Title: A Final Goodbye
Author: Lynne Facella

Warning:  Character Death.
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero. I wish they were mine but unfortunately they're not.
Author's notes:  Story written in response to Neko's deathfic challenge in livejournal. 

Summary:  A member of the 55th precinct loses a partner.

******

He had to stay strong…he had to stay strong…

He couldn't think about his partner lying cold and still in that mahogany satin-lined box…  No more jokes, no more light-hearted banter, no more spontaneous tunes in the RMP…  He tried to block the words of the minister out of his mind.  He couldn't bear to hear about his partner's eternal rest.

A cold wind blew sharply and he thought how fitting it was that his partner was being buried on a day like this, a cold and dreary morning with gray skies and a light coating of snow on the ground.  He heard a sudden sob and then felt the familiar hand grasping his. 

Maggie…

Every time he had laid eyes on her, over the past few days, he had consciously had to fight his impulse to flee.  She was an incredibly strong woman…Stronger than he could ever hope to be.  She had been worried about him…trying to comfort him…as if he deserved her comfort and concern…

"I've got you covered!"

If he could have one wish, he would wish that he had never uttered those words.  He thought he'd had Ty's back, had rapidly fired in the direction of the shooter, keeping him down under cover, never even suspecting that there were two shooters…Ty had never stood a chance. 

"10-13, 10-13 officer down.  My partner's been shot!"

He hadn't been able to get to him at first.  The bullets had been flying too furiously.  He'd had to wait until Bosco and Faith arrived on the scene.  Then he had finally reached his partner's side and had been able to drag Ty back behind the cover of the RMP.

"Sully?  Sul?  It hurts…God it hurts…"

"You hang in there, Ty.  You hear me?  Hang in there.  Help's on the way…" Sully desperately tried to stop the flow of blood gushing from his partner's chest.  This wasn't happening.  This couldn't be happening.  "You'll be fine, Ty.  You'll be fine…"

He'd be fine…  They had both known it wasn't true.  He had seen from the look in Ty's eyes that he knew.  Eyes full of pain…eyes full of fear…  He hadn't deserved that.  Why couldn't it have been the other way around?  Why couldn't he have been the one who was shot?  If there was a God, why would he have taken Ty who had done nothing to deserve such a fate?  Ty, who had such promise…who had aced his LSATs and had been going to start law school in the fall…

"I'm so sorry, Ty...God, I didn't see him there.  Goddammit where's that ambulance?" he screamed.

"I…I didn't see him either, Sul…n…not you're fault…We didn't know…" 

They hadn't known…  He should have known…  Forcing his thoughts back into the present, Sully's eyes roamed, mentally taking note of people present at the graveside ceremony.  Bosco, Faith, Sasha, Lt. Swersky and countless other members of the force…Hell even Cruz was there…  Doc, Kim, Jimmy and Carlos…Carlos…

"Ty!"  Carlos frantically knelt down beside his roommate and ripped open his uniform shirt.  "Sully, give me some room here." 

Sully had moved aside, out of Carlos' way, but continued to clutch his partner's hand, not wanting to let go, never wanting to let go…He watched as Carlos worked on Ty, still hoping and praying that something could be done…that his partner's life could be spared.  When Carlos looked up though and met Sully's gaze, he knew that all hope was lost. 

"Sul?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm with you, partner," he said in a choked whisper, looking back down at his partner…He'd known him since he was a kid, watched him grow into a fine cop and a fine person.  He was so proud of him…His father would have been so proud.  This was something he'd never wanted to witness.  He'd always known it could happen, but he'd somehow never really thought it would. 

"Tell…tell my mom I love her…"

"I will, Ty…" he said, no longer able to hold back the tears that were freely streaming down his cheeks, down Carlos' cheeks as well. 

"Love you guys…" Ty whispered as his eyelids fluttered shut for the final time.

"I love you too," Sully said.  He heard Carlos echo his words, but he couldn't look away from his partner, couldn't believe he was gone.  Maybe if he stayed there with him it wouldn't be true…

"Sully?"  He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Faith standing beside him.  She was openly crying and Bosco, standing beside her, had tears in his eyes as well.  He knew it was real then…it wasn't just some horrible nightmare.  His partner was gone…Ty was gone…

The haunting sound of Taps being played on the bagpipes sent a shiver down Sully's spine as he came out of his reverie.  Finally the service came to its conclusion.  One by one the mourners paid their final respects to Maggie and her daughters until they were the only ones left. 

"I'll see you back at the house?"  Maggie asked, a pleading look on her face as she squeezed his hand.  How he longed to say no, to go home and bury himself in bottles of booze.  He wasn't going to do that though.  If he did, it would be the final disrespect he could pay to his partner.  Somehow, some way, he was going to find a way to get through this.  He wasn't quite sure how, but he was at least going to try…not for himself, but for Ty…he knew it was what he would have wanted.

"I'll be there Maggie."

She gave a tiny smile then walked off with her daughters...leaving Sully alone with his partner for the final time. 

"I'm so sorry, Ty" he whispered, placing a single rose on top of the casket.  He was sorry for so much…sorry he hadn't found a way to save his partner, sorry for the grief he'd given him after Tatiana had been killed, sorry he hadn't been a better friend.  "I love you."

Sully placed his hand on Ty's casket and said a silent goodbye then slowly trudged away from the gravesite as the tears began to flow from his eyes once more.