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Bo's Journey Home - Chapter 9   Wednesday Morning June 25th, 2003   Matthew woke with a start. He didn’t feel well. His head was pounding, his clothes were damp from the dew and humidity and he felt hot, sweaty and sick to his stomach. He crawled out from behind the shrub where he had fallen asleep and stood. He started to walk but felt a little dizzy and grabbed the fence to keep himself from falling. He saw a bench down near the edge of the hotel property and went and sat down.   Antonio got up a little late that morning. He had been working on the Matthew Rappaport case nonstop for 2 1/2 days. He was mentally exhausted. Then he thought of Bo. He didn’t think Bo had slept at all in the past two days. Antonio dressed quickly and headed out to the station. His cell rang. “Vega,” he answered. He heard Bo’s voice on the other end. “What’s up, Commissioner?”   “Antonio, can you go over to Nora’s house this morning?” Bo’s voice sounded raspy from no sleep and too much coffee. He sounded exhausted. “Stay there, until I get there.”   Antonio checked his rear view mirror and swung into a u-turn. “You got it boss.” He asked quickly. “Any word from our overnight search teams?”   “I’m checking out a call right now. A hotel guest at the Palace thinks he might have seen a boy fitting Matthew’s description this morning when he went for a jog.” Bo’s tone was sullen. “Other than this one call, nothing else. It’s like Matthew dropped off the face of the earth.”   Antonio’s heart dropped, knowing the more time that went by; the less likely the statistics were in favor of finding Matthew. He tried to sound positive. “We’ll find him, Commissioner.”   Bo tried to echo Antonio’s positive tone. “I have to keep telling myself that. As soon as I check this out, I’ll meet you at Nora’s.”   Antonio quickly ended the conversation. “I’ll see you soon,” he said into the phone.   Bo decided to take River Street and avoid the morning traffic on the highway. He drove exactly 25 miles per hour and made each green light at each corner. He smiled to himself. You just needed to know how to drive this street. A car pulled out in front of him and forced him to break. He had a good mind to pull the guy over, but decided against it. He wanted to get to the hotel, check out the man’s story, and get back to Nora’s. The car pulling out in front of him messed up Bo’s timing of the stop lights and he was forced to stop at the red light just before the hotel. He sat there, waiting for the light to turn green, thinking about Matthew. Where could he be? Bo had searched everywhere. He had personally walked through the ball park near the diner. He walked the day camp. He had his officers continually extend the perimeter of the search area to go beyond the diner and the surrounding area. But there had been no traces of Matthew anywhere.   He looked up at the light; it was still red. He decided to exert his police authority and run it. He flipped on his blue bubble light on his dash, looking down the side street to his right to check to see if it was clear to proceed, and blinked. He saw the small figure sitting on the bench. Bo squinted his eyes, trying to focus. “Could it be?” he thought out loud. He squinted harder. “No way.” Bo looked to his left, saw no traffic and made the right turn. He stopped on the opposite side of the street, his blue light still flashing and quickly got out of his car, sprinting over to the small boy.   Bo approached him cautiously, calling to him softly. “Matthew?” Matthew didn’t move. Bo stooped down in front of the boy, not wanting to startle him. He touched Matthew’s face, gently patting Matthew’s cheek, not really believing it was his son. “Matthew, it’s me, its Bo.” Matthew sighed heavily. He could barely lift his head to look up at Bo. Bo wanted to grab him and hug him, but his military rescue instincts kicked in. “Matthew, are you hurt anywhere?” Bo ran his hands gently up and down Matthew’s legs and arms, across his shoulders and finally to his neck, holding Matthew’s head between his hands. “It’s okay now. I’ve got you.”   Matthew’s voice came barely as a whisper. “I don’t want you. I want my mom.”   Bo stood and then reached down to lift Matthew up into his arms. “I’m going to take you to your mother.” Matthew was damp with sweat. When Bo had touched Matthew’s face, he could feel his skin was on fire. “Fever, probably,” Bo thought. Bo hugged Matthew close to his chest and headed back to his car, speaking softly to Matthew. “I’ve got you, now. Everything’s going to be all right.” Bo laid Matthew in the back seat of his car, taking off his suit jacket and placing it over his small body. He jumped into the driver’s seat and made a sharp u-turn, his tires squealing and skidding. As he drove through the streets, he yanked his cell off of his belt, speed-dialing Antonio. He heard the familiar “Vega” come through his ear piece. Bo was breathing heavily into the phone. “Antonio, where are you?”   I’m a few blocks from Nora’s, Commissioner.” Antonio could hear the change in Bo’s voice. “What’s going on?”   “I’ve got Matthew,” Bo called into his cell phone.   Antonio quickly became alert. “Say again, Commissioner!”   Bo repeated himself. “I’ve got Matthew. I’m on my way to Llanview hospital. Get Nora and meet me there.”   Antonio pressed his foot on the gas. “You got it boss. But what do I tell Nora? Is he okay?”   Bo looked over his shoulder at his son lying on the back seat. His eyes were closed and he was pale. He didn’t want to alarm Nora. “Just tell her I found Matthew.” Bo continued into the phone, “And then get her to the hospital.” He flipped his phone closed.   Antonio had to make his way through the reporters that were still parked along the street to her house. He left his car running in the driveway and ran into the house.   Rachel and Nora were sitting on the sofa. They both looked up at him as he ran in. Antonio spoke quickly. “Bo has found Matthew.” Nora ran to Antonio’s side, her tears all ready starting. Rachel was at Nora’s other side. “Is he all right, Antonio? Where is he? What did Bo say?”   Antonio looked at her. “Bo didn’t say much. Just that he was taking him to Llanview hospital and I’m to get you there.”   Nora paled. “He’s hurt, isn’t he?”   Antonio placed both his hands on Nora’s shoulders, trying to assure her. “I swear, Nora, I don’t know anything else. All Bo said was that he has him and we are to meet him at the hospital. So let’s go.”   When Antonio, Nora and Rachel arrived at the hospital, Bo was pacing in front of the emergency room doors. Nora ran down the hall, practically jumping into his open arms. They held each other tight, each getting lost in the other’s embrace. She pulled back from Bo’s shoulder, looking into his eyes, all of her questions coming out at once. “Where’s Matthew? Is he all right? Where did you find him? I want to see my son.”   Bo pointed to the swinging doors. “The nurse took him from me and headed that way. I told them his mother would be here shortly.” He looked away from her with his eyes. “They wouldn’t let me go with him.”   Nora understood with that one statement what Bo was feeling. He was Matthew’s father and wanted to be with him, but couldn’t, because no one knew the truth, but her. She took Bo’s hand and they both went through the doors, quickly heading down the hall beyond the doors. Antonio and Rachel followed close behind. They stopped at the emergency room desk, where the receptionist stalled them, refusing to give them any information since Matthew was still considered a missing child. Bo exerted his police authority and within minutes the resident doctor was there.   Nora spoke quickly. “Matthew Rappaport, where is he?”   “Are you the boy’s parents?” the resident asked a bit suspiciously, looking from Nora to Bo.   Nora nodded, pointing to herself. “I’m his mother, Nora Buchanan.” She pointed at Bo, prepared to release their secret. She started to add, “This is his…” But Bo cut her off.   “Bo Buchanan,” Bo filled in the blank for her. “I’m the Police Commissioner. I’m the one who brought him in.”   The resident nodded, a little confused by the two of them having the same name, but different than the child. “Okay, if you say so.”   Nora was getting annoyed with his stalling. “Just tell me where my son is? Is he all right? We want to see him now!”   The resident put his hands up in a stop position. “Just one second.” He spoke calmly. “Of course you can see him.” He continued speaking to them. “To answer some of your questions, the child appears to be in good health; but we are still examining him. A few cuts and bruises, a little tired, a little dirty and a little dehydrated, but otherwise, he seems okay. Dr. Wolek is with him now. I paged him when the child arrived. Give us a few more minutes to get him settled and then we’ll let you see him.” The resident turned and left them. Bo suddenly realized that he and Nora were still holding hands. He casually let go, moving from her, pacing in front of the emergency room doors.   Nora could still feel the memory of his hand in hers. She looked from her hand to Bo. “Where did you find him?”   Bo looked over to where she was standing. “He was sitting on a bench near the corner of River and Race streets. Next to the Palace Hotel.”   Nora looked at him in disbelief. “He was just sitting there? By himself?” Nora was confused. “What was he doing all the way over there? That’s miles from our house, and the diner. How did he get there? Did Matthew say anything to you?”   Bo shrugged. “I don’t know how he got there.” Then he added, smiling slightly. “And all he said was that he wanted his mother.” Nora smiled back at him, gratefully. Antonio stood from the chair he had been sitting in, moving closer to Bo. “Maybe whoever had him, ditched him there.”   Bo squinted his eyes in thought. “Or maybe he made his way there.” Antonio eyed him oddly.   The surmising stopped as Larry came through the swinging doors. He was smiling as he approached them. “Nora…”   Nora hurried to him, Bo right beside her. “Larry have you seen Matthew yet? How is he? When can I see him? When can I take him home?”   Larry put his hands up in the stop position, similar to what the resident had done. “Relax Nora. I know you’re anxious. Yes, I have seen Matthew and absolutely you can go see him. But you can’t take him home today. I want to keep him overnight.”   Nora’s eyes were full of concern. “Why? What’s wrong with him? Is he hurt?”   Larry took her arms in his hands, smiling. “Nora, he’s fine. A few cuts and scrapes but fine. He’s running a fever, so I want to keep him over night. He’s a bit dehydrated and that may be why he has a fever. I just want to get some fluids in him and reduce that fever.”   Nora was still looking at him suspiciously. “What aren’t you telling me Larry?”   Larry shook her arms gently and continued to smile at her. “Honest Nora, beside his fever, he’s fine. Come on, you can come see him for yourself.” Nora looked back quickly at Bo and Rachel.   Rachel was trying not to cry. She hugged her mother quickly. “You go on, mom. I’m going to call daddy. Tell Matthew I love him and I’ll see him shortly.”   Bo so wanted to go with her, but he knew he needed to give her this moment alone wiht Matthew. He nodded at her. “You go and see him. I’ll come join you in a few minutes.”   Nora nodded and smiled at them. Larry took Nora’s arm and led her through the swinging double doors, leaving Bo, Rachel and Antonio standing there. Bo turned to Antonio. “We have to get the word out to the searchers. In a couple hours, this hospital will be swarming with the media. We’ll have to prepare a statement.”   Rachel spoke up, volunteering. “I’ll be the spokesperson for my mother. I’ve been doing that anyway with the searchers. I’ll prepare a statement.”   Bo smiled at her, pulling her into a hug and kissing the side of her head. “So like your mother. Thanks Rachel.”   “Let me go to the receptionist area and get some paper,” she said, moving from him and starting down the hall.   Antonio started walking with her. “I’ll head over to the station and start spreading the good word. I’ll get the searchers called in.”   Bo nodded, reaching for and shaking Antonio’s hand. “Let’s count on a press conference for about 1:00 PM. Be back before that Antonio. I’ll want you to speak on behalf of the department. You’ve been the lead detective on this case.”   Antonio was surprised but nodded. “Sure thing, Commissioner.”   Rachel and Antonio both headed back down the hallway. Bo walked over to the cushioned chairs, plopping down in one and dropping his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. He had held it together for 2 ½ days; for Nora, for Matthew, and himself. He had had to distance himself from his emotions and be a cop as he searched for HIS missing son. But now, Matthew was safe, Nora was with him and Bo finally gave in to all of it; his grief, his worry, his fears, his exhaustion, their past and now, finally, his relief. The tears came slowly at first. He tried desperately to hold them back, but the force of his emotions that he had battled within himself had the tears winning, moving slowly down his face and through his fingers. As he gave into the release, the tears came more quickly. His sobs erupted from his chest, causing him to fall forward onto his knees in front of the chair. Rachel saw him from the other end of the hall and ran back to him. She slid onto the floor next to him, cradling him in her arms, rocking him as she had done her mother. “It’s all right now, Bo, you let it all out. I’m the only one here” To be continued …