The Vomit Comet: A Bones fan fiction
Disclaimer: Bones belongs to FOX and Hart Hanson, not me. Wish Seeley Booth belonged to me though.
Summary: A missing moment from "The Spaceman in the Crater"
Pairing: B & B
"C'mon, what are you going to vomit when you come across one of those horrific cases?"
"I don't vomit."
"Give it time Bones. Everything happens eventually."
"Everything?"
"All the stuff that you think is never going to happen…It happens, you just gotta be ready for it."
Bones & Booth, "The Boneless Bride in the River"
Special Agent Seeley Booth was glad that he hadn't yet had lunch when he and Bones stepped off the zero gravity space simulator. But his heart went out to his partner, who looked as pale as the sheets on the examination tables at the morgue.
"Hey Bones, you all right? You look a little green."
"It's scientifically impossible for one's skin to be green."
"I know that Bones. It's an expression."
"Well, I don't know what that means."
"It means that you look sick Bones." Booth said as he and Brennan walked back to the car.
Bones let out an exasperated sigh, "I'm fine Booth. Let's just get back to the lab."
The ride back to the Jeffersonian was uneventful and Booth missed the constant bickering that always took place between he and his partner on the way to and from a crime scene.
As they walked onto the lab platform Brennan took the lead, interrogating Angela, Zach and Hodgins about what they'd discovered during her absence.
"You don't look so good sweetie. Is everything okay?" Angela asked as she gave her friend a concerned glance.
"Thank God, someone else noticed it too," Booth said as he swiped his security card through the reader and followed Brennan onto the platform.
Rolling her eyes at both her partner and her best friend, Brennan slipped on her blue lab coat and latex gloves like a second skin and then turned to examine the astronaut's remains on the table before her.
Seconds later Brennan's gloved hand was cupped against her mouth and she was running off the platform in the opposite direction.
Without a word Booth exited the platform and followed his partner, until she disappeared into the ladies' room.
Booth stood outside the door, listening for a moment but heard nothing. He knocked softly and after a moment pushed the door open and walked inside glancing quickly underneath the stall doors to make sure there was no one else in the room.
"C'mon Bones, don't try to hide from me. I saw you walk in here."
Booth was silent for a moment and waited for her reply. And sure enough it echoed throughout the room.
"I'm not hiding Booth! I'm just…"
Her explanation was interrupted but the sound of vomiting. Booth winced at the noise and walked toward the stall, where he recognized his partner's feet.
Booth opened the door, bracing himself for her protests but to his surprise there were none. Not even when he crouched down beside her and held her hair back while she vomited.
"What did I tell you Bones? Everything happens eventually. A ride in the comet and those remains were a bad combination."
"It wasn't the remains or the simulator Booth!" Brennan said weakly before she started retching again.
"Okay, Bones you win. Just take it easy, all right?"
Booth started to rub soothing circles across her back and shoulders until she finished throwing up and sat back against the wall of the stall, exhausted.
"Feel better?" Booth whispered softly.
Brennan shook her head, "I'm having abdominal pain."
Booth thought about her words for a moment and then spoke, "So in English that means that your stomach hurts right?"
Brennan nodded as Booth touched her flushed cheeks and then her forehead. "You're burning up."
"I don't know what that means." Brennan said as she got to her feet and rinsed her mouth and washed her hands at the closest sink.
"It means that you have a fever Bones. Now c'mon I'm taking you home."
"I'm fine…I'll just lie down on the couch in my office for a few minutes."
"No, if I fall for that you'll get up and start working the minute I turn my back."
"Don't be ridiculous, Booth I'm perfectly…" Brennan was unable to finish her sentence as she cried out in pain and nearly fell to the floor again.
Booth turned to face Brennan once more, "Okay scratch home. We're going to the hospital." Before she could protest Booth lifted his partner into his arms.
"Booth, what are you doing?" Brennan called out in surprise.
"Bones, you can barely walk and you're obviously hurting so for once just don't say anything about my alpha male tendencies okay?"
Booth didn't wait for her to respond and ignored the strange looks he got from the squints as he walked out of the ladies' room and back to the lab with Brennan in his arms.
Booth looked at each member of the brain trust. "Bones is sick…I'm taking her to the hospital."
Angela was the first to voice her concern, "Bren, sweetie what's wrong?"
Brennan mumbled something against Booth's shoulder that none of them could understand as she struggled to put on her coat.
It was Booth who replied, "I'll call when I know something."
At the hospital, the emergency room nurse took one look at Brennan and called for a doctor.
The doctor led Booth back behind a large curtain and told Booth to lay Brennan on the gurney.
"What seems to be the problem here?" The doctor asked.
"It's Dr Brennan…Dr. Temperance Brennan." Brennan mumbled.
Booth rolled his eyes but the doctor just smiled, "All right then, Dr. Brennan. What brings you here today?"
"I'm experiencing abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever."
"I see. Well, let me examine you." The doctor began touching Brennan's abdomen and Booth's eyes remained glued on the other man's hands as they skimmed across her belly button.
When Brennan hissed through her teeth and held back a cry of pain, Booth immediately got to his feet and took her hand and held it tight.
After a moment the doctor looked up. "I'd like to draw some blood and take an x-ray of your abdomen Temperance. It's good that you came in today. It appears that you have an acute case of appendicitis. I'd like to prep you right away for emergency surgery."
"Are you sure that's necessary?" Brennan asked with an edge of worry in her tone.
"Would you just listen to the man with the medical degree Bones?" Booth said with her voice filled with his trademark sarcasm.
The doctor couldn't help but laugh before he looked from Brennan to Booth and back again. "So how long have you two been dating?"
Booth shook his head emphatically, "Wildly outta line, doc. We're not dating."
"Definitely not," Brennan chimed in. "We're partners. We work together."
"I apologize for the assumption but to answer your question Dr. Brennan, appendicitis is quite a serious condition. If left untreated the appendix could rupture, which can be potentially fatal."
"Now, if you'd just wait for the nurse to wait for the nurse who comes and does your blood work. If you'll fill out these forms and change into a gown…I'll take you to the operating room shortly."
Once the doctor had left and pulled the curtain closed Booth turned to his partner, "I'll just step outside so you can get changed Bones."
He turned to leave but heard Brennan's voice call out to him softly. "No, Booth please stay…I'm going to fill out the forms first. And I'd like to talk to you before I go into the knife."
Booth chuckled and put his arm around his partner, "It's under the knife, Bones. And I know you won't admit that you're scared but you'll be okay. They probably do a hundred of these surgeries a day."
Temperance looked up from the clipboard that she was writing on, "Do you really think so Booth?"
"Absolutely. I'd bet my life on it, Bones. You'll be back to identifying remains at the lab in no time!"
"Could you call Russ and tell him what's happening? His number's in my cell phone. And Angela has my power of attorney just in case…"
"Hey, don't talk like that Bones. I told you're going to be fine."
"I'm just trying to be realistic Booth. With any surgical procedure there's always a risk of death."
Booth crossed himself and said a silent pray for his partner. Bless her and keep her safe Lord.
"Okay, I'll call your brother and Angela. Anything else?"
"Yes, could you turn around so I can change?"
Booth did as she asked but was tempted to look over his shoulder. He'd have to be blind not to notice how beautiful she was.
After a moment, Brennan spoke, "All right you can turn around now. These garments certainly don't cover much of the human body."
"I think that's the idea, Bones." He replied as he noticed the goosebumps on her arms and gently settled her jacket over her shoulders.
They both fell silent and moments later a nurse entered the room to collect Brennan's medical history forms and draw her blood. The nurse's voice was filled with false cheerfulness and did little to ease Brennan's mind. The doctor who'd examined her early suddenly appeared in the room.
"Okay Temperance, we're ready for you. Go ahead and climb up on the gurney. Your friend can walk with us to the operating room doors if you'd like."
Brennan's heart pounded in her chest and she heard her blood rush to her ears. Her hands were shaking and suddenly it was hard to breathe. Tears welled in her eyes.
A second later Booth's familiar face appeared as he leaned over the gurney and took her hand as he followed the doctor and nurses toward the operating room.
"Shh, Temperance. Everything's gonna be all right. I'll be right here when you wake up. And so will Angela and probably the rest of the squints too."
The operating room doors loomed ahead of them and the nurse turned to Booth. "This is as far as you can go sir. You're free to wait in the surgical waiting room on the third floor."
Booth nodded and looked at Brennan. "I'll see you in a bit Bones." Booth released her hand and bent down to kiss her forehead. And then with a flash of his trademark Seeley Booth smirk, he turned and headed in the opposite direction.
When Booth finally made it to the surgical waiting room he met a very frazzled Angela Montenegro.
"Booth, where's Brennan? Is she okay?"
"Hey Angela, I was just going to call you. Bones is okay…she has appendicitis…she's in surgery."
"How long ago?"
"It should be a couple of hours."
"I'm surprised she let you bring her here. She hates hospitals."
Booth chuckled, "Yeah well I wasn't really taking no for an answer. She looked terrible and besides the doctor said that left untreated it could have been fatally.
Angela shuddered at the thought of losing her best friend.
"Thank you Booth…for always looking out for her…for caring about her…and for loving her."
Booth opened his mouth to protest the last part of Angela's statement but she cut him off.
"Don't even try to deny it, I know you do."
Booth nodded. "You're right, I do love her. I'm just not sure how to tell her. My track record isn't so great when it comes to relationships. I mean first there was Rebecca, then Tessa, and Cam."
"And for Brennan there was Michael, David, and who could forget Sully? But just be honest with her Booth. She feels the same way about you. I know she does."
Suddenly Booth's curiosity was piqued and he looked expectantly at Angela.
"How do you know? Did she say something to you?"
Angela just smiled, "She didn't have to. I'm going to go call Jack and Zach and let them know what's going on."
Nearly two hours later, the doctor who'd treated Brennan finally stepped out of the operating room and into the surgical waiting area.
Booth was on his feet immediately and Angela looked at the doctor with a concerned expression.
"How is she?"
"We removed her appendix successfully but I'd like to keep her here a day or two for observation because there's always a risk of post-operative infection. She's in recovery now if you'd like to see her."
Booth and Angela were so anxious to see Brennan that they nearly forgot to thank the doctor as they followed him to her room.
As they turned the corner the doctor lowered his voice, "She may be asleep or possibly a little groggy."
"Will she be in any pain?" Booth asked.
"She may experience some discomfort but we can give her medication. Just be sure she keeps movement to a minimum for at least the next several hours. We don't want her to pull any stitches."
"Keep Brennan still for hours? You really don't know her do you, doc?" Booth said sarcastically.
"If it were up to her, she'd have never left the lab." Angela agreed with a smile.
Booth and Angela paused behind the doctor in front of what they assumed was the door to Brennan's hospital room. As the doctor disappeared down the corridor, Angela and Booth entered the dimly lit room, where Brennan was indeed sleeping.
"Booth, I'm going to get her some ice chips. Her throat is probably sore from the tube."
"Good idea Angela, and hey, maybe you could track down a couple of cups of coffee."
"Will do. Take care of her. I'll be right back." Angela said softly, careful not to disturb her best friend's sleep.
Booth had just begun to grow restless, when his noticed Brennan's eyelids fluttering. Booth took her hand and tried to coax her into wakefulness.
"Temperance, it's me, Seeley. Can you hear me?"
"Booth? Where am I?" Brennan's speech was slightly slurred due to the anesthesia they'd given her during surgery.
Brennan whispered with an edge of fear in her voice despite the scratchy sensation she felt in her throat.
"You're in the hospital Bones. You just had your appendix out. How ya feeling babe?"
"My throat hurts." Brennan answered, softly.
Booth nodded, "Yeah just hang in there. Angela went to get some ice chips for you."
Brennan looked at Booth as though she wanted to say something.
"What's wrong? Does anything else hurt? Do you want something to eat?"
At the mere mention of food Brennan shook her head. "I'm not the slightest bit hungry. They brought some of that pudding that you and Jack like so much. You can have it, if you'd like."
"Thanks Bones. Is there something else on you mind besides pudding?"
"Yes there is, Booth. Why did you kiss me?"
"Because Bones…I love you so much it's gotten to the point where I can't not kiss you! You're beautiful, you're funny and squinty…and every time you're in danger on a case my heart feels like it's going to explode…"
"But I don't understand Booth. What about the line? You said partners couldn't have relationships…"
"Tell me something Bones. And be honest."
"Of course. When have you known me to be anything less?"
"Do you feel the same way? Do you love me too?"
Brennan's gaze met Booth's and held. "Yes, Booth. I do love you. The thought of you in danger disturbs me…The idea of touching your well-structured body in a romantic context is very appealing…"
"Screw the line Bones…we crossed it a long time ago." Booth said as he kissed her for the second time that day.
.
"Well it's about time!" Angela said as she placed the bucket of ice chips on the table and left the room wearing a smile the size of The Grand Canyon.
Finis