Title: Guardian Angel
Author: Lifeguard
Disclaimer: I own nothing! I am just borrowing the cast of Bones, I promise to return them when I am done, though you may have to pry Booth away from me.
Rating: K+ to T
Spoilers: None
Summary: A bomb leaves the Jeffersonian in ruins and Brennan clinging to life.
Author's Note: This story is not set in any particular season. Zack is still around at the lab and Sweets exists too. I was listening to "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown a lot while writing, so you may want to give it a listen too, it kind of sets a tone for the story. Also Hodgins and Angela are still together. Again, I had a dream in which this idea came to me. I had to write it down and this is the result.
Enjoy!
The mountain of paper work loomed in front of him and he sighed as he signed his name to another sheet of paper. Booth hated paper work. He had just wrapped up a case with Bones and now came the most boring part of the whole process. He wished they had a new case to investigate, but there was no such luck. He was stuck in his office facing boredom and she was in her lab probably enjoying identifying old soldiers. Glancing at his watch he rolled his eyes when he realized it was only ten in the morning, not even late enough to skip out for lunch. His mind wandered to her and he thought about picking her up at noon and heading off to the diner. The diner led to thoughts about pie and he was soon fantasizing about pie and his partner. Lost deep in daydreams he jumped when a fellow agent came tearing into his office.
"Booth! Agent Booth! Have you heard?" the younger agent demanded from the door way.
"Huh?" Booth was brought back to reality, "Heard what?"
"There was an explosion at the Jeffersonian, a big one! Cullen sent me to get you."
Booth was brought crashing down to reality, "An explosion?"
"A bomb or something, the place is a mess."
Booth was on his feet grabbing his jacket, "Where? Which section?"
"The lab."
His heart jumped and he took off at a run. As he sprinted to his car he dialed her number.
"Pick up Bones, come on, pick up," he willed but her cell phone didn't even ring, he was met with dead air. His panic level rose.
He drove at top speed, his siren blaring. As he approached his destination he could hear and see other sirens joining his. Then he saw the smoke. A huge black cloud of billowing smoke was rising up into the air above the Jeffersonian. Booth dialed Angela's number. Her voice mail answered and he hung up, trying Cam and then Hodgins, still no answers. He then reached the road block, police cars and tape blocking his way into the parking lot. He skid his car to a halt and jumped out, running to the barricade.
"Sir, you can't go any-"
He cut the cop off, shoving his badge in his face, "FBI."
Before his eyes was chaos. Fire trucks and the bomb squad were spread out in the parking lot, people were running in and out of the building. Paramedics were giving attention to people and ambulances were arriving by the dozens. Booth spun around looking for anyone who was in charge. He spotted a fire chief and the captain of the bomb squad deep in conversation and went over to them.
"Agent Booth, FBI," he flashed his badge, "I'm looking for the people you've rescued from the building, where are they?"
The captain gaped at him, "Agent Booth, we've only just begun to get the survivors out, it's bad in there."
"My guys are only securing the area, putting out the fire and making sure this place doesn't come down. We're working as fast as we can," the chief echoed.
"Why does the FBI want to know whose out?" asked the captain.
"Because my partner is in there, Dr. Brennan, she's the liaison with the FBI. Do you know where she is?"
They both shook their heads.
"I'm sorry, we're just getting them out as fast as possible right now, but we don't necessarily know who we're pulling out."
"Where are they taking the survivors?" Booth demanded, panic evident in his voice now.
"The ambulances are taking them to Washington Memorial as far as we know."
Booth took off again. As he approached the sea of ambulances he scanned the faces for people he knew. There were soot covered squints being given oxygen but none that he recognized. He looked again at the building and prayed that Bones was alright. He turned around and he saw firefighters helping a woman towards him. His eyes lit up with hope, it was Cam.
"Cam! Cam!" he called to her.
She looked up, "Booth," she coughed.
"Cam, what happened? Are you guys alright?"
She was dirty and bleeding from numerous cuts and scrapes. Her eyes showed fear and sorrow. She looked at the ground, not at him.
"Cam?"
"Booth, I don't know what happened. One minute I was in my office, the next the ground was shaking and it was black," she coughed again and her eyes filled with tears, "I honestly don't know where the others are but I hope to God they're alright. It's a war zone in there Booth."
"Sir, she needs medical attention," the firefighter told him.
"Listen, I'm going to help. I'll find you later," he touched her shoulder gently, "We'll make it through his Cam."
She searched his eyes with hers, "I hope you're right Booth."
Taking a deep breath he walked away from her and towards the doors of the Jeffersonian. He couldn't wait for the rescue teams to find the others, or to find her. So he sprinted up the walk way he knew so well not knowing what he would find.
As he got closer several firefighters yelled that he couldn't go in there, but he ignored them. He would find her, he wouldn't loose her.
Booth ran through the battered doors and towards the lab.
As he got closer the smoke and ash thickened the air and he coughed. The hallway was unrecognizable and when he finally made it to the sliding glass doors he gasped. The doors did not exist anymore; they were just shards of glass on the floor leading into what Cam had appropriately described as a war zone, but to Booth it was a nightmare. He froze in the doorway at the sight.
A gaping hole in the ceiling was all that was left of the skylight roof; the floor glistened with its remains. Desks and equipment were strewn all over but what was most disturbing to him was the mess of metal where the platform should have been. It had completely collapsed in the centre of the lab making Booth fear the worst. He knew that his partner and her team had probably been on the platform when the explosion had occurred and it made him sick to his stomach.
The thought of his Bones buried beneath the rubble shook him out of his paralysis and back into action. Booth moved towards the centre of the chaos searching for any signs of life. Other rescuers looked up at him with a curious glance but returned to their work, the lives of those at the Jeffersonian out weighed the one unqualified man helping out and they could use all the help they could get. His eyes strained through the murky air for any sign of a blue lab coat or auburn hair.
"Bones! Bones!" he called out desperately as he shoved some rubble out of his way.
A firefighter carrying a woman in his arms caught Booth's eye and he rushed over to them.
Angela lay unconscious in the professional's arms.
"Is she alright?" Booth asked, touching the artist's hand.
"She was in an office near the back. I don't think she took the worst of this. She's probably out from the shock but her vitals are stable," answered the firefighter.
Booth breathed a sigh of relief, "Did you find anyone else?"
"We're still looking. You shouldn't be in here."
"My partner is in here."
The fireman nodded in understanding and continued out the door, "Be careful," he called back.
Booth waded further into the mess yelling out her name louder and louder. He tried to picture the in-tact lab in his mind and tried to figure out where he was. As he moved another piece of debris he caught sight of a blue lab coat and then a hand. He moved as fast as he could towards the person. Whoever it was seemed to be partly sheltered by a desk and as Booth pulled it back he saw who it was.
"Hodgins, are you okay?"
The squint had a gash on his forehead and was cradling his left arm, "Dude," he answered his voice shaking.
"Hodgins?"
"Dude am I glad to see you."
"What happened?"
He shook his head, dust falling from his curls, "I don't know…I really don't know. One minute we were working the next…Did you find the others? Have you seen Angela or Zack?"
Booth helped him to his feet, "I saw Angela, she's outside already and Cam. Nobody else so far."
"What about Dr. Brennan?"
Booth shook his head solemnly, "I'm looking for her."
He signaled to another rescuer to come get Hodgins, "I've got to keep looking. Go take care of Angela," Booth said as he ushered the squint away.
His worry grew as he realized that time could be running out. Both Bones and Zack were still missing and there was still so much ground to cover. Booth thought harder. He wondered how far she had been working from Hodgins, if Zack was watching over her shoulder.
"Bones!" he yelled again, his voice echoed in the large space.
"Over here!" someone else screamed and Booth watched as Zack was pulled from the rubble.
Her assistant seemed very disoriented and weak but alive. He was loaded onto a stretcher and Booth continued his search. Her friends were alright but where was she? Booth's watch said it had been over twenty minutes since he had gotten to the scene. He became desperate, rushing around, yelling her name and overturning debris.
Light reflected off something steel and he realized he was looking at an examination table. He saw a bone lying next to it and he rushed over. The stainless steel table was being crushed under a large piece of the platform siding that had come down and was surrounded by glass and chunks of the ceiling.
Suddenly he saw it, a strand of auburn hair lying at the top of the table. His breath caught in his throat.
"Bones? Bones!? Is that you? Come on Bones say something!"
He worked fast, removing the smaller chunks and she appeared. Booth dropped to his knees and touched her shoulder. The blood on her face dripped to the floor but she didn't move.
His eyes flew to her body and his heart stopped as he realized that she was pinned from her chest down by the exam table and the piece of platform.
"Bones…"
Booth got up and pushed at the piece of siding, it was heavy, so heavy. He backed up and took a run at it pushing it with all his might. It moved slightly and he tried again. He grabbed it and with all his strength lifted, praying the whole time that he wasn't too late. He heard the metal screech against the floor and then it was off her. He dropped it with a thud and moved the exam table.
"Oh God…" he breathed as he took in the sight of her mangled body.
Her right leg was bent in the most unnatural position and he could see blood seeping out of her lab coat around her abdomen.
Again he dropped down to his knees beside her and stroked her cheek, "Bones, come on Bones, wake up," he urged her.
He checked her pulse and counted. It was faint but it was there, "Wake up Bones, please," he pleaded with her.
Her eyes began to flutter and then she groaned.
"Bones?"
He stroked her cheek again and then he was looking into her blue eyes.
"Oh thank God, Bones? Talk to me, please."
She took a shuddered breath and as she exhaled whispered, "Booth…"
"I'm here, right here."
Her skin was pale and cool to the touch, "You're going to be okay Bones."
"It…it hurts so..."she struggled to take a breath to finish her sentence but began to cough.
Booth frantically looked around him, "I need some help over here!" he screamed.
His eyes returned to her and he shook his head, "No," he muttered.
There was blood dripping from her mouth and her eyes found his with so much pain in them.
"You've got to hang on Bones, please," he said as he took her hand.
She took another ragged breath, he could see it was a struggle, "Booth, I…" she began.
"No. Don't talk, just stay with me, just breathe."
"I…I'm not going to…"
Tears filled his eyes, "Yes you are. You are going to make it!"
Her small hand then squeezed his, "Booth, listen to me."
"You're not going anywhere."
"I…I…love you," she whispered as her eyes slipped shut.
"No! No! Stay here, stay with me!"
The tears fell freely down his cheeks. He felt again for a pulse, it was still there.
Booth wrapped his arms around her frail body and lifted her up. He cradled her to his chest as he rushed towards the doors.
Outside the emergency workers and victims mingled between the building and the make-shift trauma centers set up at the ambulances. Hodgins was with Angela who was being loaded into a waiting bus to be taken away. She was awake and he was comforting her when she suddenly gasped, her eyes on the walkway from the Jeffersonian.
"Brennan!"
Everyone turned as Booth strode towards them his partner lying limp in his strong arms.
Hours later the team was gathered in a hospital room. Angela and Zack occupied the two beds while Cam and Hodgins rested in wheel chairs. All were admitted to the facility and being kept over night for observation. In the corner sat Russ and his father, Max and next to him was a slumped over, defeated looking Booth. The mood was gloomy, hardly anyone spoke, they only waited.
Brennan had been taken from emergency straight to surgery and no one had heard a word from the doctors since.
The group cast occasional glances at the FBI agent who was going through is own personal hell. He was still covered in soot and her blood; he refused to lift his head from his hands. They knew he was going through the scenario over and over in his mind. They all knew that she was haunting him. They all knew that he was willing her to live.
The only small consolation the group had was knowing she was still alive, still in surgery and still had a chance to make it through the whole ordeal.
A knock on the door brought everyone to attention.
"Are you all with Dr. Brennan?" asked a female doctor in green scrubs.
They seemed to nod in unison.
"I'm Dr. Monroe," she introduced herself.
"How is she?" Booth spoke for the first time in hours.
Dr. Monroe's face was grim, "I'm sorry, we did everything we could but it's a miracle that Dr. Brennan even made it this far."
Booth's heart pounded in his chest. He knew she couldn't be dead, he was positive that he would feel it if she was.
"She suffered severe injuries; massive internal bleeding and blood loss. We repaired what we could but we couldn't finish, we didn't think her body could handle any more trauma."
Booth felt the room spinning; he could see the tears falling down Max's face.
"Dr. Brennan is in a drug induced coma on life support. It's the only thing we can do for her right now. She needs to rest and when she has regained some strength, when she can breathe on her own we'll operate again. I just don't know when that will be. Right now all we can do is wait. Again, I'm very sorry."
"Wait…she's alive?" Russ blurted.
"She's on life support, but yes, alive."
Booth could barely believe it. He had expected the worst but she was alive.
"Can we see her?" he breathed, still not sure if he was dreaming this scenario.
"Of course."
They followed the doctor down the hallways to the ICU. In her own unit, hooked up to many machines was his Bones. Her face was bruised and he hated the tube stuck down her throat. He watched as the machine breathed for her, the sound was rhythmic, but not soothing.
"Tomorrow we'll bring her out of the coma. We'll slowly take her off the machine and if she breathes on her own she'll be strong enough for surgery," Dr. Monroe explained to them.
"And if she doesn't?" whispered Max.
"We'll wait till the next day. As long as she has brain activity we can wait."
"She's strong, she'll make it," Booth said as he took his partner's hand and sat down.
It had all happened so fast. One minute she had been examining remains with Zack and the next it had all gone black. She remembered a delivery man; he said there was a package for her. She told him to leave it on the stairs of the platform, she would get it later. She had turned back to her assistant and was explaining a deformity on the arm when there was a deafening bang. She had been thrown backwards, she had felt the heat and that was it, well until he had found her.
The next thing she remembered Booth was hovering above her. He was calling her name and she was struggling to open her eyes. And she remembered the pain, the excruciating, and mind numbing pain. It had radiated throughout her body, everything hurt. She couldn't breathe, she could taste blood, and she knew that this kind of pain only meant one thing: she was dying.
There was so much she wanted to tell him but she couldn't even think. So she told him what her mind screamed was the most important thing, that she loved him. She knew she should have told him before, she should never have waited, but now it was too late and it was the only thing that mattered.
Then she had given into the blackness. She had wanted to stay, she wanted to fight but she knew she was too weak, there was nothing left for her to do, it was too late.
She hoped that he would forgive her. She hoped he would move on.
She thought that would be the end.
She was not a religious person, she didn't believe in the tunnel and the light which was why it surprised her when she woke up here, wherever here was.
The team had all come to see her, to have their time to sit with her but it was Booth who stayed. He had never seen so much emotion in Zack's eyes or Hodgins cry. When Angela came she stopped crying long enough to beg Brennan to come back, to be strong. Cam had sat with him for some time, just in silence lending her support. Even Sweets had come but he didn't stay long. Booth knew Sweets had read his expression and understood that the unspoken bond between him and his partner went even deeper than Sweets could ever imagine.
Max stayed the longest, he just watched his daughter. Russ would bring them coffee and sit as well and call Amy with updates.
Angela had asked if Brennan said anything when he found her but Booth couldn't bring himself to repeat those words.
The three words haunted him.
Bones didn't believe in love, he knew that. She had time and again argued that it was simply a chemical reaction in the body. Yet time and again she had proven that love existed, even if she hadn't recognized it. He knew she had loved Sully, he knew she loved her father and brother, but him? Booth didn't know she loved him.
He loved her, he knew that, he had known it for sometime.
Why had she said those three words to him? Was it because she knew she was dying and wouldn't have to deal with the repercussions? Or was it a genuine admission of her feelings that she needed to confess to him before her time was up?
But her time wasn't up. She was still here, for now.
When she woke up he would ask her. Maybe she wouldn't remember what she had said. That was if she ever woke up.
He held her hand in his, rubbing circles in her palm, willing her to stay strong, to come back to him.
Brennan paced the room, the stereotypical white room with no door, only a white table in the middle. She was also wearing white with no sign of injuries even though she knew it was impossible. She had no idea how long she had been in the room or where she was. She had tried to get out, tried calling for help but there was no response.
With a frustrated sigh she sat back down on the table she had woken up on.
"Temperance?"
She froze. The voice behind her was familiar and warm. It couldn't be. She slowly turned around, her eyes wide.
"Mom?"
"Oh Temperance," answered Ruth, wiping away a tear.
She came over to hug her daughter and Brennan couldn't believe how real it felt.
"Mom? How? What are you doing here? Where am I?"
Ruth pulled back from the hug and more tears ran down her face.
"Where am I?" Brennan asked again and then gasped, "Wait…am I, am I dead?"
To Be Continued…
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