Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters or places, The Animals' Bus Ride, or anything else. I'm just borrowing them.
Collision Course, Chapter 56a
Rose and Natalie chatted for a while in the kitchen, until Jacob grew tired of his highchair. When he could no longer be contained, they moved to the living room. Natalie told Rose about herself and her family, while Jacob played on the floor with his toys.
Every few minutes, the boy would cast a curious glance at Rose. Finally, when his curiosity got the best of him, he slowly approached her with a book in his hand. Holding the book out to Rose, he spoke. "Jacob read."
A surprised Rose accepted the book with a smile. Jacob, reassured, climbed up on to the couch to sit beside her. The book was about animals and from the looks of the tattered edges it must have been one of Jacob's favorites. It reminded Rose of the little book that Maurice had loved as a child, The Animals' Bus Ride. With tears in her eyes, Rose reached out and stroked the boy's soft hair. Their eyes held each other for a moment, until Jacob pointed to the book again. "Read."
"Of course, Dear." Rose muttered as she opened the book.
Jacob pointed excitedly to a picture on the first page. "Doggie! Oof Oof!"
"That's right, sweetheart." Rose said as she turned the page.
Pointing again, Jacob could hardly control himself. "Kitty! Mouw! Mouw!" He was thoroughly enjoying sharing his book with a new person.
Rose let out a chuckle, while Natalie watched silently thinking maybe, just maybe things were going to work out.
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"This is your last dose of antibiotics, Maurice." Brandi commented as she hung the bag on the IV pole.
Bosco nodded. "Good, maybe Dr. Poole will let me go home."
"Well, he'll probably want to watch you a couple of days to make sure you don't have a fever off of the antibiotics." "But hopefully soon." Brandi added as she saw the look of disgust growing on Bosco's face. He had been on edge all night. "Do you need anything?" she asked.
"Nothing that you can do for me." Bosco grumbled.
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Rose noticed Jacob yawning and glanced at her watch. "Oh Dear. I didn't realize it was this late. It must be past your bedtime, little one." Rose said, casting an apologizing glance at Natalie.
"Well, it is getting close. But that's ok. I'm glad you came, Mrs. Boscorelli." Natalie assured her.
"Still, I need to get going. You probably have to work tomorrow." Rose commented.
As Rose stood to get ready to leave, she assured Natalie that she would speak to Maurice tomorrow. Then she leaned back down to Jacob's level. "Goodnight, sweetheart." She muttered as she pulled the boy into a gentle hug. To her surprise, Jacob hugged her back tightly, then kissed her on the cheek. "g..nite." He mumbled sleepily.
*Footnote: The Animals' Bus Ride – is a Rand McNally Junior Elf book by Helen Wing.
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Collision Course, Chapter 56b
Day 25
"Good morning, Officer Boscorelli." Dr. Poole greeted as he entered the room.
Bosco yawned and looked at the clock on the wall, wondering how anyone could be that cheerful at 7:40 in the morning. "When can I go home, Doc?"
"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Tim asked, sounding amused. Seeing that his patient wasn't amused, he continued, "Actually I did want to discuss that, Officer. While you are getting closed to being ready for discharge, I do want to keep you at least a few more days." Seeing Bosco's frown growing, Dr. Poole held up a hand. "Just hear me out, Officer. You need to go at least 48 hours off of antibiotics without a fever. Also, your creatinine appears to be stabilizing around 2.0, but your blood pressure is a little higher than I'd like. I would like to adjust your medications and monitor it for a couple more days. But if all goes well, I would expect that we can discharge you before the weekend." Seeing that his last comment brought a half-smile to his patient's face, Tim continued again. "Now, we'll have to decide where you'll be staying once you are discharged."
"What do you mean?" Bosco asked, obviously confused.
"Well, I don't want you to stay by yourself for the first few weeks, at least until you can maneuver with crutches. In the meantime, you'll have a motorized wheelchair. So, wherever you go will have to be wheelchair accessible."
Bosco looked as if he were about to protest, but suddenly stopped. Of course he couldn't use crutches with one arm in a cast.
Seeing that his patient found no grounds to protest, Tim continued once again. "I'll have a home health aide visit at least 5 days a week until the cast comes off of your arm."
The scowl on Bosco's face did not go unnoticed. "That will keep your family and friends from having to help bath you." Tim added quickly. "When the cast comes off, you can start using crutches and resume physical therapy." Tim stopped and crossed his arms over his chest waiting for the officer's reaction.
He was surprised when Bosco simply asked "Is that all?"
"Well, that's most of it. I'll need to see you again within a week and you'll still need to continue your sessions with Dr. Scanlan."
"Whatever." Bosco mumbled.
"I'll have Meredith teach you how to use the motorized wheelchair. Do you need anything, Officer?" Tim questioned. Bosco simply shook his head.
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Rose sat quietly watching Bosco finish his lunch. He'd had a busy morning. Meredith, the physical therapist, had taught him how to maneuver the motorized wheelchair. Afterward, she and the guard had spent the better part of an hour practically chasing him through the hospital corridors. While he had grumbled initially about the chair, he'd soon begun to appreciate the new found freedom it offered. When they had finally corralled him, it was almost lunch time. And surprisingly his mood was much lighter.
Rose had been waiting for an appropriate time to tell Bosco about Natalie and Jacob. She had anticipated telling him after lunch since Dr. Scanlan would be coming by this afternoon. Now she was hesitant, not wanting to spoil his good mood. It had been a long time since she'd seen him even attempt to smile.
Rose was brought from her thoughts by Bosco calling to her. "Ma? MA?"
Looking up suddenly, she came to her feet. "What is it, Maurice? Do you need something?"
"I'm fine, Ma. Are you alright?" Bosco answered.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Rose said defensively.
"I was talking to you and you weren't even listening." Bosco replied.
"I'm sorry. What were you saying?" Rose questioned.
"I was saying that Dr. Poole doesn't want me to stay at home alone, at least not at first. And I'm not sure if the elevator at my apartment is working or not. It's old and needs to be replaced." Bosco paused, looking at Rose intently. When she gave him a confused look, he hesitantly continued, "Well, I….a…. I was wondering if I could maybe stay at your place for a while." Quickly he added, "Just until the cast comes off my arm and I can use crutches."
Rose looked at him in astonishment for a moment, then a soft smile began to form on her face. "Of course you can stay at my place, Maurice. It's still your home. Why would you even question that?"
Bosco shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I mean, I don't want you to have to take care of me. And you won't have too. Dr. Poole is going to have an aid come out. And it should only be for a couple of weeks. I'll try not to be too much trouble."
"Trouble? Nonsense, Maurice. You are my son. It's no trouble to help you out for a while. Besides, it will be nice not to be alone in that house."
A genuine smile formed on Bosco's face. The two remained silent for a short while, until finally Bosco spoke again. "You never did tell me what you were thinking about, Ma."
"What?" Rose questioned as she was once again pulled from her thoughts.
"Come on, Ma. You've got something important on your mind. I can tell. You're way too quiet. Spill."
Rose swallowed dryly. She knew that now was as good a time as any. "Maurice, do you remember a girl named Natalie Goldsberry?"
Bosco thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Why? Should I?"
Rose cleared her throat. "Well, I met her yesterday and she says that you spent the night at her apartment the night before September 11th." At Bosco's questioning look, she continued. " Brown hair, kind of big nose?"
"Yeah." Bosco mumbled, remembering the girl. "How did you meet her and why would she tell you that?"
"She….a….. she…."
"What's going on, Ma?"
Rose looked up to meet her son's questioning eyes. "She says that you're the father of her son, Maurice." She said quickly, as she dropped a picture of Jacob onto Bosco's lap.
Bosco remained silent, staring at the picture for what felt like an eternity, at least to Rose. For once in her life, she couldn't read her son's reaction or the lack thereof. Finally, when she could stand it no longer, she spoke. "Say something, Maurice."
Bosco swallowed hard and his words came out almost at a whisper. "What do you want me to say, Ma?"
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Collision Course, Chapter 57
"Say something, Maurice."
Bosco swallowed hard and his words came out almost at a whisper. "What do you want me to say, Ma?"
Bosco continued to stare at the picture of Jacob in silence. Rose was still unable to read his face. Was that confusion or fear? Or maybe a mixture of both.
After several more minutes, she spoke again, "Maurice?" The response she got was not what she expected. Bosco looked up at her, anger evident on his face.
"What is she doing coming here now?" he growled.
Rose reflexively took a step back. "What do you mean, Maurice?"
"What is she doing here now? If he was my son, why didn't she tell me while she was pregnant instead of waiting until my picture was posted in every newspaper and on every TV station in the city? Why ma?"
Rose shook her head slightly. "Calm down, Maurice. She said that she couldn't find you." Growing a bit angry herself, Rose continued, "She didn't even remember your last name, Maurice. Said that she came back with bagels and caught you trying to sneak out of her place. And then the planes hit and you disappeared. By the time she found out that she was pregnant, she had no idea if you were even alive."
Bosco looked away, a fleeting look of shame crossing his face. "She could have found me before now." He said more softly.
"No, she couldn't. The police department wasn't giving out any information regarding their officers to anyone but family during that time. She had no way of finding you Maurice, until she saw your picture on the television." Rose insisted.
Bosco looked down at the picture in his lap, shaking his head back and forth slowly. Almost reflexively, his right hand started to twist the edge of his bed sheet. "I can't do this." He mumbled. "I can't."
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1:35 PM
"You're awfully quiet today, Maurice." Dr. Scanlan pointed out. When his patient didn't reply, he continued, "Are you thinking about the things we discussed yesterday?"
At that, Bosco let out a short laugh. "I wish that my biggest problem right now was my old man, Doc."
Dr. Scanlan sat thoughtfully before asking, "Something else on your mind?"
"Yeah, something else is on my mind. As if my life weren't screwed up enough, now I've got some chick that I slept with ONCE showing up saying that I'm her son's father. I barely even remember this girl and she's already got my Ma all wrapped up in this kid. For all I know this kid could be anybody's and she's just trying to cash in on my new found fame." A small bitter grin graced Bosco's lips as he looked up at Dr. Scanlan. "Crazy girl thinks she's found a hero to take care of her little brat. She doesn't have any idea what she's getting into does she, Doc? She's going to be surprised when she finds out that her hero is a useless nutcase who can't even do his job any more."
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3:35 PM
"55-Charlie report to Mercy hospital, floor 5 East, forthwith."
"10-4, Dispatch. 55-Charlie in route." Sully answered and glanced over at Ty.
"That's Bosco's floor, isn't it? " Ty questioned.
Sully didn't answer with words. He just floored the accelerator.
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Faith stood staring at the numbers in the elevator willing them to move faster. When the doors finally opened, she and Maritza Cruz almost collided trying to exit. Moving down the hall she saw a small crowd of officers and security guards gathered. Off to one side, Sully was standing beside a very distraught Rose Boscorelli with one hand cupping her elbow.
"Rose, what's going on?" Faith asked as she approached the pair.
"Oh, Faith. Thank goodness you're here, both of you." Rose spoke nodding at Cruz as well. "Maurice is gone."
"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" Faith asked, obviously confused.
"I left while he was having his session with the psychiatrist and when I came back he was gone." Rose replied.
"Sent the security guard downstairs to get him a milkshake and disappeared while he was gone." Sully explained further.
"Disappeared! He has a broken leg and a broken arm. How could he disappear?" Maritza Cruz spat.
"Well, the nurses seem to think that he took off in his motorized wheelchair since it's not in the room." Sully replied with a smirk.
"This is not funny, John." Rose scolded him.
"I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure he's fine." Sully tried to apologize.
"Did something happen with the psychiatrist?" Faith questioned.
"I don't know. He was pretty upset before I left." Rose muttered. At Faith's questioning look, she continued. "I told him about Natalie and Jacob." She said quietly.
"What?" Cruz asked astonished. When Rose just shrugged her shoulders, Maritza started pacing the tile floor, mumbling in Spanish.
"I take it, he didn't handle that too well." Faith stated, knowing from the look on Rose's face that it had been worse than she had expected.
"Who are Natalie and Jacob?" Sully questioned.