Truth or Lies

Chapter 6

Yokas Apartment:

"Lying about someone hurting you Emily is a serious thing," Emily scoffed sarcastically to her friend Amanda on the phone, "Can you believe my Mom? Even my Dad was sitting there, AGREEING WITH THE BITCH!" She lowered her voice, even though she knew Fred and Faith were not home yet. "I know, I was like, MOM how could you say I would lie about this!" She laughed when Amanda asked her if she was worried they'd find out. "Hell no! How can they? Its not like anyone else was there. Just me and studman Bosco. Bet he never races to another 'woman's' defense again. Teach him to mind his own damn business, stop trying to take my Mom away. Oh and I almost forgot to tell you what happened afterwards! Boy you talk about they were kissing my ass...remember I told you he took my halter with him? Yea, he said he would wash it and sneak it back to me, so Faith wouldn't find out I'd been drinking." She paused hearing laugher, snickering herself, "Yea, I know, stupid should be his middle name. Anyway, I forgot about it, and he sure as hell must have. Anyway, the prosecutor told Faith they found a halter top in his trunk. Idiot forgot to take it out, so it's still even got the whiskey on it! I know, I know, now they are completely believing me. I told you this would be easy. Adults...hahahaha"

She heard a key in the door, "Manda, I got to go, somebody's home. Yea later." Quickly hanging up, she was flipping through a magazine as Fred walked in. Faith was back at work, while he'd been shopping for Charlie a new pair of shoes.

"Hey Em, look what I got!" Charlie kicked up his foot to show her his wildest sneaker yet, orange, pink, and black, with silver stripes, "Cool, huh?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yea, if you're a 13 year old kid!" Tossing the magazine onto the coffee table she sat up, "Dad? Can I sleep over at Amanda's Friday night?"

Charlie scowled for a moment at her insult, then shrugged his shoulders, knowing that the ways of the teen sister to be seriously warped. He took off down the hall, "I'm going to Mark's Friday, wait until he sees my new game and my shoes!"

Fred smiled as he watched Charlie's excitement, then turned his attention to Emily, "Em, you know your Mom said no sleep outs until this is over with the Court thing. WE don't want you influenced by the other kids parents, or have anyone say anything to you they shouldn't. Can't Amanda come here? Charlies going to be gone."

Emily dropped her jaw a moment, Fred could see the fireworks begin to get lit. Knowing it was better to let her sound off now, before Faith got home, he simply sighed, and waited.

"DAD!! OH MY GOD!!! YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!" Emily was standing in front of him now, red-faced and hands on hips, seeing Fred's growing scowl she lowered her yell, "Dad, its been three weeks since that first time you and Mom went to court! I've been stuck here the whole time! I want to go to Amanda's!"

"Emily," Fred shook his head, "its not up for discussion. So, either ask Amanda here, or drop it!" He headed to the kitchen her on his heels.

"Come on Dad," Emily begged, "I'm going crazy cooped up here. Besides, Amanda wants me to meet her boyfriends friend, Hayden. She says he's really cute, and nice. And he doesn't have any tattoos. Or smoke, or do drugs! Please?" Now she was pulling on his arm, trying charm where yelling had not worked, "I promise, we're only going to hang at the park across from her house, and you know how Mrs. Francis watches us from the window. Please?"

Fred blinked a few times as he looked down into his daughters face. "You want to meet a boy? Go hang out with him and his friends?" His look of astonishment not registering as such with her.

"YEA," Emily forgetting herself exclaimed, "Geesh Dad, you know how long its been since I had a boyfriend! Mom scared the last two off, showing them her gun. WHO shows their daughters boyfriends their gun? And I promise, if we have sex," she was joking with him, being sarcastic about Faith's overreaction to her admission of condom use last year; joking easy like they use too, "I'll use protection!" Seeing his jaw drop, she scowled playfully, "Geesh Dad, I'm just joking!"

Fred stood blinking at her, stunned, finally finding some of his voice, "Emily how can you joke like that? After..." Ever since she'd told them what happened, she'd been moody, and angry. The therapist had told them it was to be expected, and to just comfort her and let her talk if she needed too. But she'd also told them that Emily would be very hesitant around men other than Fred and Charlie, possibly for a long time. To have her so excited about meeting a complete stranger, even joking about having sex, threw him completely.

"Em, I don't think so," Fred pushed her away gently, moving to put away the things he'd carried in, "either ask Amanda here, or forget it." She watched him, now her mouth hanging open as he moved into the kitchen.

"I HATE YOU!" She screamed finally. Fred sighed hearing her door slam, then she was screaming at Charlie and he heard the distinct sound of a slap and Charlie yell out.

Dropping what he had onto the cabinet Fred moved fast to the bedroom. As he reached the door, he was confronted with it opening, and Charlie running into him. "Charlie?" He asked looking down at him, "What happened?" Then he saw what he was hoping he'd been mistaken about, a red hand print on Charlies cheek.

Charlie was furious, but near tears, "Emily slapped me! All I did was ask her what was she mad at, Dad!" Turning and glaring at her over his shoulder he told Fred, "She hates everyone, especially Uncle B. And he didn't do anything to her! I heard her telling Amanda on the phone last week that she..."

Before he could finish Emily launched herself off the bed, screaming at him, "YOU'RE LYING CHARLIE YOKAS! YOU'RE JUST MAD BECAUSE I SLAPPED YOU! I HATE YOU!!! I HATE ALL OF YOU!!!"

Fred quickly put himself between the children, pushing Charlie out of the room, "Charlie, go, go on. Go watch TV in my room, son." As Charlie headed off, Fred stared at Emily.

"Is it true? Did Charlie hear you telling Amanda you lied on Bosco?" His stomach sank as he saw her face, but then she continued yelling she hated him, and Faith and now Charlie. And how no one believed her, and everyone was on Bosco's side.

"Charlie," she sobbed, "is mad cause he likes Bosco, he told me he was going to tell you I lied Dad!" Throwing herself facedown on her bed she screamed sobbing, "Now everyone is against me!"

Fred stood torn between going to her to calm her, and wanting to for the first time in her life throttle her. Instead he backed out of the room silently. Closing the door he went to talk to his son to hear what she'd said to Amanda. Maybe he could make some sense out of this terrible scene.

Hospital Exam Room:

"Well, Maurice," Dr. Thomas smiled, "your neural exam is fine. Seems like your problem has corrected itself as predicted. And you say you've stopped having the headaches and the confusion is abated?" He was marking on a chart as he waited for an answer.

Bosco a slight smile on his face, replied, "Yea, the headaches are gone Doc. And I'm not fuzzy anymore, not for the last few days. Oh and I can breathe again without that pinching feeling happening." Slipping his shirt back on, Dr. Thomas taking a moment to help him get it over the cast, he asked, "So, I guess now I go back to lockup?"

Dr. Thomas studied him closely before replying with a sigh, "Unfortunately, yes Maurice. I'm sorry, I wish in a way I had found something to keep you here. But except for that wrist and those almost gone bruises you're the picture of health. How are you sleeping? I heard you might have had a panic attack a couple of nights ago? Is that the case?"

Blinking at him, Bosco lowered his gaze to button his shirt up, Dr. Thomas waited as he did three up before answering softly, "Not really, I mean, yea one started, but I got it under control." Dr. Thomas nodded slowly watching him. Bosco added hesitantly, "Doc, um, I really, I mean." He stopped when his voice began cracking. Quickly jumping off the exam table, buttoning the last of the shirt before rapidly tucking it in.

Dr. Thomas knew he was avoiding and put his hand on his shoulder, "Maurice, it would be normal to be concerned about having to go back there. Hell, I'd be crapping my damn pants!" Bosco looked back at him in surprise, half a smirk on his face now as Dr. Thomas continued, "If you are having panic attacks that might be my way of keeping you here. At least until after your bail hearing. Then if it goes well, you'd be going home." He turned him to look at him directly, "Are you?"

Glancing at the ground first, Bosco took a deep breath, then looked back up, half ashamed of his half lie, half too scared not to lie, nodding to him. His fear of going back to the prison overcoming his pride at admitting he was not in control.

Dr. Thomas smiled at him gently, "Good." Bosco frowned as Dr. Thomas still smiling wrote again on his chart. "Finish dressing and I'll send your escort in to take you back to your room, Maurice." Heading to the door he looked back, "Oh and if you'd said, No? I had a nurse who would have said you were." He winked and left the room, leaving Bosco gaping at him.

With a light chuckle, knowing he'd played right into Dr. Thomas's hands, he was just finishing up as his 'escort' as Dr. Thomas insisted on calling the Police Officer stationed with him came in.

"You ready Boscorelli?" James Arden asked him. Bosco nodded, grinning at him, "Yea, lets go."

Yokas Apartment:

"She what?" Faith lowering her water to the cabinet stared at Fred, "She slapped Charlie? Why?" Watching him as he stirred a small pot on the stove, "Emily's never slapped Charlie, what the hell happened?"

Fred tapped the spoon on the side of the pot, setting it down before turning back to her to answer, "Seems she was mad at me for saying she couldn't go to Amanda's Friday night. I told her Amanda could come here. She knows what we decided, but she's mad." Moving to her he added, "She wanted to go and meet a boy who's evidently cute. And Amanda's boyfriends Friend. Faith she was excited about it. Even joking with me about how if they had....well that she'd be careful. I didn't know what to say. Then after I said no, she slammed into their room, and smacked Charlie."

Faith shook her head, "Well, sounds like Emily and I need to have a talk. I know she's got to be going nuts stuck here, but to hit Charlie, and scream at us, well that is NOT going to start, not again!" Setting down her glass with a snap, she stood away from the cabinet. Fred put out his hand stopping her, Faith gave him a questioning look, "What?"

"That's not all," he hesitated, then bit the bullet, "Faith, I don't know how to even begin to say this, but Charlie says she's lying about Bosco." As he saw the clouds cross her face, the darkening of her green eyes, he took her arms lightly in his hands, "Charlie says, he overheard her telling Amanda last week that she lied to get him in trouble. She's mad at him for us splitting. And she wants us to be punished for what happened too. Em tried to say he was just mad at her because he likes Bosco, but..." Swallowing hard, Fred sighed, "Faith I think we need to call Dr. Sharpe."

Faith stood stunned, her stomach rebelling on her as Fred's words sunk in. "No, Fred, no," she pulled away from him, her face pale, "no, Fred, Emily would never, no." Tears in her eyes, Faith turned away, "No, she wouldn't do that...Fred?"

Fred wrapped his arms tightly around her, "Faith, we need to call Dr. Sharpe."

TBC...