The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Chapter 8

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He heard a phone ringing and Bosco turned over, instinctively reaching for Jennifer. His eyes shot open and he threw the pillow that he always slept with over his head off, looking at the empty spot alongside him. He sat up and looked over at the clock and then to the clothes that he'd discarded when he came upstairs after breakfast.

"Dammit," he muttered to himself, getting out of bed and realizing that he hadn't been dreaming. Jennifer was indeed in the hospital, fighting for her life for all Bosco knew. He couldn't believe that he'd actually fallen asleep and for how long. Truth was, he didn't even remember lying down. He was just going to sit on the bed for a minute before he jumped in the shower. He remembered laying back and looking up at the ceiling, thinking about how vulnerable Jennifer looked in the hospital bed. That was the last thing he remembered before now. He must've fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the bed.

Now, he jumped into the shower and finished quickly. He stood at the bathroom mirror with a towel wrapped around his waist shaving off the stubble that had grown since yesterday morning. "Had it only been that long?" he thought to himself. It seemed like days since he'd talked to Jennifer on the phone while he was working.

After he finished shaving, he walked out of the bathroom and grabbed some clean clothes out of his dresser. He saw his cell phone sitting in the charger. Picking it up, he dialed Jennifer's cell phone number. He knew she wouldn't answer, but he'd get her voice mail and hear her voice. He listened to the message and hung up when the tone sounded to leave a message. Hanging up and putting the phone back down on the dresser, he finished fastening his belt. He was sitting on the bed, tying his shoes, when he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Yeah," he called out, finishing up with the last shoe. "C'mon in,." he called, assuming that it was Peter or Jordan.

The door opened as he stood up and he saw Faith standing there. "Hey," he said, surprise in his voice. Immediately, he'd thought something awful had happened. "What happened?" he asked, with terror in his voice.

"Nothing. Nothing, Bos. It's just that the hospital called and said that Jennifer's doctor looked at the scan. I was going to wake you up, but he said he had a case in the E.R. he was on his way to. He said to page him when you got back to the hospital and he'd go over the results with you," Faith told him and he finally took a breath.

"What're you doing here, Faith?" he asked, suddenly realizing that he wasn't just in his apartment in the City, but two and a half hours away.

"I took a personal day. Emily wanted to come up and help take care of the kids for you," she explained. "They're off school this week - winter recess - and she didn't want you to have to worry about finding someone to take care of them. If that's okay with you?" Faith asked.

Bosco smiled, "Yeah, that's fine. But, she doesn't have to stay the whole time. I mean, I don't know how long it'll be. Who knows, Jen could wake up tomorrow and be home by the end of the week. Em probably wants to spend some time with her friends during the break from school," Bosco said.

Faith shook her head. "No, she wants to do this. You, Jen and the kids mean a lot to her. She's gotten very attached," Faith said, as Bosco heard the kids playing downstairs.

"Is that Charlie?" he asked.

"Yeah. I brought him up with me for the day. He wanted to see you too," she told him. "I'll bring him back home with me tonight when we leave.

"We?" he asked, following her out the bedroom door after grabbing his wallet and phone off the dresser. He put the wallet in his back pocket and clipped the phone to his belt.

"Yeah. Fred, the gourmet cook, is making up some stuff for the freezer so you don't have to worry about cooking," she told him, rolling her eyes.

Bosco just smiled and shook his head, trying to digest what his partner and her family had done for him. "Where's Peter?" he asked as they went down the stairs and took in the sight of Charlie, Jordan and Emily rough-housing with their two cousins while Jason sat in his walker and giggled out loud. Emily wasn't playing so much as she was preventing anyone from rolling into a table or the hearth and cracking their heads open.

"Oh, he went over to be with Kathy for a little while. We told him we'd keep an eye on the kids while he went over," Faith told him.

"Uncle B!" Charlie shouted as he caught sight of them coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Chuckie. Hey Emily," he answered as Charlie came over and flung his arms around Bosco's waist.

"Thanks guys," he said. "I appreciate it, Em."

"No problem," she answered, leaning over to pick up Jason who'd seen his father and started fussing because he wanted to get to him.

She handed him over to Bosco as Fred came out of the kitchen. "Coffee?" he asked, holding a steaming cup in his hand.

"Absolutely," Bosco answered, taking the cup from him. "Thanks, Fred," he said, taking in the sight behind Fred in the kitchen - containers full of prepared meals, broken down into single serving sizes.

They made some small talk after Bosco filled Faith and Fred in on what he knew so far. Faith told him that she'd talked with Lieutenant Swersky and that he was all set with the time off. "He said take all the time you need, but to keep him posted. He said to tell him if you need anything also," she relayed. "Sully and Ty send their best also," she added. Taking a few sips from the coffee and making small talk, he looked at the clock and Faith saw him get a little antsy.

"Hey, don't feel like you have to stay here and entertain us. Go to the hospital and be with Jennifer. That's why we're here. So you can be with her and not worry about anything else," Faith said.

"Yeah, I really want to hear what the doctor has to say. I'm sorry to just run out on you like this. I really appreciate everything you guys," Bosco said. "Emily, you have my cell number, right?" he called out to her.

"Yup. Tell Jennifer we said hello," Emily answered.

Jordan came running out to him. "I want to go with you," she said to him as he bent down to pick her up.

He gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "I know you do, Squirt. And, I'll bring you over just as soon as she's awake. I promise, okay?"

He saw tears start to form in her eyes. "Aww, Jordan, its okay. Give me a kiss to give to Mommy," he said, holding her closer.

Instead, she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his ear, "I don't want Mommy to go away like my first Daddy did." And then she dissolved into uncontrollable sobs.

"Jordan, Jordan, listen to me. Mommy's very strong and the doctors are very good. Mommy's fighting this as hard as she can and we all have to be strong for her, okay?" Bosco said, fighting back the tears himself at her terror of losing another parent.

"Okay," she mumbled through her gasps. "Can you give her Beth for me?" she asked him, referring to the security doll she usually slept with.

"I will if you want, but what're you gonna use?" he asked.

"Mommy needs her more than me right now," she answered bravely as she squirmed out of Bosco's arms and ran to her room to get Beth. She was back quickly and handed the doll over to Bosco.

"Okay, if you're sure. If you change your mind, you can call me and I'll bring her home for you, okay?" he said.

"Okay," she answered trying to be brave.

"Call me if you need anything, Em. I'm only like five minutes away. Thanks for everything again," he said, looking back at Faith and Fred, and shaking Fred's hand.

"No problem. Call me tomorrow and let me know what's going on. Sooner if you need to," Faith told him.

"I will. Chuckie, my man. Thanks for coming up here," he said, giving Charlie the handshake that they'd made up together.

"No problem, Uncle B," he said, trying to sound older than he was.

"Well, I better get going. I'll see you. Have a safe trip home," he called to them as he went out the door.

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TBC...