So here is the last part of the Trilogy. Again, Willie and I thank you SO much for your reviews...so, who's ready for some fluff?

Brennan held her head in her hands, it felt heavier than normal and she was uncomfortable in the hard chairs of the hospital waiting room.

hhe shifted again and sat back, her eyes still closed. She wasn't supposed to leave the house yet, but here she was at the hospital at 9 pm, waiting to hear the condition of the one man in the world she'd ever allowed herself to love completely.

She was beginning to understand why the doctor had put her under house arrest, and why Booth had been so adamant in enforcing it. While her mobility had significantly increased in the past few weeks, her pain tolerance level was very low and she was exhausted by only a little activity.

Right now she felt about ready to drop.

"Hey, you okay?" Someone asked, while sitting in the chair beside her.

She opened one eye and then shut it again, not needing more than a second to recognize the soul-searching green eyes.

"Agent Ferguson." She sighed.

"Oh, love, you can call me Travis." He sighed, leaning forward to put his elbows on his knees. He sounded as tired as she felt.

After a few moments of silence passed between them, both lost in thoughts they'd rather not have, he turned to her.

"Have you heard anythin'?" He asked, studying the woman beside him. A tired, fragile looking woman who was entrusted to his care now, he knew that without even having to be asked by his arguably overprotective friend.

Brennan ran a hand through her hair and shook her head, leaning forward as well.

"No. He…he was…I thought he was having a heart attack, but…" She trailed off and stared at the floor, images of Booth being rolled inside an ambulance flashing through her mind. Memories made blurry from tears.

"It wasn't then?"

She seemed startled; blinking as he brought her out of her daze, then slowly shook her head.

"No. He had…wine." She shook her head again, this time at herself. "How could I have been so stupid? I knew what he was on."

Travis frowned as she covered her face with her hands.

"Mixing the medications he was on with the alcohol…it caused his heart rate to speed up, in essence it was a heart attack but…" She took a deep breath, sitting up straight and throwing her shoulders back. "The doctors say he'll be fine. He's going to be fine." She said, more to herself than him.

Travis studied her for a moment, he hadn't seen much of Brennan since the shooting, but he was quickly able to tell why Seeley liked her, loved her, so much. She was strong, she didn't back down. He knew if there was anyone who could handle his headstrong, cocky best friend, it was her. If there was anyone who could hold his broken friend together, he had a feeling it was also her.

"You're staring at me." She stated, her eyes had drifted shut again as she leaned against the cool Plexiglas window behind them. The sun was setting and it looked as if she hadn't slept in days.

"You did the right thing you kno'."

Brennan opened her eyes slightly and looked over at Travis' hunched figure.

Sensing her confusion, he turned to look back at her. "Talkin' to Booth, confrontin' him. It was the right thing."

"Yeah, so right he landed in the hospital."

Travis frowned at Brennan's dejected tone and turned to face her more fully.

"Brennan."

She opened her eyes.

"You did the right thing." He said slowly, holding her gaze and not allowing her to doubt him. After a moment, she blinked and nodded her assent.

"Okay. I did the right thing." She said quietly, too tired to argue. Besides, that was what she wanted to believe anyway.

"Good." He rose, stretching. "You need anythin'?"

"Coffee would be nice." She said after a moment of contemplation.

Travis nodded and headed off, his blue dress shirt un-tucked and wrinkled, such a contrast to Booth, who always seemed to have a well thought out appearance.

She shook her head slightly and looked again at the doors to the Emergency Room, wishing one of those self-righteous looking doctors would call her name finally.

She wouldn't usually pass judgment on a whole group of people so blithely; in fact it was against her nature as an anthropologist. But she was tired and frustrated and her pain medication had begun to wear off about an hour ago.

Brennan gently began to massage her temples. She wasn't sure when the headache had hit her but now, with the constant chatter of ER personnel, alarms going off and doors opening and slamming shut repeatedly, she could feel the angry migraine pounding at the edges of her parietal bone.

She was successfully blocking out the chaos for a few minutes, which only seemed to intensify her headache, when there was a soft tap on her shoulder.

"Thanks Travis I…" She stopped as she lifted her head, facing a mass of blonde curls and wide brown eyes. She forced a smile and pulled Parker into a quick, gentle hug.

"Hey Parker." She said quietly when he pulled away. Parker nodded, looking at his shoes. Just then, Rebecca walked up behind him, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Was it the bad men Dr. Bones?" He asked anxiously.

"No Parker it wasn't. Your daddy just had an…an accident." She corrected him quickly, seeing the tears standing in the little boy's eyes, ready to fall.

"We came as soon as you called. I'm sorry my phone wasn't on, I was at work." Rebecca knelt beside her son, wrapping a protective arm around his waist. Parker turned and buried his face in his mother's hair.

"Hospitals still bother him." Rebecca responded to Brennan's questioning look. Brennan nodded slowly and rubbed small circles on his back, glad for a distraction from her waiting game with Booth's doctor.

"Have they said anything yet?" Rebecca whispered, holding Parker close and settling into the plastic chair beside Brennan.

"No not yet."

Rebecca sighed in disgust. "I hate the way they keep you waiting. As if being in the hospital isn't traumatic enough, keeping people in the dark over their loved one's condition…it's just cruel."

"Ya' always were a feisty one weren't ya' Becks?"

The women turned to see Travis striding toward them, Styrofoam cups of steaming hot coffee in each hand.

Rebecca smiled warmly.

"Well if it isn't the Fighting Irish." She said. Travis handed Brennan her coffee, who nodded her thanks, and then gave Rebecca an awkward hug over Parker's body.

"May I have a kiss from the prettiest lass this side of the 'lantic?" He asked, his dimpled smile in full effect.

"Of course you may." Rebecca answered, placing a chaste peck on his cheek. Travis beamed.

Brennan sipped her coffee and watched the scene carefully; it seemed obvious the two had preforemed this little tet-a-tet countless times before. She found herself wondering if she would be okay with Angela still being friends with one of her ex's after they split up. But then the line of questioning didn't really hold up, since she wasn't required to see any of her ex's on a regular basis the way Booth was.

Just before her wandering thoughts got the best of her, the man of the hour decided to breeze through the door.

"Family of Seeley Booth?" The short, balding doctor called out into the noisy room.

"Over here doctor." Brennan rose slowly from her chair to attract the man's attention and turned when she felt Travis' steadying hand on her arm, but said nothing.

"You're the family of Seeley Booth?"

"Special Agent Seeley Booth." Brennan corrected. The doctor nodded but continued hastily.

"He's stable now. We got his heart rate back down to normal, high levels of benzodiazepines caused it to speed up and cause unconsciousness when mixed with the alcohol he had. The stress on the heart and vessels can put him at risk for cardiac arrest so we'll be keeping him over night. He should be ready to go home tomorrow." He glanced down at his clipboard, looking as if he was ready to move on to the next patient. Unfortunatly for him, Brennan wasn't ready and the doctor's seeming disinterest in Booth's condition did nothing more than irritate her.

"Well can we see him?" She asked sharply, the doctor jumped slightly, as if he'd forgotten they were standing there.

"Not all of you. The room is cramped and visiting hours are almost over." He said dismissively, noting something on his chart.

Brennan had to physically hold herself back from shoving that clipboard down the man's throat. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, blithely passing judgment.

"You should go."

Brennan turned to find Rebecca standing beside her, cradling Parker close.

"You and Parker should go see him."

Brennan glanced at Travis, who nodded his head once and she gave him a small smile. She could see the compassion and worry in his eyes. She was beginning to understand why he was Booth's best friend.

She stepped closer to Parker.

"Hey Bud, you wanna go see your Daddy?"

Parker nodded, pulling back and sticking his arms out to be carried by Brennan. She hesitated, she wasn't sure she could carry the boy's weight.

Travis stepped in. "Why don't you walk, eh big fella'? You've gotta be strong for your dad's bird here."

Parker's brow wrinkled as his mother set him on the ground.

"Daddy doesn't like birds. He says they hafta' stay far away outside."

Brennan smiled the first real smile that had donned her face all evening, took Parker's hand and set off to find a nurse to help them locate Booth since their oh-so-helpful doctor seemed to have disappeared.

Booth shifted on his thin, papery hospital mattress. All the other times he'd been in a hospital he'd been lucky enough to be so badly injured it didn't bother him the way he had to sit still and do nothing for hours on end. But this time he had nothing to do, nothing to occupy his mind or body, except memories and regrets.

He could recall everything that happened back at the apartment, some of it was a bit hazy, but he remembered. The way he snapped at Bones, the flashback of his friend Mackie…the look of fear in Brennan's eyes as she held his head in her lap.

He leaned back and closed his eyes. He'd really thought he was dying back there, his chest burned like it was being ripped apart and he couldn't get any air. It was ironic, he had been frightened to think he'd spent the last few weeks of his life being afraid.

Because that's what it came down to. After the shooting at his apartment, Booth was afraid. Afraid of being a victim, of never catching the man responsible for causing them so much pain. But more than anything, he was afraid of losing those he loved. And yet, that was exactly what he'd been doing, trying to push them away so he could be more objective, protect his son and his Bones better than before.

Instead, he'd ended up hurting all of them.

He wanted to kick himself for being so stupid. He needed to apologize, big time. In the middle of the third version of his 'I'm sorry Bones' speech, Booth stopped muttering to himself, he thought he heard voices in the hallway.

They were one floor above the ER and it was much quieter here, Brennan was glad. She had felt like her head was about to explode.

They were halfway down the hallway when Parker looked up at her and spoke for the first time since the waiting room.

"Dr. Bones?"

"Yes."

"Can my daddy have a cape?" She was focused on finding Booth's room and didn't even realize he'd asked the question until they were right outside. She knelt down stiffly to be on his level and took his other hand, brow furrowed in concentration.

"A cape?"

Parker nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I think Daddy needs a cape, cause you know why?"

She shook her head. "No, why?"

"I think that'll help him be happier. Daddy's brave and strong and he puts the bad men in jail. He makes us safe, just like Superman." He explained, struggling with his 's's now that his left front tooth was gone. "If Superman gets a cape, then Daddy needs one too. All hero's gotta have capes Dr. Bones."

Brennan glanced inside Booth's room, but couldn't see the bed.

"You think your dad's a hero?" She asked quietly, her cheeks were hot as she attempted to force back the tears that were working their way to her eyes. She swiped a hand across her face and mentally blamed it on the medication.

Parker's face broke out in an infectious, very familiar, grin. "A 'course he is, Dr. Bones, he's my biggest hero of 'em all!"

Brennan returned his smile and nodded. Ruffling his blonde hair, she stood and they walked hand in hand into Booth's room.

She gasped when her eyes landed on the bed, where Booth sat still as silence on the bed, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"Daddy!" Parker cried, scrambling up onto the bed and snuggling into his father's waiting arms.

Booth closed his eyes and kissed his son's hair, silently thanking the Lord above for sending him an angel in Spiderman tennis shoes.

I'm his hero. After everything…he still thinks I'm his hero. The warmth and calm confidence that thought brought him in that moment was indescribable, so he merely hugged his son for all he was worth.

After a few seconds Booth became aware of fabric shifting beside him and he opened his eyes to see Brennan standing beside the bed. Her hands were in tight fists at her sides and she bit her lip nervously, a few small tears streaming down her face.

"Booth I…" She squeaked, making it obvious she was holding back many more tears than she wanted to show.

"Shhhh." Booth quieted her and reached up, hooking one hand behind her neck, he brought her face down to his and kissed her.

Her lips were so warm and soft he almost couldn't believe they were real. He felt her bottom lip tremble and sucked on it softly.

"No more tears." He whispered, breaking the reassuring contact.

Brennan nodded, sitting on the bed beside him and leaning her forehead against his.

"I love you." She whispered back. Booth only smiled, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear.

Booth sighed, averting his eyes slightly. "Bones, I'm sorry for the way I've been…"

She quieted him with a finger on his lips and waited until his eyes met hers.

"No more apologies."

He seemed confused, but didn't protest. He would leave it alone, for now. It just felt so good to have her near again.

After a moment the comfortable silence was interrupted by a soft snore and both turned to see Parker sleeping soundly, his head cradled in the crook of his father's arm.

Booth smiled and kissed his hair again. "He must be tired. Rebecca said she's been having a helluva time getting him to go to sleep at night."

Brennan's gaze drifted from the sleeping boy to his dark eyed father.

"He feels safe." She said quietly. Booth turned to look at her as she looked back to Parker, stroking the child's hair softly. "It's hard not to feel safe in your arms."

Booth's eyes traced Brennan's striking features for a moment. Even in the harsh florescent hospital lights she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Looking at her now, he almost couldn't remember why he'd shut himself off from both of them for so long.

"C'mere." He said finally, lifting his unoccupied arm and shifting so there was more room on the bed.

Brennan furrowed her brows at him, but Booth motioned to her once more with his head and she smiled. Moving so her legs were stretched out in front of her, she turned and laid her head on his shoulder, his arm instantly wrapping protectively around her waist.

Within seconds the soft, steady beat of his heart had lulled her away from the annoying side of consciousness and she felt sleep creeping in.

"I've missed this." She sighed contentedly as she slipped away.

Booth nodded and laid his head back, closing his eyes.

He wanted badly to believe that they would be okay now, and yet somehow he knew it wouldn't be that easy.

But for the moment, he couldn't bring himself to ruin the pleasant calm they were enjoying. With a final squeeze of his arms to make sure they were there, he finally allowed sleep to take him.

So, hope you liked it. Bit 'o fluff for the wonderful readers. But don't think the angst is gone forever ;P