"Faith," Bosco called after his partner in the locker room after their
shift. She either didn't hear him or didn't want to talk to him right now.
He guessed the latter. As the door closed behind her, Bosco stood in
front of his locker looking after her. He let out a deep breath and
quietly closed his locker, grabbing his coat off the bench and heading out.
Just as he reached the door, it swung open and in walked Sergeant Cruz.
"Bos," she said to him in almost a whisper, walking closer to him than he was comfortable with. He took a step back and the motion did not go unnoticed with Cruz. She put a hand on his arm. "I just wanted to thank you for coming after me tonight."
Bosco looked at her bruised and swollen face where she was hit with the board and the dark discoloration across her throat from the crowbar.
"What'd the doctor say? Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah. I'm tougher than that," she said, trying to make light of how close she came to death tonight.
Bosco nodded. "You should be thanking Faith," he said simply, stepping aside and trying to walk around her. She grabbed tighter onto his arm and moved in to kiss him. He dodged out of the way, looking at her with that hard stare he gets when he's pissed.
"I said I'm not interested," he told her, pulling his arm free.
"Are you mad at me, or somethin'?" She asked with an edge to her voice.
"I guess you could say that, yeah," he answered. "Don't look confused by it. You set me up with that dying declaration. I backed you up and you set me up," he said, his voice still low, but his jaw tight as he leaned in closer to prevent anyone from overhearing. He shook his head with a disgusted look on his face and turned to leave.
She called after him, but he didn't turn around. Just kept walking until he was out the door. He took in a breath of cool night air, trying to compose himself before he got to the car where Kim was waiting to go home. He looked to his left and saw Faith walking toward the train and called after her.
"Faith!" he said, starting to head toward her. She just put a hand up in the air, telling him that she didn't want to talk tonight. He stopped and looked after her, hoping that he hadn't permanently ruined their friendship. She gave him at least three chances to come clean about that night and he hadn't done it. He was trying to protect someone he thought was a friend.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and immediately knew the touch. He reached up and covered Kim's hand with his own and slowly turned around to her.
"She's pissed?" Kim stated more than asked. Bosco nodded. "What'd you do this time?" she teased him.
"I may have really screwed up," he said, as he walked toward the car, leaving Kim looking after him. She walked quickly to catch up to him.
"What happened, Bos?"
"Thanks for taking care of Cruz tonight," he said to her trying to change the subject and realizing that wasn't the topic to start with her.
"Well, it wasn't by choice. I was doing my job. I'm just glad you weren't with her this time," Kim said.
"That perp gonna make it?" he asked, referring to the one that Faith shot and looking back over his shoulder to where Faith had been. She had turned the corner and was gone.
"Yeah. They ought to give him a medal," she said jokingly.
"For attacking a cop!?" he said, taking offense.
"No! Bos, that's not what I meant. I was just kidding!" she said, grabbing his arm and making him stand still. "What happened tonight?" she asked him again.
"I can't talk about it right now. I have to think some things out. Let's get home so the babysitter can take off," he said, reaching into his jeans to get his car keys.
Kim walked around her side of the car and they drove home in silence.
Cruz stood in the doorway of the Precinct watching him drive away.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"Hey," Fred said, standing up as Faith walked in the door. He took one look at her. "What happened?"
"What? Nothing. Well, I shot someone tonight. This guy that had dragged one of our anti-crime Sergeant's into an alley and started beating on her. We had an entire night of 10-13's - all but two of them unfounded," she said.
"Yeah, I saw a report on the news. Everyone okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah. The one cop from the 5th Precinct was pretty bad, but they think he's gonna make it. His ex-wife's boyfriend stabbed him," she told him as she flopped down on the couch next to him.
"And the other one? The one you dislike?" he prodded. She looked up at him.
"How'd you know it was Cruz?"
"I saw you on the news. They had a live report. You were talking to her alongside the ambulance. You didn't look happy," he said, rubbing her shoulders.
"Yeah, well. She may have screwed over someone I care about," Faith said, the tension evident in her shoulders.
"You tried to warn him," was all Fred said.
"Yeah. But he's stubborn. We know that. Now he may really be in trouble if she decides she wants to make it for him," she said.
"What're you gonna do about it?"
"What d'you mean?" she asked him.
"Faith. I know you and when it comes to Bosco you're like a lioness protecting her cubs - just like with our kids," he said.
"How's Em?" Faith asked.
"She's okay. She's probably still awake. I guess she had a hard day at school today. Some of the kids were mean - calling her names - you know, being kids," he said.
"I'll go talk to her," she said, pulling herself up off the couch. "And Charlie?"
"Charlie's Charlie. Nothing bothers him. He got an "A" on his Science project," Fred told her.
"Good for him. I'll make him a special breakfast in the morning to celebrate," she said, heading down the hallway.
"He was hoping you would. I sent Em down to the corner to get some fresh bacon," he told her and she smiled as she headed in to see if Emily was awake.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Kim awoke and immediately felt the emptiness next to her. She sat up and looked around the room only to confirm that Bosco was not there. She got out of bed and threw her robe on. She walked up the hallway looking in at each of the boys along the way. She stopped to put the blanket back over Johnny and then continued up the hallway where she saw Bosco staring out the window.
"D'you cover him up again?" he asked, hearing her come into the room.
"Yeah. He's almost as restless a sleeper as you are," she said, getting a short chuckle out of him. "But, at least he's sleeping. What's going on, Bosco?"
No response.
"What happened between you and Faith tonight?" she asked, urging him to get it out. "Maybe I can help."
"I lied to her and she knows it," he said finally.
"About what?"
"You remember that whole thing with Miguel White?" he asked her.
"How could I forget," she said. "Go on."
"You remember we found that perp in the bus station? The one that started shooting?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "He didn't really make a dying declaration of guilt," he said softly. "He was already dead by the time Cruz and I reached him."
"But, you said..." she started only to be interrupted.
"I know what I said, Kim," he said shortly. "The guy needed to be off the street. We needed the dead guy's statement to arrest the guy that ordered the hit on Miguel. He was gonna have a 12 year old kid murdered, Kim," Bosco said, turning to face her. She stood listening as he tried to justify it in his own mind. "I signed the report as a witness. The report has my name on it and Cruz told Faith that it didn't matter that it wasn't true. It wasn't gonna hurt her because she put me out in front of it - not her," Bosco said, running his hand through his hair as he turned back toward the window.
"So, go to your bosses. Let them know," she said.
"It's not that easy, Kim," he said. "I signed that report indicating that it was accurate. And now Faith - she doesn't trust me anymore. I don't know if she'll back me," he said.
"Well, she doesn't like Cruz anymore than I do. She'll back you on this. She's your partner and your best friend - that'll never change, Bos," Kim said as she crossed the room to him. "She'll help you find a way to make it right."
Bosco turned around and took Kim in his arms. "I hope you're right, Kim. I really hope you're right. And thanks for not saying 'I told you so.'"
They turned and walked arms around each other's waists toward the bedroom.
"Bos," she said to him in almost a whisper, walking closer to him than he was comfortable with. He took a step back and the motion did not go unnoticed with Cruz. She put a hand on his arm. "I just wanted to thank you for coming after me tonight."
Bosco looked at her bruised and swollen face where she was hit with the board and the dark discoloration across her throat from the crowbar.
"What'd the doctor say? Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah. I'm tougher than that," she said, trying to make light of how close she came to death tonight.
Bosco nodded. "You should be thanking Faith," he said simply, stepping aside and trying to walk around her. She grabbed tighter onto his arm and moved in to kiss him. He dodged out of the way, looking at her with that hard stare he gets when he's pissed.
"I said I'm not interested," he told her, pulling his arm free.
"Are you mad at me, or somethin'?" She asked with an edge to her voice.
"I guess you could say that, yeah," he answered. "Don't look confused by it. You set me up with that dying declaration. I backed you up and you set me up," he said, his voice still low, but his jaw tight as he leaned in closer to prevent anyone from overhearing. He shook his head with a disgusted look on his face and turned to leave.
She called after him, but he didn't turn around. Just kept walking until he was out the door. He took in a breath of cool night air, trying to compose himself before he got to the car where Kim was waiting to go home. He looked to his left and saw Faith walking toward the train and called after her.
"Faith!" he said, starting to head toward her. She just put a hand up in the air, telling him that she didn't want to talk tonight. He stopped and looked after her, hoping that he hadn't permanently ruined their friendship. She gave him at least three chances to come clean about that night and he hadn't done it. He was trying to protect someone he thought was a friend.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and immediately knew the touch. He reached up and covered Kim's hand with his own and slowly turned around to her.
"She's pissed?" Kim stated more than asked. Bosco nodded. "What'd you do this time?" she teased him.
"I may have really screwed up," he said, as he walked toward the car, leaving Kim looking after him. She walked quickly to catch up to him.
"What happened, Bos?"
"Thanks for taking care of Cruz tonight," he said to her trying to change the subject and realizing that wasn't the topic to start with her.
"Well, it wasn't by choice. I was doing my job. I'm just glad you weren't with her this time," Kim said.
"That perp gonna make it?" he asked, referring to the one that Faith shot and looking back over his shoulder to where Faith had been. She had turned the corner and was gone.
"Yeah. They ought to give him a medal," she said jokingly.
"For attacking a cop!?" he said, taking offense.
"No! Bos, that's not what I meant. I was just kidding!" she said, grabbing his arm and making him stand still. "What happened tonight?" she asked him again.
"I can't talk about it right now. I have to think some things out. Let's get home so the babysitter can take off," he said, reaching into his jeans to get his car keys.
Kim walked around her side of the car and they drove home in silence.
Cruz stood in the doorway of the Precinct watching him drive away.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"Hey," Fred said, standing up as Faith walked in the door. He took one look at her. "What happened?"
"What? Nothing. Well, I shot someone tonight. This guy that had dragged one of our anti-crime Sergeant's into an alley and started beating on her. We had an entire night of 10-13's - all but two of them unfounded," she said.
"Yeah, I saw a report on the news. Everyone okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah. The one cop from the 5th Precinct was pretty bad, but they think he's gonna make it. His ex-wife's boyfriend stabbed him," she told him as she flopped down on the couch next to him.
"And the other one? The one you dislike?" he prodded. She looked up at him.
"How'd you know it was Cruz?"
"I saw you on the news. They had a live report. You were talking to her alongside the ambulance. You didn't look happy," he said, rubbing her shoulders.
"Yeah, well. She may have screwed over someone I care about," Faith said, the tension evident in her shoulders.
"You tried to warn him," was all Fred said.
"Yeah. But he's stubborn. We know that. Now he may really be in trouble if she decides she wants to make it for him," she said.
"What're you gonna do about it?"
"What d'you mean?" she asked him.
"Faith. I know you and when it comes to Bosco you're like a lioness protecting her cubs - just like with our kids," he said.
"How's Em?" Faith asked.
"She's okay. She's probably still awake. I guess she had a hard day at school today. Some of the kids were mean - calling her names - you know, being kids," he said.
"I'll go talk to her," she said, pulling herself up off the couch. "And Charlie?"
"Charlie's Charlie. Nothing bothers him. He got an "A" on his Science project," Fred told her.
"Good for him. I'll make him a special breakfast in the morning to celebrate," she said, heading down the hallway.
"He was hoping you would. I sent Em down to the corner to get some fresh bacon," he told her and she smiled as she headed in to see if Emily was awake.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Kim awoke and immediately felt the emptiness next to her. She sat up and looked around the room only to confirm that Bosco was not there. She got out of bed and threw her robe on. She walked up the hallway looking in at each of the boys along the way. She stopped to put the blanket back over Johnny and then continued up the hallway where she saw Bosco staring out the window.
"D'you cover him up again?" he asked, hearing her come into the room.
"Yeah. He's almost as restless a sleeper as you are," she said, getting a short chuckle out of him. "But, at least he's sleeping. What's going on, Bosco?"
No response.
"What happened between you and Faith tonight?" she asked, urging him to get it out. "Maybe I can help."
"I lied to her and she knows it," he said finally.
"About what?"
"You remember that whole thing with Miguel White?" he asked her.
"How could I forget," she said. "Go on."
"You remember we found that perp in the bus station? The one that started shooting?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "He didn't really make a dying declaration of guilt," he said softly. "He was already dead by the time Cruz and I reached him."
"But, you said..." she started only to be interrupted.
"I know what I said, Kim," he said shortly. "The guy needed to be off the street. We needed the dead guy's statement to arrest the guy that ordered the hit on Miguel. He was gonna have a 12 year old kid murdered, Kim," Bosco said, turning to face her. She stood listening as he tried to justify it in his own mind. "I signed the report as a witness. The report has my name on it and Cruz told Faith that it didn't matter that it wasn't true. It wasn't gonna hurt her because she put me out in front of it - not her," Bosco said, running his hand through his hair as he turned back toward the window.
"So, go to your bosses. Let them know," she said.
"It's not that easy, Kim," he said. "I signed that report indicating that it was accurate. And now Faith - she doesn't trust me anymore. I don't know if she'll back me," he said.
"Well, she doesn't like Cruz anymore than I do. She'll back you on this. She's your partner and your best friend - that'll never change, Bos," Kim said as she crossed the room to him. "She'll help you find a way to make it right."
Bosco turned around and took Kim in his arms. "I hope you're right, Kim. I really hope you're right. And thanks for not saying 'I told you so.'"
They turned and walked arms around each other's waists toward the bedroom.
