Well aren't you lucky...with no classes quite yet, I have time to type this stuff up tonight...
Chapter Two --- Tests
She woke up slowly the next morning and stretched, only to find herself securely tucked under Booth's arm and watchful gaze.
"Mmm. Kind of creepy," she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep.
He chuckled. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"
She pushed herself up on her elbows, waiting to see if the nausea resurfaced, then rolled her neck before glancing back at him. "I feel fine," she told him frankly, then looked past him at the clock on the nightstand. "We'd better get up or we'll be late for work." She saw him nod and climb out of the bed as she prepared to do the same. As she did though, she felt a wave of lightheadedness come over her, and she quickly sat on the edge of the mattress. He turned from his place at the dresser.
"You sure you're okay?" He eyed her suspiciously.
"I'm fine," she told him, and once he turned around, she rose again, this time more slowly and began to get ready.
He dropped her at the lab, since her care was still there from yesterday, and she hurried inside, lost in her thoughts as she nodded courteously to the security guard and headed to her office. After returning a few emails, she worked on the paperwork from their last case until the others arrived. When she heard Zach and Hodgins on the platform she tucked the file she'd been working on back into her desk and grabbed her lab coat, heading down to work on their newest case. As she reached the edge of the platform she hesitated only slightly before joining her coworkers at the exam table.
"Good morning Dr. Hodgins, Zach," she greeted them, snapping on her rubber gloves.
"Good morning Dr. Brennan." Zach nodded before returning his attention to the bones in front of him.
"Morning Dr. Brennan," Hodgins replied as well, but he continued to watch her. "You feeling better?"
She sighed, "Booth told you all?" He nodded in the affirmative. "I feel fine. It was just a touch of nausea," she answered.
"You're sick?" Zach looked up.
"No." She asserted. "It was probably just a touch of food poisoning, or possibly Parker's flu. I'm fine now. Can we get to work?" The boys nodded. "Thank you. Good morning Angela," she added as the artist came onto the platform.
"Morning." She looked at the newly arrived remains and made a face. "I'll be in my office. Let me know when you have the markers ready for me." She turned on her heel and headed upstairs.
They ended up needing to reconstruct a portion of the skull before the markers could be applied, so it was around lunchtime when Brennan finally made it to her friend's office.
"Hey sweetie. How's it coming?" Angela greeted her from where she was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of her couch. She had her lunch spread out on one side of her and files on the other.
"Fairly well. We had a bit of reconstruction to do, but the markers are applied and ready for you." Brennan told her as she set the skull she carried on Angela's desk. "What are you doing?"
"Eating and organizing." Angela replied. "Did you eat yet sweetie? You're welcome to join me. I'm sure there's enough food for both of us." Angela gestured to the pile beside her. Brennan took a seat on the couch and eyed the food warily.
"What is it?"
Angela lifted a takeout box and waved it under Brennan's nose. "Shrimp Pad Thai from Wong Foo's, one of your –" she started in a singsong voice, but cut off in surprise as Brennan went pale, springing up and hurrying out of the office. Angela quickly set the food down and went after her. She found Brennan hunched over a toilet in the women's restroom, emptying her stomach of the little she'd eaten for breakfast. "Oh sweetie, I'm sorry." Angela knelt behind her and held her hair back. When she was finished, Brennan leaned back against the wall of the bathroom stall and Angela handed her a damp paper towel.
"Thanks." She accepted it weakly, wiping her face and mouth with the cool paper.
"Was it the shrimp?" Angela asked sympathetically and Brennan nodded.
"I must not be completely over whatever this illness is," she sighed, slowly pushing herself off of the bathroom floor and heading to the sink to wash out her mouth.
"Do you want me to call Booth?" Angela offered after watching her friend.
"No," Brennan answered quickly, meeting her friend's eyes in the mirror. "He'll just want me to go home, and I need to work." She dried her hands and face and left the bathroom.
"But sweetie, if you're sick you should go home and rest, or better yet, see your doctor." Angela followed her out of the restroom and up to Brennan's office.
"I'll be fine Angela. I need to work, and I can do that while my body fights whatever virus I seem to have picked up." Brennan sighed at Angela's disbelieving look. "I promise I'll take it easy and I'll go home if I get nauseous again, okay?"
Angela nodded reluctantly. "I'll come check on you in a little while," she told her friend before returning to her own office.
About an hour later, Angela marched in to Brennan's office, a paper bag in hand and a determined look on her face. Brennan set her pen down and sat back in her chair, eyeing her friend with a mixture of suspicion, concern, and amusement. When Angela remained silent, Brennan raised a brow. "Do you need something Angela?"
"You need to come to the restroom with me," she answered slowly.
Brennan was taken aback, "Excuse me?"
"Just come with me. I'll explain in a minute," she walked around the desk to try to pull her friend to her feet.
"Angela, really, I have work to do, and I don't see the point in-" Brennan began.
"Just come with me." Angela snapped. Brennan's eyebrows shot up, but she rose from her chair and silently followed her friend to the restroom they had occupied earlier. "I'm sorry for snapping sweetie," Angela told her as she checked the stalls for occupants. "I hope you need to pee."
"Alright that's enough." Brennan crossed her arms over her chest, but winced slightly at an unexpected twinge of soreness and dropped her hands back to her hips. "What is going on here Angela?"
Angela sighed before reaching into the paper bag she carried and pulling out an item. "I'm taking one of these, and I think you should too," she told her friend as she handed her a box.
"What are you-" Brennan began before glancing down at the box, "-a pregnancy test!" She exclaimed as she read the label. "Angela! I am not taking this! I'm not pregnant!" She thrust the box back at her.
"Yes you are! Just because you are refusing to see it doesn't mean it's not true, Cleopatra." Angela shot back.
"What the hell does an Egyptian ruler have to do with anything? And there's nothing to see, because I am not pregnant!" Brennan exclaimed again in exasperation.
"Cleopatra was the queen of "denial," and you're just ignoring all of the signs," Angela told her, "you've had nausea set off by smells, your boobs are sore, and I'd be willing to bet you've skipped a period or two and just chalked it up to stress over the wedding."
Brennan gaped at her. "Angela-"
"I know you don't want to see it sweetie, but I'm fairly sure I'm right." Angela's voice softened. "Just take the test. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But if I'm right, you can't just ignore this."
Brennan rubbed her forehead, then glanced down at the box. "If I- if I take this, you'll leave me alone about it?"
"Yes, sweetie, if it's negative, I'll leave you alone about it," Angela agreed.
Brennan took a breath, "If- if it's positive-" she broke off shakily, the reality of the possibility quickly closing in.
Angela took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "We'll figure it out sweetie. You've got me and hell, you're getting married in a month, it's not like you'd be doing it alone. That man is a wonderful father, and he loves you."
"I know," Brennan nodded slowly.
"So we take the tests and deal with the results as rational adult women in loving and committed relationships," Angela concluded.
"Okay," Brennan agreed slowly, then a look of confusion came over her face, "Wait, you're taking one too?"
Angela nodded and her small smile quickly spread into a big grin. "Jack and I have been trying for a few months now, and I'm a couple of weeks late."
"Oh," Brennan said softly and offered a weak smile, "Congratulations?"
Angela giggled. "Thanks sweetie," she put a reassuring arm around her friend's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "You ready?" Brennan nodded reluctantly and they disappeared into the stalls.
Sorry this one is a bit shorter, I had to break it into two chapters because it was getting really long. Review and I'll get the last chapter up soon! Thanks for reading!