"Hey," he said, coming up behind her as she stared out the window. He
wrapped his arms around her from behind and was immediately frightened by
her trembling. "Kim?" he said, turning her to face him. "What is it?
What's wrong?" he said, becoming worried. She shook her head, shrugging
off his concern. "Kim?" he said more intent.
"Nothing's wrong. It's the same every time. Too many times," she said, turning back to the window, clearly agitated.
"What's the same?"
"The waiting," she said beginning to pace. "The damned waiting. I'm not good at it," she said, becoming more upset. "I suck at it actually."
He walked over to where she was pacing and stood in front of her, taking hold of her arms so that she couldn't walk away from him. The trembling seemed to feel worse to him.
"Kim, what's going on?" he said, not letting her pull away like she was trying. "Don't pull away from me. Tell me what's going on?" She shook her head again, like she was trying to erase an image.
Bosco watched her torment as tears sprang to her eyes. "I just-," she started then stopped, looking into Bosco's eyes. "I keep seeing it. As I sit in the same waiting room, looking at the same walls with the same marks on them, with the same chairs and the same sounds. Hell, the same magazines are probably here," she said, taking in a sharp breath as she tried to control her emotions.
"You keep seeing what, Baby?" Bosco asked. They hadn't heard Catherine Zambrano come up behind him. Kim had called her to come take Joey to her place so he could get some decent sleep.
"She keeps seeing what happened when Bobby got shot," Catherine said and Bosco and Kim both looked at her. "Tell him, Kim."
"Kim?" Bosco said, looking back at his wife. She didn't answer him. He looked back at his mother-in-law.
"It happens sometimes - when you're late coming home from work and she doesn't know if it's because somebody hurt you. Or, when she sits here in this hospital waiting room waiting to hear about one of her co-workers that was injured at a fire or some other call. You need to tell him, Kim," she repeated, looking at the back of her daughter. "You need to tell him that you keep hearing that shot; that you keep seeing Bobby lying in that dirty, disgusting bathroom, with his blood all over; that you keep feeling the barrel of that gun against the back of your head and the terror of those moments when you didn't know if he was going to shoot you next," she said for her.
"Kim? Is that true? Why didn't you tell me?" Bosco asked, moving around so that he was facing Kim. Her cheeks had fresh tears on them. "How often does this happen?"
"Not often," Kim said quietly. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Sorry? Sorry for what? You've got nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry I didn't know something was wrong," Bosco said, taking Kim in his arms. He looked over Kim's shoulder at Catherine who had tears in her eyes too.
"It only happens once in a while. Not nearly as much as it used to right after it happened," Kim said, exhaustion in her voice.
Bosco put an arm around her shoulders and said, "C'mon. Let's go sit down. Everything's gonna be okay, Kim. I'm right here and Jimmy's gonna be okay. We'll talk more about this later." Bosco led Kim back to the chairs where Jimmy's family, co-workers and friends were waiting.
The doctor came out and asked for Jimmy's family. Mrs. Doherty asked Kim to come with her in case she didn't understand something the doctor said. Bosco watched as Kim listened to the doctor. To Catherine he simply said, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"She made me promise not to. She didn't want to worry you and thought it would go away completely. You have to make sure that if you're late from work that you call her so she knows you're okay," Catherine said. Bosco nodded. "I will."
The doctor had finished talking and Kim was returning as the others gathered to hear her report. "He's gonna be okay. He's got a long road and he's gonna need a lot of help, but he's gonna be okay. He's awake and he remembers driving down the road. He doesn't remember falling asleep and he doesn't remember hitting the tree, which is probably a good thing," Kim said, looking over at Bosco who gave her a wink. "He's got a bunch of fractures, but nothing major, and he's gonna need some stitches here and there from the broken glass. He was very lucky," she finished. She caught site of Alex who was looking past her at something. She turned and saw the one person she never expected to see.
She walked over and smiled. "I didn't think you'd come."
"How is he?" Brooke asked, nervously playing with her keys and feeling the stare of everyone.
"He's gonna be okay, but he's gonna need some help. He needs you, Brooke," she said.
"I don't know, Kim. He really hurt me. I don't know if it'll ever be like it was," Brooke said.
"It won't ever be like it was. He knows he hurt you and he's knows that he hurt himself by doing that. He's changed a lot over the past few months. Believe me, I'm the last one to believe that he could change, but I've seen it. He really needs you," Kim said again.
"We'll see. Can I see him?" she asked.
"You're his wife. Of course you can see him. C'mon, I'll show you where," she said, putting a hand on Brooke's elbow and walking down toward the ER doors.
"Nothing's wrong. It's the same every time. Too many times," she said, turning back to the window, clearly agitated.
"What's the same?"
"The waiting," she said beginning to pace. "The damned waiting. I'm not good at it," she said, becoming more upset. "I suck at it actually."
He walked over to where she was pacing and stood in front of her, taking hold of her arms so that she couldn't walk away from him. The trembling seemed to feel worse to him.
"Kim, what's going on?" he said, not letting her pull away like she was trying. "Don't pull away from me. Tell me what's going on?" She shook her head again, like she was trying to erase an image.
Bosco watched her torment as tears sprang to her eyes. "I just-," she started then stopped, looking into Bosco's eyes. "I keep seeing it. As I sit in the same waiting room, looking at the same walls with the same marks on them, with the same chairs and the same sounds. Hell, the same magazines are probably here," she said, taking in a sharp breath as she tried to control her emotions.
"You keep seeing what, Baby?" Bosco asked. They hadn't heard Catherine Zambrano come up behind him. Kim had called her to come take Joey to her place so he could get some decent sleep.
"She keeps seeing what happened when Bobby got shot," Catherine said and Bosco and Kim both looked at her. "Tell him, Kim."
"Kim?" Bosco said, looking back at his wife. She didn't answer him. He looked back at his mother-in-law.
"It happens sometimes - when you're late coming home from work and she doesn't know if it's because somebody hurt you. Or, when she sits here in this hospital waiting room waiting to hear about one of her co-workers that was injured at a fire or some other call. You need to tell him, Kim," she repeated, looking at the back of her daughter. "You need to tell him that you keep hearing that shot; that you keep seeing Bobby lying in that dirty, disgusting bathroom, with his blood all over; that you keep feeling the barrel of that gun against the back of your head and the terror of those moments when you didn't know if he was going to shoot you next," she said for her.
"Kim? Is that true? Why didn't you tell me?" Bosco asked, moving around so that he was facing Kim. Her cheeks had fresh tears on them. "How often does this happen?"
"Not often," Kim said quietly. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Sorry? Sorry for what? You've got nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry I didn't know something was wrong," Bosco said, taking Kim in his arms. He looked over Kim's shoulder at Catherine who had tears in her eyes too.
"It only happens once in a while. Not nearly as much as it used to right after it happened," Kim said, exhaustion in her voice.
Bosco put an arm around her shoulders and said, "C'mon. Let's go sit down. Everything's gonna be okay, Kim. I'm right here and Jimmy's gonna be okay. We'll talk more about this later." Bosco led Kim back to the chairs where Jimmy's family, co-workers and friends were waiting.
The doctor came out and asked for Jimmy's family. Mrs. Doherty asked Kim to come with her in case she didn't understand something the doctor said. Bosco watched as Kim listened to the doctor. To Catherine he simply said, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"She made me promise not to. She didn't want to worry you and thought it would go away completely. You have to make sure that if you're late from work that you call her so she knows you're okay," Catherine said. Bosco nodded. "I will."
The doctor had finished talking and Kim was returning as the others gathered to hear her report. "He's gonna be okay. He's got a long road and he's gonna need a lot of help, but he's gonna be okay. He's awake and he remembers driving down the road. He doesn't remember falling asleep and he doesn't remember hitting the tree, which is probably a good thing," Kim said, looking over at Bosco who gave her a wink. "He's got a bunch of fractures, but nothing major, and he's gonna need some stitches here and there from the broken glass. He was very lucky," she finished. She caught site of Alex who was looking past her at something. She turned and saw the one person she never expected to see.
She walked over and smiled. "I didn't think you'd come."
"How is he?" Brooke asked, nervously playing with her keys and feeling the stare of everyone.
"He's gonna be okay, but he's gonna need some help. He needs you, Brooke," she said.
"I don't know, Kim. He really hurt me. I don't know if it'll ever be like it was," Brooke said.
"It won't ever be like it was. He knows he hurt you and he's knows that he hurt himself by doing that. He's changed a lot over the past few months. Believe me, I'm the last one to believe that he could change, but I've seen it. He really needs you," Kim said again.
"We'll see. Can I see him?" she asked.
"You're his wife. Of course you can see him. C'mon, I'll show you where," she said, putting a hand on Brooke's elbow and walking down toward the ER doors.
