Title: Brotherly Love

Rating: K+, for swearing- This is the Boscorelli brothers we're talking about!

Spoilers: Up to and including the fourth season. This fiction does not extend past that point in the series.

Summary: Bosco and his brother get into a heated argument, Bos is seriously injured shortly afterwards, leaving his younger brother guilt ridden.

Special Note: This is the edited version of chapter eight, enjoy!

Brotherly Love

Chapter Eight: No Longer Afraid

December 24th/03

Faith snuggled up to Fred on the couch as they watched the kids watch Christmas specials. It was Christmas Eve and everything was in order. In the span of just two days, she and Mikey had somehow managed to raise the amount of cash that they needed for Bosco's car, it was practically a miracle.

Faith had just got off the phone with Fred's friend Steve, and the arrangements had been made. Fred had volunteered to pick up the car tomorrow around noon after he dropped off her and the kids at the hospital.

Bosco was going to be fine, he would be released in another week and from there would do the rest of his recovering at home. He had already asked Lieu when he could come back to work.

Faith rested her head on her husbands shoulder and whispered quietly, "I can't believe how well everything has turned out."

Fred smiled down at his wife and put his arm around her shoulders.

Angel of Mercy

Rose watched her son's chest rise and fall slowly as he slept. She smiled to herself, realizing that her son was not having another nightmarish dream about his past. He was sleeping peacefully, for the first time in a while.

Beside Rose, Mikey stood. He quietly slipped his hand through his mothers and squeezed it gently. Angela looked over at him and smiled, her eyes showing relief and happiness for the first time in ages.

The young Boscorelli looked around Bosco's hospital room, he had been moved from the ICU into a more comfortable and private environment. Faith had been over for much of the day, as well as some of his fellow officers and friends. They had all decided that since it was Christmas Eve, they should get into a festive mood. All of them brought a little bit of Christmas.

Faith had brought over some Christmas ornaments and that fake snow you put around the Christmas tree. She had set it up on Maurice's window and had made it look like a little town covered knee deep in snow. The chapel that had also come with it was plugged in, and its lights glowed yellow in the dim room.

Most of his comrades had brought over stuff like tinsel, chocolate and mistletoe, which had been hung on the inside of Bosco's door.

"Somebody let me know when that cute brunette nurse comes back; I want to be standing underneath that door when she comes in!" Bosco had cracked, even though earlier he had tried to stop his friends from making his room festive.

Everyone knew that he was still sour about losing his car, but none of them minded, they all knew Bosco would be getting right back into the festive cheer after he got his surprise tomorrow.

Mikey personally couldn't wait until tomorrow, not only because of his brother's surprise, but for the simple reason that Melissa would be there. He had finally gutted up the courage to call her earlier this morning and invite her, she had accepted cheerily and said she couldn't wait.

Someone entering the room broke Mikey from his train of thoughts. He turned towards the door and felt all the blood drain from his face. "Dad?" He whispered, in total shock.

Rose let out a small gasp and breathed, "Louie, what are you doing here?!"

There in the flesh, stood Louie Boscorelli, still with his taxi cab hat on.

Louie stepped into the room without any hesitation and said with an air of authority, "I saw what happened on the news. Figured I'd come and ask how he survived." He snorted with laughter when he saw his eldest son sleeping in the bed.

"Guardrails? What the hell is with that? The brat needed those when he was younger; he's a poor excuse of a man now, but a man nonetheless. He doesn't need any stupid guardrails." Louie chuckled to himself.

"Those are hospital rules. He doesn't have a choice." Rose murmured warily, unsure of what her former husband was still capable of.

Louie ignored his ex-wife and turned his attention to Mikey, who stood straighter and looked right back at him.

"You, you were the one who got him out of the car weren't you?" He stated simply.

"Yes." Mikey replied evenly.

"Hah, the one time you actually aren't a coward is the time when you don't need to be brave. You should have let him die, a loser like Maurice deserves to burn." Louie lashed out meanly, glaring at Bosco.

Rose slowly backed away from Louie, brushing against Bosco's hand as she got closer to him. Even though her son was sleeping, she still felt safe in his presence.

Mikey felt his blood boil with rage and new that the color in his face was rushing back. "Get out." He growled.

Louie didn't move.

"GET OUT." Mikey said, louder and more threateningly.

Bosco heard his brother and slowly awoke from his slumber. He brought his hands up to his face and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, trying to figure out why his brother sounded so upset. Slowly he sat up and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the scene before him. His ma stood very close to his bedside and her face was pale, he could see her body trembling slightly. Mikey was on the opposite side of the bed and was glaring at the one and only Louie Boscorelli.

"Dad!?" Bosco's voice rose as his eyes widened.

Louie simply grinned at his son.

Bosco felt his body start to tremble along with his mothers, but unlike her, he was trembling in pure anger. Not believing that his father would actually dare come near him or his family.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Bosco growled, gripping the silver rails on either side of him tightly.

"What, can't I visit my own son?" Louie asked, pretending to be hurt and offended.

"I don't consider myself your son. So listen to Mikey and get the hell out of here." Bosco said angrily. Fucking jag off!

"Just how do you plan on making me? Oh that's right…you CAN'T. Know why, because you're USELESS." Louie said loudly.

"He may not be able to, but I sure as hell can." Mikey muttered, looking up at his father with his hands curled up into fists.

Louie just laughed. "Oh I'm sooooo scared." He smiled thinly.

Mikey looked back at his brother, who looked up at him and nodded encouragingly.

"Get the FUCK out of here." Mikey shouted, stepping closer to his father and raising his fist. Even though his brother was obviously unable to help him, he felt a sudden wave determination course through his body. He wasn't afraid.

Louie stopped laughing and took a step back, suddenly realizing that his younger son was not fooling around. He's not afraid anymore, he thought to himself, suddenly feeling scared.

Mikey saw the fear and surprise in his father's eyes and glared at him intensely.

"Is everything okay in here?" A voice suddenly asked from the door.

Mikey broke eye contact with Louie and looked over at a nurse who had come in to check Bosco's blood pressure.

"Everything is fine, I was just leaving." Louie said quickly. He looked at his family before quickly leaving the room and their lives, and this time they knew that it was forever.

"You sure everything is ok?" The nurse asked again soon after Louie had left.

Mikey looked at his brother, who was lying back down and, to his surprise, was smiling slightly.

"Everything is perfect." Bosco answered, looking at his brother proudly before he closed his eyes and let the nurse do her work.

Mikey looked over at Rose, who looked back at him, her eyes bright. She nodded at him slightly and allowed herself a small smile, the pride she felt for him evident on her face.

I stood up to him. I BEAT him, and I'm not afraid. Mikey thought to himself quietly, knowing that Maurice was right.

Everything was perfect.

TBC

One more chapter to go!