The next morning, Mercedes stumbled from the bedroom, in a daze. She hadn't slept well after the nightmare, and managed to get a pot of coffee on. Moving to the TV she turned it on, leaning on the kitchen counter, watching it. Bosco soon followed, yawning as she scratched his shoulder. Moving to his sister, he kissed her cheek, grabbing a mug. Looking up at him, she saw he had gotten no sleep and apologized.
"Don't be sorry. I still have nightmares too. It's natural when you lose a relative, especially the way we did. None of it was your fault though. Not Mikey, not the baby, none of it." He still didn't know why Mikey was there. He had seen him just 2 days earlier and he was refreshed, acting like he had his entire life ahead of him. Pouring the coffee, he sat the table. After filling her cup she moved to the seat across from him and lit up a cigarette.
"Mercedes... Don't smoke those, please? They're bad for you." He shook his head at how much Mercedes looked their mother sitting like that. Instinctively he sniffed her coffee. Looking at him like he was psycho, she pulled it away.
"What in gods green earth are you doing? It's French Vanilla, not Sour mash!" She shook her head. Unbelievable, he thinks I'm mom now. She thought to herself as Carlos came out of the room. Carlos poured himself a bowl of cereal and a glass of Orange Juice and sat between Mercedes and Bosco. Looking at the TV he rolled his eyes. He was tired of hearing about the massacre that night. The gunmen had been caught, and it was over, to him. Bosco turned it off, and sipped his coffee. Carlos and Bosco both had the day off.
"Have a psych appointment today, Merc?" Bosco said as he put the mug down.
"I don't see why I have to go to them. He doesn't help me. He just asks the same 5 questions, over and over, until I want to ring his little neck." She looked down. She did not want to go to another meeting to talk about her pain.
"We are all going together. The doctor wants us all there, so you're going too." Bosco said. He wasn't about to let her lose her mind. He wanted her back to the way she was. Twirling her wedding ring, she nodded, defeated.
"It'll be good for you, Love. We can all talk and start to move on." Carlos stated after he finished his cereal, moving the bowl to the sink. Move on, that's rich. Mercedes thought to herself as she got up and went to her room, shutting the door. Moving to their bathroom, she turned on the water, and ran a bath. Getting into the water she sighed, closing her eyes. She knew she had to be strong and move on, but she couldn't.
A knock on the front door, forced Bosco to get up and answer it. It was his mother, Rose. Moving into the apartment she looked around, smiling to Carlos. Sitting next to him, she patted his shoulder.
"How are you, Carlos?" Rose said as she rested in her seat.
"All right, I guess. Mercedes had another nightmare last night and none of us have slept." He finished his coffee and moved to the kitchen to get another cup.
"Where is my baby girl?" Rose looked around.
"She went into her bedroom. She's either lying there or taking a bath." Bosco kissed his mothers cheek and moved to his room to take a shower and get dressed. They had the group meeting at 3:00 and it was Noon now. At 12:45 Bosco came out of his room, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a Testiverdi jersey. He didn't see Mercedes, and wondered where she was.
"She hasn't come out yet. Can I use your bathroom?" Carlos asked, standing up. Bosco nodded and sat next to his mother.
"How are you feeling, Ma?" Bosco looked at Rose as she was making lunch.
"I am all right. His death and the miscarriage are finally sinking in. And how are you?" She moved to Bosco and passed him a sandwich. He took it, taking a bite and shook his head.
"The shock has set in. I don't really know how I am feeling. The nightmares have ceased, but with Mercedes the way she is, it's hard to move on." He took another bite and felt his mother hand go over his.
"She needs time. She lost a brother and a baby in the same night. The same ideas that are haunting me are probably haunting her. Still no answers as to why Mikey was even in that area. Answers we will probably never have. I invited your father." Bosco looked up at that and almost choked.
"You did what? Mercedes isn't in any condition to see him, especially not after the way he treated her the last time. He can't come Ma. It'll set her back farther than she is now. I won't have it." He stood up, bringing the plate into the kitchen, and getting a bottle of soda.
Carlos walked out and moved to his room, to get clothes. A minute later he came out in a pair of black jeans and a button down gray collared shirt. Grabbing a sandwich he sat down, looking between the 2, wondering what they were talking about.
"Maurice, he's her father. It is a family session and he needs to be there. He wants to be there. He lost a son too." Rose stood up moving to her son, then looking at Carlos.
"No way in hell, Ma! He has no right to be involved in this. He has never once been a good influence in her life, and he won't be now. He'll use it to find a flaw in here and she'll be back to the way she was before she joined the FD! Call him back and tell him he can't come!" Carlos felt out of place. He didn't know much about Mercedes father, except enough to hate him. He certainly didn't want to meet Anthony Boscorelli, and knew if he did, it probably wouldn't be pretty. Not if he hurt his wife. Bosco seems against it, I should be too. He thought to himself, taking Bosco's side.
"He shouldn't be there, Mom. Boz doesn't want him there, and from what I heard about him, I don't either. Mercedes doesn't need that." He moved the sandwich to hear his wife's voice.
"Shouldn't I be the one to judge who does and doesn't come? It is my meeting! Stop making decisions for me! God damn it!" She stood before them, hair still wet, in a pair of black pants with zippers on the sides and a V-neck mid-drift shirt. Storming by the group, she walked out the door.
"Mercedes! Damn it! Ma, he's not coming!" Bosco ran after her. Not sure what she would do.
"Don't be sorry. I still have nightmares too. It's natural when you lose a relative, especially the way we did. None of it was your fault though. Not Mikey, not the baby, none of it." He still didn't know why Mikey was there. He had seen him just 2 days earlier and he was refreshed, acting like he had his entire life ahead of him. Pouring the coffee, he sat the table. After filling her cup she moved to the seat across from him and lit up a cigarette.
"Mercedes... Don't smoke those, please? They're bad for you." He shook his head at how much Mercedes looked their mother sitting like that. Instinctively he sniffed her coffee. Looking at him like he was psycho, she pulled it away.
"What in gods green earth are you doing? It's French Vanilla, not Sour mash!" She shook her head. Unbelievable, he thinks I'm mom now. She thought to herself as Carlos came out of the room. Carlos poured himself a bowl of cereal and a glass of Orange Juice and sat between Mercedes and Bosco. Looking at the TV he rolled his eyes. He was tired of hearing about the massacre that night. The gunmen had been caught, and it was over, to him. Bosco turned it off, and sipped his coffee. Carlos and Bosco both had the day off.
"Have a psych appointment today, Merc?" Bosco said as he put the mug down.
"I don't see why I have to go to them. He doesn't help me. He just asks the same 5 questions, over and over, until I want to ring his little neck." She looked down. She did not want to go to another meeting to talk about her pain.
"We are all going together. The doctor wants us all there, so you're going too." Bosco said. He wasn't about to let her lose her mind. He wanted her back to the way she was. Twirling her wedding ring, she nodded, defeated.
"It'll be good for you, Love. We can all talk and start to move on." Carlos stated after he finished his cereal, moving the bowl to the sink. Move on, that's rich. Mercedes thought to herself as she got up and went to her room, shutting the door. Moving to their bathroom, she turned on the water, and ran a bath. Getting into the water she sighed, closing her eyes. She knew she had to be strong and move on, but she couldn't.
A knock on the front door, forced Bosco to get up and answer it. It was his mother, Rose. Moving into the apartment she looked around, smiling to Carlos. Sitting next to him, she patted his shoulder.
"How are you, Carlos?" Rose said as she rested in her seat.
"All right, I guess. Mercedes had another nightmare last night and none of us have slept." He finished his coffee and moved to the kitchen to get another cup.
"Where is my baby girl?" Rose looked around.
"She went into her bedroom. She's either lying there or taking a bath." Bosco kissed his mothers cheek and moved to his room to take a shower and get dressed. They had the group meeting at 3:00 and it was Noon now. At 12:45 Bosco came out of his room, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a Testiverdi jersey. He didn't see Mercedes, and wondered where she was.
"She hasn't come out yet. Can I use your bathroom?" Carlos asked, standing up. Bosco nodded and sat next to his mother.
"How are you feeling, Ma?" Bosco looked at Rose as she was making lunch.
"I am all right. His death and the miscarriage are finally sinking in. And how are you?" She moved to Bosco and passed him a sandwich. He took it, taking a bite and shook his head.
"The shock has set in. I don't really know how I am feeling. The nightmares have ceased, but with Mercedes the way she is, it's hard to move on." He took another bite and felt his mother hand go over his.
"She needs time. She lost a brother and a baby in the same night. The same ideas that are haunting me are probably haunting her. Still no answers as to why Mikey was even in that area. Answers we will probably never have. I invited your father." Bosco looked up at that and almost choked.
"You did what? Mercedes isn't in any condition to see him, especially not after the way he treated her the last time. He can't come Ma. It'll set her back farther than she is now. I won't have it." He stood up, bringing the plate into the kitchen, and getting a bottle of soda.
Carlos walked out and moved to his room, to get clothes. A minute later he came out in a pair of black jeans and a button down gray collared shirt. Grabbing a sandwich he sat down, looking between the 2, wondering what they were talking about.
"Maurice, he's her father. It is a family session and he needs to be there. He wants to be there. He lost a son too." Rose stood up moving to her son, then looking at Carlos.
"No way in hell, Ma! He has no right to be involved in this. He has never once been a good influence in her life, and he won't be now. He'll use it to find a flaw in here and she'll be back to the way she was before she joined the FD! Call him back and tell him he can't come!" Carlos felt out of place. He didn't know much about Mercedes father, except enough to hate him. He certainly didn't want to meet Anthony Boscorelli, and knew if he did, it probably wouldn't be pretty. Not if he hurt his wife. Bosco seems against it, I should be too. He thought to himself, taking Bosco's side.
"He shouldn't be there, Mom. Boz doesn't want him there, and from what I heard about him, I don't either. Mercedes doesn't need that." He moved the sandwich to hear his wife's voice.
"Shouldn't I be the one to judge who does and doesn't come? It is my meeting! Stop making decisions for me! God damn it!" She stood before them, hair still wet, in a pair of black pants with zippers on the sides and a V-neck mid-drift shirt. Storming by the group, she walked out the door.
"Mercedes! Damn it! Ma, he's not coming!" Bosco ran after her. Not sure what she would do.