Part of Us
By Karen Roper
AN: Much thanks to Shadow71689 for betaing this for me. Also, I realize that the first line isn't what it actually is, but I'm taking creative liberties.
"...You know, for our kid."
Our kid.
Our child.
His words hit me nearly like a physical blow, nearly as hard as the thought of losing him.
"Booth..."
"I want you to."
His look is earnest, even more so than when he asked me to come into the OR with him. Perhaps it's because I realize what I've done, and that he's still letting me. I put him through so much stress, I possibly aggravated his condition. So many thoughts are racing in my head, and I can hardly keep up with the emotions swamping me.
Our kid.
I realize how wrong I was to do this, how right Angela was. I was scared, and because of that, it almost cost me the truest family I've had in years. The idea that I could have thought about raising a child... Booth's child..our child, without him, is absurd.
The thought of losing him now makes my heart ache. I realize this now. And as I look at his face, I realize that if I lose him (God forbid), I will go through with it, if only so I have a piece of him. But the thought of raising this child without him terrifies me.
His eyes go a bit brighter as a smile begins to creep on his face.
"You're gonna be a really good mom."
And as always, his words offer that balm that only he could ever give me. I fight back the tears, gathering what strength I have to offer to him.
"You're going to be fine, Booth. I'll be right here."
He gathers himself, and for a moment I wonder if he's going to say something else. Instead he looks back up at me.
"I'm ready."
The look in his eyes makes me wonder if that means more than what they seem to. But then the orderlies return, and we're wheeling forward. His hand moves to ask for mine, and I clasp it without a second's thought or hesitation. The steady pressure increases as we go through the doors, and in that moment, I pray to the God that Booth believes in so much that I—that we—get the chance to try this family thing, our child, the right way.
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