TITLE: One heart beat for every lost day.
AUTHOR: faith_in_Faith
E-MAIL: fatih_in_Faith@hotmail.com
DISCLAIMER: Don't owe, just borrow and play.
RATING: PG-13
SPOILERS: Up to and including season four, and we have actually reach season five, because this is my take on the season final. : )
AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks to Jenny, my faithful beat-reader and BIG thanks to my reviewers. I hope you still enjoy. : )
CHAPTER TWENTY.
Bosco looked down at Cruz, who was lying on the floor. She was bleeding from a shot wound in her right shoulder. Her gun lay beside her. He picked it up and kneeled down. He checked for a pulse and found one. It was strong, and she was breathing on her own too. He looked at her face and felt nothing. Whatever it was that had made him feel drawn to her was gone. He lifted his gaze and looked around. Nobel was nowhere in sight. Faith was standing a few feet away from him with the gun still in her hands, looking at him with wide eyes. Blood was trickling down the left side of her face.
"Oh my God Faith!" he said with fear in his voice as he rushed to her side.
"It's Ok Bos, it just touched me. It's nothing serious," she said and dropped the gun as she put her hand against her temple. The blood immediately started to sip through her fingers.
"You're sure?" he asked anxiously.
"Yeah I'm sure. Just give me a towel or something, will you?" she said and tried to keep her voice steady.
"Sure," he turned and walked towards the bathroom.
"Bosco." He turned and looked at her.
"I'm sorry. Is she.?" she asked hesitantly.
"No," he said grimly and went to the bathroom to get a towel.
"POLICE OPEN UP!" a voice shouted from the hallway.
Faith went and opened the door and suddenly the room was crawling with cops. Soon the paramedics arrived too. It was no one they knew.
"Let me take a look at that officer," one of them said. The other one rushed to Cruz's side.
"It's nothing serious. It's just a scratch. I'll be alright."
"Patrick, I need you over here!" the other paramedic shouted.
"Make sure you get that checked out over at the hospital," the paramedic said before he rushed over to his partner.
"Yeah," she said absently.
She turned to look at Bosco, who had been standing at her side the whole time.
"Come on, I'll take you," he said softly. He looked at her and his eyes were filled with a mix of relief and despair. Suddenly Swerski appeared in the doorway.
"Yokas. You're hurt?" he asked with concern.
"It's nothing sir. The bullet just touched me," Faith said softly.
"OK, go to the hospital and get that checked out. Boscorelli, I guess you want to go with her?"
"Yes sir. I would like that sir, " Bosco said quietly.
"Then go! But I want you two down at the station house as soon as possible. This demands an explanation, and for your own good I sure hope you have a good one," he said sternly.
"Yes sir," they said in unison.
*********************
Bosco sat in the waiting room of Angel of Mercy and thought about how lucky he was, lucky to have a friend like Faith. Lucky that he didn't get her killed in that damn hotel room. He had never, not even in his wildest dreams, thought that Cruz would try to shoot Faith, but she did. He ran his hands over his head in frustration. He really had screwed up big time again, but he couldn't care less about what would happen to him. All he cared about was for Faith to be OK.
In the exam room Faith sat, somewhat dazed, and looked down at the floor. She felt relieved, almost happy. They were alive, all three of them. Cruz would go down with this. She was pretty sure about that. She just hoped Bosco wouldn't go down with her, but she would do anything she could to keep him out of trouble, as always. She smiled tiredly, and then sighed lightly. She didn't look forward to the talk with Swerski, that's for sure. Nurse Proctor entered the room and said:
"Dr Thomas said you didn't need stitches so I'll just put some bandage on."
"OK," Faith said quietly. Proctor started to clean the wound and said hesitantly:
"It's probably none of my business, but Anna, the nurse you brought in here a week ago. Isn't she Bosco's girlfriend?"
"Yeah she is. Why do you ask?"
"Well I've heard that she's a lot worse. That she's probably dying. Her brother is looking all over for Bosco."
Faith's eyes widened and she looked at Proctor in horror. This couldn't be true. Anna couldn't die. Bosco would never be able to deal with that.
"Are you sure?"
Proctor nodded. "Do you want me to tell Bosco?"
"No I think I'd better do it."
Proctor nodded again and took her hands away from Faith's temple, as she said: "I'm done."
Faith slid down from the exam table, swallowed hard, and went into the waiting room to face Bosco. He sat with his arms resting on his knees, looking down at the floor.
"Bos," Faith said softly.
He immediately jerked his head up and looked at her. He saw the worry and uneasiness in her eyes and got scared.
"What is it Faith? What's wrong?" Faith took a deep breath and said:
"It's Anna."
"Anna?" he asked in surprise. "What about her?"
"She's sick," Faith said quietly.
"Sick, what do you mean with sick? What's wrong with her?" Bosco asked, clearly upset.
"It's her hip Bos. She has been sick since you left. When I came to your apartment the other day to drop the boys off she fainted, and she was running a very high fever. I had to take her to the hospital. She's been here ever since."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked angrily.
"She didn't want me to. Not if she didn't get so bad she could die," Faith swallowed hard," and now Proctor told me that Steven is looking all over for you, because she's in such a bad shape they think she might not make it." Bosco's face drained of all color and he looked at her with fear and despair in his eyes.
"No Faith, no. Please tell me this is a cruel joke or something, please!" he pleaded with her.
"I'm so sorry Bos, but it's true," Faith said quietly.
Bosco felt like crying. This couldn't be true, but he knew it was. It all made perfect sense. He needed to get punished for all the stupid things he had said and done, and God had never liked him. What would be a better punishment than to take Anna away from him? Yeah, it all made perfect sense.
"Where is she? I have to see her!"
"She's in the ICU," Proctor said quietly from behind.
Bosco immediately ran to the stairs, Faith following close behind. He reached the third floor and stormed through the ICU doors, looking around frantically. He ran to the nurses' desk and said rudely:
" Where's Anna Lewis? I have to see her. I'm her boyfriend!"
The nurse at the desk looked up and smiled kindly at him as she said: "Just wait here a minute."
She was probably used to hysterical relatives, Faith thought as Bosco started to pace the floor. A few moments later Steven walked up to them.
"Steven what the hell has happened? How is she? She isn't dying, is she?"
Steven looked coldly at him. "Where have you been?"
Bosco swallowed hard. "I didn't know she was sick. I swear. She didn't want me to be around. I kind of screw up."
"Cut it out Bosco. I really don't wanna know what you did to her this time, because then I might lose my temper with you and do something I'll probably regret later. Anna doesn't need that right now. Right now she needs you to be there for her. She doesn't fight at all because you aren't around. So you'll better make her fight, because I swear to God that if she dies; I'm gonna hold you responsible for it," Steven said, his voice deadly calm.
Bosco nodded and asked quietly: "How bad off is she?"
Steven looked at him and his eyes softened a bit.
"She's very bad Bosco. She has a very serious infection in her hip. They have tried everything. They even operated in order to drain it, but nothing seems to help. Now the infection has worked its way into her system and she's suffering from blood poisoning. She isn't fighting at all, and they don't think she's gonna make it."
Bosco closed his eyes. So it was true. He was going to lose her. He was going to pay for his mistakes, and he was going to pay dearly.
"Can I see her?"
"Of course you can, and you're gonna make her fight again. Do you hear me?" Steven said desperately.
Bosco nodded again. "I'll try."
He turned to look at Faith, who had been standing behind him all the time. There was one more thing he needed to do. One more thing he needed to know before he went in.
"Faith I'm sorry, for everything. I know I've been a jerk and an idiot. I know I've hurt you, badly. I can't express how much I appreciate that you were there for me one more time. You saved my life. Thank you. My offer still stands; if you want me to leave, I will."
"No I don't want you to leave. I know I've hurt you too, and for that I'm truly sorry," Faith said softly.
"So we're OK then?"
"No, but we will be. Don't worry about it right now. Go and help Anna to get better and we sort it out later, OK?"
"OK. Thank you Faith."
"You're welcome. Don't worry about a thing. Just go and stay with Anna. I'll talk to Swerski for you." He nodded his thanks and headed down the hallway towards Anna's room.
Bosco's chest tightened and he could hardly breathe when he saw Anna in the hospital bed. There was some kind of tubes sticking out of her hip, and she had an intravenous drip in her arm. Her beautiful face was covered with an oxygen mask, and she was so pale and thin. She was practically wasting away in front of his eyes. He bent down and kissed her forehead. She felt hot to his lips. He sat down beside her and took her hand between his. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles for a little while and then he put his hand on her cheek.
"Anna," he said softly. "Anna, please wake up. You know I can't live without you. Please don't die. I know I've been a jerk lately and you can kick my ass all you want, but you can't die OK? You have to think about the boys. I can't take care of them on my own. You know that, right?"
He didn't get any response what so ever. He removed the oxygen mask and gently kissed her lips. She still didn't respond.
"Please Anna open your eyes for me," he whispered desperately, but it was all in vain.
Anna felt like she was floating around in warm water with cotton in her ears. She could hear Bosco's voice as a soft muffled whisper. She could tell that he was scared for some reason. She tried to answer him. She wanted to reassure him that everything was fine, that he didn't have to be afraid, but she couldn't make it to the surface.
Bosco felt involuntary tears forming in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away before they could escape down his cheeks. He took Anna's hand again and caressed her hair and face as he continued to talk to her. He told her how much he loved her and how much he needed her, and a lot of other things he should have told her long ago. Anna let herself slip back into the warm darkness again, feeling safe and happy by the sound of Bosco's voice.
***************
The next day:
I was almost ten o'clock when Faith arrived to the ICU. Bosco was still sitting next to Anna's bed, holding her hand, but he had stopped talking long ago. Steven had gone home to see the boys and try to get some sleep. Faith quietly entered Anna's room.
"Bos."
He turned his head and looked at her and she could see that he had been crying, a lot. He really looked terrible. If she hadn't known better she'd thought he was sick too.
"How's she doing?"
He shrugged lightly. "I don't know. Like before I'll guess," he said hoarsely.
"I'm sorry Bos," Faith said softly.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one to blame. It's my fault she's lying here, dying."
"No Bos, this isn't your fault. You didn't make her sick."
"Maybe not, but if I hadn't been an ass to her, then maybe she'd told me earlier that she didn't feel well. Not to mention the fact that if I hadn't hurt her so much that she couldn't stand to have me around, then I'd been there to notice that she got worse again. Steven says that she doesn't fight because of me. He says that if she dies, he's gonna hold me responsible for it, " he said and Faith could hear that he tried hard not to cry.
"Bos."she said softly, feeling a lump in her own throat, "he doesn't mean it. He's just upset."
"Maybe, but he's right, you know. If she dies it's all my fault."
"Then give her a reason to live. Make her feel that you're here for her."
"I've tried but she doesn't respond," he said desperately.
"Keep trying. That's all you can do, OK?"
He nodded and then he remembered everything that had happened yesterday and he looked at her worriedly.
"What did Swerski have to say?"
"A lot of things. He wasn't exactly happy about what happened, or about the fact that you weren't there, but he wanted me to tell you that he understands. He's sending internal affairs to question you over here instead."
"OK," Bosco said and looked at her with a guilty look on his face.
"Are you in trouble because of me?"
She smiled faintly. "Not this time."
He looked relieved. "Good!"
"They're waiting for you Bos," Faith said and motioned with her head towards the hallway. He looked at Anna and then at Faith.
"Don't worry. I'll stay with her."
"Thanks," he said and gave her a grateful smile.
Faith sat down next to Anna and picked up her hand.
"Anna, it's Faith, and I want you to listen to me OK? You can't die. Bosco needs you and he has learned his lesson, I promise you. Cruz is out of the picture and he's back, just as you told me he would be. I think everything is gonna work out just fine, but only if you stay alive OK? You can't leave me alone with him. I can't handle him on my own, especially not if you die, and you know that. I'm not as good at puzzles as you are. There's no way I would be able to put together all the pieces he would shatter into if you die. Please Anna, hang in there. We all need you," Faith said softly and fought back her tears. She had just got one of her best friends back and she couldn't bear to lose the other one. About an hour later Bosco entered the room and Faith stood up.
"I'm sorry Bos, but I've gotta go. Please call me if there's any change."
He nodded tiredly. "I will. Thanks Faith, for everything."
She reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. "You're welcome. Take care of Anna. Make her come back to us, OK?"
"I'll try," he said sadly.
Bosco sat down on the chair beside Anna's bed again. He took her hand in one of his and put the other one on her cheek.
"Anna please open your eyes," Bosco pleaded once more. "Please I need you to wake up for me. I need you to be OK." Still nothing. He gently kissed her forehead and said desperately:
"Please open your eyes Anna. I love you. Please angel eye, let me see your beautiful eyes again."
Ever since Anna had heard Faith voice, she had tried hard to fight the fogginess in her brain. She knew Faith had said something important. Something she should respond to. When she heard her love name, the name she hadn't heard in years, the name that only Bosco called her, she finally made it to the surface. Bosco saw her eyes flutter open, and his heart started to beat faster. She was awake!
"Anna!" he said urgently and squeezed her hand.
"Bos?" Anna asked somewhat confused.
"Yes, angel eye it's me," Bosco said shakily and tried to smile at her. He couldn't believe it was true. That she really was awake.
Anna tried hard to get rid of the dizziness and the unreal feeling. She tried to sort things out. She tried to understand what was going on. Why Bosco looked so scared. As so many times before it was the pain that reminded her. She felt the pain in her hip and suddenly she remembered everything. The fight with Bosco, feeling very dizzy and sick, Faith taking her to the hospital, and some other, less important, stuff. She also remembered how she made Faith promise not to tell Bosco she was ill, unless she was dying. Now Bosco was sitting by her side, looking scared. That could only mean two things, either a week had past, or she was dying.
"So has it been a week already?" she asked and smiled weakly at him.
Bosco swallowed. She remembered. He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing, probably a bit of both. Good for her because that meant that she really was awake and sane, bad for him because that meant that he still was in trouble.
He cleared his throat. "No actually it's only been six days."
"So then I'm dying," she said and looked calmly at him.
Bosco closed his eyes tightly, feeling fresh tears forming there. He didn't want her to know that, and he sure as hell didn't want her to say it like it didn't matter. He wanted her to fight to be with him. He didn't know what to say, but he knew better than to lie to her.
"You're very sick Anna and they say you might not make it, but you have to. I love you. I can't live without you, and you promised me a second chance. You always keep your promises remember? I'm the one who make promises I can't keep."
" So are you gonna keep them this time?"
"Yeah I am, I swear! I've got rid of Cruz and I've fixed things with Faith, just like you wanted me to. I'm not gonna let you down this time, I promise," he said sincerely.
"I've heard it all before," she said calmly. Bosco felt the tears starting to run down his cheeks but he did nothing to stop them from falling.
"I know, but like you said: This time it's for real. Please Anna forgive me," he whispered desperately. Anna smiled weakly and reached out and wiped away his tears.
"I'll forgive you, but you can't cry. Anna's boys don't do that," she said and started to close her eyes.
"Anna, stay with me! You can't die! Do you here me?" Bosco said desperately.
Anna opened her eyes again and smiled brightly at him. " I won't die. You're here aren't you? I breathe only to be with you, remember?" she said, closed her eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness.
"You keep doing that angel eye, you keep doing that," Bosco murmured as he caressed her hair. He knew that if she stopped breathing, so would he. Living without her was no longer an option.
AUTHOR: faith_in_Faith
E-MAIL: fatih_in_Faith@hotmail.com
DISCLAIMER: Don't owe, just borrow and play.
RATING: PG-13
SPOILERS: Up to and including season four, and we have actually reach season five, because this is my take on the season final. : )
AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks to Jenny, my faithful beat-reader and BIG thanks to my reviewers. I hope you still enjoy. : )
CHAPTER TWENTY.
Bosco looked down at Cruz, who was lying on the floor. She was bleeding from a shot wound in her right shoulder. Her gun lay beside her. He picked it up and kneeled down. He checked for a pulse and found one. It was strong, and she was breathing on her own too. He looked at her face and felt nothing. Whatever it was that had made him feel drawn to her was gone. He lifted his gaze and looked around. Nobel was nowhere in sight. Faith was standing a few feet away from him with the gun still in her hands, looking at him with wide eyes. Blood was trickling down the left side of her face.
"Oh my God Faith!" he said with fear in his voice as he rushed to her side.
"It's Ok Bos, it just touched me. It's nothing serious," she said and dropped the gun as she put her hand against her temple. The blood immediately started to sip through her fingers.
"You're sure?" he asked anxiously.
"Yeah I'm sure. Just give me a towel or something, will you?" she said and tried to keep her voice steady.
"Sure," he turned and walked towards the bathroom.
"Bosco." He turned and looked at her.
"I'm sorry. Is she.?" she asked hesitantly.
"No," he said grimly and went to the bathroom to get a towel.
"POLICE OPEN UP!" a voice shouted from the hallway.
Faith went and opened the door and suddenly the room was crawling with cops. Soon the paramedics arrived too. It was no one they knew.
"Let me take a look at that officer," one of them said. The other one rushed to Cruz's side.
"It's nothing serious. It's just a scratch. I'll be alright."
"Patrick, I need you over here!" the other paramedic shouted.
"Make sure you get that checked out over at the hospital," the paramedic said before he rushed over to his partner.
"Yeah," she said absently.
She turned to look at Bosco, who had been standing at her side the whole time.
"Come on, I'll take you," he said softly. He looked at her and his eyes were filled with a mix of relief and despair. Suddenly Swerski appeared in the doorway.
"Yokas. You're hurt?" he asked with concern.
"It's nothing sir. The bullet just touched me," Faith said softly.
"OK, go to the hospital and get that checked out. Boscorelli, I guess you want to go with her?"
"Yes sir. I would like that sir, " Bosco said quietly.
"Then go! But I want you two down at the station house as soon as possible. This demands an explanation, and for your own good I sure hope you have a good one," he said sternly.
"Yes sir," they said in unison.
*********************
Bosco sat in the waiting room of Angel of Mercy and thought about how lucky he was, lucky to have a friend like Faith. Lucky that he didn't get her killed in that damn hotel room. He had never, not even in his wildest dreams, thought that Cruz would try to shoot Faith, but she did. He ran his hands over his head in frustration. He really had screwed up big time again, but he couldn't care less about what would happen to him. All he cared about was for Faith to be OK.
In the exam room Faith sat, somewhat dazed, and looked down at the floor. She felt relieved, almost happy. They were alive, all three of them. Cruz would go down with this. She was pretty sure about that. She just hoped Bosco wouldn't go down with her, but she would do anything she could to keep him out of trouble, as always. She smiled tiredly, and then sighed lightly. She didn't look forward to the talk with Swerski, that's for sure. Nurse Proctor entered the room and said:
"Dr Thomas said you didn't need stitches so I'll just put some bandage on."
"OK," Faith said quietly. Proctor started to clean the wound and said hesitantly:
"It's probably none of my business, but Anna, the nurse you brought in here a week ago. Isn't she Bosco's girlfriend?"
"Yeah she is. Why do you ask?"
"Well I've heard that she's a lot worse. That she's probably dying. Her brother is looking all over for Bosco."
Faith's eyes widened and she looked at Proctor in horror. This couldn't be true. Anna couldn't die. Bosco would never be able to deal with that.
"Are you sure?"
Proctor nodded. "Do you want me to tell Bosco?"
"No I think I'd better do it."
Proctor nodded again and took her hands away from Faith's temple, as she said: "I'm done."
Faith slid down from the exam table, swallowed hard, and went into the waiting room to face Bosco. He sat with his arms resting on his knees, looking down at the floor.
"Bos," Faith said softly.
He immediately jerked his head up and looked at her. He saw the worry and uneasiness in her eyes and got scared.
"What is it Faith? What's wrong?" Faith took a deep breath and said:
"It's Anna."
"Anna?" he asked in surprise. "What about her?"
"She's sick," Faith said quietly.
"Sick, what do you mean with sick? What's wrong with her?" Bosco asked, clearly upset.
"It's her hip Bos. She has been sick since you left. When I came to your apartment the other day to drop the boys off she fainted, and she was running a very high fever. I had to take her to the hospital. She's been here ever since."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked angrily.
"She didn't want me to. Not if she didn't get so bad she could die," Faith swallowed hard," and now Proctor told me that Steven is looking all over for you, because she's in such a bad shape they think she might not make it." Bosco's face drained of all color and he looked at her with fear and despair in his eyes.
"No Faith, no. Please tell me this is a cruel joke or something, please!" he pleaded with her.
"I'm so sorry Bos, but it's true," Faith said quietly.
Bosco felt like crying. This couldn't be true, but he knew it was. It all made perfect sense. He needed to get punished for all the stupid things he had said and done, and God had never liked him. What would be a better punishment than to take Anna away from him? Yeah, it all made perfect sense.
"Where is she? I have to see her!"
"She's in the ICU," Proctor said quietly from behind.
Bosco immediately ran to the stairs, Faith following close behind. He reached the third floor and stormed through the ICU doors, looking around frantically. He ran to the nurses' desk and said rudely:
" Where's Anna Lewis? I have to see her. I'm her boyfriend!"
The nurse at the desk looked up and smiled kindly at him as she said: "Just wait here a minute."
She was probably used to hysterical relatives, Faith thought as Bosco started to pace the floor. A few moments later Steven walked up to them.
"Steven what the hell has happened? How is she? She isn't dying, is she?"
Steven looked coldly at him. "Where have you been?"
Bosco swallowed hard. "I didn't know she was sick. I swear. She didn't want me to be around. I kind of screw up."
"Cut it out Bosco. I really don't wanna know what you did to her this time, because then I might lose my temper with you and do something I'll probably regret later. Anna doesn't need that right now. Right now she needs you to be there for her. She doesn't fight at all because you aren't around. So you'll better make her fight, because I swear to God that if she dies; I'm gonna hold you responsible for it," Steven said, his voice deadly calm.
Bosco nodded and asked quietly: "How bad off is she?"
Steven looked at him and his eyes softened a bit.
"She's very bad Bosco. She has a very serious infection in her hip. They have tried everything. They even operated in order to drain it, but nothing seems to help. Now the infection has worked its way into her system and she's suffering from blood poisoning. She isn't fighting at all, and they don't think she's gonna make it."
Bosco closed his eyes. So it was true. He was going to lose her. He was going to pay for his mistakes, and he was going to pay dearly.
"Can I see her?"
"Of course you can, and you're gonna make her fight again. Do you hear me?" Steven said desperately.
Bosco nodded again. "I'll try."
He turned to look at Faith, who had been standing behind him all the time. There was one more thing he needed to do. One more thing he needed to know before he went in.
"Faith I'm sorry, for everything. I know I've been a jerk and an idiot. I know I've hurt you, badly. I can't express how much I appreciate that you were there for me one more time. You saved my life. Thank you. My offer still stands; if you want me to leave, I will."
"No I don't want you to leave. I know I've hurt you too, and for that I'm truly sorry," Faith said softly.
"So we're OK then?"
"No, but we will be. Don't worry about it right now. Go and help Anna to get better and we sort it out later, OK?"
"OK. Thank you Faith."
"You're welcome. Don't worry about a thing. Just go and stay with Anna. I'll talk to Swerski for you." He nodded his thanks and headed down the hallway towards Anna's room.
Bosco's chest tightened and he could hardly breathe when he saw Anna in the hospital bed. There was some kind of tubes sticking out of her hip, and she had an intravenous drip in her arm. Her beautiful face was covered with an oxygen mask, and she was so pale and thin. She was practically wasting away in front of his eyes. He bent down and kissed her forehead. She felt hot to his lips. He sat down beside her and took her hand between his. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles for a little while and then he put his hand on her cheek.
"Anna," he said softly. "Anna, please wake up. You know I can't live without you. Please don't die. I know I've been a jerk lately and you can kick my ass all you want, but you can't die OK? You have to think about the boys. I can't take care of them on my own. You know that, right?"
He didn't get any response what so ever. He removed the oxygen mask and gently kissed her lips. She still didn't respond.
"Please Anna open your eyes for me," he whispered desperately, but it was all in vain.
Anna felt like she was floating around in warm water with cotton in her ears. She could hear Bosco's voice as a soft muffled whisper. She could tell that he was scared for some reason. She tried to answer him. She wanted to reassure him that everything was fine, that he didn't have to be afraid, but she couldn't make it to the surface.
Bosco felt involuntary tears forming in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away before they could escape down his cheeks. He took Anna's hand again and caressed her hair and face as he continued to talk to her. He told her how much he loved her and how much he needed her, and a lot of other things he should have told her long ago. Anna let herself slip back into the warm darkness again, feeling safe and happy by the sound of Bosco's voice.
***************
The next day:
I was almost ten o'clock when Faith arrived to the ICU. Bosco was still sitting next to Anna's bed, holding her hand, but he had stopped talking long ago. Steven had gone home to see the boys and try to get some sleep. Faith quietly entered Anna's room.
"Bos."
He turned his head and looked at her and she could see that he had been crying, a lot. He really looked terrible. If she hadn't known better she'd thought he was sick too.
"How's she doing?"
He shrugged lightly. "I don't know. Like before I'll guess," he said hoarsely.
"I'm sorry Bos," Faith said softly.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one to blame. It's my fault she's lying here, dying."
"No Bos, this isn't your fault. You didn't make her sick."
"Maybe not, but if I hadn't been an ass to her, then maybe she'd told me earlier that she didn't feel well. Not to mention the fact that if I hadn't hurt her so much that she couldn't stand to have me around, then I'd been there to notice that she got worse again. Steven says that she doesn't fight because of me. He says that if she dies, he's gonna hold me responsible for it, " he said and Faith could hear that he tried hard not to cry.
"Bos."she said softly, feeling a lump in her own throat, "he doesn't mean it. He's just upset."
"Maybe, but he's right, you know. If she dies it's all my fault."
"Then give her a reason to live. Make her feel that you're here for her."
"I've tried but she doesn't respond," he said desperately.
"Keep trying. That's all you can do, OK?"
He nodded and then he remembered everything that had happened yesterday and he looked at her worriedly.
"What did Swerski have to say?"
"A lot of things. He wasn't exactly happy about what happened, or about the fact that you weren't there, but he wanted me to tell you that he understands. He's sending internal affairs to question you over here instead."
"OK," Bosco said and looked at her with a guilty look on his face.
"Are you in trouble because of me?"
She smiled faintly. "Not this time."
He looked relieved. "Good!"
"They're waiting for you Bos," Faith said and motioned with her head towards the hallway. He looked at Anna and then at Faith.
"Don't worry. I'll stay with her."
"Thanks," he said and gave her a grateful smile.
Faith sat down next to Anna and picked up her hand.
"Anna, it's Faith, and I want you to listen to me OK? You can't die. Bosco needs you and he has learned his lesson, I promise you. Cruz is out of the picture and he's back, just as you told me he would be. I think everything is gonna work out just fine, but only if you stay alive OK? You can't leave me alone with him. I can't handle him on my own, especially not if you die, and you know that. I'm not as good at puzzles as you are. There's no way I would be able to put together all the pieces he would shatter into if you die. Please Anna, hang in there. We all need you," Faith said softly and fought back her tears. She had just got one of her best friends back and she couldn't bear to lose the other one. About an hour later Bosco entered the room and Faith stood up.
"I'm sorry Bos, but I've gotta go. Please call me if there's any change."
He nodded tiredly. "I will. Thanks Faith, for everything."
She reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. "You're welcome. Take care of Anna. Make her come back to us, OK?"
"I'll try," he said sadly.
Bosco sat down on the chair beside Anna's bed again. He took her hand in one of his and put the other one on her cheek.
"Anna please open your eyes," Bosco pleaded once more. "Please I need you to wake up for me. I need you to be OK." Still nothing. He gently kissed her forehead and said desperately:
"Please open your eyes Anna. I love you. Please angel eye, let me see your beautiful eyes again."
Ever since Anna had heard Faith voice, she had tried hard to fight the fogginess in her brain. She knew Faith had said something important. Something she should respond to. When she heard her love name, the name she hadn't heard in years, the name that only Bosco called her, she finally made it to the surface. Bosco saw her eyes flutter open, and his heart started to beat faster. She was awake!
"Anna!" he said urgently and squeezed her hand.
"Bos?" Anna asked somewhat confused.
"Yes, angel eye it's me," Bosco said shakily and tried to smile at her. He couldn't believe it was true. That she really was awake.
Anna tried hard to get rid of the dizziness and the unreal feeling. She tried to sort things out. She tried to understand what was going on. Why Bosco looked so scared. As so many times before it was the pain that reminded her. She felt the pain in her hip and suddenly she remembered everything. The fight with Bosco, feeling very dizzy and sick, Faith taking her to the hospital, and some other, less important, stuff. She also remembered how she made Faith promise not to tell Bosco she was ill, unless she was dying. Now Bosco was sitting by her side, looking scared. That could only mean two things, either a week had past, or she was dying.
"So has it been a week already?" she asked and smiled weakly at him.
Bosco swallowed. She remembered. He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing, probably a bit of both. Good for her because that meant that she really was awake and sane, bad for him because that meant that he still was in trouble.
He cleared his throat. "No actually it's only been six days."
"So then I'm dying," she said and looked calmly at him.
Bosco closed his eyes tightly, feeling fresh tears forming there. He didn't want her to know that, and he sure as hell didn't want her to say it like it didn't matter. He wanted her to fight to be with him. He didn't know what to say, but he knew better than to lie to her.
"You're very sick Anna and they say you might not make it, but you have to. I love you. I can't live without you, and you promised me a second chance. You always keep your promises remember? I'm the one who make promises I can't keep."
" So are you gonna keep them this time?"
"Yeah I am, I swear! I've got rid of Cruz and I've fixed things with Faith, just like you wanted me to. I'm not gonna let you down this time, I promise," he said sincerely.
"I've heard it all before," she said calmly. Bosco felt the tears starting to run down his cheeks but he did nothing to stop them from falling.
"I know, but like you said: This time it's for real. Please Anna forgive me," he whispered desperately. Anna smiled weakly and reached out and wiped away his tears.
"I'll forgive you, but you can't cry. Anna's boys don't do that," she said and started to close her eyes.
"Anna, stay with me! You can't die! Do you here me?" Bosco said desperately.
Anna opened her eyes again and smiled brightly at him. " I won't die. You're here aren't you? I breathe only to be with you, remember?" she said, closed her eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness.
"You keep doing that angel eye, you keep doing that," Bosco murmured as he caressed her hair. He knew that if she stopped breathing, so would he. Living without her was no longer an option.