Disclaimer: I don't own Third Watch or the characters in it. I just borrow them when I'm bored.
Warning: Spoilers for the fifth season. If you didn't see the episodes, and don't want to know…don't read.
Authors note: This is a different interpretation of the episode "My Opening Farewell". It starts out as the original episode, then one small fact changes, and the story takes a drastic turn. I wrote this because I've been missing Faith on the show…and feeling bad that they haven't even mentioned her. So I thought I would tug at your emotions here and get ya thinken about her situation again. Please leave a review if you read this…and keep in mind…I don't hate Faith…she's my favorite character.
"My Closing Farewell"This takes place after Bosco tells Faith in the hospital, that Noble was really working for the FBI, and so was Cruz. And not only should she not have gotten involved, but that she alone fired on Cruz, and that she also fired first. The FBI is going to fix everything for him and Cruz, so IA is looking for a head. Cruz is pressing charges against her, and they are planning to put Faith in jail for it.
Lieu is stalling the IA detectives from interrogating Faith, to give her time to recover from her surgery, so she can think clearly before she tells her side of the story. This also gives her and Bosco time to find a way to convince Cruz to change her story, and tell the detectives that Faith shot her accidentally.
Bosco tried talking to Cruz once already, and begged her to reconsider pressing charges against Faith, but Cruz was angry, and determined to have Faith put away. Bosco thinks that if anyone else had been told about the illegal tactics Cruz used many times to put away criminals, they could blackmail her with that, but neither he nor Faith ever told anyone that could verify those facts. Then they came up with the idea that maybe Bosco could just convince Cruz, that Faith had actually documented in her daily reports, all the underhanded things Cruz has done.
If she were to believe this, then Bosco could threaten to turn over these reports, that are date and time stamped, proving that Cruz has been breaking the law for a long time. Not only would this put Cruz away, but all the people she's ever arrested would be released from prison on appeals.
Bosco told her this, and even though she pointed out that she put him in front of most of it, and that he would also go to prison with her, he said he didn't care. If Faith goes to prison, they will all go. Cruz walked away from him, considering his ultimatum. Bosco went to the precinct to wait for her to make her decision, and hopefully, make the call to IA changing her story.
[But what if it went down like this…]
After hanging around for several hours, Bosco sees the IA detectives walk in to Lieu's office. They shut the door, and begin a conversation. Bosco watches, but can not make out what they are saying. The discussion gets heated, and Lieu's arms begin flailing. One of the detectives holds his arm out as he explains his position, then shakes his head in frustration and walks out.
Bosco runs up to the Lieutenant and gives him a hopeful smile. "Well, what was that all about?"
"They're going to the hospital to question Faith. I couldn't delay them any longer. I hope to God that Faith has a good explanation for being in that room."
"I told you…I sent her there. She was helping me get Noble's gun."
"A gun which was not found at the scene."
"It was there…I saw it…Faith used it. The FBI made it disappear. Did IA hear from Cruz?"
"They've already questioned her. You know how that came out. She says you're lying, that Faith shot her for no reason. And for that matter, she says that Faith went there gunning for her…with intent to kill. And I can't think of any other reason why Faith would have been there…unless that gun turns up."
"I know but…I thought maybe…are you sure Cruz didn't talk to them?" Lieu gives him an annoyed glare. Bosco says, "Never mind." and starts to walk away.
"Just where the hell do you think you're going? You've got roll call in twenty minutes."
"I've got to get over there, Lieu. I need to…"
"You 'need' to stay the hell away from Faith. You've caused enough trouble for her, Bosco."
"I know. That's why…I've got to get over there…I've got to fix this."
Lieu gives Bosco a stern look, then pointing his finger at him he says, "You've done a lot of damage here Boscorelli. I don't know how you've managed to put it all on Faith and walk away unscathed…but I swear to you…if you get out of line…disobey my orders just once…I will have you suspended without pay…indefinitely. Just give me a good reason." Then he shouts, "Am I being clear?"
Bosco hangs his head and says quietly, "Yah boss. Loud and clear."
*****
Faith is laying in her hospital bed. Her mind is groggy, and heavy with the weight of the situation she has been thrown into. In an attempt to help Bosco out of his jam…a jam he wasn't even really in, she and Cruz shot each other. Cruz received a flesh wound but Faith was shot in the chest, and is now paralyzed from the waist down. The prognosis is, that it is temporary. Bosco has informed her that Cruz is pressing charges against her and she is now facing prison time. She is medicated with morphine, and rests in a semi conscious state, trying to free herself of the worry and the agonizing feeling of dread that just won't let go of her.
She can not grasp any one thought, as if the drug is not only protecting her from the physical pain she should be feeling but, but also from the emotional pain as well. She hears the hum of a machine to her left, and a series of small beeps to her right, making her feel a merry-go-round effect as she follows the sound back and forth. The idea creeps up to her, that it was not all for nothing…she took the bullet to save Bosco…but the motion she feels, spins her away from it. She reaches for it, but comes up empty.
Bosco keeps rotating by her. His eyes are sad as he pleads to her, "I need your help, Faith. I don't have anyone else. I swear this is the last time......they're gonna put you in jail." She moans out loud as his words float in and out at her from different directions. "Put it all on me, tell them I shot Cruz......you got Fred to blame at home, and me to blame at work...and there's saint Faith, the Martyr. That's how you handle everything...when things get tough you just walk away......and the paralysis should only be temporary...you should regain the feeling in your torso and then your extremities."
"Should." She whispers.
"What?" Fred asks softly. He realizes she is not really awake, so he says nothing more. He kisses her hand, and lets her rest.
Faith's merry-go-round continues. Whirling by is the Lieutenant. He asks, "Are you sure about this?" He's telling her that her partnership with Bosco has worked for ten years, why would she want a new partner. She tells him "Bosco is working on Anti-Crime...He doesn't need me anymore...I just need a change......You don't need 'me' to say no...I'm going on meal break" Lieu keeps talking, but he drifts by and she can't listen to him, no matter how hard she tries. She feels herself crying, and through her tears she can see him revolving around towards her again. She reaches out her hand to him. "Take a radio." he tells her. "If Bosco's in trouble you can tell me." He hands a radio to her as he rotates by, but when she looks down she's holding a gun in her hand instead.
She squeezes Fred's hand and he notices a tear run down her cheek. "Are you alright honey?" he says softly in her ear.
Her eyes open slowly and flutter closed again. Fred is still sitting next to her bed. She struggles to see that it is really him holding her hand…she's not imagining it. She feels security through the confusion…Fred is watching over her. She is safe with him…only him. Then as she drifts away she hears him say, "It's ok Faith, I'm right here. You're gonna be ok.……just because you won't lie, doesn't mean I can't."
The merry-go-round begins again and she feels a rush of dizziness. She feels as if she's falling and someone grabs her by the wrist, almost startling her awake. "You have the right to remain silent…"
"Hey...I didn't mean to scare ya." Monroe says.
Sasha is here roping off the merry-go-round with crime scene tape. It blocks Faith in so she can't get off this ride. Just outside the tape, she sees Cruz coming around, getting closer, and she feels panic mounting within her. Monroe says, "That's just Cruz...it's when she isn't being mean... that's when I worry... I got my own stuff to worry about."
"I'm gonna give you a chance to come clean." Faith says to Monroe, "I like the sound of that."
"Sergeant Cruz says that you shot her." Faith tells Bosco, "She's no good...She's been cutting corners a long time...and you're surprised?"
She glances back at Cruz, who is even closer now, and Cruz is drawing her gun. Faith struggles to move but the rotation of the ride is going faster and she is being held down by the centrifugal force. She tries to move, but she can not even lift her arms. Her whole body feels like lead. "You left the bullet in?"
She can see Cruz talking and waving her gun, and pointing with it as she speaks. Cruz whirls by and growls, "Gimme the damn gun!......Block the door." "...Are you crazy, we're in a hospital..."
"So…you went to that hotel room to take her down?"
Faith says to Cruz, "What are you gonna do, beat me up now? Yah...no witnesses...I might make a dying declaration."
"So you're confessing then."
She tries to move but all she can do is turn her head from side to side. Then Cruz says, "You're only gonna hurt your partner, Bosco's the one I put in front of it" And Faith says angrily, "No...I'm putting Bosco in front of it."
Cruz responds, "We aren't done, you and me." and then she whips away.
Suddenly there is the sound of a gunshot with the feel of metal in flesh, and Faith's whole body jumps. She grabs for the pain that is burning it's way through her chest, but her hand snaps abruptly to a stop. In her panic she forces herself awake. She forces herself against the control of the drugs and opens her eyes, expecting to see Fred…hoping to have him holding her…to stop the room from spinning so she can rid herself of the nausea of this spiraling disturbance inside of her.
Standing over her, is the detective from IA. He is asking her questions and her right hand is cuffed to the bed rail.
"Fred?" Her voice is shaky and panicked.
The detective says, "He is right over there…we'll give you time to say your goodbyes." He grins down at her. "Now…please continue…give me your 'dying declaration', or better yet, tell me how you plan to…" He glances down at his notes. "…put Bosco in front of it? Go on officer."
"No…where's Fred. What's happening?" She grabs the bed rail and pulls herself up to a sitting position, and pain sears through her chest. Alarms begin beeping all around her and the spinning begins again, taking her breath away.
Behind the man looming over her, beyond his words which are blurring into the beeping sounds, she can hear Fred yelling. "Get away from my wife. You leave her alone. You have no right to be here…not until she's well." Another man's voice is arguing with him and Fred says, "I don't care what you have, I want to talk to your boss. I'm not gonna let you do this. She's medicated…she don't know what she's saying."
Nurse Proctor comes in and is now involved in the argument. Her image sweeps up to Faith, pushing the detective away, and her presence is comforting for the first time. "Relax Faith…you have to settle down dear." Then she reaches over her and the beeping stops, and with it, so does all the sounds in the room. The pain and confusion is now consuming her, and everything else is fading away. She sees Proctor's lips moving as she places one hand on Faith's chest and the other on her shoulder, to keep her still. Then she starts removing the dressings on Faith's chest. What ever she's doing, it hurts like hell. Faith grabs her hard by her sleeve, and pulls her down close, but she can't get enough breath to tell her to stop.
A doctor appears over Proctor's shoulder and the both of them look intense and hurried. Faith can see that the bandages Proctor removed are bloody. She reads Proctor's lips… "pulled her stitches out…" The doctor gives instructions to Proctor, then looks over his shoulder and reading his lips Faith sees him yell, "Get them out of here…" That is the last thing Faith remembers as the light blurs into darkness and the pain finally eases off her chest.
*****
Bosco is on patrol with Sasha. As they drive, a call goes out to be on the look out for a blue Chevy involved in a hit and run. Bosco recognizes Cruz's voice as she reports that she has spotted the vehicle. He responds as backup and Sasha hits the lights and sirens.
They turn a corner and Sasha shouts a warning as Bosco almost sideswipes the RMP that Cruz is driving. He drops in behind Cruz as she maneuvers around traffic, keeping close as the car they are chasing, tries to lose them.
The Chevy veers into the lane of oncoming traffic as it approaches an intersection. The light is red. It swerves to the left, and then makes a hard right around the cars waiting at the light, and turns the corner. He barely misses a truck that is about to enter the intersection through his green light. The truck fishtails as it swerves to avoid the Chevy, and bumps Cruz's RMP as she turns in front of the car waiting at the red light.
Cruz is pushed into a spin and as her car skids sideways, Bosco rams her passenger door and they both come to a screeching stop. The chase is over.
Cruz is yelling into her radio, giving the direction the Chevy was headed, then she gets out and starts swearing in Spanish about losing the hit and run driver. Bosco and Sasha get out of their vehicle. While Sasha is checking to see if everyone is ok, Bosco walks up to Cruz, grabs her by the arm, and pulls her close.
"Did you talk to IA yet?" He asks her through clenched teeth.
"What? In case you haven't noticed I'm in the middle of something here." She hollers at him.
"Just answer me…the IA detectives are going to the hospital to question Faith."
"No." she says smugly. "I have no intentions of talking to them."
Bosco glares at her. "You don't wanna call my bluff, Cruz…I swear…I'll turn us both in to save Faith."
She smiles and makes a grunt sound. "It is a bluff. What do you think, I'm stupid? Did you think I would act on that without checking the facts? Huh?"
Bosco stares at her and takes a step backwards. A grin slowly draws on her lips, as she gives him a 'what have you got to say now' look. All the 'threat' has run out of him and he stands there as though she slapped him in the face. His voice becomes pleadingly soft.
"Cruz…Maritza…you have to…"
"I don't 'have' to do anything, Gotto." She walks away from him, then turns back and flashes him a victorious smile. "Never try to fuck with me…you'll always regret it. Just like your little girlfriend."
Sasha walks up to Bosco. "Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I have to go." He says in a panic.
"What happened? Are you hurt?"
He runs to the RMP. "No. I just gotta go."
"Wait…you can't just leave. What about the accident? What about me?"
"The accident is Cruz's mess. Catch a ride back with her."
*****
Bosco goes to the hospital, and hurries into Faith's room. Her bed is empty. He steps back out of the room and checks for her name on the door plate. A young nurse is walking by and he stops her.
"Excuse me. Can you tell me where this patient is? I need to talk to her. It's urgent. Can you give me some idea when she'll be brought back to her room?"
"I'm sorry…I just came on. I don't really know."
"Could you find out? It's really important." Then he gives her a pleading look.
She smiles. "Ok…I'll find out for you. Wait here."
Bosco leans against the wall. He is deep in thought, trying to figure out another plan to get Faith off the hook. It has to be something that makes Cruz look like a liar, or even something that will shift the blame to him. Then he realizes the nurse has returned.
She smiles at him again. "I'm sorry…that patient has been discharged from this hospital."
"There has to be some mistake…that can't be. She just had surgery a few days ago. She's paralyzed. Her name is still up here…it's Yokas…Faith Yokas."
The nurse grabs the tape with Faith's name written on it, and peels it off the plate on the door. "No…there's no mistake."
"Well…she must be doing better then, if they sent her home…right?"
"Are you family?"
"Yah…well…I'm a cop…we're…"
"A cop? Oh…I guess I can tell you then." She leans a little closer and says quietly, "She was transferred to the infirmary at Rykers."
Her words grab Bosco and squeeze the breath out of him. He takes a small step towards the wall, and puts his hand out to steady himself. "No…no…they can't. They can't do that."
"They did…" She calls out to him as he hurries off. "…earlier today."
******
Faith rides in silence in the back of the ambulance. It feels as though time has come to a standstill…she doesn't know how long they have been driving, but she is suddenly aware that the ambulance has stopped. A nauseous feeling runs through her with a shiver. Her mind is floating in despondency, but she doesn't cry. In fact she seems incapable of feeling any emotion. She feels void of everything…empty. All sense of reason has been cut and stripped away from her.
The back doors of the ambulance open and an armed guard climbs in. He looks her up and down, then gives a half hearted greeting to the guard that has been riding with her.
"How was the ride? Any problems?" he asks her escort, while his eyes continue to look her over.
"Nah…this ones paralyzed. She hasn't even uttered a word."
"You searched the ambulance before they put her in, right?"
"Yup. Always do."
"And you searched her too, I suppose?"
"Of course."
"Well…I have ta do it again anyway." He says it as though he's bored with the whole idea, yet he has a hint of a grin on his face. "Ok sweetheart…let's see what you're hiding."
He pulls the blanket off of her and shakes it out. Then he leans over her, avoiding eye contact, and begins to frisk her through her hospital gown. Faith looks away. She can't feel what he's doing, and if she can't see it, then maybe she can pretend it isn't happening…for the second time today.
She imagines herself frisking a perp. Checking each pocket…inside the boots. She never frisked someone wearing only a hospital gown. What could she possibly be hiding there? She wonders if either of these guards know that she is…used to be…a cop. She finally looks back at him. Obviously he don't know she was a cop, or he would have realized that she would know, he should be done by now. He feels his way over her a second time before he realizes she is now watching him, he pulls away quickly and says, "She's clean."
Then he pokes his hands quickly under the mattress on the gurney as an after thought. "Ok. You can go on in."
He climbs out and closes the doors, and the ambulance drives on again. Through the back windows, she can see the forty foot high, double gate, capped with barbed wire as they pass through it. She instinctively reaches to scratch an itch on her face and she is cut short by the handcuffs.
"Those will come off soon." he informs her. "Be patient."
The ambulance stops again, and this time the guard stands up. "We're here." He says it, as if she should be excited about it. The doors open again, and this time two different guards reach in and slide the gurney out.
They lift her up a set of cement steps, and after one of them opens the door with a key, they wheel her into a long cinderblock hallway. Each of them glance at her repeatedly, keeping a watchful eye on her.
The whole scene is surreal. She thinks to herself, 'Three of them…like I'm dangerous. They act like they're transporting Sadam Hussein. What the hell do they think I'm gonna do? I'm paralyzed for Christ sake. I can't make a break for it. I can't even scratch my fuckin nose.'
At the end of the hall they reach a corridor blocked with metal bars. Next to the door is a bullet-proof cubicle. Her ambulance guard slides a bunch of paper work through a slot in the glass and the guard inside looks over each page carefully. "You were a cop?" he says with disgust. One of the guards looks down at her and comments, "Good cop gone bad, huh? Don't expect special treatment."
The two new guards slide their guns into the slot as well, then a loud buzzer sounds, and the iron bars slide open. Her guard doesn't follow. He heads back towards the ambulance, and she gets this queer feeling that she wishes he would stay with her, even though they never spoke a word to each other. He is her final connection to the outside. She is starting to feel overwhelmed with panic. She is alone and scared…and totally helpless.
They reach another corridor protected with heavy bars and another buzzer goes off opening the way. Now they wheel her into a room with five female guards, barking orders to three female prisoners that have also just arrived. They are being instructed to undress for their strip search. They are being told that they will go into the next room where they will receive a body cavity search, they will be checked for lice, they will shower, they will put on the orange jump suits. Then they will be escorted to their cells.
Faith has finally reached her biggest fear. What if one of the prisoners recognizes her. Fred argued hard to make them put her in isolation for her own safety, but they told him that she would be in the infirmary, so it wasn't necessary. If she ever was able to walk again, he could ask for it then.
Faith is too afraid to make eye contact with any of the prisoners. She is struggling to keep herself together. It's getting hard to breathe, and she is starting to believe that she isn't going to survive this. She feels like she is dying. She has been sentenced to death…a slow humiliating death.
One of the shower guards looks over at her and her escorts. "Just park her there and you guys can go."
"Are ya sure? We can give ya a hand in here if ya want. We're not busy." He says grinning. Both men snicker. "Yah…I have a real special way of searching body cavities." He sticks his tongue out and wiggles it.
Faith's stomach turns. Now she is more afraid that she 'isn't' going to die. Living through this is worse than death. She has sent so many people into this living hell…but most of them deserved to be here. They belong here. She can not bear this.
"Get the hell out so we can finish this!" The biggest female guard yells at the men in a gruff tone. "Why are all of you so God damned immature!" Then she chases them out and slams the door.
That does little to ease Faith's fears. There is nothing that even hints to her, that she will be protected here. That female guard seems just as threatening as the men. And her cavity search, proved that to be true. The guards can…and do…what ever they want…even if her legs weren't paralyzed, and her wrists weren't cuffed. Her paralysis only makes them take more liberties…testing to see what she can and can not feel.
The inmates all hate cops…the guards all hate crooked cops. She is neither …and yet…she is both. She is screwed…thrown in here like an injured rabbit in a tigers cage.
******
Faith is now in the infirmary. The room is small…just wide enough for them to wheel the gurney next to the bed and for the equipment necessary for intensive care if needed. There is a locked cabinet containing bandages and other stuff necessary for care giving, but Faith has not yet seen any use of it. A large, impatient nurse, annoyed at her arrival, told Faith that she was busy, and would get to her when she could.
"This is not 'Angel Of Mercy' hospital and you are not my only patient. I'll get you a call button…but if you push it…it had better be an emergency. You are a prisoner first…and a patient second. I am 'not' your mother, and I am 'not' your personal nurse. My job is to check on you a minimum of five times a day…and tend to any emergencies that may arise. My job is to keep you alive. I am not here to entertain you or make your prison stay more pleasant."
"Your chart says that you are paralyzed…tough shit…if you make any attempt to get out of bed…you will be placed in restraints. If you regain any of your motor skills, you will be moved to a room that has a cell door. The doctor may have left for the day…if he didn't, he'll probably stop in to see you." She starts to leave, then turns back to her. "I'm getting you a bed pan. Use it. If I have to change bedding…I get unpleasant."
Faith lays there like she doesn't exist. In fact…she doesn't anymore. In a split second…in the speed of a bullet…her life ended. She is no longer a cop, mother, wife…or human. She is now sentenced to lay here like a wounded animal. How could she have felt that helping Bosco was worth the risk of becoming this? And yet…she feels the depth of her own responsibility in the fact that she actually fired her weapon at another police officer.
Was it really out of fear for her life or does she hate Cruz so much, that her judgment was clouded. The more she thinks about it, the less clear the answer to that is. She is angry and bitter…and yes she would kill her now…and yet she still wonders if she really believed that Cruz was evil enough to warrant being shot.
"We're the welcome wagon. Is your name Faith Yokas?"
Faith looks over to see three women standing in the doorway, grinning at her. She glances away, uninterested in being welcome here…and they don't really seem to look very welcoming either.
Then it suddenly sinks in. She looks back at them and realizes these three Latino girls are not nurses…but prisoners. One is holding a broken broom handle, one has a home made knife, and the one who spoke, is tapping the palm of her hand with a pipe.
Faith realizes that the nurse never gave her a call button. And she realizes that her punishment has arrived. Her punishment for trying to shoot a Sergeant…trying to help a partner that turned his back on her…punishment for putting him and her job, before her family. It's almost here now…her closing farewell.
Their Latino attitude is all too familiar, along with their menacing, evil grins, as they approach her bed.
"We got a message for you…from Sergeant Cruz."
***The End***