Chapter 17:
Faith didn't even take a moment to think any further – she didn't think of the girl still being down there somewhere, still having a gun. She didn't think of her being dangerous and of the fact, that by running off head over heels she put herself into danger. She wasn't even able to think that far – she just knew she needed to get to that room where the gunshots were fired – needed to get to Bosco.
"Yokas!"
The detective yelled after her, getting out his gun and heading after her. Before leaving the room he took a look at his partner and ordered him to call an ambulance. He ran after her and yelled once again for her to stop. Fortunately he got a hold on her before she could enter the hall where the shots had been fired. They could hear a second shot right at that moment and Faith winced when she heard it. the detective gave her a furious look.
"Whadda you think you do? You crazy? She's armed - you wanna kill yourself? She could've shot you right away when you would've ran down there. You think you can help your partner with that?"
Another shot rang through the department and afterwards they could hear someone someone cursing.
"Goddamn it!"
The detective seemed to calm down a bit and stepped around the corner with his gun lowered. He knew that voice.
"Detective Meyers?"
The woman turned around and put her gun down, when she realized it was one of her colleagues talking to her.
"I lost her."
Faith had stepped behind Sheldon and heard the woman's statement. The girl was gone – she fled. That was all she needed to know for the moment. She ran again, to the last room at the left where the detective believed Bosco went, to have a few moment on his own. She just wished for everything to be okay – for him to be alright. But she knew he wasn't, she knew it before even entering the room.
When she did she couldn't see him at first. But what made her even more concerned was the fact that she couldn't hear him – couldn't hear him moan, couldn't hear him sigh, couldn't even hear him breathe. The thought striked her – he wasn't breathing! Probably since the bullet had hit him – that would be almost five minutes by now. She needed to find him now and get him into a hospital as soon as possible.
Then she saw him, sunken to the ground, leaned against the wall he must've fallen against, when the bullet striked him. There were dark stains on the wall above him – blood, his blood. Faith swallowed hard, went to him quickly and kneeled down beside him. She reached for his neck, feeling for a pulse.
She almost didn't feel anything – it was weak and unsteady and she knew that could mean no good. The dimly lit room made it hard for her to make out his figure and even harder to find the wound. As her finger slipped down his body, she could feel the warm liquor on her fingers – blood. She looked down on her fingers on his body and she found the wound. The girl had shot him to the chest.
She needed some seconds to get rid of the feeling of impossibility, she needed to tell herself he'd been off-duty and cause of that hadn't been wearing the west he normally would. That made it absolutely possible.
She tried to announce him, in hope he would still be awake, still be conscious, still be alive. Could answer her, look at her or just grip her hand, so she would know he was still with her. But deep down inside she knew it was hopeless – he definitely wasn't breathing, he wouldn't be conscious. That he was still alive, his heart still beating after five minutes without air, was a wonder.
Bosco?"
She tried none the less in a calm and very soft, soothing voice, but as she had already feared and expected – she got no response. The detective entered the room behind her.
"I got my partner call in, the medics are on their way. How..."
"Sshhh!"
She interrupted him, forcing him to be quiet so she could check her partner's respiration. She just hoped and prayed for her suspicion not to be approved, although he hadn't answered her and she was almost sure he wasn't breathing, but it was. There still had been a glipse of hope deep inside her heart, that had just died down. She couldn't hear anything.
"He doesn't breathe."
She stated. The detective got to her quickly and kneeled down beside her, as if he needed to check her statement first before he could believe her.
"The medics..."
"We have no time to wait for the medics! We need to lay him down and give him air now! Help me."
She gave the detective a demanding, decisive and also desperate look and took her partner by his shoulders to get him out of the half sitting position he was in and lay him down on the floor to do first aid and hopefully help him by that.
"Hold his head! Be careful!"
She ordered to the detective and he did his best in trying to help her. They managed to lay him down and she started to give him air as she realized some warm liqor on her lips. She knew what it was immediately, she just didn't want it to be true. It was blood – Bosco's blood which he was chocking to death on. Blood he had in his lungs, his windpipe and his mouth. Blood that stopped him from breathing...
"You need to put pressure on the chest wound. He's losing too much blood."
She managed to tell Detective Sheldon between to gasps of air she was giving to her fallen partner. She could see, how Sheldon took of his light jacket, clenched it together and pressed it to the wound on her partner's chest. She felt her heart shrink in her chest as the detective did so and Bosco didn't even make a sound, not even a cry of agony which she had expected. He was deeply unconcious, almost gone... She was losing him. But she wasn't willing to let this happen.
"Don't you die on me! You gonna make it, you're strong. You have to fight!"
She whispered to her partner while still trying to make him breathe in an irrational hope of him hearing her words. But she wasn't even sure she would talk to him ever again.
She was about to check his pulse once again, when the medics rushed into the place and ordered her to stand aside and give them space to work on her partner. The detective helped her to get up and she could hear him tell the medics about Bosco's condition – his slow heartbeat and his lack of respiration. All of a sudden, she was unable to talk, unable to even move. She didn't have the time to realize how serious his injury was and which grave consequences probably could occur from it. She hadn't realized she might lose him. She just had reacted to the situation by instinct, without thinking that much – just wishing and trying to help him in any way possible. But now that the medics had arrived and the situation had slipped out of her hands – the full consequences of his wound striked her. She could feel the drying blood on her hands, face and shirt getting sticky, she could feel the tears rise in her. She could feel the overwhelming, desperate fear inside of her.
"Let's go, you can't help him any more. Let the medics do their job."
She could hear the detective say to her softly, gripping her by the shoulders and leading her out of the room. She didn't want to go, didn't want to leave her partner alone. But she was still unable to do anything, so she didn't struggle against the detective's grip who was leading her further and further away from her fallen partner. He led her to the foyer of the vice-squad departement, where Sully was still waiting for her. She didn't even realize, but his eyes widened in terror as he saw her and rushed over to her, his voice in deep concern as he addressed her.
"Good lord – Faith. You're hurt?"
She looked down on her hands in desbelief as Sully pointed to them, they were moroon from dried blood.
"I'm okay, that's not mine."
She finally managed to choke out. Sully didn't completely understand what she meant, what she wanted to tell him. But he wouldn't let her get away like this – without explaining.
"I heard shots. What happened down there?"
Faith was still looking at her hands, she couldn't tell him. She just couldn't talk about, couldn't tell him what she just had sawn, just had experienced. She hadn't even clearly realized it herself, wasn't sure about the graveness of consequences – so how was she supposed to tell him? She whispered once again.
"It's not mine."
Then all of a sudden and with no warning she started to cry and shake violently. She didn't say a word – was unable to – just stood there and cried.
Sully couldn't understand what caused her reaction, but he had a slight horrifying idea what it was, what happened, who was shot. He reacted instinctively, stepping towards her, taking her in his arms and gently rubbing her back. He tried to calm her as good as he could.
"Oh Faith, I'm so sorry!"...
Faith didn't even take a moment to think any further – she didn't think of the girl still being down there somewhere, still having a gun. She didn't think of her being dangerous and of the fact, that by running off head over heels she put herself into danger. She wasn't even able to think that far – she just knew she needed to get to that room where the gunshots were fired – needed to get to Bosco.
"Yokas!"
The detective yelled after her, getting out his gun and heading after her. Before leaving the room he took a look at his partner and ordered him to call an ambulance. He ran after her and yelled once again for her to stop. Fortunately he got a hold on her before she could enter the hall where the shots had been fired. They could hear a second shot right at that moment and Faith winced when she heard it. the detective gave her a furious look.
"Whadda you think you do? You crazy? She's armed - you wanna kill yourself? She could've shot you right away when you would've ran down there. You think you can help your partner with that?"
Another shot rang through the department and afterwards they could hear someone someone cursing.
"Goddamn it!"
The detective seemed to calm down a bit and stepped around the corner with his gun lowered. He knew that voice.
"Detective Meyers?"
The woman turned around and put her gun down, when she realized it was one of her colleagues talking to her.
"I lost her."
Faith had stepped behind Sheldon and heard the woman's statement. The girl was gone – she fled. That was all she needed to know for the moment. She ran again, to the last room at the left where the detective believed Bosco went, to have a few moment on his own. She just wished for everything to be okay – for him to be alright. But she knew he wasn't, she knew it before even entering the room.
When she did she couldn't see him at first. But what made her even more concerned was the fact that she couldn't hear him – couldn't hear him moan, couldn't hear him sigh, couldn't even hear him breathe. The thought striked her – he wasn't breathing! Probably since the bullet had hit him – that would be almost five minutes by now. She needed to find him now and get him into a hospital as soon as possible.
Then she saw him, sunken to the ground, leaned against the wall he must've fallen against, when the bullet striked him. There were dark stains on the wall above him – blood, his blood. Faith swallowed hard, went to him quickly and kneeled down beside him. She reached for his neck, feeling for a pulse.
She almost didn't feel anything – it was weak and unsteady and she knew that could mean no good. The dimly lit room made it hard for her to make out his figure and even harder to find the wound. As her finger slipped down his body, she could feel the warm liquor on her fingers – blood. She looked down on her fingers on his body and she found the wound. The girl had shot him to the chest.
She needed some seconds to get rid of the feeling of impossibility, she needed to tell herself he'd been off-duty and cause of that hadn't been wearing the west he normally would. That made it absolutely possible.
She tried to announce him, in hope he would still be awake, still be conscious, still be alive. Could answer her, look at her or just grip her hand, so she would know he was still with her. But deep down inside she knew it was hopeless – he definitely wasn't breathing, he wouldn't be conscious. That he was still alive, his heart still beating after five minutes without air, was a wonder.
Bosco?"
She tried none the less in a calm and very soft, soothing voice, but as she had already feared and expected – she got no response. The detective entered the room behind her.
"I got my partner call in, the medics are on their way. How..."
"Sshhh!"
She interrupted him, forcing him to be quiet so she could check her partner's respiration. She just hoped and prayed for her suspicion not to be approved, although he hadn't answered her and she was almost sure he wasn't breathing, but it was. There still had been a glipse of hope deep inside her heart, that had just died down. She couldn't hear anything.
"He doesn't breathe."
She stated. The detective got to her quickly and kneeled down beside her, as if he needed to check her statement first before he could believe her.
"The medics..."
"We have no time to wait for the medics! We need to lay him down and give him air now! Help me."
She gave the detective a demanding, decisive and also desperate look and took her partner by his shoulders to get him out of the half sitting position he was in and lay him down on the floor to do first aid and hopefully help him by that.
"Hold his head! Be careful!"
She ordered to the detective and he did his best in trying to help her. They managed to lay him down and she started to give him air as she realized some warm liqor on her lips. She knew what it was immediately, she just didn't want it to be true. It was blood – Bosco's blood which he was chocking to death on. Blood he had in his lungs, his windpipe and his mouth. Blood that stopped him from breathing...
"You need to put pressure on the chest wound. He's losing too much blood."
She managed to tell Detective Sheldon between to gasps of air she was giving to her fallen partner. She could see, how Sheldon took of his light jacket, clenched it together and pressed it to the wound on her partner's chest. She felt her heart shrink in her chest as the detective did so and Bosco didn't even make a sound, not even a cry of agony which she had expected. He was deeply unconcious, almost gone... She was losing him. But she wasn't willing to let this happen.
"Don't you die on me! You gonna make it, you're strong. You have to fight!"
She whispered to her partner while still trying to make him breathe in an irrational hope of him hearing her words. But she wasn't even sure she would talk to him ever again.
She was about to check his pulse once again, when the medics rushed into the place and ordered her to stand aside and give them space to work on her partner. The detective helped her to get up and she could hear him tell the medics about Bosco's condition – his slow heartbeat and his lack of respiration. All of a sudden, she was unable to talk, unable to even move. She didn't have the time to realize how serious his injury was and which grave consequences probably could occur from it. She hadn't realized she might lose him. She just had reacted to the situation by instinct, without thinking that much – just wishing and trying to help him in any way possible. But now that the medics had arrived and the situation had slipped out of her hands – the full consequences of his wound striked her. She could feel the drying blood on her hands, face and shirt getting sticky, she could feel the tears rise in her. She could feel the overwhelming, desperate fear inside of her.
"Let's go, you can't help him any more. Let the medics do their job."
She could hear the detective say to her softly, gripping her by the shoulders and leading her out of the room. She didn't want to go, didn't want to leave her partner alone. But she was still unable to do anything, so she didn't struggle against the detective's grip who was leading her further and further away from her fallen partner. He led her to the foyer of the vice-squad departement, where Sully was still waiting for her. She didn't even realize, but his eyes widened in terror as he saw her and rushed over to her, his voice in deep concern as he addressed her.
"Good lord – Faith. You're hurt?"
She looked down on her hands in desbelief as Sully pointed to them, they were moroon from dried blood.
"I'm okay, that's not mine."
She finally managed to choke out. Sully didn't completely understand what she meant, what she wanted to tell him. But he wouldn't let her get away like this – without explaining.
"I heard shots. What happened down there?"
Faith was still looking at her hands, she couldn't tell him. She just couldn't talk about, couldn't tell him what she just had sawn, just had experienced. She hadn't even clearly realized it herself, wasn't sure about the graveness of consequences – so how was she supposed to tell him? She whispered once again.
"It's not mine."
Then all of a sudden and with no warning she started to cry and shake violently. She didn't say a word – was unable to – just stood there and cried.
Sully couldn't understand what caused her reaction, but he had a slight horrifying idea what it was, what happened, who was shot. He reacted instinctively, stepping towards her, taking her in his arms and gently rubbing her back. He tried to calm her as good as he could.
"Oh Faith, I'm so sorry!"...