"Bos, if you're not going to stay overnight here, please just come home.
Just for tonight," Kim pleaded with him as he put his shirt on over his
burns, trying unsuccessfully to hide the look of discomfort from Kim. He
looked over at his mother, connected to a respirator and just shook his
head.
"No. I've gotta get this guy. I got a look at him. I can't just let hit go, Kim. People died," he said, as he looked from Kim to the little boy she was holding. "His mother died, Kim." Alex kept silent on the other side of Kim.
"I know, Honey, but you can't save everyone. You almost got killed yourself. And, your Mom needs you. Just give yourself some time to recover from this," she said, trying to reason with him. The nurse told Kim where to bring the little boy to be examined and she left Bosco at the nurse's station saying, "Wait here for a minute." He nodded as he watched Kim put the little boy on the stretcher. He turned around and leaned on the desk of the nurse's station as Jimmy Doherty and Billy Walsh came through the door. Billy had an ice pack on his arm.
"What's keepin' you upright?" Jimmy asked Bosco, taking in his exhausted appearance and reddened skin. Bosco shrugged, too tired to answer.
"What happened?" Bosco asked, noticing Billy.
"Billy took a fall and maybe cracked a bone," Jimmy answered.
"I should have your luck, Bosco," Billy said. Bosco nodded with a slight smile.
Billy was taken off by one of the nurses to get his arm looked at and Jimmy was filling out some paperwork. "I had her, Jimmy. If you hadn't pulled me out..."
"You'd be dead, Bosco," Jimmy finished the sentence.
Kim came back as Bosco finished his conversation with Jimmy, learning that the fire may have been the work of an arsonist. "Hey, Jimmy. What're you doing here?"
"Billy hurt his arm. He's having it looked at," Jimmy answered. "You guys are headed home?"
"Yes," Kim said at the same time that Bosco said, "No." They looked at each other and Jimmy took one look and knew he wasn't about to get into the middle of this. Jimmy casually walked away unnoticed.
"Bosco, please," Kim said, ready to start again.
"Kim. I've gotta do this. I'm fine, really," he said, leaning over to kiss her. The motion caused the fabric of his shirt to rub on his burns, but he did a good job of hiding the discomfort from Kim - or so he thought.
"Be careful," she said, realizing that she wasn't going to win this battle. She handed him a bottle of water she had grabbed from the lounge. "Drink plenty of this."
"I will. I'll call you," he said, looking into his mother's room before heading out the door.
"I'll either be here with your Mom or at home with the kids," she called after him.
"Thanks," he said and then he was gone.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Bosco walked into the hospital room to find his mother sleeping. Kim was sitting in a chair alongside the bed and looked up. Bosco noticed the smoldering look she threw his way. "Uh oh," he thought to himself. "Two women pissed off at me." He walked over and kissed Kim. "How is she?"
"She's better. They took her off the vent. She's pissed at you. She's been asking for you - as have the kids," she said, the anger in her voice. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking at the blisters on his neck and ear.
"I'm fine. We got him," he said, getting the icy stare again. "Kim. I had to do this. I just couldn't ignore it - especially not after I met the little boy's father. He was thanking me, Kim. He was thanking me and I let his wife die," Bosco whispered so he didn't wake his mother.
"You didn't let her die, Bos. You almost died trying to save her and then Johnny would be just like that little boy. Did you ever think of that?" Kim asked him and he didn't have an answer. After a moment, Kim said, "Look. I know you 'had' to do it. I know that. But, it doesn't make it any easier. Now, go talk to your mother and then we need to talk. I talked to Faith," she said, getting up and stepping out of the room, leaving Bosco to wonder what that meant.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They were home in their apartment. They'd gotten the kids settled for the night and Kim was putting some medicated ointment on Bosco's wounds. On the way home he tried to find out what her comment at the hospital meant, but she said she didn't want to get into it until they got home and got the kids settled.
"Does it hurt much?" she asked him, as she tenderly applied the medicine.
"Some. It's not as bad as it was earlier. The medicine helps," he answered her, letting the fatigue finally settle in.
"So, who's this Cruz person?" Kim asked him.
"Ah, and there it is," Bosco thought to himself with a smile. "She's one of the Sergeant's in Anti-Crime. She helped me and Faith find the guy who started the fire. Did I tell you? It was the Fire Investigator's son. He was looking for more attention from his father," he said.
"That's awful. But, do I need to be concerned about this woman?" Kim said, bringing him back to the topic.
"About what?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"Faith said there's something about her she doesn't like. She's worried about you and her."
"Worried about me and her? What does that mean? There's no me and her. There's only me and YOU," he said, amused by Kim's jealousy. "Look, I don't get jealous every time you work with some guy I don't know," he said to her.
"Oh yes you do. But, I don't flirt with MY married partners," Kim said and then got flustered that she fell into that argument. "That's not the point anyway," she said, trying to get back on track. "Faith thinks she's trouble. I want you to be careful around her."
"I can't believe Faith said that," he said, irritated. "She doesn't even know Cruz well enough to think that."
"Women have a sense about these things, Bos. You should know that by now," Kim argued with him.
"Look. I'm tired. Can we talk about this more tomorrow?" he asked her.
"We don't have to talk about it anymore. I just want you to be careful around her. Please," she said, standing up and taking him by the hand. "C'mon. I'll tuck you in."
"No. I've gotta get this guy. I got a look at him. I can't just let hit go, Kim. People died," he said, as he looked from Kim to the little boy she was holding. "His mother died, Kim." Alex kept silent on the other side of Kim.
"I know, Honey, but you can't save everyone. You almost got killed yourself. And, your Mom needs you. Just give yourself some time to recover from this," she said, trying to reason with him. The nurse told Kim where to bring the little boy to be examined and she left Bosco at the nurse's station saying, "Wait here for a minute." He nodded as he watched Kim put the little boy on the stretcher. He turned around and leaned on the desk of the nurse's station as Jimmy Doherty and Billy Walsh came through the door. Billy had an ice pack on his arm.
"What's keepin' you upright?" Jimmy asked Bosco, taking in his exhausted appearance and reddened skin. Bosco shrugged, too tired to answer.
"What happened?" Bosco asked, noticing Billy.
"Billy took a fall and maybe cracked a bone," Jimmy answered.
"I should have your luck, Bosco," Billy said. Bosco nodded with a slight smile.
Billy was taken off by one of the nurses to get his arm looked at and Jimmy was filling out some paperwork. "I had her, Jimmy. If you hadn't pulled me out..."
"You'd be dead, Bosco," Jimmy finished the sentence.
Kim came back as Bosco finished his conversation with Jimmy, learning that the fire may have been the work of an arsonist. "Hey, Jimmy. What're you doing here?"
"Billy hurt his arm. He's having it looked at," Jimmy answered. "You guys are headed home?"
"Yes," Kim said at the same time that Bosco said, "No." They looked at each other and Jimmy took one look and knew he wasn't about to get into the middle of this. Jimmy casually walked away unnoticed.
"Bosco, please," Kim said, ready to start again.
"Kim. I've gotta do this. I'm fine, really," he said, leaning over to kiss her. The motion caused the fabric of his shirt to rub on his burns, but he did a good job of hiding the discomfort from Kim - or so he thought.
"Be careful," she said, realizing that she wasn't going to win this battle. She handed him a bottle of water she had grabbed from the lounge. "Drink plenty of this."
"I will. I'll call you," he said, looking into his mother's room before heading out the door.
"I'll either be here with your Mom or at home with the kids," she called after him.
"Thanks," he said and then he was gone.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Bosco walked into the hospital room to find his mother sleeping. Kim was sitting in a chair alongside the bed and looked up. Bosco noticed the smoldering look she threw his way. "Uh oh," he thought to himself. "Two women pissed off at me." He walked over and kissed Kim. "How is she?"
"She's better. They took her off the vent. She's pissed at you. She's been asking for you - as have the kids," she said, the anger in her voice. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking at the blisters on his neck and ear.
"I'm fine. We got him," he said, getting the icy stare again. "Kim. I had to do this. I just couldn't ignore it - especially not after I met the little boy's father. He was thanking me, Kim. He was thanking me and I let his wife die," Bosco whispered so he didn't wake his mother.
"You didn't let her die, Bos. You almost died trying to save her and then Johnny would be just like that little boy. Did you ever think of that?" Kim asked him and he didn't have an answer. After a moment, Kim said, "Look. I know you 'had' to do it. I know that. But, it doesn't make it any easier. Now, go talk to your mother and then we need to talk. I talked to Faith," she said, getting up and stepping out of the room, leaving Bosco to wonder what that meant.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They were home in their apartment. They'd gotten the kids settled for the night and Kim was putting some medicated ointment on Bosco's wounds. On the way home he tried to find out what her comment at the hospital meant, but she said she didn't want to get into it until they got home and got the kids settled.
"Does it hurt much?" she asked him, as she tenderly applied the medicine.
"Some. It's not as bad as it was earlier. The medicine helps," he answered her, letting the fatigue finally settle in.
"So, who's this Cruz person?" Kim asked him.
"Ah, and there it is," Bosco thought to himself with a smile. "She's one of the Sergeant's in Anti-Crime. She helped me and Faith find the guy who started the fire. Did I tell you? It was the Fire Investigator's son. He was looking for more attention from his father," he said.
"That's awful. But, do I need to be concerned about this woman?" Kim said, bringing him back to the topic.
"About what?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"Faith said there's something about her she doesn't like. She's worried about you and her."
"Worried about me and her? What does that mean? There's no me and her. There's only me and YOU," he said, amused by Kim's jealousy. "Look, I don't get jealous every time you work with some guy I don't know," he said to her.
"Oh yes you do. But, I don't flirt with MY married partners," Kim said and then got flustered that she fell into that argument. "That's not the point anyway," she said, trying to get back on track. "Faith thinks she's trouble. I want you to be careful around her."
"I can't believe Faith said that," he said, irritated. "She doesn't even know Cruz well enough to think that."
"Women have a sense about these things, Bos. You should know that by now," Kim argued with him.
"Look. I'm tired. Can we talk about this more tomorrow?" he asked her.
"We don't have to talk about it anymore. I just want you to be careful around her. Please," she said, standing up and taking him by the hand. "C'mon. I'll tuck you in."
