"And who might this little angel be?" Lieutenant Swersky said as he came up
to the Sergeant's desk and saw Amanda sitting on the ledge with Bosco's
hand on her to keep her from falling.
"Hi. My name's Amanda.. Boxajelly," she answered hesitantly with a big smile. "No, that's not right," she said with a puzzled look on her face. Everyone standing around started to chuckle.
"Bos-ca-rel-li," Bosco said again slowly for her.
"What he said," she said, pointing to Bosco.
"She's never gonna get it right, Dad," Joey said to Bosco, rolling his eyes.
"Baa eeeee," Johnny tried to repeat as he bounced up and down in Bosco's free arm.
"We're working on it," Bosco said to his co-workers. "She can spell it. She just can't say it yet," he said, looking at her with a smile.
"That's why we call him Bosco, Amanda," Swersky said to her as he leaned in to whisper, "I can't say it either."
Kim stood proudly to the side of the group, letting Bosco show off his new daughter. She'd get her turn later at the station.
Faith walked in and stopped alongside Kim. "She's beautiful, Kim," she said, causing Kim to jump slightly because she didn't realize she'd come in.
"Hey, Faith. Thanks. Haven't seen you in a while," she said.
"Yeah. The kids have gotten so big," Faith answered, trying to change the subject.
"They're growing out of everything," Kim agreed.
"Hey, wait here for a minute. I have something in my locker for you - you know, sort of a welcome gift for Amanda," Faith said, suddenly remembering. She walked past Bosco, catching his attention. He watched her walk into the locker room and Kim could see his jaw tighten at his tenseness. This whole thing was really bothering him. She hoped they'd get it straightened out soon. She still didn't understand exactly what it was all about.
A moment later, Faith returned with a gift bag with a big pink bow on it. She walked up to Amanda, barely greeting Bosco. "Amanda. My name is Faith Yokas. I work with Bosco. I just wanted to meet you and give you this as a welcome gift. I hope you like it."
"Thank you," Amanda said timidly. She looked at Bosco to see if it was all right to take it and he nodded.
"Thanks, Faith. That was nice," Bosco said.
"Yeah, well I just wanted to give her a little something. She's beautiful, Bos. Congratulations," Faith said, the tenseness evident in her stance as well.
"Well, I hate to break this up, but it's roll call in ten minutes," the Lieutenant said, causing the crowd to break up. There was backslapping and handshaking going on as Bosco's co-workers headed off to get ready for roll call.
"Okay, I have to go to work now. You go with Kim and meet the people she works with. I'll try to stop by after roll call," Bosco said to Amanda and the boys as he handed them of to her.
"Be careful," Kim said, giving him a kiss.
"Always," he said, giving her a kiss back and then kissing each one of the kids on the head before he headed to the locker room. "Tell Grandma Catherine I said hi if I don't catch up with you over at the firehouse," he said, walking down the hallway.
"Da - da," Johnny said as he waved. Bosco waved back.
"Can I call him Daddy too," Amanda asked Kim as she watched Bosco walk away.
"You absolutely can. I think he'd like that," Kim said, a smile coming to her face along with a couple of tears in her eyes.
"Bye, Daddy!" she called to him just as he reached the doorway.
He pulled up short and looked back at them - his family. "See you later, Sweetheart," he said, with a grin ear-to-ear.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**^
"Whoa! Princess in the house!" Walsh called out as Kim walked in the front door of the firehouse with her family.
"Everybody came to see where Bosco and I work today," Kim said as they walked through to the kitchen, followed by the crew.
"Hey, Joey," a number of them said. A couple shook his hand and a few picked him up and threw him back and forth.
"Me!" Johnny managed to get out.
D.K. took hold of Johnny and gently tossed him over to Billy without really letting go and was rewarded with a big, screeching giggle as he was returned to D.K. in the same way.
They caught up with Kim and Amanda in the kitchen. ".and this is Doc, Lombardo, Alex, Carlos, D.K., and Walsh," Kim finished as she pointed to each of them.
"Where's my Dad?" Joey asked, looking around.
"Right here, Sport," Jimmy said, coming down from the sleeping quarters after putting his stuff in his locker.
"Hey, who's this beauty," Jimmy said, picking Joey up and giving him a hug.
"This is Amanda, Dad," Joey answered proudly.
"Well, hello Amanda. Welcome to Camelot," Jimmy said, shaking her hand. "Hey Johnny," he said to the baby that D.K. was still holding.
"But, I thought Daddy was your Daddy," Amanda said, confused.
"He is," Joey said. "I have two Dads," he said simply. "I'll explain it all later," he said at her look of utter confusion.
After a few minutes, Bosco and Faith joined them. Faith stayed off to the side of the group, still feeling uncomfortable around Bosco, and Bosco around her.
"Hey, guys, girls," Bosco said happily as he walked in with his uniform on.
"Ooooh. You look nice, Daddy," Amanda said, scrambling off of Kim's lap and heading over to him.
"Daddy's girl," Kim announced with a smile as Bosco bent down even with Amanda.
They were interrupted when Bosco's radio came to life. "55-David. Take an unknown at Arthur and 178th - in the park. Upset female caller on the line. Unable to make out what she's talking about. Handle forthwith and advise," the dispatcher said.
"10-4, Central. In route from King and Arthur," Faith answered as Bosco handed Johnny off to Kim and said goodbye on his way out the door.
"Where's he going?" Amanda asked.
"He's going to work, Amanda," Kim answered. "Someone needs help."
*^*^*^*^*^*
Catherine came into the firehouse just as Kim was finishing showing Amanda around the fire trucks and ambulances.
"Well, how was the tour?" she asked as Joey and Amanda ran up to her and Johnny reached for her from Kim's arms.
"It was cool!" Amanda said with a big smile.
"Okay. Let's head to my house and see if there's anything as cool to do there," she said, rolling her eyes at Kim.
"You have to go to work too?" Amanda asked.
"Yup. But, I'll see you in the morning, first thing okay?" Kim answered, giving all the kids a kiss.
"Okay," Amanda said as they walked out to Catherine's car to get everyone buckled in.
"Do you think my Mommy would mind if I called you Mommy too?" Amanda asked out of the blue.
Kim felt her heart catch and stopped what she was doing. She sat down on the seat next to Amanda. "I don't think your Mommy would mind at all. Your Mommy will always be your Mommy, but I can be your Mommy down here where she can't be, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy," Amanda said and Kim looked up to see the tears in Catherine's eyes.
"Don't you dare get me started," she warned her mother.
Kim watched as her family drove off to spend the night with their grandmother. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Bosco's number.
"Boscorelli," he answered, not looking at the incoming number on the phone before answering.
"Hey, Daddy," Kim said from her end. She could hear the smile on his face as he answered her.
"That was awesome," he said.
"She just asked if it was okay to call me Mommy. I told her that I could be her Mommy down here and she was lucky because she had a Mommy in heaven too," Kim said and Bosco could hear the happy tears in her voice.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"I'm great," she answered. "Talk to you later. Be safe," she finished before hanging up.
"Hi. My name's Amanda.. Boxajelly," she answered hesitantly with a big smile. "No, that's not right," she said with a puzzled look on her face. Everyone standing around started to chuckle.
"Bos-ca-rel-li," Bosco said again slowly for her.
"What he said," she said, pointing to Bosco.
"She's never gonna get it right, Dad," Joey said to Bosco, rolling his eyes.
"Baa eeeee," Johnny tried to repeat as he bounced up and down in Bosco's free arm.
"We're working on it," Bosco said to his co-workers. "She can spell it. She just can't say it yet," he said, looking at her with a smile.
"That's why we call him Bosco, Amanda," Swersky said to her as he leaned in to whisper, "I can't say it either."
Kim stood proudly to the side of the group, letting Bosco show off his new daughter. She'd get her turn later at the station.
Faith walked in and stopped alongside Kim. "She's beautiful, Kim," she said, causing Kim to jump slightly because she didn't realize she'd come in.
"Hey, Faith. Thanks. Haven't seen you in a while," she said.
"Yeah. The kids have gotten so big," Faith answered, trying to change the subject.
"They're growing out of everything," Kim agreed.
"Hey, wait here for a minute. I have something in my locker for you - you know, sort of a welcome gift for Amanda," Faith said, suddenly remembering. She walked past Bosco, catching his attention. He watched her walk into the locker room and Kim could see his jaw tighten at his tenseness. This whole thing was really bothering him. She hoped they'd get it straightened out soon. She still didn't understand exactly what it was all about.
A moment later, Faith returned with a gift bag with a big pink bow on it. She walked up to Amanda, barely greeting Bosco. "Amanda. My name is Faith Yokas. I work with Bosco. I just wanted to meet you and give you this as a welcome gift. I hope you like it."
"Thank you," Amanda said timidly. She looked at Bosco to see if it was all right to take it and he nodded.
"Thanks, Faith. That was nice," Bosco said.
"Yeah, well I just wanted to give her a little something. She's beautiful, Bos. Congratulations," Faith said, the tenseness evident in her stance as well.
"Well, I hate to break this up, but it's roll call in ten minutes," the Lieutenant said, causing the crowd to break up. There was backslapping and handshaking going on as Bosco's co-workers headed off to get ready for roll call.
"Okay, I have to go to work now. You go with Kim and meet the people she works with. I'll try to stop by after roll call," Bosco said to Amanda and the boys as he handed them of to her.
"Be careful," Kim said, giving him a kiss.
"Always," he said, giving her a kiss back and then kissing each one of the kids on the head before he headed to the locker room. "Tell Grandma Catherine I said hi if I don't catch up with you over at the firehouse," he said, walking down the hallway.
"Da - da," Johnny said as he waved. Bosco waved back.
"Can I call him Daddy too," Amanda asked Kim as she watched Bosco walk away.
"You absolutely can. I think he'd like that," Kim said, a smile coming to her face along with a couple of tears in her eyes.
"Bye, Daddy!" she called to him just as he reached the doorway.
He pulled up short and looked back at them - his family. "See you later, Sweetheart," he said, with a grin ear-to-ear.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**^
"Whoa! Princess in the house!" Walsh called out as Kim walked in the front door of the firehouse with her family.
"Everybody came to see where Bosco and I work today," Kim said as they walked through to the kitchen, followed by the crew.
"Hey, Joey," a number of them said. A couple shook his hand and a few picked him up and threw him back and forth.
"Me!" Johnny managed to get out.
D.K. took hold of Johnny and gently tossed him over to Billy without really letting go and was rewarded with a big, screeching giggle as he was returned to D.K. in the same way.
They caught up with Kim and Amanda in the kitchen. ".and this is Doc, Lombardo, Alex, Carlos, D.K., and Walsh," Kim finished as she pointed to each of them.
"Where's my Dad?" Joey asked, looking around.
"Right here, Sport," Jimmy said, coming down from the sleeping quarters after putting his stuff in his locker.
"Hey, who's this beauty," Jimmy said, picking Joey up and giving him a hug.
"This is Amanda, Dad," Joey answered proudly.
"Well, hello Amanda. Welcome to Camelot," Jimmy said, shaking her hand. "Hey Johnny," he said to the baby that D.K. was still holding.
"But, I thought Daddy was your Daddy," Amanda said, confused.
"He is," Joey said. "I have two Dads," he said simply. "I'll explain it all later," he said at her look of utter confusion.
After a few minutes, Bosco and Faith joined them. Faith stayed off to the side of the group, still feeling uncomfortable around Bosco, and Bosco around her.
"Hey, guys, girls," Bosco said happily as he walked in with his uniform on.
"Ooooh. You look nice, Daddy," Amanda said, scrambling off of Kim's lap and heading over to him.
"Daddy's girl," Kim announced with a smile as Bosco bent down even with Amanda.
They were interrupted when Bosco's radio came to life. "55-David. Take an unknown at Arthur and 178th - in the park. Upset female caller on the line. Unable to make out what she's talking about. Handle forthwith and advise," the dispatcher said.
"10-4, Central. In route from King and Arthur," Faith answered as Bosco handed Johnny off to Kim and said goodbye on his way out the door.
"Where's he going?" Amanda asked.
"He's going to work, Amanda," Kim answered. "Someone needs help."
*^*^*^*^*^*
Catherine came into the firehouse just as Kim was finishing showing Amanda around the fire trucks and ambulances.
"Well, how was the tour?" she asked as Joey and Amanda ran up to her and Johnny reached for her from Kim's arms.
"It was cool!" Amanda said with a big smile.
"Okay. Let's head to my house and see if there's anything as cool to do there," she said, rolling her eyes at Kim.
"You have to go to work too?" Amanda asked.
"Yup. But, I'll see you in the morning, first thing okay?" Kim answered, giving all the kids a kiss.
"Okay," Amanda said as they walked out to Catherine's car to get everyone buckled in.
"Do you think my Mommy would mind if I called you Mommy too?" Amanda asked out of the blue.
Kim felt her heart catch and stopped what she was doing. She sat down on the seat next to Amanda. "I don't think your Mommy would mind at all. Your Mommy will always be your Mommy, but I can be your Mommy down here where she can't be, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy," Amanda said and Kim looked up to see the tears in Catherine's eyes.
"Don't you dare get me started," she warned her mother.
Kim watched as her family drove off to spend the night with their grandmother. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Bosco's number.
"Boscorelli," he answered, not looking at the incoming number on the phone before answering.
"Hey, Daddy," Kim said from her end. She could hear the smile on his face as he answered her.
"That was awesome," he said.
"She just asked if it was okay to call me Mommy. I told her that I could be her Mommy down here and she was lucky because she had a Mommy in heaven too," Kim said and Bosco could hear the happy tears in her voice.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"I'm great," she answered. "Talk to you later. Be safe," she finished before hanging up.
