Part 2 – The Spanish Inquisition
"Hi, Em!" The surprise was evident on Bosco's face as he opened his door. "Uh, what are you doing here?" His face fell. "Your Mom's all right isn't she? And Charlie? Nothing's wrong is it?"
"No, no, nothing like that." Emily reassured him quickly. "I just wanted to talk to you, that's all. Can I come in?" Bosco's body blocked the doorway. He ran a hand through his hair, unruly with sleep. Unconsciously he rubbed the barely visible scar on his cheek. There were sounds of movement from within the apartment.
"Maurice? Come back to bed." A shrill voice cut through the quiet morning. Bosco had the grace to blush slightly.
"How about I buy you breakfast? I'll meet you downstairs in minute." Emily shrugged, not mentioning that she'd already eaten breakfast.
Emily waited until they were seated in a diner before broaching the subject. "Bosco?"
"Yeah?"
"You know those bullets you took for my Mom?" She waited for him to nod and then continued. "I guess I just wanted to say thank you for keeping her safe. I've already said it once, when you were in hospital, but I guess you don't remember that, huh?" Bosco shook his head slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. If Emily was anything like her mother, he knew she had something more to say. Emily dropped her eyes and traced the pattern on the Formica table with a painted fingernail. "And I wanted... I wanted to ask... why? Why did you take those bullets for her? She looked up again and Bosco looked back, considering his answer. He could tell this was very important to her. He slowly drew a breath.
"I would do anything for your mother." He paused again and stared at his hands as if they held the answer. "Whatever happened, she's always been there for me. I've done some stupid things; I've hurt her more than I like to think about, but she's always been there for me when I needed her." He shook his head, trying to make his thoughts more ordered and coherent. That wasn't all he wanted to say. His inability to express himself infuriated him. "Whenever I need to talk, she's there. She doesn't even have to say anything. Her being there makes things just that little bit more bearable. She is the one person in the world I trust absolutely, more than anyone else, except maybe my Ma. She knows me better than I know myself and... she always believes in me. She knows my weaknesses and she knows how to stop them being weaknesses. She's helped me through everything, when I couldn't face my life she was there, forcing me to pick myself up." He looked up at Emily again. "I took those bullets for Faith because without her, I'm lost. I'm useless, worthless."
There was a heavy pause as Emily digested this. "I don't believe for a second you're useless without her." Bosco gave a half-hearted smile.
"Thanks, Em." She could tell from his tone that he didn't really believe her.
"I mean it. Don't do yourself down. And I know that Mom can't cope without you. She almost fell apart when you were in hospital; she needs you just as much as you need her. That's why you make such a great team." Bosco smiled again, and this time it reached his eyes. "Bosco, can I ask you another question?" Bosco laughed and let out a long breath.
"You can ask. If it's anything like the last one I can't promise I'll be able to answer it."
"Why is my Mom so special to you?"
Bosco looked puzzled. "I've explained that, haven't I?"
"No, I mean, why is it you can talk to her? Why does she make everything more bearable?"
Bosco sat back and looked at her, running his fingers through his hair. "What is this? The Spanish Inquisition?"
"Please Bosco, I need to know."
He nodded slowly. "I guess... I've known her a long time; we've been through a lot together." Emily looked at him, dissatisfied with his answer. He looked away and continued quietly. "And... we understand each other; there's a link between us." He smiled. "I'm getting all soppy. Next thing you know I'll be telling you we're soul mates."
"You really care about her." It wasn't a question, just a statement. It hung in the air between them. "One more thing."
Bosco groaned. "There's more?"
Emily hesitated, then pushed ahead. "Why is it a different woman every week Bosco?"
Bosco looked startled. He opened his mouth, closed it and shook his head; there was silence between them for a minute. "I'm not discussing this with you, Emily." He stood up and picked up his jacket, his movements very controlled and his face impassive.
Emily jumped up. "I'm sorry Bosco. You're right; it's none of my business, I shouldn't have asked. I'm really sorry."
Bosco relaxed slightly and smiled at her. "It's okay, forget about it." Emily smiled back, relieved. She'd thought she'd blown it for a minute. "Can I give you a lift home?" Bosco asked.
"No, it's all right, I'm going to the library for a bit."
"I'll walk with you then."
They walked in companionable silence. Bosco's mind was a riot. The questions she had asked swirled around and he knew his answers had missed something. And what about the last question? Where had that sprung from? He thought about how he would answer it...
Emily's brain was working overtime, turning over all the new information she had assimilated. She hadn't really expected him to answer the last question. She really shouldn't have asked it, but maybe, just maybe, she'd got him thinking...
They reached the steps to the library. Bosco cleared his throat. "Anytime you want to talk, you know where I am, right?"
Emily nodded. "Thanks Bosco. I appreciate it." She turned and walked up the steps to the library.
He stared after her. Suddenly the answer hit him, it was unbelievably simple. "Why is it a different woman every week? Because none of them are Faith."
Faith stopped dead in her tracks, just a few steps behind him.
