Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters on the tv show Third Watch, though I will take Bosco if offered. I am not earning any money for this story so please don't sue me
I am a horrible wife. Fred left, angry about the exam, and all I could think of was Bosco. He wasn't all right, contrary to what he wanted everyone to believe. He was in intolerable pain and it wasn't just the things that had happened in the past year. His entire life was something that could only be imagined in a nightmare. When I answered the door and saw him standing there, relief flooded over me. But instead of expressing that relief, I acted annoyed with his presence.
I just sat there, avoiding eye contact, as he stood silently. When he finally spoke, his words shocked me so much that my defenses went down. I just sat there, listening, realizing finally that all those times I had told him that I understood, I had lied. I hadn't seen what he had seen, heard what he had heard, and felt what he had felt. I had only experienced the aftermath.
As Bosco broke down I found myself proving Fred right. I did put Bos ahead of my family. Seeing him in this pain, I would have done anything to fix it. Had I done that for my family recently? No. I missed every important event in their lives. Birthdays, first days of school, holidays, school plays. And it seemed that every times the excuse for my absence was that Bosco needed me. My family needed me. And even with this realization I knew that I couldn't turn my partner away. Instead I found myself comforting him. He had been through hell, and if I was the only person who he could trust, so be it.
Em and Charlie would understand this, if not now then in the long run. The problem was Fred. He didn't understand that Bosco is part of my family. It is my job to back him up and protect him. When we're working we, he is all that I have and vice versa. Fred hated him for this. And now as I look towards the door and see the scorned look on his face, I realize that he probably hates me too.
Though I realize he is angry, I never would have expected the words that next escaped from his mouth.
