Disclaimer: I don't own anything
The song in this chapter is "My Immortal" By Evanescence and I don't own it! Please don't sue!
Author's Note: Okay, this story finally got to me, I broke down and cried while I was writing this chapter..I feel like a wuss! LOL..hope you enjoy it in that sappy sort of way! :)
The meaning, "Life is short, make the best of it" had all new meaning to Bosco, Faith, and everyone around him. Though he really wasn't sure what it meant he was going to live by it. He could practically see the sorrow in everyone's eyes when they would look at him. He hated the feeling but he didn't want to be a hermit and not be around them, that would be a bad way to end his life.
He wasn't sure what he could do this last week. Make amends with his father or brother? That would be awkward but it needed to be done. He sat by Faith in a small diner on King Street. He was thankful Swersky had given her time off, though he knew why. It was only so she could be with him his final days.
"What do you have planned for today?" Faith leaned back in the booth and sighed. She had eaten more than she planned on.
"I'm not sure. I was thinking about visiting Mikey. Maybe even my dad."
"Really?" Faith noticed Bosco staring out the window.
He took a drink of water. "What, you don't think I should?"
"I think it is a great idea Boz. Of course."
~~
Bosco took a deep breath as he walked up to his brother's apartment, a place he hadn't been in awhile. He knocked on the door a couple of times, the hard pounds echoing in his mind. He heard some beer bottles clank and the stereo. To his surprise his brother answered in a nice shirt and some khakis.
"Maurice?"
"Hey Mikey, are you busy?"
"Nah man, I just got home from work. What's up?" Mikey opened the door wider so Bosco could walk in.
"You have a job. That's great man, I'm happy for you." He paused and looked around the cozy room. "Have you talked to mom lately?"
Mikey nodded. "Sit down take a load off." He moved some newspapers from the couch and threw them on the table beside the couch. "I haven't talked to mom in like a month, did something happen?"
Bosco sat on the edge of the couch. "I'm surprised she didn't. I came by to tell you something. I.." He cut off as he noticed an old picture of him and Mikey when they were 12 and 10. They had just got done with a baseball game.
"Maurice? You what?" Mikey broke his concentration.
"I have a brain tumor." The room grew silent as Mikey stared back at him. "I only have about a week or less to live. I just thought you should know since you know, we used to be close."
Mikey stood up and paced back in forth in front of him. "This can't be true. Why didn't you tell me sooner, I mean, you probably knew about this a long time before now. You come here and tell me that all I have left with you is a week? Maybe less? I'm not sure how to take that."
Bosco grabbed his arm. "Mikey, stop pacing would you? I didn't know about this until about a week and a half ago. I had the symptoms for a while but I was too stupid and ignorant to go get checked, you know how that is. I would've probably been saved if they would have caught it early."
"And mom didn't call me?" He stared down at Bosco. "I'm so sorry Maurice."
"Why are you sorry, this isn't your fault."
Mikey pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you man. Does dad know?"
Bosco shook his head. "Not yet. I'm not sure he needs to know. It would probably be a form of entertainment for him."
"He needs to know. You want me to come with you?"
Bosco shook his head once more. "Nah, I need to do this on my own. This is my mistake."
~~
He slowly walked through the parking lot of the small apartment building his father lived in. He swallowed hard and knocked on the door. He listened but now sounds came from inside the door. He knocked once more, this time harder.
"Can I help you?"
Bosco quickly turned around to his father standing behind him, a grocery bag in his hand. He moved to the side allowing his father to unlock the door.
"Uh, hi dad." Bosco wasn't sure what to say so he just followed him in the living room.
"What do you want Maurice?" He set the bag on the small round table in the kitchen.
"I just came to tell you that I'm dying. I thought you might want to know."
His father slowly sat down in a small wooden chair and pulled a loaf of bread out of the bag. "Are you coming here to tell me this to make me feel sorry for you?"
Bosco nodded. "No, I came here out of respect. I'm telling everyone that has a right to know."
"Your mom called and told me. I know. I'm sorry you are going through that but I'm not big on telling you things. It's nothing personal."
Bosco watched as his dad spread some mustard on the bread in front of him. "I understand that dad. Anyway, I just wanted to come tell you in person, make things right. I know we didn't have a good past. I'm sorry for that." Bosco stood up to leave.
"I'm sorry to Maurice. Kids shouldn't die before there parents. It's just unethical. But I guess there's nothing we can do now is there?"
Bosco turned around. "No, I guess there isn't."
~~
Faith awakened by Fred coming in after work at 6:00. She yawned and noticed the TV was still on from earlier. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. The sleeping pills she had taken really had helped. At least she got Bosco off of her mind for the few hours she did sleep.
"How long did you sleep today?" Fred grabbed two cups from the cabinet and poured some lemonade in both.
She glanced at her watch. "3 hours. How was work?"
"Boring as hell. Where are the kids?"
"Next door. Emily was working on a project with the girl over there."
Fred sat beside her and handed her the glass full of yellow liquid. "How are you feeling?"
She took a long drink. "I'm not dying."
"How is Bosco?"
"Got less than a week left. He went and made peace with his dad and brother today." She felt tears fall and burn her cheeks as she stared at a music video on the TV. She felt Fred's arm wrap around her tightly.
"It's okay Faith. Everything will be okay."
She wiped the running mascara away with a Kleenex. "It's not okay Fred, it's NOT okay. Bosco is my best friend and he's fixing to be gone. You are acting like he is leaving on a trip. He's leaving FOREVER. He won't be back. I'll never see him again. I don't know how in the hell to comprehend all of this shit Fred."
He pulled her into a tight hug. "Take it one day at a time, that's the best advice anyone could give you. Don't think of the end of the road, think of right at this moment. Go spend it with him Faith, I understand."
~~
Faith met up with Bosco at a Chinese restaurant they would always visit while on duty. He could tell she had been crying but he was afraid to ask about it so he left it alone. He took a long sip of his water.
"Faith, what did you do today?" He made small talk to get the awkward silence to drift away.
"I actually got some sleep in. How did everything go with your family?"
He ran his fingers over the condensation forming on his glass. "It went good actually. It didn't end a fight. That's a start for the Boscorelli's."
"Good to hear. So how are you feeling?"
"I've got a headache like never before, but other than that I'm feeling good."
~~
After dinner they took a long walk to Central Park. It was mainly silent though they both knew what was on each other's minds. Bosco sat down on a park bench and watched some kids laughing across them on the playground.
"Faith, do you think this is the last time I'll hear children's laughter?"
She watched them, as they played, not a worry present in their minds. "I don't know Bosco. I hope not." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly.
"I hope this world improves when I'm gone."
Faith squeezed his hand tighter. "What do you mean by that?"
"This country has gone to hell. I hope it improves. As of right now it is only getting worse. You are taking this better than I expected Faith. Either that or you are keeping stuff in. Talk to me, be open about things."
She leaned back. "I'm just taking things one day at a time. I'm not thinking about the end."
He sniffed hard and smiled. "That's a good way to do it."
She looked into his eyes. "It will be different without you though. You are my best friend. We made it through the academy together, the hard times, the good times, everything. I don't know how I'm going to handle this after you are gone."
"Just remember that death is a part of life. Though my life was short lived." He raised his eyebrows.
Faith wiped away the tears streaming down her face. "Not that you want to hear this or anything but, I always knew you would die young. I just couldn't see you growing old." She knew it was a harsh thing to say but he wanted her to be open about things.
"Yeah, but I never thought something like this would bring me down. I always thought I'd be killed on some shoot out or something, not stuck in a hospital bed with a million tubes sticking out of me. This isn't Maurice Boscorelli."
"Yeah it is. Maurice Boscorelli is a mortal. Officer Bosco is immortal. I'll always remember you didn't get killed being a cop. You got killed being an every day human being."
~~
Faith stared at her alarm clock beside the bed later that night. It was 1:45 am and she still hadn't fallen asleep. She could hear Fred's light snoring coming from beside her. She rolled over to her back and stared up at the dark ceiling, Bosco's words echoing in her mind.
"Faith, do you think this is the last time I'll hear children's laughter?"
She wiped away a tear that trickled down her face. He thought she was taking this well, but deep inside she hated it. She just wanted to be strong for him. She could only imagine what Rose was going through. Every time she saw Rose she was crying.
The phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. "Hello?"
"Faith?" She heard someone's voice crack over the other end.
"Rose? What's wrong?"
"You need to get down to Mercy right now."
TBC...
Evanescence
My Immortal
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
You used to captivate me
By your resonating life
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
The song in this chapter is "My Immortal" By Evanescence and I don't own it! Please don't sue!
Author's Note: Okay, this story finally got to me, I broke down and cried while I was writing this chapter..I feel like a wuss! LOL..hope you enjoy it in that sappy sort of way! :)
The meaning, "Life is short, make the best of it" had all new meaning to Bosco, Faith, and everyone around him. Though he really wasn't sure what it meant he was going to live by it. He could practically see the sorrow in everyone's eyes when they would look at him. He hated the feeling but he didn't want to be a hermit and not be around them, that would be a bad way to end his life.
He wasn't sure what he could do this last week. Make amends with his father or brother? That would be awkward but it needed to be done. He sat by Faith in a small diner on King Street. He was thankful Swersky had given her time off, though he knew why. It was only so she could be with him his final days.
"What do you have planned for today?" Faith leaned back in the booth and sighed. She had eaten more than she planned on.
"I'm not sure. I was thinking about visiting Mikey. Maybe even my dad."
"Really?" Faith noticed Bosco staring out the window.
He took a drink of water. "What, you don't think I should?"
"I think it is a great idea Boz. Of course."
~~
Bosco took a deep breath as he walked up to his brother's apartment, a place he hadn't been in awhile. He knocked on the door a couple of times, the hard pounds echoing in his mind. He heard some beer bottles clank and the stereo. To his surprise his brother answered in a nice shirt and some khakis.
"Maurice?"
"Hey Mikey, are you busy?"
"Nah man, I just got home from work. What's up?" Mikey opened the door wider so Bosco could walk in.
"You have a job. That's great man, I'm happy for you." He paused and looked around the cozy room. "Have you talked to mom lately?"
Mikey nodded. "Sit down take a load off." He moved some newspapers from the couch and threw them on the table beside the couch. "I haven't talked to mom in like a month, did something happen?"
Bosco sat on the edge of the couch. "I'm surprised she didn't. I came by to tell you something. I.." He cut off as he noticed an old picture of him and Mikey when they were 12 and 10. They had just got done with a baseball game.
"Maurice? You what?" Mikey broke his concentration.
"I have a brain tumor." The room grew silent as Mikey stared back at him. "I only have about a week or less to live. I just thought you should know since you know, we used to be close."
Mikey stood up and paced back in forth in front of him. "This can't be true. Why didn't you tell me sooner, I mean, you probably knew about this a long time before now. You come here and tell me that all I have left with you is a week? Maybe less? I'm not sure how to take that."
Bosco grabbed his arm. "Mikey, stop pacing would you? I didn't know about this until about a week and a half ago. I had the symptoms for a while but I was too stupid and ignorant to go get checked, you know how that is. I would've probably been saved if they would have caught it early."
"And mom didn't call me?" He stared down at Bosco. "I'm so sorry Maurice."
"Why are you sorry, this isn't your fault."
Mikey pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you man. Does dad know?"
Bosco shook his head. "Not yet. I'm not sure he needs to know. It would probably be a form of entertainment for him."
"He needs to know. You want me to come with you?"
Bosco shook his head once more. "Nah, I need to do this on my own. This is my mistake."
~~
He slowly walked through the parking lot of the small apartment building his father lived in. He swallowed hard and knocked on the door. He listened but now sounds came from inside the door. He knocked once more, this time harder.
"Can I help you?"
Bosco quickly turned around to his father standing behind him, a grocery bag in his hand. He moved to the side allowing his father to unlock the door.
"Uh, hi dad." Bosco wasn't sure what to say so he just followed him in the living room.
"What do you want Maurice?" He set the bag on the small round table in the kitchen.
"I just came to tell you that I'm dying. I thought you might want to know."
His father slowly sat down in a small wooden chair and pulled a loaf of bread out of the bag. "Are you coming here to tell me this to make me feel sorry for you?"
Bosco nodded. "No, I came here out of respect. I'm telling everyone that has a right to know."
"Your mom called and told me. I know. I'm sorry you are going through that but I'm not big on telling you things. It's nothing personal."
Bosco watched as his dad spread some mustard on the bread in front of him. "I understand that dad. Anyway, I just wanted to come tell you in person, make things right. I know we didn't have a good past. I'm sorry for that." Bosco stood up to leave.
"I'm sorry to Maurice. Kids shouldn't die before there parents. It's just unethical. But I guess there's nothing we can do now is there?"
Bosco turned around. "No, I guess there isn't."
~~
Faith awakened by Fred coming in after work at 6:00. She yawned and noticed the TV was still on from earlier. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. The sleeping pills she had taken really had helped. At least she got Bosco off of her mind for the few hours she did sleep.
"How long did you sleep today?" Fred grabbed two cups from the cabinet and poured some lemonade in both.
She glanced at her watch. "3 hours. How was work?"
"Boring as hell. Where are the kids?"
"Next door. Emily was working on a project with the girl over there."
Fred sat beside her and handed her the glass full of yellow liquid. "How are you feeling?"
She took a long drink. "I'm not dying."
"How is Bosco?"
"Got less than a week left. He went and made peace with his dad and brother today." She felt tears fall and burn her cheeks as she stared at a music video on the TV. She felt Fred's arm wrap around her tightly.
"It's okay Faith. Everything will be okay."
She wiped the running mascara away with a Kleenex. "It's not okay Fred, it's NOT okay. Bosco is my best friend and he's fixing to be gone. You are acting like he is leaving on a trip. He's leaving FOREVER. He won't be back. I'll never see him again. I don't know how in the hell to comprehend all of this shit Fred."
He pulled her into a tight hug. "Take it one day at a time, that's the best advice anyone could give you. Don't think of the end of the road, think of right at this moment. Go spend it with him Faith, I understand."
~~
Faith met up with Bosco at a Chinese restaurant they would always visit while on duty. He could tell she had been crying but he was afraid to ask about it so he left it alone. He took a long sip of his water.
"Faith, what did you do today?" He made small talk to get the awkward silence to drift away.
"I actually got some sleep in. How did everything go with your family?"
He ran his fingers over the condensation forming on his glass. "It went good actually. It didn't end a fight. That's a start for the Boscorelli's."
"Good to hear. So how are you feeling?"
"I've got a headache like never before, but other than that I'm feeling good."
~~
After dinner they took a long walk to Central Park. It was mainly silent though they both knew what was on each other's minds. Bosco sat down on a park bench and watched some kids laughing across them on the playground.
"Faith, do you think this is the last time I'll hear children's laughter?"
She watched them, as they played, not a worry present in their minds. "I don't know Bosco. I hope not." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly.
"I hope this world improves when I'm gone."
Faith squeezed his hand tighter. "What do you mean by that?"
"This country has gone to hell. I hope it improves. As of right now it is only getting worse. You are taking this better than I expected Faith. Either that or you are keeping stuff in. Talk to me, be open about things."
She leaned back. "I'm just taking things one day at a time. I'm not thinking about the end."
He sniffed hard and smiled. "That's a good way to do it."
She looked into his eyes. "It will be different without you though. You are my best friend. We made it through the academy together, the hard times, the good times, everything. I don't know how I'm going to handle this after you are gone."
"Just remember that death is a part of life. Though my life was short lived." He raised his eyebrows.
Faith wiped away the tears streaming down her face. "Not that you want to hear this or anything but, I always knew you would die young. I just couldn't see you growing old." She knew it was a harsh thing to say but he wanted her to be open about things.
"Yeah, but I never thought something like this would bring me down. I always thought I'd be killed on some shoot out or something, not stuck in a hospital bed with a million tubes sticking out of me. This isn't Maurice Boscorelli."
"Yeah it is. Maurice Boscorelli is a mortal. Officer Bosco is immortal. I'll always remember you didn't get killed being a cop. You got killed being an every day human being."
~~
Faith stared at her alarm clock beside the bed later that night. It was 1:45 am and she still hadn't fallen asleep. She could hear Fred's light snoring coming from beside her. She rolled over to her back and stared up at the dark ceiling, Bosco's words echoing in her mind.
"Faith, do you think this is the last time I'll hear children's laughter?"
She wiped away a tear that trickled down her face. He thought she was taking this well, but deep inside she hated it. She just wanted to be strong for him. She could only imagine what Rose was going through. Every time she saw Rose she was crying.
The phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. "Hello?"
"Faith?" She heard someone's voice crack over the other end.
"Rose? What's wrong?"
"You need to get down to Mercy right now."
TBC...
Evanescence
My Immortal
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
You used to captivate me
By your resonating life
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me