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xtremeroswelliaTitle: Wherever You Will Go series, fic #18: Faith's Lament (1/3)
Authors: Demelza and X_tremeroswellian
Email(s): demelza81@yahoo.co.nz and X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to us. They belong to Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells and a bunch of other people that we've never met before. Please don't sue.
Rating: PG-13 for language and sexual content
Summary: Faith's world is turned upside down when she and Bosco investigate a case that hits a little too close to home.
Spoilers: Up through and including "The Unforgiven."
Author's Note: This is the eighteenth story in a series of Third Watch fics we're writing titled "Wherever You Will Go." The first one is "Confessions," the second is "Here With Me," the third is "Pain," the fourth is "Tears," the fifth is "Fear," the sixth is "Sadness," the seventh is "Reunion," the eighth is "Warning Signs," the ninth is "The Ball," the tenth is "Interlude," the eleventh is "Hush," the twelfth is "Haunted," the thirteenth is "No Good Deed," the fourteenth is "Unexpected Surprises," the fifteenth is "Better Than Ice Cream," the sixteenth is "Just Another Day," and the seventeenth is "Weight of the World." You may want to read those first before continuing. All fics in the series can be found at the WYWG website: http://wywg.topcities.com/index.html .
Faith's Lament (Part One)
Bosco sat with his arm perched up on the ledge of the window, his other hand resting on the base of the steering wheel, just above his lap. He let out a very low breath, scratching the side of his head with his left hand. It had been a quiet shift, neither him or Faith had said much to each other the entire time. He was really worried, too, especially with the sad and distant look in Faith's eyes whenever he looked at her. It scared him half to death, knowing a great deal of what was causing it. Fred. "You haven't said much tonight," he quietly said to her, looking in her direction for a moment longer before turning his eyes back onto the road.
"Sorry," she murmured, her voice barely audible. "Tired, I guess."
"You look like you haven't slept," he told her, more than concern etched in his voice. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Fine," she said vaguely as she stared out the window watching a group of kids play basketball on the court across the street.
"You sure?" Bosco asked, watching as she nodded, not replying. He took in a breath, then slowly let it out. "I ah...had a visitor last night..." he said, his brow creasing.
"Who?" she asked, supressing a yawn.
"Stanley," he replied, looking at her.
Faith turned her head to look at him, shocked. "What?"
"Yeah, he dropped by...wanted to talk."
"About what?" she asked, trying not to jump to conclusions.
Bosco looked at her silently for a moment, then turned his head away, looking back on the road. "You," he swallowed.
She remained silent, staring at him, waiting for him to say something else.
"And...Fred..."
She looked away, feeling anger rise up within her. "What did he say?" she asked, her voice cool.
He swallowed, harder this time. "About how...he dumped you in the middle of nowhere, in the pouring rain."
Faith let out a breath. "He shouldn't have told you that."
"I'm glad he did," Bosco replied, keeping his eye on the road.
"It's none of his business."
"Yeah, and it's not mine, but if he hadn't told me..." he said, turning to her. "Would you have?"
She swallowed hard, stared out the window. "No," she said softly.
He cursed inwardly, closing his eyes tight for a moment, letting out a breath. "Why not?"
"Why, so you can just tell me what a jerk he is and how I should leave him?"
"No," he said, although the word 'YES!!!' screamed in the front of his brain. "Because I thought we trusted each other."
Faith closed her eyes. "I do trust you, you know I do."
"Then why wouldn't you tell me?" he asked, pain in his voice.
She sighed and leaned her head against the passenger window. "Because it's not that big of a deal."
"When someone throws you out of the car, it's a big deal," Bosco replied, pausing in thought for a moment. "But you rang me..." he said, not sure if that was even true, but he'd remembered the phone call that night when the person on the other end had hung up no sooner than he'd picked up the receiver and put it to his ear.
"Bosco, he didn't actually throw me out of the truck, he just said--" She froze, suddenly processing the second part of what he'd said. "How did you know that--?"
"Because I just knew it was you...." he said, remembering the dream he'd had before the phone had rang, and then that gut feeling he'd had that told him something was wrong. Something that Faith was involved in. "He just said what?" he said, looking at her.
"I didn't say anything, how did you know it was me?" she asked, confused.
Bosco took in a breath and checked the rearview mirror before putting on the blinkers and pulling the car into a parking space on the side of the road. He let out the same breath and turned to look at Faith. "I don't...I don't know, I just did. I knew something....wasn't right."
She stared at him for a moment, still confused and a little shocked.
"I was scared for you..." he quietly admitted, looking down at his hand where it rested on his lap. "Still am."
Faith swallowed hard, looked away. "You don't need to be. I'm okay."
"Are you? Really?"
She could feel his eyes on her even though she wasn't facing him. She knew he wasn't convinced, that there was no way she would be able to fully convince him when she wasn't convinced herself. "Yeah," she said, a feeble attempt at trying to play the 'everything's fine' game she was usually so good at. So good at with everyone but Bosco.
"I don't believe you," Bosco said, leaning his head in his hand for a moment before letting out a breath. "I know you too well, Faith."
"Bosco, what do you want me to say?" she asked wearily.
"I want you to tell me the truth, Faith....I thought," but he shook his head, not finishing.
"What?"
"I thought we'd moved beyond the part where we couldn't tell each other things," he replied.
"There's nothing you could have done anyway. It just would have upset you, like you're upset now, and it's just not worth it."
"Of course it upsets me, Faith," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Because this is about you, someone I care for. And that he treated you like...like some piece of garbage, no! I'm not going to apologize for getting upset."
"Bosco, just...let it go," she said softly, closing her eyes
He set his jaw, turning back to the road. "Fine then," he said, checking in the drivers side mirror, then pulled out onto the road again, wheels squeeling.
Tears stung her eyes, but she kept faced away from him, staring out the window, trying not to breathe for fear she'd start crying.
Bosco's hands tightly gripped the steering wheel as he tried to keep his focus on the road. He hadn't meant to get so upset, so angry....but in truth, it's all he knew how to feel right now.
There was a long silence between them, when Bosco slowed the car down, realizing he was going a little faster than perhaps he should have been. "You know, I only got upset because...because I love you, Faith."
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to block his words from her mind. "Look, it's not gonna happen again."
"You can't promise me it won't, Faith," he replied.
She suddenly felt a wave of despair welling up within her. "What the hell do you want me to do?"
Could he tell her she should leave Fred? Bosco wanted to, every part of him wanted to yell out 'Leave Fred, Faith! He doesn't deserve you!' But he couldn't, he knew that. So instead, he let out a low breath. "I don't know."
"Well, I don't either." She turned and looked out the window again, blinking back tears.
He looked over at her, pain in his eyes, before returning his gaze to the road ahead. He wanted to say something, even more now, but it hurt too much to see how this was damaging them. Us, he thought, gripping his right hand on the steering wheel tighter.
Just then, their radios crackled to life. "Central to 55-David."
Faith reached up and pushed the button on her radio. "55-David to Central, go ahead, Central."
"55-David, take a 10-24 at Angel of Mercy."
Instantly, Bosco looked over at Faith and watched as she held the radio in her hand, not answering the call. Great, a sexual assault. Why us? he asked himself, not wanting to answer the call for his own reasons but because of everything that had been happening with Faith lately.
"Faith?" he asked, concern in his voice.
She didn't look at him as she pressed the button on her radio again. "10-4, Central. 55-David in route to Mercy." She let go of the radio and leaned back in her seat, silent. Why today? she wondered tiredly, already starting to get a headache.
Bosco looked at her for another long moment, before turning his attention back to the road, flicking on the sirens and heading for the hospital.
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Faith felt numb as she walked alongside Bosco down the corridors of the hospital, clutching her notepad tightly in her hand. The overhead lights were glaring down and she squinted slightly as her headache started to intensify a bit. A couple of nurses rushed past as they went to meet a trauma in the e.r. She wished the shift was over, wished that they were anywhere right then but at the hospital on a sexual assault call. But she'd learned long ago that wishes only came true in fairy tales.
Feeling uneasy, his stomach knotting, Bosco looked over at Faith. There was a look of determination on her face, but mixed with fear...or at least something that resembled fear. He swallowed hard, stopping in his steps, at the same time pulling her to a stop. "You know, we don't have to do this," he suggested, his tone lowered. "We could call in Sullivan and Davis, get them to take the case."
"Yeah, and tell them what?" she asked, gazing at him.
"I don't know. That your kids need you," he replied.
Faith shook her head. "No. It's not necessary." She turned and started walking again.
Fine then, he thought as he followed behind her.
Faith paused at the door of exam room #8. She knocked lightly and waited for a response.
"Come in," a girl called, her voice soft.
"It's not too late," Bosco said quietly to Faith, not wanting her to go in there if she couldn't handle it.
"Look, how many rape cases have we taken reports on since we've been partners?" she asked, her voice calm though she didn't look at him.
"Hundreds," he replied. "But this time is different."
"Why? Because now *you* know about what happened to me?"
He stared at her. "No, Faith. Because a lot has happened to you in the last few weeks, and I don't want...I don't want to see you hurting any more."
"I'll be fine. All right? I can handle it."
"Fine," he replied, his voice quieter.
Faith took a deep breath and turned the door handle. She stepped into the room, her gaze locking on the young girl sitting on the exam table. The girl couldn't have been more than sixteen years old, if that much. She had long auburn hair and green eyes. Her face was pale as she sat there looking lost. "Hi. You're Jasmin Myers?" Faith asked, her voice gentle.
"Yeah," the girl answered, looking nervous.
"I'm Officer Yokas, this is Officer Boscorelli."
Bosco looked sideways at Faith as he stopped nex to her. "How are you doing?" he asked Jasmin, his voice low.
"Not so good." She chewed nervously on her lower lip, wrapping her arms around her stomach.
He nodded slightly, turning to Faith once more.
"How old are you, Jasmin?" Faith asked softly, pulling her pen out of her pocket.
"Fifteen."
She gripped the pen a little tighter in her hand, forcing herself to take another deep breath.
"Jesus," Bosco trailed off, his voice inaudiable.
"Can you tell us what happened?"
Jasmin's eyes sparkled with tears. "I was at my grandparent's house. He offered me a ride home. I said yes because he's a friend of my grandpa's and my dad's. But when we got to my house, my parents weren't home yet. He asked if he could come in and wait because he needed to talk to my dad about something. So I told him it was okay. I didn't know that anything bad was going to happen."
Faith jotted some notes down in her notepad, trying as hard as she could to remain detatched, to remain calm and professional, but she couldn't stop her hand from trembling slightly. What the young girl was saying sounded eerily familiar and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
"He followed me into my bedroom and he wouldn't leave. And then he..." Jasmin swallowed hard, a tear streaming down her cheek, followed by another. "He raped me." She finally put her head in her hands and started to cry.
Faith felt a shudder pass through her body that she couldn't totally supress.
Bosco's eyes closed and turned his head just slightly away, swallowing as he cursed in his mind at what Jasmin had just told them. She's only fifteen for God's sake.
Just then, the door opened and Nurse Proctor came in, followed by another woman who looked vaguely familiar. "Yokas, Bosco...how's it going?" she asked quietly as she stepped over to them.
Faith didn't even respond to Proctor's question, her gaze locked on the young girl.
Proctor frowned and gave Bosco a questioning look.
Bosco looked over at her, shaking his head slightly as he then looked at Faith. "Not good," he replied, then turned his gaze to Jasmin once more.
The woman behind Proctor walked over to Jasmin. "Jasmin, my name's Anita Monroe," she said softly. "I'm from Growing Strong. Do you know what that is?"
"I think so." Jasmin hesitated.
"I'm here to answer any questions you might be having right now, but Nurse Proctor here is going to do what's called an evidence collection kit. I can stay with you, or I can leave the room, whichever you're the most comfortable with. It's totally up to you."
"Will you stay with me until my mom gets here?" Jasmin asked nervously.
"Of course," Anita answered.
Proctor looked at Bosco, then Faith again. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you two to step out until we're done here."
Bosco nodded. "We'll just be outside," he said, his words directed at Jasmin. He then turned to Faith, paused for a moment, then walked out.
Faith met the young girl's eyes for a brief moment before she turned and followed her partner out into the hallway, tightly clutching her pen in her hand, feeling a bit dazed.
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Bosco walked away from the door, his hands knotted into fists at his side. He released the grip in his right hand and turned to Faith, anger written all over his face. "How the hell could that happen?" he asked, his tone bitter, angered. No, furious. He shook his head, not wanting to believe it, but knowing it was true. "By a friend of the family?! How can some sick old guy do that to a kid, Faith?"
She shook her head, feeling sick to her stomach, her face pale. "I don't know," she said, her voice barely audible.
"She's only fifteen, Faith. Fifteen," he said, his face going red with his anger.
Faith flinched at the anger in his tone. She couldn't respond as she stared down at her notepad, trying to focus on the words she'd written, but a distant thought kept tugging at the back of her mind, though she couldn't place it, either.
Bosco began pacing the floor slightly before walking back over to her. He stopped, standing no more than a foot away. "What are we going to do, Faith?" he asked, his chest getting that sinking feeling again.
"Our jobs," she replied, her tone distant. "We're gonna arrest the son of a bitch."
His eyes met hers. "Arrest him? I wanna *kill* him."
"Bosco..."
He leaned back a little. "No, Faith, he *raped* a fifteen year old girl...that son of a bitch doesn't *deserve* to live."
Wordlessly, she dropped her notepad on the bench beside her and stood up. She didn't look at him before she turned and walked down the hallway toward the bathroom.
Bosco took in a breath, slowly letting it out through his nose. He took a step after her, when he backtracked and picked up her notepad. With it clenched in his hand, he followed Faith, not sure why, not even sure what he'd say when he'd caught up, he just did.
Faith was halfway to the restroom when she felt Bosco coming up behind her. Not now, please, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut briefly as she felt his hand on her arm.
"Faith..." he started, pausing. He just wanted to make sure she was okay.
Faith stopped walking. "What?" she asked without turning around.
"You can't let it get to you," he quickly said to her. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it.
"No, only you're allowed to do that, right, Bosco?" she retorted. Without waiting for a response, she turned and went into the women's restroom.
Bosco stood there, hands at his side. "That's...not what I meant..." he said sadly.
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Faith stood in the restroom, running the water on full blast to block out the sounds of her quiet sobs as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. It was all getting to be too much. She wasn't sure she could handle anything else going wrong.
After several long moments, she managed to calm herself down. She cupped her hands under the faucet and splashed a couple handfuls of cold water onto her face, drying it off with a paper towel. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was pale, her eyes tired. She looked like hell. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, her hands clutching onto the edge of the sink. Then she looked at her watch. Only four more hours of the shift left. Then she could go home.
Home.
Great, she thought.
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The door to exam room 8 opened and Doctor Thomas walked out, closing the door behind him as he slowly took in a breath. He turned to his right to see Bosco and Faith sitting on opposite sides of the corridor from each other, looking back at him. He stepped closer to where Faith was, waiting as she stood up, and Bosco had come over before speaking. "I'm sorry..." his first words came out, barely loud enough to be heard. "There was evidence of a sexual attack. She was raped. The nurse just finished up the rape kit, she'll bring it out in a few minutes," he said, looking at both officers.
Faith looked down at the floor.
Proctor came out a second later. She looked at the officers. "You can go back in and finish questioning her now," she said, handing Bosco the sealed box.
He took the kit from her, looking over at Faith, his eyes reflecting the sadness he felt.
"I'm sorry, Officers," Dr Thomas told them both, before walking away.
"Yeah, me too," Faith said softly. She closed her eyes momentarily before taking a deep breath and heading back into the room.
Anita, the advocate from the rape crisis center looked up and saw them. "I'll be right outside," she promised Jasmin.
"Thanks," she said, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.
Anita nodded to Faith, then Bosco as she exited the room.
Bosco walked in, stepping aside as the advocate walked past, and stopped up beside Faith, looking down at Jasmin.
Faith swallowed hard and looked at the young girl. "I'm really sorry, but we have to ask you some more questions. And they're going to get kind of personal," she said quietly.
Jasmin nodded slightly. "I know...Anita...told me." She swallowed hard, looking down at the floor.
"At any time you need to take a break, just let us know," Bosco told her, looking over at Faith.
Jasmin gave him a small half-smile. "Thanks."
Clutching her pen tightly in her hand, Faith took a deep breath. "Can you tell me what time the assault happened?"
"We got to my house at...about 5:00."
"And you know the man who assaulted you?" Her voice wavered slightly as she asked.
Jasmin nodded, biting her lower lip.
Bosco could feel his throat closing, his fists clenching tighter.
"What's his name?" she asked gently.
The girl looked down at the floor, tears flooding her eyes. "Harold. Harold Brightman."
Faith froze, her face draining of all color.
Bosco instantly looked at Faith, seeing the look on Jasmin's face as she looked at his partner. A deep expression of fear and worry flooded him, and he didn't know what to do. "Faith...?" he asked, anxiety fueling his tone.
His voice snapped her out of the momentary shock she was experiencing. She forced everything she felt into a distant corner of her mind, telling herself she would deal with it later. This wasn't the time, nor the place. Her training as an officer took over and she forced herself to continue with the questioning despite the concerned looks Bosco was sending her way. She ignored them, too.
Don't think, don't feel, don't break down.
After several more long moments of questioning, she wrapped up the interview. "We'll be in touch," she said to Jasmin, her voice kind but distant.
"Okay," Jasmin said softly.
Without looking at her partner, Faith turned and headed for the door. The moment she was outside the room, a wave of nausea overwhelmed her.
Bosco quickly followed behind her, worried, and almost ran into her outside the door. He apologized, and stepped round to her side. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, dumb question, idiot.
"Can you take this?" she asked, her voice soft as she handed him her notepad and pen.
He swallowed, nodding. "Yeah," he replied, not knowing what else to say, or do.
Faith promptly turned, forcing herself to walk down the hallway at normal speed, not wanting him to worry. She stepped into the restroom, locked the door behind her and immediately threw up what little she'd had to eat all day.
Harold. Harold Brightman. The name echoed in her mind.
She threw up again though there was nothing left in her stomach. She laid on the floor for nearly fifteen minutes with the dry heaves before she finally collapsed back against the wall, breathing heavily, tears leaking from her eyes uncontrollably.
Oh, God. Please forgive me, she thought desperately.
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Bosco sat on the chair just outside the women's restroom, he was leaning forward, his arms resting on his knees as he turned the notepad over and over in his hand. His eyes focused on it with an intense concentration, when he heard the door to his right open and he looked up. Faith stood there, looking deathly pale. He swallowed hard, standing up just a few inches in front of her. He didn't say anything, didn't know what to say. He wanted to ask if she was okay, ask if there was anything she needed, but the words wouldn't come.
"Bosco, I think that I need to go home." Her voice was distant, emotionless.
He nodded. "I'll drive you back to the station, then give you a lift home," he said back, his voice low, tone caring.
"Thanks...I'm just not...feeling very well."
"Hey, it's okay...any time..." he replied, an uneasy feeling surging through him as he looked at her.
"I'll...do the paperwork tomorrow morning..." she said vaguely, her eyes not quite focusing on anything.
"I'll do it," Bosco told her. "After I drop you home."
She didn't argue with him. She just turned and headed down the corridor.
Bosco looked after her, chest tightening as he watched her walking away. What am I going to do? he quietly asked himself, before walking after her.
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Faith sat on the bench in front of her locker, staring down at the floor. Her hands were shaking and her whole body felt numb, almost like she wasn't really in it. She heard the sound of the door opening behind her but she didn't think about it, nor did she move from her spot.
Standing just in front of the door as it closed behind him, Bosco's eyes carefully scanned the room, finding Faith sitting on the bench. He swallowed hard, seeing that she was still in her uniform, her locker shut, her eyes cast downward. He cursed in his mind, and slowly made his way over to her, carefully sitting down on the bench at her side.
He didn't say anything for a while, a part of him hoping that she'd open up to him and tell him what was on her mind. But, he had to set whatever part of him that was hoping for something as grandstanding as that aside, considering the circumstances, and be the one to offer some kind of solice. He swallowed, wetting his lips before speaking. "I was waiting, and..." He couldn't finish.
She blinked a couple times, feeling dazed and not totally sure where she was. She looked over at Bosco and remembered they were in the locker room and she was supposed to be getting ready to go home. "Sorry, I...got distracted...my stomach's still...upset," she said vaguely.
He nodded. "It's fine. Are you gonna be okay? Because you still look really pale."
"I think I just need to sleep or something..." She rose slowly to her feet, feeling very distant as she unlocked her locker and pulled her bag out. She closed it again, deciding to wait and change at home.
Bosco stood up behind her, burying his hands in his pockets. "Sullivan and Davis brought him in...Brightman. He's upstairs," he said, part of him wondering if he should have even told her.
She clutched her bag tighter in her hand, feeling another wave of nausea wash over her. "Can we go now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, of course." Bosco nodded, about to place his hand on her arm, when he pulled away. "Lieu's given me an hour off, to take you home, get you anything you need."
She nodded wordlessly and followed him toward the door.
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Faith unlocked the door to her apartment, still in a state of numbness as she stepped inside. She dropped her bag on the floor and walked right past her husband, who was sitting on the sofa watching television. She immediately headed for the bathroom, wanting to take a long hot shower, just to get the feeling back in her body.
Back in the living area, Fred stared at the tv set, not watching, but wondering just what the hell was up with Faith, and for that matter, why in hell she was home so damned early. Angry, he rose from the sofa and made his way down the small hallway, seeing Faith moving about the bathroom. He walked up to the doorway, and stood there, leaning against it. "Why are you home so damn early?"
She jumped, startled at the sound of his voice. She turned and saw him standing in the doorway. "I'm sick," she said, her voice distant even to her own ears.
"Uh huh, and just how do you expect us to survive by taking time off work because you're 'sick'. You already used up all of your sick days with the procedure and the radiation treatments," he snapped.
She swallowed hard, her stomach tightening from the anger in his tone. "I'm sorry, I just..." She shook her head, unable to find the words to explain.
"You just, what?"
She flinched. "I need to take a shower."
"When I've finished talking to you."
Her heart pounded in her chest. "Please..." she said, her voice strained.
"No, we're having a discussion here, and I'm not leaving until I say we're done!" He rose his voice.
Get out, she thought, not sure if she was referring to him or herself. But he wasn't moving. So she moved forward and tried to get past him.
Fred grabbed her by the shoulder, moving her backward slightly. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I said I hadn't finished!"
"Let me out," she said, panic edging into her voice.
Fred stood there a moment, staring at Faith, before he finally stepped aside, but only slightly.
She moved past him and out into the hallway, then to the living room. After a second, she moved to the kitchen, not knowing what she was doing or why she couldn't hold still.
A mix of anger and fury flooded through Fred. Like hell I'm just gonna let you walk over top of me, Faith Yokas! He marched after Faith, following her into the kitchen. "Just who do you think you are?"
She looked up at him, startled again by his presence. "What?" she asked, feeling confusion blend in with her anxiety.
"I'm your *husband,* god-damnit, and who the *hell* do you think you are to walk away when I'm talking to you!?" he shouted, his voice filled with rage as he grabbed her by the wrist once again.
Panic washed over her and without thinking about it, she shoved him away from her as hard as she could, her heart racing. "Don't touch me!" she said, her voice high-pitched.
"Don't *touch* you?" he demanded, shaking his head angrily. "I can touch you all I damned well want to!"
Fear rushed through her at his words. She felt sick to her stomach. I have to get out of here, she thought, staring at him. Wordlessly, she headed for the door without looking behind her.
Fred thundered after her, his jaw set. He grabbed both her arms this time, turning her to face him. He held his hands up towards his chest. "And just where the *fuck* do you think you're going?"
"Let go of me!" she screamed, trying to pull free of him.
"No!" he shouted, but when the realisation of what an asshole he was being hit him, he shoved her away from him, watching as the tears flowed down her face. He didn't apologize, did nothing but rub the top of his head, hating what he'd done. He was still so angry, so fucking angry. He shook his head. Get out, he said in his mind, closing his eyes tight for a moment before opening them again. "Get out. I don't *want* you here."
Trembling, and swallowing her sobs, Faith turned and flung the door open, running out into the hallway, down the stairs, and outside into the cold rain. Lightening flashed across the sky, instantly making her flash back to the night Trent had broken into her apartment, had nearly killed her. It immediately clashed with other memories, ones from a time even further back.
She ran toward the crosswalk, jumping when a car that was turning right suddenly blared its horn at her as the driver slammed on the brakes. She quickly moved out of the way, making it to the sidewalk, not turning to look at the driver, not stopping when the rain began to pound down even harder, drenching her to the bone. She didn't even know where she was going.
She just ran.
Authors: Demelza and X_tremeroswellian
Email(s): demelza81@yahoo.co.nz and X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to us. They belong to Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells and a bunch of other people that we've never met before. Please don't sue.
Rating: PG-13 for language and sexual content
Summary: Faith's world is turned upside down when she and Bosco investigate a case that hits a little too close to home.
Spoilers: Up through and including "The Unforgiven."
Author's Note: This is the eighteenth story in a series of Third Watch fics we're writing titled "Wherever You Will Go." The first one is "Confessions," the second is "Here With Me," the third is "Pain," the fourth is "Tears," the fifth is "Fear," the sixth is "Sadness," the seventh is "Reunion," the eighth is "Warning Signs," the ninth is "The Ball," the tenth is "Interlude," the eleventh is "Hush," the twelfth is "Haunted," the thirteenth is "No Good Deed," the fourteenth is "Unexpected Surprises," the fifteenth is "Better Than Ice Cream," the sixteenth is "Just Another Day," and the seventeenth is "Weight of the World." You may want to read those first before continuing. All fics in the series can be found at the WYWG website: http://wywg.topcities.com/index.html .
Faith's Lament (Part One)
Bosco sat with his arm perched up on the ledge of the window, his other hand resting on the base of the steering wheel, just above his lap. He let out a very low breath, scratching the side of his head with his left hand. It had been a quiet shift, neither him or Faith had said much to each other the entire time. He was really worried, too, especially with the sad and distant look in Faith's eyes whenever he looked at her. It scared him half to death, knowing a great deal of what was causing it. Fred. "You haven't said much tonight," he quietly said to her, looking in her direction for a moment longer before turning his eyes back onto the road.
"Sorry," she murmured, her voice barely audible. "Tired, I guess."
"You look like you haven't slept," he told her, more than concern etched in his voice. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Fine," she said vaguely as she stared out the window watching a group of kids play basketball on the court across the street.
"You sure?" Bosco asked, watching as she nodded, not replying. He took in a breath, then slowly let it out. "I ah...had a visitor last night..." he said, his brow creasing.
"Who?" she asked, supressing a yawn.
"Stanley," he replied, looking at her.
Faith turned her head to look at him, shocked. "What?"
"Yeah, he dropped by...wanted to talk."
"About what?" she asked, trying not to jump to conclusions.
Bosco looked at her silently for a moment, then turned his head away, looking back on the road. "You," he swallowed.
She remained silent, staring at him, waiting for him to say something else.
"And...Fred..."
She looked away, feeling anger rise up within her. "What did he say?" she asked, her voice cool.
He swallowed, harder this time. "About how...he dumped you in the middle of nowhere, in the pouring rain."
Faith let out a breath. "He shouldn't have told you that."
"I'm glad he did," Bosco replied, keeping his eye on the road.
"It's none of his business."
"Yeah, and it's not mine, but if he hadn't told me..." he said, turning to her. "Would you have?"
She swallowed hard, stared out the window. "No," she said softly.
He cursed inwardly, closing his eyes tight for a moment, letting out a breath. "Why not?"
"Why, so you can just tell me what a jerk he is and how I should leave him?"
"No," he said, although the word 'YES!!!' screamed in the front of his brain. "Because I thought we trusted each other."
Faith closed her eyes. "I do trust you, you know I do."
"Then why wouldn't you tell me?" he asked, pain in his voice.
She sighed and leaned her head against the passenger window. "Because it's not that big of a deal."
"When someone throws you out of the car, it's a big deal," Bosco replied, pausing in thought for a moment. "But you rang me..." he said, not sure if that was even true, but he'd remembered the phone call that night when the person on the other end had hung up no sooner than he'd picked up the receiver and put it to his ear.
"Bosco, he didn't actually throw me out of the truck, he just said--" She froze, suddenly processing the second part of what he'd said. "How did you know that--?"
"Because I just knew it was you...." he said, remembering the dream he'd had before the phone had rang, and then that gut feeling he'd had that told him something was wrong. Something that Faith was involved in. "He just said what?" he said, looking at her.
"I didn't say anything, how did you know it was me?" she asked, confused.
Bosco took in a breath and checked the rearview mirror before putting on the blinkers and pulling the car into a parking space on the side of the road. He let out the same breath and turned to look at Faith. "I don't...I don't know, I just did. I knew something....wasn't right."
She stared at him for a moment, still confused and a little shocked.
"I was scared for you..." he quietly admitted, looking down at his hand where it rested on his lap. "Still am."
Faith swallowed hard, looked away. "You don't need to be. I'm okay."
"Are you? Really?"
She could feel his eyes on her even though she wasn't facing him. She knew he wasn't convinced, that there was no way she would be able to fully convince him when she wasn't convinced herself. "Yeah," she said, a feeble attempt at trying to play the 'everything's fine' game she was usually so good at. So good at with everyone but Bosco.
"I don't believe you," Bosco said, leaning his head in his hand for a moment before letting out a breath. "I know you too well, Faith."
"Bosco, what do you want me to say?" she asked wearily.
"I want you to tell me the truth, Faith....I thought," but he shook his head, not finishing.
"What?"
"I thought we'd moved beyond the part where we couldn't tell each other things," he replied.
"There's nothing you could have done anyway. It just would have upset you, like you're upset now, and it's just not worth it."
"Of course it upsets me, Faith," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Because this is about you, someone I care for. And that he treated you like...like some piece of garbage, no! I'm not going to apologize for getting upset."
"Bosco, just...let it go," she said softly, closing her eyes
He set his jaw, turning back to the road. "Fine then," he said, checking in the drivers side mirror, then pulled out onto the road again, wheels squeeling.
Tears stung her eyes, but she kept faced away from him, staring out the window, trying not to breathe for fear she'd start crying.
Bosco's hands tightly gripped the steering wheel as he tried to keep his focus on the road. He hadn't meant to get so upset, so angry....but in truth, it's all he knew how to feel right now.
There was a long silence between them, when Bosco slowed the car down, realizing he was going a little faster than perhaps he should have been. "You know, I only got upset because...because I love you, Faith."
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to block his words from her mind. "Look, it's not gonna happen again."
"You can't promise me it won't, Faith," he replied.
She suddenly felt a wave of despair welling up within her. "What the hell do you want me to do?"
Could he tell her she should leave Fred? Bosco wanted to, every part of him wanted to yell out 'Leave Fred, Faith! He doesn't deserve you!' But he couldn't, he knew that. So instead, he let out a low breath. "I don't know."
"Well, I don't either." She turned and looked out the window again, blinking back tears.
He looked over at her, pain in his eyes, before returning his gaze to the road ahead. He wanted to say something, even more now, but it hurt too much to see how this was damaging them. Us, he thought, gripping his right hand on the steering wheel tighter.
Just then, their radios crackled to life. "Central to 55-David."
Faith reached up and pushed the button on her radio. "55-David to Central, go ahead, Central."
"55-David, take a 10-24 at Angel of Mercy."
Instantly, Bosco looked over at Faith and watched as she held the radio in her hand, not answering the call. Great, a sexual assault. Why us? he asked himself, not wanting to answer the call for his own reasons but because of everything that had been happening with Faith lately.
"Faith?" he asked, concern in his voice.
She didn't look at him as she pressed the button on her radio again. "10-4, Central. 55-David in route to Mercy." She let go of the radio and leaned back in her seat, silent. Why today? she wondered tiredly, already starting to get a headache.
Bosco looked at her for another long moment, before turning his attention back to the road, flicking on the sirens and heading for the hospital.
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Faith felt numb as she walked alongside Bosco down the corridors of the hospital, clutching her notepad tightly in her hand. The overhead lights were glaring down and she squinted slightly as her headache started to intensify a bit. A couple of nurses rushed past as they went to meet a trauma in the e.r. She wished the shift was over, wished that they were anywhere right then but at the hospital on a sexual assault call. But she'd learned long ago that wishes only came true in fairy tales.
Feeling uneasy, his stomach knotting, Bosco looked over at Faith. There was a look of determination on her face, but mixed with fear...or at least something that resembled fear. He swallowed hard, stopping in his steps, at the same time pulling her to a stop. "You know, we don't have to do this," he suggested, his tone lowered. "We could call in Sullivan and Davis, get them to take the case."
"Yeah, and tell them what?" she asked, gazing at him.
"I don't know. That your kids need you," he replied.
Faith shook her head. "No. It's not necessary." She turned and started walking again.
Fine then, he thought as he followed behind her.
Faith paused at the door of exam room #8. She knocked lightly and waited for a response.
"Come in," a girl called, her voice soft.
"It's not too late," Bosco said quietly to Faith, not wanting her to go in there if she couldn't handle it.
"Look, how many rape cases have we taken reports on since we've been partners?" she asked, her voice calm though she didn't look at him.
"Hundreds," he replied. "But this time is different."
"Why? Because now *you* know about what happened to me?"
He stared at her. "No, Faith. Because a lot has happened to you in the last few weeks, and I don't want...I don't want to see you hurting any more."
"I'll be fine. All right? I can handle it."
"Fine," he replied, his voice quieter.
Faith took a deep breath and turned the door handle. She stepped into the room, her gaze locking on the young girl sitting on the exam table. The girl couldn't have been more than sixteen years old, if that much. She had long auburn hair and green eyes. Her face was pale as she sat there looking lost. "Hi. You're Jasmin Myers?" Faith asked, her voice gentle.
"Yeah," the girl answered, looking nervous.
"I'm Officer Yokas, this is Officer Boscorelli."
Bosco looked sideways at Faith as he stopped nex to her. "How are you doing?" he asked Jasmin, his voice low.
"Not so good." She chewed nervously on her lower lip, wrapping her arms around her stomach.
He nodded slightly, turning to Faith once more.
"How old are you, Jasmin?" Faith asked softly, pulling her pen out of her pocket.
"Fifteen."
She gripped the pen a little tighter in her hand, forcing herself to take another deep breath.
"Jesus," Bosco trailed off, his voice inaudiable.
"Can you tell us what happened?"
Jasmin's eyes sparkled with tears. "I was at my grandparent's house. He offered me a ride home. I said yes because he's a friend of my grandpa's and my dad's. But when we got to my house, my parents weren't home yet. He asked if he could come in and wait because he needed to talk to my dad about something. So I told him it was okay. I didn't know that anything bad was going to happen."
Faith jotted some notes down in her notepad, trying as hard as she could to remain detatched, to remain calm and professional, but she couldn't stop her hand from trembling slightly. What the young girl was saying sounded eerily familiar and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
"He followed me into my bedroom and he wouldn't leave. And then he..." Jasmin swallowed hard, a tear streaming down her cheek, followed by another. "He raped me." She finally put her head in her hands and started to cry.
Faith felt a shudder pass through her body that she couldn't totally supress.
Bosco's eyes closed and turned his head just slightly away, swallowing as he cursed in his mind at what Jasmin had just told them. She's only fifteen for God's sake.
Just then, the door opened and Nurse Proctor came in, followed by another woman who looked vaguely familiar. "Yokas, Bosco...how's it going?" she asked quietly as she stepped over to them.
Faith didn't even respond to Proctor's question, her gaze locked on the young girl.
Proctor frowned and gave Bosco a questioning look.
Bosco looked over at her, shaking his head slightly as he then looked at Faith. "Not good," he replied, then turned his gaze to Jasmin once more.
The woman behind Proctor walked over to Jasmin. "Jasmin, my name's Anita Monroe," she said softly. "I'm from Growing Strong. Do you know what that is?"
"I think so." Jasmin hesitated.
"I'm here to answer any questions you might be having right now, but Nurse Proctor here is going to do what's called an evidence collection kit. I can stay with you, or I can leave the room, whichever you're the most comfortable with. It's totally up to you."
"Will you stay with me until my mom gets here?" Jasmin asked nervously.
"Of course," Anita answered.
Proctor looked at Bosco, then Faith again. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you two to step out until we're done here."
Bosco nodded. "We'll just be outside," he said, his words directed at Jasmin. He then turned to Faith, paused for a moment, then walked out.
Faith met the young girl's eyes for a brief moment before she turned and followed her partner out into the hallway, tightly clutching her pen in her hand, feeling a bit dazed.
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Bosco walked away from the door, his hands knotted into fists at his side. He released the grip in his right hand and turned to Faith, anger written all over his face. "How the hell could that happen?" he asked, his tone bitter, angered. No, furious. He shook his head, not wanting to believe it, but knowing it was true. "By a friend of the family?! How can some sick old guy do that to a kid, Faith?"
She shook her head, feeling sick to her stomach, her face pale. "I don't know," she said, her voice barely audible.
"She's only fifteen, Faith. Fifteen," he said, his face going red with his anger.
Faith flinched at the anger in his tone. She couldn't respond as she stared down at her notepad, trying to focus on the words she'd written, but a distant thought kept tugging at the back of her mind, though she couldn't place it, either.
Bosco began pacing the floor slightly before walking back over to her. He stopped, standing no more than a foot away. "What are we going to do, Faith?" he asked, his chest getting that sinking feeling again.
"Our jobs," she replied, her tone distant. "We're gonna arrest the son of a bitch."
His eyes met hers. "Arrest him? I wanna *kill* him."
"Bosco..."
He leaned back a little. "No, Faith, he *raped* a fifteen year old girl...that son of a bitch doesn't *deserve* to live."
Wordlessly, she dropped her notepad on the bench beside her and stood up. She didn't look at him before she turned and walked down the hallway toward the bathroom.
Bosco took in a breath, slowly letting it out through his nose. He took a step after her, when he backtracked and picked up her notepad. With it clenched in his hand, he followed Faith, not sure why, not even sure what he'd say when he'd caught up, he just did.
Faith was halfway to the restroom when she felt Bosco coming up behind her. Not now, please, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut briefly as she felt his hand on her arm.
"Faith..." he started, pausing. He just wanted to make sure she was okay.
Faith stopped walking. "What?" she asked without turning around.
"You can't let it get to you," he quickly said to her. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it.
"No, only you're allowed to do that, right, Bosco?" she retorted. Without waiting for a response, she turned and went into the women's restroom.
Bosco stood there, hands at his side. "That's...not what I meant..." he said sadly.
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Faith stood in the restroom, running the water on full blast to block out the sounds of her quiet sobs as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. It was all getting to be too much. She wasn't sure she could handle anything else going wrong.
After several long moments, she managed to calm herself down. She cupped her hands under the faucet and splashed a couple handfuls of cold water onto her face, drying it off with a paper towel. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was pale, her eyes tired. She looked like hell. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, her hands clutching onto the edge of the sink. Then she looked at her watch. Only four more hours of the shift left. Then she could go home.
Home.
Great, she thought.
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The door to exam room 8 opened and Doctor Thomas walked out, closing the door behind him as he slowly took in a breath. He turned to his right to see Bosco and Faith sitting on opposite sides of the corridor from each other, looking back at him. He stepped closer to where Faith was, waiting as she stood up, and Bosco had come over before speaking. "I'm sorry..." his first words came out, barely loud enough to be heard. "There was evidence of a sexual attack. She was raped. The nurse just finished up the rape kit, she'll bring it out in a few minutes," he said, looking at both officers.
Faith looked down at the floor.
Proctor came out a second later. She looked at the officers. "You can go back in and finish questioning her now," she said, handing Bosco the sealed box.
He took the kit from her, looking over at Faith, his eyes reflecting the sadness he felt.
"I'm sorry, Officers," Dr Thomas told them both, before walking away.
"Yeah, me too," Faith said softly. She closed her eyes momentarily before taking a deep breath and heading back into the room.
Anita, the advocate from the rape crisis center looked up and saw them. "I'll be right outside," she promised Jasmin.
"Thanks," she said, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.
Anita nodded to Faith, then Bosco as she exited the room.
Bosco walked in, stepping aside as the advocate walked past, and stopped up beside Faith, looking down at Jasmin.
Faith swallowed hard and looked at the young girl. "I'm really sorry, but we have to ask you some more questions. And they're going to get kind of personal," she said quietly.
Jasmin nodded slightly. "I know...Anita...told me." She swallowed hard, looking down at the floor.
"At any time you need to take a break, just let us know," Bosco told her, looking over at Faith.
Jasmin gave him a small half-smile. "Thanks."
Clutching her pen tightly in her hand, Faith took a deep breath. "Can you tell me what time the assault happened?"
"We got to my house at...about 5:00."
"And you know the man who assaulted you?" Her voice wavered slightly as she asked.
Jasmin nodded, biting her lower lip.
Bosco could feel his throat closing, his fists clenching tighter.
"What's his name?" she asked gently.
The girl looked down at the floor, tears flooding her eyes. "Harold. Harold Brightman."
Faith froze, her face draining of all color.
Bosco instantly looked at Faith, seeing the look on Jasmin's face as she looked at his partner. A deep expression of fear and worry flooded him, and he didn't know what to do. "Faith...?" he asked, anxiety fueling his tone.
His voice snapped her out of the momentary shock she was experiencing. She forced everything she felt into a distant corner of her mind, telling herself she would deal with it later. This wasn't the time, nor the place. Her training as an officer took over and she forced herself to continue with the questioning despite the concerned looks Bosco was sending her way. She ignored them, too.
Don't think, don't feel, don't break down.
After several more long moments of questioning, she wrapped up the interview. "We'll be in touch," she said to Jasmin, her voice kind but distant.
"Okay," Jasmin said softly.
Without looking at her partner, Faith turned and headed for the door. The moment she was outside the room, a wave of nausea overwhelmed her.
Bosco quickly followed behind her, worried, and almost ran into her outside the door. He apologized, and stepped round to her side. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, dumb question, idiot.
"Can you take this?" she asked, her voice soft as she handed him her notepad and pen.
He swallowed, nodding. "Yeah," he replied, not knowing what else to say, or do.
Faith promptly turned, forcing herself to walk down the hallway at normal speed, not wanting him to worry. She stepped into the restroom, locked the door behind her and immediately threw up what little she'd had to eat all day.
Harold. Harold Brightman. The name echoed in her mind.
She threw up again though there was nothing left in her stomach. She laid on the floor for nearly fifteen minutes with the dry heaves before she finally collapsed back against the wall, breathing heavily, tears leaking from her eyes uncontrollably.
Oh, God. Please forgive me, she thought desperately.
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Bosco sat on the chair just outside the women's restroom, he was leaning forward, his arms resting on his knees as he turned the notepad over and over in his hand. His eyes focused on it with an intense concentration, when he heard the door to his right open and he looked up. Faith stood there, looking deathly pale. He swallowed hard, standing up just a few inches in front of her. He didn't say anything, didn't know what to say. He wanted to ask if she was okay, ask if there was anything she needed, but the words wouldn't come.
"Bosco, I think that I need to go home." Her voice was distant, emotionless.
He nodded. "I'll drive you back to the station, then give you a lift home," he said back, his voice low, tone caring.
"Thanks...I'm just not...feeling very well."
"Hey, it's okay...any time..." he replied, an uneasy feeling surging through him as he looked at her.
"I'll...do the paperwork tomorrow morning..." she said vaguely, her eyes not quite focusing on anything.
"I'll do it," Bosco told her. "After I drop you home."
She didn't argue with him. She just turned and headed down the corridor.
Bosco looked after her, chest tightening as he watched her walking away. What am I going to do? he quietly asked himself, before walking after her.
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Faith sat on the bench in front of her locker, staring down at the floor. Her hands were shaking and her whole body felt numb, almost like she wasn't really in it. She heard the sound of the door opening behind her but she didn't think about it, nor did she move from her spot.
Standing just in front of the door as it closed behind him, Bosco's eyes carefully scanned the room, finding Faith sitting on the bench. He swallowed hard, seeing that she was still in her uniform, her locker shut, her eyes cast downward. He cursed in his mind, and slowly made his way over to her, carefully sitting down on the bench at her side.
He didn't say anything for a while, a part of him hoping that she'd open up to him and tell him what was on her mind. But, he had to set whatever part of him that was hoping for something as grandstanding as that aside, considering the circumstances, and be the one to offer some kind of solice. He swallowed, wetting his lips before speaking. "I was waiting, and..." He couldn't finish.
She blinked a couple times, feeling dazed and not totally sure where she was. She looked over at Bosco and remembered they were in the locker room and she was supposed to be getting ready to go home. "Sorry, I...got distracted...my stomach's still...upset," she said vaguely.
He nodded. "It's fine. Are you gonna be okay? Because you still look really pale."
"I think I just need to sleep or something..." She rose slowly to her feet, feeling very distant as she unlocked her locker and pulled her bag out. She closed it again, deciding to wait and change at home.
Bosco stood up behind her, burying his hands in his pockets. "Sullivan and Davis brought him in...Brightman. He's upstairs," he said, part of him wondering if he should have even told her.
She clutched her bag tighter in her hand, feeling another wave of nausea wash over her. "Can we go now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, of course." Bosco nodded, about to place his hand on her arm, when he pulled away. "Lieu's given me an hour off, to take you home, get you anything you need."
She nodded wordlessly and followed him toward the door.
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Faith unlocked the door to her apartment, still in a state of numbness as she stepped inside. She dropped her bag on the floor and walked right past her husband, who was sitting on the sofa watching television. She immediately headed for the bathroom, wanting to take a long hot shower, just to get the feeling back in her body.
Back in the living area, Fred stared at the tv set, not watching, but wondering just what the hell was up with Faith, and for that matter, why in hell she was home so damned early. Angry, he rose from the sofa and made his way down the small hallway, seeing Faith moving about the bathroom. He walked up to the doorway, and stood there, leaning against it. "Why are you home so damn early?"
She jumped, startled at the sound of his voice. She turned and saw him standing in the doorway. "I'm sick," she said, her voice distant even to her own ears.
"Uh huh, and just how do you expect us to survive by taking time off work because you're 'sick'. You already used up all of your sick days with the procedure and the radiation treatments," he snapped.
She swallowed hard, her stomach tightening from the anger in his tone. "I'm sorry, I just..." She shook her head, unable to find the words to explain.
"You just, what?"
She flinched. "I need to take a shower."
"When I've finished talking to you."
Her heart pounded in her chest. "Please..." she said, her voice strained.
"No, we're having a discussion here, and I'm not leaving until I say we're done!" He rose his voice.
Get out, she thought, not sure if she was referring to him or herself. But he wasn't moving. So she moved forward and tried to get past him.
Fred grabbed her by the shoulder, moving her backward slightly. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I said I hadn't finished!"
"Let me out," she said, panic edging into her voice.
Fred stood there a moment, staring at Faith, before he finally stepped aside, but only slightly.
She moved past him and out into the hallway, then to the living room. After a second, she moved to the kitchen, not knowing what she was doing or why she couldn't hold still.
A mix of anger and fury flooded through Fred. Like hell I'm just gonna let you walk over top of me, Faith Yokas! He marched after Faith, following her into the kitchen. "Just who do you think you are?"
She looked up at him, startled again by his presence. "What?" she asked, feeling confusion blend in with her anxiety.
"I'm your *husband,* god-damnit, and who the *hell* do you think you are to walk away when I'm talking to you!?" he shouted, his voice filled with rage as he grabbed her by the wrist once again.
Panic washed over her and without thinking about it, she shoved him away from her as hard as she could, her heart racing. "Don't touch me!" she said, her voice high-pitched.
"Don't *touch* you?" he demanded, shaking his head angrily. "I can touch you all I damned well want to!"
Fear rushed through her at his words. She felt sick to her stomach. I have to get out of here, she thought, staring at him. Wordlessly, she headed for the door without looking behind her.
Fred thundered after her, his jaw set. He grabbed both her arms this time, turning her to face him. He held his hands up towards his chest. "And just where the *fuck* do you think you're going?"
"Let go of me!" she screamed, trying to pull free of him.
"No!" he shouted, but when the realisation of what an asshole he was being hit him, he shoved her away from him, watching as the tears flowed down her face. He didn't apologize, did nothing but rub the top of his head, hating what he'd done. He was still so angry, so fucking angry. He shook his head. Get out, he said in his mind, closing his eyes tight for a moment before opening them again. "Get out. I don't *want* you here."
Trembling, and swallowing her sobs, Faith turned and flung the door open, running out into the hallway, down the stairs, and outside into the cold rain. Lightening flashed across the sky, instantly making her flash back to the night Trent had broken into her apartment, had nearly killed her. It immediately clashed with other memories, ones from a time even further back.
She ran toward the crosswalk, jumping when a car that was turning right suddenly blared its horn at her as the driver slammed on the brakes. She quickly moved out of the way, making it to the sidewalk, not turning to look at the driver, not stopping when the rain began to pound down even harder, drenching her to the bone. She didn't even know where she was going.
She just ran.
