He came awake suddenly, sitting up at once, and regretting the sudden
movement, wincing and groaning at the pain in his left side, and the
throbbing of his head. He muttered a curse under his breath, and leaned
back against the backboard of his hospital bed.
When he realised where he was, he looked around suddenly, and fought to remember what had happened. It came back to him in flashes; the car hitting them, the smashing of the windows, Faith pushing him down, and then darkness. It was all such a blur.
He remembered one thing clearly though. The looks on the faces of the driver and passenger of that other car... that was no accident.
Bosco was alone in his hospital room, and after a brief moment of listening and staring about, he swung his leg from under the blankets, and hopped off the bed carefully, finding his clothing sat neatly on a chair. He dressed quickly, pausing when he was about to pull his sweater over his head when he saw the bruising on his side that had caused him the pain upon waking.
From the impact, he reasoned, and pulled the polo neck down over his body, slipping his shoes on. He reached up when his head throbbed, and felt the stinging from a cut on his head, to the side and in his hairline. It had been covered, and probably stitched, but he couldn't be bothered to sit and think about that now. He wanted to find Faith.
He quickly tied his laces, forcing himself to sit down when it pained him to crouch, and then moved for the door, opening it slowly, and peering outside. He looked up and down the hall, and saw no one but a few nurses milling about busily.
Bosco exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind him, and looked both ways before reasoning that Faith would be somewhere close by. He wasn't sure why... he was just guessing. It made sense to him.
What if she's badly hurt? Bosco thought suddenly, and that only made him walk faster. He couldn't bear to think about it anymore, and when someone called his name loudly from behind him, he didn't even hear them.
"Boscorelli!"
He whirled, a little too quickly, and winced discreetly, looking down the hall to Doctor Morales, who was walking swiftly up to him with purpose.
"What are you doing out of bed? Why didn't you call someone when you woke up? You should be resting," she said quickly, shaking her head as she came to a stop before him, looking him in the eye.
Bosco was quiet for a moment, before he ignored all of her questions, and came out with one of his own, "Where's Faith?"
Morales actually smiled... something that Bosco hadn't seem much.
"Is she okay?"
"She's perfectly fine. A little scrape on the arm, and a headache, but nothing else," Morales informed him lightly.
Bosco felt his muscles relax in relief, and he let out a long sigh.
"She's just over here if you wanted to see her." Morales turned then, and led the way to a room down where Bosco had come from. She turned her head to him for a moment, saying, "I'm still not happy about you wandering around."
Bosco smiled wanly, and let himself be led into Faith's room, where she was sitting up, talking with Dana Murphy, and eating some jello. Bosco would have laughed if they hadn't just been through a car crash.
"Bos'," she greeted him upon seeing him, discarding the jello at once, and smiling at him. She looked perfectly fine, apart from the bandage on her left arm.
He moved over, and looked down on her. "You okay?"
She laughed. "I'm fine, Bos'. How about you? You got the worst of it." Her smile fell.
He nodded, then shrugged. "I've had worse."
Faith rolled her eyes, and looked him up and down, just as Dana and Morales left the room. "Why are you up? I thought you'd be resting."
"I had to check you were alright." Bosco seated himself quickly on the stool by her bedside, and leaned in, saying, "Faith, I think that crash was intentional."
Faith was taken aback, as she blinked, and asked, "What?"
Bosco shook his head, rubbing his hand over his dishevelled hair quickly, careful not to irritate his wound, before saying, "I caught a glimpse of the driver. He didn't look like he was sorry about what he was doing. And answer me one thing, Faith... it they hadn't meant to hit us, then why didn't they slow down... or stop?"
Faith swallowed, and considered her partner seriously for a moment, before she shrugged. "You don't think..."
Bosco nodded, knowing the end of his partner's sentence before she had even said it. What Faith had said earlier was sinking in now, and starting to make a whole lot of sense. Of course, it had taken their involvement in a potentially fatal crash to wake him up to reality, but as long as he faced it before they were picked off... he wasn't sure what to think.
"Think about it, Faith. First, Spencer gets shot in the alley, after we go in there to catch a robber. Then Hinds gets stabbed on her way home, when she was perfectly capable of defending herself. A guy blows Gregory and Faraday apart, and then we get hit at an intersection. All in the space of three days."
Faith was silent, staring blankly at the wall at the end of her bed, before she nodded. "Bosco, what do you think is going on here?"
Bosco fought the urge to lean back, for fear of falling backwards off the stool, and said, "I've been thinkin'. There has to be a connection between the cops involved, right?"
Faith nodded wordlessly.
"So when did we all work together? Me, you, Spencer, Hinds, Gregory and Faraday... it's not like we got together on a regular basis," Bosco continued, before he stopped short, and narrowed his eyes. He turned to face Faith full on, and spoke quietly, "Do you remember that shootout in the street last year. We were the last ones there, and the others were already in pursuit. They had taken out two of the shooters, but there were three more. You got one, and I shot the other two."
"Yeah," Faith agreed, "we chased 'em all the way down Seventh... there was a woman."
"She seemed pretty upset..." Bosco ended, and held a hand to his head.
"Bos', she was the mother," Faith said suddenly, her eyes settled on the blankets of her bed.
"How do you know that?"
"I could tell," Faith surmised. "She was so upset when we shot those last three. They were brothers or somethin'... I remember it in the report. Aidan, Ricardo, and..."
Bosco watched her think for a while, lost for the final name, before he offered, "Kieran."
"That's it. Aidan, Ricardo and Kieran Olmos. Local drug dealers or something."
Bosco nodded in verification, and let out a long sigh. "So, what if that mother is pickin' off the cops involved?"
"Damn, Bos', why didn't we realise sooner?"
"Because they hadn't come after us until now," Bosco replied.
Faith shook her head. "But we were at the scene of each cop killing... well, you were at least. It's like whoever's responsible wanted us to see what they were capable of, and what they had in store for us."
Bosco stood. "Now you're creeping me out."
Faith fell silent, as if surprised those words had just come out of Bosco's mouth. But in truth, it did frighten him a little, to think that he and his partner were possibly being specifically targeted by someone... maybe this mother who had seen the dead bodies of her three sons.
"Were there any other brothers, a sister, anything?" Bosco asked Faith, knowing she would remember more than he did. She normally did. Why would this time be any different?
"No," she replied simply. "Their father died years ago. There was only the mother."
"Okay," Bosco said quickly, turning to her again, "we need to look into this or something. Get Sully and Davis to scout out her address... I don't know. If she is responsible, then she has to be registered here in New York, right?"
"Not necessarily, Bos'," Faith told him quietly, as if in pensive consideration.
Bosco sighed. "You're right. Well there has to be something we can do."
For a while, the two sat there, silent, minds thinking over what had happened and their new revelations. They were afraid, but too proud to let their partner know. Bosco stood to the other side of the room, thinking of how they could find the mother of the Olmos brothers... if they could even find her name... assuming it wasn't in the paperwork. Faith sat silently, staring down at her bed covers, her thoughts obviously on her children and her husband.
"Bos', we shouldn't go back out there until she's caught," Faith said to him suddenly, resolutely.
Bosco shook his head. "No, I'm not sitting around waiting to be picked off, Faith. No way."
Their eyes locked, and Faith's were filled with worry.
"Bosco, what about my family? What if she goes after my family?"
Bosco stared at her seriously for a moment, and then nodded, leaving the room.
* * *
Davis watched Sully climb back into the car, and raised his eyebrows in inquiry, watching the older man turn his head to him, and sigh. He nodded.
"They're fine. The kids are home from school. Fred picked them up from a friend's not long ago," Sully informed him with a slight smile. "I told him what happened."
"How'd he take it?"
"Well, I tried to make it sound like it was an accident. I don't want him thinking that his wife is a target... he wouldn't want her out of the house," Sully replied. "He seemed okay with it. I told him she was perfectly fine and that she was gonna swing by the station before she went home. I said she'd be back at work tomorrow."
"You think she won't stay home?"
"On her own?" Sully shook his head wisely, already knowing the answer. "Nah. Fred works during the day, and the kids are at school, safe and sound. She won't worry."
Davis nodded in understanding, accepting the knowledge. "What about Bosco? Is he gonna take the day off tomorrow?"
Sully actually laughed, despite the circumstances, shaking his head vehemently, starting up the car as he did so, replying simultaneously, "Not a chance. You couldn't make him stay outta work if you tried."
Davis smiled lopsidedly. He had heard Bosco and Yokas' theory of the targeting of certain police officers... four of which were already dead, and suddenly he wasn't so afraid. But what if they were wrong? What if all cops at 55th were at risk?
Don't freak yourself out, Ty, he warned, and listened as the radio crackled and sounded on his shoulder.
"5-5-Charlie, we've got a 10-50 on the corner of Amsterdam and 82nd."
"This is 5-5-Charlie, Ten-Four, Central. Amsterdam and 82nd." Davis released the radio when he was finished responding, and felt it sit comfortably on his shoulder, glancing briefly at his partner, who nodded, and headed in the direction given.
"My favourite," Sully grumbled, "a disorderly."
Davis grinned, and sighed, eyes constantly watching their surroundings.
* * *
"You really think we should be back at work, Bos'?" Faith asked tentatively as she finished adjusting her tie, watching in the mirror as her partner began pulling on his sweater. He looked to be in some discomfort, and having a bit of trouble, and she turned as he replied.
"Why not? We're fine... Morales said so herself. She wouldn't have discharged us otherwise."
Faith sighed at his stubborn attitude, watched him wince, and then walked over, helping him pull on his sweater over his bullet-proof vest. "Bos', you can't even dress yourself."
He locked eyes with her, and raised an eyebrow, going about attaching his belt subconsciously, replying as he did so, "Faith, I'm fine. It's just a little... uncomfortable sometimes."
She rolled her eyes, and looked in the mirror to check her hair. "Men," she scoffed. "Why can't you guys just admit when you're in pain for once? We women won't think any less of you."
She heard him laugh. "'We women'?"
Faith frowned in irritation, and looked at his reflection, seeing him staring back at her with dark eyes. "It's just an expression, Bosco."
"Well, it's an expression I've never heard of before," Bosco countered with a grin, laughing quietly to himself.
She watched him as he walked out of the door, sighing loudly when he was gone, and shaking her head. Faith heard Fred's words in her head as she finished readying herself; You were in a crash... you shouldn't be goin' into work. Take the day off.
Maybe he was right for once. Maybe she should have been home resting and relaxing, sleeping or something... hell even watching daytime television. Who knew? Bosco wanted to be in today, and she never really could turn her partner down.
It was his eyes... something about that certain subtle pleading look in his eyes that made her vulnerable to agreement when he had his heart set on something. She had to learn to say no... not even Charlie was this bad.
She giggled at the thought, grabbed her gun and holstered it, heading for the door.
When he realised where he was, he looked around suddenly, and fought to remember what had happened. It came back to him in flashes; the car hitting them, the smashing of the windows, Faith pushing him down, and then darkness. It was all such a blur.
He remembered one thing clearly though. The looks on the faces of the driver and passenger of that other car... that was no accident.
Bosco was alone in his hospital room, and after a brief moment of listening and staring about, he swung his leg from under the blankets, and hopped off the bed carefully, finding his clothing sat neatly on a chair. He dressed quickly, pausing when he was about to pull his sweater over his head when he saw the bruising on his side that had caused him the pain upon waking.
From the impact, he reasoned, and pulled the polo neck down over his body, slipping his shoes on. He reached up when his head throbbed, and felt the stinging from a cut on his head, to the side and in his hairline. It had been covered, and probably stitched, but he couldn't be bothered to sit and think about that now. He wanted to find Faith.
He quickly tied his laces, forcing himself to sit down when it pained him to crouch, and then moved for the door, opening it slowly, and peering outside. He looked up and down the hall, and saw no one but a few nurses milling about busily.
Bosco exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind him, and looked both ways before reasoning that Faith would be somewhere close by. He wasn't sure why... he was just guessing. It made sense to him.
What if she's badly hurt? Bosco thought suddenly, and that only made him walk faster. He couldn't bear to think about it anymore, and when someone called his name loudly from behind him, he didn't even hear them.
"Boscorelli!"
He whirled, a little too quickly, and winced discreetly, looking down the hall to Doctor Morales, who was walking swiftly up to him with purpose.
"What are you doing out of bed? Why didn't you call someone when you woke up? You should be resting," she said quickly, shaking her head as she came to a stop before him, looking him in the eye.
Bosco was quiet for a moment, before he ignored all of her questions, and came out with one of his own, "Where's Faith?"
Morales actually smiled... something that Bosco hadn't seem much.
"Is she okay?"
"She's perfectly fine. A little scrape on the arm, and a headache, but nothing else," Morales informed him lightly.
Bosco felt his muscles relax in relief, and he let out a long sigh.
"She's just over here if you wanted to see her." Morales turned then, and led the way to a room down where Bosco had come from. She turned her head to him for a moment, saying, "I'm still not happy about you wandering around."
Bosco smiled wanly, and let himself be led into Faith's room, where she was sitting up, talking with Dana Murphy, and eating some jello. Bosco would have laughed if they hadn't just been through a car crash.
"Bos'," she greeted him upon seeing him, discarding the jello at once, and smiling at him. She looked perfectly fine, apart from the bandage on her left arm.
He moved over, and looked down on her. "You okay?"
She laughed. "I'm fine, Bos'. How about you? You got the worst of it." Her smile fell.
He nodded, then shrugged. "I've had worse."
Faith rolled her eyes, and looked him up and down, just as Dana and Morales left the room. "Why are you up? I thought you'd be resting."
"I had to check you were alright." Bosco seated himself quickly on the stool by her bedside, and leaned in, saying, "Faith, I think that crash was intentional."
Faith was taken aback, as she blinked, and asked, "What?"
Bosco shook his head, rubbing his hand over his dishevelled hair quickly, careful not to irritate his wound, before saying, "I caught a glimpse of the driver. He didn't look like he was sorry about what he was doing. And answer me one thing, Faith... it they hadn't meant to hit us, then why didn't they slow down... or stop?"
Faith swallowed, and considered her partner seriously for a moment, before she shrugged. "You don't think..."
Bosco nodded, knowing the end of his partner's sentence before she had even said it. What Faith had said earlier was sinking in now, and starting to make a whole lot of sense. Of course, it had taken their involvement in a potentially fatal crash to wake him up to reality, but as long as he faced it before they were picked off... he wasn't sure what to think.
"Think about it, Faith. First, Spencer gets shot in the alley, after we go in there to catch a robber. Then Hinds gets stabbed on her way home, when she was perfectly capable of defending herself. A guy blows Gregory and Faraday apart, and then we get hit at an intersection. All in the space of three days."
Faith was silent, staring blankly at the wall at the end of her bed, before she nodded. "Bosco, what do you think is going on here?"
Bosco fought the urge to lean back, for fear of falling backwards off the stool, and said, "I've been thinkin'. There has to be a connection between the cops involved, right?"
Faith nodded wordlessly.
"So when did we all work together? Me, you, Spencer, Hinds, Gregory and Faraday... it's not like we got together on a regular basis," Bosco continued, before he stopped short, and narrowed his eyes. He turned to face Faith full on, and spoke quietly, "Do you remember that shootout in the street last year. We were the last ones there, and the others were already in pursuit. They had taken out two of the shooters, but there were three more. You got one, and I shot the other two."
"Yeah," Faith agreed, "we chased 'em all the way down Seventh... there was a woman."
"She seemed pretty upset..." Bosco ended, and held a hand to his head.
"Bos', she was the mother," Faith said suddenly, her eyes settled on the blankets of her bed.
"How do you know that?"
"I could tell," Faith surmised. "She was so upset when we shot those last three. They were brothers or somethin'... I remember it in the report. Aidan, Ricardo, and..."
Bosco watched her think for a while, lost for the final name, before he offered, "Kieran."
"That's it. Aidan, Ricardo and Kieran Olmos. Local drug dealers or something."
Bosco nodded in verification, and let out a long sigh. "So, what if that mother is pickin' off the cops involved?"
"Damn, Bos', why didn't we realise sooner?"
"Because they hadn't come after us until now," Bosco replied.
Faith shook her head. "But we were at the scene of each cop killing... well, you were at least. It's like whoever's responsible wanted us to see what they were capable of, and what they had in store for us."
Bosco stood. "Now you're creeping me out."
Faith fell silent, as if surprised those words had just come out of Bosco's mouth. But in truth, it did frighten him a little, to think that he and his partner were possibly being specifically targeted by someone... maybe this mother who had seen the dead bodies of her three sons.
"Were there any other brothers, a sister, anything?" Bosco asked Faith, knowing she would remember more than he did. She normally did. Why would this time be any different?
"No," she replied simply. "Their father died years ago. There was only the mother."
"Okay," Bosco said quickly, turning to her again, "we need to look into this or something. Get Sully and Davis to scout out her address... I don't know. If she is responsible, then she has to be registered here in New York, right?"
"Not necessarily, Bos'," Faith told him quietly, as if in pensive consideration.
Bosco sighed. "You're right. Well there has to be something we can do."
For a while, the two sat there, silent, minds thinking over what had happened and their new revelations. They were afraid, but too proud to let their partner know. Bosco stood to the other side of the room, thinking of how they could find the mother of the Olmos brothers... if they could even find her name... assuming it wasn't in the paperwork. Faith sat silently, staring down at her bed covers, her thoughts obviously on her children and her husband.
"Bos', we shouldn't go back out there until she's caught," Faith said to him suddenly, resolutely.
Bosco shook his head. "No, I'm not sitting around waiting to be picked off, Faith. No way."
Their eyes locked, and Faith's were filled with worry.
"Bosco, what about my family? What if she goes after my family?"
Bosco stared at her seriously for a moment, and then nodded, leaving the room.
* * *
Davis watched Sully climb back into the car, and raised his eyebrows in inquiry, watching the older man turn his head to him, and sigh. He nodded.
"They're fine. The kids are home from school. Fred picked them up from a friend's not long ago," Sully informed him with a slight smile. "I told him what happened."
"How'd he take it?"
"Well, I tried to make it sound like it was an accident. I don't want him thinking that his wife is a target... he wouldn't want her out of the house," Sully replied. "He seemed okay with it. I told him she was perfectly fine and that she was gonna swing by the station before she went home. I said she'd be back at work tomorrow."
"You think she won't stay home?"
"On her own?" Sully shook his head wisely, already knowing the answer. "Nah. Fred works during the day, and the kids are at school, safe and sound. She won't worry."
Davis nodded in understanding, accepting the knowledge. "What about Bosco? Is he gonna take the day off tomorrow?"
Sully actually laughed, despite the circumstances, shaking his head vehemently, starting up the car as he did so, replying simultaneously, "Not a chance. You couldn't make him stay outta work if you tried."
Davis smiled lopsidedly. He had heard Bosco and Yokas' theory of the targeting of certain police officers... four of which were already dead, and suddenly he wasn't so afraid. But what if they were wrong? What if all cops at 55th were at risk?
Don't freak yourself out, Ty, he warned, and listened as the radio crackled and sounded on his shoulder.
"5-5-Charlie, we've got a 10-50 on the corner of Amsterdam and 82nd."
"This is 5-5-Charlie, Ten-Four, Central. Amsterdam and 82nd." Davis released the radio when he was finished responding, and felt it sit comfortably on his shoulder, glancing briefly at his partner, who nodded, and headed in the direction given.
"My favourite," Sully grumbled, "a disorderly."
Davis grinned, and sighed, eyes constantly watching their surroundings.
* * *
"You really think we should be back at work, Bos'?" Faith asked tentatively as she finished adjusting her tie, watching in the mirror as her partner began pulling on his sweater. He looked to be in some discomfort, and having a bit of trouble, and she turned as he replied.
"Why not? We're fine... Morales said so herself. She wouldn't have discharged us otherwise."
Faith sighed at his stubborn attitude, watched him wince, and then walked over, helping him pull on his sweater over his bullet-proof vest. "Bos', you can't even dress yourself."
He locked eyes with her, and raised an eyebrow, going about attaching his belt subconsciously, replying as he did so, "Faith, I'm fine. It's just a little... uncomfortable sometimes."
She rolled her eyes, and looked in the mirror to check her hair. "Men," she scoffed. "Why can't you guys just admit when you're in pain for once? We women won't think any less of you."
She heard him laugh. "'We women'?"
Faith frowned in irritation, and looked at his reflection, seeing him staring back at her with dark eyes. "It's just an expression, Bosco."
"Well, it's an expression I've never heard of before," Bosco countered with a grin, laughing quietly to himself.
She watched him as he walked out of the door, sighing loudly when he was gone, and shaking her head. Faith heard Fred's words in her head as she finished readying herself; You were in a crash... you shouldn't be goin' into work. Take the day off.
Maybe he was right for once. Maybe she should have been home resting and relaxing, sleeping or something... hell even watching daytime television. Who knew? Bosco wanted to be in today, and she never really could turn her partner down.
It was his eyes... something about that certain subtle pleading look in his eyes that made her vulnerable to agreement when he had his heart set on something. She had to learn to say no... not even Charlie was this bad.
She giggled at the thought, grabbed her gun and holstered it, heading for the door.