Summary: My take on why Bosco and Sully don't get along. Takes place shortly after Bosco graduates from the Police Academy
Disclaimer: I don't own Third Watch or any of its characters.
A/N: This story was previously posted on another Third Watch site but no longer available there. I was encouraged to post it here by Joey and Orison.
Thanks for your wonderful reviews.
Faith leans onto the counter of the admitting desk. She pushes the loose strands of hair that fall out of her bun back behind her ear. Her frustration is clear in her body language and she motions to the nurse to approach her.
"Can't you just send an orderly to get him from the cafeteria?"
"He's fine," the nurse responds in exasperation. She places more charts on the desk in front of her. "We'll go get him when it's time."
"Well how the hell do I know he's fine when you won't tell me what's wrong with him?" Faith rubs her temple and looks around the ER for someone who might be more helpful.
"Officer..." the nurse searches Faith's badge for her name, "Yokas. You know I can't discuss a patient's diagnosis or prognosis without his consent."
"Well, if you got him back down here where he belongs, he could give you his consent," Faith barks out.
"Faith."
She feels a hand on her upper arm and turns to look at Billy. He points to Sully who is just walking through the sliding doors.
"Finally," she mumbles as she glares back at the nurse.
She doesn't wait for Sully but approaches him instead. "What happened to Bosco?" She says harshly.
"And hello to you too, Faith," Sully responds sarcastically.
"You think this is funny?' Faith's annoyance is clearly etched on her face. Faith crosses her arms and blocks Sully's path. She leans forward and whispers to him. "He didn't fall, did he?"
"What are you talking about, Faith?" Sully replies annoyed.
"When he came in a couple of days ago, he said he fell." She looks at Sully accusingly.
"Is that what he told you?" Sully questions as he closes the gap between the two of them.
"Yeah, that's what he told me." Faith lies.
Sully frowns and looks down at his feet. "Then you got more outta him than I did." He pushes past her and walks toward the exam room.
Faith stands there dumbfounded by his response. It wasn't what she was expecting to hear but it confirms her instinct that his injuries weren't caused by a fall down some stairs. Her gut tells her Sully knows more than he's letting on. She spins around quickly and shouts out to him, "don't bother, he's not there."
Sully stops and Faith sees his shoulders sag slightly. He turns around and walks back towards her. "Did he sign himself out?" He says dejectedly.
Sully suddenly looks tired as he thinks about chasing after Bosco.
"Sign himself out? He's in no shape to sign himself out." Faith shakes her head. "I found him up in the cafeteria, sleeping." She is unable to mask her anger at this whole situation.
Sully chuckles lightly and turns back to look for nurse Ratchet. "He's smarter than he looks," he mutters to himself.
Faith doesn't understand his comment so she ignores it. "Yeah, well no one here seems to CARE that he should be resting in a bed instead of sleeping on a table." Faith makes sure her voice carries over to the nurses' station.
Sully smiles. "Faith, he's gonna be fine. Trust me he's better off upstairs."
"Well, I'm gonna go check on him, and make sure he's okay," Faith shouts towards the nurses' station.
This earns her a hard stare from the lone nurse behind the desk.
Faith looks around, spots a wheelchair leaning against the far wall, grabs it and starts pushing it towards the elevator.
"Hold up Faith. I'll come up with you." Sully huffs as he chases after her.
Sully is impressed by Faith's concern for Bosco and eyes her with a sideways glance as they wait in silence for the elevator. He doesn't really know her but it's obvious she cares a great deal about Bosco. She's probably the only friend he has from the Academy or at the precinct. She's the only person he's ever seen speaking to Bosco without screaming or cursing at him.
He's intrigued by their relationship. They are obviously not the two people most likely to get along and he doesn't see how they would have anything in common.
"You've known Bosco for a while?" He asks as he turns his eyes back to the flashing numbers over the elevator door.
Faith drums her finger on the handles of the chair as she waits impatiently. "No, we only met in the Academy."
"You guys seem to be good friends." Sully says as he rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet.
"We're friends. We helped each other out at the Academy."
The elevator opens and they both enter. Faith looks down nervously at her hands. "You know, he's a good guy, but, nobody sees that." She bites her lower lip. "He just needs someone to believe in him. Once you earn his trust, you've got it forever." She watches Sully intently, sizing him up, determining whether he's the right partner for Bosco.
Sully nods back. "Yeah, he's not a bad kid."
The elevator dings and the doors open. Faith pushes ahead of Sully as they make their way to the cafeteria. She pushes the wheelchair into the swinging doors of the cafeteria and looks towards the table by the window where she left Bosco.
Her eyes scan the room but there is no sign of him. She spots her police jacket lying haphazardly on the floor.
She looks up at Sully. "He was here fifteen minutes ago," she says almost defensively.
Sully continues to search out the room. "Well, he's not here now."
Faith moves towards the table and retrieves her jacket along the way. She tosses it on the wheelchair. When she arrives at the table she reaches down and picks up the IV bag. She turns it over in her hand and grabs the tape and needle swinging from the other end of the tube.
Sully steps in behind her and sighs loudly, his eyes searching the area for any other evidence left behind by Bosco. All he finds are a couple of drops of blood splattered on the floor.
"Little bastard is gonna kill me," Sully mutters to himself as he pulls out of the hospital parking lot. He turns the steering wheel hard as he curses under his breath.
"Crazy kid," Sully hisses at the thought of all the time he wasted searching for Bosco in the hospital.
Sully presses on the gas as he weaves around the slower moving cars. All he can think about is why Bosco would leave the hospital when he knew he was gonna return. "He could have waited for me. I'd have given him a lift." He says irately. He lets his anger take over, letting it push aside the worry in his gut.
Sully checks the rear view mirror and tries to work out the fastest route to Bosco's apartment. He doesn't notice the light turning red until he's almost across the intersection. He brakes suddenly as he pushes himself off the steering wheel to keep from smashing into it. The seatbelt tightens and pulls him back sharply. He wipes at his brow as he pants heavily. The sudden stop force his emotions to slow down as well.
His thoughts return to the things that worry him the most. Why the hell did the kid leave without a coat? It was damn cold outside and he just took-off, without a word to anyone. He didn't even sign himself out.
"I shoulda stayed. What the hell was I thinking?" Sully berates himself. "Calm down, Sully. Just calm down." But saying the words doesn't help his racing heart rate and his fear. Nothing adds up and he needs to find Bosco fast.
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Rose is awakened by a soft knock on her door. She stares at the muted TV and then pushes the button on the remote to instantly flash the time on the screen. It's just after midnight. She sits up and waits, listening for another knock.
She is greeted by silence until she hears something soft rubbing against the door.
She stands hurriedly, fear causing her heart to beat faster. She hesitatingly advances towards the door and uses the peephole to look for the cause of the knocking and the other sound. There is no one standing on the other side.
He eyes dart nervously as she presses her ear against the door straining to hear the slightest sound.
Nothing. All is quiet. She debates whether she should open the door and take a peek. It could be a trick and Maurice always warned her not to open the door especially at night.
Then she hears it, almost imperceptible, but none the less a small whimper.
She straightens up and pulls the door open slightly. She peers out and sees someone sitting on the floor of the doorway. Without seeing his face she knows its Bosco.
Her hands fumble nervously to undo the chain, and she pulls the door open hard. It bangs into the inside wall. She looks out and sees her son sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees his back shaking with each small breath, wearing nothing but a hospital gown over his pants.
She's afraid to approach or touch him. "Maurice?" She asks tentatively.
He lifts his head slightly and peeps up at her with one eye. His breaths hitch slightly and he doesn't say a thing. He never lets go of his knees but he lets his fingers move up towards her, pleading for her to touch him somehow.
She hesitates, afraid for him. "Maurice?"
"Ma," his voice is barely a squeak as he dodges her gaze.
Rose leans down and touches his outstretched hand. Bosco wraps his trembling fingers around hers, pulling her hand down towards him, begging her forgiveness and comfort.
She holds her breath, afraid that he doesn't really know where he is, that it's not really him.
"Ma, I'm sorry," he whispers as he buries his head back into his knees.
"Shhh, baby," She reaches out with her free hand and softly caresses his trembling back. "Maurice, I'm here, baby. I'm right here."
"I-I d-don't d-deserve you," he stutters softly.
These words that cut through her heart are all the proof she needs to know that it's really him.
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"I'm gonna wring his little neck." Sully mumbles as he marches down the corridor towards Bosco's apartment. He stands in front of the door and pounds it with his fist.
He barely waits before he rams his fist into the door again.
"Bosco, if you're in there, you better open up." He stands still, his body not knowing what to do in the seconds that follow. He throws his head back and turns around while he continues to curse, "son of a bitch."
He turns to face the door again and looks at the bottom for any sign of light.
Sully begins to pace in the corridor. He runs his hand nervously through his hair. Worrisome thoughts push his anger aside and take over his brain. He jams his hands into his pockets. He hand brushes against a paper and he pulls it out and stares at it.
It's Faith phone number. She made him promise to call her if there was a problem or he couldn't find Bosco. She would have searched the hospital with Sully but he managed to convince that everything was all right and she should return to the station with her collar.
He blows out a slow breath. He can't let himself get worked up like this. He tells himself he's being irrational, but he can't help the way he feels. He can't help feeling scared and nervous, his body reacting to the thoughts in his brain.
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Rose draws slow circles across his back. Bosco's lying in his bed, on his side, his free arm curled tightly into his chest.
"Was it the dreams?" She asks.
She watches as he closes his eyes and swallows before nodding his head once.
"Do you remember...anything?" She asks haltingly, afraid of the answer no matter what it is.
He shakes his head no as he starts to breathe rapidly.
"Okay, baby, shhhh, it's okay."
"It's my fault," he murmurs.
"What's your fault Maurice?" She hates to have to push him but she needs to get to the bottom of this. He's never been able to remember any of his nightmares, maybe he knows something this time.
He hesitates and then she sees his lip start to quiver slightly. "I don't know," he says in a strangled voice laced with fear and exhaustion.
"It's okay, baby. It's not your fault. You hear me?" She runs her hand tenderly across his cheek but realizes he's not really listening to her.
She doesn't take her eyes off of him even for a second. She's watching for any sign, a clue of what's going on inside his head.
She sees his struggle to stay awake as his exhausted mind and body fight against the inevitable. His eyes droop shut but never close completely, they flick open in an unfocused haze every few minutes.
Each breath is followed by a soft moan, confirming to Rose the extent of his fatigue.
"You can sleep Maurice. I'll sit here with you. I won't leave." She tries to reassure him.
His hand reaches out from his body searching for her. Rose takes it and he draws it into his chest. She leans in and whispers soothingly into his ear.
"I'm right here, Maurice. I'm right here with you."
TBC...