco looked up. He smiled as he recognized one of the nurses that took care of him the last time he was on this floor.
"Hey, Sarah. How the hell are you?" he asked, turning on his Boscorelli charm. Faith rolled her eyes as the two talked for a few minutes.
Sarah said, "We really should stop meeting like this. I'd much rather spend time with you like I did the last time I saw you." Bosco smiled at the young woman.
"Yeah, well maybe in a few days. I should probably rest my back a little bit before I try anything like that again," he said. Sarah giggled.
Faith stood up. "Okay, that's a little more information than I needed to hear," she said, grabbing her purse and walking over to the bed. She noticed the blush on the nurse's cheeks as she realized that there was still someone else in the room. "I'm gonna go home and get some sleep. You need anything before I come back in the morning?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I could use a GOOD cup of coffee," he said, remembering the food from the last time as he kept looking at Sarah.
"You got it. Oh yeah. By the way, Nurse. Could you leave this little light on for Officer Boscorelli? You see, MAURICE doesn't like the dark," Faith teased. She laughed at the look on his face when she walked out of the room and heard him saying to Sarah, "She's just kidding. YOKAS!!!"
"See you in the morning, Bos!" she called back to him, laughing on the way out. She walked by Littrell's room on the way out and stopped in to see if he was awake. He heard her walk in and woke with a start.
"It's okay. It's just me. Sorry to wake you up," Faith said to him.
"Oh. Hi Faith," Littrell said.
"How're you doing?" she asked him.
"I'm okay. How's Bosco doing?" he asked her.
"He's good. Chatting up the nurses as usual," she said with a smile.
"He does have a way with them, doesn't he?" said Littrell.
"I'm bringing back some decent coffee in the morning. Can I bring anything back for you?" she offered.
He shook his head no and then looked at her. "Could you check with Sully and Ty and see if they found my sister and her kids. I just want to know if they're okay," he asked her, worry etched on his face. "I'm all she's got," he added.
"Yeah," she said, looking at her watch. "They should just be getting off shift. I swing by the precinct on the way home and see what I can find out. I'll call the desk and tell the nurse to let you know," she said.
"Thanks, Faith," Littrell said. Faith sensed he had something else to say and waited. "I'm sorry I got Bosco hurt again," he said finally.
"Littrell, this is not your fault. This is all your brother-in-law's fault. And we're gonna find him and then your sister can go back to a normal life without worrying about him coming to find her," Faith said with confidence.
"Thanks," was all Littrell said.
"Okay. I'm gonna go catch Sully and Davis," she said, turning to leave.
Littrell settled back and looked out the window at the dark sky, thinking about the confidence Faith had. "I hope so. I really hope so, but I don't think it's gonna be that easy," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 16
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco began waking up. He looked around the room and saw that he was in the recovery room, which meant he'd had more surgery. He immediately tried to move his legs and discovered he was unable to. He started to panic slightly until he heard a voice beside him.
"It's okay. It's just the spinal anesthesia they gave you. You can still move," said Littrell who was in the bed next to him.
"Hey, man. How are you?" asked Bosco sleepily.
"Okay, I guess. They did some exploratory surgery, but nothing needed to be repaired. I'll be out of here in a couple of days," he answered, still a little groggy himself. He'd been done with his surgery and awake for about an hour and a half, but had talked the doctor into letting him stay here instead of going to his room until Bosco woke up.
"Good. What the hell happened?" Bosco said, thinking back to the shooter at the firehouse. "Who was that guy?"
And there it was. Bosco had heard what Johnny said. Bosco noticed that Littrell hadn't answered and he turned his head to look at him, fighting off the sleep from the pain medication that was calling to him. "Littrell?"
"That was my brother-in-law, Johnny Branson. He wants me to tell him where my sister and his kids are, but that ain't gonna happen," Littrell answered finally. "He's crazy. There's no telling what he'll do now. Your Lieutenant sent Sully and Davis over to the shelter to check on them and my guess is they're out looking for Johnny. But, he's good. They won't find him until he wants to be found," Littrell said somberly.
After a moment of silence, Littrell said, "I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of this, Bosco."
Bosco made a face, dismissing it and said, "No problem. It wasn't your fault. You're just trying to protect your sister. The same thing I would've done. They'll find him and Sully and Davis won't let anything happen to them," he said, drifting off to sleep.
^*^*^*^*^*^
When Bosco woke again, he was in a room in the post-surgery wing and he looked over to see Faith sitting beside him.
"Hey. Welcome back," she said with a smile. "How're you feeling?"
"I'm not feeling much. You tell me how I am. Did you talk to the doctor?" he asked her as a nurse came in to check on him.
"He told me that the x-rays showed that a bone fragment left over from your original injury had dislodged when you dove off the bench trying to get to your gun. It was pressing on some muscles and nerves in your back, which was causing your pain and leg weakness. They removed the fragment and you should be out of here in a couple of days," she said.
He nodded his understanding and tried to move his legs again. This time he was successful, although there was still some tingling and numbness. "That feeling should go away over the next hour or so, Maurice," said the nurse and Bosco looked up. He smiled as he recognized one of the nurses that took care of him the last time he was on this floor.
"Hey, Sarah. How the hell are you?" he asked, turning on his Boscorelli charm. Faith rolled her eyes as the two talked for a few minutes.
Sarah said, "We really should stop meeting like this. I'd much rather spend time with you like I did the last time I saw you." Bosco smiled at the young woman.
"Yeah, well maybe in a few days. I should probably rest my back a little bit before I try anything like that again," he said. Sarah giggled.
Faith stood up. "Okay, that's a little more information than I needed to hear," she said, grabbing her purse and walking over to the bed. She noticed the blush on the nurse's cheeks as she realized that there was still someone else in the room. "I'm gonna go home and get some sleep. You need anything before I come back in the morning?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I could use a GOOD cup of coffee," he said, remembering the food from the last time as he kept looking at Sarah.
"You got it. Oh yeah. By the way, Nurse. Could you leave this little light on for Officer Boscorelli? You see, MAURICE doesn't like the dark," Faith teased. She laughed at the look on his face when she walked out of the room and heard him saying to Sarah, "She's just kidding. YOKAS!!!"
"See you in the morning, Bos!" she called back to him, laughing on the way out. She walked by Littrell's room on the way out and stopped in to see if he was awake. He heard her walk in and woke with a start.
"It's okay. It's just me. Sorry to wake you up," Faith said to him.
"Oh. Hi Faith," Littrell said.
"How're you doing?" she asked him.
"I'm okay. How's Bosco doing?" he asked her.
"He's good. Chatting up the nurses as usual," she said with a smile.
"He does have a way with them, doesn't he?" said Littrell.
"I'm bringing back some decent coffee in the morning. Can I bring anything back for you?" she offered.
He shook his head no and then looked at her. "Could you check with Sully and Ty and see if they found my sister and her kids. I just want to know if they're okay," he asked her, worry etched on his face. "I'm all she's got," he added.
"Yeah," she said, looking at her watch. "They should just be getting off shift. I swing by the precinct on the way home and see what I can find out. I'll call the desk and tell the nurse to let you know," she said.
"Thanks, Faith," Littrell said. Faith sensed he had something else to say and waited. "I'm sorry I got Bosco hurt again," he said finally.
"Littrell, this is not your fault. This is all your brother-in-law's fault. And we're gonna find him and then your sister can go back to a normal life without worrying about him coming to find her," Faith said with confidence.
"Thanks," was all Littrell said.
"Okay. I'm gonna go catch Sully and Davis," she said, turning to leave.
Littrell settled back and looked out the window at the dark sky, thinking about the confidence Faith had. "I hope so. I really hope so, but I don't think it's gonna be that easy," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...