Hate to say it guys but until we start hearing spoilers or things about the
new season I'm afraid Patti and I are going on hiatus. I hope to see you
for the next chapter in the fall. Have a great summer. (
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The crew hung around the house, no one saying much of anything. It was just the comfort of everyone being together. Some of the guys from the next shift had heard about it on the news or word of mouth - news like that spreads to the ranks quickly - and come in early. They were prepared to pick up the slack for their shocked and still somewhat disbelieving fellow firefighters and medics for the rest of the shift as well as waiting around to hear about the services.
No one had seen Carlos. The bus was there and everything was cleaned up and back in order, but no Carlos. Kim slowly walked up the stairs. She got upstairs and sat on one of the bunks and dialed her cell phone.
She got Bosco's voicemail again. "Hey, Hon. I'm at work. We're all hanging out here for a while. Mom's got the kids, but I talked to them," she said, pausing and taking a deep breath as the realization finally hit her. She flashed on the night that Bobby was killed and saw the all the blood all over him, the floor and herself. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. "I, um, really need you. So, call me as soon as you can, okay? Love you. Be safe," she finished in a shaky voice before hanging up. She was worried that she hadn't heard from him. He was working with Cruz today and she always hated that, but now she couldn't get hold of him.
Kim heard a noise from outside the window. She walked over and looked out, not seeing anything out of the ordinary on the street. She looked up and saw Carlos up on the roof on the other side of the building. The roof was a good thinking spot; a good place to be when you wanted to be alone. "So that's where you went," she mumbled to herself. Kim walked over to the sink and looked in the mirror. She took her hair down and rearranged it in the ponytail. She turned on the faucet and splashed some cool water on her face to hide the tearstains. Taking a deep breath she turned to go up to the roof to see if Carlos was okay.
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Bosco's mind raced all the way over to Noble's hotel room. The red flashing of the lights assaulting his eyes and the sound of the siren bouncing around inside his ears. "What have I done?" he thought out loud to himself. He could picture Faith being caught off guard as she searched Noble's room. He took the turn at high speed, sliding on the pavement and guiding the car around the turn. He flashed back to the sounds of squealing tires and metal crashing into metal as the mental picture of the accident scene replayed in his head. He could see Cruz's car up ahead - its lights and siren going also. She was really moving along and he pressed the accelerator down further. The buildings and streetlights whizzed by his peripheral vision.
He thought back to his conversation with Faith earlier. She was still so pissed at him. She didn't want to hear anything he'd had to say. He finally caught her attention as she walked away by telling her about the guy he and Cruz were about to frame for murder. That always got her - an injustice against an innocent. Just look what happened when that gangbanger went after Little Nimo - cut his throat. Oh, it was wrong to leave him under that bridge to be beaten to death by that rival gang; but, was it any better than what Cruz was doing to avenge the death of her sister? He thought about that as he barreled after Cruz through the darkened streets of the City. No, it wasn't, but it was. He understood it - he didn't agree with it - but he understood it and went along with it. That was water under the bridge. This was something else entirely. This wasn't just affecting one person this time. This whole thing had major repercussions - collateral damage.
Bosco smiled to himself as he barely missed a taxi cab that was speeding in the other direction. He maneuvered around and cleared the intersection. He didn't know if Faith was going to help him or not as she walked away from him. He'd hoped she was. He took the chance and called Noble to meet him. When Cruz called the House and was told that Faith was on her meal break, he knew - he just knew it in his gut that she was at Noble's, helping him. He had to get there - to back up his partner.
Bosco pulled up to the hotel and saw Cruz's car outside - empty, with the driver's door still open and the lights still flashing. He parked alongside her car and got out and hurried into the building. He grabbed an elevator and reached the floor. He got out and walked toward the room. The door was open and he walked in quietly. He heard voices in the back. "Faith?!" he called out. He heard her respond, "I'm back here, Bosco!" There was tension in her voice so he knew that Cruz had found her. He walked slowly and quietly down the hallway and into the room.
He took in the scene before him. Faith was standing facing Cruz. He looked at her hand and saw that she'd found the gun. It was wrapped in a cloth and she was holding it by the barrel. Cruz stood facing Faith. He could see her tense slightly as she felt him enter the room, just out of her line of vision. She had her gun drawn, but it was at her side. He stole a glance at Faith and saw the nervousness and anger in her eyes. Then, Noble came in behind him and it distracted Cruz slightly as he started talking.
"C'mon Faith," he said to his partner. They both started to move and Cruz's attention was drawn back to them. Faith looked at Bosco. They made brief eye contact - enough to convey to each other what was about to happen. They'd always been able to do that - talk without saying a word. It's part of what made them such a great team. He saw that now. Why couldn't he see that before? He heard the angry words coming from Cruz's mouth, but he was thinking about how much he'd changed lately - how much even he didn't like what he'd become.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, even though it wasn't. He saw Faith start to hand Cruz the gun. He noticed the very slight motion of her arm flinching as she made her move to turn the gun on Cruz. He reached back and took his gun out as he saw Cruz raise her weapon at Faith. He yelled, "NO!" Kim and the kids flashed through his mind as the flash of the three guns discharging filled the room.
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The crew hung around the house, no one saying much of anything. It was just the comfort of everyone being together. Some of the guys from the next shift had heard about it on the news or word of mouth - news like that spreads to the ranks quickly - and come in early. They were prepared to pick up the slack for their shocked and still somewhat disbelieving fellow firefighters and medics for the rest of the shift as well as waiting around to hear about the services.
No one had seen Carlos. The bus was there and everything was cleaned up and back in order, but no Carlos. Kim slowly walked up the stairs. She got upstairs and sat on one of the bunks and dialed her cell phone.
She got Bosco's voicemail again. "Hey, Hon. I'm at work. We're all hanging out here for a while. Mom's got the kids, but I talked to them," she said, pausing and taking a deep breath as the realization finally hit her. She flashed on the night that Bobby was killed and saw the all the blood all over him, the floor and herself. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. "I, um, really need you. So, call me as soon as you can, okay? Love you. Be safe," she finished in a shaky voice before hanging up. She was worried that she hadn't heard from him. He was working with Cruz today and she always hated that, but now she couldn't get hold of him.
Kim heard a noise from outside the window. She walked over and looked out, not seeing anything out of the ordinary on the street. She looked up and saw Carlos up on the roof on the other side of the building. The roof was a good thinking spot; a good place to be when you wanted to be alone. "So that's where you went," she mumbled to herself. Kim walked over to the sink and looked in the mirror. She took her hair down and rearranged it in the ponytail. She turned on the faucet and splashed some cool water on her face to hide the tearstains. Taking a deep breath she turned to go up to the roof to see if Carlos was okay.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Bosco's mind raced all the way over to Noble's hotel room. The red flashing of the lights assaulting his eyes and the sound of the siren bouncing around inside his ears. "What have I done?" he thought out loud to himself. He could picture Faith being caught off guard as she searched Noble's room. He took the turn at high speed, sliding on the pavement and guiding the car around the turn. He flashed back to the sounds of squealing tires and metal crashing into metal as the mental picture of the accident scene replayed in his head. He could see Cruz's car up ahead - its lights and siren going also. She was really moving along and he pressed the accelerator down further. The buildings and streetlights whizzed by his peripheral vision.
He thought back to his conversation with Faith earlier. She was still so pissed at him. She didn't want to hear anything he'd had to say. He finally caught her attention as she walked away by telling her about the guy he and Cruz were about to frame for murder. That always got her - an injustice against an innocent. Just look what happened when that gangbanger went after Little Nimo - cut his throat. Oh, it was wrong to leave him under that bridge to be beaten to death by that rival gang; but, was it any better than what Cruz was doing to avenge the death of her sister? He thought about that as he barreled after Cruz through the darkened streets of the City. No, it wasn't, but it was. He understood it - he didn't agree with it - but he understood it and went along with it. That was water under the bridge. This was something else entirely. This wasn't just affecting one person this time. This whole thing had major repercussions - collateral damage.
Bosco smiled to himself as he barely missed a taxi cab that was speeding in the other direction. He maneuvered around and cleared the intersection. He didn't know if Faith was going to help him or not as she walked away from him. He'd hoped she was. He took the chance and called Noble to meet him. When Cruz called the House and was told that Faith was on her meal break, he knew - he just knew it in his gut that she was at Noble's, helping him. He had to get there - to back up his partner.
Bosco pulled up to the hotel and saw Cruz's car outside - empty, with the driver's door still open and the lights still flashing. He parked alongside her car and got out and hurried into the building. He grabbed an elevator and reached the floor. He got out and walked toward the room. The door was open and he walked in quietly. He heard voices in the back. "Faith?!" he called out. He heard her respond, "I'm back here, Bosco!" There was tension in her voice so he knew that Cruz had found her. He walked slowly and quietly down the hallway and into the room.
He took in the scene before him. Faith was standing facing Cruz. He looked at her hand and saw that she'd found the gun. It was wrapped in a cloth and she was holding it by the barrel. Cruz stood facing Faith. He could see her tense slightly as she felt him enter the room, just out of her line of vision. She had her gun drawn, but it was at her side. He stole a glance at Faith and saw the nervousness and anger in her eyes. Then, Noble came in behind him and it distracted Cruz slightly as he started talking.
"C'mon Faith," he said to his partner. They both started to move and Cruz's attention was drawn back to them. Faith looked at Bosco. They made brief eye contact - enough to convey to each other what was about to happen. They'd always been able to do that - talk without saying a word. It's part of what made them such a great team. He saw that now. Why couldn't he see that before? He heard the angry words coming from Cruz's mouth, but he was thinking about how much he'd changed lately - how much even he didn't like what he'd become.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, even though it wasn't. He saw Faith start to hand Cruz the gun. He noticed the very slight motion of her arm flinching as she made her move to turn the gun on Cruz. He reached back and took his gun out as he saw Cruz raise her weapon at Faith. He yelled, "NO!" Kim and the kids flashed through his mind as the flash of the three guns discharging filled the room.
