Mercedes walked out of the station as slowly, everyone came from the Precinct and out of the station. She just walked by her own brother, and friends, not even acknowledging them. Carlos came down, he knew not to bother her, but he was crushed. He knew she couldn't handle this, but he knew not to go after her. He went to his car as Bosco, Ty, and Sasha walked up. He looked at them and sighed.
"Where is she going?" Bosco looked at his brother-in-law.
"I don't know. She called in 1 week's leave for the Third Watch and walked out. Everyone, including our children are pissed off at her. I don't even know what to do. Angelina, Robyn, Kylie, Carlos, Angela, they are all pissed off at her. They wouldn't even look at her when she talked. I don't know what I'm gunna do. I know I need to talk to them, but I don't know what to say. I can't tell me own children not to be mad about what happened. It happened, and they should be, but not at their mother. I don't know what to do."
"We'll call the kids, tell them to meet at your place. We will get everyone together and talk about it. It's all we can do. They need to understand what happened, and why she is so affected by it. Let's start calling." Ty sighed and dialed Angelina's number.
"Calling whom?" Mikey and Tyrone walked up behind Bosco and Ty, and looked at Carlos.
"We're calling all of the kids, to get them together; to talk about what happened today. Can you get John, and Mitchell? Tell them to come here." Ty said softly, rubbing his son's baldhead.
"Sure, Dad." Tyrone ran across the street to get them.
"Angelina, hi, it's Dad. I want you meet me at the Boscorelli house. Don't argue with me. We need to talk, and now. Who are you with? Good, bring them too. And a 30 rack. We're gunna need it." He hung up with her as Mitchell and John came out with Tyrone. They looked at each other and wondered what was going on.
"All right, Angelina, Kylie, Robyn, Angela and Carlos are meeting us there. Is that all of them?" They stood around; thinking about they might be missing.
"I think that's all of them, minus Charlie." Bosco looked up at Ty.
"All right, let's go. I'll call Sasha and tell her to meet us there." They all moved to their cars and drove away.
~~~~~
They entire team, except for Jimmy, Kim, Faith, Mercedes and Charlie sat around the Boscorelli house. They weren't sure why they were there, but they were, and they thought they were in trouble. Ty stood up and called them to all pay attention. He stood against the wall, facing all of them with Sasha, Carlos and Maurice next to him.
"We called you all here to talk about what happened. Now, we hear that some of you are pissed off at Mercedes for what happened. Explain."
"She had no right to take us out of there. Joey was our family, and she brushed his death off like it was just another body. That's messed up." Angelina was the first to talk. She was sitting on Mikey's lap.
"Yeah, she just acted like it was nothing. She always does when something happens. She has no feelings anymore." Robyn said, as she sat next to Tyrone and Mitchell.
"Anyone else have something to say before we explain why she did that?" Maurice looked at Robyn, shaking his head. They all shook their heads. They knew they were gunna get a speech.
"All right. We will tell you each about Mercedes and why she is like that, starting with when she first joined the squad." Maurice said softly, looking towards Carlos to start.
"Mercedes was 19 when she joined the squad. She fought a battle with Anorexia that prevented her from joining at 18. Anthony, her father, was a drunk and an abusive man. She, as well as her brothers Mikey and Maurice suffered through it their whole lives. When she was 20, her best friend since childhood, Bobby Caffee, died after being killed by his brother, Mikey's best friend. That almost killed her as well as Kim. She got over it, only to have her brother, Mikey, shot and killed in a drug war." He cut off, to let Maurice continue.
"Mercedes took a long time to get over what happened to Mikey. And she miscarried her first child over it. Before her and Carlos got serious she was kidnapped and raped, then tortured. She has led a hard life, as well as all of the Boscorelli's. Mercedes also had the agony of having a stillborn baby her second time being pregnant." He quieted, looking at Ty.
"Now, imagine going through all of that and not even being 25. Then, on top of that, losing your other best friend, and female firefighter, to an explosion almost identical to Joey's death. Alex Taylor died, while standing on top of a car, trying to help a trapped victim. One of the cars blew up, and killed her. Now, imagine, living that childhood, busting your ass to make it, only to be torn down and surrounded by tragedy. On the day Alex died, she lost her father figure, Lieutenant Johnson, also. But, your lives are so hard, let's not forget that. You live in her shoes for 1 year, and you will see the torment and pain she goes through everyday." He looked at each of the children.
They all sat, hanging their heads. They didn't know what to say. They sighed and looked up, as there was a knock on the door. Carlos went to answer it and looked Kim and Jimmy in the face. They moved into the room, after hearing there was a group meeting.
"What are you all talking about?" Jimmy looked at each child, his eyes rid rimmed.
"What happened to Joey and why everyone is mad at Mercedes for what she did."
"What did she do?"
"She made everyone go back to work after they confirmed Joey was dead."
"Good, I didn't want a crowd there when we left." Jimmy looked at all the kids and shook his head.
"You lost your friend, and all you can do is be pissed off at your Lieutenant? Of all the selfish acts. I have worked with your Lieutenant for almost 30 years, she is the most unselfish, caring people in the world. I don't blame her for Joey's death, it was an accident. A terrible accident. Now stop moping about how mean she is and go about your lives. Someday she won't be there to baby you guys when you make dumb mistakes, and you'll regret everything bad you thought about her." Jimmy moved towards the bathroom, to get sick as Kim looked at the kids, not sure what to do.
"The funeral is in 3 days. We would appreciate it if you were all there." She walked away, to help Jimmy.
"Where is she going?" Bosco looked at his brother-in-law.
"I don't know. She called in 1 week's leave for the Third Watch and walked out. Everyone, including our children are pissed off at her. I don't even know what to do. Angelina, Robyn, Kylie, Carlos, Angela, they are all pissed off at her. They wouldn't even look at her when she talked. I don't know what I'm gunna do. I know I need to talk to them, but I don't know what to say. I can't tell me own children not to be mad about what happened. It happened, and they should be, but not at their mother. I don't know what to do."
"We'll call the kids, tell them to meet at your place. We will get everyone together and talk about it. It's all we can do. They need to understand what happened, and why she is so affected by it. Let's start calling." Ty sighed and dialed Angelina's number.
"Calling whom?" Mikey and Tyrone walked up behind Bosco and Ty, and looked at Carlos.
"We're calling all of the kids, to get them together; to talk about what happened today. Can you get John, and Mitchell? Tell them to come here." Ty said softly, rubbing his son's baldhead.
"Sure, Dad." Tyrone ran across the street to get them.
"Angelina, hi, it's Dad. I want you meet me at the Boscorelli house. Don't argue with me. We need to talk, and now. Who are you with? Good, bring them too. And a 30 rack. We're gunna need it." He hung up with her as Mitchell and John came out with Tyrone. They looked at each other and wondered what was going on.
"All right, Angelina, Kylie, Robyn, Angela and Carlos are meeting us there. Is that all of them?" They stood around; thinking about they might be missing.
"I think that's all of them, minus Charlie." Bosco looked up at Ty.
"All right, let's go. I'll call Sasha and tell her to meet us there." They all moved to their cars and drove away.
~~~~~
They entire team, except for Jimmy, Kim, Faith, Mercedes and Charlie sat around the Boscorelli house. They weren't sure why they were there, but they were, and they thought they were in trouble. Ty stood up and called them to all pay attention. He stood against the wall, facing all of them with Sasha, Carlos and Maurice next to him.
"We called you all here to talk about what happened. Now, we hear that some of you are pissed off at Mercedes for what happened. Explain."
"She had no right to take us out of there. Joey was our family, and she brushed his death off like it was just another body. That's messed up." Angelina was the first to talk. She was sitting on Mikey's lap.
"Yeah, she just acted like it was nothing. She always does when something happens. She has no feelings anymore." Robyn said, as she sat next to Tyrone and Mitchell.
"Anyone else have something to say before we explain why she did that?" Maurice looked at Robyn, shaking his head. They all shook their heads. They knew they were gunna get a speech.
"All right. We will tell you each about Mercedes and why she is like that, starting with when she first joined the squad." Maurice said softly, looking towards Carlos to start.
"Mercedes was 19 when she joined the squad. She fought a battle with Anorexia that prevented her from joining at 18. Anthony, her father, was a drunk and an abusive man. She, as well as her brothers Mikey and Maurice suffered through it their whole lives. When she was 20, her best friend since childhood, Bobby Caffee, died after being killed by his brother, Mikey's best friend. That almost killed her as well as Kim. She got over it, only to have her brother, Mikey, shot and killed in a drug war." He cut off, to let Maurice continue.
"Mercedes took a long time to get over what happened to Mikey. And she miscarried her first child over it. Before her and Carlos got serious she was kidnapped and raped, then tortured. She has led a hard life, as well as all of the Boscorelli's. Mercedes also had the agony of having a stillborn baby her second time being pregnant." He quieted, looking at Ty.
"Now, imagine going through all of that and not even being 25. Then, on top of that, losing your other best friend, and female firefighter, to an explosion almost identical to Joey's death. Alex Taylor died, while standing on top of a car, trying to help a trapped victim. One of the cars blew up, and killed her. Now, imagine, living that childhood, busting your ass to make it, only to be torn down and surrounded by tragedy. On the day Alex died, she lost her father figure, Lieutenant Johnson, also. But, your lives are so hard, let's not forget that. You live in her shoes for 1 year, and you will see the torment and pain she goes through everyday." He looked at each of the children.
They all sat, hanging their heads. They didn't know what to say. They sighed and looked up, as there was a knock on the door. Carlos went to answer it and looked Kim and Jimmy in the face. They moved into the room, after hearing there was a group meeting.
"What are you all talking about?" Jimmy looked at each child, his eyes rid rimmed.
"What happened to Joey and why everyone is mad at Mercedes for what she did."
"What did she do?"
"She made everyone go back to work after they confirmed Joey was dead."
"Good, I didn't want a crowd there when we left." Jimmy looked at all the kids and shook his head.
"You lost your friend, and all you can do is be pissed off at your Lieutenant? Of all the selfish acts. I have worked with your Lieutenant for almost 30 years, she is the most unselfish, caring people in the world. I don't blame her for Joey's death, it was an accident. A terrible accident. Now stop moping about how mean she is and go about your lives. Someday she won't be there to baby you guys when you make dumb mistakes, and you'll regret everything bad you thought about her." Jimmy moved towards the bathroom, to get sick as Kim looked at the kids, not sure what to do.
"The funeral is in 3 days. We would appreciate it if you were all there." She walked away, to help Jimmy.