Sorry it took so long for me to update. I really appreciate the feedback I got, it's reaffirming to know I'm not the only one dissatisfied with what they did to Lance. Sorry if my last comment was off-putting, but it really did put me off the show. What can I say? Lance was my favorite character.

Chapter Two

4:25PM

"He's still in surgery."

Booth sat slumped in the hospital waiting room. He didn't pick his eyes up off the floor. Dr. Milliken's feet were just to his left. He could feel the man's gaze on him, but wasn't surprised by the news. He'd already overheard while the doctor was on the way here.

Brennan sat next to him. She perked up from his seat. "H-how long will it be? Is Dr. Sweets going to be okay?"

Dr. Sweets. Booth wasn't sure he'd ever heard such respect in Brennan's voice before. She was usually so derisive of Sweets efforts to help them. Granted, Booth had been like that, too, but at least he put in some good-natured ribbing. Brennan was always a little...insensitive.

He didn't see that now. Not the way she looked up at Mr. Milliken, eyes wide, lips pressed thin. She had been sitting right next to Booth for the past two hours. Hadn't said a word. Neither of them did. They didn't have to.

Lance was right. They were a good team.

They were a better one when he was with them.

"Hard to say. He's suffering from pneumothorax. One lung has collapsed, another is punctured. I'm counting ten rib fractures. And there's a spinal injury to account for. He's drowning in his own blood and —

"Okay, okay, we get the picture!" Booth blurted, throwing up his hands before the man could go on. It was too much. Collapsed lung? Drowning in blood? Spinal injury? God, maybe it would've been easier if Lance had died after all…

Booth immediately took that back. Prayed to God that he didn't mean it. There was still a chance Lance wouldn't make it. And he had to make it.

"S-sorry," Dr. Milliken stammered, shuffling back. He was a unassuming, middle-aged man with a receding hairline, and easily intimidated by the much larger, much louder FBI agent. "I understand you're close friends of his. I didn't mean to alarm. I'll, um, I'll return when the surgery is finished, let you know how it went."

He couldn't get out of the room fast enough.

Booth huffed, falling back into his seat, head in his hands. There were several eyes on them now, including a few orderlies. Booth hadn't meant to be so loud, he was just so keyed-up…

"Seeley," a hand rested on his, pulled it away from his hair, from where he'd been pulling it. Came to rest between him and Brennan. She squeezed his hand, her skin callused but warm. Their fingers intertwined. "It's going to be all right. Dr. Milliken is a professional ER doctor, he's completed many successful operations before this. Lance is in good hands."

"Well, excuse me, I don't like to count my eggs before they hatch," Booth muttered, but his hand tightened around hers nonetheless. In the end, there was no one else he'd rather be here than Brennan. Her calm rationality was his rock in a raging river, and he was glad she had the confidence he didn't.

He looked down at their hands. His were still covered in blood.

Brennan seemed to notice as well. "Maybe you should go clean up a little? Your face is covered in blood. I think it's disturbing the other patients here…"

Oh. Booth lifted a hand to his face absentmindedly. Maybe that's why everyone was staring. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

He got up, shoulders heaving. It felt like he was lifting a semi. Just finding the bathroom sounded like the most impossible journey right now. He didn't want to leave Brennan alone. He didn't want to miss any important news.

Nevertheless, Booth stepped forward. One foot in front of the other.

~o~

6:48PM

Hodgins brought take-out.

About an hour ago the rest of the team arrived, in various states of fear, mourning, or anxiety. Daisy was an absolute wreck. She didn't last more than thirty minutes before breaking out into tears so awful that it was distracting to even the nurses. Eventually, it was Angela who offered to take her home, help Daisy get some rest. Dr. Saroyan promised to keep them updated.

The four of them sat there in silence, having commandeered a circle of seats for themselves. They ate in silence. Booth couldn't even taste the food.

Mr. Milliken had arrived during the middle of their awful feast to tell them that Lance had made it through surgery. A moment of relief passed between them. Hodgins gripped Booth's shoulder. Saroyan hugged Brennan, and Brennan didn't even recoil.

The good news ended when Dr. Milliken said, "But it's still touch-and-go. He has another surgery schedule in six hours. There are pieces of bone still floating inside his ribcage and still present a danger to his health…"

Booth tuned out after that. He could handle death. Dead bodies were already dead. Mutilated or not, at least he didn't have to think that there was any pain or suffering as Bones and her played jigsaw with the skeletal remains.

After Dr. Milliken left, Dr. Saroyan stood up, pulling her cell from her pocket. "I'm going to call Angela. Hopefully Daisy's asleep by now…"

Then it was just the three of them for a while. Hodgins was unusually quiet for a squint. Booth could always count on him for a sarcastic comment on any given situation, warranted or not. But now he was silent, staring at the floor, his hands clasped in front of him. But Booth didn't fail to notice the strained tendons, the white knuckles.

"We should be out there," Hodgins eventually said, lifting his head to look at them. "We need to find the guy who did this, end this fucking conspiracy bullshit."

Brennan frowned. "We can't. The director of the FBI has called us off —

"Oh, like that ever stopped you before!" Hodgins retorted, then turned to Booth. "Come on, man, back me up here! We have to do something, right? Lance is our friend! The longer we stay here, the more time his killer gets away!"

But Booth didn't say anything. Not right away. He felt their eyes on him, so felt compelled to speak. His voice was quiet. "I'm not leaving."

Hodgins faltered when he wasn't met with resounding encouragement. "Booth?"

"I'm staying here," Booth said, louder, straightening his back to look both Hodgins and Brennan in the eye. Both shared a look of surprise. "I'm the reason Lance is here. I'm not leaving until he does."

Brennan blinked, stunned. "Booth, you're not saying… you think its your fault?"

"Isn't it?" Booth turned to her, pleading. "I'm the reason we're in this mess to begin with. Whoever's behind this has been trying to frame me. Hell, they sent agents to kill us, Bones, you don't think that says something? We should've warned Lance. I shouldn't have let him get into the line of fire. He's just — he's just a kid —

"He's an FBI agent," Hodgins pointed out, raising his eyebrows. "He carries the same gun you do, Booth. Lance knew the risks when he took the job. No one joins the FBI because they think it's a safe career path."

"No, but…" Booth let out a frustrated noise, running both hands over his head. Why didn't Hodgins see? It wasn't just about the job. "Lance doesn't have the same experience, okay? He had no idea what he was going into. If I had been there, if I'd gone with him, then —

"You'd what?" Brennan demanded, scowling now. The sudden anger in her face actually made Booth do a double-take. She threw up her hand, said, "You'd get hit instead? You, in the hospital, on the edge of death? We'd all be here anyways, wouldn't we? And Lance would feel just as guilty as you. I bet he'd say he wasn't as good enough an agent as you, that he should've been better. You can't win here, Booth. The only person responsible for hurting Lance is the one who hit him with that truck. And I trust that the criminal will be found. If not by us, then by someone else. They won't get away with this."

Booth and Hodgins stared at her, mildly impressed. Brennan was breathing hard, then relaxed her shoulders, falling back into her seat. "Wow, that was a rush."

Hodgins and Booth shared a look. Hodgins opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Saroyan's return.

"Sorry, that took longer than I thought. Turned out Daisy wasn't asleep after all…" Saroyan sounded out of breath, and she flopped into the seat opposite Brennan. She paused, glanced between the three of them. "...did I miss something?"
"Nah," Hodgins shook his head, before offering her some dumplings. "Just your average emotional speech from Brennan. No big deal."

Saroyan's eyes flicked to Brennan, disbelieving. It took her a second to accept the offered food. "Well, I guess if there's a time for that, it'd be today."

"I wouldn't get used to it," Brennan said, looking a little peeved. But Bones caught the faint traces of a smile as she returned to her noodles again.