Third Watch Fic: Clearing the Air (1/1)
Title: Clearing the Air
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Rating: PG
Distribution: Its permanent home is on my site, Only Time. But if you want it, take it. Just let me know.
Summary: Faith and Bosco have a heart-to-heart. Post-"Lights Up."
Clearing the Air
She sat alone in the waiting room, her elbows on her knees, her head resting on her hands as she stared at the tile floor. She'd had to get out of that room, even if it was just for a little while. The kids were still asleep and she hadn't wanted to wake them. Besides, she was right across the hallway if they woke up and tried to find her.
"How is he?"
She looked up, startled by the voice of the one person she hadn't expected to see for a few days at the least, considering the things she'd said to him.
He gazed down at her with familiar, warm blue eyes. He was dressed in street clothes--a t-shirt and jeans--and in his hands he held a small brown bag.
"Not so good," she said, her voice just above a whisper as she dropped her eyes to the floor again, unable to look at him.
He sat down beside her and handed her the bag. "I brought you some burritos. Thought you might be hungry."
"Thanks." She gripped onto the bag tightly, her fingers curling around the paper material, wrinkling it.
There was a long moment of silence.
"Faith--"
"I'm sorry."
"I know."
"I was really out of line and I had no right to say the things I said to you." She blinked back tears as she continued staring at the floor.
"You don't need to worry about that right now, okay? Just worry about taking care of your family."
"You are a part of my family," she said softly, lifting her gaze to his face.
Bosco gazed back at her intently. "I know."
"I didn't mean it when I said you were useless or that the only thing you were good at was arresting people. I'm sorry." She reached up and brushed away a tear.
"Faith, I know," he said quietly. "You were upset."
"It doesn't excuse it."
"Maybe not. But it's not like I've never said things to you out of anger before, things I didn't really mean. You're human. It happens." He paused. "But you were right, with some of what you said."
"Bosco--"
He cut her off. "No, just listen, okay?" He took a deep breath. "What you said about me not really helping people out there, about just arresting everyone and then going on to arrest somebody else...you were right. That's how I handle things at work. And that's not really a good thing."
"You've helped a lot of people, Bosco," she said quietly.
"I see things in black and white. I realized that today with this guy I busted. He had a bag of marijuana in his pocket and I arrested him. When I was taking him in, some bad things happened, and he wound up saving some guy's life." Bosco paused. "I threw him in jail anyway, along with about twenty other people I busted today. Until I started thinking about what you said."
"So what did you do?"
"I let him go."
Faith looked at him, surprised.
"He's going to be a damn good paramedic. And I realized that not every case we handle is black and white. That's something you've known all along." He gave her a small smile, leaning forward and resting his arms on his legs. There was another long moment of silence. "That other thing you said...about me never being there when you need me..."
She closed her eyes.
"I've been kind of wrapped up with my own stuff for awhile now, and you were right. I haven't really been there for you, not really. Not like I should have been. Not like you've been for me."
"That's as much my fault as it is yours," she said softly, sighing as she shook her head. "I haven't let you be."
He paused. "No, you haven't," he agreed.
"So that's something I have to work on." She glanced at him sideways, a trace of a smile on her lips.
He smiled back and another silence fell between them, this time a comfortable, familiar one.
"You should probably eat those before they get cold," Bosco commented, nodding toward the bag in her hands.
"Are we okay?" she whispered, keeping her gaze fixed on the wall.
He raised an eyebrow, then reached out hesitantly and rested a hand on her back. "What? You think you could get rid of me by yelling at me?"
She turned her head and met his eyes, hers sparkling with tears. "I'm serious."
"I know." He hesitated again, then put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "We're okay."
Faith hugged him back, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm so sorry."
"I know." Bosco rubbed her back gently as she trembled against him, a sob escaping her throat. "It's okay, Faith." He just held her as she began to cry.
And for once, she didn't push him away.
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Rating: PG
Distribution: Its permanent home is on my site, Only Time. But if you want it, take it. Just let me know.
Summary: Faith and Bosco have a heart-to-heart. Post-"Lights Up."
Clearing the Air
She sat alone in the waiting room, her elbows on her knees, her head resting on her hands as she stared at the tile floor. She'd had to get out of that room, even if it was just for a little while. The kids were still asleep and she hadn't wanted to wake them. Besides, she was right across the hallway if they woke up and tried to find her.
"How is he?"
She looked up, startled by the voice of the one person she hadn't expected to see for a few days at the least, considering the things she'd said to him.
He gazed down at her with familiar, warm blue eyes. He was dressed in street clothes--a t-shirt and jeans--and in his hands he held a small brown bag.
"Not so good," she said, her voice just above a whisper as she dropped her eyes to the floor again, unable to look at him.
He sat down beside her and handed her the bag. "I brought you some burritos. Thought you might be hungry."
"Thanks." She gripped onto the bag tightly, her fingers curling around the paper material, wrinkling it.
There was a long moment of silence.
"Faith--"
"I'm sorry."
"I know."
"I was really out of line and I had no right to say the things I said to you." She blinked back tears as she continued staring at the floor.
"You don't need to worry about that right now, okay? Just worry about taking care of your family."
"You are a part of my family," she said softly, lifting her gaze to his face.
Bosco gazed back at her intently. "I know."
"I didn't mean it when I said you were useless or that the only thing you were good at was arresting people. I'm sorry." She reached up and brushed away a tear.
"Faith, I know," he said quietly. "You were upset."
"It doesn't excuse it."
"Maybe not. But it's not like I've never said things to you out of anger before, things I didn't really mean. You're human. It happens." He paused. "But you were right, with some of what you said."
"Bosco--"
He cut her off. "No, just listen, okay?" He took a deep breath. "What you said about me not really helping people out there, about just arresting everyone and then going on to arrest somebody else...you were right. That's how I handle things at work. And that's not really a good thing."
"You've helped a lot of people, Bosco," she said quietly.
"I see things in black and white. I realized that today with this guy I busted. He had a bag of marijuana in his pocket and I arrested him. When I was taking him in, some bad things happened, and he wound up saving some guy's life." Bosco paused. "I threw him in jail anyway, along with about twenty other people I busted today. Until I started thinking about what you said."
"So what did you do?"
"I let him go."
Faith looked at him, surprised.
"He's going to be a damn good paramedic. And I realized that not every case we handle is black and white. That's something you've known all along." He gave her a small smile, leaning forward and resting his arms on his legs. There was another long moment of silence. "That other thing you said...about me never being there when you need me..."
She closed her eyes.
"I've been kind of wrapped up with my own stuff for awhile now, and you were right. I haven't really been there for you, not really. Not like I should have been. Not like you've been for me."
"That's as much my fault as it is yours," she said softly, sighing as she shook her head. "I haven't let you be."
He paused. "No, you haven't," he agreed.
"So that's something I have to work on." She glanced at him sideways, a trace of a smile on her lips.
He smiled back and another silence fell between them, this time a comfortable, familiar one.
"You should probably eat those before they get cold," Bosco commented, nodding toward the bag in her hands.
"Are we okay?" she whispered, keeping her gaze fixed on the wall.
He raised an eyebrow, then reached out hesitantly and rested a hand on her back. "What? You think you could get rid of me by yelling at me?"
She turned her head and met his eyes, hers sparkling with tears. "I'm serious."
"I know." He hesitated again, then put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "We're okay."
Faith hugged him back, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm so sorry."
"I know." Bosco rubbed her back gently as she trembled against him, a sob escaping her throat. "It's okay, Faith." He just held her as she began to cry.
And for once, she didn't push him away.