Once again I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and helpful
comments. I was sure that no one would want to read more after the last
chapter. I am sorry that I shocked so many people with the death of Faith.
Honestly, it was hard for me to write, as she is one of my favorite
characters.
Ok. This chapter is not all sunshine and roses. After the last one, I could not really follow it up with the same gaiety as in the first few chapters. We will get back to that I promise!
Bosco's Girl
Chapter 6 - Picking up the Pieces
His cell phone woke him up. Groggily, Bosco reached for it shook his head to clear the cobwebs, then answered. "Bos? Where are you? It's 3 am!" said the sweet voice of his wife. "I'm still at the house," he answered feeling a small smile cross his face as he pictured her. "Are you ok?" she asked. "You sound strange." "Just. remembering," Bosco said softly. "I paired Mia tonight and." "I'll be there in a few minutes," she interrupted. "You shouldn't be alone." "No, I'm ok." Bos insisted. "Sweetie, really, I need to be alone right now. I may be here all night, so go to sleep and don't worry about me." "Well," was the hesitant response, "Ok, but call me. I love you." "I love you more babes," Bosco smiled and ended the call. He was lucky. He had found true love for a second time, although it had taken him a long time to realize it.
He cleaned up the mess on the floor of his office before he sank back into the couch and covered his eyes.
1. *
It was vague. He knew that Carlos and Kim were there. He knew that Ty was there, after all, it was Ty that was holding him back so the medics could work on her. All he wanted to do was hold her. Keep her near him. They were doing everything in their power, but it was in vain. They knew it and so did Bosco.
Then he was at the hospital, with absolutely no recollection of how he got there. Did he ride with Faith? Did Ty bring him? He was pretty sure that he had not driven himself. It seemed like the entire Force was there. There were too many people around, and he could not focus.
He felt his chest start to tighten. He started to gasp for air. Then there were arms around him helping him sit down, and doctors. There had to be at least three doctors hovering over him. What were they doing here? They should be working on that punk kid! He knew there was no hope for his beloved Faith, but that punk kid.
"Bos, relax," Ty's voice came from behind him. He knew it was Ty that had helped him to the floor. Bosco struggled to get to his feet while the doctors tried to get vitals from him.
Then Swersky was there. His face ashen and his eyes shining with unshed tears. He made an announcement to the gathered officers. Both Officer Boscorelli and Officer Keith had been killed in the line of duty.
Everyone was gone. Except for Ty. They had been taken to a private room where Bos collapsed into a chair and buried his face in his hands. "Ty, she's gone."
"I know Bos, I know," Ty said quietly. He went over to his friend and put his arm around Bosco's hunched shoulders. "We will get through this though, I promise."
"Fred," Bosco said sitting up suddenly. "We need to call Fred! Emily and Charlie. they need to know. Her parents, Ma. Where is the phone?"
"Bos, I don't think you need to worry about this," Ty said quietly. "Lieu said he would make the calls, don't you remember?"
"Knock, knock," came a quiet voice from the doorway. Bosco looked over quickly and saw Kim standing there holding Mia. She stepped tentatively into the room and looked down at Bosco. "Bos."
"Thanks Kim," he said and stretched out his arms toward his baby. "Thanks for bringing her." He felt the weight of his daughter as Kim placed her in his arms. He buried his nose into her curly blonde hair and smelled her clean sweet baby scent.
"Bos." Kim started again then quickly gave he and Mia a hug before she disappeared back out the door, brushing tears from her face as she left.
He sat, lost, holding Mia tenderly. The baby curled into her father's shoulder and buried her tiny nose into Bosco's neck, then fell fast asleep. "I'm so lucky," he said softly looking over at Ty who was dabbing his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Bos?" his friend questioned as he glanced up.
"I have Mia," Bosco said. I may have lost my Faith, the only woman that I really loved, but I still have my daughter. No one can take her away. He fell silent for a moment as he gently stroked his daughter's back. "Faith was pregnant again. Did you know that Ty?"
"Oh my god. Bosco, I'm so sorry!" Ty exclaimed in a tearful voice.
"Actually," Bosco hesitated, "Its ok, because I have Maria to look after down here and she's got the baby up there with her. We each got to keep a part of each other."
Ty nodded and watched as Bosco dissolved into tears again. "God Ty, I miss her already."
"Officer Boscorelli?" A voice interrupted.
Both men looked up to see a doctor dressed in green scrubs.
"You can go in and see her now if you want. Take your time. She is in the second room on your left.
Bosco nodded and managed to thank the doctor. He took a deep breath then handed the baby to Ty. His body moved on autopilot as he opened the door and walked the short distance to the room that the doctor had indicated as Faith's.
She looked very peaceful. She was covered to her chest with her arms over the blankets. They had taken the tubes out and had cleaned the blood off her. She looked for the entire world as if she was sleeping. Bosco reached over and took her hand. It was so soft. He lifted it to his lips and kissed the cool skin. Her hands were always cold, so were her feet. He smiled vaguely at the memory of her warming them on his back. He touched her soft hair then pressed his lips to her forehead. Tears spilled down his cheeks again and he put his head down on the bed, crying silently.
He did not know how much time he spent in that tiny room with her, but after a considerable amount of time he gave her one final kiss then walked unsteadily back out to Mia.
Everyone was there. Fred, Emily, Charlie, and her parents were all sitting in the room, not talking, and not crying just sitting in shocked silence. Emily was holding onto her baby sister tightly. Mia saw her father and made a funny squeaking noise. As much as he wanted to hold his baby, he knew that Emily needed her more at that moment.
"Fred," he started and his voice broke. He wanted to tell him that he was sorry but the words would not come. Bosco sank onto the nearest chair, ran his hand over his eyes and told them that they could go in and see her if they wanted. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell went next. They were in and out in less than five minutes. Then Fred went in. Neither of Faith's older children wanted to see their mother. They preferred to remember her the way she was a few days ago when they were staying at the Boscorellis.
There were plans to be made. Fortunately, the Department took care of most of them. The following days were very hard for Bosco and the rest of Faith's family. The most difficult day for Bosco was the day after the funeral when the extended family left and he was alone. Ty had offered to stay with him, but Bosco knew that it was time to start healing.
Mia made it easier. Bosco had to get up and take care of his daughter. He had to figure out what 'normal' now was. The baby of course did not understand that her mother was gone. She would fuss for hours on end nearly driving Bosco to tears. Then she would inevitably fall asleep curled up on her fathers shoulder with her nose buried in his neck. He would just hold her and think.
The first 'crisis' came on the first day they were alone. Faith had been freezing breast milk for Mia, but the supply in the freezer had quickly run out. Bosco was alone in the house with a hungry baby and nothing to feed her. He knew that he had to get her some formula but did not have the foggiest idea where he had to go to get some, and what he would need. He packed up the crying baby, put her in the car and drove to the nearest grocery store. He located the isle that read 'baby food' and felt his eyes pop as he looked at the zillions of tiny jars of food. He continued down the isle then stopped short when he saw the 15 different kinds of formula. "Concentrated," he read aloud as he tried to figure out what he needed. "Powdered, Ready to Feed. That is the one! Ok, Mia hang on, we are almost there. pink, blue, yellow, purple, white, or green?"
"Bos?" a familiar voice asked "What are you doing here?"
"Kim!" Bosco nearly shouted as relief flooded through his body. "Am I ever glad to see you! I have nothing for her to eat. I have no clue what to buy. Help, please help."
She picked up the pink box of ready to feed formula and put it into his cart. "Do you have bottles and brushes at home?"
"Yes?" Bosco said. "I mean we have a couple of bottles, but I should probably get more."
Kim helped Bosco pick out the items that he needed then followed him home to help him prepare the bottles. In short order, she had Maria eating contentedly in her father's arms.
"How can I thank you?" Bosco asked as he watched his daughter hungrily drink the formula.
"My pleasure," Kim said resting her hand on the baby's head. "Bos, any time you need some help just call."
"You may be sorry that you offered that," Bosco said and flashed her one of his charming grins, which quickly faded. He held his baby a little tighter and felt tears fill his eyes and spill over. "I'm sorry," he said quickly as he brushed the offending moisture away.
"Never be sorry Bos," Kim said "I've got to go pick up Joey, but I want you to call me later."
1. * Bosco realized that the lights in his office had turned themselves off. It happened if you sat still enough for a long enough period. He stood up and the lights clicked on again. He was starting to feel a little cold. He found his NYPD polar fleece, or 'fuzzy' as Mia called it, balled up on the floor by his bag. He shook it out and pulled it over his head before he sat back down on the couch.
Ok. This chapter is not all sunshine and roses. After the last one, I could not really follow it up with the same gaiety as in the first few chapters. We will get back to that I promise!
Bosco's Girl
Chapter 6 - Picking up the Pieces
His cell phone woke him up. Groggily, Bosco reached for it shook his head to clear the cobwebs, then answered. "Bos? Where are you? It's 3 am!" said the sweet voice of his wife. "I'm still at the house," he answered feeling a small smile cross his face as he pictured her. "Are you ok?" she asked. "You sound strange." "Just. remembering," Bosco said softly. "I paired Mia tonight and." "I'll be there in a few minutes," she interrupted. "You shouldn't be alone." "No, I'm ok." Bos insisted. "Sweetie, really, I need to be alone right now. I may be here all night, so go to sleep and don't worry about me." "Well," was the hesitant response, "Ok, but call me. I love you." "I love you more babes," Bosco smiled and ended the call. He was lucky. He had found true love for a second time, although it had taken him a long time to realize it.
He cleaned up the mess on the floor of his office before he sank back into the couch and covered his eyes.
1. *
It was vague. He knew that Carlos and Kim were there. He knew that Ty was there, after all, it was Ty that was holding him back so the medics could work on her. All he wanted to do was hold her. Keep her near him. They were doing everything in their power, but it was in vain. They knew it and so did Bosco.
Then he was at the hospital, with absolutely no recollection of how he got there. Did he ride with Faith? Did Ty bring him? He was pretty sure that he had not driven himself. It seemed like the entire Force was there. There were too many people around, and he could not focus.
He felt his chest start to tighten. He started to gasp for air. Then there were arms around him helping him sit down, and doctors. There had to be at least three doctors hovering over him. What were they doing here? They should be working on that punk kid! He knew there was no hope for his beloved Faith, but that punk kid.
"Bos, relax," Ty's voice came from behind him. He knew it was Ty that had helped him to the floor. Bosco struggled to get to his feet while the doctors tried to get vitals from him.
Then Swersky was there. His face ashen and his eyes shining with unshed tears. He made an announcement to the gathered officers. Both Officer Boscorelli and Officer Keith had been killed in the line of duty.
Everyone was gone. Except for Ty. They had been taken to a private room where Bos collapsed into a chair and buried his face in his hands. "Ty, she's gone."
"I know Bos, I know," Ty said quietly. He went over to his friend and put his arm around Bosco's hunched shoulders. "We will get through this though, I promise."
"Fred," Bosco said sitting up suddenly. "We need to call Fred! Emily and Charlie. they need to know. Her parents, Ma. Where is the phone?"
"Bos, I don't think you need to worry about this," Ty said quietly. "Lieu said he would make the calls, don't you remember?"
"Knock, knock," came a quiet voice from the doorway. Bosco looked over quickly and saw Kim standing there holding Mia. She stepped tentatively into the room and looked down at Bosco. "Bos."
"Thanks Kim," he said and stretched out his arms toward his baby. "Thanks for bringing her." He felt the weight of his daughter as Kim placed her in his arms. He buried his nose into her curly blonde hair and smelled her clean sweet baby scent.
"Bos." Kim started again then quickly gave he and Mia a hug before she disappeared back out the door, brushing tears from her face as she left.
He sat, lost, holding Mia tenderly. The baby curled into her father's shoulder and buried her tiny nose into Bosco's neck, then fell fast asleep. "I'm so lucky," he said softly looking over at Ty who was dabbing his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Bos?" his friend questioned as he glanced up.
"I have Mia," Bosco said. I may have lost my Faith, the only woman that I really loved, but I still have my daughter. No one can take her away. He fell silent for a moment as he gently stroked his daughter's back. "Faith was pregnant again. Did you know that Ty?"
"Oh my god. Bosco, I'm so sorry!" Ty exclaimed in a tearful voice.
"Actually," Bosco hesitated, "Its ok, because I have Maria to look after down here and she's got the baby up there with her. We each got to keep a part of each other."
Ty nodded and watched as Bosco dissolved into tears again. "God Ty, I miss her already."
"Officer Boscorelli?" A voice interrupted.
Both men looked up to see a doctor dressed in green scrubs.
"You can go in and see her now if you want. Take your time. She is in the second room on your left.
Bosco nodded and managed to thank the doctor. He took a deep breath then handed the baby to Ty. His body moved on autopilot as he opened the door and walked the short distance to the room that the doctor had indicated as Faith's.
She looked very peaceful. She was covered to her chest with her arms over the blankets. They had taken the tubes out and had cleaned the blood off her. She looked for the entire world as if she was sleeping. Bosco reached over and took her hand. It was so soft. He lifted it to his lips and kissed the cool skin. Her hands were always cold, so were her feet. He smiled vaguely at the memory of her warming them on his back. He touched her soft hair then pressed his lips to her forehead. Tears spilled down his cheeks again and he put his head down on the bed, crying silently.
He did not know how much time he spent in that tiny room with her, but after a considerable amount of time he gave her one final kiss then walked unsteadily back out to Mia.
Everyone was there. Fred, Emily, Charlie, and her parents were all sitting in the room, not talking, and not crying just sitting in shocked silence. Emily was holding onto her baby sister tightly. Mia saw her father and made a funny squeaking noise. As much as he wanted to hold his baby, he knew that Emily needed her more at that moment.
"Fred," he started and his voice broke. He wanted to tell him that he was sorry but the words would not come. Bosco sank onto the nearest chair, ran his hand over his eyes and told them that they could go in and see her if they wanted. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell went next. They were in and out in less than five minutes. Then Fred went in. Neither of Faith's older children wanted to see their mother. They preferred to remember her the way she was a few days ago when they were staying at the Boscorellis.
There were plans to be made. Fortunately, the Department took care of most of them. The following days were very hard for Bosco and the rest of Faith's family. The most difficult day for Bosco was the day after the funeral when the extended family left and he was alone. Ty had offered to stay with him, but Bosco knew that it was time to start healing.
Mia made it easier. Bosco had to get up and take care of his daughter. He had to figure out what 'normal' now was. The baby of course did not understand that her mother was gone. She would fuss for hours on end nearly driving Bosco to tears. Then she would inevitably fall asleep curled up on her fathers shoulder with her nose buried in his neck. He would just hold her and think.
The first 'crisis' came on the first day they were alone. Faith had been freezing breast milk for Mia, but the supply in the freezer had quickly run out. Bosco was alone in the house with a hungry baby and nothing to feed her. He knew that he had to get her some formula but did not have the foggiest idea where he had to go to get some, and what he would need. He packed up the crying baby, put her in the car and drove to the nearest grocery store. He located the isle that read 'baby food' and felt his eyes pop as he looked at the zillions of tiny jars of food. He continued down the isle then stopped short when he saw the 15 different kinds of formula. "Concentrated," he read aloud as he tried to figure out what he needed. "Powdered, Ready to Feed. That is the one! Ok, Mia hang on, we are almost there. pink, blue, yellow, purple, white, or green?"
"Bos?" a familiar voice asked "What are you doing here?"
"Kim!" Bosco nearly shouted as relief flooded through his body. "Am I ever glad to see you! I have nothing for her to eat. I have no clue what to buy. Help, please help."
She picked up the pink box of ready to feed formula and put it into his cart. "Do you have bottles and brushes at home?"
"Yes?" Bosco said. "I mean we have a couple of bottles, but I should probably get more."
Kim helped Bosco pick out the items that he needed then followed him home to help him prepare the bottles. In short order, she had Maria eating contentedly in her father's arms.
"How can I thank you?" Bosco asked as he watched his daughter hungrily drink the formula.
"My pleasure," Kim said resting her hand on the baby's head. "Bos, any time you need some help just call."
"You may be sorry that you offered that," Bosco said and flashed her one of his charming grins, which quickly faded. He held his baby a little tighter and felt tears fill his eyes and spill over. "I'm sorry," he said quickly as he brushed the offending moisture away.
"Never be sorry Bos," Kim said "I've got to go pick up Joey, but I want you to call me later."
1. * Bosco realized that the lights in his office had turned themselves off. It happened if you sat still enough for a long enough period. He stood up and the lights clicked on again. He was starting to feel a little cold. He found his NYPD polar fleece, or 'fuzzy' as Mia called it, balled up on the floor by his bag. He shook it out and pulled it over his head before he sat back down on the couch.