Jack Hodgins maneuvered his wheelchair into the doorway of Dr. Saroyan's office. "You wanted to see me?" He glared at her sullenly, sighing and rolling his eyes. "I've got work to do, so can we hurry this up?"

Cam was sitting at her desk, reading something on her computer monitor. She spoke without looking up at her visitor. "Come in, please." She waited until he was directly across from her to speak again. "We need to talk."

Hodgins threw his head back in exasperation, running his hands over his face. "Don't tell me...not you, too? You're not gonna give me that same shit like everyone else around here about being brave and accepting my situation and hoping for the best outcome to keep my spirits up, are you? Because I don't have time to waste on that pitiful drivel. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Hodgins turned his wheelchair toward the doorway.

Cam rose from her desk chair as she asked him to stop. "Don't leave, Dr. Hodgins, I said we need to talk. You've talked, but I have not. I'm not here to speak to you as a friend. I need to speak to you as your supervisor. We have some issues to address…."

"Really? Issues? Really? You couldn't possibly know about my issues…"

Sitting at her desk again, she shook her head as she pressed her fingertips together. "Frankly, at this point, Dr. Hodgins, I don't care about your physical issues or your personal issues." She picked up some papers from her desk and held them up for him to see. "These are all the complaints I've received over the last few days about your behavior toward other people here in the lab and in the rest of the museum. Dr. Henderson has sent me scathing emails about your dismissive attitude toward his request for assistance in identifying an unusual insect species. Dr. Moreau has made a formal complaint to the Jeffersonian board of directors about your apparent lack of respect for the people in her department. The director of security came to my office this morning about the problem you had with the security officer yesterday…."

"The jackass wanted to use his metal detector on my wheelchair. The whole chair is metal...it set off all sorts of alarms. I just told him he was a stupid bastard…that's all." Hodgins shook his head as he glared at Cam. "So I'm a nasty son of a bitch. Who gives a rat's ass? I do my job well and that's all that should matter…i don't have to be nice to be smart."

"Dr. Hodgins, when I visited you at your house to ask you to come back to work at the Jeffersonian, it was because you are far and away the best in your many areas of expertise, and I want the best scientists to work with me. However, we've come to a point where that may not be enough to ensure your employment here. Your attitude is damaging the dynamics of our department. You're affecting the morale of your coworkers with your poor attitude and your rudeness. People no longer want to work with you, including the members of your own team."

"No problem...if they don't like me, they don't have to work with me. I can do what I need to do without any of them." Hodgins grimaced stubbornly. "They don't understand me anyway. No one really understands what I'm facing in my life now."

"Jack…" Cam rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Listen. Of course I don't know what you're going through right now, but here's what I do know. As a team we've been through some really bad times together...not exactly what you're dealing with now, but think about it...you and I both lost all of our money...Zac got in trouble with Gormogon...the whole mess with Pelant...two of our team members were murdered. When we're a team, we've got someone else to lean on to help us get through those times. As your supervisor, I'm telling you that you need to make an effort to get along with your team, so the team dynamic isn't damaged and our effectiveness isn't compromised…"

Hodgins leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest, giving Dr. Saroyan a surly look. "Sorry, Cam, but I can't be altruistic about this. I've put others ahead of myself for years, and look where it's got me...stuck in this goddamn chair for the rest of my life. From now on, it's going to be me first. I'm going to do exactly what I want and say exactly what I feel, and right now, I feel very, very angry, and I don't give a damn who knows it….you, or Angela, or Brennan...it's too damn bad if you don't like it, because that's who I am right now. You just need to get over it."

Cam pursed her lips as she nodded in understanding. "That's unfortunate, Hodgins, because if there is not a vast improvement in your behavior towards other people at this institution immediately, your contract with us will be terminated. You will no longer be able to work with the Jeffersonian."

Hodgins sat stunned for a few seconds as he realized what Cam was telling him. "You'd fire me for being a son of a bitch? No, that'll never happen...you can't find anyone as good as me at bugs and particulates. No way."

"Perhaps not, Dr. Hodgins, but if I let you go, there's a good chance I can get everyone else on the team to stay, and I'm willing to make that sacrifice. I'm willing to take someone who's not the best if they can get along with everyone else. If I let you stay, a lot of other people may choose to leave the Jeffersonian rather than deal with your surliness and disrespect. I'd prefer to keep people on staff who are willing to participate in our work as members of a team instead of individuals with their own agendas." She watched his reaction a few seconds before turning back to her computer monitor. "Those are the conditions of your employment. Do you have any questions?"

"No, I guess not." Hodgins stared at his fingernails, refusing to make eye contact with Cam.

"Good. That will be all, Dr. Hodgins." She watched as he turned his wheelchair and silently left her office. Letting out a big sigh, she wiped tears from her cheek. She had taken a big risk in dealing with Hodgins, and she hoped it was worth it.