A/N - I can't figure out why the entire title of this story won't show up in the header, but it's called Hidden Wounds. Maybe it will show up correctly when I post it. In any case, I haven't written too much Bones fic, and would love any thoughts on how I'm portraying the characters.

She observed Booth cautiously make his way back toward the hospital bed, avoiding any sudden movements that might further aggravate his injuries. The slight grimace he made with each step could easily be attributed to his ribs or collarbone, but one glance at the cold, hard, tile floor brought another possibility to mind. She waited through the arduous process of him readjusting to the bed before posing her question.

"Does anyone else know about your…" she struggled for a term that didn't sound too scientific, "war wounds?"

Booth let out a soundless laugh. "You mean do I know anyone else that would go through my personal medical records?" he asked derisively. Discussing this once had been more than enough for him. It was only the pudding that had made it tolerable then. He stared at her fully, hoping she'd picked up something about body language to get his full meaning. "No. No one else knows."

Chagrined, her eyes dropped. "I'm sorry, Booth. I was intrigued by the x-rays, seeing how the…"

"It's okay," he cut her off sharply as he grabbed the remote and focused intensely on the rapidly changing channels.

Feeling as though a door had been shut in her face, she was determined to reopen it. Slowly she stood, turned, and then sat on the edge of his bed, taking his hand in hers. Eyes wary, Booth pulled back, asking, "Bones, what are you doing?"

"Partners share things. Builds trust, right?" Her tone, though soft, demanded his attention. She reached again for his hand and this time brought it to the hairline at the nape of her neck. "Go up an inch or so," she directed, watching his face go from confused to concerned as his fingers found the scar. "It's about four inches long." She went on to explain, "In one of the homes I was in, they really didn't like that I was smarter than they were. Always showing off, they said." She could sense his fingers running over the length of the healed wound. "He'd hit me before, but not as hard, or maybe I lost my balance. Jeannie was taking something out of the oven and when I fell…" her voice trailed off, her forehead creased with the effort of trying to recall the mostly ignored memory. "I know they didn't tell the truth at the hospital, but I don't clearly remember what did happen."

Booth shifted his hand from behind her head until it gently cupped her cheek. "I'm sorry, Bones. That shouldn't have happened."

"Yours either," she reminded him, mentally adding his more recent injuries to the former ones. Closing her eyes she sighed wearily. "Maybe tomorrow you won't get blown up and I won't get held at gunpoint."

She heard him chuckle softly and opened her eyes to see her partner smiling at her. "Yeah, Bones. That'd be good."