She pushed the door to the locker room open, and wasn't surprised to
find her partner had barely moved two feet since she had gone to get him a
cup of coffee. She knew the last thing he needed right now was caffeine,
but sometimes it helped... for her anyway.
Faith moved over, and offered it to him, opting to leave it beside him on the bench instead when he made no move to accept it. She chose to stand opposite him, leaned back against the counter in front of the lengthy mirror, looking down on his pensive form.
He sat silently, eyes downcast, hands loosely holding one of the straps for his bullet-proof vest, clean shirt sitting beside him on the bench, untouched since Faith had fetched it for him not so long ago.
"Bos', don't let Finch get to you," Faith advised in a gentle manner, staring down into her coffee, and continuing, "you know he's an asshole as much as I do."
Bosco shook his head. "It's not that." The fact that he had spoken at all made Faith brighten slightly, even after what she had seen in that alley. His eyes travelled up to meet hers suddenly, and he looked absolutely guilt-ridden.
"Don't tell me you blame yourself," Faith said seriously, shaking her own head back and forth, feeling her hair come loose, and paying it no heed whatsoever. If it wanted to fall, she didn't care right now.
"The only thing that came to mind when that shooting started was getting myself out of the line of fire... and I just grabbed Hinds outta instinct." He paused, sighing. "I shoulda grabbed Spencer too... no matter how much I hated him."
Faith crouched down in front of him, leaving her coffee on the counter, and told him, "You did everything you could without gettin' yourself shot... Hinds too. I don't doubt that she's grateful. You saved her life. We do as much as we can, Bos'."
Bosco stood then, managing not to spill his coffee as he quickly went about reattaching his vest around himself.
Faith's brow furrowed suddenly, and she found herself asking, "Wasn't Spencer wearin' a vest?"
Her partner didn't turn as he replied, "Yeah he was. But that much fire will rip through just about anything. They hit him from all sides, tore right through him."
Faith bowed her head, and mouthed the word 'ouch' silently, blinking once, and turning back to retie her hair quickly. After doing so, she took a sip of her coffee, and turned back, finding Bosco just about ready, already slipping on his tie.
Knowing in the back of her mind that all Bosco needed was time; Faith left the room, giving him some peace and quiet for however long he needed.
* * *
Ty Davis stabbed his light lunch with a metal fork, and let out a long and troubled breath, noticing that Sully looked in his direction from across the table. Ty met his gaze briefly, and lay down his utensil, having never been hungry in the first place.
When Sully continued to look at him in inquiry, Ty finally asked, "Did you know Spencer?"
Sully nodded a couple of times, and ate a bite of his sandwich. When he had finished, he explained, "I met him a couple of years ago, and we worked on a couple of jobs together. But apart from that... we only spoke every now and then. I wouldn't say we were friends exactly... Spencer was kind of a jerk."
Davis was amazed Sully didn't seem bothered about speaking ill of the dead, and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How do you mean?"
Sully smiled, and shook his head, looking out of the window, as he replied, "For as long as I can remember, he and Bosco would constantly fight... not literally, just snap at each other."
"Bosco used to wind him up, huh?"
"No, no, it was the other way around."
Davis was taken aback at this shocking information, and cocked his head, waiting for Sully to continue.
"Spencer would always find some way to... to insult Bosco, or wind him up, as though he wanted retaliation... and let me tell you, that partner of his," he whistled, "she didn't help any. She was just as bad with Bosco, and isn't too keen on Yokas either."
"How come?"
Sully shook his head vehemently, shrugging beneath his uniform. "No idea. They had never really been able to work together without a huge argument erupting, and it was usually Spencer and Hinds who got the whole thing started."
Davis held his breath for a second, before asking, "Anyone ever throw a punch?"
Sully laughed. "I remember that moment like it was yesterday."
Davis laughed at the language his partner had used, thinking about how it made him sound a lot older than he actually was, and listened intently.
"Bosco and Yokas had been called to a domestic disturbance over on West-65th, and called for backup. There were about three guys, and they knew they couldn't handle all of 'em themselves, so... Spencer and Hinds show up, and there's immediate competition between them as to who has control of the situation."
"What happened?"
"I'm gettin' there, I'm gettin' there," Sully insisted, and held up a hand. "So, Bosco and Spencer go about cuffing two of the guys, right, and its between Yokas and Hinds to restrain the last one." Sully laughed. "That's when I got there, just as the argument was reaching a pinnacle, and Hinds made the mistake of... well, it wasn't a nice name, let's leave it at that."
Davis leaned forward on the table, waiting for the conclusion.
"So, just as Hinds is about to remove her cuffs, looking as smug as I've ever seen anyone in my life, Yokas lands a punch on her face that knocks her clean off her feet."
Davis laughed at the mental image, and shook his head.
"You shoulda seen Bosco's face. It was the first time he'd really seen Yokas slug anyone, and let me tell you, he looked gob smacked. What a picture. I wish I'd had a camera."
Through his laughter, Davis managed to ask, "What did Spencer do?"
Sully was in fits of laughter, and he finally managed to say, "Absolutely nothing. He just stood and gawped like a fish."
The two laughed for a while, before gathering themselves, and Sully added, "After that, there was no way for the four of 'em to be civil. It was always a fight for Spencer and Hinds to be like Bosco and Yokas."
"That's quite a job," Davis muttered, breathing a sigh.
"Yeah, no kidding," Sully agreed, and waved for the cheque.
* * *
Carlos took his time whilst driving the bus, feeling a little blessed to have Doc allow him behind the wheel. It didn't happen often, and normally Carlos never made a big deal of it. But now, he felt like a kid at Christmas who had just gotten absolutely everything he had wanted. It was great.
"Keep your eyes on the driveways," Doc advised in a simple tone.
Carlos nodded. "Right."
Doc kept his own eyes on the road, and Carlos knew deep down that it wasn't because the man didn't trust him; it was just that some drivers were unpredictable when an ambulance was around, and he was only looking out for their safety.
"I'd never seen anything like that back there," Carlos found himself saying suddenly.
Doc's gaze floated over to him as he responded, "It's a little unexpected the first time. It's not a nice fact to come to terms with, but... you get used to it."
"Don't you ever get tired of seeing that sort of... mess?" Carlos inquired stoically, eyes never leaving the road ahead.
He heard Doc's sigh. "Everyday. I've lost count of the times I've seriously considered packing it all in and becoming a teacher or something, you know?"
"A teacher?" The subject had changed, and Carlos was grateful for the opportunity.
"Or something," Doc clarified, nodding. "You say you want to be an MD... that's just the same as wanting to quit this job and move along, don't you think?"
Now they were back on the subject, and Carlos felt a little awkward. But still, he didn't deny his partner a response, "It's not quite the same. I just want to get off the streets, help more people... be a doctor."
Doc nodded slowly.
The bus fell silent, and Carlos was relieved. He didn't really want to talk about his studies right now. He was too preoccupied with seeing that bloody body bag, and the countless faces of mortified police officers everywhere. The body of the robber hadn't bothered him very much at all, guiltily enough, but just coming to terms with how badly someone had wanted to kill one cop... now that frightened Carlos.
He wasn't just watching the cars.
He was watching everything.
* * *
Jimmy had just arrived back at the station with the other guys when he heard about the death... well, more like murder of Officer Daniel Spencer. Jimmy had been familiar with Spencer, and had spoken with him a couple of times, considering the fact that they had one thing in common at least... they both despised Bosco.
Well, Jimmy didn't exactly despise Bosco, but he wasn't too fond of the cop. He never really had been. For as long as he could remember, he and Bosco had snapped at each other in one way or another, but never quite as bad as how Spencer had been with him. Sometimes he had just been plain mean.
Shaking his head, he fetched an orange juice from the fridge and opened the bottle, taking a gulp from it instantly. The chilled contents were refreshing, and after tackling the fire they had been called to at a warehouse downtown, Jimmy was grateful for something cool to drink.
He moved through to the room adjacent, and slumped down into his usual chair, holding his juice in his hand. He sipped it often, watching a little of the daytime soap on the screen of the television, before raising an eyebrow in confusion, and changing the channel. There was some wrestling on, repeated from the night before from the looks of it, and Jimmy decided to leave it there, setting the remote down on the arm of the chair, and leaning back, feeling the seat rock a little with his weight.
Jimmy decided he would go work out in a little while, right after he watched this fight, intrigued by the body slams and dives the wrestlers performed, smiling at the corner of his mouth. Without realising, he had finished his juice, and he set the bottle down on the table, standing, and moving through to the small room at the back where the weights and other equipment were.
Letting out a slow breath, he picked up a couple of weights, and went about exercising.
* * *
Bosco drove. He was quiet as he steered the unit, his foot pressed down lightly on the gas pedal as the traffic trundled along at a steady pace. He wasn't even bothered. He watched it pensively with vacant eyes as he thought back briefly on the incident earlier, the images flashing hauntingly in his mind. He banished them without a second thought, and suddenly turned his head to Yokas.
"You hungry?"
She faced him, letting her head move from resting on her clenched palm, and blinked. "What?"
"Did you wanna get some lunch or something?"
She fumbled for a moment, before nodding. "Sure. I could go for a burger."
Bosco forced a smile, trying to keep a brave face for his partner, and gave a nod himself. "Okay."
The rest of their journey was quiet, and they were soon at a burger bar nearby, Bosco parking the car with ease, climbing out after killing the engine. He locked the unit behind him, Faith doing the same, and the two of them walked inside the bar.
Faith immediately moved to get them each something to eat, and Bosco went subconsciously about ordering them drinks and getting a table. He seated himself near the back of the room, and sipped at his juice as he waited for Faith to get back.
She soon appeared, a paper ticket in her hand with a number on it. She placed it down gently on the table's surface, and sat at once, taking a long drink of her cool soda.
When she had finished, she set the half-empty glass back down, and said; "You think we'll have this weather all week?"
Bosco looked to her then, and smiled. "Weather talk?"
Faith shrugged. "What's wrong with that?"
He laughed quietly, shaking his head, and then his smile faded a little. "Nothin'. I just don't usually hear you talk about the weather... unless it's cold."
"I'm not the one who fiddles with the heater for half an hour before realisin' it's broken," Faith teased, pulling a face.
Bosco glared for a moment at her quip, and then sighed, glancing out of the window over the other side of the room.
"You wanna talk about what happened earlier?" Faith inquired quietly, staring down into her bubbling drink, seemingly unwilling to meet her partner's gaze for the moment. Her finger traced a line only she could see on the tabletop.
Bosco's eyes turned back to her, and he watched the slow motion of her finger for a moment, his hand gripping his glass casually as he replied, "Not really."
Her kind eyes met his, and the request for a definite answer was in her gaze. A strand of her soft hair fell at the side of her face, resting delicately on her cheek. She ignored it.
"There's nothin' to talk about, Faith," Bosco told her insistently, even as the waitress brought them their burgers. Bosco began picking at the mountain of fries on his plate, popping one into his mouth.
"Okay," Faith acknowledged, and removed the top of her burger bun, preparing to squirt some ketchup on it for flavour. Some of these burger bars had bland food, and she was ready for that, bottle in her hand.
Bosco continued to pick half-heartedly at his fries as the events from earlier on in their shift started to haunt him again. He had watched the demise of a fellow officer, and had been unable to help him.
He felt weak, helpless, and selfish.
He didn't feel like Bosco.
Faith moved over, and offered it to him, opting to leave it beside him on the bench instead when he made no move to accept it. She chose to stand opposite him, leaned back against the counter in front of the lengthy mirror, looking down on his pensive form.
He sat silently, eyes downcast, hands loosely holding one of the straps for his bullet-proof vest, clean shirt sitting beside him on the bench, untouched since Faith had fetched it for him not so long ago.
"Bos', don't let Finch get to you," Faith advised in a gentle manner, staring down into her coffee, and continuing, "you know he's an asshole as much as I do."
Bosco shook his head. "It's not that." The fact that he had spoken at all made Faith brighten slightly, even after what she had seen in that alley. His eyes travelled up to meet hers suddenly, and he looked absolutely guilt-ridden.
"Don't tell me you blame yourself," Faith said seriously, shaking her own head back and forth, feeling her hair come loose, and paying it no heed whatsoever. If it wanted to fall, she didn't care right now.
"The only thing that came to mind when that shooting started was getting myself out of the line of fire... and I just grabbed Hinds outta instinct." He paused, sighing. "I shoulda grabbed Spencer too... no matter how much I hated him."
Faith crouched down in front of him, leaving her coffee on the counter, and told him, "You did everything you could without gettin' yourself shot... Hinds too. I don't doubt that she's grateful. You saved her life. We do as much as we can, Bos'."
Bosco stood then, managing not to spill his coffee as he quickly went about reattaching his vest around himself.
Faith's brow furrowed suddenly, and she found herself asking, "Wasn't Spencer wearin' a vest?"
Her partner didn't turn as he replied, "Yeah he was. But that much fire will rip through just about anything. They hit him from all sides, tore right through him."
Faith bowed her head, and mouthed the word 'ouch' silently, blinking once, and turning back to retie her hair quickly. After doing so, she took a sip of her coffee, and turned back, finding Bosco just about ready, already slipping on his tie.
Knowing in the back of her mind that all Bosco needed was time; Faith left the room, giving him some peace and quiet for however long he needed.
* * *
Ty Davis stabbed his light lunch with a metal fork, and let out a long and troubled breath, noticing that Sully looked in his direction from across the table. Ty met his gaze briefly, and lay down his utensil, having never been hungry in the first place.
When Sully continued to look at him in inquiry, Ty finally asked, "Did you know Spencer?"
Sully nodded a couple of times, and ate a bite of his sandwich. When he had finished, he explained, "I met him a couple of years ago, and we worked on a couple of jobs together. But apart from that... we only spoke every now and then. I wouldn't say we were friends exactly... Spencer was kind of a jerk."
Davis was amazed Sully didn't seem bothered about speaking ill of the dead, and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How do you mean?"
Sully smiled, and shook his head, looking out of the window, as he replied, "For as long as I can remember, he and Bosco would constantly fight... not literally, just snap at each other."
"Bosco used to wind him up, huh?"
"No, no, it was the other way around."
Davis was taken aback at this shocking information, and cocked his head, waiting for Sully to continue.
"Spencer would always find some way to... to insult Bosco, or wind him up, as though he wanted retaliation... and let me tell you, that partner of his," he whistled, "she didn't help any. She was just as bad with Bosco, and isn't too keen on Yokas either."
"How come?"
Sully shook his head vehemently, shrugging beneath his uniform. "No idea. They had never really been able to work together without a huge argument erupting, and it was usually Spencer and Hinds who got the whole thing started."
Davis held his breath for a second, before asking, "Anyone ever throw a punch?"
Sully laughed. "I remember that moment like it was yesterday."
Davis laughed at the language his partner had used, thinking about how it made him sound a lot older than he actually was, and listened intently.
"Bosco and Yokas had been called to a domestic disturbance over on West-65th, and called for backup. There were about three guys, and they knew they couldn't handle all of 'em themselves, so... Spencer and Hinds show up, and there's immediate competition between them as to who has control of the situation."
"What happened?"
"I'm gettin' there, I'm gettin' there," Sully insisted, and held up a hand. "So, Bosco and Spencer go about cuffing two of the guys, right, and its between Yokas and Hinds to restrain the last one." Sully laughed. "That's when I got there, just as the argument was reaching a pinnacle, and Hinds made the mistake of... well, it wasn't a nice name, let's leave it at that."
Davis leaned forward on the table, waiting for the conclusion.
"So, just as Hinds is about to remove her cuffs, looking as smug as I've ever seen anyone in my life, Yokas lands a punch on her face that knocks her clean off her feet."
Davis laughed at the mental image, and shook his head.
"You shoulda seen Bosco's face. It was the first time he'd really seen Yokas slug anyone, and let me tell you, he looked gob smacked. What a picture. I wish I'd had a camera."
Through his laughter, Davis managed to ask, "What did Spencer do?"
Sully was in fits of laughter, and he finally managed to say, "Absolutely nothing. He just stood and gawped like a fish."
The two laughed for a while, before gathering themselves, and Sully added, "After that, there was no way for the four of 'em to be civil. It was always a fight for Spencer and Hinds to be like Bosco and Yokas."
"That's quite a job," Davis muttered, breathing a sigh.
"Yeah, no kidding," Sully agreed, and waved for the cheque.
* * *
Carlos took his time whilst driving the bus, feeling a little blessed to have Doc allow him behind the wheel. It didn't happen often, and normally Carlos never made a big deal of it. But now, he felt like a kid at Christmas who had just gotten absolutely everything he had wanted. It was great.
"Keep your eyes on the driveways," Doc advised in a simple tone.
Carlos nodded. "Right."
Doc kept his own eyes on the road, and Carlos knew deep down that it wasn't because the man didn't trust him; it was just that some drivers were unpredictable when an ambulance was around, and he was only looking out for their safety.
"I'd never seen anything like that back there," Carlos found himself saying suddenly.
Doc's gaze floated over to him as he responded, "It's a little unexpected the first time. It's not a nice fact to come to terms with, but... you get used to it."
"Don't you ever get tired of seeing that sort of... mess?" Carlos inquired stoically, eyes never leaving the road ahead.
He heard Doc's sigh. "Everyday. I've lost count of the times I've seriously considered packing it all in and becoming a teacher or something, you know?"
"A teacher?" The subject had changed, and Carlos was grateful for the opportunity.
"Or something," Doc clarified, nodding. "You say you want to be an MD... that's just the same as wanting to quit this job and move along, don't you think?"
Now they were back on the subject, and Carlos felt a little awkward. But still, he didn't deny his partner a response, "It's not quite the same. I just want to get off the streets, help more people... be a doctor."
Doc nodded slowly.
The bus fell silent, and Carlos was relieved. He didn't really want to talk about his studies right now. He was too preoccupied with seeing that bloody body bag, and the countless faces of mortified police officers everywhere. The body of the robber hadn't bothered him very much at all, guiltily enough, but just coming to terms with how badly someone had wanted to kill one cop... now that frightened Carlos.
He wasn't just watching the cars.
He was watching everything.
* * *
Jimmy had just arrived back at the station with the other guys when he heard about the death... well, more like murder of Officer Daniel Spencer. Jimmy had been familiar with Spencer, and had spoken with him a couple of times, considering the fact that they had one thing in common at least... they both despised Bosco.
Well, Jimmy didn't exactly despise Bosco, but he wasn't too fond of the cop. He never really had been. For as long as he could remember, he and Bosco had snapped at each other in one way or another, but never quite as bad as how Spencer had been with him. Sometimes he had just been plain mean.
Shaking his head, he fetched an orange juice from the fridge and opened the bottle, taking a gulp from it instantly. The chilled contents were refreshing, and after tackling the fire they had been called to at a warehouse downtown, Jimmy was grateful for something cool to drink.
He moved through to the room adjacent, and slumped down into his usual chair, holding his juice in his hand. He sipped it often, watching a little of the daytime soap on the screen of the television, before raising an eyebrow in confusion, and changing the channel. There was some wrestling on, repeated from the night before from the looks of it, and Jimmy decided to leave it there, setting the remote down on the arm of the chair, and leaning back, feeling the seat rock a little with his weight.
Jimmy decided he would go work out in a little while, right after he watched this fight, intrigued by the body slams and dives the wrestlers performed, smiling at the corner of his mouth. Without realising, he had finished his juice, and he set the bottle down on the table, standing, and moving through to the small room at the back where the weights and other equipment were.
Letting out a slow breath, he picked up a couple of weights, and went about exercising.
* * *
Bosco drove. He was quiet as he steered the unit, his foot pressed down lightly on the gas pedal as the traffic trundled along at a steady pace. He wasn't even bothered. He watched it pensively with vacant eyes as he thought back briefly on the incident earlier, the images flashing hauntingly in his mind. He banished them without a second thought, and suddenly turned his head to Yokas.
"You hungry?"
She faced him, letting her head move from resting on her clenched palm, and blinked. "What?"
"Did you wanna get some lunch or something?"
She fumbled for a moment, before nodding. "Sure. I could go for a burger."
Bosco forced a smile, trying to keep a brave face for his partner, and gave a nod himself. "Okay."
The rest of their journey was quiet, and they were soon at a burger bar nearby, Bosco parking the car with ease, climbing out after killing the engine. He locked the unit behind him, Faith doing the same, and the two of them walked inside the bar.
Faith immediately moved to get them each something to eat, and Bosco went subconsciously about ordering them drinks and getting a table. He seated himself near the back of the room, and sipped at his juice as he waited for Faith to get back.
She soon appeared, a paper ticket in her hand with a number on it. She placed it down gently on the table's surface, and sat at once, taking a long drink of her cool soda.
When she had finished, she set the half-empty glass back down, and said; "You think we'll have this weather all week?"
Bosco looked to her then, and smiled. "Weather talk?"
Faith shrugged. "What's wrong with that?"
He laughed quietly, shaking his head, and then his smile faded a little. "Nothin'. I just don't usually hear you talk about the weather... unless it's cold."
"I'm not the one who fiddles with the heater for half an hour before realisin' it's broken," Faith teased, pulling a face.
Bosco glared for a moment at her quip, and then sighed, glancing out of the window over the other side of the room.
"You wanna talk about what happened earlier?" Faith inquired quietly, staring down into her bubbling drink, seemingly unwilling to meet her partner's gaze for the moment. Her finger traced a line only she could see on the tabletop.
Bosco's eyes turned back to her, and he watched the slow motion of her finger for a moment, his hand gripping his glass casually as he replied, "Not really."
Her kind eyes met his, and the request for a definite answer was in her gaze. A strand of her soft hair fell at the side of her face, resting delicately on her cheek. She ignored it.
"There's nothin' to talk about, Faith," Bosco told her insistently, even as the waitress brought them their burgers. Bosco began picking at the mountain of fries on his plate, popping one into his mouth.
"Okay," Faith acknowledged, and removed the top of her burger bun, preparing to squirt some ketchup on it for flavour. Some of these burger bars had bland food, and she was ready for that, bottle in her hand.
Bosco continued to pick half-heartedly at his fries as the events from earlier on in their shift started to haunt him again. He had watched the demise of a fellow officer, and had been unable to help him.
He felt weak, helpless, and selfish.
He didn't feel like Bosco.