A/N - Alright guys, here is chapter 2 of this fic. I hope you enjoy it. I have officially decided that this will be a three part fic (unless I change my mind). I should finish it up fairly quickly. I am planning on getting a good amount of writing done this week since things are slowing down for the holidays.
I appreciate all of the reviews and comments on the previous chapter. I am constantly amazed that people find my writing entertaining. I'm not complaining I just never expected to have such good comments.
I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. I think it would be great fun to have something like this on the show. I hope I have kept everyone in character and didn't take too much creative liberty. I have always wanted to know more about their childhoods so I made a few stretches to fill in some blanks. Please continue to let me know what you think.
Thanks so much to MickeyBoggs for proof reading and to Thnx4theGum and StefJunkiecat for the idea help. You guys are great.
Thanks for reading everyone. Enjoy!!
Disclaimer - I do not own Bones.
Chapter 2
The rest of the ride to the hospital was quiet. Neither of the Booth men knew what to say. Booth parked the car and hopped out. Hank was thankful he'd done all that walking around the retirement home with Celia. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with his grandson.
Just as Booth began to exit the car, his grandfather stopped him. He had to tell his grandson a thing or two. He'd been holding it in long enough. "Seeley," he said.
Booth stopped and snapped out of his trance. He turned to face the man who had raised him since his dad beat him one too many times. "What is it, Pops?" he asked. He hoped his voice didn't indicate too much frustration. He loved his grandfather but the only thing on his mind at the moment was his partner and any additional second away from her side was too much.
"Seeley, I know you said you could take care of your own love life, but it's obvious you can't," he began.
Booth was immediately frustrated at the conversation. He knew he loved her but he couldn't lose her and trying to pursue more than a partner relationship with her could be more than she could handle. She might run. He didn't know if he was willing to take the risk. After all, in his opinion, a work relationship with Bones was much better than no Bones at all. "Pops," he said after a momentary pause in conversation. "She's not interested in that kind of relationship with me. She doesn't even believe in marriage or family or anything. We're just way too different," he sighed.
"That's a pile of crock, Seeley, and you know it," Hank took on a very authoritarian tone. "She loves you. I've seen how she looks at you," he went on. "I haven't seen a woman look at a man that way since the first time I laid eyes on your grandmother," he paused and waited for his grandson to speak.
The generally strong FBI Agent couldn't say a word. He felt a lump forming in his throat. He could barely even breathe. He'd been accused of loving Temperance Brennan before but never by his grandfather, never by someone who knew him better than he knew himself. For some reason, this time, it seemed more real. It seemed true. All he could do was give Pops a small shrug.
"Uh huh," Hank knew he had busted his grandson. He was rarely rendered speechless. "Now, listen to me, Seeley. You need her and she needs you. Just grow a set and tell her you love her or I'm going to do it for you," he said. "She'll listen to me. We're tight."
Booth let out another long, exasperated sigh. "I'll think about it, Pops. I just need to check on her now. I need to make sure she's okay," he said.
Hank gave him a simple nod and they left the car to make the short walk to the waiting room in silence.
***
After quickly asking at the desk where to find his partner, Booth flew to ER room 10. He immediately noticed Max and Hodgins. "What the hell happened?" he practically screamed.
Hodgins practically visibly shuddered as those words left Booth's mouth. "Ummm, well I, I was doing an experiment and she ummm, she walked through the wrong door," he said. He wasn't sure that he had ever been that as afraid of Booth as he was at that very moment.
"You damned squints," Booth's tone was fierce. "You will never learn. Give me one reason why I shouldn't pull out my gun and shoot you right now, Hodgins. You hurt her. I can't believe that you hurt her." He continued to ramble on spouting our rhetorical questions for a few more seconds and then asked the softer question that he actually expected an answer to,. "Is she okay?"
Max spoke for the now terrified Hodgins. "I think she'll be fine. She has a nasty black eye and may need a stitch or two under it. She was fussing at the nurse when she was trying to get her vitals a few minutes ago," he explained. "She must have one hell of a headache though. One of the pucks hit her square in the forehead and she hit her head on the floor when the fell." He cut his eyes toward Hodgins. "Where'd you get a spring that would pack that much of a punch?" he asked. He was concerned about his daughter but he was a scientist and couldn't resist a fun contraption.
As the younger Booth was still ranting at Hodgins, Hank took the opportunity to introduce himself to the man who must have been Brennan's dad. "Hank Booth," he said. "Seeley is my grandson," he finished and reached out to shake to gentleman's hand.
"Max Keenan," he said and took his hand in a strong handshake. He was immediately trusting of Hank when he realized that they shared the strong handshake technique of intimidation. "I'm Tempe's dad. It's nice to meet you. That was as far as the conversation went since the younger Booth's actions interrupted them.
Even though he wanted to inflict major pain on Hodgins for hurting the woman he obviously loved, he didn't. He simply made a fist and made a strong contact with the hard, cold wall nearest him. Hodgins studied the angry agent and feared his next movement. Thankfully, just as their eyes met, a nurse wheeled Brennan back through the door.
"Bones," he said as he instinctively jumped up and positioned himself in front of the wheelchair she currently occupied. "Are you okay?" he asked as he studied her appearance.
He certainly didn't like what he saw. She was very pale, her eyes were weak, and it seemed that holding an ice pack over her eye was quickly exhausting any energy she had. "I'm fine, Booth," she claimed.
He huffed immediately. "Yeah, Bones, fine is exactly what I get from looking at you," sarcasm flowed through every syllable. He was still kneeling in front of her. His tone may have conveyed frustration, but his actions were gentle, comforting. He gently placed his hand on top of her right one that was holding the ice pack in place. "Let me see," he said as he slowly pulled her hand down. His emotions burned at what he saw. His instinct was to yell but he stifled the urge and gently rubbed his thumb over the swollen area just below her eye. "Oh, Bones," he said. He would say that her eye looked awful, but it wasn't her eye, it was the area around it. Her eye, or what he could see of it through the swelling, was the same crystal blue that he always loved. The area around it was turning black and he figured she'd be sporting a nice shiner for several days. There was also a nasty, deep cut positioned on the center of the cheek bone just below her eye. He figured whatever the hell Hodgins hit her with hit her hard enough to open the skin. .
After concentrating on her eye for just a few seconds he shifted his attention to her forehead. He could see a very large, very nasty bruise on top of a knot just south of her hairline. He figured that some of it extended into the hairline. He swept a few loose strands of hair away and rubbed his thumb over the area just as he had her eye. This time, however, she winced at the slight touch. "I'm sorry, Bones," he said.
"I'm fine," Brennan said once again. "The area is slightly tender. I would need to do some calculations, but I would assume that area received the largest force at impact." She tried to remain clinical but the pain was still there so she shut her eyes against the pain.
He was about to ask her about her pain when a nurse walked into the room. "Dr. Brennan," she said. "Let's get you back into the bed. You really need to be resting at the moment. Loss of consciousness is a serious problem."
Booth's eyes automatically cut to his partner. She spoke first and attempted to keep her tone sharp. "By my estimation, I was only unconscious for around 4 minutes. It's not a major event," she directed her now open eyes to Booth. "I only regurgitated one time and the nausea is tolerable," she was rambling about all of the reasons why she was fine. Of course, she'd never truly admit that her head felt like it might explode and keeping the remaining contents of digestive tract inside might be more effort than it was worth. She took a deep breath and glanced at her partner, adding a final "I'm fine," for good measure.
"Bones, seriously! You have a head injury, you look like hell, and you are bleeding. How can you say you are fine?" he let out a frustrated sigh and began to pace slightly in the small, cramped room. "You are the only person I know who starts a stop watch when you pass out! Just get in the damned bed and rest for 5 minutes, okay!" he didn't quite yell but his tone was resolute.
She simply nodded and remained seated in the wheelchair. She could have argued with him that she didn't actually use a stop watch. Even if she had wanted to, she knew she wasn't very coherent until after they reached the hospital. She wouldn't admit that, though. It would show weakness. She also had no intention of admitting that the room was spinning and she didn't have the energy to stand up and make the three steps to the bed.
Thankfully, the nurse spoke. "Since you're her overprotective boyfriend, give me a hand getting her back into bed. I'm sure that bump on her noggin is making her a bit dizzy."
Brennan breathed a sigh of relief as she felt Booth's strong arm wrap under her own ones that currently felt like jelly. He held her tightly as he stood and practically carried her to the bed. "Are you cold?" he asked as she shivered slightly.
She nodded and he covered her with a blanket. She was kind of cold but that's not why she shivered. She still couldn't quite stifle her physical reactions when Booth touched her. "Thanks," she said.
The nurse made a few recordings in the chart. "The doctor should be back with all of your results shortly," she said. "This should help with your pain," she extended a small paper cup containing two pills to Brennan. She immediately emptied the contents of the cup into her mouth and grabbed the cup of water. She took a large sip and let her head fall back to the pillow.
Booth wasn't quite sure what to do at that moment. He decided to act as a loved one. He pulled up the uncomfortable, plastic chair next to her bed, plopped into it, and grabbed her hand between his own. "Get some rest, Bones," he spoke gently. "I'll be here when you wake up."
The three observers in the room took the opportunity to make their exits. "I'm . . . I'm going to head back to the lab," Hodgins was still nervous as he spoke. "I need to clean some things up and Cam . . . Cam probably needs to know what happened," he finished.
Booth barely even looked at him. He cut his eyes over just long enough to acknowledge the words but quickly focused them back on his Bones. He saw a slight grimace make its way to her face despite her closed eyes. "What's wrong, Bones?" he asked.
"My zygomatic arch is swelling and due to the increased blood flow along with the contusion, it is throbbing quite incessantly," she said while keeping her eyes closed against the pain.
"Here," he said and placed the ice pack gently back on her cheek. "I'll hold it for you. Just rest, Bones."
She drew in a quick breath but never opened her eyes.
Max and Hank just looked at each other. They seemed like intruders. Their children definitely deserved some alone time. Hank spoke first. "You think they have a decent cup of coffee in this place or have the removed all the damned caffeine like all the other health nuts in the world?" he looked at Max when he spoke.
Max just laughed. "There's a coffee shop over by the elevators. Let's go see what we can find."
With that, the two left the couple to their own intimate moments and headed out in search of a non-crappy cup of coffee.
***
It was relatively quiet between the two men for a few minutes. They each grabbed a cup of coffee before sitting in a small alcove overlooking a small fountain area.
Max broke the silence. "You know, my Tempe only left Booth's room for a few minutes when he was in that coma and every time she did, I found her right here."
Hank cut his eyes toward Max. "The nerve of that boy. He didn't even tell me he had a brain tumor until a month after his surgery," he said in a frustrated tone. "Thought I raised him better than that, but he's been surprising me a lot lately," he went on. "His excuse was that he didn't want to worry me since I'd been having some heart problems. Ended up having bypass and when he came to visit me, he was practically bald and had a huge scar on his hairline. I even had to ask him where the hell it came from."
Max just laughed. "I know what you mean. Tempe didn't tell me either. I found out from one of her interns when I showed up for work the day after," he said as he took a swallow.
"Kids...They're damn frustrating. You just think it gets better when they move out," Hank ranted. "But they just keep pulling stuff out of their damned hats. Why can't they just be predictable like we were at their ages?"
Max didn't even want to elaborate but couldn't leave that one alone. "Let's just say that I'm glad Tempe isn't as predictable as I was at her age," he said. He was just thankful that she was an upstanding citizen and not out robbing banks. He wasn't proud of the things he had done-that was for sure. There were only a few crimes he had committed that he wasn't ashamed of and all of those involved protecting his family. He'd kill again if it took it in order to make sure they were okay.
Hank looked at the man seated near him. He knew there was something else there. He had regrets in his heart. "Well, in my opinion, Temperance turned out okay. She's brilliant, beautiful, wealthy, and . . . did I say beautiful?" Finding crystal clear blue eyes beautiful must have been a Booth family trait. 'If she was 50 years younger,' Hank thought to himself. 'I'd give Seeley a run for his money.'
Max laughed a little. "She is beautiful, just like her mother," he said. "Booth didn't turn out too badly himself," he went on. "Although, I did have to ask him if he was gay once," he laughed as he recalled the events of that day. "I couldn't understand why a man with as much testosterone as Booth didn't just fall head over heels for my baby girl."
Hank's eyes lit up a little as Max said that. Maybe they were a lot alike. "I had to ask him the same thing myself," he explained. "I know I taught him to see what was right in front of his face," he shook his head. "Clearly, they are both wearing some kind of blinders or something."
Max sighed loudly as he nodded at Booth's grandfather. "Which one of them will figure it out first?" he asked. "My bet's on your boy. My Tempe is too damned stubborn to admit it without prodding."
"Well, if he knows what's good for him, he'll hurry up," he said. "But you know, Seeley isn't exactly easy going himself," Hank said. "That boy gets something in his head and then you can't change his mind," he went on. "Problem is, he usually gets stubborn when it comes to protecting other people, usually Jared," he took a large sip of coffee. "Seeley was taking the beatings for Jared for about 3 years after their mother died. Seeley was so damned stubborn. He refused to let a little beating tear his family apart," he almost teared up at the thought. "He figured if he could just go ahead and take the beatings for both of them, they'd get to stay at home with their dad."
Max just looked at Hank. He was speechless. Booth was a good man. He always assumed he'd had a relatively uneventful childhood. Max just nodded that he understood and Hank continued.
"Anyway, Jared was off and on. Sometimes he was all heart and sometimes he was nothing but selfish," he explained. "The last beating Seeley took was Jared's fault. I'm not exactly sure what happened, even to this day, but their dad, my son had been drinking while they were at school and Jared was rather hyped up when they got home. He was 9 and Seeley was 14," he sighed. "They came in and Jared wouldn't stop bouncing the basketball in the house. Seeley told him to stop once he realized their dad was drunk. Jared didn't stop. That boy never took correction well. He told Seeley that he wasn't his father and could do what he wanted to do. He gave the ball one big, strong bounce and it hit something on the floor and flew over the couch. It knocked over their dad's good scotch," he had to pause for a moment what happened next still sent shivers down Hank's spine even though it happened 20 years earlier.
Max looked at the man. Clearly that story was still a sensitive topic for him. He could probably equate it to that quick decision to leave his son and daughter. They were in a store looking at gifts for the kids. He and his wife were bickering over appropriate gifts. They couldn't decide if they should get their daughter all educational items which they knew she would love or to try and get her into some of the more mainstream things that the new CD players that were just made available.
Max was careful not to get too lost in his own thoughts that he missed what Hank was saying. He needed to stay focused on Booth's history if he wanted to know how to best help his daughter.
Hank went on. "I wish their dad would have already passed out from the drinking. It would have been easier. He must have just been sleeping. Jared told me he popped up and started yelling to know who had knocked over his good stuff," the older man's voice shook slightly as he talked. It was clearly a mix of anger, sadness and regret. "Apparently, Seeley said he did it and told Jared to run," he took a break for a second to take a sip of coffee.
After a few seconds of needed silence, Hank managed to finish the story. "I'm not sure what all went on, but I guess it was half an hour later that Jared called me," he explained. "He'd seen his dad beat Seeley before but this time it was different and Jared knew it. I ran over and found my son, my own flesh and blood beating my grandson." A few tears spilled out as he spoke. "I pulled him off of Seeley, had some words with my son, and loaded them in the car. Funny thing is, Seeley was barely coherent but he asked if Jared was okay as I loaded him into my car. I knew that day what can of man he would grow up to be," he finished.
"He is a good man," Max said, touched that he had seen a small portion of Booth's life. "I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of. I was afraid that Tempe would never recover from the damage I did to her," he decided to share a little bit of his own. "When her mother and I left," he spoke assuming Hank had at least heard portions of the story, "I had a buddy of mine send any articles about her to a PO Box I set up," he explained. "There was this . . . this picture of her, my baby. Her eyes, she has these eyes that tell you so much about her and the look in her eyes was disturbing. I knew I had ruined her forever."
He sighed a little and shot a glance at Hank who was obviously as good a listener as his grandson. "I kept up with her until she quit showing up in the news. The mentions of our disappearance stopped and I found out later she had been transferred out of the Chicago area. I didn't hear anything else from her until she published that first book. I worried about her every day. I just prayed she was okay and that she hadn't been killed or something. I knew she was too damned stubborn to get herself in trouble with drugs or anything," he smiled a little when thinking about his stubborn daughter. "I was so glad when I saw that book on the shelf," he paused. He was so proud of his daughter. All of her accomplishments, everything that she was, she'd fought for. He knew she was strong as a child but he never dreamed she'd be that strong.
"The next time I saw her was about 3 years ago and she was with Booth. At that moment, I realized that she'd found someone who would never leave her or hurt her," he smiled as he thought about the first time he saw his daughter look at Booth. "I just hoped she'd let him take care of her. I still hope for that," he said.
Hank was glad Max had shared the story. He knew Temperance was strong and had overcome much. His grandson deserved a strong woman who could support him when he needed it. "I want that for Seeley too," he said.
"If the two of them know what's good for them, they'll get this show on the road. I'd like to have grandkids before I need Depends and a power scooter," Max kidded.
Hank's eyes lit up at the joke. "I only need one of those two right now," he joked. "I'm not telling you which one," he said. Of course he was kidding but he couldn't let the opportunity pass him by.
Max shot him a questioning glance before coming to the conclusion that he was joking and breaking out into laughter.
After a few minutes of laughter, Max checked his watch. "We'd better go check and make sure Tempe hasn't given him a shiner for trying to help her with her straw or something," he said.
"Yeah," Hank answered. "Seeley told me she carries quite the right hook."
"That's an understatement," Max said as the pair stood and headed back toward the emergency room.
TBC