Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Chapter 3

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Jordan woke to the sound of her brother crying. Rubbing her eyes, she wondered what was going on. She remembered stopping for dinner on the way home from Aunt Kathy's house, and that they had to leave early because Mommy said she didn't feel well. Jennifer didn't really ask her how her day was, which was unusual because Jennifer always liked to hear what Jordan did every day. It was like a ritual with them. Because of the unusual quiet during the drive, and after playing outside with her cousins all afternoon because they only had a half a day of school, she'd fallen asleep on the way home. She didn't even hear her mother get out of the car after pulling it in the garage.

Finally, her brother had woken her up when he started crying. Jason was always doing that. Mommy always said that was what babies were supposed to do and he didn't do it to be mean.

Jordan was scared at first because it was dark and her mother hadn't turned any lights on. She got out of the car and turned the garage light on. She shushed her brother and told him she'd be right back. She opened the door to the house from the garage and noticed there still weren't any lights on.

"Mommy?" she called, almost in a whisper at first. She walked through the house, turning lights on and off as she went. She came to the slate floor by the front door and saw something red on the floor. "Mommy?" she called again, a little louder this time. No answer. She heard her brother crying in the garage again and she turned to cut through the kitchen to go back to him. That's when she saw her mother, lying on the floor, the phone next to her. It looked like she was sleeping.

Jordan knelt down alongside her just as she saw a light come across the front windows of the house. "Mommy?" she said, shaking Jennifer this time. She didn't wake up. Then she saw the cut on Jennifer's head.

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Bosco finished changing and grabbed his jacket as he headed for the locker room door.

"Give me a call later, Bos," Faith told him as she watched her partner head for the door. He didn't answer and she called to him as he reached the door.

"Bosco!" He turned back toward her, but she could see he was distracted.

"Yeah?" he said, not realizing that she'd already said something to him.

"I said give me a call when you get home. You know, so I know everything's okay. You know I'm a worry wart," she told him with a strained smile.

He gave her a half-hearted smile. "Yeah. Sure. I'll give you a call after I talk to Jen. You gonna be okay alone tonight?" he asked her, worried about sending her back out on patrol alone for the rest of the shift.

"Piece of cake," she assured him.

Faith watched her partner walk out and couldn't help the eerie feeling she had that made her shiver. She grabbed her jacket and headed back out to finish her shift alone.

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The police car rolled slowly up to the house and pulled into the driveway. The officer positioned his spotlight over the front of the house and then settled it on the doorway. He noticed there was a light on in the garage of the house and another inside.

"Unit 109. I'm out at the location on Somerset Avenue. There's a couple of lights on in the house. I'll be out attempting to make contact with the resident," the officer advised the dispatcher.

"10-4, 109," the dispatcher answered.

Officer Donnelly opened his car door and listened for a moment. No sounds, except for a dog barking next door. He walked toward the front of the house, taking his flashlight out of his belt. Clicking it on, he walked up the driveway and to the front walk. The dog next door barked more forcefully and a light came on in the yard next door.

"Easy, fella," the Officer said gently to the dog as he heard the door next door open.

"Officer?" came a woman's voice.

"What's going on?" asked a male voice behind the woman.

"Everything's fine. Just checking on something. Have you seen anyone home here tonight?" Donnelly asked the neighbors.

"No, but that's not unusual. Sometimes she takes the kids down to New York City for the weekend. Her husband works down there. He commutes back and forth during the week. He's a police officer too," the woman told him.

The officer nodded. "Well, he called us and asked us to check because he hasn't been able to reach Mrs. Boscorelli. You can go back inside. I'm just going to check the house and then I'll be leaving. If you do see her come home, though, could you ask her to call her husband. I'm going to leave my card in the door also," the officer told her.

"Certainly. We'll keep an eye out," the woman said as the couple went back inside.

The officer headed toward the front door and looked in the window next to the door as a light came on in the kitchen. He knocked on the door and looked in the window again. He saw a little girl come toward the door at the same time he thought he heard a baby crying in the garage.

The girl looked upset and saw the silhouette of a police officer at her door. "Daddy?" the girl called out through the door as he heard the door lock turn and the door open.

"No, honey. I'm not Daddy. Daddy asked us to come and check on you and your Mom because he couldn't reach you on the phone. Is your Mom here?" asked the officer as he heard the baby crying again. "Where's the baby?"

"He's in his car seat. Mommy doesn't feel good. She's on the floor in the kitchen," Jordan said, tears starting to fall now. "I was just going to call 9-1-1, but you're already here."

"Show me where Mommy is," the officer said, following Jordan into the house.

As he followed Jordan into the house, he keyed his radio. "Dispatcher, start EMS to this location for an unknown illness."

"10-4, 109. EMS is on the way," the dispatcher advised him as he reached where Jennifer was on the floor. He knelt down next to the woman and felt for a pulse, finding one.

"Dr. Boscorelli. Can you hear me?" Officer Donnelly asked, gently shaking her. "Dr. Boscorelli?" He was only able to get a very faint moan. He heard the baby cry again.

"Honey, can you show me where the baby is?" Donnelly asked the now-frightened girl.

"He's in the car seat in the garage still. Mommy says I can't pick him up if no one's with me," she said, pointing toward the garage.

"Okay, you stay here with Mommy and I'll go get your brother," he told her. He walked toward where Jordan had pointed as he keyed his radio again.

"Dispatcher. Unit 109. Advise EMS we have an unconscious adult female with a cut to the head. She's breathing and has a pulse. Also, advise the NYPD officer what's going on and have him respond up here as soon as he can," he said.

"10-4," came the reply.

Donnelly walked into the garage and saw the baby in the car seat. His face was red from crying, but other than that he appeared safe. He unbuckled the child and picked him up which abated the crying somewhat. He carried Jason with him back into the house as he heard a siren approaching. He reached the little girl and saw she had the phone.

"Who're you calling?" Donnelly asked her as the baby began crying again.

"My Daddy. I want to talk to my Daddy," she said, fighting to hold back tears. She had dialed her father's cell phone number that was programmed into the phone and listened to it ring twice before being answered.

"Boscorelli," came the tense reply through the phone. Hearing her father's voice, the tears began to fall.

"Daddy? Mommy's sick. Can you come home? I'm scared," she said through sobs.

"Jordan? Honey, what's wrong? What's wrong with Mommy? Are you and Jason alright?" he asked urgently.

"She's sleeping. I can't wake her up. I'm okay, but Jason's hungry, I think. There's a policeman here," Jordan told him.

"Okay, honey. I'm already on my way home. I'll be there really soon. Let me talk to the policeman for a minute. It's okay, Jordan. It's okay," he said, trying to assure her as he listened to her sobs into the phone.

He heard Jordan handing the phone over. "My Daddy wants to talk to you."

"This is Officer Donnelly," he answered.

"Maurice Boscorelli. What's going on?" he asked anxiously.

"Well, Sir. It looks like your wife was trying to get to the phone and either fell or passed out. I think she hit her head when she fell. EMS is just arriving and they'll take over. Is there someone closer we can call for you? The baby and your daughter are fine, just scared. I'll stay with them until you get here, or if I can call someone else for you..." he offered.

"I'm about a half hour away still," Bosco told the officer, hearing Jason crying in the background. "Um.., are the Anderson's home? They live on the left of us. Mrs. Anderson can take care of them until I get there."

"Yes, they saw me pull up. Thought you were all in the City for the weekend. I'll go get her. Drive carefully. I'll ride with your wife to the hospital and catch up with you there," Officer Donnelly told him.

"Okay, thanks. Look, can I talk to Jordan again?" Bosco asked. The officer handed the phone over to the little girl.

"Daddy wants to talk to you again," he told her as she took the phone. Bosco's heart broke as he heard Jordan sobbing.

"Jordan. It's okay. The policeman is going to have Mrs. Anderson come over and stay with you. I'm going to meet Mommy at the hospital and then I'll come get you as soon as I find out what's going on. Tell Mrs. Anderson that Jason needs his bottle. You know Mommy puts them in the door of the refrigerator, right?" Bosco said.

"Yes, Daddy. Please hurry," she said, her voice breaking off.

"I'm hurrying, Honey. Please calm down okay. The paramedics are taking good care of Mommy," he told her. After calming her and being assured by the police officer at the house that he would take care of getting the Andersons over and go to the hospital with Jennifer, Bosco hung up the phone and pushed his foot down harder on the accelerator. The bile in the pit of his stomach was churning and he felt the burn of it.

"Oh, God," he said out loud as he continued home.

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TBC...