Present: DC Hospital
He walked through the double doors of the hospital still in his Army uniform. He ran up to the stairs not wanting to wait for the elevator. He stepped on the last step, rounded the corner and there in front of him was the friends he worked with all these years. Angela was sitting down with her face deep in Hodgins's shoulder. Cam and Sweets were standing next to them looking down the hall. He slowly stepped toward them.
Cam turned around and saw him. She ran toward him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Welcome home Seeley." She smiled and led him down the hall toward the others.
"How is she?" Angela looked up at him. She had tears running down her face.
"Nothing's changed. She's still in a coma. The doctors say she might not wake up," Angela said. She wiped the tears from her eyes and got up from her seat. She walked over and gave Booth a hug. "I'm sorry about before Booth. I didn't mean what I said."
Flashback: Seven months & 1 week ago
Angela stormed into his office and slammed the door. She stood in front of his desk, her face red with anger.
"You asshole! Who do you think you are?" Booth looked at her stunned.
"What the hell is your problem Angela?"
"You know exactly what my problem is. A month ago and a half ago you tell Brennan you love her then two weeks later you ignore her. Now you tell her you're going back to the Army. What the hell are you thinking?"
"I thought she should know. After all she is the one who decided to leave. She is going off to Maluku in a few days remember?"
"She is only going because she can't stand to be near you. Booth she hasn't been herself since you two stopped talking. It's like she isn't Brennan anymore. Maybe going to Maluku is a way for her to be herself again."
"You really don't believe that do you?"
"I don't know but what I do know is that you pushed her away and if you keep it up you are going to push her so far away that you will never get her back. You abandoned her just like her parents did, just like Russ did."
"I didn't abandon her. She pushed me away. I gave her my heart and she ripped it into. She was the one that wanted space, not me."
"She was scared Booth. She wasn't herself. She wasn't thinking. With everything that she's been through in her life, did you really think that this might not happen? You are all she has Booth."
"That's not true. She has you."
"She loves you, but she is afraid to say it because she doesn't want to get hurt again. I'm her best friend but she needs you Booth."
"She doesn't need me anymore. She says she wants space then hell I'll give her space."
"Do you even love her at all?"
"I thought I did but maybe it was just the coma playing tricks on me."
"You believe what Sweets said about the coma being the reason. What kind of cold hearted person tells someone they love them then takes it all back saying it's a comatose dream that is the reason for being in love?"
"I don't know what to say anymore Angela." He leaned his head down and placed his hands on his temples.
"That's fine Booth. I hope you have fun when you go back. Bren is going to be far away and I just know that no matter what she does she is always going to hurt. She's always going to be broken and it's all your fault." She turned around and walked out the door."
Present: DC Hospital Waiting Room
Booth looked at Angela and gave her a smile. "You were right. I did push her away. I did abandon her. I wish I could take it all back but I can't."
"I'm still sorry Booth."
"It's okay Angela. We just need to focus on her now and see that she gets better."
"She's in really bad shape Booth."
"How did all this happen anyways?"
Cam stepped beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. "She was driving home and an eight-teen wheeler hit her. They said her car flew up and hit guardrail. Paramedics say her seatbelt is the only thing that saved her from flying through the windshield. However her head hit the dashboard and she had a major concussion. A piece of glass from the window went through her side. If the paramedics hadn't got there when they did then she would have bled out."
Booth looked at his friends' faces and then out of nowhere tears began to fall from his eyes. "What do mean driving home? Was she coming from the airport?"
"She never went to Maluku Booth," Angela said.
"What?"
"She got on the plane and was on her way there. When they stopped to get on the in between flight, she started feeling sick and called me. She said she was making a mistake leaving. So she got on a plane and came back here."
"You mean to tell me for seven months she's been in DC and nobody ever told me."
"She told us not to and she hasn't been in DC for seven months either."
"Where was she then?"
"She came home and stayed for three months then finally she said she was going on vacation. She spent the last four months in North Carolina with Russ and her dad. She was on her way back home to DC when she got in the accident."
"I don't believe this. So she was never in Maluku?"
"She was never in Maluku."
He walked over and sat on a bench and laid his head in his hands. Tears fell from his eyes like waterfalls.
"There's something else you should know Booth."
He raised his head up and looked Angela in the eyes. "What?"
"Brennan wasn't the only one in that accident."
"What do you mean? Was Russ or Max with her?"
"No, but Christine was."
"But Bones' mom is dead."
"Christine is her daughter."
"Bones has a daughter. How come I was never told?"
"Booth, Brennan was seven and a half months pregnant. She went into preterm labor when she got in the accident. If the paramedics hadn't got there in time we would have lost both of them. They had to do emergency surgery to stop the bleeding."
"You mean Bones was pregnant."
"None of us knew. Hell Booth even I didn't know and Brennan tells me everything. We just found out when the doctors told us. You're the father."
"What? She was pregnant with my kid."
"I'm sorry Booth."
"Where is she? I need to see her."
"I can take you to the NICU to see her."
"No Cam, I need to see Bones."
"Booth, I'm sorry but you can't right now."
"Damn it Camille, I love her. Please just tell me what room she's in."
"She's in ICU room 225."
"Thank you."
"Seeley you need to go see your daughter. Temperance is not the only one whose life is at stake here."
"I'll go see her after okay."
"Fine!"
Booth turned and walked toward the direction of the ICU.
Present: DC Hospital ICU
Booth walked toward her room and out the corner of his eyes he saw her. He walked in the doorway. His heart stopped as he saw the woman he loved, her small fragile body lying lifeless and mangled. There where tubes connected to machines that kept beeping and humming. He walked over and sat in the chair next to her bed. He laid his hand on hers and curled it between his grasp. He looked at her face and sighed.
"Hey Bones it's me. I know you probably can't hear me right now but I'm going to talk anyways."
He looked at her hand then back at her face. "I'm sorry Bones. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to abandon you. I'm so sorry. I wish I could take it all back. I was stupid. I never should have left you. Please baby don't leave me in this world alone. I'm nothing without you. Please Temperance I love you."
At that moment the hand he was holding moved. He glanced down to make sure he wasn't dreaming and saw that Brennan was twitching her finger. His eyes jumped straight to her face. The smile that was stretched across his face disappeared when he saw that nothing changed.
"I'm probably just imaging that but if you can hear me, can you move your finger again?"
Nothing happened and he began to wonder if it really was his imagination when her finger moved.
"I love you Temperance. Please don't leave me." He laid his head down on the edge of the bed and began to sob.
For what seemed like minutes went by and Booth got up from the chair and leaned up to kiss Brennan on the forehead. I'll be back. I love you Bones."
He walked out into the hallway and saw Angela and Hodgins walking toward him. Angela looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
"I'm sorry Booth." She laid her hand on his shoulder.
"What was she thinking driving? She could have got Max or Russ to drive her back."
"She was on her way back to tell us the truth."
"How do you know that?"
"I'm her best friend Booth. I know her. To tell you the truth I should have known from the beginning."
Booth and Hodgins gave her confusing looks. She sighed.
"When she came back to DC I knew something was wrong. She didn't act like Brennan. She avoided everyone and when I asked her to join me for drinks she said she was tired and just wanted to go home. She would miss work sometimes and we all know that's not Brennan."
"She's a workaholic," said Hodgins.
"Anyways, she was getting sick a lot and I should have known then what was going on. She would get on to the interns a lot and her emotions always ran high and Bren is one of those people who never show their emotions. Three months later she tells everyone she is going on an extended vacation and she doesn't know when she will be back."
"So she went to North Carolina and was heading back when the accident happened," Booth asked.
"I just wish I would have known sooner, then maybe I could have prevented her from ever going to North Carolina alone in the first place."
"Ange, it wasn't your fault this happened. You heard the paramedics. They said that truck came out of nowhere."
"I know Jack." She then looked at Booth.
"If she doesn't make it, she said she wants you to raise Christine."
"How do know? I mean she would probably want you guys to take care of her, after all I'm the one who broke her heart."
Angela reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to him. "The paramedics found this in her purse. She had one for me as well that's how I knew what she wanted. You should read it."
"Angela, I don't know what to say. I mean I'm the one who ran off without any regards to her and how she must have felt."
"Just read it Booth."
"Okay. You should sit with her. I'm going to the chapel for a minute."
"You should go see your daughter."
"I will but I have to go do something before I do."
"Okay." Angela and Hodgins turned and walked into Brennan's room while Booth turned and walked toward the chapel.
He walked in the chapel he sat on the bench toward the front. He looked at the envelope and sighed. "I can do this. I have to for Bones." He opened the envelope and pulled out a letter addressed to him. A tear formed in his eye as he read.
Dear Booth,
I wish I could give this letter to you in person but I have this feeling that's not going to happen. I know I said there was no such thing as a gut feeling but ever since you left I've had this gut feeling like something is going to happen to me before you come home. I wanted to tell you since that day that I love you. I've loved since the day we met but I was afraid. I've never been in love and before I met you I didn't even know it existed. You taught me how to love. You taught how to believe and trust in people again. I wish I can be wrapped in your arms again like before. Every time you hugged me, even though you called them guy hugs, I just felt safe like nothing could hurt me. When you left I felt broken and I started to put back the walls you tore down. I was hurt and scared but I still love Booth. I forgive you for leaving.
He paused and wiped the tears from his eyes. How can she forgive me just like that? She still loves me. He sighed once more and began reading again.
I have something to tell you and you every right to be mad at me. I never went to Maluku. I was halfway there when I started feeling sick. I called Angela and she told me to go to a doctor before I get on another plane. I stayed in a motel that night and the next morning I went to see a doctor. He told me I was six weeks pregnant. The next thing I knew I was on a plane headed back to DC. Angela tried to get me to tell her why I came back but all I told her was that they found someone else and I wanted to stay home because I would miss you too much and that's when she told me you went back to the army. I felt like my heart was ripped into. You never told me and for a while I was angry with you but eventually I forgave you after all you are the one that helped me forgive my father and Russ for abandoning me. I thought being at the lab was going to help me pass the time but I felt I hurt more. It made me think of you more and after a while I had to leave the one place I called home for many years. It just didn't fell like home without you there. The truth is Booth that you're my home and you are also the love of my life. I've been in North Carolina with Russ and Dad for the past four months. I've grown stronger and my love for you has made me see what need to do. We are going to have a daughter Booth. If something ever happens to me I want you to raise her and when the time comes I want you to tell her how I loved her more then my own life. I want you to teach her what a good person I was and how if I had the choice I would go back and change it all to where we would be a family, together. I want her name to be Christine, Christine Angela Booth. I know we are not together and I know that when you read this I'll probably be dead but I want you to know that no one has loved anyone more than I've loved you. Please take care of our daughter Booth. I love you.
Love,
Temperance "Bones" Brennan
He looked up from the letter with tears in his eyes. I love you too Bones. He sat on his knees and prayed. "God please don't let her die. I love her with all my heart. I need her. Our daughter needs her. Please let her live. I will do anything if I could just take it all back. I was an idiot for leaving her. Please God don't take her away from me."
He sighed then stood up and walked out the chapel.
AN HOUR LATER: DC HOSPITAL ICU
It was a long time before Booth went back to her room. As he walked the halls he thought about what she wrote and how he is supposed to accept the fact that she may never wake up. God how am I supposed to move on without her? How do I raise our daughter without her? She has to pull through this. He finally came to the doorway of her room where he seen Angela looking over her best friend with tear filled eyes.
"I'm sorry I've been gone so long." He walked over and wrapped his arm around her.
"It's okay Booth I understand." She laid her head against his shoulder.
"I just had to think for a minute."
"You read the letter didn't you?"
"Yeah I did. I never knew she felt that way. She loved me and I abandoned her. I was so stupid to leave."
"Don't beat yourself up big guy. It wasn't your fault this happened."
"No but I'm the cause for everything else. If only I would have given her more time. If I would have been patient then maybe just maybe she would have told me. I could have been there for her."
"Bren was always the one to hide what she was feeling you of all people should know that by now."
"I know Angela. I was stupid for thinking that her feelings for me would change. In the letter she wrote me, she said she loved me. She said she loved me more than anyone could love anyone. I should have asked her instead of jumping to conclusions."
"What do you mean jumping to conclusions?" She let his arm fall and she turned to stare him in the eyes.
He sighed. "I thought she would tell you."
"Bren never said anything about why you two became distant. She hardly talked to me after a while. It wasn't until I said you went back did she start talking to me again. She asked me when did you go and why. I told her I didn't know and then she told me she was going to Maluku in two days and she will be gone for a year, maybe more. I tried to get her stay but she left and it wasn't until she called me and said she was headed back to DC did I realize what happened."
"But what about that whole episode in my office a couple weeks before that?"
"I knew why you stopped talking. She got scared because she didn't know how to be in a serious relationship and you thought she backed out. Taffet's trial made her see things that she was afraid of admitting. She came to talk to me after the trial was over and I could tell something was wrong."
"She did?"
"Brennan told me that you guys got together two days before me and Hodgins was in jail during the case with that witch. She even told me about that night in front of Hoover when you asked to give it a chance and she turned it down. She said she told you she made a mistake and she wanted to give it a shot, take it slow."
"She did tell me she made a mistake. She wanted to give us a chance and we did. We took it slow for two weeks, well except for that one night."
"What night?" She looked at him with a confused look.
"It was the night before we started working on the case of the missing ten year old boy. I went over to see Bones and let her know I asked Carolyn to drop my charges. I could just tell that the trial was taking its toll on her. She told me she had nightmares. I wrapped my arms around her and just let her sob in my arms."
"I never knew how bad it affected her."
"She never liked to show it. Angela she told me she was scared and she was afraid something could happen that could tear us apart. I told her I would make sure that never happened. I don't think she believed me."
"All that matters is you tried."
"I'm not one to talk about my personal life but I did more than try.
"What do you mean?"
"I spent the night and just held her in my arms. It broke my heart to see her like that Angela. I wanted to make her feel better so I bent down to kiss her and one thing led to another and the next thing I know Bones is telling me she needs some space to access everything. This was after Taffet's trial ended."
"Bren never said anything about that night. She never even told me you guys slept together."
"I think I made a mistake by pushing her in a relationship in the first place."
"No Booth, you're wrong. She needed to be pushed. Yes she got scared but it wasn't something you did. It was all about the trial. When she came to talk and told me you guys got together she also told me that she was scared of losing you. She told me that she seen what happened when you two were just partners, and she said to imagine what could happen if you were more than that. She loved you so much then that she risked it all just to keep you safe."
"So that's why she asked for space?"
"She thought that if she had space then maybe you wouldn't be hurt. I mean for the past few years you guys had so many bad things happen and I think they finally caught Bren up to reality. She wanted time to get away from the heartache, that's why she stopped working on cases for a while. She wasn't even considering going to Maluku until she heard you went back to the army. One of her friends emailed the info to her. They wanted her to be involved but only as a consultant. She never wanted to go."
"What? But I thought…" He paused and sat down beside Brennan's bed.
"You thought what Booth?"
"I came to the lab to talk to Bones and I overheard you and her talking. The last thing I heard was that she said she would love to go to Maluku. I thought she was going to a dig again and run away like all the other times. I didn't know she was going to stay."
"So that's what you meant by jumping to conclusions?"
"Yeah. I made a mistake Angela. This is all my fault. If I hadn't left then maybe Bones wouldn't have tried to go to Maluku in the first place and then she wouldn't have been dealing with this all by herself. I should have been there for her. I'm the reason she is in the hospital in the first place." Tears poured from his eyes.
"Booth, it's not your fault. We all make mistakes. They make us stronger."
"I don't see her coming out of this Angela." He laid his hand on Brennan's.
"We have to have faith that she will."
"How can I have faith when all I feel is regret?"
"You just do."
Suddenly Hodgins came bursting in the room. "I hate ruining this moment but you would want to know Max and Russ are coming. Cam called Max and told him what happened. They'll be here in a few minutes."
Angela turned to Booth. "You have to leave."
"What? No, I'm not leaving her Angela. I did that once and I'm not going to leave her anymore."
"I meant you have to leave her room. Why don't you go to the NICU and see your daughter? Jack can show you where it is."
"I don't want to leave her. What if something happens while I'm gone?"
"Max will kill you if he sees you. I'll let you know if anything happens."
"Okay." Booth stood up and bent down to kiss Brennan's forehead. He walked over to the door and turned around toward Angela.
"If she wakes up before I'm back, tell her I'm here and that I love her."
"She might not wake up Booth but I'll tell her."
"Thank you." He back around and walked out the door.
PRESENT: DC HOSPITAL NICU
Booth and Hodgins walked up to the entrance of the NICU. Hodgins turned and looked at Booth.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"I don't know. All I know is that I have to do this for Bones. She wants me to raise our daughter no matter what happens so I have to be ready no matter what."
"Okay G man."
They walked through the doors. A nurse met them at the desk.
"Can I help you?"
Hodgins sighed and said, "We're here to see Christine."
"Okay right this way."
As they walked Booth felt his heart sink in his chest. He could hardly breathe. He looked at all the little babies in the unit and his heart broke for all the parents who have to go through similar things as he is. They walked a little further until they were beside the place where the little girl was. Booth looked at his daughter for the first time and his heart broke even more.
She was so tiny and there was a breathing tube hooked up to her. His brown eyes filled up with tears. She had a full head of auburn colored hair, the same color as her mother's. He watched her chest rise and fall at each breath she took. She was the most amazing thing he ever saw.
"She's beautiful." The tears fell from his eyes.
The nurse smiled and looked at Booth. "She's healthy but were she was premature we put the breathing tube in just in case. They had to do an emergency c section but in a few weeks she should be healthy enough to go home."
"I thought the glass that was in Brennan's side caused more damage."
"It missed her by two inches. They got it out before there was any harm to the baby."
"How is that possible?"
Hodgins laid his hand on Booth's shoulder. "Let's just call it a miracle."
"Okay."
"Look G man are you okay if I go check on Angela. Do you want to go back and see Brennan?"
"It's okay, go check on her. I want to stay here for a minute. I'll be down in a second."
"Okay." Hodgins turned and walked out the NICU leaving a mesmerized Booth to watch his daughter.
PRESENT DAY: DC HOSPITAL ICU
When Hodgins got back to Brennan's room he saw Max and Russ standing by her bedside talking to Angela.
Angela heard him coming and she looked at him with tear filled eyes.
"Did something happen while I was gone," he asked her; "I was only gone for a second."
"No, Max was just telling about how Brennan was acting while in North Carolina."
Curious he walked over to his wife and asked, "How did she act?"
Max sighed and told Hodgins what he had just explained to Angela. "The moment she got there I knew something was wrong, I just couldn't put my finger on it at the time. She didn't act like herself. She was always going to bed early and she was sleeping through the late afternoon and Tempe was always one who would go to bed late and wake up early."
Russ chimed in on his part of the story. "One day me and Dad convinced her to go to the park. It was nice out and Amy and the girls went with us. All Tempe did was sit on a bench and watched the girls play. It wasn't until Amy started noticing that she was acting strange did we finally confront her."
"Really," Angela asked; "What did Amy say?"
"She just asked if Tempe was okay and if it had something to do with Booth."
"Oh!"
"Yeah, anyways Amy went over and sat beside her. She just went to see if she was okay. They sat there in silence for a few minutes then Amy asks her if something was wrong. All Tempe said was that she hasn't been feeling like herself lately. Then Amy whispered something in her ear and the only thing I seen was Tempe looking at Amy with a look of guilt and then Amy giving her a hug. I didn't know what she asked her until a week later."
"What did she ask her?"
"Well me and Dad were watching the girls while Amy and Tempe went out for what Amy called a girl's day or something. I don't know what happened while they were gone but when they came back Tempe had this smile stretched across her face. It was the first time I'd seen my sister smile in a long time. That night after putting the girls to sleep, we all were sitting in the living room. Amy and Tempe were talking while me and Dad were watching the game. The next thing I know Tempe is telling us that she is sorry for the way she has been acting and that she hasn't been herself since the case of the serial killer that buried her alive."
"I think it affected her more than she showed," Angela said.
Max spoke again, "I wished I would have realized how bad it hurt her. Anyways that night she said that from now on she is going to be stronger and no longer live with regrets because the one thing she regrets in life she can never take back. She never said what it was but I knew what she was talking about."
"What do mean?"
"I knew there was something different about her and Booth the moment I walked in the halls of the court house. I noticed that he would sit closer to her and when neither of them was testifying they would hold hands. I thought that maybe he was trying to comfort her because I knew how she felt toward the case. Booth was very protective of her and then all of that changed. After I said goodbye to Tempe I walked away but I turned around and watched her and Booth's conversation. She said she needed more than a little time and Booth tried to reassure her."
"Booth thought she was backing out maybe changing her mind about them being in a relationship."
"I guess he didn't realize it wasn't the relationship she needed space from but from the life of pain and heartache she has dealt with since they met."
"I think he does now."
"Can I ask you a question Angela?"
"Sure Russ."
"Did you know Tempe was pregnant?"
She sighed as a single tear ran down her cheek. "I didn't. If I had known I wouldn't have let her go alone."
"The night she said she was going to be stronger and stop living life with regrets she acted like she had something bigger on her mind. Amy seemed like she knew the whole time what was on her mind too. That's when Tempe finally got up and walked over to her bag and pulled out a picture. She sat back down and handed us the photo. It was a copy of a sonogram. I mean you couldn't even tell she was pregnant that or she was good at hiding it. She said that that was reason why she and Amy went out. She didn't want to keep hiding anymore."
"She would have been what almost four months along so it would have been hard to hide."
"She said she it was a girl and that she wanted to name it after mom. She said she would do whatever it takes to be a good mother to her. A couple months later she said she's leaving and going back to DC. Dad tried to talk her into staying at least until the baby was born but she said she needed to explain things. She left and we didn't know if she made it until Cam called us an hour ago."
"I'm sorry Russ."
They looked toward the hospital bed where the woman they all love lied lifeless and unmoving.
"Is Booth here," Max asked; "As much as I want to kill him for causing my daughter pain, he should be here with her."
"He's in the NICU seeing his daughter."
"Wait his daughter," Russ asked; "What do you mean?"
"Russ, Tempe was pregnant with Booth's kid," Max answered.
"She never said anything about who the father was, although I could guess it was Booth's but they always denied any feelings for each other."
"They got together a week or so before the trial. No one knew and before anyone could suspect anything they split."
"Why?"
"Something tells me only Brennan and Booth know the reason why and I think Booth is so focused on seeing her pull through this that his afraid of saying anything."
"That sounds like Booth," Hodgins said.
At that moment Booth walked through the door. "Did I just hear my name?" As soon as he seen Max his heart stopped.
"Hello Max."
"Hello Booth."
He walked over and stood by the edge of the bed. He glanced down at the woman he loved and smiled. Without realizing where he was and who was in the room he bent down and kissed her forehead. "I'm back Temperance. I saw our daughter. She's beautiful. She looks just like you Bones. You need to pull through this. I want us to be a family. Chris needs her mother, she need you. I need you."
Max cleared his throat.
Booth looked up and sighed. "I know what you're going to say Max. I screwed up. I can't change the past the only thing I can do is look for the future. I have to pray that she'll pull through this. She is the only future for me."
"I may hate you for hurting her the way you did but for some strange reason I believe you. I knew you loved her in some way the moment I met you. I just didn't know how much until that night."
"Care to explain?"
"The night after the trail, I seen you two talking. I heard her say she might need more than a little time and you tried to talk her down. I guess that's when I knew you loved her."
"I don't know what to say Max."
"When she gets through this I want you to promise me something."
"Okay."
"I want you to promise me that you'll take care of her. She needs you and no matter what she says you have to promise that you won't abandon her again. You have a daughter to think of now too. You keep them safe."
"I promise Max. I'm never leaving again. There is nothing in this world that is going to make me leave otherwise. I love her Max. I really love her."
"I know son." Max placed a hand on Booth's shoulder. "If you need anything I'm just a phone call away."
"Thanks Max."
Angela sighed. "We're going to go see Christine and then head home, but we'll be back tomorrow."
"Okay," Booth replied.
"Call if you need anything."
Booth nodded.
"Russ and I are going to go too. I want to see my granddaughter."
The four of them walked out of the room leaving Booth alone with the woman he's loved for years.
He sat in the chair beside her bed and held her hand softly. Slowly after a while he drifted off to sleep.