Thanks for the support I have received, I'm hoping that the following on this one will increase with time. If you're reading, and you happen to like it, please tell me, otherwise I just think you don't ;)

Thanks Sarah, you rock.

Take Care, guys!

~Joey~

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A Fine Balance-

Chapter 5

"You just had to pick the most freezing day to sign up for a double, didn't you?" Davis interrogated his partner, as if he had control over the weather.

"Just be thankful you aren't on foot patrol. Last I checked, this RMP is kept at a pretty comfortable temperature," Sully replied, annoyed at Davis' third comment of the day about the climate.

"You say that now, but I'm the one that has to run after skells while you sit in your little climate controlled au-to-mo-bile" Davis mocked, adding rhythm to try to lighten the mood. Truth was, he was sick to death of the cold, and wished he had never agreed to work the extra hours in the first place.

"55-Charlie, please call in to the house" the radio crackled while delivering the request to the two officers.

"55-Charlie, 10-4"

"I wonder what that's all about," Ty speculated.

Sully just shrugged in reply, "I don't know, and I can't say I'm too anxious to find out."

Davis had already finished dialing, and waited for what seemed like an eternity for an answer from the precinct house. He was immediately connected with Swersky, who ran the sensitive situation of their fellow Officer's missing family member, by the young cop.

"Sure, Lieu, we'll take care of it."

"Well?" Sully asked, relieved that they hadn't been called into the house - that always meant someone had died, or was soon to be dead.

"It's Bosco's Mom, they couldn't get a hold of her and Lieu wants us to go check on her, make sure she's ok."

"Hmm," Sully stated simply, while raising his eyebrows, "I saw what kind of mood Bosco was in at the hospital, I can't say I blame her for staying as far away as possible."

Ty just shook his head while sighing, "I don't know, man. I just hope to God she's okay."

"Davis, they just couldn't get a hold of her. I'm sure she's fine. You know how Yokas can get - she's probably just overreacting. People are unreachable all the time."

"I know," Ty answered while fiddling with a stray thread that was dangling off of his cuff. "It's just that we were both in that car, Sul. And now he's at home with a broken leg and God knows how many other injuries, not to mention he can't find his mother, and here I am, back on the job as if nothing ever happened… It just doesn't seem fair."

Sully slowed to obey a red light, and took the opportunity to turn towards the face of his worried partner, "You shouldn't feel guilty because you weren't hurt more, Davis. I don't think Bosco, as much of an ass as he can be, wishes you were any worse for the wear."

Davis faked a small smile and let out a breath that he was unaware he was holding, "Yeah, you're right. Still, I hope she's alright."

"You need to stop worrying so much or you won't live to see forty."

"Ah, old man, I'll live 'til I'm 90. You know why? Because I have the willpower to stay away from the donuts," he mocked, while gesturing towards Sully's expanding midriff with a nod of his head.

Sully shot him a warning glare, which Davis nonchalantly shrugged off while returning his eyes to the icy streets outside his window.

"So, where's this bar I've heard so much about?" Davis asked while nervously drumming his fingers on his thigh.

"Ten o'clock," Sully replied, flicking on his left-hand turn signal.

"Nothing to write home about, is it?" Davis said as they crept into the parking lot.

The RMP slowed to a halt in the middle of the lot, sparking a curious glare from Davis to his senior partner.

"You gonna get a little closer? It's kind of cold out."

"Davis," Sully said, ignoring his partner's whining, while not removing his stare from the run-down building to his right, "You see that?"

"What?" Davis asked, alternating his gaze from the bar to Sully in oblivious confusion.

"The window on the far side," he gestured with his hand, "it's smashed."

Davis followed Sully's pointing finger while squinting out the blinding reflection from the surrounding snow. Finally, he settled on the window referred to.

"We gonna go check it out?" Davis asked quietly.

"I don't know, there's something about this that just doesn't seem right," Sully answered, shifting into park.

"Well, we can't just sit here, Sul."

"I know, I know. We'll just take it slow - no stupid movements means you'll live to see that 90th birthday of yours, smart-ass."

Ty stifled a laugh that was more induced by anxiousness than Sully's witty banter.

Both officers simultaneously exited the vehicle without relieving their eyes from the suspicious building.

Sully lead the way to the rear of the bar, gripping his gun, the metal having dropped to an uncomfortable temperature almost immediately after being brought out into the frigid winter air.

Ty followed behind, mimicking his partner's movements by also retrieving his gun from the holster on his

hip.

Davis nearly ran into Sully, not realizing that he had stopped in front of him.

"What are we doing?" Ty asked, quiet enough not to be heard by onlookers, but loud enough to be acknowledged over the galling wind.

Sully didn't bother responding to Davis' question, but instead reached for the radio on his shoulder, "55-Charlie to central. Requesting back-up at 74th and Amsterdam"

Davis squinted again in a vain attempt to see whatever it was Sully was seeing that was bad enough to call for back-up. After tilting his head to the right enough to reduce the glare of off the shattered glass, he saw the broken tables and chairs, strewn across the floor and counters of the battered bar.

A sharp pain tugged at Davis' chest. He inhaled sharply and winced at how the freezing air nipped at his tight lungs.

Sully turned around to face his partner, "You okay?" he asked quizzically after hearing Davis gasp.

"We…" Davis trailed off while gesturing towards the back of the building, "We gotta go in there! We have to make sure she's ok."

Sully shook his head, wondering why his young partner was getting so frazzled over a simple break-in.

"We're not going anywhere until our back-up arrives. What's with you, are you straight?"

Davis shrugged off the comment and attempted to organize the appalling thoughts that were racing viciously through his reeling head, "We can't just do nothing, Sul! I can't do that. What if she needs help? I owe it to Bosco."

Sully pondered Davis' words, and wondered just when it was that his partner had developed such an incredible loyalty to Boscorelli and his family members.

"You aren't going anywhere. If you want to do something so badly, call the house and tell Swersky exactly what's going on."

Davis stood still for a second, suppressing the urge to hit his seemingly stoic partner while contemplating his options. After coming to the realization that Sully was probably right, he nodded and cautiously turned back towards the RMP to retrieve his cell.

***********************

"Where are we going? What's wrong?"

Faith didn't answer right away - her face contemplative as she stared at an imaginary spot on the couch.

"Faith?!" Bosco belted in an attempt to snap his partner out of her trance, his voice rough with anxiety and weariness.

Faith jolted her head upright as if she had been slapped across the back. She proceeded to bolt to her feet and reach nervously for Bosco's crutches.

"Bosco," she started, deliberately avoiding making eye-contact with her impatient partner, whose tolerance was wearing thinner by the second, "I called Lieu to ask him to check up on your Mom. I, uh," she swallowed and willed herself to be supportively courageous and meet Bosco's grim eyes.

"I tried to call her last night and it worried me that I couldn't get a hold of her. He just called me back and said that he sent someone over to check on her and it was reported back to him that the bar had been trashed - ransacked."

Bosco's face faded into an even paler shade than it was before. Faith briefly wondered if he was going to pass out. He looked so fragile.

"And? Where is she? Did they find her?" Though his voice was close to a whisper, the urgency was evident.

Faith fiddled with the crutches while forming her answer.

"He didn't say, Bos. He just said we should come into the house."

Bosco took a second to let the news sink in before nodding, and then prepared himself for the sure to be treacherous rise to his feet.

Faith dove to grab Bosco's elbow as he wavered unsteadily in his quest to stand. She carefully placed each crutch in its respective position while trying to remain a stable support for his trembling body.

"You okay?" she asked, knowing full well that he was far from the suggested.

He just sighed and dropped his chin to his chest before giving an unconvincing nod, "Let's go."

***************************

Ty couldn't resist fumbling with the pen in his pocket while talking on the phone with Swersky. It was a nervous habit that had always been with him, and just being aware of how nervous the situation had made

him, only served to increase his level of stress.

His eyes were shooting back and forth from the bar to Sully - his partner standing precariously vulnerable in the middle of the narrow alley by the rear entrance. In his last alternation, he caught sight of Bosco's Mustang, parked in the furthest corner, remaining unclaimed after the night of the accident. The sight just reminded him of the horrible scene and he ironically contemplated whether or not it would have been safer for Bosco to drive his drunken self home that night.

He snapped back to reality as Swersky began chanting his name.

"Uh, sorry, Lieu. I got distracted. No, everything's the same, nothing else has happened."

He reassured the Lieutenant one more time before ending the conversation.

He again returned his eyes to the vandalized property while mumbling to himself, "I'm sorry, Bosco. I wish I could do more for you…"

************************

Faith glanced over at Bosco, who had said nothing since they left his place -besides cursing several times while maneuvering down the stairwell. He was growing paler and paler by the minute and she wondered whether or not she should have told him to stay put while she scoped out the situation.

She dismissed the idea immediately, realizing that Bosco would have retorted to an extreme extent.

The silence was beginning to gnaw at her conscience, and she debated whether or not small talk would be a wise or ridiculous idea considering the circumstances.

She opened her mouth to make some inane comment about the drop in temperature, but was interrupted by a small voice.

"Faith," he muttered, not bothering to turn to face her - keeping a watchful eye on the large snowflakes fluttering past the window.

"Yeah, Bos?" she asked, trying to match his volume level.

"Pull over."

She had heard that request before, and knowing better than to question the reason behind it, she immediately glanced over her right shoulder to make sure no one was coming up behind, before pulling over onto the shoulder and coming to an abrupt halt.

Before the tires had even stopped rotating, Bosco had shoved his door open and leaned out while heaving painfully several times, his body trying in vain to purge his stomach of it's few contents.

He groaned at the stinging agony the convulsions induced in his side, and subconsciously placed his left hand across his abdomen to the source of the anguish.

Faith waited patiently for the horrible sounds to cease, and after hearing a shuddering breath from her partner that indicated he was indeed done, she spoke out soothingly, "You okay, Bos?"

She saw him nod a slightly, but he made no movement to turn his body around so she could resume their trip.

Faith reached out and gently placed a hand on his back. He jumped slightly at her touch, apparently uncomfortable with the entire situation.

Once Bosco was sure that the voracious heaving was indeed finished, he gently turned around - trying carefully to organize his legs into a semi-comfortable position in front of him.

He could feel Faith staring at him, but that was the least of his concerns. He wished he could just snap his fingers and be at the house, therefore avoiding this incident wholly.

"Bos?"

"Mmm?" he mumbled back, trying not to raise his head and stimulate another wave of nausea.

"You okay now?"

"Yeah," he whispered, whishing she would just go and stop talking to him. His body was screaming and he craved those pills now more than ever.

"Can you close your door then?" Faith asked, trying not to sound mocking in nature, but knowing that Bosco would think she was poking fun at him.

"Oh, sorry," he replied, keeping his left arm protectively across his stomach while reaching for the handle with his right and slamming the door shut.

Faith shot him a worried glance before turning back into traffic.

"You sure you're up for this, Bos?"

"It's my Ma, Faith. Of course I'm up for it."

He was quite unconvincing, but Faith knew that she should pick her battles, and allowed the rest of the ride to consist of an uncomfortable silence.

Faith pulled into the parking lot at the side of the precinct house. Bosco continued to stare blankly out the window in -what she assumed- was some sort of trance.

"Bos, we're here now."

He didn't respond to her statement by moving, but instead sighed lightly, "I'm so scared of what I'm going to find out."

Did she just hear this right? Did Bosco the 'all mighty' just admit fear? Voluntarily giving away emotional status was not a usual occurrence, and Faith found herself frozen in shock.

"I," she paused for a second, deciding to adopt a motherly standpoint while addressing her partner, "I know, Bos. I'm scared too. But let's not worry about something that hasn't happened, okay?"

Bosco seemed to accept her comforting words and turned to face her, his eyes bloodshot and his expression worrisome amidst his pale complexion, "God, Faith, I hope you're right."

TBC. Please review and more shall magically come your way ;)