Bosco walked into the firehouse and spotted Lombardo and Walsh in the back playing one-on-one.

"Hey guys."

Joe Lombardo looked over. "Hey, heads up!" He tossed the ball over to Bosco.

Bosco grinned and sunk it.

"Whoa! Looks like the Camelot Cup might be a little harder to bring home this year," Billy Walsh smiled.

"Thanks. Kimmy upstairs?"

"No, Doc shook her loose a little early. She left ten minutes ago," Lombardo said.

"Oh."

"She's didn't go across the street and tell you?"

"No, she didn't. She's probably taking the train. See you guys later."

"Bye," the firefighters called as they resumed their game and Bosco headed out of the firehouse.

^~^~^~^~^~^~^

Kim stopped in mid-step when she saw who was waiting outside her building.

"Can I help you?" she asked as she resumed her walking.

Maritza Cruz turned around.

"It's Kim, right?"

"That's right," she stopped a few feet away. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I just wanted to thank Bosco for all he did today."

"He's not home yet. You're welcome to wait here for him. You'll forgive me for not inviting you in but I'm not in the mood for company," she said brushing past her and going up the steps.

"Open hostility. That's new."

"What?" Kim turned around.

"Everyone else has been falling all over themselves to tell me how sorry they are about my sister," Maritza said.

"Please accept my condolences as well Sgt. Cruz," Kim said calmly. "I can only imagine how you must feel. I have a younger sister and I can't even think of loosing her the way you lost yours."

"Thank you."

"Good night," Kim said as she started to turn back around.

"Did I do something to piss you off or something?" Maritza asked.

Kim took a deep breath and counted to ten before she looked back at Sgt. Cruz.

"No. Why?"

"Just a vibe I'm getting. I think I've seen cops act friendlier towards a perp."

"Look, I realize you've had a long day and it's been pretty awful besides, but I've had a long day too and a heart-to-heart isn't exactly what I had in mind for things I wanted to do once I got home, so if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go inside and relax." Kim had to get out of there. Any longer with this woman and she'd end up taking a swing at her.

"Who said anything about a heart-to-heart? I'd just like to know what I did to get you so pissed off."

"You nearly got my husband killed, that's what you did." Kim had just reached the end of her patience. "You and your holy mission to save your sister nearly killed you, a pregnant woman and her baby, and Bosco. Your vibe was correct. I am pissed off. I think what you did today was reckless and stupid and if I had the power your ass would be yanked off the streets and put behind a desk indefinitely. You were on a mission today and missions never end well when the person is so damned determined to see things turn out the way they want it to that they ignore everything else."

"What do you know about it?"

"Bobby Caffey. He went on a mission of his own to save a friend of his who'd gotten in trouble with drugs. His name was Paulie Fuentes. See if Bobby loved you, you were his family and there isn't anything he wouldn't do for you. Only Paulie didn't want help. He was perfectly happy slowly killing himself with whatever he could get his hands on. Bobby couldn't accept that because he didn't want to see Paulie end up dead from an overdose. He took him in one night and Paulie stole from Bobby and Bobby's mother. Bobby got pissed and went after him. Paulie had already sold the stuff he'd stolen and used it to score. So Bobby took the drugs and put them in the toilet. Paulie didn't like that and he pulled a gun. He asked Bobby to give his stuff back but Bobby was stubborn so Paulie shot him. As Bobby lay there bleeding to death Paulie moved his leg off the toilet so he could get his drugs back. Then he put a gun to the back of my head and forced me down the hall so he could get a needle before he ran out. So, you see, Sgt. Cruz, I know about missions and the kind you were on today get people killed." Kim didn't wait for a response; instead she turned around and went inside, shutting the door behind her.