Revenge
Chapter 40
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He heard it from far away first. Then it grew louder. He could hear her calling to him, but he couldn't get out from under the darkness. He tried to raise his hands and push the darkness from him, but he didn't seem to have the strength.
"Faith," he tried to call out to her so she knew he heard her. "Faith!" he tried again. He tried to run, but his legs felt like dead weight. He tried so hard to figure out where he was. He heard her calling to him, but he couldn't find her.
"Bosco!" he heard her call again. She was crying and his heart began racing. He didn't like it when she was upset. It was probably his fault again. The more he tried, the more he upset her.
He fought against the darkness and he finally felt it start to lift. He felt his heart racing and then he felt pain - all over pain. He tried again to open his eyes and he managed to open them for a split second. He still couldn't see her, but he could hear her. He felt her hands on his arm. "What is she saying?" he thought to himself as he listened harder, hearing the pain in her voice and knowing from the sound that she was still crying.
He tried to call to her again, but something was preventing him. He felt something in his throat. He tried to swallow, but he couldn't. He fought harder to try to wake up, then he started remembering things that led up to where he was now.
The last thing he could remember was Faith finding him in that house. He remembered Peterson raising the gun again, this time aiming it at the boy. "What was his name? Lucas, that's it," he recalled. He had to do something. He used all his remaining strength and threw himself in front of the boy. He felt the white hot of the bullet tearing into his right shoulder and the difficulty breathing he had right after that. Then he heard Faith in the room with him, but he couldn't wake up. He heard Kim and Carlos, felt himself being moved. He felt Kim trying to check him and see what he needed. Then he heard Peterson tell her to leave him alone - just get the boy and get out. "I hope Lucas is okay," he thought again. Then he heard Kim's voice in his ear telling him that Faith was there and to hold on.
He couldn't really remember anything after that, except for the smoke and the smell of the fire. He'd done it again - gotten Faith into trouble. "God, it's so hard to breathe," he thought to himself as he remembered it getting harder and harder to breathe. Everything was still and silent and then he felt it - Faith breathing for him. He heard her telling him to hold on - heard her choking on the smoke herself. "Get yourself out, Faith. Get out," he willed her. She wouldn't leave though. He heard her yelling to someone - "In here! We're in here. Hurry, he's not breathing!" Then he heard another voice, but he couldn't place it - "We're coming. Hold on. Jimmy and D.K. are coming!" came the reply. That was all he remembered until he was in the hospital, in the E.R. He heard Trisha and Faith and his mother and brother - all telling him to hold on.
And now, here he was. He could feel the wetness of Faith's tears on his arm and he fought to let her know that he was okay - that he'd be okay. He heard her telling him that there was a tube in his throat to help him breathe for now. Finally, he was able to tell her with his hand that he was okay and she seemed better. He felt her relax a little and then felt her head back against his arm and he heard the rhythm of her breathing - she was asleep and he fell asleep again too.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
A few hours had passed and Faith woke with a start. She looked around and saw that she was still in Bosco's room. She was stiff from the position she'd been sleeping in and the aches from all she'd been through. After checking to see that Bosco was still asleep, she looked across the bed and saw Trisha sitting in the chair just watching Bosco.
"I thought about waking you up, but you seemed so peaceful and I figured you needed it," Trisha said to her quietly.
"Thanks," Faith told her. "How long?"
"Mmmm, a couple of hours. Sully and Ty stopped by to see how you and Bosco were doing. The Lieutenant was here too. He'll be back later this morning," Trisha said, taking a sip of the tea that Rose had brought to her.
"I should go so Rose and Mikey can come in," Faith said, standing up. She knew that there was only supposed to be one person in the ICU with a patient at a time. She didn't want to prevent his family from coming in.
"They've been very lenient. As long as we were quiet. Rose, Mikey and I took turns. Rose and Mikey went home to change and bring some things for Maurice in case he wanted them later," she said.
"What time is it?" Faith asked, finally realizing that it was daylight coming through the window.
Trisha looked at her watch and then back to Bosco. "It's about 7:30."
"Did he wake up at all?" Faith asked, looking at her partner.
"No. The doctor said he woke up while you were talking to him before, but just for a second. He's just so worn out and the pain medication keeps him pretty out of it too," she explained.
"Well, I'm gonna go back to my room. Fred and the kids should be here soon. Once they discharge me, I'll come back up to the waiting room. Will you let me know when he wakes up?" Faith asked her.
"Sure," she said.
"I'll be back later, Bos," Faith told him before walking out. She ran into Dr. Morris on her way out. He was coming in to check again before he left for the day. He'd be back again tonight.
"Your nurse called up here looking for you. I told her we'd keep an eye on you while you were here," Dr. Morris said with a smile. "How're you feeling this morning?"
"Ummm, pretty sore. But better," Faith said. "Thanks."
"Good. Everything okay between you guys?" he said, referring to her conversation with Bosco before.
"Yeah. Thanks for that," she said.
"You're welcome. He's gonna go for another chest x-ray of his lungs and then maybe we'll be able to take out that breathing tube and lighten the sedation a little. Maybe sometime this afternoon, you'll actually be able to talk to him," Dr. Morris told her.
"Good. I'll be back, definitely," Faith said, heading back down the stairs to her room.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**
Faith was in her hospital room for about a half hour when Fred, Emily and Charlie came in. The kids ran over to her and threw their arms around her.
"Mom! Are you okay?" Charlie asked her.
"Yeah, guys. I'm fine. Just a little smoke, but it's better now," she told them all. Fred held up an overnight bag to her.
"Ready to get dressed and get out of here?" he asked her.
"Thanks. I can't wait to get into my own clothes. Boy, I missed you guys," she said standing up and going into the bathroom to get dressed.
"We brought you a bagel and some coffee too," Emily called into her and Faith realized how hungry she was suddenly.
"Thanks, Em," she called out to her. She emerged a moment later in her own clothes and Fred noticed how tired she still looked. There was a haunted look to her eyes.
"Hey, kids. Why don't you go ask the nurse if there's any juice for your Mom. A little Vitamin C wouldn't hurt," Fred told the kids. Emily knew that he had just wanted to talk in private for a moment, so she took Charlie with her out into the hallway.
"I called around 7:00 and the nurse said you weren't in your room. She said you spent the night up in ICU," he told her. She just nodded.
"So, how's he doing?" he asked.
"He's okay. He's gonna be okay the doctor said. He's still got the breathing tube in, but they'll probably take that out today if his chest x-ray looks good. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you called," she said, her eyes filling with tears. Fred immediately went to her and held her.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said, feeling silly to be crying again. "I just..., I was really scared in there, Fred. I thought I'd never see you and the kids again. Then, Bosco stopped breathing and the smoke and fire got worse. I just thought...," she said, trailing off.
"Well, you're okay. And Bosco's gonna be okay. I guess we owe Doherty and D.K. a big thanks, huh," he said as he gave Faith time to regain her composure.
"Yeah, and Kim," she said, explaining what Kim had done.
The kids returned with the nurse and juice. A doctor came in right after to check her out quickly before discharging her. Fred and the kids waited in the hallway while the doctor checked her out.
"Is Mom okay?" Emily asked while Charlie was across the hall looking out the window.
"Yeah, Em. Mom's fine," Fred told her.
"She was crying when we came back in. Is Uncle Bosco okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. He's gonna be okay. It's just gonna take a little while. Mom's just been through a lot. That's all. But, she's fine," Fred assured her.
"Can we go up and see Uncle Bosco?" Emily asked.
"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see. Maybe not today, but as soon as we can, I'll bring you guys back, okay?" Fred promised.
"Okay," Emily said as Faith came out into the hallway, discharge papers in hand. "I'm sprung," she said happily as Charlie and Emily went over and put their arms around her again.
"Dad's gonna take you guys home. I have to go down to the House and give a statement. I'll be home in a little bit," she told her family.
"You want me to go with you?" Fred asked her.
"No. You can drop me off on the way and then I'll get a ride home from one of the sector cars when I'm done. You look like you could use some sleep too," she told him noticing the fatigue in his eyes.
"Yeah, well I gotta go to work. Deke covered for me at work for the last couple of days, but I gotta go in today. I'll drop the kids off to school on the way and see you after I get home from work. Go home after you give your statement, Faith. You need to get some rest too," he told her.
"I will," she lied, knowing she'd be right back here after she'd given her statement. At least until she knew Bosco was definitely out of trouble.
"Uh huh," Fred said as they left for the elevators, knowing exactly where she'd be. "But you'll be back home when they get home from school, right?"
"Yes, Fred," she said smiling. "I will."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 40
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He heard it from far away first. Then it grew louder. He could hear her calling to him, but he couldn't get out from under the darkness. He tried to raise his hands and push the darkness from him, but he didn't seem to have the strength.
"Faith," he tried to call out to her so she knew he heard her. "Faith!" he tried again. He tried to run, but his legs felt like dead weight. He tried so hard to figure out where he was. He heard her calling to him, but he couldn't find her.
"Bosco!" he heard her call again. She was crying and his heart began racing. He didn't like it when she was upset. It was probably his fault again. The more he tried, the more he upset her.
He fought against the darkness and he finally felt it start to lift. He felt his heart racing and then he felt pain - all over pain. He tried again to open his eyes and he managed to open them for a split second. He still couldn't see her, but he could hear her. He felt her hands on his arm. "What is she saying?" he thought to himself as he listened harder, hearing the pain in her voice and knowing from the sound that she was still crying.
He tried to call to her again, but something was preventing him. He felt something in his throat. He tried to swallow, but he couldn't. He fought harder to try to wake up, then he started remembering things that led up to where he was now.
The last thing he could remember was Faith finding him in that house. He remembered Peterson raising the gun again, this time aiming it at the boy. "What was his name? Lucas, that's it," he recalled. He had to do something. He used all his remaining strength and threw himself in front of the boy. He felt the white hot of the bullet tearing into his right shoulder and the difficulty breathing he had right after that. Then he heard Faith in the room with him, but he couldn't wake up. He heard Kim and Carlos, felt himself being moved. He felt Kim trying to check him and see what he needed. Then he heard Peterson tell her to leave him alone - just get the boy and get out. "I hope Lucas is okay," he thought again. Then he heard Kim's voice in his ear telling him that Faith was there and to hold on.
He couldn't really remember anything after that, except for the smoke and the smell of the fire. He'd done it again - gotten Faith into trouble. "God, it's so hard to breathe," he thought to himself as he remembered it getting harder and harder to breathe. Everything was still and silent and then he felt it - Faith breathing for him. He heard her telling him to hold on - heard her choking on the smoke herself. "Get yourself out, Faith. Get out," he willed her. She wouldn't leave though. He heard her yelling to someone - "In here! We're in here. Hurry, he's not breathing!" Then he heard another voice, but he couldn't place it - "We're coming. Hold on. Jimmy and D.K. are coming!" came the reply. That was all he remembered until he was in the hospital, in the E.R. He heard Trisha and Faith and his mother and brother - all telling him to hold on.
And now, here he was. He could feel the wetness of Faith's tears on his arm and he fought to let her know that he was okay - that he'd be okay. He heard her telling him that there was a tube in his throat to help him breathe for now. Finally, he was able to tell her with his hand that he was okay and she seemed better. He felt her relax a little and then felt her head back against his arm and he heard the rhythm of her breathing - she was asleep and he fell asleep again too.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
A few hours had passed and Faith woke with a start. She looked around and saw that she was still in Bosco's room. She was stiff from the position she'd been sleeping in and the aches from all she'd been through. After checking to see that Bosco was still asleep, she looked across the bed and saw Trisha sitting in the chair just watching Bosco.
"I thought about waking you up, but you seemed so peaceful and I figured you needed it," Trisha said to her quietly.
"Thanks," Faith told her. "How long?"
"Mmmm, a couple of hours. Sully and Ty stopped by to see how you and Bosco were doing. The Lieutenant was here too. He'll be back later this morning," Trisha said, taking a sip of the tea that Rose had brought to her.
"I should go so Rose and Mikey can come in," Faith said, standing up. She knew that there was only supposed to be one person in the ICU with a patient at a time. She didn't want to prevent his family from coming in.
"They've been very lenient. As long as we were quiet. Rose, Mikey and I took turns. Rose and Mikey went home to change and bring some things for Maurice in case he wanted them later," she said.
"What time is it?" Faith asked, finally realizing that it was daylight coming through the window.
Trisha looked at her watch and then back to Bosco. "It's about 7:30."
"Did he wake up at all?" Faith asked, looking at her partner.
"No. The doctor said he woke up while you were talking to him before, but just for a second. He's just so worn out and the pain medication keeps him pretty out of it too," she explained.
"Well, I'm gonna go back to my room. Fred and the kids should be here soon. Once they discharge me, I'll come back up to the waiting room. Will you let me know when he wakes up?" Faith asked her.
"Sure," she said.
"I'll be back later, Bos," Faith told him before walking out. She ran into Dr. Morris on her way out. He was coming in to check again before he left for the day. He'd be back again tonight.
"Your nurse called up here looking for you. I told her we'd keep an eye on you while you were here," Dr. Morris said with a smile. "How're you feeling this morning?"
"Ummm, pretty sore. But better," Faith said. "Thanks."
"Good. Everything okay between you guys?" he said, referring to her conversation with Bosco before.
"Yeah. Thanks for that," she said.
"You're welcome. He's gonna go for another chest x-ray of his lungs and then maybe we'll be able to take out that breathing tube and lighten the sedation a little. Maybe sometime this afternoon, you'll actually be able to talk to him," Dr. Morris told her.
"Good. I'll be back, definitely," Faith said, heading back down the stairs to her room.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**
Faith was in her hospital room for about a half hour when Fred, Emily and Charlie came in. The kids ran over to her and threw their arms around her.
"Mom! Are you okay?" Charlie asked her.
"Yeah, guys. I'm fine. Just a little smoke, but it's better now," she told them all. Fred held up an overnight bag to her.
"Ready to get dressed and get out of here?" he asked her.
"Thanks. I can't wait to get into my own clothes. Boy, I missed you guys," she said standing up and going into the bathroom to get dressed.
"We brought you a bagel and some coffee too," Emily called into her and Faith realized how hungry she was suddenly.
"Thanks, Em," she called out to her. She emerged a moment later in her own clothes and Fred noticed how tired she still looked. There was a haunted look to her eyes.
"Hey, kids. Why don't you go ask the nurse if there's any juice for your Mom. A little Vitamin C wouldn't hurt," Fred told the kids. Emily knew that he had just wanted to talk in private for a moment, so she took Charlie with her out into the hallway.
"I called around 7:00 and the nurse said you weren't in your room. She said you spent the night up in ICU," he told her. She just nodded.
"So, how's he doing?" he asked.
"He's okay. He's gonna be okay the doctor said. He's still got the breathing tube in, but they'll probably take that out today if his chest x-ray looks good. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you called," she said, her eyes filling with tears. Fred immediately went to her and held her.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said, feeling silly to be crying again. "I just..., I was really scared in there, Fred. I thought I'd never see you and the kids again. Then, Bosco stopped breathing and the smoke and fire got worse. I just thought...," she said, trailing off.
"Well, you're okay. And Bosco's gonna be okay. I guess we owe Doherty and D.K. a big thanks, huh," he said as he gave Faith time to regain her composure.
"Yeah, and Kim," she said, explaining what Kim had done.
The kids returned with the nurse and juice. A doctor came in right after to check her out quickly before discharging her. Fred and the kids waited in the hallway while the doctor checked her out.
"Is Mom okay?" Emily asked while Charlie was across the hall looking out the window.
"Yeah, Em. Mom's fine," Fred told her.
"She was crying when we came back in. Is Uncle Bosco okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. He's gonna be okay. It's just gonna take a little while. Mom's just been through a lot. That's all. But, she's fine," Fred assured her.
"Can we go up and see Uncle Bosco?" Emily asked.
"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see. Maybe not today, but as soon as we can, I'll bring you guys back, okay?" Fred promised.
"Okay," Emily said as Faith came out into the hallway, discharge papers in hand. "I'm sprung," she said happily as Charlie and Emily went over and put their arms around her again.
"Dad's gonna take you guys home. I have to go down to the House and give a statement. I'll be home in a little bit," she told her family.
"You want me to go with you?" Fred asked her.
"No. You can drop me off on the way and then I'll get a ride home from one of the sector cars when I'm done. You look like you could use some sleep too," she told him noticing the fatigue in his eyes.
"Yeah, well I gotta go to work. Deke covered for me at work for the last couple of days, but I gotta go in today. I'll drop the kids off to school on the way and see you after I get home from work. Go home after you give your statement, Faith. You need to get some rest too," he told her.
"I will," she lied, knowing she'd be right back here after she'd given her statement. At least until she knew Bosco was definitely out of trouble.
"Uh huh," Fred said as they left for the elevators, knowing exactly where she'd be. "But you'll be back home when they get home from school, right?"
"Yes, Fred," she said smiling. "I will."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...