Light. Blazing, white, painful, humming light.
~Why do they always use fluorescent light bulbs anyway? Ugh... my head. What happened? Last I remember... Booth, car... BOOTH! Where is Booth? What happened? Why isn't he here? Or is he? Did he make it out? ~
Frantic thoughts rushed through Brennan's mind, as the ache in her skull took on new levels of painful proportions.
"Oh, I see you are awake. Good thing too. There are a few people pacing in the lounge, waiting to see you." The cheerful, older nurse had come into the room. As she checked vital signs and monitors, Brennan looked at her. Focused on the soft green of her uniform, a much welcomed distraction from the bleakly monotonous, white walls.
"Wh...where am I?" The words were difficult to get out; her face was both numb and painful.
"DC General. ER doc's found a nasty bump on your head Dr. Brennan. Scrapes on your arms, some bruises. Try not to move too much. I imagine it will make the headache worse, the pain medications were started a little while ago. You should be able to feel the effects shortly." Efficiently fluffing the pillow, the nurse went on, "These lights probably aren't helping either, hon. Why they insist on them, I don't know."
Turning the lights off, she cracked the window blinds a little. "If you are up for it, I can sneak a friend in here."
She briskly left the room, muttering about family only policies, and how they hurt other loved ones.
Left alone, with only the beeping machines and her racing, incoherent thoughts, Brennan started to panic. The only image that was clear in her mind was of her partner barreling into her.
The door opened quietly. Silent as a shadow, Angela walked in with an armload of flowers. Looking at her best friend, her small body lost in the hospital bed. Light bandages and bruises visible on her hands, arms and head. Periwinkle eyes staring blankly terrified at the ceiling, trapped in fear of the unknown.
"Sweetie..."
The word was practically whispered, but it sounded immensely loud compared to the metallic beeps. Brennan flinched at the new noise, but turned to face the one person who would not hide the truth from her.
"Ang... where is Booth? Why isn't he here?"
"Ah... well... sweetie, he was banged up pretty bad from what the doctors say. They... they have him in another room. Do you remember anything from the accident?" She took a recorder from her bag. Angela really hoped that she could recall something.
Brennan's face tensed in concentration.
"You only have to do this once sweetie. Cullen gave me the recorder, so they will have your statement on tape."
Memories flashed. To fast to sink in. She remembered the case. More threats from her father's enemies. Booth's insistence that he stay in her apartment (again), to protect her. That last break from Zack and Hodgins as to where this monster was hiding. Bits and pieces of the drive to the warehouse came next in her mind. Lights flashing, high speed, calling for back up, and calmly relaying the address to dispatch.
"We got there first; Booth was driving," her fingers clutched her blanket; as if remembering the sudden turns and stops.
"It was dark. But we could see shadows of lights inside. We used a side door to enter. He gave me a gun then. Didn't even have to ask." Brennan was whispering, a sad, and ragged sound.
"The suspect was loading a truck. Dark truck. Couldn't see the plate. Then we heard the sirens of our backup. He started to swear, threw a bag in, and climbed up. Booth came out from where we were, stood in the truck's path and started his speech. You know the one... Get out of the car with your hands up... I came to stand at his left. I heard the engine kick on... it roared at Booth. He repeated himself, and then told me to step away, just in case. The headlights came on, they blinded me. The truck started to come towards us, swerving at me. I remember Booth pushing me, hard; away from the lights."
Brennan was starting to fade. Her voice was getting softer, sleepier. The pain medications were doing their job.
"I remember his eyes were closed. He was going to jump towards me, to keep me safe. I felt a... a hit, a thud; I don't know what it was. Everything... went... dark..."
Angela hit stop on the recorder. Held her friend's hand. "Oh sweetie, I can't imagine what it was like. The doctor tells us that his condition is stable. He is still unconscious. Cam has been with him all day."
Brennan slumped further back into the pillows. Her brain was foggy, darkness crept up on her.
"I should be there... he always protects me Ang... I should be there for him." And then the darkness took her.
Angela's worried expression softened. A knowing grin spread across her strong face.
"You'll do that Bren, I know you will. Cam just better watch out."
"How long was I out?"
"About two days. Feel like you're back for good? You scared us." Hodgins got out of the surprisingly comfortable, bedside chair. "You look like hell, by the way."
"I feel like I almost hit by a truck," She tried to grin. "Is Booth...?" Fear climbed in her eyes.
"He's still out cold. Parker came yesterday with his mom. Not pretty. He asked about you."
Distracted, she replied, "The walls don't hurt my head anymore... think they'll let me go somewhere?"
"I doubt it. But when have authority figures ever stopped you from doing something you want to do?" His blue eyes danced, she would only want to go to one place and the thought of anyone telling his boss what not to do, especially where Booth was concerned was comical.
"Well, it's not like I want to leave the country... I want to see Booth. He's my partner, and I have to be there for him. I need to see him." The last was a practically whispered plea.
Realizing to late how that sounded, Brennan tried to back track. "I mean... I should be there, right?"
Hodgins grinned. Of course she did not remember her nightmares of the past two days. She had been muttering warnings to Booth in her sleep. To watch out. These "episodes" would usually end up with Brennan trying to get frantically out of bed, cold sweats covering her all over.
Her friends spent those long two days and nights taking turns at her bedside. Holding her hand, telling her over and over that it was ok. That they were both safe. Pleading with her to come back to reality.
After a very brief consult with the doctor, Brennan was triumphantly seated in a wheelchair; still to weak and dizzy to walk. But all she was focused on was her partner. She had to see him with her own eyes, had to touch him, make sure that he was really there. A quick look in a mirror made her glad that Angela had left a hairbrush for her to use. Clean bandages were in place, faded bruises still apparent where Booth had pushed her, and landed on her.
While being wheeled down the hall, Brennan saw a door open, and Cam stepped into the hall. Her eyes were hollow, red and tired. She turned to go toward the exit. Had to stop and do a double take.
"Dr. Brennan. No one informed me that you were awake. And you are out of bed?"
"New development today. Any change with Booth? Angela told me that you have staying close to him."
"No, no change. In fact, you should just go rest in your own room. He won't know you're there. I've been waiting since you both came in, and there has been no response. He would respond to me, you know we were.... are... special to each other."
"I want to sit with him for a while. He's done the same for me, before you took the job here," Annoyance was slipping into her voice and through her eyes. "Have a good day at work."
The nurse pushing her was chuckling with a knowing grin. She managed to get Brennan through the room's door before Cam could reply.
Frustration was building, futile emotion, she intellectually knew. Cam had seen the chemistry between the partners. Had felt, first hand, the sudden flare of heat that flared up with them at times. She had experienced the lonely ache when Booth went running after Brennan while she sat in the hospital after being poisoned. She remembered the gut twisting surge of jealousy as Booth rabidly tried to find the doctor (and Hodgins), and how he pulled her from that buried prison; his not-so-silent pleas to a higher power that she make it back to him. Cam knew right then that she had lost him. But both of them seemed oblivious to what was between them. Cam was hoping that they would remain so. It gave her more time to get close to him again. She had spent the past three days at his side; her only focus was him waking up. She had been willing him to open his eyes, to see that the woman waiting for him was her, Cam... not Brennan. That was sure to bring them closer.
But for now, Booth's partner was sitting by his side... Cam had to get back to the lab. Hopefully, he would stay asleep until she could get back... to where she belonged. At his side.
As cam left the hospital, an unwanted memory came to mind. Her asking Booth what would happen if Dr. Brennan "left" the Jeffersonian.
"I am Bones' man all the way Cam, remember that."
She prayed he just stayed asleep.