TITLE: The One Constant
AUTHOR: Minn
DISCLAIMER: Wells/Chulack/Bernero et al are the rightful owners of Third Watch - God Bless You! I am merely borrowing and intend no disrespect or harm. None of us do. This is fun. No character was actually harmed in the typing of this nonsense. Nothing I say or do will probably ever make a blind bit of difference to what happens on the screen - dammit!
I'M FOREIGN! If you don't understand anything, it'll be 'cos I'm using a uniquely Kiwi expression, something I do try to avoid, but hell, t'ain't easy!
A SQUILLION THANX:
Maartje: heheheh...read on babe, read on...
Angie: Awww babe - a million thank you's for continuing to take the time and effort to sign in! Ah Isabelle...everyone needs an Isabelle in their lives...
Angel: Thank you! And welcome!
Mauriceboscorelli: Babe, from the responses here I think I'm gonna have to clone Isabelle!
Lynn: My pleasure - and welcome!
SVUandTWfan: Hang on to your seatbelt, it's about to take another turn! Welcome!
Patty: Thank you, precious!
Anna: One more Isabelle clone coming right up! Ah, little Gracie...
Jess: I do know how much you love this story! Miss you tooooo!
Courtnee: Pays not to hold your breath waiting for the next part to come up, my dear!
Kellycas: Churning it out as fast as I can...see the above reply for a good tip on how to survive...
Jazz: *collapses knackered on the floor from all the jumping* Glad the last one wasn't too disturbing for you...proceed with caution...*reaches for oxygen*...
Juls: You and Jazz have been busy - not one but TWO reviews from each of you! I'm picking there was something screwy happening with the site, huh? Babe, you DO have an Isabelle in your life - me. She is very much just an older version of yours truly - the difference being, Isabelle KNOWS what she's talking about, I just think I do! Any old time you need an interfering busy-body to analyse your life, just e-mail me - I'd be happy to offer up a few Isabelle-isms!
A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU: to the very gorgeous Pyrojo aka Crazy aka Joyce, who so very kindly answered all my stupid questions with regards to the paramedics featured in this part. You're a goddess Pys, a goddess I tells ya!
CHEERS ALL!
---
THE ONE CONSTANT
PART 29
Bosco began to chuckle quietly as the car pulled away from the apartment building.
Faith looked at across at him from the passenger seat, a small smile playing on her own lips.
"That was some set up," he murmured.
"You got that?" she responded, trying not to sound too surprised.
"What am I? Stupid?"
"You're a man..."
He glowered at her, a look of mock indignation on his face. "I still know a set-up when I see one Faith," he said, "and THAT was the mother of them all."
Faith tried not to laugh out loud. "I oughta kick Emily's ass", she murmured.
Bosco chuckled again. "At least she's showing signs of coming round."
Faith, however, didn't share her partner's optimistic view of things.
The memory of what her father had done naturally stirred in Faith concerns for the wellbeing of her own children. It had prompted her to bring forward her plans to ask Charlie if he would consider living with her again. Charlie, to everyone's surprise and Emily's obvious dismay, had agreed almost immediately.
The change had gone relatively smoothly, and though there were still issues to overcome, Faith was of the firm belief that things would work out well in time.
But the same could not be said for the relationship between Faith, her eldest daughter and Faith's mother.
To Faith's amazement, her mother had denied any knowledge of the beating her father had inflicted on her even though Faith had a clear memory of her mother's presence. To add insult to injury, her mother had angrily accused Faith of using underhand tactics in order to get her children back. Emily had come to her grandmother's defence and Faith found herself standing before an impregnable wall of angry opposition, her concerns swept aside and denounced.
The way her mother flatly refused to acknowledge that any such event had ever occurred in their family had Faith questioning the veracity of her own memories.
"It's called denial, Faith," Bosco had assured her warmly as they discussed the matter in bed that night. "I remember Rose tryin' to convince me and Mikey that the new bruises she was tryin' to hide happened 'cos of a fall. All the while she knew damn well we'd both watched Dad kicking the crap outta her."
Faith quietly shared with him how her mother had once denied ever telling Faith that she hated her husband, Faith's father, for giving his life to a bottle.
"She told me he could never get his life back, she could never get hers back, and she hated him for it. She hated him for showing me all that but most of all she hated herself for not protecting me better."
"Maybe she was talking about the beating," Bosco said.
"Maybe," she mused.
"He only hit you once, right?"
"That I remember," she replied.
"Trust me, if it was a regular thing that first memory would have a whole platoon of friends camped out in your brain by now," he told her, holding her closer. She felt him shrug. "Maybe it's just easier to deny something that only happened once?"
From the passenger seat of the car Faith flicked a quick glance Bosco's way and felt a small smile trace her lips.
Somewhere along the line Bosco had gone from being her 'pain-in-the-ass partner who needs to grow up' to 'my partner, father of my child, who still needs to grow up but then again, so do I, and I think maybe we can do that together...'
It was an endless source of fascination to Faith, and to a lot of others she suspected, that she and Bosco were to all intents and purposes a couple.
Her guilt and sadness over the events her decisions in life had brought about still plagued her, however. It kept her from openly acknowledging a small sense of something that stirred in the quietest, most private corners of her mind. There dwelled that soft knowing, a growing awareness of a real connection between she and Bosco that all at once gave her joy, yet made her a little afraid as well.
The length of their association meant that they had seen each other at their best, but more importantly, at their worst. It had given them an insight into each other, Isabelle had commented, that most couples just starting out lacked.
"You've already seen each other's shadows," Iz had told her. "There's no mystery there to trip you up. But more importantly you've both shown a willingness to look at life in new ways - for Gracie's sake. What you two have is the basic foundations of something really special...if you have the courage to believe in it."
The smile on Faith's face widened as she thought of Gracie. As Isabelle was so fond of saying, there was just something magic about her.
If only some of that magic would rub off on Emily.
This afternoon's performance had served as a warning to them all about Emily's intentions.
The Grasmere sisters, or the T and A twins as Bosco had quickly christened them, were apparently friends of Emily's, friends she had specifically wanted her mother to meet. Gorgeous and exceedingly well endowed, the eye-popping twosome had set the alarm bells ringing loudly in Faith's head the minute she clapped eyes on them.
Isabelle too had seen the signs. "Shouldn't they have 'bait' tattooed across their foreheads?" she had whispered to Faith.
"Emily's out to cause trouble between us Bos," Faith murmured.
"I know," he responded quietly. "It was kinda obvious."
"So you were playing along because...?"
"'Cos it won't do any harm to make her ladyship think she's winning when she ain't," Bosco answered with a grin.
Faith nodded approvingly. "I like the way you think, Boscorelli..."
"Besides," he shrugged, "if we don't let on, Emily's bound to bring those two round again..."
"I take it all back," she said quickly, watching him flick a cheeky glance her way.
"Oh c'mon Faith," he grinned. "What red-blooded male wouldn't be impressed with those two? It's a guy thing - teenagers are firm and tight in all the right places."
Faith's fixed him with a steady glare. "As opposed to saggy and flappy in all the wrong places like any woman who's brought three children into the world?"
"Yeah," Bosco smirked mischievously, "but I like your saggy and flappy bits."
"You better," she muttered.
"I keep coming back for more, don't I?"
Faith grinned and watched the familiar scenery their journey to work took them past each day slide by.
"So," she said after a moment. "You tryna tell me you weren't turned on?"
She watched him grin.
"I'd have to have been dead not to be turned on, Faith," Bosco chuckled. "Tits 'n' ass are tits 'n' ass to a man..."
Bosco could feel her glaring at him and the smirk he wore broadened. "What? You can't stop the urges but you can make the decision not to do anything about them. In fact," he smiled, "I had to fight the urge to nail you right there in front of everybody..."
"So romantic," Faith deadpanned. "You know, you should write for Hallmark..."
The cheeky smirk on Bosco's face widened into a brilliant grin.
The happy mood Faith entered the precinct House with began to evaporate the minute they walked into the locker room and were greeted by Sgt Cruz.
"Well if it isn't the Boscorellis," she drawled, fixing Bosco with a 'come hither' stare.
Inadvertently Faith's mind dragged her back to the 'flappy bits' conversation they'd had in the car.
Beside him Bosco felt Faith tense.
"Somethin' we can do for you Sgt?" he asked as they brushed past.
"Was wonderin' if you'd like the opportunity to work Anti crime again, Bosco," she purred.
"Not interested," he said firmly.
"C'mon Bosco," Cruz said smoothly, "don't tell me she's castrated you already?"
Across from where they stood he heard Faith slam something into her locker.
Bosco glared at the ACU Sgt. "What more do you want from me?"
Cruz pursed her lips. "You're too good to be wasted where you are."
"I told you," he grumbled sourly. "Not interested."
Not one to take no for an answer, Cruz cast a quick glance Faith's way and murmured slyly: "She sure has you by the balls..."
"And you know what?" he said leaning forward conspiratorially. "It really turns me on."
Cruz's expression darkened measurably. Without another word she flicked a contemptuous glance in Faith's direction and marched away.
Faith watched her depart and turned to where Bosco stood readying himself for the shift.
"I wouldn't stop you," she said quietly.
Bosco looked up, his eyes questioning.
"I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to work Anti Crime, Bos. I mean, I wouldn't be happy about it, but I wouldn't tell you you couldn't do it or anything like that."
"I know - I wouldn't listen even if you did," he murmured. "I just don't wanna work with Cruz any more."
Faith nodded, a faint smile of relief tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"She's up to somethin'," Faith murmured. "I can feel it, you know?"
"Which means someone's gonna pay," Bosco said quietly. "But this time, it ain't gonna be me."
---
"Thanks Isabelle," he heard Faith say. "We'll keep an eye out. Don't worry, she's probably just gone to visit friends or something."
The vague sound of Isabelle's voice on the other end of the cell phone reached him.
"Don't blame yourself Iz," Faith insisted warmly. "Emily should know better. Call me if you hear somethin' from her, OK?"
"What's happening?" Bosco asked, troubled by the vague look of worry that crossed his partner's face.
"Emily," Faith replied stiffly, dialling a number. "Iz had to go help Mrs O'Halloran 'cos her husband had a fall. She was gonna leave Gracie with the Verhoevens but Emily turned up and offered to look after her instead. When Iz got back Emily was gone."
Bosco's expression clouded darkly. "She left Gracie home alone?"
"No. She took Gracie with her," Faith replied, her voice wavering slightly.
"What?" he said sharply. "She didn't leave a note sayin' where she was goin'?"
"Nothin'," Faith murmured. "Isabelle's beside herself...answer your phone Emily..."
"What the hell was she thinking?" he demanded.
"I dunno, but when I find out I'm gonna kick her...Mom? Is Emily there?" A brief pause punctuated the exchange. "If she turns up could you call me please? It's important, OK? Thanks."
"Why would she do somethin' like that?" Bosco asked stiffly. "Go off with Gracie without lettin' anyone know where she was goin'?"
Faith redialled Emily's number. "She's a teenager. No one knows what the hell goes on in a teenager's head, not even the teen. All I know? Emily had better have a damn good explanation." She let the phone ring on. "Dammit. I don't think she's even got it with her."
Bosco was fidgeting uncomfortably beside her. "We should go look for them..."
"She may have just gone to visit friends," Faith reasoned quickly. "Carly's apartment building's only a couple of blocks from ours. Or maybe she took Gracie to watch Charlie at soccer practice. The important thing is we don't panic."
"You're kidding right?" Bosco muttered.
"Em's basically a good kid, Bos, she's no child abductor. Gracie's her baby sister...let's just not assume the worst here."
"I'm new at this stuff remember?" Bosco said with just a hint of alarm evident in his voice. "How exactly do you NOT assume the worst?
The sound of the radio springing suddenly to life made them both jump.
"Units of the 55, we have a 10-13, 10-13..."
"Dammit!" Bosco hissed as Faith listened intently to the call.
"55 David responding."
Bosco looked at his partner as if she were completely out of her mind. "What're you doing?"
"Instinct," Faith said simply. "My instincts are telling me the best thing we can do right now is assume Gracie's fine and go do our job. We're barely a minute from the scene."
"And if we haven't heard anything in 2 hours time?" Bosco growled as he started up the RMP.
"Then we panic."
---
It was like something out of a nightmare.
What had started out as a fairly serious multiple MVA had somehow escalated crazily into a multiple shooting. Wrecked cars, broken bodies, a raft of emergency services and a colourful assortment of bystanders cluttered the intersection.
"Boscorelli! Yokas! Crowd control," Lt Swerskey barked as he arrived not long after them.
Bosco took a moment to survey the scene. The bucket boys were in the middle of the intersection trying to dismantle the remains of one of the cars so paramedics could attend to those trapped inside. A woman was screaming, begging and pleading for someone to help her husband. The grim looks on the faces of the firemen told him all was not well. Somewhere he could hear the incandescent ravings of a clearly disturbed individual. In the distance was the sound of more sirens approaching.
"Davis," he called out to Ty who stood not far from him, trying to take a statement from an agitated young man. "Who got hit?"
"Rattray," Ty replied grimly. "He and Harris were attending the MVA when it all went down."
"We're all standin' round watchin' 'em get the roof offa the car and ev'thin'," Bosco heard the youth tell Ty, his hands flailing wildly in the air about him. "Then ev'thin' starts to all go to hell, man."
"The guy in the hood..." Ty began.
"The guy in the hood, man, crazy guy - he's gone in the head, you know?" the youth opined, still gesticulating. "He musta scored somethin' wild..."
"P probably," Ty murmured. "I need you to calm down OK? I need you to tell me exactly what you saw."
The youth rattled on. "The crazy guy, he's talkin' to the guy in green over there..."
Bosco's eyes travelled to where Sgt Cruz and one of her colleagues stood staring down the young man in question. 'She's up to somethin',' he recalled Faith saying...
"They were just bystanders, right? Nothing to do with the accident?" Ty said.
"Yeah man. Anyhow, the chick with the badge turns up..."
"Sgt Cruz," Ty mumbled.
"...and starts getting' up in his face about somethin'..."
"You mean the guy in green?"
"Uh huh..." the youth shook his head as if in disbelief. "Then crazy guy, he starts wiggin' out at badge chick, tells her she's drillin' holes in his head... he takes off down the street a little ways then stops and pulls a gun and just starts wavin' it around screamin' 'you ain't gonna take me!" His voice reached a high crescendo. "Ev'body dives for cover, man, and then crazy guy just starts shootin'..."
Faith picked her way past the carnage of the MVA, past the paramedics attending Rattray and several other unlucky bystanders. A strange kind of numbness was beginning to creep upon her as she made her way over to a small crowd that had gathered on the corner opposite, watching paramedics Kim and Carlos at work. A pale and anguished face among them had caught Faith's eye.
"Emily?" she heard herself say as she approached.
Her eldest daughter looked up and the look of horror on her face made Faith's blood run cold. There were wide patches of blood on her clothing.
"Em?"
Mutely Emily cast her anxious gaze to the paramedics. Nothing could prepare Faith for the sight that greeted her.
Gracie lay pale and still on a bloodied backboard, attended with such urgency by the paramedics in whose hands her small life now rested. The little girl's right thigh was swathed in wads of blood soaked dressing held firmly in place by Carlos as he tried to stem the flow. Kim was squeezing an IV bag, compelling the contents to dispense with greater haste.
As Faith's rapidly misting eyes traced the IVs that now snaked from her youngest daughter's head and arm, her legs felt suddenly unequal to the task of keeping her up.
Kim looked up in time to see Gracie's distraught mother crumple helplessly to her knees before them.
"You need to stay calm, Faith," Kim told her firmly but Faith looked at her as if she didn't understand a word.
From somewhere behind her Faith could hear Emily pleading pitifully for her mother's forgiveness, her voice barely audible above the dull roar that was beginning to fill Faith's ears.
"We need to transport," Kim murmured.
Sully, who had followed Faith over, spoke up immediately. "I'll drive."
Through a descending fog of panic Faith watched as her daughter was lifted away. New strength surged into her legs and as she lurched awkwardly to her feet, Bosco appeared suddenly by her side.
"Oh my god..." Faith heard him moan as he watched them load his daughter into the back of the waiting ambulance. "What the hell happened?"
"Bullet went through her leg," Carlos said grimly.
As a small wail drifted out to them, Faith felt her partner clutch sharply at her arm.
"She's conscious," they heard Kim say, but her tone was not encouraging.
"We need one of you here to try and keep your daughter as calm as possible," Kim called out as she monitored Gracie's vitals closely. "I'm thinking, not Faith."
In a grim daze Bosco steered his partner to the passenger seat of the bus before hurriedly making his way back to his daughter's side.
As the doors closed and the bus roared away with lights and sirens blazing, Gracie fixed her frightened gaze upon her father.
"I'm here Gracie," he murmured softly, trying to keep the tremor in his own voice at bay. He leaned closer and stroked her hair.
"You're doing good, Bosco," he heard Kim murmur somewhere in the distance.
"You're gonna be fine, honey," Bosco whispered.
To his dismay, Gracie's eyelids began to flicker. Unable to do a thing to prevent it, Bosco watched helplessly as his daughter's eyes slowly drifted shut.
---
TBC - I warned you...
AUTHOR: Minn
DISCLAIMER: Wells/Chulack/Bernero et al are the rightful owners of Third Watch - God Bless You! I am merely borrowing and intend no disrespect or harm. None of us do. This is fun. No character was actually harmed in the typing of this nonsense. Nothing I say or do will probably ever make a blind bit of difference to what happens on the screen - dammit!
I'M FOREIGN! If you don't understand anything, it'll be 'cos I'm using a uniquely Kiwi expression, something I do try to avoid, but hell, t'ain't easy!
A SQUILLION THANX:
Maartje: heheheh...read on babe, read on...
Angie: Awww babe - a million thank you's for continuing to take the time and effort to sign in! Ah Isabelle...everyone needs an Isabelle in their lives...
Angel: Thank you! And welcome!
Mauriceboscorelli: Babe, from the responses here I think I'm gonna have to clone Isabelle!
Lynn: My pleasure - and welcome!
SVUandTWfan: Hang on to your seatbelt, it's about to take another turn! Welcome!
Patty: Thank you, precious!
Anna: One more Isabelle clone coming right up! Ah, little Gracie...
Jess: I do know how much you love this story! Miss you tooooo!
Courtnee: Pays not to hold your breath waiting for the next part to come up, my dear!
Kellycas: Churning it out as fast as I can...see the above reply for a good tip on how to survive...
Jazz: *collapses knackered on the floor from all the jumping* Glad the last one wasn't too disturbing for you...proceed with caution...*reaches for oxygen*...
Juls: You and Jazz have been busy - not one but TWO reviews from each of you! I'm picking there was something screwy happening with the site, huh? Babe, you DO have an Isabelle in your life - me. She is very much just an older version of yours truly - the difference being, Isabelle KNOWS what she's talking about, I just think I do! Any old time you need an interfering busy-body to analyse your life, just e-mail me - I'd be happy to offer up a few Isabelle-isms!
A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU: to the very gorgeous Pyrojo aka Crazy aka Joyce, who so very kindly answered all my stupid questions with regards to the paramedics featured in this part. You're a goddess Pys, a goddess I tells ya!
CHEERS ALL!
---
THE ONE CONSTANT
PART 29
Bosco began to chuckle quietly as the car pulled away from the apartment building.
Faith looked at across at him from the passenger seat, a small smile playing on her own lips.
"That was some set up," he murmured.
"You got that?" she responded, trying not to sound too surprised.
"What am I? Stupid?"
"You're a man..."
He glowered at her, a look of mock indignation on his face. "I still know a set-up when I see one Faith," he said, "and THAT was the mother of them all."
Faith tried not to laugh out loud. "I oughta kick Emily's ass", she murmured.
Bosco chuckled again. "At least she's showing signs of coming round."
Faith, however, didn't share her partner's optimistic view of things.
The memory of what her father had done naturally stirred in Faith concerns for the wellbeing of her own children. It had prompted her to bring forward her plans to ask Charlie if he would consider living with her again. Charlie, to everyone's surprise and Emily's obvious dismay, had agreed almost immediately.
The change had gone relatively smoothly, and though there were still issues to overcome, Faith was of the firm belief that things would work out well in time.
But the same could not be said for the relationship between Faith, her eldest daughter and Faith's mother.
To Faith's amazement, her mother had denied any knowledge of the beating her father had inflicted on her even though Faith had a clear memory of her mother's presence. To add insult to injury, her mother had angrily accused Faith of using underhand tactics in order to get her children back. Emily had come to her grandmother's defence and Faith found herself standing before an impregnable wall of angry opposition, her concerns swept aside and denounced.
The way her mother flatly refused to acknowledge that any such event had ever occurred in their family had Faith questioning the veracity of her own memories.
"It's called denial, Faith," Bosco had assured her warmly as they discussed the matter in bed that night. "I remember Rose tryin' to convince me and Mikey that the new bruises she was tryin' to hide happened 'cos of a fall. All the while she knew damn well we'd both watched Dad kicking the crap outta her."
Faith quietly shared with him how her mother had once denied ever telling Faith that she hated her husband, Faith's father, for giving his life to a bottle.
"She told me he could never get his life back, she could never get hers back, and she hated him for it. She hated him for showing me all that but most of all she hated herself for not protecting me better."
"Maybe she was talking about the beating," Bosco said.
"Maybe," she mused.
"He only hit you once, right?"
"That I remember," she replied.
"Trust me, if it was a regular thing that first memory would have a whole platoon of friends camped out in your brain by now," he told her, holding her closer. She felt him shrug. "Maybe it's just easier to deny something that only happened once?"
From the passenger seat of the car Faith flicked a quick glance Bosco's way and felt a small smile trace her lips.
Somewhere along the line Bosco had gone from being her 'pain-in-the-ass partner who needs to grow up' to 'my partner, father of my child, who still needs to grow up but then again, so do I, and I think maybe we can do that together...'
It was an endless source of fascination to Faith, and to a lot of others she suspected, that she and Bosco were to all intents and purposes a couple.
Her guilt and sadness over the events her decisions in life had brought about still plagued her, however. It kept her from openly acknowledging a small sense of something that stirred in the quietest, most private corners of her mind. There dwelled that soft knowing, a growing awareness of a real connection between she and Bosco that all at once gave her joy, yet made her a little afraid as well.
The length of their association meant that they had seen each other at their best, but more importantly, at their worst. It had given them an insight into each other, Isabelle had commented, that most couples just starting out lacked.
"You've already seen each other's shadows," Iz had told her. "There's no mystery there to trip you up. But more importantly you've both shown a willingness to look at life in new ways - for Gracie's sake. What you two have is the basic foundations of something really special...if you have the courage to believe in it."
The smile on Faith's face widened as she thought of Gracie. As Isabelle was so fond of saying, there was just something magic about her.
If only some of that magic would rub off on Emily.
This afternoon's performance had served as a warning to them all about Emily's intentions.
The Grasmere sisters, or the T and A twins as Bosco had quickly christened them, were apparently friends of Emily's, friends she had specifically wanted her mother to meet. Gorgeous and exceedingly well endowed, the eye-popping twosome had set the alarm bells ringing loudly in Faith's head the minute she clapped eyes on them.
Isabelle too had seen the signs. "Shouldn't they have 'bait' tattooed across their foreheads?" she had whispered to Faith.
"Emily's out to cause trouble between us Bos," Faith murmured.
"I know," he responded quietly. "It was kinda obvious."
"So you were playing along because...?"
"'Cos it won't do any harm to make her ladyship think she's winning when she ain't," Bosco answered with a grin.
Faith nodded approvingly. "I like the way you think, Boscorelli..."
"Besides," he shrugged, "if we don't let on, Emily's bound to bring those two round again..."
"I take it all back," she said quickly, watching him flick a cheeky glance her way.
"Oh c'mon Faith," he grinned. "What red-blooded male wouldn't be impressed with those two? It's a guy thing - teenagers are firm and tight in all the right places."
Faith's fixed him with a steady glare. "As opposed to saggy and flappy in all the wrong places like any woman who's brought three children into the world?"
"Yeah," Bosco smirked mischievously, "but I like your saggy and flappy bits."
"You better," she muttered.
"I keep coming back for more, don't I?"
Faith grinned and watched the familiar scenery their journey to work took them past each day slide by.
"So," she said after a moment. "You tryna tell me you weren't turned on?"
She watched him grin.
"I'd have to have been dead not to be turned on, Faith," Bosco chuckled. "Tits 'n' ass are tits 'n' ass to a man..."
Bosco could feel her glaring at him and the smirk he wore broadened. "What? You can't stop the urges but you can make the decision not to do anything about them. In fact," he smiled, "I had to fight the urge to nail you right there in front of everybody..."
"So romantic," Faith deadpanned. "You know, you should write for Hallmark..."
The cheeky smirk on Bosco's face widened into a brilliant grin.
The happy mood Faith entered the precinct House with began to evaporate the minute they walked into the locker room and were greeted by Sgt Cruz.
"Well if it isn't the Boscorellis," she drawled, fixing Bosco with a 'come hither' stare.
Inadvertently Faith's mind dragged her back to the 'flappy bits' conversation they'd had in the car.
Beside him Bosco felt Faith tense.
"Somethin' we can do for you Sgt?" he asked as they brushed past.
"Was wonderin' if you'd like the opportunity to work Anti crime again, Bosco," she purred.
"Not interested," he said firmly.
"C'mon Bosco," Cruz said smoothly, "don't tell me she's castrated you already?"
Across from where they stood he heard Faith slam something into her locker.
Bosco glared at the ACU Sgt. "What more do you want from me?"
Cruz pursed her lips. "You're too good to be wasted where you are."
"I told you," he grumbled sourly. "Not interested."
Not one to take no for an answer, Cruz cast a quick glance Faith's way and murmured slyly: "She sure has you by the balls..."
"And you know what?" he said leaning forward conspiratorially. "It really turns me on."
Cruz's expression darkened measurably. Without another word she flicked a contemptuous glance in Faith's direction and marched away.
Faith watched her depart and turned to where Bosco stood readying himself for the shift.
"I wouldn't stop you," she said quietly.
Bosco looked up, his eyes questioning.
"I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to work Anti Crime, Bos. I mean, I wouldn't be happy about it, but I wouldn't tell you you couldn't do it or anything like that."
"I know - I wouldn't listen even if you did," he murmured. "I just don't wanna work with Cruz any more."
Faith nodded, a faint smile of relief tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"She's up to somethin'," Faith murmured. "I can feel it, you know?"
"Which means someone's gonna pay," Bosco said quietly. "But this time, it ain't gonna be me."
---
"Thanks Isabelle," he heard Faith say. "We'll keep an eye out. Don't worry, she's probably just gone to visit friends or something."
The vague sound of Isabelle's voice on the other end of the cell phone reached him.
"Don't blame yourself Iz," Faith insisted warmly. "Emily should know better. Call me if you hear somethin' from her, OK?"
"What's happening?" Bosco asked, troubled by the vague look of worry that crossed his partner's face.
"Emily," Faith replied stiffly, dialling a number. "Iz had to go help Mrs O'Halloran 'cos her husband had a fall. She was gonna leave Gracie with the Verhoevens but Emily turned up and offered to look after her instead. When Iz got back Emily was gone."
Bosco's expression clouded darkly. "She left Gracie home alone?"
"No. She took Gracie with her," Faith replied, her voice wavering slightly.
"What?" he said sharply. "She didn't leave a note sayin' where she was goin'?"
"Nothin'," Faith murmured. "Isabelle's beside herself...answer your phone Emily..."
"What the hell was she thinking?" he demanded.
"I dunno, but when I find out I'm gonna kick her...Mom? Is Emily there?" A brief pause punctuated the exchange. "If she turns up could you call me please? It's important, OK? Thanks."
"Why would she do somethin' like that?" Bosco asked stiffly. "Go off with Gracie without lettin' anyone know where she was goin'?"
Faith redialled Emily's number. "She's a teenager. No one knows what the hell goes on in a teenager's head, not even the teen. All I know? Emily had better have a damn good explanation." She let the phone ring on. "Dammit. I don't think she's even got it with her."
Bosco was fidgeting uncomfortably beside her. "We should go look for them..."
"She may have just gone to visit friends," Faith reasoned quickly. "Carly's apartment building's only a couple of blocks from ours. Or maybe she took Gracie to watch Charlie at soccer practice. The important thing is we don't panic."
"You're kidding right?" Bosco muttered.
"Em's basically a good kid, Bos, she's no child abductor. Gracie's her baby sister...let's just not assume the worst here."
"I'm new at this stuff remember?" Bosco said with just a hint of alarm evident in his voice. "How exactly do you NOT assume the worst?
The sound of the radio springing suddenly to life made them both jump.
"Units of the 55, we have a 10-13, 10-13..."
"Dammit!" Bosco hissed as Faith listened intently to the call.
"55 David responding."
Bosco looked at his partner as if she were completely out of her mind. "What're you doing?"
"Instinct," Faith said simply. "My instincts are telling me the best thing we can do right now is assume Gracie's fine and go do our job. We're barely a minute from the scene."
"And if we haven't heard anything in 2 hours time?" Bosco growled as he started up the RMP.
"Then we panic."
---
It was like something out of a nightmare.
What had started out as a fairly serious multiple MVA had somehow escalated crazily into a multiple shooting. Wrecked cars, broken bodies, a raft of emergency services and a colourful assortment of bystanders cluttered the intersection.
"Boscorelli! Yokas! Crowd control," Lt Swerskey barked as he arrived not long after them.
Bosco took a moment to survey the scene. The bucket boys were in the middle of the intersection trying to dismantle the remains of one of the cars so paramedics could attend to those trapped inside. A woman was screaming, begging and pleading for someone to help her husband. The grim looks on the faces of the firemen told him all was not well. Somewhere he could hear the incandescent ravings of a clearly disturbed individual. In the distance was the sound of more sirens approaching.
"Davis," he called out to Ty who stood not far from him, trying to take a statement from an agitated young man. "Who got hit?"
"Rattray," Ty replied grimly. "He and Harris were attending the MVA when it all went down."
"We're all standin' round watchin' 'em get the roof offa the car and ev'thin'," Bosco heard the youth tell Ty, his hands flailing wildly in the air about him. "Then ev'thin' starts to all go to hell, man."
"The guy in the hood..." Ty began.
"The guy in the hood, man, crazy guy - he's gone in the head, you know?" the youth opined, still gesticulating. "He musta scored somethin' wild..."
"P probably," Ty murmured. "I need you to calm down OK? I need you to tell me exactly what you saw."
The youth rattled on. "The crazy guy, he's talkin' to the guy in green over there..."
Bosco's eyes travelled to where Sgt Cruz and one of her colleagues stood staring down the young man in question. 'She's up to somethin',' he recalled Faith saying...
"They were just bystanders, right? Nothing to do with the accident?" Ty said.
"Yeah man. Anyhow, the chick with the badge turns up..."
"Sgt Cruz," Ty mumbled.
"...and starts getting' up in his face about somethin'..."
"You mean the guy in green?"
"Uh huh..." the youth shook his head as if in disbelief. "Then crazy guy, he starts wiggin' out at badge chick, tells her she's drillin' holes in his head... he takes off down the street a little ways then stops and pulls a gun and just starts wavin' it around screamin' 'you ain't gonna take me!" His voice reached a high crescendo. "Ev'body dives for cover, man, and then crazy guy just starts shootin'..."
Faith picked her way past the carnage of the MVA, past the paramedics attending Rattray and several other unlucky bystanders. A strange kind of numbness was beginning to creep upon her as she made her way over to a small crowd that had gathered on the corner opposite, watching paramedics Kim and Carlos at work. A pale and anguished face among them had caught Faith's eye.
"Emily?" she heard herself say as she approached.
Her eldest daughter looked up and the look of horror on her face made Faith's blood run cold. There were wide patches of blood on her clothing.
"Em?"
Mutely Emily cast her anxious gaze to the paramedics. Nothing could prepare Faith for the sight that greeted her.
Gracie lay pale and still on a bloodied backboard, attended with such urgency by the paramedics in whose hands her small life now rested. The little girl's right thigh was swathed in wads of blood soaked dressing held firmly in place by Carlos as he tried to stem the flow. Kim was squeezing an IV bag, compelling the contents to dispense with greater haste.
As Faith's rapidly misting eyes traced the IVs that now snaked from her youngest daughter's head and arm, her legs felt suddenly unequal to the task of keeping her up.
Kim looked up in time to see Gracie's distraught mother crumple helplessly to her knees before them.
"You need to stay calm, Faith," Kim told her firmly but Faith looked at her as if she didn't understand a word.
From somewhere behind her Faith could hear Emily pleading pitifully for her mother's forgiveness, her voice barely audible above the dull roar that was beginning to fill Faith's ears.
"We need to transport," Kim murmured.
Sully, who had followed Faith over, spoke up immediately. "I'll drive."
Through a descending fog of panic Faith watched as her daughter was lifted away. New strength surged into her legs and as she lurched awkwardly to her feet, Bosco appeared suddenly by her side.
"Oh my god..." Faith heard him moan as he watched them load his daughter into the back of the waiting ambulance. "What the hell happened?"
"Bullet went through her leg," Carlos said grimly.
As a small wail drifted out to them, Faith felt her partner clutch sharply at her arm.
"She's conscious," they heard Kim say, but her tone was not encouraging.
"We need one of you here to try and keep your daughter as calm as possible," Kim called out as she monitored Gracie's vitals closely. "I'm thinking, not Faith."
In a grim daze Bosco steered his partner to the passenger seat of the bus before hurriedly making his way back to his daughter's side.
As the doors closed and the bus roared away with lights and sirens blazing, Gracie fixed her frightened gaze upon her father.
"I'm here Gracie," he murmured softly, trying to keep the tremor in his own voice at bay. He leaned closer and stroked her hair.
"You're doing good, Bosco," he heard Kim murmur somewhere in the distance.
"You're gonna be fine, honey," Bosco whispered.
To his dismay, Gracie's eyelids began to flicker. Unable to do a thing to prevent it, Bosco watched helplessly as his daughter's eyes slowly drifted shut.
---
TBC - I warned you...