Title: Between Time (5 /?)
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, but I wish they did.
Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and sexual content
Spoilers: Up through and including "233 Days"
Summary: A serious accident forces Faith and Bosco to re-evaluate their lives as well as their relationship with each other.
Distribution: My site, Only Time.
Category: Story
Subcategories: drama/angst/romance/friendship
Feedback: Have you hugged your author today? *grin*
Author's Note: I'm aware there's a similar story being written about this idea, but I've already talked to the author of that story and she encouraged me to go ahead and write mine. I'm pretty sure we're going in different directions with the fics anyway. Any similarities are only coincidental of great minds thinking alike, not of plagarism.
Author's Note: I have *no* medical knowledge whatsoever, so if any of the medical stuff is inaccurate, please don't flame me.
Between Time (Part Five)
It was dark and cold.
She couldn't see anything, let alone where she going. She stumbled as she walked and she found herself on the ground, pain shooting through her entire body. It was sharp, intense pain that continued to radiate through her.
She cried out for help but no one answered. She lay down on the ground, shivering uncontrollably. "Help me," she whispered weakly.
"Easy. Take it easy," a soothing voice said softly.
She felt a hand on her cheek. The touch was gentle, calming. It was pulling her from the darkness.
Her eyes fluttered open and immediately locked on a pair of beautiful blue eyes. She blinked a couple of times as he gazed back at her.
"Hey," Bosco said softly, dropping his hand away from her face. "How you feelin'?"
She shifted slightly in the bed, wincing at the movement. "Not so good," she murmured.
"Yeah, I kinda figured. You were gettin' restless."
Faith rested her uinjured arm over her ribs. "How long have you been here?"
"A little while. An hour maybe. I went home and took a shower, changed clothes. Tried to take a nap, but I couldn't sleep."
She was quiet for a moment as she stared at him, hoping that if she just looked at him long enough it would jog her memory, ignite some spark of recognition within her mind. But it didn't. She was gazing at a stranger. A stranger with very beautiful, kind eyes.
Bosco shifted nervously under her intense gaze. Then he reminded himself that if he was nervous, she was probably scared out of her mind. After all, he knew who she was. But to her, he was just some guy claiming to be her best friend and work partner. It was an unsettling thought that she might very well be afraid of him. He tried to push all of those thoughts away.
"So, uh...is there anything that I can get for you? Water or somethin'?" he offered.
Faith hesitated. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah. Yeah, of course."
"The man who was here before...when that doctor came in...who is he?" Her voice was soft.
Bosco swallowed hard. "His name is Fred. Fred Yokas."
"Yokas?" she repeated, her eyebrows furrowing. "Isn't that my last name?"
"Yeah," he confirmed quietly.
She was silent for a moment. "So is he...my husband?"
He gazed at her, his eyes cloudy with emotions. "Yeah," he said again. "He's your husband."
Faith was quiet for a long time, flashes of the man's angry face running through her mind. Had he been angry? His eyes certainly hadn't been full of warmth the way the man's sitting by her bed were. And he wasn't there. "Are you sure?" she couldn't help but ask.
Bosco nodded slowly, feeling as though he had just given her some bad news. "I'm sure," he said softly. He reached out and gently touched her hand.
She looked down at his hand for a moment, then slid her fingers through his. "So where is he?"
He cursed Fred inwardly for not sticking around. This was his -wife- dammit. She needed his support. Then again, knowing what he did of Faith's husband, she was probably better off without him around anyway. Fred wasn't known for his supportive, nurturing side when it came to Faith. "I think he probably just went home for awhile. I'm sure he'll be back later," he tried to assure her.
She nodded wordlessly, gazing down at the white hospital blankets covering her. She couldn't help but wondering why the man at her bed side was there holding her hand instead of her husband. What did that mean?
"So would you like some water or somethin' to drink? The nurse--Proctor--said you could have liquid but not food right now." He rubbed his thumb lightly over the back of her hand.
"Yeah, I am kinda thirsty," she admitted softly.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and stood up. He picked up the plastic pitcher on her bedside table and poured a little water into the styrofoam cup. He opened the straw package and dropped the straw into the cup, then held it out to her.
She winced slightly as she reached out to take it from him.
"You know, it might be better if I held it for you," he suggested, noticing her wince. He moved closer to her.
Faith gazed at him for a moment. "Yeah, okay," she agreed.
Bosco gave her a smile as he moved the straw to her lips. She sipped the water slowly, letting her eyes drift shut. "Just let me know when you've had enough."
After a moment, she pulled away, resting her head back against the pillows. "Thanks," she murmured.
He set the cup down on the rolling bedside tray. "You're welcome." He lay his hand on top of hers once more, sitting back down in the chair next to her bed. "You goin' back to sleep?"
"I'm still kinda tired," she said softly.
"It's okay. You need your rest."
She opened her eyes and turned her head to gaze at him. "You don't have to stay here."
Bosco met her eyes. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly, though leaving was the last thing he wanted. Some part of him was deeply afraid that if he left--even for just a little while--she would disappear or something.
She hesitated for a moment. "No," she whispered.
He gave her a gentle smile. "I'm not goin' anywhere unless you want me to."
She managed to give him a small smile in return. Then her eyes drifted shut once more.
Bosco sat beside her, watching her sleep. Reassured by the fact that she was right there, breathing steadily on her own. Right now, that was all that mattered.
* * *
"John, when you gonna come home?" Tatiana asked.
Sully rubbed his forehead as he stood at a payphone in Mercy Hospital. "I don't know. Later."
"I have not seen you in two days, John. I miss you." Her voice was soft.
Yeah, right, he thought, annoyed. "I'm not coming home til I know my friend is all right. I'll talk to you when I see you." He hung up the phone without giving her a chance to respond. When he turned around, he saw his partner standing there, a frown on his face. "Don't start with me, Davis."
Davis held his hands up. "I didn't say a word."
Sully moved past him. "I have a right to be angry."
"Never said you didn't."
"She's the one who's been lying."
"No arguments there."
"This isn't in any way my fault."
Davis followed him to the waiting room but didn't respond.
"It's not, Davis."
"Okay."
Sully glared at him. "You think this is my fault?"
"You're puttin' words in my mouth, Sul."
"But that's what you think, isn't it? That I'm blowin' this outta proportion."
"You know what? Doesn't matter what I think. It's none of my business."
"You're right, it's not. So just back off." Sully turned and stormed away.
Davis watched him go, shaking his head.
* * *
"How's she doing?"
Bosco looked up from the soda machine and turned to see Alex and Kim standing there. "She's alive. Doesn't remember anything. The doctors took her down to run more tests."
"All that matters it that she's alive," Kim said quietly. "And she'll make it through this."
He nodded and tapped the top of the pop can with his finger. "The doctor said she might not get her memory back." His voice was quiet.
"They don't know that for sure, Bosco." Alex shook her head. "Amnesia is tricky. And rare. The truth is they don't know enough about it period."
"Alex is right. Don't give up on her."
"Oh, I won't." He turned and started to head toward Faith's room, wanting to be there when they brought her back. Then he paused and turned around to face them. "Thanks. For everything you did for her. If you hadn't gotten her here when you did..." His voice trailed off and he shook his head. "Thank you."
Kim moved forward and gave his arm a squeeze. "Listen, if you need to talk...I'm here," she said softly.
He managed a brief smile, then he headed down the hallway without another word.
* * *
"It's just so weird," Carlos said as he sat at the table in the firehouse, shaking his head.
"We should send flowers or somethin'," D.K. suggested.
Doc nodded his agreement. "Yeah, that's a good idea."
"How's Bosco holdin' up?" Jimmy asked quietly.
"He's dealing," Alex answered as she gazed into her mug of coffee.
"Can you imagine what that must be like?" Carlos' voice was soft. "To not remember anything about your life? To not remember that you're married or have two kids..."
They all looked at him, but remained silent.
"I mean, my life hasn't been all that great, but if I woke up one day and couldn't remember anything about it, or even who I was...I don't even wanna think about it."
"It's gotta be terrifying," Alex said just as softly.
"Poor Faith," Kim murmured.
Everyone grew silent, lost in their own thoughts. Imagining the horror. And hoping that it didn't last.
Go to Part 6
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