A Simple Backache
Temperance Brennan had a backache.
No, not the kind where you can simply stretch out in bed like a cat and it disappears. Not the kind where you can twist backwards in a chair and finally sigh in relief. Not even the kind where a few Bayer pills will fix the pain.
No, Temperance's backache was extremely uncomfortable, like her spine was being pulled off to the side by an invisible force. It caused her to lean slightly to the left all the time, and often Temperance had to sit down when she had been standing for more than twenty minutes. Other times, when she was forced to remain standing, she had to support her back with a hand on her hip, like a woman heavily pregnant.
Sick of these inconveniences, Temperance used her knowledge of the human skeletal system to assess whether she really needed to go to a doctor or if she just pulled a muscle. Finally, she made an appointment at a chiropractor that her editor had recommended. She went, and after an hour of him poking and prodding and hitting her back, she left feeling worse than she had come in. Over the next few days, Temperance tried home remedies, such as a hot bag of rice, sleeping on the floor for a night, hot baths, and aromatherapy. Nothing was working, and Brennan was getting tired and crabby from the discomfort and lack of sleep.
She had tried to hide it for a few days, but soon enough, Angela had picked up on her slightly abnormal behavior.
"Brennan. Now, I know that Booth had taken on the role of your best friend around here, but I hope that you still consider me a good friend."
"Angela! Of course I consider you one of my best friends. Have I given you any reason to believe otherwise?"
"Well, if we're still best friends, then you would tell me if you were sick, right?" Angela questioned.
"Yes, of course I would. Why would you think that I'm sick?"
"First off, you can't stand up straight. You can't walk or stand for any longer than twenty minutes, and you're stopped doing so much field work with Booth." Angela pointed out.
Temperance remained silent for a moment, and then laughed. Angela looked startled, and slightly hurt that her friend had laughed at her concern.
"God, Brennan. Sue me for showing a little concern!" Angela said angrily.
"I don't know what that means… why would I sue you? And I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you. I just laughed because the only thing bothering me is a backache that I've had for a while. I didn't think it was anything to bother you about." Temperance replied.
"Oh, Bren, I'm sorry for attacking you like that. Hey, I'll make it up to you; we'll have a girls night in on Friday. You, me, and Colin Farrell. Deal?" Angela asked, a grin lighting up her face.
Temperance chuckled at her carefree friend and agreed. Angela smiled and left the office, but her vacant chair was soon filled up again by one Agent Seeley Booth.
"Bones! Long time, no see!" He joked, a jovial grin reaching up to his eyes.
"Booth, I saw you yesterday." Temperance said with a straight face.
"Well, I know that. What I meant was that-" Booth stopped, confused.
"Booth, I was kidding. I know what you meant. Now, why are you here? Do we have a case?" Temperance asked, her curiosity overcoming her.
"Actually, it's the exact opposite. We have nothing to do at all, so I thought I'd take a trip down from the Hoover building you pay you a little visit. I'm thinking Mexican for lunch, you?"
"Booth, I wish you'd called. I can't really move around too much right now, much less trek all the way downtown for lunch." Temperance sighed, imagining the taste of guacamole and salsa on her tongue.
"Bones, what's up? Why can't you move? Have you been to a doctor? What's going on?" Booth asked, a line etched between his eyes, talking a million miles a minute.
"Seeley, calm down. I'm fine. Well, partly. I have a painful backache that's gotten worse in the past couple days. Nothing to worry about, it will go away soon enough." Temperance assured him.
Seeley relaxed a little, but Temperance noted that he still had that concerned look in his eyes. "Well, have you tried a chiropractor? Hot bath? Exercise?" he questioned.
"Yes, to all of that. It hasn't worked, but thanks anyway." She smiled.
They sat in companionable silence for a few moments while Bones rifled through some old case reports on her desk.
"What about a new mattress?" Booth asked.
Temperance stilled her movements, her attention rapt. "You think that would work?" she asked with a hint of surprise in her voice.
"Sure. When Rebecca was pregnant with Parker, she had backaches all the time, and nothing worked until she got a new mattress." He answered with a shrug. "Maybe it'll work for you too."
Temperance stood from her desk and grabbed her blazer. She turned to Booth with a smile and said, "Want to go mattress shopping with me?"
Without waiting for an answer, Temperance walked out of her office yelling goodbye to the rest of the Squint Squad.
"Bones! Damnit, wait! You could fall or something!" Booth hollered, rushing to gather up his coat and gun before following her into the parking deck.
Twenty minutes later, after a car ride filled with playful bickering, Booth and Bones pulled into a Sleepy's Bedding Center. They entered and were immediately greeted by a salesman.
"Well, hello! My name is Joe. I'll be your associate at Sleepy's today. How can I help you?"
As Temperance opened her mouth to reply, Seeley interrupted. "Bones, I'm dying for some caffeine. I saw a Starbucks a few minutes down the road. I'm gonna go run down there, if it's okay with you."
Temperance nodded, and Booth grinned before exiting. Less than five seconds later, Booth stuck his head back in and asked, "You want anything? Mocha latte?"
Brennan nodded her approval, and turned back to the salesman as Booth left again.
"Well, ma'am, if you'd like to start without your husband, this will give a head start about what we should be looking for!" the overly happy salesman said.
Temperance opened her mouth to deny that she and Booth were married, but she was helplessly swept into the sea of mattresses by Joe.
Ten minutes later, and Temperance was tired and becoming irritated with the salespeople. They had been hounding her ever since Booth left, as she was the only customer in the store. Just as she was about to snap, Booth entered the store. "Hey, Bones! How's it going in here?"
After receiving a death glare from his partner, Booth quickly walked to her side and handed her the caffeine. He turned to Joe and said, "Hey, buddy, could you give me and this lady here a few minutes to just look around by ourselves?"
"Sure," Joe responded before walking away.
Temperance pouted. "You made it look so easy."
"Oh, come on Bones, all it took was a little dose of the famous Booth Charm Smile." He grinned cheekily, pretending mock hurt when Brennan punched him in the arm.
He slung his arm over her shoulders before leading her over to a mattress a few feet away. "What about this one?" He asked.
"Why this one?" she frowned.
"Well, as you might notice, the brand is Seeley's Perfect Sleeper!"
"Booth! Self centered much?" she asked, scoffing.
"Bones, I'm not being self centered. I was thinking more along the lines that the brand might be a good omen for the mattress." He replied.
"Booth, I don't believe it omens. But what the hell, it's not like I've got anything left to lose. My sanity went out the window ten minutes ago with that damn salesperson."
Booth chuckled before reclining on the mattress with a sigh. "Man, that feels good!"
Temperance raised an eyebrow before joining him, leaning back on the mattress. She was in bliss. The mattress felt like heaven for her back, seemingly easing all of the tension and pressure caused by her backache. She couldn't believe that just one minute on this mattress had already helped so much. "Mmmm." She moaned. "This is officially my mattress."
Hearing her comment, the pesky salesperson bounced over. "Well, ma'am, we'll ring it up for you, then!" He bounced away again, and Temperance groaned in annoyance, letting her head drop on Seeley's bicep.
As she started to drift off into a light, pain-free daze, Booth chuckled. The last thought Temperance had before she actually fell asleep was, which felt more right, the actual mattress, or the fact that Seeley was lying next to her on it.