A split second after I go down, I hear another gun go off and I know it's Bosco taking out Mercado. I try to breathe but it's like the air isn't reaching my lungs. I don't know where I was hit because my entire body is on fire. I bite my lip to keep from crying out. I hear Bosco shouting a 10-13 into his radio.
"Faith!" Bosco's suddenly over me, his face ghostly white as he frantically lifts my shirt to check if the bullets penetrated my vest. I know they didn't, but my body still hurts like hell. Bosco looks scared, but when his hand comes up from under my vest, dry, the creases on his forehead lesson a bit.
"Bosc—," I try to sit up, but pain suddenly courses through my chest and I lie back down.
"Take it easy, don't move." He tells me. I feel him slip his fingers through mine, but his features turn suddenly pale and angry, "dammit, Faith!"
He's angry with me but even more disappointed with himself because I took the bullets for him, and I'm the one with possible broken ribs. I know he's wearing a vest too; I shoved him to the side without even giving the consequences a second thought. It was purely a reflex; he can't blame me for that because I already blame myself. He would've done the same thing if he had been the one to see Mercado first.
"Bosco! Faith! Where are you?" I hear Sully's voice in the distance, getting closer. I knew they'd answer the call first; Cruz and her guys were still at the House when we left not too long ago. I wonder how Sully's coping with the new 'fresh from the Academy' partner he's been assigned to work with while Davis is still on desk duty. I'm so used to seeing Sully and Davis together that it's weird when I catch a glimpse of the petite kid coming up behind Sully.
"Over here!" Bosco calls back.
"What happened?" Sully's now hunched over me too, a worried expression on his face as well. His presence relieves me a little, at least now there's someone else to cover for Bosco if there so happens to be another perp hiding around somewhere. But I sincerely doubt it.
"Bastard shot her." Bosco informs Sully, gesturing at Mercado's lifeless body a few feet away from us. "I called for back up."
"Yeah, well here we are. Cruz called into us since we were already in the area, she just left the House a few minutes ago."
"Sonofabitch." Bosco's frustrated and I completely understand, but it was really my agreeing to work Anti-Crime that got us into this mess in the first place. I hate when he blames himself for every bad thing that happens to me. This was not his fault, I'd tell him that if my head didn't hurt so much from falling back on it.
"Griffin," Sully turns back to the rookie hovering over Mercado's body, "go flag down the bus, it'll be here any minute." Sully tells him. Oh, God. Something's not right. I feel a sudden sharp pain in my stomach. It stings worse than the bullets that hit me. As I run my hand down my vest I feel a third bullet in the area where I'm really starting to cramp. It's a pain I've never felt before, tears come to my eyes as I try to blink them away. Oh, God, no. Not my baby.
"Faith?" Bosco looks down at me, fear once again creasing his strong features. "What's wrong?"
I open my mouth to answer but only a few agonizing breaths come out. Then he notices that I'm holding my stomach and that's when he starts to panic.
"No." I hear him breathe as he stares down at my hand. He sees the third bullet I felt lodged in my vest, "is it the—?" I nod before he can finish his question, and I watch, as the life seems to drain from his face.
"It hurts." I gasp, "something's wrong—Bosco."
"Where's the damn bus?" Bosco cries, his hold on my hand tightens. He leans forward so that his face is only inches from mine, "hold on, Faith. I'm not going to lose you—or this baby," he whispers so that only I can hear him. I feel a tear escape my eye and Bosco tenderly wipes it away. Just by looking at him right now, I know how much he really cares about me.
"Is that Yokas?" I hear Carlos's voice.
"She's been shot." Sully tells him as he backs away and Carlos fills the vacant space next to me.
"Did any bullet penetrate?" Carlos questions, checking my vital signs and gently pressing his fingers to different parts of my shoulders and neck. I suck in deep breaths, what's happening?
"No, the vest stopped them all, but—," Bosco starts to explain, but hesitates as he meets my eyes once again. Carlos is still staring at him, waiting for an answer.
"But what?" Carlos asks, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Bosco's eyes return to Carlos, "—she's pregnant."
Carlos takes in this information and nods. He looks back down at me, his features a little less tense, "where does it hurt?" He asks and I move my hand to my lower abdomen and he frowns slightly. He looks over his shoulder, "Grace, where the hell is the gurney?"
"Sorry, it's hard getting it through all this garbage!" She shouts back, sounding just as frustrated as Carlos. She hurries to us but her eyes widened with concern when she sees Bosco. "Maurice, are you—?"
"I'm fine," Bosco cuts her off, "just help, Faith."
Grace is stunned by the harshness in his voice. She recovers quickly though, and kneels next to Carlos, her eyes still focused on Bosco. HE doesn't seem to notice, his eyes are locked with mine. And I try hard to keep my focus on him. I'm starting to feel light-headed from the pain and Carlos isn't going to give me anything for fear of harming the baby further.
"Just relax, Faith." Carlos tells me as he and Bosco move me onto the stretcher. Grace gently straps a neck brace and puts an oxygen mask on me as we start toward the bus.
"We'll take care of Mercado." I hear Sully tell Bosco. From the corner of my eye I see Bosco mouthed a silent 'thank you' before Sully takes off with his temporary partner in tow. Grace opens the door to the bus and waits while Carlos and Bosco roll me in. Grace starts inside, but Carlos pulls her back.
"You drive." He orders.
"What? Why?" She looks slightly perplexed.
"Just go, Grace!" Carlos snaps before he jumps into the back of the bus. I see Grace steal a glance at Bosco one last time before she runs around to the driver's side. Bosco gets in the back with me and closes the doors. Carlos looks down at me, "how you doing, Faith?"
I can't respond, the pain is too intense. My fingers tighten around Bosco's as a new wave of agonizing cramps take over and my lungs all of a sudden start to burn. I feel suffocated and I pull off the oxygen mask covering my nose and mouth. That's when I start to cough. And every time I do, my chest hurts even more.
"Faith, you gotta keep the mask on." Carlos tells me, putting it back on me. I shake my head, but he holds it in place. When I cough again, I feel something we trickle from the sides of my mouth. "Dammit, she's coughing up blood, Grace. Hurry it up!" Carlos calls into Mercy, informing them of my condition and the fact that I'm pregnant. He keeps his voice low and hushed, not wanting to spread the new of my pregnancy to Grace too soon. I'm at least grateful for that.
"What's going on, what's happening?" Bosco questions, "why's she coughing up blood?"
"I think the impact of the bullets caused more damage than we thought, she's bleeding internally—," Carlos starts to say, but then his voice seems to grow faint. My vision starts to blur, I can't make out their faces anymore. I hear Bosco saying my name; I hear the panic in his voice. I want to respond, but I can't, my eyelids are too heavy. I'm too tired. I slowly close my eyes as everything finally fades into darkness.