A/N: So I have now seen all nine seasons of Bones and the first episode of season 10. I have to say I am very upset that Sweets dies and I can't help, but feel that the show would have been much better with him alive still. He was my favorite character and I feel like there could have been a lot they could have done with him. It's sad that he is gone and with him gone I have lost the interest in watching the show anymore. So I have decided to give this a go. I have never written science stuff before so hopefully this turns out well.
Summary: This will be set in Season 9 just after Episode 3. Sweets leaves the Founding Fathers and heads out front. He is going to flag down a cab when he is a victim to a drive by. Only something as domestic as a drive by is quickly turned into a more serious situation. Pelant is behind the attack and he has now targeted Sweets again as his number one enemy. The team has to try and find Pelant and keep Sweets alive and safe, but Pelant is going to make sure Sweets not only dies, but he dies without secrets. The team is about to learn a lot more about their friend that they never knew before.
STORY WARNINGS: Violence, mention of child abuse, bad language, mention of child molestation and potentially rape (Depending on how the story plays out.)
CHAPTER WARNINGS: Violence and bad language.
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Chapter 1
Sweets had just left the Founding Fathers. He knew that everyone wanted him to stay and celebrate and return to work, but that just wasn't something he could do right now. He needed some time to figure things out. He needed some time to get his head cleared. It wasn't just about what happened with Pelant. That did piss him off and upset him that Pelant took his work and used it against them resulting in two FBI Agents getting killed. It was also that for the past five years he had been working with the FBI profiling to catch criminals and murderers. He had to get into their mindset and try to figure them out. It took a lot out of a person more so then people realise. Sweets had a few hard times when he just couldn't seem to bounce back right away from a case. He needed this break to feel like himself again; to feel like he was making a difference with the living and not just the dead. Booth had been fighting him on this, but tonight he had actually called him his little brother and even though he didn't understand fully why Sweets needed the break he supported him. It meant a lot to Sweets that Booth would support him even if he didn't fully understand. He had Booth's trust and respect and even his love. It helped Sweets know that someone out there would miss him if he was gone. He had a family again and Sweets was thankful for them each and every day. Sweets knew that once his vacation time was up that he would be back to work with the FBI, but he was confident that he would be going back stronger than ever. Sweets was confident that everything would work out alright. He just needed this small amount of time to gather focus and give his mind a rest. The nightmares were still there from all of the cases he had seen, but there wasn't any being added and Sweets had been given a prescription for a sleeping pill that he could take if he needed it. There had been a few times when he had gone a few days without sleep because of insomnia and he had to take a pill to be able to fall asleep. Sweets had been dealing with his insomnia since he was a very little boy it was something that he was used to. All Sweets could do was hope that everything would work itself out.
Sweets was about to go over to the curb to hail a cab when he saw an older beat up car coming down the street. All he was able to see was that it had a driver and a passenger and Sweets recognized them as two members of the Estrellas Locas. He was too late though to see the semi-automatic weapon that the passenger was holding out the window. The next thing Sweets knew he was being shot at and falling to the ground as the car raced by and bystanders on the street were running for cover. Sweets hit the ground on his back with his right leg bent up towards him. Sweets was having a hard time getting his breath as the pain filled his entire body. Sweets couldn't hear anything around him. He felt like he was in some kind of hole or alternate reality that made everything sound like it was a hundred miles away from him. His vision blurred and faded in and out as Sweets tried to focus to see just how badly he was hit. He knew he had to do something, but his body wasn't listening to him and his mind just couldn't focus through the pain and the blackness edging from the corner of his eyes.
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Booth, Bones, Cam, Angela and Hodgins were in the Founding Fathers drinking to their success. It was bittersweet though, because even though they were able to close the case they were still not going to be getting Sweets back anytime soon. There was still a good two months left of his leave and he was planning on taking it.
"I still think it's a waste of his talent." Hodgins said after Sweets had left.
"He needs the time Hodgins and we are going to let him have that time." Booth said in a serious voice.
"I mean I guess it makes sense. He does profile for other Agents and not just us. There's no telling what crimes he sees every single day. I would need a break too." Angela said.
Ya I guess I never thought of it like that. I can see how it would screw someone up having to get into the mind of a murderer." Hodgins said.
"He does more than just murderers, he helps with kidnappings, arsenics and sexual assaults. It would take a toll on anyone, but especially someone who isn't even thirty yet." Cam said.
"Sweets will be back in a couple of months and maybe this time a part will help him do his job even better. Plus it doesn't mean we can't see him in between now and then." Bones said trying to sound positive. She had missed Sweets just as much as everyone else, possibly even more.
"Ya exactly we can all get together for dinner or something." Booth said.
Before anyone could say anything else they all heard gunshots coming from outside and everyone in the bar flinched and screamed from the sound. Once the gunshots were over not even a minute later from when they started there was only one thought going through Booth's mind.
"Sweets." Booth said with concern as he moved away from Bones and ran out the door.
Everyone else followed after Booth, all worried about their friend that had walked out of the door not even two minutes ago. They got outside and they all couldn't believe that there on the sidewalk was their friend bleeding out. Booth, Bones and Cam instantly ran over to Sweets.
"I see four bullet wounds." Bones said as she placed her hands over the one bullet wound to Sweets' chest dangerously close to his heart.
Cam placed a hand over one of the bullet wounds to Sweets' stomach while Booth had his hands on another one of the bullet holes. Angela came over to Sweets' head and knelt down on the ground.
"Sweetie can you hear me?" Angela said trying to sound calm.
Hodgins came up beside Angela and placed his hands on Sweets' left shoulder trying to stop the bleeding from yet another bullet.
Sweets had his eyes open and he blinked a few times trying to get his eyes to focus and his mind to focus. He could hear Angela but it sounded so far away. Angela had pulled out a cell phone and called 9-1-1.
"Yes I need an ambulance to the Founding Fathers my friend has been shot." Angela said with worry and quickly. "He has four gunshot wounds we're trying to slow the bleeding down. Ok thank-you." Angela hung up as she spoke to the rest of them. "Ambulance is on the way, just hang on Sweets."
"Lo…locas." Sweets said, but they could barely hear him at all and his words were slurred.
"Don't try and talk right now Sweets just hang on." Booth said in a serious voice.
"Locas." Sweets said a little louder.
"Locas?" Angela asked.
"Two of them." Sweets forced out through the pain.
"Don't worry we'll get them. Just hang on Sweets you don't stop fighting." Booth said.
With the added pressure of their hands Sweets begun to move around from the pain getting increasingly worse.
"Sweets you need to stay still." Bones said in a serious and detached voice. She was trying not to think about her friend and uncle to her daughter bleeding out on the side of the street.
"Hurts." Sweets said with pain clear in his voice.
"I know it hurts buddy, but you gotta stay still. Help is on the way man." Hodgins said not even bothering to hide the worry in his voice.
"Sweets look at me." Booth said when Sweets was having a hard time not moving still.
Sweets looked to his right to see Booth beside him still trying to stop the bleeding. Sweets could see the worry and fear in Booth's eyes and Sweets knew that it was bad.
"I know it hurts, but you can take it. I can hear the sirens now and the paramedics will give you something for the pain when they get here. You are going to be okay, but you need to stay still. I don't know if there are any of the bullets in you and if you move around it could cause the bullets to move and make you bleed more. Keep your eyes on me and stay still you can do this Lance." Booth said in a serious voice.
Hearing Booth use his first name for the first time in five years did the trick for Sweets. He stopped moving and just focused on breathing and keeping his eyes on Booth. If he focused he could hear the sirens and he could hear them getting closer. Sweets knew that he just needed to get to the hospital and then the doctors would be able to fix him up. He had to stay positive, because if he didn't Sweets didn't want to think about what the outcome could be. He had to stay positive and hope for the best, because he wasn't done yet. He wasn't ready to leave this world yet so he had to fight and he had to stay positive and just hope all of the good he had done for the world would be repaid to him.
"You're gonna be okay. The ambulance will take you to the hospital and we'll all be there for when you wake up. We can bring Christine by to visit her Uncle Sweets. She's really missed you in the past few weeks." Booth said trying to keep Sweets' eyes on him.
"He's right she's even asked about you. She says Unci Sweets. We need to do another family dinner." Bones said trying to ignore the slight burn behind her eyes as tears tried to build up.
The ambulance pulled up to the curb and two paramedics got out. The one male paramedic ran over to them while the female paramedic went to the back of the ambulance to get the stretcher and bag.
"Look out." The male paramedic said to Booth as he came up beside him.
Booth moved back to let the paramedic do what he needed to get done.
"He's got four gunshot wounds, two to his stomach, one to his left shoulder and one to the left side of his chest." Cam said as the female paramedic came over.
"I need some pressure dressing." The male paramedic said.
The female paramedic took out pressure dressing for herself and her partner. She handed some over to her partner as she took Cam's place. As both paramedics pushed down on the gunshot wounds Sweets cried out in pain.
"Let's push five of morphine to help take the edge off until we can get him to the hospital." The male paramedic ordered.
"Got it." The female paramedic went into the bag and got out what she needed. She gave Sweets the morphine and then she started an I.V. line before so moved on to the next gunshot wound on the left of Sweets' chest while the male paramedic went to the left shoulder.
"Shouldn't you be doing more than putting some dressing on his injuries?" Angela asked as she was pushed aside as well.
"We can't fix his injuries. He needs surgery and our best chances of getting him there alive is to try and slow this bleeding down while we get him there." The male paramedic said.
The morphine was kicking in rather quickly and Sweets found that it was helping, but it wasn't enough to knock him out. That didn't stop the blackness trying to close in on him once again. He was getting lightheaded and dizzy from the blood loss and Sweets knew that it wouldn't matter how hard he fought to keep his eyes open he would soon lose the fight.
"Grab the backboard." The male paramedic said to his partner.
She grabbed the backboard off from the stretcher and she waited until her partner rolled Sweets onto his side and she slid the board underneath him before her partner put Sweets back onto his back.
"Let's get him to the hospital." The male paramedic said as they both grabbed an end of the board and lifted Sweets up and onto the stretcher.
"Can someone come with you?" Bones asked.
"One person." The male paramedic said as they got Sweets over to the ambulance.
"Booth you should go." Angela said.
"No Cam should. If something happens you could help them keep Sweets alive." Booth said as he looked at Cam.
"You're a doctor?" The male paramedic asked as they got Sweets into the ambulance.
"I'm a Pathologist, but yes I'm a doctor." Cam said.
"Then you're the one coming. Ellen has to drive and I might need a second set of hands if he crashes." The male paramedic said.
"What hospital?" Booth asked as Cam got into the ambulance.
"General West is the closest." Ellen said as she started to close the doors.
"We'll meet you there." Bones said as Ellen shut the doors and ran to get into the driver side.
They watched as the ambulance left with lights and sirens before they all went back into the bar to pay their bills and grab their things. Once they had their coats they took off for their cars and then took off for the hospital. Angela and Hodgins drove behind Booth and Bones, because Booth turned his own lights and sirens on too and took off as fast as he could to get to the hospital.
"I'll call my dad and let him know that we won't be home." Bones said as she pulled out her phone.
"He's going to be just fine Bones. He's going to be just fine." Booth said trying to sound comforting, but it was clear that even he wasn't sure of that outcome.
"Dad hi." Bones said once her father picked up.
"Hey Sweetie. Calling to check in already. Listen Christine is just fine she's watching her movie right now with me curled up on the couch." Max said with a smile.
"Dad listen something has happened." Bones said as she cut off Max.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Max asked with concern.
"We're fine, but it's Sweets. He's been shot. We're on the way to the hospital right now, but I don't know when we'll be home." Bones said with worry edging her voice.
"Oh God. Is he going to be okay?" Max asked with concern and relief to his voice knowing that Bones was safe and unharmed.
"I don't know he was shot just outside of the Founding Fathers while we were inside. He's got four gunshot wounds and he's lost a lot of blood. We're on the way to the hospital now behind the ambulance."
"Listen, don't worry about Christine I'll get her to bed and I'll be here until you get home. Just worry about Sweets. I'm sure he's going to be okay he's a tough kid." Max said trying to sound comforting, but even he knew that four gunshot wounds was not something that someone could easily recover from.
"Thanks I really appreciate it Dad."
"Keep me updated on Sweets."
"I will I promise."
"He's going to be alright Sweetie think positive thoughts."
"Thanks Dad. I should go we'll be arriving at the hospital soon. Give Christine a kiss for us."
"I will and if you need anything you just call."
"I will thanks. Bye Dad."
"Good bye Sweetie."
Bones hung up the phone as she spoke. "He's going to stay with Christine. He said that they are curled up on the couch watching one of Christine's movies."
"Good, that's good. He'll take good care of her you know that."
"I know. It's just the image in my mind. It reminds me of that time when Sweets watched Christine for us so we could go out to dinner. We had come back home and found Christine asleep on Sweets' chest while he was laying down on the couch sound asleep." Bones said as more tears built up in her eyes.
"Ya I remember. You wanted to move her and I told you to leave them like that. That she was safe and comfortable laying on Sweets. You put a blanket over them and to ease your worry I put the baby monitor down beside them on the table." Booth added.
"She didn't wake up once that night. The first night in over two months that she had slept all night. We got up the next morning to go to work and Sweets was already up he had changed her, dressed her and had even made all of us breakfast. It was the first time that I truly saw how much he had become a part of our family. He went from being a therapist to being a very crucial part of our family." Bones said as a few tears escaped from her eyes.
"He's our baby duck. That's why we need to keep positive thoughts and have faith that this world is not going to take him from us. He's tough a lot tougher than people give him credit for he'll pull through this and we'll be there to help him through this."
"Yes we will. I'm not going to make the mistake in giving him space for weeks this time. He's not going to deal with this on his own." Bones said as she wiped her cheeks.
They pulled into the emergency room entrance of the hospital and parked in the first spot they could find. They both got out of the car with Hodgins and Angela getting out of theirs. The four of them ran into the emergency room entrance and over to where Cam was standing by a room. They looked into the window and saw that Sweets was now intubated and had a doctor and nurses working on him.
"How is he?" Booth asked.
"The paramedic intubated Sweets on the way here when his breathing became too laboured. They need to operate on him they are just getting him ready for the surgery." Cam said with a shaky voice.
They watched as the doctor and nurses got Sweets ready for surgery and five minutes later the door was opened and a nurse walked out first with the doctor and the other nurses wheeling Sweets out of the room.
"We need to get him down to surgery. You can wait in the waiting room and when the surgery is complete Doctor Roberts will come to inform you of the progress." The nurse said.
"What are his chances?" Bones asked.
"I can't give you that all I can tell you is that he is young and otherwise healthy. The surgery will take at least five hours. I suggest you go into the waiting room and when we have an update a nurse will come and inform you." The nurse said before she took off down the hallway and into the elevator as they loaded Sweets onto it.
All they could do was stand there in silence unmoving as they watched the elevator door closed cutting off their view of their friend. They stood there for a few minutes before Cam's calm and soft voice broke the silence.
"We should go and wait in the waiting room. We can't do anything right now for Sweets."
They didn't say anything to Cam, but they all turned to walk down the hallway to the waiting room. Angela and Hodgins sat down holding hands. Cam and Bones both sat down across from them while Booth couldn't stop pacing. They were alone in the waiting room so they were thankful for that.
"Is there someone we should be calling? His parents?" Angela asked.
"His parents died two weeks before he started working for the FBI. We're all he has." Bones said sadly.
"What about the Interns? Should we be calling them?" Hodgins asked.
"I'll call Arastoo and let him know. He can call the others, but I don't think it's a good idea for them to come down. There isn't anything they can do and there is no point in having everyone here just sitting around and worrying." Cam said.
"It's getting late at night they might be sleeping." Bones said.
"I'll call in a minute." Cam said.
"I need to call Caroline and let her know what happened. I also need to call Hacker. We need to get these punks." Booths said with anger as he pulled out his cell phone and called Caroline first after three rings she answered.
"Hello?" Caroline's voice was a little rough and Booth figured she was just about to fall asleep. It was only ten, but it was still late considering the hours they work.
"Caroline something has happened to Sweets." Booth started.
"Sweets? What the hell happened to him? He didn't get arrested did he?" Caroline asked with a normal voice, but Booth had known her for many years he could hear the concern in her voice.
"He's been shot. We're all at the hospital right now. He's in surgery." Booth said straight out. He knew how much Caroline didn't like it when someone beat around the bush.
"Shot? Is he going to make it? What happened?" Caroline asked now fully awake and alert.
"We were at the Founding Fathers and Sweets left. We heard the shots from inside and when we went out Sweets was on the ground. He's got four gunshot wounds he said it was Estrellas Locas that there were two of them. Sweets was seen at the community center and when we went to their turf they would have known he was law enforcement. Then a day later their library is being raided and they are losing millions in drugs, money and guns." Booth said and Caroline cut him off.
"You think they put out a hit on Sweets thinking he was the one to give up the information and not Havier. Good enough for me I'll get the Judge on the phone and get warrants for a total clean house and I'll fax them over to Hacker."
"I'm calling him right now and informing him of the situation. I want these guys that shot Sweets I don't care how many Locas I have to bring in." Booth said with anger.
"I'll get the warrants Cherie you just make sure Hacker is ready."
"You got it."
"Booth, keep me updated on Sweets. He's too young and too good to die." Caroline said with worry and honesty all in her voice.
"I know. I'll let you know as soon as we do."
"Get those bastards Cherie."
"I promise you that." Booth said with determination and anger in his voice.
Booth hung up and spoke to the others as he dialed Hacker's number.
"Caroline is going to get a warrant to clean house."
"Clean house?" Angela asked confused.
"It means we can search every member's house, car and make arrests. We'll bring the whole gang in until we have the two members that shot Sweets." Booth answered as Hacker's phone rung. After the fourth ring Hacker answered.
"Hacker." Hacker said with his normal voice so Booth knew that he at least was still up.
"Hacker it's Booth. Sweets has been shot." Booth said all business.
"Shot what do you mean shot? Where? When?" Hacker asked with confusion.
"Less than an hour ago outside of the Founding Fathers. He took four gunshot wounds. My guess is it was a drive-by shooting. Sweets didn't say much but he did say it was Estrellas Locas and there were two of them. I just spoke to Caroline and she is getting a Judge to sign a clean house warrant."
"I'll get a tactical unit together and ready for when the warrant comes in. How is Sweets doing?"
"They just took him down to surgery we won't know anything for a few hours."
"Keep me updated and I will let you know when we have the gang members. I'm assuming you want to do the interviews."
"You're damn right I do." Booth said with anger.
"I'll round them all up and they can sit for the night. The interviews can wait until Sweets is out of surgery."
"Alright just keep me posted please."
"I will. Give my best to everyone there."
"I will."
"We'll get these bastards Booth."
"You're damn right we will." Booth said before he hung up ending the call.
"Hacker is going to get a unit together to go and make the arrests and searches. He's going to hold everyone overnight until I can get there to do the interviews." Booth said to everyone else.
"Good at least something is being done." Bones said.
"You know I can't just sit here for five hours doing nothing. I need to do something." Angela said as she got up and it was clear she was anxious.
"There isn't anything we can do right now Ang." Hodgins said calmly.
"I'm um… I'm gonna go to his place and pack a bag for him. That way when he wakes up he can have some comforts there for him." Angela said.
"I think he would really appreciate that." Cam said with a smile.
"I'll come with you." Hodgins said.
"No it's fine I just need to go for a drive and be alone right now. Does anyone have a key?" Angela said.
"Ya I do." Booth said as he pulled out his keys from his pocket and removed the spare key that Sweets had given to him just in case.
Angela took the key and then went over to Hodgins.
"You don't mind do you?" Angela asked with concern.
Hodgins stood up and pulled Angela into a hug before he spoke.
"It's alright I understand. I love you."
"I love you too." Angela said before she gave Hodgins a simple kiss on the lips before she grabbed her purse and headed out of the hospital.
Cam pulled out her cell phone before she stood up.
"I'm going to call Arastoo and let him know." Cam said before she turned to head outside so she could make the call.
The night air was getting cooler out as the months got closer to fall. Cam took a moment and leaned against the wall trying to catch her breath. Sweets had just been gunned down in the street all because he wanted to help a young boy not end up in jail or murdered. He wanted to make a difference in the world and try and save people from making life altering mistakes and this is what he got in return of that. He got four gunshot wounds. It wasn't fair and he didn't deserve it. Sweets was just that he was sweet and a good person. He would never do anything to hurt someone and he went out of his way to try and help people, to save them. Sweets didn't believe in giving up on someone and he had worked hard to help not only Agents, but her friends and family. He didn't deserve this. Cam let out a long breath before she turned her attention back to her phone. She called Arastoo and after three rings he answered.
"Hello."
"Arastoo, hello. Did I wake you?" Cam asked stalling for time. She didn't know if she could get the words out.
"No I was just reading. Is everything alright?" Arastoo asked with concern in his voice.
"Um no, no everything is not alright. Um Sweets has been shot." Cam said with sadness in her voice.
"Shot? Is he alright?" Arastoo asked with alarm.
"He's in surgery. He was shot outside of the Founding Fathers. He took four bullets, two to the stomach, one to his left shoulder and the fourth was to the left side of his chest. It was really close to his heart."
"Oh no. What hospital are you in I'll come down right now."
"It's alright you don't have to come down. It's going to be hours before we even hear anything. You have your doctorial to focus on. I'll call and keep you updated, but I just wanted to let you know."
"Are you sure? I don't have a problem coming down and being there with you."
"I know you don't and I appreciate it, but there is no point in both of us sitting here all night just waiting. Everyone is here with me. Booth already called Caroline and Hacker and they are working on making the arrests. I'll speak to Caroline so we can do the processing of Sweets' clothing and any video footage we can find. I just I can't believe his been shot. He's such a good man.
"He is a good man and I have to have faith that the world will look out for him and keep him here with us. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Could you let the other Interns know for me please? Just let them know what happened and that they can stay home and we will call with updates."
"I'll let them know don't worry about it. Call me if you need anything or you change your mind about me staying home."
"I will and I really appreciate it."
"I love you."
"I love you too. I should get back in there with the others."
"OK I will pray for him and hopefully he is alright."
"I hope so. Goodbye."
"Goodbye my love."
Cam hung up her cell phone and took a few more minutes to stand outside trying to catch her breath. She hated when someone she cared about was hurt, but especially like this. There was nothing she could do, but wait for someone else to keep Sweets alive. She hated not being able to be helpful and having to sit around waiting for news. It's all she could do though so with a heavy heart she took a deep breath and headed back inside to wait with the others.
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It was three hours later when Booth's cell phone rung. They had all been sitting there just waiting for someone to come out and give them an update, but so far no one had. They had already done one coffee run and Angela had come back two hours ago with a small black duffle bag with some clothes for Sweets. She didn't know what to grab so she grabbed him his tooth brush, a brush, deodorant and some sweats and t-shirts. She also grabbed him a pair of jeans for when he left. She didn't know what to grab or how long he was going to be in the hospital so she figured she would grab a few things and if he needed more she could go back for it. Booth pulled out his phone.
"Booth."
"Agent Booth this is Detective Richards. I've been told to call you when we have found human remains."
"Ya look now is not a good time Detective."
"I'm sorry Sir, but we have eleven bodies all burnt to the bone. If you could just have someone come down to handle the bodies. We have an arsenic case right now and all of these people were found by the firefighters once the fire was out."
"Alright what's the address?"
"1842 Christopher Street it's in Georgetown."
"What apartment number?" Booth asked with haste to his voice.
"The whole building is gone. A detective within the fire department is coming down to the scene to see how the fire started, but it was clearly arsenic or a bomb. There is nothing left of the building and no one survived."
"I want that scene sealed off and no one goes in it. Do you understand me?" Booth said in a serious voice.
"Yes Sir."
"I'll have a team there within the hour. Nothing gets touched not by anyone not even a fire fighter do you understand me?" Booth ordered.
"Yes Sir." Detective Richards said with a slightly unsure voice as to why it was such an issue, but he wasn't about to argue with Booth's tone of voice.
Booth hung up the phone as Bones spoke.
"Booth, what's wrong?" Bones asked with worry.
"That was Detective Richards. He's on scene right now of an apartment building fire. It was Sweets apartment building."
"His apartment was on fire?" Angela asked shocked.
"Not just his apartment the whole building. The fire department thinks it was either arsenic or a bomb. There are only twelve people who live in that building including Sweets and his two roommates. They have eleven bodies all burnt to the bone. They need someone to come down and handle it." Booth said.
"Eleven, but that would mean that Sweets is the only survivor of the fire." Hodgins said.
"Or the other tenants had friends over. We can't be sure that everyone who is dead lived there. We need to investigate." Bones said.
"I'll call the Interns they can all head over and handle the bodies. This can't be a coincidence that Sweets gets gunned down and then his apartment is set on fire." Cam said.
"Ya, but it's been three hours since he's been shot. The gang members who shot him would have already told their boss, so why set his building on fire?" Hodgins asked.
"They wouldn't. There's no logic to that." Bones said.
"Which leaves only one option. Someone is targeting Sweets and they expected him to be in that apartment only he was gunned down before he could get there." Booth said.
"Who would target Sweets though? He's a Profiler he doesn't arrest people." Angela said.
"No, but he is very well known in the country and he has been responsible for putting criminals in jail with just his profiles alone. There are probably a lot of people who blame him." Cam said.
"I need to call Hacker and let him know. When I am not here he'll need Agents posted here until we can figure out what is going on." Booth said as he pulled out his phone and stood up.
"I'll call the Interns and get them over to the apartment building." Cam said as she did the same as Booth, but went in the opposite direction.
Booth called Hacker and when he answered he didn't even give him the chance to speak.
"Hacker, Sweets apartment building was set on fire. Detective Richards just called me to inform me that there are eleven burnt bodies that the fire department found. They suspect either arsenic or a bomb."
"Holy God. Who is on scene?"
"Cam is calling the Interns to go down there and collect the bodies. I want our own team to do the forensics and not the local police. I'm going to be here all night and then in the morning until we know more I want an Agent posted outside of Sweets' hospital room."
"I'll have a team go over to the building and I will have an Agent on guard. It's insane around here I have guys picking up Locas members still and we are trying to keep them all separated. I have to go let me know what happens when Sweets is out of surgery."
"Will do."
Booth hung up the phone before he spoke. "Hacker is having a team going over to the building to get whatever there might be."
"I want to see the bodies." Bones said.
"I know, but we can't right now. We need to be here for Sweet." Booth said.
"When we know that Sweets is alright I can go down and start to look for any evidence of a bomb or particulates that might help us catch this bastard." Hodgins said.
"Would the landlord maybe have pictures of his tenants?" Angela asked.
"I don't know, but maybe reach out to him and see if he has any information on them that could help us make IDs." Booth said.
"I'll do that." Angela said.
Cam came back and spoke once she was back inside the waiting room.
"I spoke to Clark he is going to run the scene for now until Dr. Brennan is able to go over the bodies. He is going to call all of the interns in and they will start processing everything."
"This is crazy. If he hadn't gotten shot he would have been in his apartment. He would have been dead and not lying on an operating table fighting for his life right now." Hodgins said.
"It's unreal." Angela said.
"All we can do is keep positive and focused. We need to know who this person is that is targeting Sweets." Cam said.
"Ya, but he's been shot he took four bullets and when he wakes up he's going to find out that eleven people that he might have known are dead. That his apartment is completely destroyed along with everything he owned. Where is he even going to go once he can leave?" Angela asked with hurt clear in her voice.
"He's coming home with us until we can catch this son of a bitch. I'm not going to leave him out there alone and on his own unable to defend himself when this guy strikes again." Booth said with anger.
"We'll find him Booth we always do." Bones said in a serious voice.
"I know we will, but look at what has happened in just tonight Bones. He doesn't deserve this. He just wants to make a difference in the world and help people. He's the most pure hearted person out of all of us and he's got four bullets in him and now no home. It's not right." Booth said with a shake of his head.
They all couldn't help, but agree with him. This wasn't fair to do to someone, especially someone as kind and gentle as Sweets. He was just a good man and he just wanted to help people. He didn't deserve to be shot or have his apartment blown up or set on fire. They all sat there for another three hours before a doctor and a man in a suit finally came over to them. They all stood up and went over to both men.
"Family of Dr. Sweets?" Dr. Roberts asked.
"Yes that is us. How is he doing Doctor?" Cam asked calmly.
"I'm Dr. Roberts and this is an associate Dr. Wright he is a psychiatrist here within the hospital. We have a lot to discuss, but first and most importantly Dr. Sweets is alive and I am expecting him to make a full recovery." Dr. Roberts said.
"Oh thank God." Angela said relieved.
"That is good news." Bones said.
"He will have a long road to recovery ahead of him. He was shot four times, twice to his stomach, once to the left side of his chest and one to his left shoulder. The bullet to his left shoulder was a through and through so there was minimal damage. He did not even need surgery, but the bullet did hit his bone and it caused it to fracture. His left arm is in a sling right now and will need to be for four weeks or so. The bullet to his left side of his chest missed his heart by two millimeters. He was very lucky. That bullet was not a through and through so we had to operate and remove the bullet as well as repair the damage done to his lung. The bullet collapsed his lung on the way to the hospital hence the need to be intubated. He is on oxygen right now, but he does not need a ventilator unless his oxygen levels drop, which I don't see happening. The two bullets to his stomach were also not a through and through, we had to operate to stop the bleeding and repair the damage. The one bullet hit his spleen and the damage was too great I had to remove it. With removing his spleen he will need to be on a medication to help clot his blood, but otherwise he will be fine without his spleen. The second bullet was lodged in his right kidney. I was able to remove the bullet and repair his kidney successfully. He won't be experiencing any complications from it." Dr. Roberts said.
"Is that it? He doesn't have any more injuries right?" Angela asked hoping that Sweets didn't have to worry about anything else.
"He has a mild concussion from the back of his head hitting the pavement when he went down. He was also grazed by a few other bullets. His right bicep was graved and required ten stiches, his left wrist held a through and through on the left edge of his wrist. It fractured and I had to place his wrist in a brace. He took another graze to his fifth and sixth ribs on his right side, the graze required twenty stitches and it cracked both ribs. That is the last of his physical injuries." Dr. Roberts said.
"So he took seven bullets technically then." Hodgins said sadly.
"Technically speaking yes he was hit by seven bullets." Dr. Roberts said calmly.
"I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan, I would like to see all of Dr. Sweets X-Rays please." Bones said calmly.
"I normally would not give out any scans or X-Rays without my patient's consent; however, I have heard of you and in this situation I am sure that Dr. Sweets would not object to it. I'll allow you to see his X-Rays, I'll bring them to his room for you." Dr. Roberts said.
"Thank-you I appreciate that." Bones said.
"What is Dr. Wright doing here then?" Booth asked slightly on guard that Dr. Roberts brought a psychiatrist with him.
"It is my understanding that Dr. Sweets is a psychologist. Dr. Roberts thought that it would be best for myself to speak to you about Dr. Sweets' mental and emotional health." Dr. Wright said calmly.
"What from being shot?" Hodgins asked slightly confused.
"I'll leave you to it Dr. Wright. I'll have those X-Rays in Dr. Sweets' room for you Dr. Brennan." Dr. Roberts said before he turned to leave them alone with Dr. Wright.
"Being shot is a traumatic event; however, it is not my main concern. I've gone through Dr. Sweets' medical records and it gives me cause for concern. Dr. Sweets has insomnia, has had it since he was four from the reports when he was six. Based on blood work and normal testing Dr. Sweets has not slept more than five hours within the past two weeks, and none within the past three days. His insomnia has flared up within the past few months. Has something traumatic happened to him during that time? Stress at work?" Dr. Wright asked calmly.
"Wait hold up. You're saying that Sweets has insomnia, has had it since he was four. That's not possible. He lived with Bones and me for six months. He didn't have trouble sleeping, he never seemed more tired than a normal person would with a little kid in the house." Booth said in Sweets' defense.
"He didn't show any physical signs of insomnia or stress. I would have seen it." Bones said.
"I'm not saying you have missed anything. It's quite possible that his insomnia wasn't flaring up during those months that he lived with you. The more likely scenario is that he just hid it from you. Whether that is by staying up in his room all night or working extremely late to push off sleep longer and to give himself an excuse as to why he was more tired the following day. I do see that he has a prescription for a sleeping pill, but that was prescribed to him three months ago and he has not had it refilled telling me that he rarely takes it if he takes it at all. I want to state right now though, that this does not make him unstable in any way. It's just reaching a dangerous level with sleep deprivation. He hasn't had enough rem sleep in the past two weeks and that can cause an effect on his emotions and logical thinking. Has something happened within the past three months to flare the insomnia?" Dr. Wright asked again trying to get a picture of Sweets' life.
"Two FBI Agents were killed by a serial killer who is still on the loose. They were killed by using knowledge that Dr. Sweets had within some papers he wrote. He blames himself for it." Cam answered.
"That makes sense based on his past. I cannot divulge what I have read in his files, but I can tell you that he has had this since he was four. In situations like that the only reason a small child develops insomnia is through a traumatic experience or traumatic stressful situations. If I had to take an educated guess I would say that Dr. Sweets is an insomniac not because he simply can't fall asleep which is common for most insomniacs. In Dr. Sweets' case I would say that he is afraid of what he will see when he falls asleep. Those nightmare that flare up from different situations that trigger a memory cause nightmares. Those nightmares are too difficult to see over and over again so Dr. Sweets is afraid to fall asleep at what he will see. He simply stays awake even though he is a trained professional and knows it's dangerous to deny himself sleep. He does it anyways though, because the nightmares and memories are just too painful to handle." Dr. Wright said.
"So what he needs therapy to try and overcome whatever it is that he is seeing." Hodgins asked trying to understand where Dr. Wright was going.
"Therapy could help and I wouldn't not encourage him to speak to someone. However, the problem is Dr. Sweets is a psychologist and from what I have read about him he is very well-known and established. He knows logically what he needs to do, what he would recommend to a patient. Emotionally though, he can't bring himself to take those steps just like other patients can't. In all fairness to him, there isn't any therapy that would make the nightmares stop. He has suffered irreversible trauma from when he was a young child. There is nothing any doctor could tell him that would make that better and I believe he knows that which is why he isn't in therapy himself. He will always be damaged from what happened when he was so young, with that being said though he is far from broken. He's a well accomplished psychologist and profiler. He obviously has people in his life who love and care about him and from what I have heard from other doctors here, he's a very happy and loving man. He just has more demons than the average person." Dr. Wright said.
"So what do we do? Get him to take his sleeping pills?" Angela asked trying to see how she could help her friend.
"Sleeping pills will make the nightmares stop; however, they will make someone dependent on them to sleep. I'm assuming that is why Dr. Sweets hasn't been taking them very often, because he doesn't want to be unable to sleep without them. As well as, and this is just an educated guess, taking a pill has become difficult for his mind to handle. To you and I it's as simple as taking a pill and going to sleep. Only Dr. Sweets fears sleep and probably experiences some level of anxiety about having to sleep. By having to take a sleeping pill he knows it will put him to sleep and logic doesn't always win out. The fear of taking the pill and having a nightmare and not being able to wake up will give him anxiety and make him not take the pill. To Dr. Sweets taking a simple pill would be as challenging and difficult as if you were told to climb Mount Everest. Dr. Sweets is not someone I would suggest to ever truly live alone. He should have roommates until he gets married that would be my suggestion, because Dr. Sweets clearly cares a lot about people and the majority of psychologists do. It's why they are very good at what they do. It's why Dr. Sweets is very talented in what he does. He cares so much about people that he neglects his own needs. He wants to help people and make a difference it's very clear in his work. But he neglects what he needs, like proper sleep, eating habits, down time, etc. He could live alone and I know he has in the past before, but that's not what I would recommend that he does. It's all too easy for him to forget to eat or to forget to sleep. It's all too easy for him to move on to the next file, the next patient. He uses work as an excuse as to not take care of himself, because he is too busy taking care of other people." Dr. Wright said.
"He's right. Think about it before he lived with you both he was living alone. How many times have we seen him and he had bags under his eyes, he said he was working late, he skipped lunch and he just looked run down? Then he lived with you both for six months and he seemed happier and less tired and overwhelmed. Living alone affected him, even though he had been living alone since he was nineteen." Cam said.
"You have a small child you said correct?" Dr. Wright asked Booth.
"Ya we have a toddler she was just a year old when he moved in after a break-up." Booth answered.
"He was great with her, he still is." Bones said.
"Living with you and your child forced him into a routine. You had to make dinner because you needed to feed your daughter. He looked after her instead of staying later at work. He wasn't adding more stress from extra cases, he was sleeping better because he wasn't stressing and alone with his demons all the time. Having your daughter would have made him feel like he had a true purpose that he could see each and every day. He was there for her, he helped take care of her. In a sense living with you gave him a sanctuary where he didn't have to deal with his demons alone; he didn't have to come home to an empty house after a bad day. He was a part of a family in a positive environment. It would have made him stronger. Now he is suffering through the blame that he feels from the death of those two FBI Agents. It would have triggered some painful memories for him and he's just trying to deal with it. Unfortunately he's gone back into old bad habits of dealing with it alone instead of reaching out to the people who care about him. " Dr. Wright said.
"He should have come to us with this instead of trying to avoid it by taking leave from work and working someplace else." Booth said annoyed and frustrated with the situation.
"He wasn't alone though, he was living with two roommates. Maybe he was trying to handle it on his own." Cam said.
"Until I speak to Dr. Sweets I will not be able to know what his thought process was. I would recommend that he is placed within an outpatient facility so he can go through therapy and treatment to try and overcome what the trauma is. I would not recommend giving him his badge and gun back until he has completed a treatment program." Dr. Wright said.
"You want us to have him committed?" Booth asked with seething anger.
"To an outpatient program where he could leave at night and be there daily. I'm suggesting that you speak to him about it as will I, but as his friends if you feel that he is at risk you can have him forcefully committed to the program until he is well. You must think about his mental and emotional health and not just his physical health." Dr. Wright argued.
"With all your respect Dr. Wright, but we are not about to have Dr. Sweets committed. You don't know him like we do. He may have trouble sleeping and that is a problem, but not one that needs therapy for. He has family and we will speak to him and help him through this. We are not about to abandon him to some facility. Like you said Dr. Sweets is the best in the country and he is well aware of what needs to be done. He's at no risk to his life or anyone else's and when he is able to leave he will be staying with family until he is well. Now if that is all you have to say we would like to go and see our family member so if you would be so kind to tell us what room he is in that would be appreciated." Cam said in a serious and authoritative voice.
"For his sake I hope you change your mind. Dr. Sweets is in room 516 and I will be speaking to him before he leaves this hospital and it will be my judgement if he is a danger to himself." Dr. Wright said before he turned to leave the waiting room.
"What an ass." Hodgins said clearly angry at the doctor for what he said about Sweets.
"Ass or not he did let us know that Sweets has been having some trouble since the last incident with Pelant. We need to keep an eye on Sweets and make sure he isn't neglecting himself." Cam said.
"And we will, but we don't need to have him sent off to some facility. He has us and we can get through it together Cam." Angela said.
"And I agree. Sweets isn't unstable or at risk to himself. He's just having some trouble right now and I think it's a good thing that he will be staying with you two." Cam said as she looked at Booth and Bones. "Given the situation is not what I had hoped, but if he is having trouble being around you both and Christine might be what he needs to get passed everything recently." Cam finished.
"We'll keep an eye on him and help him through this. It's what family does and Christine loves having him there. She's really missed him in the past few weeks." Bones said.
"We'll get him through this. He's one of the best shrinks in the country he knows what he needs to do he just needs some support to do it that's all." Booth said.
"Come on let's go see him even if he won't be awake yet." Angela said.
"Once he wakes up then I'll head to the lab and start working on particulates from the bodies. I might have to go to the scene though for more." Hodgins said.
"I've already let everyone know that this is your scene so it won't be released until you tell me otherwise." Booth said as they all started to head down the hallway and to the elevator to go up to the fifth floor.
"Good, because I don't trust those idiots at the FBI." Hodgins said.
"They are not that incompetent." Cam said as they got onto the elevator.
"No jus not as competent as me. I don't want to risk them missing something, not this time." Hodgins said.
"In the morning I can go and speak to store owners and see if they have any video footage of Sweets' apartment. I know there is a coffee shop across the street that has cameras outside. I might be able to see who destroyed Sweets' place." Angela said.
"Good. Let's just keep this between us for now. I don't want Sweets to know just yet. He just got shot and almost died he doesn't need to stress over this just yet." Booth said as they got off the elevator and started to walk down the hallway.
"He's going to find out sooner or later Booth." Bones said.
"I know and I'll tell him about it, but not just yet. Let him sleep for a day or two before we destroy what is left of his life." Booth said.
"I agree we should give Sweets a couple of days to rest up after being shot. Then we can tell him when we have a little bit more information. Let's give it two days and see what we have before we tell him." Cam said.
"How long will he be in the hospital for?" Angela asked.
"Most likely a week at most. It depends on how he is healing from the surgery." Bones answered as they arrived at room 516.
Booth placed his hand on the doorknob and after taking a breath he opened the door and they walked in. There on the bed was Sweets. He had an oxygen mask on just like the doctor had said. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but his chest was covered in bandages from the surgery and his ribs. He was hooked up to machines to monitor his heart and oxygen levels. He was also hooked up to an I.V for fluids. Booth couldn't help, but think how young he looked laying in this hospital bed. Even though he was twenty-eight he still had a young look to him and seeing him lying in this hospital bed was painful to see.
"God he looks so young." Hodgins said exactly what Booth was thinking.
"He's going to be okay." Angela said trying to sound comforting.
Bones went over to the foot of the bed where his chart was while Cam went over to his left side and Booth over to his right side. Bones picked up the chart and looked through it.
"Everything looks good. The surgery was extensive, but his heart didn't stop so that's a good sign. Assuming no infections come up he will probably be able to leave in a week." Bones said as she flipped through his chart before she picked up the x-rays next.
She looked through them holding each one up to the light so she could see it clearly. The others could see the hurt on her face as she flipped from one x-ray to the second and then the third.
"Bones, what's wrong? Did they miss something?" Booth asked with concern.
"No, no they didn't. The fractures look good, it's just. There are only three x-rays, his ribs on the right side, his left shoulder and his left wrist. Three x-rays and just from these x-rays I can see he has forty-three remodeling on his bones. It's just a lot of broken bones and fractures to someone, especially to someone who was a child when it happened. There's only three x-rays." Bones said with hurt all throughout her voice as she put the x-rays back down where his chart was kept.
They were all silent for a moment as they looked at Sweets. None of them would have ever thought Sweets had been abused as a child. He was so happy and full of life. He just wanted to help people and live his life. It was rare for someone who had been abused as a child, especially as severe as he had been to be so happy and kind.
"I knew he was adopted, but I never knew he was abused. He spoke so highly of his parents." Angela said softly.
"It wasn't his parents it was from a foster father. It could have been from more than one. He did say he was in four foster homes by the time he was six, but I don't know when he went into the system." Bones said.
"I don't either, it's not something we have ever talked about. He doesn't like talking about it. He'll talk all day to someone as long as he doesn't have to talk about something that is bothering him. He's good at that." Booth said.
"He has us to be there for him now." Cam said.
"Is that why he has the insomnia? From being abused?" Angela asked.
"I believe so, but he doesn't talk about it." Bones said sadly.
"Now we wait for the real healing to begin." Hodgins said.
"If you guys want to go home to Michael you can. He's going to be asleep for a few hours and even then he won't be awake for long." Bones said to Hodgins and Angela.
"Bones is right. You should get some sleep and then in the morning you'll be awake enough to go through the evidence." Booth said.
"I don't know. I don't feel right just leaving him like this." Angela said.
"We'll be here for him all night. Cam you should go as well. It's going to be nuts tomorrow with the bodies." Bones said.
"I'll stay for a little while longer before I head home for some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be insane with work, but I don't want to leave just yet." Cam said.
"We'll stay for a little while as well before we go home and let the sitter leave." Hodgins said.
Angela, Hodgins and Cam had stayed for an hour before they had decided to call it a night and head home. Angela and Hodgins wanted to get home to Michael to relieve the sitter. Cam headed home to get some sleep so she was able to function tomorrow morning. She knew that the interns would be up all night working with the bodies and tomorrow she would have to send them home in shifts to get some sleep before having them continue. Eleven bodies was not going to be easy especially because they were in a fire so it was going to be more work for everyone. It was three hours after Sweets was released from surgery did he start to wake up. Bones and Booth had been sitting on either side of him just waiting for when he would wake up. They were tired, but they weren't about to leave Sweets alone. They were all he had and even though they didn't like him when they first met him that had changed over the last few years. They had gotten to know Sweets on a personal level and they had found out small painful things about him. They still didn't know very much about his past, but they knew him as the man was he was today and they had both seen him grow over the years they had known him. He was no longer the twenty-two year old he was now a twenty-eight year old Agent. He was not just a profiler anymore he was working in the field and carried a gun. He was growing up into a good man and Booth was proud to have Sweets in his life and looked at him as a younger brother. Booth hated that Sweets had been dealing with a lot silently and he was upset that Sweets didn't confide in him. He had thought they had trusted each other, but logically Booth knew that it didn't make any sense for Sweets to open up to him when he didn't open up to him about his past. He also on numerous occasions had stopped Sweet from talking about something personal that was bothering him. So Booth could understand why Sweets didn't come to him when he was struggling at the fear of being turned down. Booth wasn't going to let that happen again. He was going to make sure that Sweets understood that he was there for him no matter what he wanted to talk about.
Sweets let out a groan as he slowly started to come to. Bones and Booth both stood up from their chairs and leaned over the bed. Sweets struggled to open his eyes and Bones spoke softly.
"It's okay Sweets, open your eyes you can do it."
Sweets eyes flickered a few times, but he was finally able to open his eyes and the confusion was clear in his eyes.
"It's okay Sweets." Booth said calmly.
Bones hit the call button for the nurse and Sweets breathing started to pick up as the pain hit him fully. Sweets looked to his left and saw that his arm was in a sling and he could tell he was in a hospital. He moved his head to the right side and they could see his eyes darting around the room. Sweets reached up to the oxygen mask and pulled it down.
"It's okay Sweets calm down." Bones said trying to get Sweets to relax.
"It's hurt." Sweets said with a weak and hoarse voice as he started to move around on the bed to try and make the pain stop.
"I know it hurts Sweets just hang on a nurse will be here soon with the doctor. Just try and stay still it will hurt more if you move." Booth said.
"What happened?" Sweets asked through clenched teeth as he tried to listen to Booth and stay still.
"You were shot multiple times." Bones stated.
"What?" Sweets asked as he turned to look at Booth and his breathing picked up to the point he was about to hyperventilate. The monitors started to beep signally that Sweets was under duress.
Booth grabbed the oxygen mask and placed it over Sweets' mouth and nose as he spoke.
"Lance look at me." Booth said in a serious voice.
Sweets turned his head to look at Booth.
"You need to calm down. Take some deep breaths and just focus on breathing. Breathe into the mask for me." Booth said more calmly, but the stern tone was still there.
Sweets focused on Booth's face and did as he was told. He took a few deep breaths into the mask to try and get his breathing under control. He did his best to not allow his mind to think about the fact that he had been shot multiple times and he didn't remember any of it. After a few moments Booth spoke again.
"That's it Lance, good job just breathe. Dr. Roberts will be here soon and he'll tell you what's going on. Just relax he'll be here within a few minutes."
Bones went and placed her hand on Sweets' head and stroked his hair gently to try and help him calm down. She had learnt with Christine that stroking her hair always helped to provide her comfort and to help her calm down when she was upset. She remembered it helped her when she was a child as well and she was hoping that it would help bring comfort to Sweets now. Sweets was starting to shake and sweat lightly from the pain going through his body and Booth moved his hand off from the oxygen mask and down to Sweets' right hand. He took Sweets' hand in his and allowed Sweets to grip it as tightly as he could in his weakened state. After an agonizing ten minutes the door opened and a man walked in who Sweets assumed was his doctor. He came over to the left side of the bed as he spoke.
"Hello Dr. Sweets. I'm Dr. Roberts, I am your doctor while you are here. I know you must be confused and have lots of questions. Right now I need to know how bad the pain is?" Dr. Roberts asked calmly.
"Hurts." Sweets said through clenched teeth.
"Ok on a scale of ten?"
"Eight."
"Ok you are on morphine, but I can up the dosage for you until you are healed more." Dr. Roberts said as he walked over to the cabinet where the drugs are kept. He punched in his code and swiped his card and was able to get some morphine for Sweets. He went back over to the bed on the right side, but Booth didn't let go of Sweets' hand he just moved over so Dr. Roberts could administer the morphine. Bones and Booth could see that it was starting to work within seconds as his shaking was going down and the grip on Booth's hand wasn't as tight.
"Now Dr. Sweets what is important for you to know right now is that you have been shot. You had to have surgery in multiple places at the same time to assure your life. You will be very sore and in pain for a long while. The pain can be managed through medication until you are healed up more. You have numerous stitches so I need you to be very careful when you move. Tomorrow we can go over your injuries more extensive, but for tonight just rest. Do you understand?" Dr. Roberts said calmly.
Sweets just gave a small nod. He wanted answers, but right now he was too exhausted and in too much pain to care.
"If something happens or if he wakes up in pain like that again call for a nurse. I'll come by in the morning to speak to him when he's had the chance to get some sleep." Dr. Roberts said to Bones and Booth.
"Thank-you Dr. Roberts." Bones said.
Dr. Roberts left the room and Bones and Booth turned their attention back to Sweets. His eyes were half way open and they knew he would be asleep soon.
"You're going to be just fine Sweets don't worry." Booth said trying to sound comforting.
"I looked at your x-rays and all of your injuries will heal. So don't worry you'll be perfectly fine in a couple of months once everything is healed." Bones said with a small smile to Sweets.
Sweets turned his head slightly to look at Booth as he spoke.
"Who?" Sweets asked but his voice was faint as he was falling back asleep.
"It's not important right now Sweets. I promise I'll tell you later. You'll probably remember once you get some sleep. Just close your eyes and sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." Booth said gently.
Bones went back to stroking Sweets' hair and after a moment his eyes closed and he was fast asleep once again.
"Was he supposed to be in that much pain?" Booth asked with worry to his voice.
"He took seven bullets Booth. Even though some were grazes he's still has fractures from them. He's going to be in a lot of pain for a good month. It won't always be like that and it can be managed with medication he can take, but it's going to be a couple of months before he'll be fully healed and pain free I'm afraid." Bones said sadly.
"Will he remember what happened?" Booth asked next.
"It's hard to say with head injuries. He did just wake up from surgery though so it is possible that the next time he wakes up he'll remember." Bones answered.
"It's late you should head home. I'll stay with him."
"I don't want to leave him."
"I know I don't either, but you have eleven bodies to go over in the morning. You should go home and get some sleep so you can be awake enough tomorrow. I can always sleep here while he is. I'm not leaving him alone until another Agent stands on guard. You might as well go home and get a few hours of sleep before work in the morning Bones." Booth said calmly.
"Are you sure?" Bones asked clearly not sure if she should be leaving Sweets.
"Go, he would want you to be there tomorrow for those people. We need to keep him safe and the only way we can do that is to find out who is after him. I'll keep him safe you go home and get some sleep so tomorrow you'll be able to focus."
"Ok, I'll go. Call me if something happens and I'll call you in the morning to check in."
"I'll let you know if something happens. Don't worry Bones just give Christine a kiss for me and I'll talk to you in the morning." Booth said comfortingly.
"Ok."
Bones gave one last look at Sweets before she went over to the right side of the bed and gave Booth a hug and a kiss before she headed out to go home for a few hours of rest before she would go to the lab. Booth looked down at Sweets' sleeping face and he couldn't even begin to understand why someone would want to hurt him. He knew that Sweets had been hurt many times in the past and the thought just angered Booth. He didn't want Sweets to be hurt anymore and he was going to make sure he was safe. He wasn't going to lose him. It still blew Booth's mind that they had become so close since they had first met each other. Booth didn't like what Sweets' was and not who he was. Sweets was the therapist that could have been the one responsible for breaking up him and Bones. He wanted to talk about hard childhood memories and emotions, but Booth was not one for emotions or bad memories. So they hadn't hit it off very well. However, over the years he had grown close to Sweets and now he thought of him as a younger brother. He was going to keep him safe and make sure that Sweets knew he was loved and cared for. Booth wasn't going to let Sweets get hurt, whoever was after him Booth was going to make sure he didn't get to Sweets again. With that thought in mind Booth sat down in the chair next to the bed and closed his eyes to try and get some sleep until Sweets woke up again.