Disclaimer: I own nothing!
The song in this chapter is: "Away From the Sun" By 3 Doors Down and this story is based on the song "Changes" By the same band and I do NOT own them!!
Special Thanks: To CCA for help with the last scene! Thanks so much Codes!
Bosco was released from the hospital later that evening and told to come back tomorrow morning for the beginning of what he wanted to call a pain in the ass. He wasn't much of a religious man but it wasn't too late to start praying now.
He changed out of his hospital gown and into some clean clothes his mother had brought him. He kissed the necklace that dangled from his neck. It had always been a good luck charm so he thought now would be a good time to take advantage of it. His mom entered the area where he was changing and noticed him slouched down and crying.
"Maurice?"
He looked up quickly and wiped his face. "Mom, what are you doing in here? I'm trying to change."
"I used to change your diapers Maurice, this is nothing." She leaned against the wall and noticed he was upset. Hell, she was extremely upset about the news, but what could they do? She didn't want to lie around and be depressed all of the time about it. "You wanna talk about it?"
He buttoned his shirt and stared back at her. "Mom, he gave me a 75 to 80% chance that it can't be removed. He's practically saying I have no chance."
"That still leaves a 20 to 25% chance that it can Maurice. Think positive."
He gave a small, sarcastic laugh. "Me, be positive? When has that ever been Ma?"
"Maybe now's the time to start being positive. At least for your co-workers and me. Especially Faith."
Bosco's stomach jolted. "She doesn't know. I don't want her to know."
"What exactly are you gonna tell her?"
"I'll just tell her this was something temporary. That I had blockage or something. I don't want her to know mom."
"Why the hell not?"
He zipped up his duffel bag and threw it over his shoulder. "I just don't." He walked out of the room, not even waiting on his mother.
~~
He was greeted by Faith in the lobby as he made his way through. He could tell she had been crying but he wasn't sure why. He tried to walk past her but she stopped him.
"Boz, what did they tell you?"
He noticed his mother giving him an unsure look as she passed by. "I'll be waiting in the car Maurice."
"Okay Ma." He walked to a chair and sat down. "I had some kind of blockage in my brain. They said something like not enough oxygen was getting to my brain, which caused all of that trouble. They just said I need to come in and get some small treatments and I'll be okay."
She sighed. "Are you sure?"
"That's what they told me. The CT came back negative."
"Okay. I'll see you later okay? What about work? You working the streets?"
Bosco shrugged. "I gotta talk to Swersky. I better be!"
He walked away. He didn't even know himself why he didn't want Faith to know. He had never lied to her that bad before and here he was, close to probably dying, and she had no clue.
~~
He walked into the hospital the next day not really ready for his treatments. Each day was a day closer to him finding out if he was going to die or not and he wasn't ready. He walked into the small room where the CT machine was and stared at the doctors in there.
"Hello Officer, we are going to scan your brain one more time. This will insure if it is removable or not. We'll give you the results later this week."
~~
Bosco went into work at 2:45 feeling drained. Swersky stopped him at the front desk.
"Bosco! Come here!"
He stopped, feeling winded and tired. "Lieu?"
"After your seizure we have to place you on a desk. You also need to update me on what the doctor told you. This is just precautionary until you get cleared okay?"
"Lieu, can we step into your office?" He looked up the stairs where Faith was waiting. "I need some privacy."
~~
He sat down across from Swersky and rubbed his eyes. Everything was appearing blurry to him again.
"Lieu, I have a brain tumor."
"What?"
"Yeah, it's the size of an orange. I went in for another CT scan this morning and they'll tell me later this week if it is removable or not later this week. If it isn't removable I'll die."
Swersky leaned back in his chair causing it to squeak slightly. "What are the chances of all of this?"
"Chances are that it's more than likely too big already. 75 to 80% chance." His mouth felt numb as he replied the stats back to Swersky.
"Okay. And you want to keep this private?"
Bosco nodded. "I don't even want Faith to know right now."
"Okay. You'll be on a desk until we get this figured out okay? My prayers are with you."
Bosco shook his hand. "Thanks Lieu. Thanks a lot."
"And Bosco, if you need anything you know my door is always open."
Bosco nodded once again and stood up.
~~
Faith walked with Bosco out to his car after shift change. "So, how was working a desk today?"
He leaned against the cold metal and stared at the New York skyline. "Better than I thought. I felt better. I didn't worry about some things."
"Are you feeling better?"
He stared into her eyes and lied right to her, "I feel great. But I can't work the streets until the doc releases me. You know how long that could be."
~~
He went to the doctor at the same time the next day. His doctor held another manila folder in his hand. "Bosco, let's go to my office. We have the results in."
Bosco felt nervous as he walked down the long hallway. In a few minutes he'd find out if his life was limited or if he was getting a second chance. In a few minutes his world would be either torn apart or lifted up but great news. His hands felt cold and clammy as he ran them across his shirt. He swallowed hard at the bile forming in the back of his throat. The room grew hot as he watched the doctor open the folder, the results under his hands as he pulled them out and looked over them.
"Bosco, we have the results."
Bosco saw the doctor's mouth move and heard his words echo through the room.
"And?"
"And, the tumor is in fact to large to remove."
Bosco's breathing grew heavy as he stared back at the man that just basically told him he was going to die. Bosco quickly stood up. "How long do I have?"
"It could range from 3 weeks to 3 months. It depends on the quickness of the growth of the tumor."
~~
Bosco walked up to his mom's apartment door and knocked three times, the bangs echoing in his ears. She opened the door. "Maurice?
"Mom?"
"Maurice, what is wrong?"
His breathing grew heavy as he stared at some kids laughing and playing as they ran down the hallway. How could he say this to her? He couldn't even handle it himself.
"Maurice! What happened?"
He took a deep breath once more and began to speak, his mouth growing dry as he moved his lips. Tears flowed down his cheeks. "Mom, I'm gonna die."
3 Doors Down
Away From The Sun
It's down to this
I've got to make this life make sense
Can anyone tell what I've done
I missed a life
I missed the colors of the world
Can anyone tell where I am
'Cause now again I found myself so far down
Away from the sun that shines onto the darkest place
I'm so far down away from the sun again
Away from the sun again
I'm over there
I'm tired of living in the dark
Can anyone see me down here
The feeling's gone
There's nothing left to lift me up
Back into the world I know
'Cause now again I found myself so far down
Away from the sun that shines onto the darkest place
I'm so far down away from the sun
That shines to light the way for me
To find my way back into the arms
And tell about the ones like me
I'm so far down away from the sun again
It's down in there
I've got to make this life make sense
Now I can't tell what I'm doing
Now again I found myself away from the sun
That shines to light the way for me
The song in this chapter is: "Away From the Sun" By 3 Doors Down and this story is based on the song "Changes" By the same band and I do NOT own them!!
Special Thanks: To CCA for help with the last scene! Thanks so much Codes!
Bosco was released from the hospital later that evening and told to come back tomorrow morning for the beginning of what he wanted to call a pain in the ass. He wasn't much of a religious man but it wasn't too late to start praying now.
He changed out of his hospital gown and into some clean clothes his mother had brought him. He kissed the necklace that dangled from his neck. It had always been a good luck charm so he thought now would be a good time to take advantage of it. His mom entered the area where he was changing and noticed him slouched down and crying.
"Maurice?"
He looked up quickly and wiped his face. "Mom, what are you doing in here? I'm trying to change."
"I used to change your diapers Maurice, this is nothing." She leaned against the wall and noticed he was upset. Hell, she was extremely upset about the news, but what could they do? She didn't want to lie around and be depressed all of the time about it. "You wanna talk about it?"
He buttoned his shirt and stared back at her. "Mom, he gave me a 75 to 80% chance that it can't be removed. He's practically saying I have no chance."
"That still leaves a 20 to 25% chance that it can Maurice. Think positive."
He gave a small, sarcastic laugh. "Me, be positive? When has that ever been Ma?"
"Maybe now's the time to start being positive. At least for your co-workers and me. Especially Faith."
Bosco's stomach jolted. "She doesn't know. I don't want her to know."
"What exactly are you gonna tell her?"
"I'll just tell her this was something temporary. That I had blockage or something. I don't want her to know mom."
"Why the hell not?"
He zipped up his duffel bag and threw it over his shoulder. "I just don't." He walked out of the room, not even waiting on his mother.
~~
He was greeted by Faith in the lobby as he made his way through. He could tell she had been crying but he wasn't sure why. He tried to walk past her but she stopped him.
"Boz, what did they tell you?"
He noticed his mother giving him an unsure look as she passed by. "I'll be waiting in the car Maurice."
"Okay Ma." He walked to a chair and sat down. "I had some kind of blockage in my brain. They said something like not enough oxygen was getting to my brain, which caused all of that trouble. They just said I need to come in and get some small treatments and I'll be okay."
She sighed. "Are you sure?"
"That's what they told me. The CT came back negative."
"Okay. I'll see you later okay? What about work? You working the streets?"
Bosco shrugged. "I gotta talk to Swersky. I better be!"
He walked away. He didn't even know himself why he didn't want Faith to know. He had never lied to her that bad before and here he was, close to probably dying, and she had no clue.
~~
He walked into the hospital the next day not really ready for his treatments. Each day was a day closer to him finding out if he was going to die or not and he wasn't ready. He walked into the small room where the CT machine was and stared at the doctors in there.
"Hello Officer, we are going to scan your brain one more time. This will insure if it is removable or not. We'll give you the results later this week."
~~
Bosco went into work at 2:45 feeling drained. Swersky stopped him at the front desk.
"Bosco! Come here!"
He stopped, feeling winded and tired. "Lieu?"
"After your seizure we have to place you on a desk. You also need to update me on what the doctor told you. This is just precautionary until you get cleared okay?"
"Lieu, can we step into your office?" He looked up the stairs where Faith was waiting. "I need some privacy."
~~
He sat down across from Swersky and rubbed his eyes. Everything was appearing blurry to him again.
"Lieu, I have a brain tumor."
"What?"
"Yeah, it's the size of an orange. I went in for another CT scan this morning and they'll tell me later this week if it is removable or not later this week. If it isn't removable I'll die."
Swersky leaned back in his chair causing it to squeak slightly. "What are the chances of all of this?"
"Chances are that it's more than likely too big already. 75 to 80% chance." His mouth felt numb as he replied the stats back to Swersky.
"Okay. And you want to keep this private?"
Bosco nodded. "I don't even want Faith to know right now."
"Okay. You'll be on a desk until we get this figured out okay? My prayers are with you."
Bosco shook his hand. "Thanks Lieu. Thanks a lot."
"And Bosco, if you need anything you know my door is always open."
Bosco nodded once again and stood up.
~~
Faith walked with Bosco out to his car after shift change. "So, how was working a desk today?"
He leaned against the cold metal and stared at the New York skyline. "Better than I thought. I felt better. I didn't worry about some things."
"Are you feeling better?"
He stared into her eyes and lied right to her, "I feel great. But I can't work the streets until the doc releases me. You know how long that could be."
~~
He went to the doctor at the same time the next day. His doctor held another manila folder in his hand. "Bosco, let's go to my office. We have the results in."
Bosco felt nervous as he walked down the long hallway. In a few minutes he'd find out if his life was limited or if he was getting a second chance. In a few minutes his world would be either torn apart or lifted up but great news. His hands felt cold and clammy as he ran them across his shirt. He swallowed hard at the bile forming in the back of his throat. The room grew hot as he watched the doctor open the folder, the results under his hands as he pulled them out and looked over them.
"Bosco, we have the results."
Bosco saw the doctor's mouth move and heard his words echo through the room.
"And?"
"And, the tumor is in fact to large to remove."
Bosco's breathing grew heavy as he stared back at the man that just basically told him he was going to die. Bosco quickly stood up. "How long do I have?"
"It could range from 3 weeks to 3 months. It depends on the quickness of the growth of the tumor."
~~
Bosco walked up to his mom's apartment door and knocked three times, the bangs echoing in his ears. She opened the door. "Maurice?
"Mom?"
"Maurice, what is wrong?"
His breathing grew heavy as he stared at some kids laughing and playing as they ran down the hallway. How could he say this to her? He couldn't even handle it himself.
"Maurice! What happened?"
He took a deep breath once more and began to speak, his mouth growing dry as he moved his lips. Tears flowed down his cheeks. "Mom, I'm gonna die."
3 Doors Down
Away From The Sun
It's down to this
I've got to make this life make sense
Can anyone tell what I've done
I missed a life
I missed the colors of the world
Can anyone tell where I am
'Cause now again I found myself so far down
Away from the sun that shines onto the darkest place
I'm so far down away from the sun again
Away from the sun again
I'm over there
I'm tired of living in the dark
Can anyone see me down here
The feeling's gone
There's nothing left to lift me up
Back into the world I know
'Cause now again I found myself so far down
Away from the sun that shines onto the darkest place
I'm so far down away from the sun
That shines to light the way for me
To find my way back into the arms
And tell about the ones like me
I'm so far down away from the sun again
It's down in there
I've got to make this life make sense
Now I can't tell what I'm doing
Now again I found myself away from the sun
That shines to light the way for me