And so now I wait..I wait for the drugs to kick in and my Bosco to return back to me, the doctors are in and out of the room as usual but now there are lab technicians coming ever 6 hours on the nose to take vial after vial of blood from Bosco, they tell me that its to check the clotting factor in his blood.. whatever the hell that is, but soon after they take it Janice, Bosco's nurse comes into the room with another dose of that Heparin stuff they have been pumping into Bosco to help dissolve the clot that threatens his life.

I sit back and listen to the tell tale "Whoosh" as the ventilator hisses its confirmation that Bosco is still alive, its been two days now since Bosco left me waiting here.. Fred got wise to what I was planning and when I went with the crew to arrest him and get my kids back, we found an empty house, literally and a note on the back of the door..

"I know what you are doing Faith and its not going to work.. I am not going to allow you to neglect the kids the way you neglected everything else in your life...we are moving far away from New York, so you can forget about seeing the kids again, I'll get them to send you a card for Christmas. Fred"

I tore the note off the door and shredded it into a million pieces and then cried myself to sleep at the hospital that night, since that misadventure I have not left Bosco's side since. I keep talking to Bosco in the bed, telling him about Fred, about how worried I am about the kids, and how much I miss it when he is away like this, but I know that he isn't too far because sometime I feel a slight brush against my cheek and I know that its him... Closing my eyes in exhaustion I put my head down by his hand and drift to sleep.

55

"Faith, Faith wake up"

Sully's voice pulls me out of my dreamless sleep, opening my eyes and looking around the room I am greeted by the familiar sight of Bosco lying in the bed and the familiar "Whoosh" that lets me know that he is still fighting, pulling my head off the bed I see Sully standing at the door, beside him is Davis, Bosco has been in a coma for almost a month now... its been two weeks since he had the clot in his lungs, Rose still stops by faithfully everyday to check on her "little Maurice" and there are still some of the faithful from the Third watch who stop by to see if there is anything that they could do for me, how Bosco was doing, if there was any changes in his condition... I am starting to feel bad because I have nothing new to tell them... I too can just sit here and wait.

"Faith, the Boss wants to see you back at the house, he sent Davis and I to come and get you."

Its probably something to do with work.. or more like me returning to work.. but I cant get into David without Bosco.. I just cant.. it wouldn't be David without Bosco, especially now, especially since we had reconciled our differences and revealed our true feelings for each other, I couldn't do that to him it would feel like I am committing a kind of infidelity.

Silently I get up from my chair and stretch the sleep from my body, leaning over the bed I kiss Bosco's cheek and I grab his hand and give it a little squeeze.

"I have to go to the house, the boss wants me, you keep fightin' you gotta stay with me Bosco, I will be back as soon as I can, I love you"

Leaning over and kissing him again I turn towards Sully and Davis, I might as well get this over with while I can, I feel a strange sense of warmth on my shoulder that moves across my cheek and then I feel a slight caress in the small of my back, the spot where Bosco always touched me and I heard in the back of my mind the voice.. the voice that I heard in my head for the last two weeks say silently in my mind

"I love you too Faith."

And I sighed, knowing that he was still with me fighting.

55

I watch as Faith stood up, leaned over the bed and kissed the still form that is my body, my body that decided to betray me, just as I was making headway with Faith, crossing the room I put my hand on her shoulder, shuddering a little as bridged the gap between her mind and mine, every time I touched her my mind touched hers and I was able to hear her thoughts.. so I know that she didn't want to go into the house because she was afraid that she would be reassigned in David, and I knew why she didn't want to be reassigned too, she didn't want to leave me, she didn't want to leave the comfort of what has become a partnership that I am sure will never be broken. I knew this because I felt it too

I watched as she leaned over the bed and I heard what she whispered in my ear, I felt the warmth from her voice fill me with a feeling that I can only describe as Faith.. there was no way of describing this feeling, but it was good, she is the only thing that keeps me anchored, touching her shoulder took quite a bit out of me but it was worth it, especially since I got to touch the small of her back, I told her I loved her too... so she would know that I was fighting to stay with her, I was just going to try and get back into my body when I heard another familiar voice behind me.

"Maurice, are you ready to come with me yet?"

Turning around I come face to face with the Angel, her seductive voice turning my legs to jello, her visits are becoming less frequent but then again its getting harder to get her to leave.

"Tell the Gatekeeper I am not coming, not until this hair turns grey and they have to wheel me around in a diaper."

"Bosco, I don't understand why you don't want to come with me, I can show you things that you have only dreamed of, show your pleasures that you have never experienced, I can show you bliss where you get anything your heart desires.. you just have to come with me.. I can give it all to you but you have to trust me and take my hand."

"There is nothing that you can give me that I don't have already, I have Faith, I love her, and now I know that she loves me back, any pleasure that I have yet to experience I can experience with her, anything that I desire she can fulfill, I already have bliss, her name is Faith Yokas."

I looked the Angel in the eye and then looked at my body, smiling at the thought of Faith I touch my hand and sigh as it passes right though it, I have been trying to get back into my body for a couple of weeks now, since I figured out the way to do it before I have been trying that method over and over again, now all I do is pass though my lifeless form, so I have been trying to work out a way of getting back to Faith. The Angel turns to me and advances, her arms apart, waiting to take me into them, waiting to tell the Gatekeeper that she had won and that I was coming "home" well I had news for her.. the only "home" that I wanted to be in was wherever Faith was.. and I wasn't going to give up on that. Turning to the wall I jumped though it, traveling to the only other "home" I knew about.

55

"You wanted to see me Boss?"

I poke my head around the door frame to where Swersky was sitting and watched as he beckoned me into the room. Realizing that I the room that I was entering was the Roll room I feel a twinge of sadness on my heart as I look to the space where Bosco always sat, just two seats behind me so he could "keep an eye on me" during roll, willing the tears that were forming in my eyes not to roll down my cheeks.

"Have a seat Faith."

I head towards my usual chair and then realize that I am not in roll and I don't need to sit near the back of the room so I move closer to the front... I purposely take Bosco's seat and I feel a strange warmth roll though me.. like a comfort as I lean back in his chair, and I know that he is close by. Looking over to Swersky I fold my hands in my lap and assume the position for the bad news that is going to be delivered to me.. and what poor rookie I am going to be subjected to training for the next god knows how long..

"Faith, you know what happened on the rooftop"

I had been trying to forget it, memories flash back in my mind of me shooting Mann with Bosco's gun and then Cruz dropping that knife in the water...

"Well downtown started looking more closely at your record of service, they looked at Rebecca."

I grimaced as I saw that poor little girl who between Sasha, Bosco and I figured out that she had been abducted and was being abused by her slimeball father.. and then I had to smile at seeing her wake up for the first time and then the look on her real mothers face as we showed her the picture that we had of her and her recognizing that this was indeed her long lost daughter.

"Downtown is impressed with your skills, your determination and your resourcefulness."

I look up at Swersky skeptically, why is he talking to me about what downtown thinks of me.. why the hell are they looking at my jacket so closely anyhow?

"What are you saying Boss?"

Swersky grinned at me and patted me on the shoulder and he deposited a gold shield in my hand.

"I am saying you have been promoted... Detective Yokas.. Congratulations."

In the back of my mind I heard a voice say in my ear

"I knew you could do it Faith... you are going to be a great detective.."

I just sat there with that dumbfounded look on my face as I stare at the gold in my hand.. and I feel a twinge of guilt run though me, this should have been Bosco's as well, he helped me with the Rebecca case, he has helped me with everything and if he doesn't get promoted along with me then I don't want this.. I don't wanna leave David.. when Bosco gets out of the hospital I am going to be there right beside him and things will go back to normal again.. well as close to normal as possible given the fact that I am in love with my partner.

"Thanks Boss.."

Its all that I can choke out as I slowly rise from my seat.. realizing that along with this gold shield brings with it the perks of leaving the uniform at home, and wearing normal clothes for a change, and better, more regular hours.. this should make my custody hearing with Fred go much better.. That is if I can find Fred. I decided that would be my first case, but right now I had to get back to the hospital, I had to get back to Bosco.

"Can I go now boss? I don't want to be rude but I want to get back to the hospital."

Swersky nods at me and then adds that I have to return to work sometime.. I have burned all my vacation days and I cant keep away from work much longer.. at least if I want to still keep living where I am.. I have to make rent somehow. Leaving the house I have the feeling that someone is watching me and I know its Bosco.. I know that he is somehow following me, following me to keep his link to this world.

55

The Angel doesn't dare to follow me when I go after Faith, she knows better by now. Heading towards the house I get there just in time to see Faith sit in my chair, standing behind her I wrap my arms around her to let her know I am here for her.

"I love you"

I know she might not be able to hear me but I had to try.. I think she did because I feel her relax, letting her body sink into the chair.

The news that Swersky broke to her surprised me as well as Faith, I felt the surge of surprise that flowed though her veins.. in a way I was living vicariously though her. Leaning in, I bridge her thoughts.. I knew how to communicate with her but it always took it out of me..

"I knew you could do it Faith... you are going to be a great detective.."

Pulling away from her I know she heard me but all she can do is stare at the gold in her hand. Getting up I hear her tell the boss that she has to get back to me.. and then Swersky told her to report back for duty on Monday, that gave me the weekend to try and figure out how the hell to get back into my body and back to her.

Turning with Faith I take her hand, as best I can, as she walks out the door a gold shield clutched in her hand.