Confusion

Dr. Temperance Brennan couldn't remember having ever slept on such an uncomfortable cot on any of her previous dig expeditions. She felt every muscle in her body and wondered how she could have become so stiff and sore in only a few days. After all, this wasn't her first dig; she was accustomed to spending a long day bent over dusty bones on her haunches or balanced precariously on an unstable camp stool on the few occasions when there had been enough room for such a luxury in the excavation trenches. In the distance, she heard someone repeating her name. She dozed off again, but was soon awakened by the painful muscle strain she'd obviously incurred from yesterday's work.

Why was her head so muddled? She felt as though her mouth was filled with cotton balls or dry crackers from that game she and Russ had once played, trying to say "Chubby Bunny" with crumbs falling out as they spoke. Their mom had scolded the pair for scattering cracker fragments all over the living room carpet which she had just vacuumed for Thanksgiving dinner the next day….. She grinned to herself at the memory, but soon grimaced. It hurt to smile even slightly. There was that voice again, calling to her…. "Bones, Bones," Whoever was speaking to her sounded so sad.

There was definitely something peculiar going on. Her thoughts were as jumbled as her dreams had been. She opened one eye to survey her tent. Perhaps the extremely humid heat was affecting her…. "Humph! This is no tent, there are white ceiling tiles above me, not taut canvas. Wha-? Why is there an IV stand next to my shoulder?"

She opened the other eye. Seated next to her, his head bowed, hand clasping hers, was Booth.

Hearing her stir, he looked up. His eyes were smudged by dark circles; his face was drawn.

"You're awake. Thank God, finally. Thought we'd lost you; been so worried. God, I love you…."

"Wha' happened, Booth? Ina hospital? Was dreamin' bout a dig…. not sure where…."

Brennan's mouth was so dry, her tongue wouldn't function properly.

"Water?"

"Oh, gosh, sure, sorry, here lemme give you a few ice chips, and I'll ask if you can have something to drink; maybe some pudding too," Booth gave her a weak smile.

Allowing the ice to melt in her mouth, Brennan tried again.

"Why am I here? What happened?"

"There was an explosion at the lab. Kovac's handiwork. You don't remember? I was under the platform trying to defuse his bomb with Hodgins' help, and cut the trip wire, but it was set on electronic repeat. Yelled for everyone to get out, but it went off too fast. It knocked you unconscious. I found you lying in a field of shattered glass fragments. Thank goodness they installed safety glass or you'd be cut worse than you are. You've been out for three days, Bones."

"Your face is bandaged, Booth. What injured you?"

"Not sure, it happened so fast, and things were falling. The catwalk collapsed. We're lucky more people weren't injured worse. Arastoo's arm was broken, Hodgins' ankle was caught under a railing from the platform," Booth told her.

"Angela?"

"She's okay, and so is the baby. No harm there. Choked up from some dust and debris, but fortunately the lab's air filtration system cleared it faster than I'd have thought possible.

"I don't remember anything…."

"Not surprising, you sustained a concussion, Bones. Just had to go back for the evidence, huh?"

"Evidence?"

"You said you'd figured out how to track Kovac,"

"Kovac?"

"I guess I'd better let the doctor know you're awake. I think they need to check your head again, Bones."

"Well, if I figured anything out, it's gone now," Brennan said wryly.

"Hey, you're making a joke; that's a good sign."

"S'not funny, Booth. If there's a bad guy out there, we gotta catch him."

"Everyone's working on that, Bones. Your job right now is to recover. Then we'll catch the bad guy," Booth said. "The REALLY bad guy," he muttered under his breath as he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Where's Max? Has he got the kids with him?" Brennan asked.

Booth gulped, then took a deep breath.

"Not at the moment, Bones. One thing at a time. Lemme get the doctor in here, okay?"

"Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones? Whatcha need?"

"Kiss me again, Booth; not on the forehead. I'm not six!"

"That's my girl!"

"I'm not your girl, either!"

A/N: This popped into my head while I was stewing over the fact that Bones is OVER after tonight. Sigh a million times. While I don't know the medical condition of any of the people trapped by the emergency doors sealing shut, it's a pretty good bet they suffered some injuries, and that closing scene of a bleeding Booth speaking to his prone silent wife wasn't a good sign either. Four more hours, folks...