Third Watch Fic: Tying Up Loose Ends (9/9)

[xtremeroswellia]

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.
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Bosco climbed out of the car and adjusted the sling on his arm which kept his hand elevated. He looked at her over the top of the mustang. "This sling has got to go," he grumbled.

"Don't even think about it," Faith warned.

"Oh come on. It's driving me nuts." He tugged on the strap.

"It's keeping your hand elevated."

"No. It's driving me nuts." He said again as he slammed the car door.

She rolled her eyes as she led the way to the front door.

"I feel like I haven't been home in days," he commented as Faith unlocked the door.

"It's only been two." She smiled faintly and held the door open for him.

"Maybe it's cause I've been sleeping a lot." He smiled at her as he stepped inside the house.

"Probably." She flipped the light on, and closed the door behind them, locking it. "Where do you want to set up base?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Base?"

"You know. Camp." She grinned.

He shrugged. "It's just my hand. I don't need to be confined to one spot...do I?"

"Well, no. But I figured with all those drugs, maybe you'd wanna rest."

"I will, but on one condition," he told her softly.

"What's that?"

"You set up camp with me." He reached his good hand out and took hers.

"Sure thing," she said softly, sliding her fingers through his.

"If we camp out in the family room we're closer to everything and there's a bigger TV."

"If that's what you wanna do, that's fine with me."

"What do you wanna do?" He asked softly as he gazed at her.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "The family room's fine with me."

A soft smile touched his lips and he slowly led her toward the family room.

She made quick work of pulling out the hide-away bed that was stored inside the sofa, adding pillows and blankets and a small TV tray beside it to set beverages and the remote on.

Bosco kicked his shoes off and carefully eased himself down onto the bed. He leaned back against the cushions and pillows.

"You want anything to drink?"

"Water would be good," he told her softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She offered him a small smile before leaving the room.

Leaning his head back against the sofa he closed his eyes, waiting for her to return.

She reappeared a few moments later, carrying two large glasses of ice water. She bit her lip when she saw his eyes were shut and she wondered if he'd already fallen asleep.

Hearing her enter the room he opened his eyes and lifted his head. "Hey."

"Hey there. I thought you'd fallen asleep."

Shaking his head he reached out and took a glass from her. He took a long drink before answering. "I was just resting my eyes."

A smile tugged at her lips. "My dad used to say that every night when he dozed off in front of the TV."

Smiling he set the water aside and held his hand out to her. "Maybe we could rest our eyes together."

"Sounds like the best offer I've had in awhile." She took his hand and laid down beside him on the mattress.

He put his arm around her. "It's nice bein' in a bigger bed."

"Mmhmm." She let her eyes drift shut.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

"A little." She yawned. "You?"

"After I took that pain pill I did."

"That's good."

With his good arm he pulled her closer to him and began to rub her back.

"You tired?" she murmured.

"Yeah, a little," he whispered.

"You wanna watch TV?"

"We could turn it on...I don't know how much I'll watch though."

"Well...what do you wanna do?"

"Honestly? I just wanna lay here with you," he whispered.

"Oh," she whispered back. "Okay."

"Is that really okay with you?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Wish I could put both arms around you," he told her softly.

"You'll be able to, soon."

"Will you want me too?" He questioned.

She lifted her head up, startled by the question. "What?"

He swallowed hard. "I just wanna make sure," he whispered. "That you're okay with what's happening."

"What's happening?" she asked very softly.

"I think we're...getting closer, ya know?"

She bit her lip, gazing at him uncertainly. "What does that mean to you?" she whispered.

"Well, we're more affectionate, and so I guess I thought..."

"What?" she prodded, her voice barely audible.

"I thought maybe...well, maybe when I'm feeling better we could go on a date or something," he told her very softly.

"Really? A date?"

He nodded his head.

She was quiet for a moment. "I think I'd like that."

Bosco smiled. "I figure if we're gonna start a different kinda relationship we should do it right, ya know?"

Faith nodded slightly, looking away.

"Is that not what you want?" He asked in a whisper.

"It's just that..." She looked up at him. "I live in New York. You live in Seattle," she whispered.

"Yeah, but...what's keeping you there?"

"Bosco..."

"I'm serious," he whispered.

She swallowed hard, biting her lower lip. "I have a job and..." Her voice trailed off.

"You can get a job here."

"And where am I gonna live? I have no money--"

"You'd live here. I mean...we wouldn't have to sleep in the same bed. You could have one of the other rooms if you're uncomfortable or think we're moving too fast or--"

"Bosco, you don't wanna live with me," she whispered, shaking her head.

"I don't wanna live without you either."

The breath caught in her throat at his words.

"I spent too long without you. I'm not gonna make that mistake again," he informed her, shaking his head slightly.

She closed her eyes. "And if six months from now you wish you hadn't said that?"

"It's not gonna happen. Faith, I spent three years trying to make a life for myself. Trying to act like New York didn't exist, and I couldn't do it. Not a day went by where I didn't think about you...wonder what you were up to."

"But...being friends with someone and livin' with them...that's two entirely different things, Bosco," she whispered.

"Yeah, but...it's us."

She fell silent, contemplating his words.

"I've never felt this comfortable with anyone," he whispered.

She hadn't either, but she couldn't admit it out loud. She looked up and met his eyes, hoping that she could convey it through a look.

Meeting her gaze he smiled softly and awkwardly reached up with his injured hand and touched her cheek with the tip of his index finger.

She turned her head and kissed his finger softly.

"I'm not gonna pressure you," he whispered. "But...I think you'd like it here."

"I'll think about it," she promised.

Bosco nodded his head and tried to stifle a yawn, but was unsuccessful.

"You should rest."

He groaned softly. "Figures I'd get tired when we're talking about something important."

"Easy on yourself. You just had surgery, remember? Of course you're tired."

Nodding slightly he shifted, settling into the mattress and repositioning his bad hand so he could rest comfortably.

"You need anything?" she asked softly.

For a moment he was quiet. "Do you think maybe you could...could you get some ice for my hand?" He asked very softly. After his other surgeries when Cal or Lauren had been with him he'd always refused to ask for things, never wanting to come across as being weak or unable to take care of himself, but he knew that Faith wouldn't think that.

"Yeah, of course." She offered him a small smile before rising to her feet and heading out of the room.

He turned his head so he could watch her walk out of the room, always wanting to keep an eye on her when she was around as if he was afraid she'd leave if he wasn't paying attention. Hearing her open the freezer door and pull out the ice bin he closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths as he tried to ignore the throbbing in his hand.

She returned a moment later with some ice wrapped in a towel. "Here you go. Do you want me to get you one of the pills?"

"I should probably take one," he sighed.

She nodded slightly, handing him the ice pack.

"Thanks," he whispered as he held the ice against his hand.

"No problem. I'll be right back with your pill."

"I'll try not to fall asleep before you get back."

A smile tugged at her lips. "You do that." She stood up again and headed back out of the room.

When he heard her coming back into the family room he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, cradling his hand against his chest.

She held up the pill as she moved over to him. "Here you go."

Reaching out he took the pill from her and quickly tossed it in his mouth before grabbing his glass of water off the tray beside him. Once he'd washed the pill down he remained sitting for a moment before easing himself back down onto the bed. He grabbed one of the blankets with his left hand and started to tug on it to cover himself up.

"I'll get it." She took the blanket from him and pulled it up to his chin.

"You're a better nurse than Cal," he whispered.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, I'd hope so."

"He's a good friend but...his bedside manner sucks."

Faith grinned, then kissed his forehead. "Rest."

"Stay with me," he murmured.

"I'm not goin' anywhere."

His eyes drifted shut and he patted the spot where she'd been laying, wanting her to join him again. "You need rest too."

She hesitated a moment, then nodded before moving to lay beside him once more.

"Closer," he whispered.

A smile tugged at her lips and she curled up against him. "Better?"

"Much." He turned and kissed the top of her head.

"Goodnight."

"Night," he whispered. "Thanks for takin' care of me."

"You're very welcome. If you need anything, wake me up."

"Same goes for you."

"Love you," she whispered.

Her words made him smile. "I love you, too."

Relaxing, she stretched out a little more and closed her eyes.

"Sweet dreams," he murmured as he was tugged toward a deep sleep.

"You too."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It felt like he'd been sleeping forever even though it had really only been a few hours. When he'd woken up the first time Faith was still sleeping peacefully beside him so he'd closed his eyes and eventually fallen asleep again. The second time he opened his eyes he'd found her awake, gently rubbing one of her fingers over the index finger of his bandaged hand. Her touch was feather light and for the longest time neither of them had said anything.

When the doorbell rang, interrupting the moment, she sighed. "I'll get it."

"Somebody's timing sucks," he told her softly.

"No kidding." She smiled faintly, kissed his cheek, then rose to her feet.

He smiled. "Just so you know...it was nice waking up like that," he told her as he watched her head for the door.

"I'm glad you think so," she said softly. She headed out of the room and down the hall toward the front door. She peeked outside--a strict habit she'd learned from living in New York--and smiled a little when she recognized the woman on his doorstep. She opened the door. "Hi, Sarge."

"Oh, please, call me Lauren. Maurice does." She said with a smile.

“Nice to see you again, Lauren. Bos--Maurice is in the family room."

She stepped inside, and took off her coat, hanging it on the coat rack by the door. "I brought him some cookies that Elizabeth and I made. She's got a crush on him and when I told her he'd been in the hospital she -insisted- we make cookies."

"She sounds like my daughter a few years ago." Faith smiled.

"If I wasn't twenty-some years his senior...I'd probably have a crush on him too," she said lightly.

A short chuckle escaped her. "Understandable. He's always been a ladies man."

"I have to admit, even though he's just being nice...he does make me feel young when he talks to me. He's such a sweet young man."

"That he is," she said softly.

Smiling she took Faith's arm. "Shall we go see him?"

"Absolutely." She led the older woman down the hall and into the family room.

Seeing the two woman approaching Bosco started to sit up.

"Easy," Faith warned.

"Mmhmm." He nodded, moving a little slower. Once he was sitting he scooted back and leaned against the sofa cushions. "How'd I get this lucky?" He asked with a smile. "Two beautiful women all to myself."

"Even more charming than usual. I think that's because of you," Lauren informed Faith, who smiled.

"She always brings out the best in me," he informed their visitor.

"I don't know about that," Faith said pointedly.

"Okay, sometimes the worst, but we never caused -too- much trouble together...did we?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Swersky would tell a different story, I bet."

He chuckled softly, his eyes bright as he looked at Faith for a moment. Then he shifted his gaze to Lauren. "I hope you didn't come by expecting me to take you dancing," he joked. "Afraid I'm not up to it tonight."

"I didn't figure you were. How are you feeling?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"I'm good. Just woke up a little while ago," he informed her.

Lauren nodded, smiling faintly as she sat down in one of the recliners. "Well, I brought cookies."

"Yeah? What kind?"

"Chocolate chip."

"My favorite."

"I know. And so does Elizabeth." She smiled.

"Did Liz make 'em?"

"She helped."

He smiled. "That's so sweet. Tell her I said thank you."

"Oh, I will. She added lots of extra chocolate chips because she said that was your favorite part."

Bosco chuckled. "She remembered me saying that?"

"She could probably recite every word you've ever said in front of her."

"Hope I haven't sworn," he said lightly.

"You better hope it."

Grinning he looked over at Faith who was still standing near the doorway. He motioned her over.

She hesitated a moment, then moved over to sit beside him on the pull out bed.

He reached for Faith's hand.

She glanced at Lauren, swallowing hard before looking back at him and sliding her fingers through his.

Bosco leaned over to whisper to her. "It's okay."

Lauren smiled. "I knew the day I saw you that the two of you were more than friends."

He looked over at her. "Are you serious?"

She nodded. "Your mother agrees with me."

"Excuse me?"

"Rose. She agrees that you and Faith belong together."

"When did you talk to my mother?"

"A few days ago."

"Why am I just hearing about this now?"

Lauren shrugged.

Squeezing Faith's hand he turned to look at her. "Did you know they talked?"

She shook her head. "I had no idea."

"So I guess even when we're not partners people are talking about us," he said lightly.

"Apparently." She couldn't help but chuckle.

He placed a soft kiss on her cheek, and turned back to Lauren. "So what else did Rose have to say?"

"Just that she was worried about you."

"And you told her I was fine, right?"

"Of course I did. We had a nice chat."

"Well as long as you two don't start ganging up on me I guess that's good to hear."

She grinned. "She's sending me pictures."

His eyes widened. "Pictures?"

"Of Baby Maurice."

"No!" He shook his head quickly. "No way."

Faith couldn't help but laugh.

"This is so -not- funny."

"Yes, it is."

"I can't allow this," he informed him. "I can't have the three women in my life ganging up on me."

"Oh, come on, Boz. Your baby pictures have to be adorable," Faith teased.

"Of course they are," he chuckled. "But there are some things a man doesn't want his friend and girlfriend to see."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," she said without thinking about it.

"We'll have to do some negotiating," he informed her. "And you." He shifted his attention back to Lauren. "You better be kidding about these pictures because I swear if Cal or any of the guys get their hands on them..."

She chuckled. "Well, then you better behave."

"I always behave. You know that."

"Sure, Maurice." She gave him a look.

"Don't believe her, Faith. I'm -very- well behaved."

She raised her eyebrows. "And I've known you even longer than she has."

"So you know even more about how incredibly caring and wonderful I am, right?"

"Something like that." Faith winked at him.

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand gently before lifting it to his lips.

Lauren couldn't help but grin at the two of them. "You're so cute together."

"You hear that?" He looked at Faith. "She thinks we're cute."

"Well, you're cute," she teased.

"Of course I am," he told her, then he leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "You're pretty cute yourself."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Charmer."

He kissed her cheek then turned back to Lauren. "So...you said something about cookies?"

Nodding, Lauren held up a medium sized plastic container.

With a wide grin on his face he reached for the container. "I knew having surgery had it's perks."

She smirked and handed the container to him. "And on that note...I need to head out."

"Really? So soon?"

"Well, I have some errands to run before work. And I have the feeling that I was interrupting something." She smiled.

He felt his face grow warm. "We weren't...I just...we just woke up." Closing his eyes he shook his head, surprised at how flustered he got over his friend's simple comment. He set the cookies aside and slowly stood up. "I'll walk you out."

Unable to suppress a grin, Lauren nodded in agreement. "I'll let you."

Once he was standing he looked at Faith and placed a hand on her shoulder. He nodded toward Lauren. "You see what I gotta put up with everyday?"

"And it looks like you handle it just fine." She winked at him, grinning.

"Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back," he told her. He smiled at Lauren and motioned for her to lead the way out of the family room.

"I like her," she informed him as he walked her to the front door.

"I like her too," he whispered. "I just hope I'm not movin' too fast, ya know? I don't wanna screw this up."

She nodded carefully. "She's a keeper, all right."

He ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the wall. "I've missed her so much."

"I know." Lauren gazed at him. "Maurice...she loves you. Don't give up on her."

"How do you know she loves me?" He asked softly.

"By the way she looks at you, Dear." She smiled.

A smile tugged at his lips. "I'm kinda hopin' that she'll stay."

"Well. I think the chances of that are pretty good." She winked and stepped outside. "Take it easy, Maurice."

"Thanks for coming by," he told her softly. "And for making me feel like I'd been caught doing something wrong by my mother even though we weren't doing anything and you're not my mother."

Lauren chuckled. "Anytime, Maurice."

"Hey, maybe if we can talk that bum you're married to into it...we could all go to the symphony together."

"We'll see." She winked at him, then headed out to her car, waving at him over her shoulder.

"Give Liz a big hug for me," he called out as he stood in the doorway.

"Count on it!" she called back.

He waited until she'd backed out of the driveway and was headed down the street before closing and locking the front door. Adjusting the strap of his sling he made his way back to the family room.

Faith sat on the edge of the pull-out bed, her eyes distant. She didn't notice him come back.

Bosco's eyebrows furrowed when she didn't acknowledge that he was even in the room with her. "Faith?"

She quickly blinked, looking up at him. "What?"

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, concern in his eyes as he went to sit beside her.

She nodded, smiling faintly. "Yeah. Fine."

"Are you sure? I mean...it was like for a minute you weren't even here," he whispered. Sitting beside her he reached for her hand.

Faith swallowed hard. "Guess my mind just wandered off for a minute. I'm okay." She slid her fingers through his.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"No. Everything's fine, Boz." Her voice was quiet.

Still holding her hand he awkwardly lifted his bandaged hand and gently touched her cheek, turning her so she was facing him. He then leaned in and kissed her softly.

She hesitated a brief second before returning the soft kiss.

Feeling her hesitation he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. "Tell me what's wrong," he whispered.

She closed her eyes. "It's just...you have this whole life here," she whispered back.

"Yeah, but...what's that got to do with us?" He asked softly.

Chewing on her lower lip, she slowly pulled away from him. "Nothing, really."

"I want you to be part of this life," he told her softly. "And my friends adore you."

"Your friends barely know me," she pointed out.

"My friends know more about you than you realize."

"And I'm sure that what they've heard from you is -completely- unbiased," Faith replied pointedly.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Faith, what..." He shook his head. "I don't understand what the problem is. I mean who cares about what they think anyway, right?"

She sighed softly, and stood up. "Yeah. You hungry?"

He took hold of her hand again. "I wanna talk about this," he told her softly.

Gazing at him for a moment, she reluctantly sat down once more. "I'm not sure there's anything to talk about."

Bosco took a deep breath. "Faith...I don't think you realize just how miserable I've been the last few years. I mean, yeah, I've got this house and I was married and I've got two great friends in Cal and Lauren. But it hasn't all been a picnic."

"I realize that."

"Do you realize how much I missed you? How I was relieved that we don't actually have partners at the PD because I didn't want anyone else to be my partner?" He was quiet for a moment as he gazed at her. "There's a reason they don't call me Bosco."

She looked up at him, her eyes questioning.

"It was my family at the 5-5 that really started to call me Bosco. Sure a few people called me that growing up but most people called me Maurice or Mo. So Bosco...that was special, and Boz...well let's just say that nickname's reserved," he told her with a warm smile.

Her eyes softened at his words. "So it's not because you didn't want to be reminded of..."

"No, of course not." He held her hand a little tighter. "I escaped, Faith. I was stupid and I ran. When I got out here I guess part of me hoped for a week or two that I'd be able to forget about everything, but I couldn't. I never would. There was too much history. And I didn't wanna forget about it."

Wordlessly, she slid her arms around him, closing her eyes tightly.

He wrapped his good arm around her. "I love you, Faith. I always have, but I didn't realize just how much until you were gone."

"Me too," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Turning his head slightly he kissed her temple as he rubbed her back.

"I wanna stay with you." Her voice was barely audible.

Not sure he'd heard her right he pulled back just enough to look at her. "What?" He asked softly.

Faith swallowed hard, meeting his gaze. "I wanna stay here with you."

He couldn't stop himself from grinning, and he reached up to touch her cheek. "Sounds perfect."

She turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand.

"And I promise you...we'll take this slow," he whispered.

"Thanks," she whispered back, gazing at him.

"I need you to help me though," he told her softly. "If I'm moving too fast you gotta say something if you're not comfortable."

Nodding slightly, she swallowed hard and kissed his cheek. "Deal."

"But I'm gonna do my best to make sure it never gets to a point where you'd have to say something." He ran his fingers through her hair. "God, Faith. It's so good to have you here."

"It's good to be here," she whispered, touching his cheek.

For a moment he was quiet as he gazed at her then he leaned forward and kissed her softly.

Faith kissed him again, closing her eyes as she rested a hand against his chest.

He lowered his hand from her cheek and covered her hand.

"I love you."

Bosco squeezed her hand. "Love you," he whispered.

She was silent for a moment, looking at their hands joined together.

He followed her gaze and smiled softly as he began to rub his thumb over the back of her hand.

"What I told you a few nights ago..."

His eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head slightly.

"About...when Fred left me."

"What about it?" He asked softly.

"I didn't tell you why I stopped," she whispered.

"Why you stopped?" He questioned, sounding confused.

She bit her lower lip, not looking at him. "Pickin' up random guys at bars."

He squeezed her hand.

Faith drew in a breath, and let it out slowly. "One night...I brought the wrong guy back to my place."

"The wrong guy?"

"He was...bigger than me. Not my type at all." She pulled her hand away slowly and rested it in her lap.

"So...are you sayin' he..."

"He was...rough and...I said no." She raked a hand through her hair.

"Oh, God," he whispered.

"He didn't rape me." She looked up at him, her eyes haunted.

"No?"

"He tried. I didn't have my gun...I screamed. Johnny, that kid from downstairs...came up. If he hadn't--"

Bosco reached out and touched her cheek. "So...is that really why you never turned Johnny in? Cause he helped you?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"I'm really sorry," he whispered back.

"It's not your fault."

He nodded his head, and pressed his lips together. After a moment he unfastened his sling and pulled it over his head. Tossing it aside he reached out, wrapping both arms around her.

"Careful," she whispered.

"Mmhmm." He held her tight and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Pretty stupid, huh?"

"It's not your fault either," he told her softly.

"Oh, come on. I was askin' for trouble. Draggin' guys I didn't know home like that..."

"You're not the first woman who's done that. You can't beat yourself up for it."

"It wasn't exactly smart."

"You weren't thinking clearly," he told her softly.

"No. But that's not exactly a good reason."

"You're okay though, right? Physically?"

Faith nodded slightly. "Yeah...nothing happened that didn't heal within a week."

He pulled away from her and scooted back so he was leaning against the back of the sofa. Then he reached for her, guiding her, wanting her to sit between his legs and lean back against him. "Come here," he murmured.

She hesitantly positioned herself there, closing her eyes when she leaned back against him.

Bosco carefully slid his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "You can start over here," he whispered. "Clean slate."

"That sounds nice," she whispered back.

He placed a very soft kiss on her neck. "You can be anyone you wanna be here. Do anything you wanna do."

"I just wanna be with you," she murmured, relaxing in his arms.

"I could live with that."