I can honestly say I have no idea where this story came from. It's a fluffy one-shot I hope you enjoy reading.
Booth strode down the stark white hall, barely able to restrain himself from breaking into a run. Around him he saw a young man in a wheelchair, an older woman hobbling on crutches and an old man being wheeled in a bed. Those images couldn't help but drive his imagination to a dark place. They had said she was fine, just a few cuts and bruises and a broken arm. But until he laid eyes on her and saw that for himself he couldn't relax and stop worrying.
He had been with some of his colleagues and friends from the FBI, watching an ice-hockey game at one of their homes, when he got the call. He didn't recognise the number but answered it nonetheless; he simply would have hung up if it had been a sales call. He wasn't prepared for the feminine voice on the other end of the phone telling him they had a Dr Temperance Brennan in Washington Memorial Hospital and that she had been in a car accident. He had immediately sat up straight on the couch, his heart pounding and his mind visualising the worst possible scenario. Barely able to form words he had croaked out a question, asking of she was alright. He didn't notice the concerned glances from his friends as he held his breath, waiting for the answer. When it came he breathed out hard and rubbed his face before gasping in another breath. He told the woman on the phone – a nurse - that he would be there as soon as he could and was out the door in a matter of seconds, ignoring the calls from his friends about where he was going and what was wrong.
As Booth neared the hospital room the nurse at the reception desk had directed him too, he tried to bring his rapid breathing under control. He hadn't allowed himself to think about why he reacted so strongly, why he had put the siren on to skip past traffic and why his heart hadn't stopped pounding since the moment he answered the call. His mind was focused on one thing; getting to Brennan.
Booth slowed down as he approached the door, knowing he couldn't appear so flustered in front of Brennan. As he stood outside the room he could see through the window and he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. She was there, dressed and ready to go, sitting sideways on the bed with her left arm in a cast, secured in a sling against her chest. She had a large bruise and cut above her eye and a scratch on her cheek. But she looked alright. She looked alert. He ran a hand over his face, took yet another deep breath and placed his hand on the door handle.
She looked at him when he walked in with what he thought was an embarrassed smile. Her eyes found his and Booth allowed a relieved smile to cross his face.
"Hey Bones." He greeted her. He was surprised to hear his voice coming out relatively normal.
"Hey." She nodded her head and strained a smile.
"You okay?" he immediately regretted asking that. Of course she wasn't okay. She was in hospital with a broken arm.
"I'm fine." She sighed. "I can't say the same about my car though." She joked lightly. Booth allowed a small laugh to pass his lips as he stepped forward and extended a hand for her to grasp as she found her feet.
"My car's outside. I'll drive you home."
"Thanks Booth." She nodded, allowing him to guide her out the room and down the hall towards the exit.
Twenty minutes later he was cruising towards her apartment. He wasn't sure if he should ask her but he couldn't stop the words coming out.
"Bones?" he asked. She turned to look at him before refocusing her gaze straight ahead. "Why did the hospital call me?" He was worried by her momentary silence and glanced over to see what emotion her face would reveal. She wasn't giving anything away as she remained focused on the road ahead.
"You're my 'in case of emergency'." She replied matter of factly. Her answer floored Booth and he glanced over at her again, a surprised look on his face.
"I am?" His voice came out sounding more surprised than he meant it too and Brennan turned to look at him.
"I probably should have mentioned it to you." She began, beginning to feel a little nervous about it. "It's just Angela was pestering me to put someone down. She told me I needed to have someone who could be contacted if anything happened. I thought about putting Angela but with her and Hodgins so busy looking for…"
"Hey Bones." Booth interrupted her ramblings with a warm smile. "I'm glad you chose me."
"It was you or Zach, and well…he can't drive." Brennan joked. Booth laughed harder this time and turned his attention back to the road. Brennan seemed to be brushing this off as no big deal but to Booth it meant the world. To him, knowing he was the one she wanted called if anything happened to her, that he was the one she wanted at her side, meant she thought of him as more than just a partner, more than just a friend. What that was he couldn't classify but it meant something.
"I didn't pull you away from anything did I?" she asked suddenly, concerned that he had left someone or something to come to her.
"Nothing important." He shrugged. Truth be told, he would rather spend his Saturday night with Brennan than watching ice-hockey game any day.
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