Helping Hand
Chapter 6
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Bosco was standing outside the examination room, looking in at Charlie who sat on the bed waiting for the doctor to come in.
The phone on the other end of his cell phone rang twice and was answered in a whisper. "Hello?" Emily whispered into her cell phone.
"Emily Amanda! It's too late to be talking on the phone. Tell whoever it is you'll talk to them tomorrow. And it better not be that Eric calling again," Bosco heard through the phone.
"Mom. It's NOT Eric. It's Friday night. I'll only be a minute. Please?" Emily yelled back to Faith.
After a moment, Bosco heard Faith yell back, "Make it fast. Is your brother home yet?"
"Not yet. Hello?" Emily repeated into the phone, the worry heavy in her voice.
"Em. It's me. I've got Charlie. He's okay. He was in a fight so he's kind of..., well, messed up. I'm gonna keep him with me tonight. You think you can cover for him with your Mom?"
"A fight? What happened?" Emily asked, her voice a little louder than she'd wanted it to be.
"He's okay. I swear. Just a black eye and a split lip. I'll take care of him," Bosco assured her.
"Okay. Um..., I'll tell her this was Charlie and he's gonna stay at his friend Tommy's house tonight. Hold on," she said, putting the phone against her shoulder.
"Mom? It's Charlie. He's gonna stay at Tommy's tonight. Is that okay?" she called to Faith.
"He doesn't have any clothes or anything," Faith called back to her. "Let me talk to him." Emily froze, not sure of what to do until she heard Bosco calling to her from the phone.
"Em! It's okay. Charlie's right here. He can talk to her. Hold on," Bosco said. He walked into the exam room and over to Charlie.
"Tell your Mom that you're staying at your friend Tommy's house tonight. You better sell it," he warned him, still slightly irritated with Charlie for screwing up. He handed the phone to him.
"Mom?" Charlie said into the phone. He listened as his mother talked and then answered, "No. I can wear some of Tommy's sweats tonight and my clothes are okay to wear home tomorrow," he told her as Bosco took in the sight of the dried blood on his shirt from his bloody nose and mouth. He rolled his eyes and Charlie, noticing the look, shrugged. "Yeah. I will. G'night, Mom," he said and handed the phone back to Bosco without making eye contact.
Bosco put the phone to his ear, listening for Emily. After a moment, Emily was back on the phone. "Everything okay?" he asked, heading back out into the hallway to finish his conversation.
"Yeah. She believed him. You're sure he's okay?" Emily asked him.
"Yeah, Em. He's okay. We're gonna do some talking. Don't worry. Call me tomorrow when you can and we'll take it from there, okay?" After making sure that Emily was okay, he hung up the phone.
He walked back into the examination room and over to Charlie, pulling his chin up so he could take a look at the dark bruise that was forming around his eye. "Unless you want your Mom to find out sooner than you're ready for - and believe me, you're going to come clean with her eventually - you better play along with me when the doctors and nurses come in," he warned him. He picked the cold pack up off the stretcher and put it back in Charlie's hand and moved his hand to his face. "Keep the ice on it," he said just as Mary Proctor came into the room.
"So, who do we have here, Bosco?" Mary asked in the motherly tone that she'd even used on Bosco on more than one occasion.
"The usual, Mary. I rolled up on a disturbance and found this kid getting the snot beat out of him," he told her.
"Uh huh. What's your name, Son?" Mary asked Charlie.
"The only thing I can get out of him is Charlie. Says he lives on the street. I'm gonna take him back to the House after you patch him up and see what I can find out. Can I talk to you a minute? Outside?" he asked her as she finished cleaning the dried blood off of Charlie's face and gave him a fresh ice pack. She turned to follow Bosco out into the hallway.
"Mary. Don't push this kid for information, okay? I got a feeling about him. I'm gonna see what I can do. I don't think he's a bad kid, just messed up," Bosco told her.
Mary gave him a look, smirked and said, "Am I the only one that knows about this soft spot you have, Bosco?" She was referring to the numerous times he'd been hard as nails with the average schmuck he'd brought in here and the times he'd been the exact opposite with certain kids. He saw something in them that made them worth trying for.
"No problem. I'll pass the word to Dr. Fields that this is another one of your pet projects," she assured him.
"Thanks," he said with a smile. He watched her walk into another patient's room and then he went back into Charlie's room.
He pulled his phone from his pocket again and dialed the station. "Hey, Marty. It's Boscorelli. Let me talk to the Lieu, will ya?" After a moment, he was connected with Lieutenant Swersky.
"Hey, Lieu. Boscorelli. I need to take some lost time tonight. What? No, I just feel like crap. Thanks, Lieu. I'll just bring the RMP back and get my car. No. If I can't work tomorrow, I'll call in," he finished, hanging up the phone. He put the phone back into his pocket as Dr. Fields came in and finished checking him over.
"Looks like just superficial damage," he told the boy and Bosco. "Just keep ice on it and keep it clean. You don't need any stitches," he said, with a final look at the split lip.
"Thanks," Charlie said, looking at his lap.
"Thanks, Doc," Bosco said, shaking his hand.
"Take it easy, Young Man," the doctor said to Charlie as he left.
"Okay. Ready? Let's head back to get my car and then to my place. Okay?" Bosco said, handing him his jacket, still not letting Charlie know that he wasn't really mad at him.
"Uh huh," Charlie said quietly, preceding Bosco out the door.
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TBC...
Chapter 6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco was standing outside the examination room, looking in at Charlie who sat on the bed waiting for the doctor to come in.
The phone on the other end of his cell phone rang twice and was answered in a whisper. "Hello?" Emily whispered into her cell phone.
"Emily Amanda! It's too late to be talking on the phone. Tell whoever it is you'll talk to them tomorrow. And it better not be that Eric calling again," Bosco heard through the phone.
"Mom. It's NOT Eric. It's Friday night. I'll only be a minute. Please?" Emily yelled back to Faith.
After a moment, Bosco heard Faith yell back, "Make it fast. Is your brother home yet?"
"Not yet. Hello?" Emily repeated into the phone, the worry heavy in her voice.
"Em. It's me. I've got Charlie. He's okay. He was in a fight so he's kind of..., well, messed up. I'm gonna keep him with me tonight. You think you can cover for him with your Mom?"
"A fight? What happened?" Emily asked, her voice a little louder than she'd wanted it to be.
"He's okay. I swear. Just a black eye and a split lip. I'll take care of him," Bosco assured her.
"Okay. Um..., I'll tell her this was Charlie and he's gonna stay at his friend Tommy's house tonight. Hold on," she said, putting the phone against her shoulder.
"Mom? It's Charlie. He's gonna stay at Tommy's tonight. Is that okay?" she called to Faith.
"He doesn't have any clothes or anything," Faith called back to her. "Let me talk to him." Emily froze, not sure of what to do until she heard Bosco calling to her from the phone.
"Em! It's okay. Charlie's right here. He can talk to her. Hold on," Bosco said. He walked into the exam room and over to Charlie.
"Tell your Mom that you're staying at your friend Tommy's house tonight. You better sell it," he warned him, still slightly irritated with Charlie for screwing up. He handed the phone to him.
"Mom?" Charlie said into the phone. He listened as his mother talked and then answered, "No. I can wear some of Tommy's sweats tonight and my clothes are okay to wear home tomorrow," he told her as Bosco took in the sight of the dried blood on his shirt from his bloody nose and mouth. He rolled his eyes and Charlie, noticing the look, shrugged. "Yeah. I will. G'night, Mom," he said and handed the phone back to Bosco without making eye contact.
Bosco put the phone to his ear, listening for Emily. After a moment, Emily was back on the phone. "Everything okay?" he asked, heading back out into the hallway to finish his conversation.
"Yeah. She believed him. You're sure he's okay?" Emily asked him.
"Yeah, Em. He's okay. We're gonna do some talking. Don't worry. Call me tomorrow when you can and we'll take it from there, okay?" After making sure that Emily was okay, he hung up the phone.
He walked back into the examination room and over to Charlie, pulling his chin up so he could take a look at the dark bruise that was forming around his eye. "Unless you want your Mom to find out sooner than you're ready for - and believe me, you're going to come clean with her eventually - you better play along with me when the doctors and nurses come in," he warned him. He picked the cold pack up off the stretcher and put it back in Charlie's hand and moved his hand to his face. "Keep the ice on it," he said just as Mary Proctor came into the room.
"So, who do we have here, Bosco?" Mary asked in the motherly tone that she'd even used on Bosco on more than one occasion.
"The usual, Mary. I rolled up on a disturbance and found this kid getting the snot beat out of him," he told her.
"Uh huh. What's your name, Son?" Mary asked Charlie.
"The only thing I can get out of him is Charlie. Says he lives on the street. I'm gonna take him back to the House after you patch him up and see what I can find out. Can I talk to you a minute? Outside?" he asked her as she finished cleaning the dried blood off of Charlie's face and gave him a fresh ice pack. She turned to follow Bosco out into the hallway.
"Mary. Don't push this kid for information, okay? I got a feeling about him. I'm gonna see what I can do. I don't think he's a bad kid, just messed up," Bosco told her.
Mary gave him a look, smirked and said, "Am I the only one that knows about this soft spot you have, Bosco?" She was referring to the numerous times he'd been hard as nails with the average schmuck he'd brought in here and the times he'd been the exact opposite with certain kids. He saw something in them that made them worth trying for.
"No problem. I'll pass the word to Dr. Fields that this is another one of your pet projects," she assured him.
"Thanks," he said with a smile. He watched her walk into another patient's room and then he went back into Charlie's room.
He pulled his phone from his pocket again and dialed the station. "Hey, Marty. It's Boscorelli. Let me talk to the Lieu, will ya?" After a moment, he was connected with Lieutenant Swersky.
"Hey, Lieu. Boscorelli. I need to take some lost time tonight. What? No, I just feel like crap. Thanks, Lieu. I'll just bring the RMP back and get my car. No. If I can't work tomorrow, I'll call in," he finished, hanging up the phone. He put the phone back into his pocket as Dr. Fields came in and finished checking him over.
"Looks like just superficial damage," he told the boy and Bosco. "Just keep ice on it and keep it clean. You don't need any stitches," he said, with a final look at the split lip.
"Thanks," Charlie said, looking at his lap.
"Thanks, Doc," Bosco said, shaking his hand.
"Take it easy, Young Man," the doctor said to Charlie as he left.
"Okay. Ready? Let's head back to get my car and then to my place. Okay?" Bosco said, handing him his jacket, still not letting Charlie know that he wasn't really mad at him.
"Uh huh," Charlie said quietly, preceding Bosco out the door.
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TBC...