"Hey," Bosco said as he came back to the car. "How're you doin'?"
"I'm still shaking," Kim told him, with a nervous laugh, still unable to stop the random tears that would start without warning.
"I can't believe I was so stupid," she said, looking away and out the window as more tears started to fall. "I was so stupid," she repeated quietly.
Bosco quickly climbed into the back of the car with her. "No. You weren't stupid. Hear me?" he said, turning her face back toward him. He just looked into her eyes, trying to forget how close he'd come to losing her. He still couldn't believe it. "You were smart. If you weren't smart, you wouldn't be here talking to me right now." He thought back to a little while ago...
He was talking to her on her cell phone when he heard the siren through the line. He knew it wasn't an ambulance or fire truck. When you're in the business - either fire or police - you just know the difference in the sounds. She'd told him she was getting pulled over for running a yellow light and hung up before he could tell her to stay on the line and find out exactly where she was. He only knew she was on her way to her mother's house to return her car. He'd told Cruz what direction to head in. Cruz saw the look on his face when they came across the abandoned car.
"We'll find her, Bosco," Cruz's words repeated in his ear. He remembered seeing the canister of mace lying on the road.
"At least she got to use it," he said, noticing the discoloration around the nozzle showing that it had been sprayed.
He was brought back to the present by her voice...
"Bos?" she said, looking at him.
"Yeah," he said.
"Can we go home now?" she asked in almost a pleading voice. "I wanna see the kids."
"Soon, Kimmy. We have to go back to the House. You need to give a report to the Detectives and I need to change and square away my work schedule for the rest of the week - get someone to cover my shifts," he told her, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat.
"You don't have to take time off from work," she told him.
"Yeah, I do," he said, leaning over to kiss her and then getting out of the car. He bent over and looked back in at her. "Be right back and then we'll take you back to the House."
Kim nodded and watched him walk back to the group of officers that had gathered to collect evidence and information. He nodded as a few of them said a few words and looked back at the car briefly. She watched as some gave home pats on the back - congratulations that everything had a good ending.
She sat in one of the windowed offices of the Precinct and finished answering the repeated questions from the Detectives. Bosco wasn't allowed in the room, so he sat outside and never looked away in case she needed some support from him.
"Bosco," came a voice he recognized from his left.
"Yeah, Jimmy," he replied.
"Is Kimmy okay?" he asked, approaching."Yeah, Jimmy," he said. "She was smart. She got away and kept running and screaming," Bosco told him.
He heard Jimmy let out a sigh of relief as he sat on the bench next to him. "You want me to get Joey and the kids or anything?" Jimmy offered.
"Nah. Thanks, but they're at Catherine's. Kim was on her way there when it all happened," he told him, locking eyes with his Kim who must have started to get upset again because she had looked back to him and her eyes were wet again.
"I'm supposed to have Joey tomorrow, but I know Kim. She's gonna want to be with the kids. I'll pick him up tomorrow night instead - unless you guys change your mind," Jimmy said, standing up.
"Okay," Bosco said and Jimmy looked down at him.
"How about you? You okay, Bosco?" he asked, seeing the twitching of the muscles along his jaw.
"I'm fine," he said. "Thanks, Jimmy."
"Sure. Tell Kim..., well..., tell Kim I said I'll call her tomorrow about Joey. Let me know if you guys need anything," Jimmy said. He looked back through the window at Kim and then walked down the hallway to head back to the firehouse.
Bosco came out of the locker room after changing into his street clothes. He'd taken a couple of days of personal leave and found someone to cover the rest of his shifts for the week. He came out to find Kim sitting on the bench in the hallway with Sasha. He'd asked her to stay with her until he was done changing.
"Ready?" he asked as he walked up to her. He looked over at Sasha. "Thanks," he said.
"No problem. I'm glad you're okay, Kim. I know you have Bosco and your Mom and all, but if you want to talk, or if you need anything, please call me, okay?"
Kim stood up and moved close to Bosco. She attempted to give Sasha a smile. "Yeah, thanks for babysitting me," she said, slightly embarrassed. Bosco put his arm around her and felt that she was still shaking a little.
"Not babysitting," Sasha said. "Just grabbing some down time before I head home for the night."
Bosco gave her a nod of his head in thanks and he and Kim made their way out to his car. As soon as they walked out of the police station, he felt Kim move even closer to him. Gripping her more tightly, they walked to the car without saying a word. When they'd gotten in the car and he started the engine, Kim said,
"Can we go get the kids from my Mom's? I know it's late, but I just need us all to be together."
Bosco looked at her and gave her a smile. "I already called Catherine. She's getting them ready." He looked over at her and put his arm up on the back of the seat. "C'mere," he said and Kim slid over next to him.
After driving for a few minutes, Bosco noticed that, most likely from emotional exhaustion, Kim was sound asleep against him. They drove to Catherine's, picked up the kids and headed home.
TBC...
