Third Watch Fic: Tying Up Loose Ends (8/9)
Title: Tying Up Loose Ends
Authors: X_tremeroswellian and NYPDBosco
Rating: Cool for fans of all ages
Summary: When he asked for her help one last time he swore he'd transfer if she wanted him to. When she found out she was paralyzed after having been shot while helping him she told him to go away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Note: Chapters 6, 7 and 8 all posted on July 29, 2005.
"Are you nervous?" she whispered, staring up at the ceiling above his bed.
He blew out a breath and was quiet for a moment before turning his head to look at her. "Yeah," he whispered back. "Which is kinda dumb, right?"
"No, not at all. I'm nervous too," she told him.
"You are?"
"Yeah."
"What are you nervous about?" He asked her softly.
Faith was quiet for a moment. "Just...I don't know, really. Sympathy nervousness, I guess?"
A soft chuckle escaped him. "Yeah, maybe that's it."
"But it's supposed to be a short surgery, so that's good."
"Yeah." He nodded his head. "I think what I'm most nervous about...is getting put under, ya know?"
"That's the only part I don't mind," she joked.
"They're gonna make me stay the night, but I'll make sure you have the house keys so---"
"I'm staying at the hospital," she informed him, cutting him off.
"You don't have to," he told her softly.
"I know that."
"I really do appreciate it, Faith. You being willing to go through this with me."
"It's no big deal," she said softly.
"Sure it is." He turned onto his side so he was facing her.
She looked up at the ceiling once more.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Her voice was soft.
"I don't have to have this done tomorrow."
"Yes, you do."
"Oh I do, huh?" He chuckled.
"That's right."
He was quiet for a moment. "Do you think it's gonna work?" He asked in a barely audible whisper.
"Yes," she whispered back without hesitation, turning her head to look at him. "I do."
"I wish I had your confidence."
"Well, I have enough for both of us."
"You know what I hate about havin' these surgeries? Each time I have one...when it's time to start therapy I'm always starting from square one."
"Yeah, but...the doctor made it sound like this time wouldn't be as taxing one way or the other."
He nodded and let out a breath. "I didn't call Cal or Lauren," he whispered.
"Why not?"
"I don't know." He flipped onto his back and ran a hand through his hair as he stared up at the ceiling. "I should have. It was stupid not to."
"I'll call them tomorrow," she promised softly.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"Sure." She hesitated a moment, then kissed his cheek.
He smiled softly as he turned to look at her again.
"You should get some rest."
"I don't know if I'll be able to."
"Maybe you should..." She bit her lip.
He raised an eyebrow waiting for her to continue.
"Nevermind."
"What?" He asked softly.
She shook her head slightly. "I was just gonna say...maybe you should take something, but--"
"I can't," he whispered. "But you know, I guess it doesn't matter if I sleep tonight or not seeing as they're going to knock me out anyway."
She closed her eyes, sighing softly. "Yeah."
"Are you gonna be able to sleep?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Sure it does," he whispered, turning on his side and reaching out to rest his hand on her arm. "I don't want you not getting sleep or whatever because of me."
"I'll be okay."
Bosco lifted his hand and gently touched her cheek.
She swallowed hard at the light touch, slowly opening her eyes to gaze at him.
He smiled softly as he brushed his thumb back and forth over her cheek. "It really means a lot that you're gonna be there when I wake up."
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she whispered.
Leaning forward he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
Licking her lips, she lowered her gaze to his mouth.
He swallowed hard as he gazed at her, then very slowly leaned forward again.
Faith kissed his lips softly, closing her eyes.
Smiling against her mouth he shifted a little closer to her.
She slid a hand up to touch his cheek, a soft moan escaping her.
When her lips parted a little he took her bottom lip between his as he slid his fingers through her hair.
She shifted closer to him, their bodies pressed together as they kissed.
After a moment he pulled away, breathless. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "If that was too soon. If you're not ready."
It took her a minute to catch her breath. "No...that was good," she whispered back.
His eyes widened slightly. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I just...there's something about being near you," he told her softly.
She kissed the corner of his mouth.
He ran his hand down her arm then slid his arm around her waist as he rested his forehead against hers.
Closing her eyes, she kissed his cheek softly, her hand still resting against his cheek.
"I'd like to kiss you again," he told her softly.
"You don't have to ask," she whispered.
Shifting forward he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
After a few seconds, she slowly deepened the kiss, threading her fingers through his hair.
A soft moan escaped him as they kissed each other tentatively at first, but then with more confidence. Right now he wasn't thinking about his surgery tomorrow or the years he and Faith had been apart. He was just thinking about this moment with her and how good it felt.
She slid her free hand down to rest against his chest, undoing the top button of his shirt.
He rubbed his hand up and down her back as they kissed and slowly draped his leg over hers. Pulling away from her lips he kissed his way across her cheek then down her neck where he began to nibble gently.
She closed her eyes, moaning softly as she tilted her head back to give him better access.
He caressed her skin with his tongue and lips before scraping his teeth over the sensitive area.
She undid the second button on his shirt, swallowing hard as her heart pounded heavily in her chest.
Bosco reluctantly pulled away a little. "Is this...what you want?"
"Yes," she murmured, closing the space between them as she began to kiss his neck.
"Mmm." He closed his eyes. "That's nice."
Faith began to undo the rest of the buttons on his shirt, her fingers fumbling.
"Relax," he whispered reaching for one of her hands. "We'll go slow."
She shook her head slightly. "Not slow," she whispered, nibbling on his neck.
"No?" He slid his hand underneath her t-shirt, gently caressing her bare skin.
A soft groan escaped her and she lowered her lips to his collar bone.
His eyes closed and he shivered as she scraped her teeth over his skin. "God, Faith."
She kissed a path down to his chest, pausing to look up at him.
With one hand resting on her back he lifted his other hand to the back of her head and smiled softly at her. It had been a long time since he'd been with a woman. When Renee was pregnant she barely let him touch her and after she lost the baby it was more of the same.
A faint smile touched her lips and she lowered her head to kiss his chest again.
He slid his fingers through her hair for a moment before reaching down and tugging on her t-shirt. "Let's get this off," he whispered.
Faith hesitated a moment, swallowing hard.
His eyebrows furrowed. "Faith? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she whispered.
"Are you sure? You can tell me," he told her softly as he rubbed her shoulders.
"It's nothing," she repeated, shaking her head. Her heart was pounding heavily against her chest.
"It must be something."
"It's not." She forced herself to take a deep breath.
He studied her expression for a moment, and lifted a hand to her cheek before lifting his head and kissing her very softly on the lips.
She closed her eyes, trying to get herself to relax again, but she couldn't pull it off.
Bosco bit his lip and lowered his head back down to the pillow. "You can say no," he whispered. "It's okay."
"I'm sorry," she whispered back, tears prickling at her eyes as she sat up and moved to the edge of his bed, facing away from him.
"No reason to be sorry," he told her softly as he sat up behind her and gently straightened out her shirt, pulling it down to cover the exposed skin. "We were movin' kinda fast."
She swallowed hard, resting her head in her hands.
"I'm not upset." Not sure what the right thing to do was he sat behind her with one of his legs on each side of her and began to rub her shoulders, hoping to help relax her.
She trembled slightly, then leaned back against him, keeping her eyes closed tightly.
Very slowly he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
She nodded wordlessly, leaning her head against his as she bit down hard on her lower lip.
"I love you," he whispered. "You know that, right?"
"I know," she whispered back, her voice barely audible.
"And I like this," he told her softly. "Just being close to you, we don't have to..."
"I feel like I led you on."
"I pushed and you weren't ready."
"No...I started this," she whispered.
"And I was perfectly willing," he whispered back.
She let out a breath, keeping her eyes shut. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he told her softly before turning and kissing her cheek.
"Bosco, there's still a lot that...that you don't know," she murmured.
"About what?" He questioned.
"Me."
"Yeah, but...what about you?"
Faith was silent for a moment.
He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. "What is it?"
"It's nothing. You should get some rest before the surgery."
"You know, it really bugs me when you do that," he told her softly.
"When I do what?"
"When you tell me it's nothing. Because I know it's not nothing."
"It's nothing to worry about. Nothing...worth losing sleep over," she murmured.
Bosco shifted his body, moving so he was sitting beside her, looking at her. "I do worry, Faith."
"I know you do."
He brushed his fingers across her cheek. "And I'm gonna worry tonight, and tomorrow. Then when I wake up from surgery I'm still gonna be worried."
She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling drained.
"Whatever it is...I'll help you," he whispered.
"But...there's nothing to help me with. It's all in the past."
"If it's affecting you now it's not all in the past."
Faith didn't answer for a long moment. "It's a long story."
"I got lots of time. I don't think I'm sleepin' tonight anyway."
She stood up, crossing her arms over her chest as she moved across the room.
He gazed at her, his eyes full of concern.
"When Fred told me that...he'd been cheating on me..." She chewed on her lower lip. "I did some really stupid things," she whispered.
"Like what?" He asked very softly.
"Picked up guys at bars a lot. I didn't even know their names."
He took a deep breath and nodded his head. "You're not the first person to do that."
"Doesn't make me any smarter."
"Think back a few years, Faith. I didn't have any reason to do that kinda stuff. No trauma in my life. Nothin' and I did that all the time."
"It's normal for guys," she told him.
"Oh it is, huh?" He smiled softly.
"Yes." She didn't smile, or meet his eyes. She was shivering.
"So you did some stupid stuff." He shrugged. "It happens."
She didn't respond.
"Did something happen with one of them?" He asked cautiously. "Like...did you uh...catch something?"
"No, I didn't...I didn't catch anything."
"So no big deal. You lived and learned, right?"
"Yeah." Her voice was barely audible.
"Faith, what is it? I'm not good at guessing. Did something happen?"
She shifted uncomfortably, wishing she hadn't brought the subject up at all.
He stood up and walked over to her. "You can tell me," he told her softly.
"It's nothing," she murmured, shrinking away from him.
"Stop doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Telling me it's nothing."
She swallowed hard, moving away from him. "I don't know what you want me to say."
"I want you to tell me what's bothering you." His eyebrows furrowed. "And why you keep backing away."
"I don't wanna talk about this anymore, okay?"
Bosco took a deep breath and held up his hands, knowing he wasn't making this any better he decided to drop it. "Okay. I'm sorry," he whispered.
She didn't look at him. "I'm tired."
"Yeah, me too," he lied.
Raking a hand through her hair, she reluctantly sat down on the edge of his bed once more.
"Do you want me to sleep downstairs?"
"No," she whispered.
"Okay." He walked over and placed a kiss on the top of her head before moving around to his side of the bed and climbing under the covers.
Trembling, she slowly did the same thing.
Resting his hands on his chest he looked over at her. "I'm sorry I push," he whispered. "I just don't like to see you hurting and I thought if we talked..."
"I know," she whispered back. "I just...I shouldn't have brought it up."
"But I wanna know. I wanna help."
Her head was starting to ache. "Unless you have a time machine, you can't."
"Come here," he told her softly, opening his arm to her.
She hesitated a moment, afraid she'd give him the wrong impression if she accepted the invitation.
"I'm not tryin' to start anything," he told her softly, noticing her hesitation.
"Okay." She swallowed hard, then slowly moved into his arms, resting her head on his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back. "Just relax," he whispered. "Try to rest."
"I'm supposed to be the one takin' care of you," she murmured.
"We're takin' care of each other."
"I think you've got the harder job."
He chuckled softly. "You might change your mind tomorrow."
"Maybe. I guess we'll see."
"Are you sure you're still okay with me having the surgery? I could postpone it."
"No. You should get it over with."
"Just remember that if you need to you can call Cal or Lauren if I get to be too much to handle."
"I'm sure I can handle you."
"I'm a lot to handle," he said lightly.
"Oh, tell me something I didn't already know."
He kissed the top of her head. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Bosco?"
"Hmm?"
She swallowed hard, tears stinging her eyes. "I love you, too," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Bosco held her a little tighter. "Then we'll be all right," he whispered back.
"Promise?"
"Yeah. I promise."
Letting out a breath, she let her eyes drift shut. "Night, Boz."
"Good night, Faith."
Within moments, she'd fallen asleep in his arms.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bosco looked down at his left hand where the IV had just been taped down, and watched as the nurse headed out of the hospital room. It wasn't going to be too much longer before they came in to get him for surgery. Letting out a breath he rested his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes for a moment.
Faith watched him from where she sat beside his bed. Hesitating a moment, she reached out and touched his hand lightly.
Turning his head toward her he opened his eyes and curled his fingers around hers. "I hate waiting," he told her softly.
"I know you do," she murmured, gazing at him.
A soft smile touched his lips. "What are you gonna do for the next couple hours?"
"Well, I thought I'd explore the city, take in the sights." Her voice was light.
"It'd be better than hanging out here."
"I'm not leaving," she said quietly.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I didn't really want you to," he whispered.
"I brought a book to read while I'm waiting," she told him, pulling a small paperback novel out of her purse.
"Good," he murmured. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Faith?"
"Yeah?"
"I know that this surgery...it's no big deal, but..." He swallowed hard. "I need to know if we're really okay? After last night?"
Tears stung her eyes. "We're fine," she promised him, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
He gazed at her. "I don't want anything to come between us again," he whispered.
She was silent for a moment, leaning her head against his. "It won't."
Bosco carefully wrapped his arm around her and kissed her softly.
"You just try to relax and think good thoughts," she murmured.
He sank back into the bed and nodded his head. "And you'll be here when I get back?" He questioned as his eyes drifted shut.
"I'll be the first thing you see when you wake up," she whispered.
"I'm...gettin' tired," he murmured, gripping her hand a little tighter.
She brushed her hand over his brow gently. "Just relax...don't fight it."
He managed to open his eyes one last time to get a look at her before his body relaxed and his eyes closed. "Love you," he murmured, his words barely audible.
"Love you," Faith echoed softly, kissing his forehead. "See you soon."
***
She watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deep and evenly while he slumbered. He looked so peaceful. Sighing softly, she set her book aside, unable to concentrate on it. The doctor said the surgery had gone fine, that they had every reason to hope Bosco--no, Maurice--would be able to have complete control over his hand once more.
She hoped that was true. She couldn't imagine him being happy with sitting behind a desk every day for the rest of his life.
Faith rubbed the back of her neck, standing up to stretch her legs as she moved over to look out the window. She was a little startled by the sight of falling snowflakes.
Swallowing hard he shifted in the bed, moving his legs as he tried to stretch. His hand was throbbing and a soft groan escaped him.
She quickly turned to face him, concern in her eyes. "You awake?" she whispered.
"Mmm." He rolled his head toward her voice. "Faith?"
"Right here," she said softly, moving to stand beside his bed once more.
It took a moment but he slowly opened his eyes then blinked a few times to bring her into focus. The corner of his mouth turned up into a tired smile.
"Hey, there, blue eyes," she said lightly, her voice soft.
He licked his lips. "You stayed," he whispered.
"Told you you'd have to look at me first thing when you opened your eyes."
"You say it like it's a bad thing," he told her, his voice soft.
A smile tugged at her lips. "I just like givin' you a hard time."
Bosco managed a groggy smile then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He lifted his right hand off the mattress so he could take a look at the splint and bandages that kept him from using his hand while he healed.
"Your doctor said the surgery went really well. He thinks you'll be healed in no time."
"Good." He carefully placed his hand on his stomach. "Gotta teach you to swim."
"Yeah. But first you gotta rest and let me take care of you for awhile."
"I'll see what I can do." He reached his left hand out to her. "Remind me later to call my mom."
"Oh, I talked to her earlier. I told her you'd call as soon as you were awake enough to use the phone." She took his hand.
"Thanks." He gave her hand a short squeeze. "Cal and Lauren?"
"Talked to both of them, too. Lauren said she'll be by later this evening to see how you were and Cal said he was working tonight but he'd drop by in the morning before he goes home."
"So it's just you and me for a while, that's good." He shifted a little in the bed so he could face her more.
"Easy," she murmured, worry in her eyes.
Nodding his head he squeezed her hand. "You doin' okay? Finish your book?"
"You weren't in surgery that long, Boz." She smiled.
"Slow reader," he teased.
"At least I can read," she teased back.
"Easy," he chuckled. "I'm all ready hurtin' here."
Faith grinned. "Baby."
"You wouldn't want me any other way and you know it."
"No? Cause handcuffs are still kind of appealing," she teased.
A soft chuckle escaped him, and he lifted his head a little. "Come here," he whispered.
Her eyebrows furrowed and she leaned closer to him. "What is it? You okay?"
"I'm fine, just need..." He lifted up a little more and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
Her heart skipped a beat and she kissed him back softly.
He kept his lips pressed against hers for a moment before slowly lowering his head back down on the pillow.
"How's your hand feelin'?" she whispered.
"Hurts some," he told her softly. "Throbs."
"Should I see about some pain pills?"
"Not right now."
"Okay. If you change your mind, let me know," she whispered, perching on the edge of his bed.
"Mmmhmm." He rested his hand on her leg.
She gazed at him for a moment before covering his uninjured hand with hers.
"Thanks for bein' here," he whispered.
"Wouldn't be anywhere else," she whispered back.
"Good to hear."
"Unless of course, I found out George Clooney was in town. Cause then I'd have to go meet him."
"Oh that makes me feel good."
She grinned. "Well, if Pamela Anderson was in town and our situations were reversed..."
Bosco laughed, and rubbed his hand over her leg just a little.
"You know it's true," she teased.
"Yeah...maybe, but it's not just about looks."
Faith raised her eyebrows. "So you'd want to meet Pamela for her personality?"
"Well...I wouldn't base my relationship with her on just her looks."
She chuckled. "Right."
"Fine. Don't believe me," he told her, a smile on his face.
"So the fact that she's a blond would have nothing to do with it?"
"Exactly."
"Tell it to the judge, cause I ain't buying it," Faith said lightly.
He let out a breath and there was a smile on his face as he closed his eyes.
"I'll let you get some rest."
"Are you going home?"
"No, I'm just gonna run down to the cafeteria and get somethin' to eat. You want me to bring you back anything?"
"Chocolate shake," he murmured.
"You got it," she said softly, touching his cheek.
He leaned into her touch.
"I'll be back soon." She kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger a moment longer than necessary.
"I'll be right here," he told her softly.
She smiled, then headed for the door.
He shifted again, opening his eyes so he could watch her walk out of the room, a tired smile on his face.
Authors: X_tremeroswellian and NYPDBosco
Rating: Cool for fans of all ages
Summary: When he asked for her help one last time he swore he'd transfer if she wanted him to. When she found out she was paralyzed after having been shot while helping him she told him to go away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Note: Chapters 6, 7 and 8 all posted on July 29, 2005.
"Are you nervous?" she whispered, staring up at the ceiling above his bed.
He blew out a breath and was quiet for a moment before turning his head to look at her. "Yeah," he whispered back. "Which is kinda dumb, right?"
"No, not at all. I'm nervous too," she told him.
"You are?"
"Yeah."
"What are you nervous about?" He asked her softly.
Faith was quiet for a moment. "Just...I don't know, really. Sympathy nervousness, I guess?"
A soft chuckle escaped him. "Yeah, maybe that's it."
"But it's supposed to be a short surgery, so that's good."
"Yeah." He nodded his head. "I think what I'm most nervous about...is getting put under, ya know?"
"That's the only part I don't mind," she joked.
"They're gonna make me stay the night, but I'll make sure you have the house keys so---"
"I'm staying at the hospital," she informed him, cutting him off.
"You don't have to," he told her softly.
"I know that."
"I really do appreciate it, Faith. You being willing to go through this with me."
"It's no big deal," she said softly.
"Sure it is." He turned onto his side so he was facing her.
She looked up at the ceiling once more.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Her voice was soft.
"I don't have to have this done tomorrow."
"Yes, you do."
"Oh I do, huh?" He chuckled.
"That's right."
He was quiet for a moment. "Do you think it's gonna work?" He asked in a barely audible whisper.
"Yes," she whispered back without hesitation, turning her head to look at him. "I do."
"I wish I had your confidence."
"Well, I have enough for both of us."
"You know what I hate about havin' these surgeries? Each time I have one...when it's time to start therapy I'm always starting from square one."
"Yeah, but...the doctor made it sound like this time wouldn't be as taxing one way or the other."
He nodded and let out a breath. "I didn't call Cal or Lauren," he whispered.
"Why not?"
"I don't know." He flipped onto his back and ran a hand through his hair as he stared up at the ceiling. "I should have. It was stupid not to."
"I'll call them tomorrow," she promised softly.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"Sure." She hesitated a moment, then kissed his cheek.
He smiled softly as he turned to look at her again.
"You should get some rest."
"I don't know if I'll be able to."
"Maybe you should..." She bit her lip.
He raised an eyebrow waiting for her to continue.
"Nevermind."
"What?" He asked softly.
She shook her head slightly. "I was just gonna say...maybe you should take something, but--"
"I can't," he whispered. "But you know, I guess it doesn't matter if I sleep tonight or not seeing as they're going to knock me out anyway."
She closed her eyes, sighing softly. "Yeah."
"Are you gonna be able to sleep?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Sure it does," he whispered, turning on his side and reaching out to rest his hand on her arm. "I don't want you not getting sleep or whatever because of me."
"I'll be okay."
Bosco lifted his hand and gently touched her cheek.
She swallowed hard at the light touch, slowly opening her eyes to gaze at him.
He smiled softly as he brushed his thumb back and forth over her cheek. "It really means a lot that you're gonna be there when I wake up."
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she whispered.
Leaning forward he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
Licking her lips, she lowered her gaze to his mouth.
He swallowed hard as he gazed at her, then very slowly leaned forward again.
Faith kissed his lips softly, closing her eyes.
Smiling against her mouth he shifted a little closer to her.
She slid a hand up to touch his cheek, a soft moan escaping her.
When her lips parted a little he took her bottom lip between his as he slid his fingers through her hair.
She shifted closer to him, their bodies pressed together as they kissed.
After a moment he pulled away, breathless. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "If that was too soon. If you're not ready."
It took her a minute to catch her breath. "No...that was good," she whispered back.
His eyes widened slightly. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I just...there's something about being near you," he told her softly.
She kissed the corner of his mouth.
He ran his hand down her arm then slid his arm around her waist as he rested his forehead against hers.
Closing her eyes, she kissed his cheek softly, her hand still resting against his cheek.
"I'd like to kiss you again," he told her softly.
"You don't have to ask," she whispered.
Shifting forward he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
After a few seconds, she slowly deepened the kiss, threading her fingers through his hair.
A soft moan escaped him as they kissed each other tentatively at first, but then with more confidence. Right now he wasn't thinking about his surgery tomorrow or the years he and Faith had been apart. He was just thinking about this moment with her and how good it felt.
She slid her free hand down to rest against his chest, undoing the top button of his shirt.
He rubbed his hand up and down her back as they kissed and slowly draped his leg over hers. Pulling away from her lips he kissed his way across her cheek then down her neck where he began to nibble gently.
She closed her eyes, moaning softly as she tilted her head back to give him better access.
He caressed her skin with his tongue and lips before scraping his teeth over the sensitive area.
She undid the second button on his shirt, swallowing hard as her heart pounded heavily in her chest.
Bosco reluctantly pulled away a little. "Is this...what you want?"
"Yes," she murmured, closing the space between them as she began to kiss his neck.
"Mmm." He closed his eyes. "That's nice."
Faith began to undo the rest of the buttons on his shirt, her fingers fumbling.
"Relax," he whispered reaching for one of her hands. "We'll go slow."
She shook her head slightly. "Not slow," she whispered, nibbling on his neck.
"No?" He slid his hand underneath her t-shirt, gently caressing her bare skin.
A soft groan escaped her and she lowered her lips to his collar bone.
His eyes closed and he shivered as she scraped her teeth over his skin. "God, Faith."
She kissed a path down to his chest, pausing to look up at him.
With one hand resting on her back he lifted his other hand to the back of her head and smiled softly at her. It had been a long time since he'd been with a woman. When Renee was pregnant she barely let him touch her and after she lost the baby it was more of the same.
A faint smile touched her lips and she lowered her head to kiss his chest again.
He slid his fingers through her hair for a moment before reaching down and tugging on her t-shirt. "Let's get this off," he whispered.
Faith hesitated a moment, swallowing hard.
His eyebrows furrowed. "Faith? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she whispered.
"Are you sure? You can tell me," he told her softly as he rubbed her shoulders.
"It's nothing," she repeated, shaking her head. Her heart was pounding heavily against her chest.
"It must be something."
"It's not." She forced herself to take a deep breath.
He studied her expression for a moment, and lifted a hand to her cheek before lifting his head and kissing her very softly on the lips.
She closed her eyes, trying to get herself to relax again, but she couldn't pull it off.
Bosco bit his lip and lowered his head back down to the pillow. "You can say no," he whispered. "It's okay."
"I'm sorry," she whispered back, tears prickling at her eyes as she sat up and moved to the edge of his bed, facing away from him.
"No reason to be sorry," he told her softly as he sat up behind her and gently straightened out her shirt, pulling it down to cover the exposed skin. "We were movin' kinda fast."
She swallowed hard, resting her head in her hands.
"I'm not upset." Not sure what the right thing to do was he sat behind her with one of his legs on each side of her and began to rub her shoulders, hoping to help relax her.
She trembled slightly, then leaned back against him, keeping her eyes closed tightly.
Very slowly he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
She nodded wordlessly, leaning her head against his as she bit down hard on her lower lip.
"I love you," he whispered. "You know that, right?"
"I know," she whispered back, her voice barely audible.
"And I like this," he told her softly. "Just being close to you, we don't have to..."
"I feel like I led you on."
"I pushed and you weren't ready."
"No...I started this," she whispered.
"And I was perfectly willing," he whispered back.
She let out a breath, keeping her eyes shut. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he told her softly before turning and kissing her cheek.
"Bosco, there's still a lot that...that you don't know," she murmured.
"About what?" He questioned.
"Me."
"Yeah, but...what about you?"
Faith was silent for a moment.
He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. "What is it?"
"It's nothing. You should get some rest before the surgery."
"You know, it really bugs me when you do that," he told her softly.
"When I do what?"
"When you tell me it's nothing. Because I know it's not nothing."
"It's nothing to worry about. Nothing...worth losing sleep over," she murmured.
Bosco shifted his body, moving so he was sitting beside her, looking at her. "I do worry, Faith."
"I know you do."
He brushed his fingers across her cheek. "And I'm gonna worry tonight, and tomorrow. Then when I wake up from surgery I'm still gonna be worried."
She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling drained.
"Whatever it is...I'll help you," he whispered.
"But...there's nothing to help me with. It's all in the past."
"If it's affecting you now it's not all in the past."
Faith didn't answer for a long moment. "It's a long story."
"I got lots of time. I don't think I'm sleepin' tonight anyway."
She stood up, crossing her arms over her chest as she moved across the room.
He gazed at her, his eyes full of concern.
"When Fred told me that...he'd been cheating on me..." She chewed on her lower lip. "I did some really stupid things," she whispered.
"Like what?" He asked very softly.
"Picked up guys at bars a lot. I didn't even know their names."
He took a deep breath and nodded his head. "You're not the first person to do that."
"Doesn't make me any smarter."
"Think back a few years, Faith. I didn't have any reason to do that kinda stuff. No trauma in my life. Nothin' and I did that all the time."
"It's normal for guys," she told him.
"Oh it is, huh?" He smiled softly.
"Yes." She didn't smile, or meet his eyes. She was shivering.
"So you did some stupid stuff." He shrugged. "It happens."
She didn't respond.
"Did something happen with one of them?" He asked cautiously. "Like...did you uh...catch something?"
"No, I didn't...I didn't catch anything."
"So no big deal. You lived and learned, right?"
"Yeah." Her voice was barely audible.
"Faith, what is it? I'm not good at guessing. Did something happen?"
She shifted uncomfortably, wishing she hadn't brought the subject up at all.
He stood up and walked over to her. "You can tell me," he told her softly.
"It's nothing," she murmured, shrinking away from him.
"Stop doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Telling me it's nothing."
She swallowed hard, moving away from him. "I don't know what you want me to say."
"I want you to tell me what's bothering you." His eyebrows furrowed. "And why you keep backing away."
"I don't wanna talk about this anymore, okay?"
Bosco took a deep breath and held up his hands, knowing he wasn't making this any better he decided to drop it. "Okay. I'm sorry," he whispered.
She didn't look at him. "I'm tired."
"Yeah, me too," he lied.
Raking a hand through her hair, she reluctantly sat down on the edge of his bed once more.
"Do you want me to sleep downstairs?"
"No," she whispered.
"Okay." He walked over and placed a kiss on the top of her head before moving around to his side of the bed and climbing under the covers.
Trembling, she slowly did the same thing.
Resting his hands on his chest he looked over at her. "I'm sorry I push," he whispered. "I just don't like to see you hurting and I thought if we talked..."
"I know," she whispered back. "I just...I shouldn't have brought it up."
"But I wanna know. I wanna help."
Her head was starting to ache. "Unless you have a time machine, you can't."
"Come here," he told her softly, opening his arm to her.
She hesitated a moment, afraid she'd give him the wrong impression if she accepted the invitation.
"I'm not tryin' to start anything," he told her softly, noticing her hesitation.
"Okay." She swallowed hard, then slowly moved into his arms, resting her head on his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back. "Just relax," he whispered. "Try to rest."
"I'm supposed to be the one takin' care of you," she murmured.
"We're takin' care of each other."
"I think you've got the harder job."
He chuckled softly. "You might change your mind tomorrow."
"Maybe. I guess we'll see."
"Are you sure you're still okay with me having the surgery? I could postpone it."
"No. You should get it over with."
"Just remember that if you need to you can call Cal or Lauren if I get to be too much to handle."
"I'm sure I can handle you."
"I'm a lot to handle," he said lightly.
"Oh, tell me something I didn't already know."
He kissed the top of her head. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Bosco?"
"Hmm?"
She swallowed hard, tears stinging her eyes. "I love you, too," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Bosco held her a little tighter. "Then we'll be all right," he whispered back.
"Promise?"
"Yeah. I promise."
Letting out a breath, she let her eyes drift shut. "Night, Boz."
"Good night, Faith."
Within moments, she'd fallen asleep in his arms.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bosco looked down at his left hand where the IV had just been taped down, and watched as the nurse headed out of the hospital room. It wasn't going to be too much longer before they came in to get him for surgery. Letting out a breath he rested his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes for a moment.
Faith watched him from where she sat beside his bed. Hesitating a moment, she reached out and touched his hand lightly.
Turning his head toward her he opened his eyes and curled his fingers around hers. "I hate waiting," he told her softly.
"I know you do," she murmured, gazing at him.
A soft smile touched his lips. "What are you gonna do for the next couple hours?"
"Well, I thought I'd explore the city, take in the sights." Her voice was light.
"It'd be better than hanging out here."
"I'm not leaving," she said quietly.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I didn't really want you to," he whispered.
"I brought a book to read while I'm waiting," she told him, pulling a small paperback novel out of her purse.
"Good," he murmured. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Faith?"
"Yeah?"
"I know that this surgery...it's no big deal, but..." He swallowed hard. "I need to know if we're really okay? After last night?"
Tears stung her eyes. "We're fine," she promised him, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
He gazed at her. "I don't want anything to come between us again," he whispered.
She was silent for a moment, leaning her head against his. "It won't."
Bosco carefully wrapped his arm around her and kissed her softly.
"You just try to relax and think good thoughts," she murmured.
He sank back into the bed and nodded his head. "And you'll be here when I get back?" He questioned as his eyes drifted shut.
"I'll be the first thing you see when you wake up," she whispered.
"I'm...gettin' tired," he murmured, gripping her hand a little tighter.
She brushed her hand over his brow gently. "Just relax...don't fight it."
He managed to open his eyes one last time to get a look at her before his body relaxed and his eyes closed. "Love you," he murmured, his words barely audible.
"Love you," Faith echoed softly, kissing his forehead. "See you soon."
***
She watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deep and evenly while he slumbered. He looked so peaceful. Sighing softly, she set her book aside, unable to concentrate on it. The doctor said the surgery had gone fine, that they had every reason to hope Bosco--no, Maurice--would be able to have complete control over his hand once more.
She hoped that was true. She couldn't imagine him being happy with sitting behind a desk every day for the rest of his life.
Faith rubbed the back of her neck, standing up to stretch her legs as she moved over to look out the window. She was a little startled by the sight of falling snowflakes.
Swallowing hard he shifted in the bed, moving his legs as he tried to stretch. His hand was throbbing and a soft groan escaped him.
She quickly turned to face him, concern in her eyes. "You awake?" she whispered.
"Mmm." He rolled his head toward her voice. "Faith?"
"Right here," she said softly, moving to stand beside his bed once more.
It took a moment but he slowly opened his eyes then blinked a few times to bring her into focus. The corner of his mouth turned up into a tired smile.
"Hey, there, blue eyes," she said lightly, her voice soft.
He licked his lips. "You stayed," he whispered.
"Told you you'd have to look at me first thing when you opened your eyes."
"You say it like it's a bad thing," he told her, his voice soft.
A smile tugged at her lips. "I just like givin' you a hard time."
Bosco managed a groggy smile then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He lifted his right hand off the mattress so he could take a look at the splint and bandages that kept him from using his hand while he healed.
"Your doctor said the surgery went really well. He thinks you'll be healed in no time."
"Good." He carefully placed his hand on his stomach. "Gotta teach you to swim."
"Yeah. But first you gotta rest and let me take care of you for awhile."
"I'll see what I can do." He reached his left hand out to her. "Remind me later to call my mom."
"Oh, I talked to her earlier. I told her you'd call as soon as you were awake enough to use the phone." She took his hand.
"Thanks." He gave her hand a short squeeze. "Cal and Lauren?"
"Talked to both of them, too. Lauren said she'll be by later this evening to see how you were and Cal said he was working tonight but he'd drop by in the morning before he goes home."
"So it's just you and me for a while, that's good." He shifted a little in the bed so he could face her more.
"Easy," she murmured, worry in her eyes.
Nodding his head he squeezed her hand. "You doin' okay? Finish your book?"
"You weren't in surgery that long, Boz." She smiled.
"Slow reader," he teased.
"At least I can read," she teased back.
"Easy," he chuckled. "I'm all ready hurtin' here."
Faith grinned. "Baby."
"You wouldn't want me any other way and you know it."
"No? Cause handcuffs are still kind of appealing," she teased.
A soft chuckle escaped him, and he lifted his head a little. "Come here," he whispered.
Her eyebrows furrowed and she leaned closer to him. "What is it? You okay?"
"I'm fine, just need..." He lifted up a little more and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
Her heart skipped a beat and she kissed him back softly.
He kept his lips pressed against hers for a moment before slowly lowering his head back down on the pillow.
"How's your hand feelin'?" she whispered.
"Hurts some," he told her softly. "Throbs."
"Should I see about some pain pills?"
"Not right now."
"Okay. If you change your mind, let me know," she whispered, perching on the edge of his bed.
"Mmmhmm." He rested his hand on her leg.
She gazed at him for a moment before covering his uninjured hand with hers.
"Thanks for bein' here," he whispered.
"Wouldn't be anywhere else," she whispered back.
"Good to hear."
"Unless of course, I found out George Clooney was in town. Cause then I'd have to go meet him."
"Oh that makes me feel good."
She grinned. "Well, if Pamela Anderson was in town and our situations were reversed..."
Bosco laughed, and rubbed his hand over her leg just a little.
"You know it's true," she teased.
"Yeah...maybe, but it's not just about looks."
Faith raised her eyebrows. "So you'd want to meet Pamela for her personality?"
"Well...I wouldn't base my relationship with her on just her looks."
She chuckled. "Right."
"Fine. Don't believe me," he told her, a smile on his face.
"So the fact that she's a blond would have nothing to do with it?"
"Exactly."
"Tell it to the judge, cause I ain't buying it," Faith said lightly.
He let out a breath and there was a smile on his face as he closed his eyes.
"I'll let you get some rest."
"Are you going home?"
"No, I'm just gonna run down to the cafeteria and get somethin' to eat. You want me to bring you back anything?"
"Chocolate shake," he murmured.
"You got it," she said softly, touching his cheek.
He leaned into her touch.
"I'll be back soon." She kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger a moment longer than necessary.
"I'll be right here," he told her softly.
She smiled, then headed for the door.
He shifted again, opening his eyes so he could watch her walk out of the room, a tired smile on his face.