Title: Punish the Children (14/?)
Author: Lynne Facella
Category: Drama/Angst
Email: lynne1919@aol.com
Spoilers: Through current season 4
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero. I wish they were mine but unfortunately they're not.
Summary: Ty's life becomes a living hell when he becomes the target of a man his father put in prison 25 years ago, endangering him and all those around him.
Notes: As always, I appreciate your comments. They really mean a lot to me :)
******
Rebecca finished washing the last of the dirty dishes and stepped back from the sink to dry her hands with a towel. She slowly turned to inspect the kitchen and found that it was finally cleaned to her satisfaction. If Seth didn't watch out, he was going to get cockroaches in here. She just didn't understand him. She had raised him better than this. It was hard to believe that son of hers had broken the law, had actually been to jail. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to get over the shame of it all. Even though Seth had been released from prison, she couldn't seem to let it go. She was so afraid he'd get himself into trouble once again. She wasn't sure her heart could take it again. Sighing loudly, she shook her head, trying to free her head of these depressing thoughts. Didn't do any good to dwell on things. That was what her own dearly departed mother had always told her.
She supposed it was time to move on to the bathroom now. As she started down the hallway, she happened to glance through the partly opened door to Seth's bedroom. What she saw caused her to stop short before she slowly made her way into the room. The wall was covered with newspaper clippings and pictures, tiny maps and diagrams and notes. She found herself unable to look away and moved in to read the clippings. Many of them were old, but she recognized the name of the officer who had arrested her son right away. God knows Seth had mentioned his name enough times when she had visited him in prison. What she saw now though made her blood run cold. Clippings of a young woman who had been blown up...an officer shot at a cemetery... Why on earth would Seth have these on his walls? What connection did they have? Surely her son couldn't be involved...
******
Sully sat in the waiting room of the ER, watching his partner pace back and forth. Ty's pacing was getting more and more frenetic, the longer they waited without hearing anything. Sully wished they would get some word on Carlos' condition. He wasn't sure how much more either of them could take.
"How are you holding up?" Sully asked, giving Ty a somewhat surprised look when he slumped into the seat beside him. He'd been convinced his partner wasn't going to stop moving until he wore a hole clear through the floor.
Ty shrugged wordlessly and stared down at his shoes. This was the second time he had been here in this hospital in two days, waiting to hear about the fate of a friend. He hated this. He knew the fire was because of him. First Bosco and now Carlos. Everyone he cared about was in danger because of this faceless, voiceless monster. The only thing he knew for sure was this person was a coward, staying carefully hidden, never giving his victims a chance. He shifted his gaze toward Sully and wondered if he was next. The very thought of what was happening made him physically nauseous and he had to swallow hard against the bile he could feel rising in his throat.
Sully looked back at his partner, wishing he knew what to say to offer some comfort, but he couldn't think of anything at all that would help, and the two men just continued to sit silently waiting. Finally the treating physician emerged from the trauma room and made his way to the waiting area as both Ty and Sully got to their feet.
"How is he?" Ty studied the doctor, trying to determine something from his expression.
"Well, the good news is that his burns are minimal, just a few small first and second-degree burns."
"What's the bad news?" Ty asked anxiously, inwardly bracing himself for whatever the news might be.
"We performed a bronchoscopy to assess the amount of damage to his lungs. The airway has been compromised and there's a fair amount of edema. We're going to have to monitor him very carefully for the next 72 hours. Right now he's heavily sedated and is on a ventilator.
Ty stared back at the doctor, trying to process the information he was being given. None of this sounded very good to him, but he wasn't a doctor. "He...he's going to be okay?" he voiced tentatively after a few moments.
"We're...hopeful...," the doctor responded, measuring his words carefully. "Like I said, the next 72 hours are crucial. Is there any family I can call? Someone who should be contacted?"
Ty shook his head. "No. There isn't anyone..."
******
The doctor would only allow one visitor to see Carlos so Ty headed off to see his roommate and Sully decided to go check up on Bosco. He was pleasantly surprised to hear that Bosco had been transferred to a regular room. At least it was a tiny bit of good news in this otherwise dismal day. He took the elevator to Bosco's floor, then started down the corridor towards his room.
"Hey, Bob." Sully greeted the uniformed officer who was stationed outside Bosco's door.
"Sully. How's it going?" Bob asked, looking up at Sully from his chair.
"You know...could be better," Sully replied.
Bob nodded. "Unbelievable what's been going on. The whole precinct has been talking about it. How's your partner holding up?"
"Not very well, I'm afraid," Sully said with a heavy sigh.
"Well, who could blame him?" Bob said sympathetically. "I can't imagine what he's going through."
"Yeah... Well I'm going to pay Boscorelli a visit. You take it easy, Bob."
"Yeah, you too, Sully."
Sully knocked softly on the door and opened it to find Faith sitting by Bosco's bedside. "Faith. Bosco, how are you feeling?" Sully greeted them as he entered the room.
"I'm doing okay," Bosco answered, managing a tiny smile.
"Private room, guess you lucked out."
"Yeah, they don't want to be scaring off patients by having armed cops outside their door."
"Guess that makes sense," Sully said.
Faith had been observing Sully closely and could tell something was wrong. "Sully? Did something happen?" she questioned softly.
Sully sighed and looked back at Faith. He supposed they were going to hear the news soon enough, might as well be from him. "Yeah...Ty's apartment burned down this morning."
"Oh my God!" Faith exclaimed. "Was he there? Was he hurt?"
Sully shook his head. "No...no he wasn't there, but Carlos was. He's not in great shape."
"Oh man..." Bosco shook his head and then slammed his fist on the bed. "Damn! I hate being stuck in here while this maniac is out there. They've got to get this guy, Sully."
"We don't know for sure he's the one responsible for the fire," Sully said unconvincingly.
"You don't really believe that, do you?" Faith asked.
"No...no I don't," Sully admitted. "But its something I've been trying to convince Ty of."
"Can't imagine he believes it either," Bosco said.
"No, you're right. All of this is really getting to him," Sully said. "I don't know how to help."
"You're doing all you can," Faith said softly. "He knows you're there for him."
"It's not enough."
"But it's all you can do," Bosco said.
"It's all I can do..." Sully echoed. "While this freak is out there getting away with murder and laughing at us."
"We're going to get him, Sully," Faith stated, her eyes filled with compassion.
"But when?" Sully asked. "How much more has to happen before we do?"
His question went unanswered and a heavy silence hung over the room. None of them had any answers.
******
Ty stood outside Carlos' room in the ICU and then finally forced himself to go in. He hesitantly made his way to his friend's bedside and looked down at him. "God, Carlos...I'm so sorry," he whispered. He knew how much Carlos would hate this...unable to breathe on his own, hooked up to all these machines and monitors. He'd been upset having to spend one night in the hospital after his mishap with the fire pole. Ty couldn't even imagine how he would react to this when he woke up.
He sat in the chair by Carlos' bedside and gently took his hand. "You've got to believe...I never meant for anything like this to happen to any of you...I'd give anything to take your place..."
He wished he could take all their places, Carlos...Bosco...and most of all Krista. If only he'd been in the car that night, none of this would have happened. He'd be dead and whoever was doing this would have gone on his merry way.
******
"Ma? What are you doing?"
Startled, Rebecca quickly turned around at the sound of her son's voice. He was standing in the doorway, staring at her, a large birdcage in his arms.
"Seth...How...how are you?" she stammered. "I...I didn't expect to see you."
"It's my apartment, ma. Why wouldn't I be here?" He brushed past her and placed the birdcage on top of his dresser, then turned back to look at his mother, an icy expression on his face. "So...what are you doing in here?"
"I just...I came to straighten things up for you, Seth," she said nervously. "You know how I am. I was just trying to help."
"I told you before I didn't want you to keep barging in here. Why can't you listen to me?"
"I...I'm sorry, son. I...I won't do it anymore," she said, backing away from him towards the bedroom door. "I...I'll be going now."
"What's the big rush, ma?" He quickly moved towards the doorway, blocking her path. "You seem kinda nervous. Don't you want to visit with me now that you're here?"
She shook her head, trying to mask the terror in her eyes. "No...no I really...I need to go, Seth...I just...I need to...go...
He smiled then, a malicious smile, as he sensed her fear. He felt a remarkable sense of power as he watched her back away from him until she reached the wall and couldn't go any further. "You can go, ma. I'm not going to stop you." He raised his hands toward her and lightly put them around her neck, increasing the pressure until she gasped for breath and then he let her go.
"Just remember, ma...I'm going to be watching you... You'd better not tell anyone what you've seen here, because if you do, mother or not, I'll snap your neck like a twig and you'll never talk to anyone ever again.
"I...I won't, Seth. I...I won't," she stuttered, turning from him and fleeing from the apartment, his laughter echoing in her ears as she ran.
Dear God...what kind of a monster had she raised?
Author: Lynne Facella
Category: Drama/Angst
Email: lynne1919@aol.com
Spoilers: Through current season 4
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero. I wish they were mine but unfortunately they're not.
Summary: Ty's life becomes a living hell when he becomes the target of a man his father put in prison 25 years ago, endangering him and all those around him.
Notes: As always, I appreciate your comments. They really mean a lot to me :)
******
Rebecca finished washing the last of the dirty dishes and stepped back from the sink to dry her hands with a towel. She slowly turned to inspect the kitchen and found that it was finally cleaned to her satisfaction. If Seth didn't watch out, he was going to get cockroaches in here. She just didn't understand him. She had raised him better than this. It was hard to believe that son of hers had broken the law, had actually been to jail. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to get over the shame of it all. Even though Seth had been released from prison, she couldn't seem to let it go. She was so afraid he'd get himself into trouble once again. She wasn't sure her heart could take it again. Sighing loudly, she shook her head, trying to free her head of these depressing thoughts. Didn't do any good to dwell on things. That was what her own dearly departed mother had always told her.
She supposed it was time to move on to the bathroom now. As she started down the hallway, she happened to glance through the partly opened door to Seth's bedroom. What she saw caused her to stop short before she slowly made her way into the room. The wall was covered with newspaper clippings and pictures, tiny maps and diagrams and notes. She found herself unable to look away and moved in to read the clippings. Many of them were old, but she recognized the name of the officer who had arrested her son right away. God knows Seth had mentioned his name enough times when she had visited him in prison. What she saw now though made her blood run cold. Clippings of a young woman who had been blown up...an officer shot at a cemetery... Why on earth would Seth have these on his walls? What connection did they have? Surely her son couldn't be involved...
******
Sully sat in the waiting room of the ER, watching his partner pace back and forth. Ty's pacing was getting more and more frenetic, the longer they waited without hearing anything. Sully wished they would get some word on Carlos' condition. He wasn't sure how much more either of them could take.
"How are you holding up?" Sully asked, giving Ty a somewhat surprised look when he slumped into the seat beside him. He'd been convinced his partner wasn't going to stop moving until he wore a hole clear through the floor.
Ty shrugged wordlessly and stared down at his shoes. This was the second time he had been here in this hospital in two days, waiting to hear about the fate of a friend. He hated this. He knew the fire was because of him. First Bosco and now Carlos. Everyone he cared about was in danger because of this faceless, voiceless monster. The only thing he knew for sure was this person was a coward, staying carefully hidden, never giving his victims a chance. He shifted his gaze toward Sully and wondered if he was next. The very thought of what was happening made him physically nauseous and he had to swallow hard against the bile he could feel rising in his throat.
Sully looked back at his partner, wishing he knew what to say to offer some comfort, but he couldn't think of anything at all that would help, and the two men just continued to sit silently waiting. Finally the treating physician emerged from the trauma room and made his way to the waiting area as both Ty and Sully got to their feet.
"How is he?" Ty studied the doctor, trying to determine something from his expression.
"Well, the good news is that his burns are minimal, just a few small first and second-degree burns."
"What's the bad news?" Ty asked anxiously, inwardly bracing himself for whatever the news might be.
"We performed a bronchoscopy to assess the amount of damage to his lungs. The airway has been compromised and there's a fair amount of edema. We're going to have to monitor him very carefully for the next 72 hours. Right now he's heavily sedated and is on a ventilator.
Ty stared back at the doctor, trying to process the information he was being given. None of this sounded very good to him, but he wasn't a doctor. "He...he's going to be okay?" he voiced tentatively after a few moments.
"We're...hopeful...," the doctor responded, measuring his words carefully. "Like I said, the next 72 hours are crucial. Is there any family I can call? Someone who should be contacted?"
Ty shook his head. "No. There isn't anyone..."
******
The doctor would only allow one visitor to see Carlos so Ty headed off to see his roommate and Sully decided to go check up on Bosco. He was pleasantly surprised to hear that Bosco had been transferred to a regular room. At least it was a tiny bit of good news in this otherwise dismal day. He took the elevator to Bosco's floor, then started down the corridor towards his room.
"Hey, Bob." Sully greeted the uniformed officer who was stationed outside Bosco's door.
"Sully. How's it going?" Bob asked, looking up at Sully from his chair.
"You know...could be better," Sully replied.
Bob nodded. "Unbelievable what's been going on. The whole precinct has been talking about it. How's your partner holding up?"
"Not very well, I'm afraid," Sully said with a heavy sigh.
"Well, who could blame him?" Bob said sympathetically. "I can't imagine what he's going through."
"Yeah... Well I'm going to pay Boscorelli a visit. You take it easy, Bob."
"Yeah, you too, Sully."
Sully knocked softly on the door and opened it to find Faith sitting by Bosco's bedside. "Faith. Bosco, how are you feeling?" Sully greeted them as he entered the room.
"I'm doing okay," Bosco answered, managing a tiny smile.
"Private room, guess you lucked out."
"Yeah, they don't want to be scaring off patients by having armed cops outside their door."
"Guess that makes sense," Sully said.
Faith had been observing Sully closely and could tell something was wrong. "Sully? Did something happen?" she questioned softly.
Sully sighed and looked back at Faith. He supposed they were going to hear the news soon enough, might as well be from him. "Yeah...Ty's apartment burned down this morning."
"Oh my God!" Faith exclaimed. "Was he there? Was he hurt?"
Sully shook his head. "No...no he wasn't there, but Carlos was. He's not in great shape."
"Oh man..." Bosco shook his head and then slammed his fist on the bed. "Damn! I hate being stuck in here while this maniac is out there. They've got to get this guy, Sully."
"We don't know for sure he's the one responsible for the fire," Sully said unconvincingly.
"You don't really believe that, do you?" Faith asked.
"No...no I don't," Sully admitted. "But its something I've been trying to convince Ty of."
"Can't imagine he believes it either," Bosco said.
"No, you're right. All of this is really getting to him," Sully said. "I don't know how to help."
"You're doing all you can," Faith said softly. "He knows you're there for him."
"It's not enough."
"But it's all you can do," Bosco said.
"It's all I can do..." Sully echoed. "While this freak is out there getting away with murder and laughing at us."
"We're going to get him, Sully," Faith stated, her eyes filled with compassion.
"But when?" Sully asked. "How much more has to happen before we do?"
His question went unanswered and a heavy silence hung over the room. None of them had any answers.
******
Ty stood outside Carlos' room in the ICU and then finally forced himself to go in. He hesitantly made his way to his friend's bedside and looked down at him. "God, Carlos...I'm so sorry," he whispered. He knew how much Carlos would hate this...unable to breathe on his own, hooked up to all these machines and monitors. He'd been upset having to spend one night in the hospital after his mishap with the fire pole. Ty couldn't even imagine how he would react to this when he woke up.
He sat in the chair by Carlos' bedside and gently took his hand. "You've got to believe...I never meant for anything like this to happen to any of you...I'd give anything to take your place..."
He wished he could take all their places, Carlos...Bosco...and most of all Krista. If only he'd been in the car that night, none of this would have happened. He'd be dead and whoever was doing this would have gone on his merry way.
******
"Ma? What are you doing?"
Startled, Rebecca quickly turned around at the sound of her son's voice. He was standing in the doorway, staring at her, a large birdcage in his arms.
"Seth...How...how are you?" she stammered. "I...I didn't expect to see you."
"It's my apartment, ma. Why wouldn't I be here?" He brushed past her and placed the birdcage on top of his dresser, then turned back to look at his mother, an icy expression on his face. "So...what are you doing in here?"
"I just...I came to straighten things up for you, Seth," she said nervously. "You know how I am. I was just trying to help."
"I told you before I didn't want you to keep barging in here. Why can't you listen to me?"
"I...I'm sorry, son. I...I won't do it anymore," she said, backing away from him towards the bedroom door. "I...I'll be going now."
"What's the big rush, ma?" He quickly moved towards the doorway, blocking her path. "You seem kinda nervous. Don't you want to visit with me now that you're here?"
She shook her head, trying to mask the terror in her eyes. "No...no I really...I need to go, Seth...I just...I need to...go...
He smiled then, a malicious smile, as he sensed her fear. He felt a remarkable sense of power as he watched her back away from him until she reached the wall and couldn't go any further. "You can go, ma. I'm not going to stop you." He raised his hands toward her and lightly put them around her neck, increasing the pressure until she gasped for breath and then he let her go.
"Just remember, ma...I'm going to be watching you... You'd better not tell anyone what you've seen here, because if you do, mother or not, I'll snap your neck like a twig and you'll never talk to anyone ever again.
"I...I won't, Seth. I...I won't," she stuttered, turning from him and fleeing from the apartment, his laughter echoing in her ears as she ran.
Dear God...what kind of a monster had she raised?