As Bosco looked into Faith's eyes for what seemed like the first time in ages, he seemed to forget time existed. No matter how many times he told himself otherwise, he never truly believed she was all right. Deep down inside, he always thought that the shooters had gotten her too. That the voice he heard was just a dream. And so much had happened in the last few moments, he wasn't quite sure he was awake, or if it was just another horrible dream. Until Ma talked to him, he was certain it was just another cruel dream, his head once again playing tricks on him.
Everything from those brief moments was a blur to him. He could picture Faith falling, his mother screaming and the chaos that ensued, but the thing that really stuck out in his head was the look on his mother's face when she realized that he was awake. It was a look of pure joy, one he would have sworn he'd never see again on his ma's face. It was something that filled his insides with hope. The doctor's came in, deciding on what kind of pain medicine he would need, what tests they needed to run, but he was oblivious to anything that didn't directly pertain to the two most important women in his life. He vaguely recalled his mother telling him that he scared Faith, the second thing he definitively remembered was Faith getting up, shrugging off the nurses, and practically pushing the doctors away, to stand by his side.
He looked up at her in amasement, she was even more beautiful than he'd remembered. She looked like an angel. His breath caught in his throat and he couldn't say anything.
"You're finally awake," she said, with tears in her eyes. He just looked at her, still unable to speak. "You want some water?" He nodded. He took a sip of water and smiled briefly. "You are not going to believe everything that has happened."
"Faith, I love you." She smiled at him and stroked his hair. She leaned down and kissed him, softly.
"Boz, you saved my life."
"I did nothing I wouldn't have done any other time. You're my partner. I owed you at least that."
"It seems like a lifetime since I last talked to you. Everything has changed."
"Not everything."
"Almost."
"You're still my best friend, I still love you." His voice was rough with pain and exhaustion, but he'd been waiting to talk to her since that day.
"You never told me you loved me before, how do I know this isn't some near death experience talking."
"Faith, I would never lie to you about anything this important. I have never felt this way about anyone. Not Nicole, Not Cruz, not anyone. I've been hiding it away too long." He was getting excited, and Faith started to worry. She didn't want him to get hurt again.
"Okay, Boz. Let's just talk about this later. I'm going to find your ma, right now. She's been waiting for you for a long time. She's probably worried sick." Faith walked away from the bed and went out the door to find Rose. Bosco laid back on the bed and sighed. Why did he have to be so forceful with his feelings? He should have waited. He groaned in frustration and pain.
His mother stuck her head in the room and he tried to smile for her. He knew that the last two months were no doubt the roughest of her life. She came in and touched his cheek. He could see the tears rolling down her cheeks, though he knew she was trying very hard not to cry. Her tears were making him start to cry. For as long as he could remember, he always hated seeing his mom cry.
"I'm ok, Ma, really," he croaked, as she hugged him tight. For the moment, he hadn't noticed that Faith had left the hospital.