Disclaimer: Not ours!
***
Carlos and Levine strode by, wheeling a gurney carrying Anthony Boscorelli. They made haste to get him past Bosco and into the ambulance with out further delay.
As Carlos closed the back doors, he and Kim exchanged a silent conversation. They'd been getting better at that, conveying thoughts without even saying a word.he glanced back at her across the street, a nod of concern for both patients, before getting in the bus and taking off.
Kim and a newer, nameless, man brought Bosco up and into the ambulance. The gingerly set the gurney in place and the new guy went around to the drivers seat.
Faith looked around briefly, Sasha with cuffs firmly placed around Mikey's wrists, Sully, Ty, Lieutenant Swersky, all stood within her sight. She took another deep breath and stepped up into the ambulance.
Inside the ambulance, it was all business. Faith sat to the side, watching as Kim produced a pair of scissors, cutting from the hem of her partner's shirt up to the neck, and pulling the bloodstained material aside.
She sucked in a breath as she saw the damage, quickly averting her eyes. A bullet-hole was not a pretty sight to begin with, but on Bosco...well, that was another thing entirely. Until it was covered with a thick pad of gauze, she looked at the floor, slick with Bosco's blood.
Kim started an IV while Faith watched, her eyes on the needle as it entered the skin, disappearing into his vein. She secured the needle with tape, and reached for some fresh gauze, replacing the soaked ones.
"Hurry it up!" she called to the driver, getting the equipment set up.
Her eye caught Faith's worried gaze as she applied pressure to the wound on Bosco's right side.
Kim looked up and into Faiths worried eyes. She stepped over the gurney and busied herself on Faith side, giving her a reassuring glance whenever she had the time. Faith nodded in thanks and was about to verbalize a question burning in her mind, when she was interrupted by Bosco's next painful shriek.
"ARGGGGH!" his back arched and his eyes swelled shut. Faith searched for a cause of his pain, and as soon as Bosco became still again, she saw it.
The new patch of gauze Kim had placed over his wound had been disturb and was now a brilliant shade of red against his still pallid skin.
"Take it easy on those turns!" Kim yelled to the driver as she redressed the hole in Bosco's side.
Faith took Bosco's hand in hers, clutching it tightly, offering him some sembalance of strength through touch, and turned to Kim. "He's going to make it...isn't he?"
Kim looked up, her hair falling into her eyes, which promised nothing.
She nodded, tightening her grip on Bosco. "He's gonna be okay."
But even as she said it, she wasn't sure. His skin was too pale, bloodless. His eyes were now closed, sunken and ringed in shadows, and his lips were tinged with blue.
Kim appeared with an oxygen mask, settling it securely over his nose and mouth, a worried frown on her face.
"What?" Faith asked. "What is it?"
"Nothing," she lied by omission then turned to the man driving, "how long?"
The man shook his head and looked at a street sign then turned briefly to speak to Kim, "'Bout three minutes out."
Faith cursed and looked down at Bosco, then back up at Kim, "Does he have that long?"
Kim pursed her lips in a straight line, looking down at Bosco, then looking back up with a sigh. "Honestly?"
Faith nodded, "Tell me."
"I don't know," Kim said, but not with hope.
Faith looked back down to her partner. "Hang on Bosco..."
Her grasp on Bosco hand tightened, and to her surprise, it was reciprocated. She followed the path of Bosco's arm and looked into his face. His eyes remained closed and his face in general was emotionless. But he was there; she felt it.
***
They arrived at the hospital within minutes and she watched helplessly as Kim and the doctors and nurses rushed him into a room.
Faith insisted she go in, pushing past Proctor as she was sure Bosco had done months before when the situation was reversed.
The doctors and nurses, having ushered the stretcher into a room, quickly pulled the curtain shut, closing her partner off from the rest of the world.
Kim fell back with Faith, watching the curtain rustle as movement took place behind it. There was nothing more she could do...
Faith turned around, silently wiping a tear away with the back of her hand; The stain of Bosco's blood still on the front of them. She hoped nobody had noticed, but of course Kim had.
"C'mon, lets get you cleaned up," Kim softly put her hand on Faiths back and guided her to the doctor's lounge.
Faith allowed herself to be lead back to the sink, and Kim turned the water on, sending a warm stream into the basin, then stepping off to another sink to wash her own hands.
Faith reached out, adjusting the water until it was scalding, and only then placed her hands underneath, seeing the red swirl down the drain. A bit of sterilizing soap created a frothy pink sea.
Faith felt sick.
Her best friend was lying in a bed, dying, or maybe already dead, and she could do nothing but wash him away.
Kim walked back over to Faith, and together they walked out of the lounge. Kim spotted an empty seat for Faith and sat down with her. This was going to be a long night.
***
So much time seemed to pass, but in reality it had only been ten minutes.
There were still signs of movement behind the curtain, Faith noted, exhaling deeply, relieved. As long as they were still working, her partner was still alive.
With a sudden thought, she turned to Kim. "What happened to Anthony Boscorelli?"
Kim shook her head. "I don't know...I came in with you, remember?"
Faith nodded. "Right. Sorry."
"We can find out, though," she said, raising her eyebrows to the cop. With a nod from Faith, both women stood and walked over to the nurse's station.
Kim was the only one who could speak. Faith was busy watching the curtain between her and her partner sway. She watched as nurses flew in and out, bring more and more equipment with them, and coming out with more and more blood splattered on their scrubs.
"Faith?" Kim brought her back to attention before continuing. "He's uh…" she started.
"What?" Faith asked anxiously, her mind still on Bosco.
"His dad," Kim explaind, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's in critical condition...in surgery right now. They're not sure -"
"Good," Faith cut in. "Let the bastard die."
Kim's eye's widened in shock.
Faith, noticing this, shrugged. "He deserves it. What kind of father could do this to his son?"
Kim could only shake her head, thinking of Jimmy and Joey.
Faith shook her head and went to sit back down. Her head was hung low and Kim could tell she just needed to be alone, needed to sort through her thoughts.
Faith didn't protest as she left, she only looked up again toward Bosco's direction. Maybe if she didn't look away, he wouldn't leave her.
"Faith!" Swersky yelled, coming down the hallway of the ER.
She didn't move.
"Faith, what happened!?" He sat next to her and waited for her to respond.
"He shot him…" her eyes still didn't move. They never left the curtain.
"Who?"
"They shot each other, it was just too fast…" she was in a zone now. Somewhere between denial and fear, and that was never a good mix.
Swersky turned to look at the other police officers who had now arrived. He stood and excused himself to find a more accurate source of answers. He needed to find Michael Boscorelli.
Faith had adopted what was well known as the 'thousand yard stare'. She sat unmoving in the uncomfortable chair, eyes unfocused but staring straight ahead. It was as if she were trying to develop X-Ray vision in order to see behind that damn curtain that held her away from Bosco.
Such a simple thing...a thin sheet of cloth that served as an impenetrable barrier. Even with her power of a policewoman, she could not pass that barrier.
A sharp noise made Faith blink suddenly, eyes coming back into focus. At first it was barely audible to her, but as she shook away the cobwebs, the noise seemed the only thing she could hear. It infiltrated her senses, overwhelming her, and she slowly realized what it was.
The curtain was torn aside, and almost in slow motion, a nurse appeared, hair disheveled, eyes searching frantically.
"We need a crash cart in here NOW!" she screamed, her voice grating on Faith's frayed nerves. "We're losing him!"
***
Carlos and Levine strode by, wheeling a gurney carrying Anthony Boscorelli. They made haste to get him past Bosco and into the ambulance with out further delay.
As Carlos closed the back doors, he and Kim exchanged a silent conversation. They'd been getting better at that, conveying thoughts without even saying a word.he glanced back at her across the street, a nod of concern for both patients, before getting in the bus and taking off.
Kim and a newer, nameless, man brought Bosco up and into the ambulance. The gingerly set the gurney in place and the new guy went around to the drivers seat.
Faith looked around briefly, Sasha with cuffs firmly placed around Mikey's wrists, Sully, Ty, Lieutenant Swersky, all stood within her sight. She took another deep breath and stepped up into the ambulance.
Inside the ambulance, it was all business. Faith sat to the side, watching as Kim produced a pair of scissors, cutting from the hem of her partner's shirt up to the neck, and pulling the bloodstained material aside.
She sucked in a breath as she saw the damage, quickly averting her eyes. A bullet-hole was not a pretty sight to begin with, but on Bosco...well, that was another thing entirely. Until it was covered with a thick pad of gauze, she looked at the floor, slick with Bosco's blood.
Kim started an IV while Faith watched, her eyes on the needle as it entered the skin, disappearing into his vein. She secured the needle with tape, and reached for some fresh gauze, replacing the soaked ones.
"Hurry it up!" she called to the driver, getting the equipment set up.
Her eye caught Faith's worried gaze as she applied pressure to the wound on Bosco's right side.
Kim looked up and into Faiths worried eyes. She stepped over the gurney and busied herself on Faith side, giving her a reassuring glance whenever she had the time. Faith nodded in thanks and was about to verbalize a question burning in her mind, when she was interrupted by Bosco's next painful shriek.
"ARGGGGH!" his back arched and his eyes swelled shut. Faith searched for a cause of his pain, and as soon as Bosco became still again, she saw it.
The new patch of gauze Kim had placed over his wound had been disturb and was now a brilliant shade of red against his still pallid skin.
"Take it easy on those turns!" Kim yelled to the driver as she redressed the hole in Bosco's side.
Faith took Bosco's hand in hers, clutching it tightly, offering him some sembalance of strength through touch, and turned to Kim. "He's going to make it...isn't he?"
Kim looked up, her hair falling into her eyes, which promised nothing.
She nodded, tightening her grip on Bosco. "He's gonna be okay."
But even as she said it, she wasn't sure. His skin was too pale, bloodless. His eyes were now closed, sunken and ringed in shadows, and his lips were tinged with blue.
Kim appeared with an oxygen mask, settling it securely over his nose and mouth, a worried frown on her face.
"What?" Faith asked. "What is it?"
"Nothing," she lied by omission then turned to the man driving, "how long?"
The man shook his head and looked at a street sign then turned briefly to speak to Kim, "'Bout three minutes out."
Faith cursed and looked down at Bosco, then back up at Kim, "Does he have that long?"
Kim pursed her lips in a straight line, looking down at Bosco, then looking back up with a sigh. "Honestly?"
Faith nodded, "Tell me."
"I don't know," Kim said, but not with hope.
Faith looked back down to her partner. "Hang on Bosco..."
Her grasp on Bosco hand tightened, and to her surprise, it was reciprocated. She followed the path of Bosco's arm and looked into his face. His eyes remained closed and his face in general was emotionless. But he was there; she felt it.
***
They arrived at the hospital within minutes and she watched helplessly as Kim and the doctors and nurses rushed him into a room.
Faith insisted she go in, pushing past Proctor as she was sure Bosco had done months before when the situation was reversed.
The doctors and nurses, having ushered the stretcher into a room, quickly pulled the curtain shut, closing her partner off from the rest of the world.
Kim fell back with Faith, watching the curtain rustle as movement took place behind it. There was nothing more she could do...
Faith turned around, silently wiping a tear away with the back of her hand; The stain of Bosco's blood still on the front of them. She hoped nobody had noticed, but of course Kim had.
"C'mon, lets get you cleaned up," Kim softly put her hand on Faiths back and guided her to the doctor's lounge.
Faith allowed herself to be lead back to the sink, and Kim turned the water on, sending a warm stream into the basin, then stepping off to another sink to wash her own hands.
Faith reached out, adjusting the water until it was scalding, and only then placed her hands underneath, seeing the red swirl down the drain. A bit of sterilizing soap created a frothy pink sea.
Faith felt sick.
Her best friend was lying in a bed, dying, or maybe already dead, and she could do nothing but wash him away.
Kim walked back over to Faith, and together they walked out of the lounge. Kim spotted an empty seat for Faith and sat down with her. This was going to be a long night.
***
So much time seemed to pass, but in reality it had only been ten minutes.
There were still signs of movement behind the curtain, Faith noted, exhaling deeply, relieved. As long as they were still working, her partner was still alive.
With a sudden thought, she turned to Kim. "What happened to Anthony Boscorelli?"
Kim shook her head. "I don't know...I came in with you, remember?"
Faith nodded. "Right. Sorry."
"We can find out, though," she said, raising her eyebrows to the cop. With a nod from Faith, both women stood and walked over to the nurse's station.
Kim was the only one who could speak. Faith was busy watching the curtain between her and her partner sway. She watched as nurses flew in and out, bring more and more equipment with them, and coming out with more and more blood splattered on their scrubs.
"Faith?" Kim brought her back to attention before continuing. "He's uh…" she started.
"What?" Faith asked anxiously, her mind still on Bosco.
"His dad," Kim explaind, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's in critical condition...in surgery right now. They're not sure -"
"Good," Faith cut in. "Let the bastard die."
Kim's eye's widened in shock.
Faith, noticing this, shrugged. "He deserves it. What kind of father could do this to his son?"
Kim could only shake her head, thinking of Jimmy and Joey.
Faith shook her head and went to sit back down. Her head was hung low and Kim could tell she just needed to be alone, needed to sort through her thoughts.
Faith didn't protest as she left, she only looked up again toward Bosco's direction. Maybe if she didn't look away, he wouldn't leave her.
"Faith!" Swersky yelled, coming down the hallway of the ER.
She didn't move.
"Faith, what happened!?" He sat next to her and waited for her to respond.
"He shot him…" her eyes still didn't move. They never left the curtain.
"Who?"
"They shot each other, it was just too fast…" she was in a zone now. Somewhere between denial and fear, and that was never a good mix.
Swersky turned to look at the other police officers who had now arrived. He stood and excused himself to find a more accurate source of answers. He needed to find Michael Boscorelli.
Faith had adopted what was well known as the 'thousand yard stare'. She sat unmoving in the uncomfortable chair, eyes unfocused but staring straight ahead. It was as if she were trying to develop X-Ray vision in order to see behind that damn curtain that held her away from Bosco.
Such a simple thing...a thin sheet of cloth that served as an impenetrable barrier. Even with her power of a policewoman, she could not pass that barrier.
A sharp noise made Faith blink suddenly, eyes coming back into focus. At first it was barely audible to her, but as she shook away the cobwebs, the noise seemed the only thing she could hear. It infiltrated her senses, overwhelming her, and she slowly realized what it was.
The curtain was torn aside, and almost in slow motion, a nurse appeared, hair disheveled, eyes searching frantically.
"We need a crash cart in here NOW!" she screamed, her voice grating on Faith's frayed nerves. "We're losing him!"