Author's Note: Next chapter. I hope to pick up the pace of updates a little next week, but as usual, I just don't know...We'll see.
I do not own Bones or any of its characters.
Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this.
Rankor01: You're right in thinking that I did not want to make this one of these stories where everything is all perfect and neatly sewn up in a couple of chapters. Something like this...I picture it being very difficult for him to recover from...I agree that Sweets seems to share traits with Brennan...with Booth as well. I think it's part of the reason the three of them are so close. And yes, considering how much both Sweets and Brennan love to quote from classic literature, it made sense to me too that they would relish being able to talk to another serious reader...As for Daisy, well I don't want to spoil things, but you're right in saying that things are not going to be easy for them at all.
Lives in the now: Thank you. I believe that the problem Sweets would face in this situation is the rather unrealistic expectation of being able to solve everything on his own. Fortunately, he's not going to have to actually do that...I agree that Brennan has a very warm, generous heart under all of her rationality would be eager to help Sweets recover from a situation like this.
ASummer: Thank you. Yeah, Brennan does have a way of getting right to the point. :D It's one of the great things about her. I hope you end up enjoying this sequel.
D: I agree that Sweets needs both Booth and Brennan to help him heal due to what each of them can bring to the table. Although, I think Brennan can be far more maternal than she often gives herself credit for. :) I also agree that Brennan is a good choice for Sweets to get some insight into Daisy...As for how Daisy is going to react to everything...hmmmm...
Super Ario: Thanks. Studying psychology myself, I have seen first-hand how often people expect people schooled in psychology to have all the answers to their own mental and emotional issues. The problem is though, it is very hard to maintain the right perspective to actually put that training into use in your own life. Given what Sweets has been through and how high his expectations seem to be for himself, I can see this being an even more problematic situation.
Softballgirl05: Thank you. :D I agree that adding Daisy to this will make things even more...interesting, so hopefully you'll enjoy this update. I have more than one writing project in mind right now, so don't be surprised to see more from me in the coming weeks...
Ipizzlewizzle: Glad to be back, thanks. :) This sequel will probably be another long one, but as I mentioned before, I hope that it won't take as long to write as TMotS did. Enjoy this new chapter.
Peanutmeg: Thanks for the review. There will be a lot going on in this sequel what with the case and Sweets trying to move on...so you are definitely right about this being a long, difficult road for him. I hope you enjoy the journey.
The Recovery in the Nocturne—Chapter 2
The next morning, Booth was knocking on Brennan's door. The agent had seen Brennan's car in the parking lot and was glad that he was able to catch her before she left with Sweets for the day.
"Bones, Sweets, you awake?" Booth called out after knocking on the door again. He rapped his knuckles against the door one last time and stopped when he heard movement from inside. A moment later the door opened with the anthropologist on the other side of it.
"What is it Booth?" she yawned. "Do we have a case?"
"No, no case," Booth said. "Wait, are you just now getting up?"
"I had problems sleeping last night so I decided to sleep in," Brennan said quietly. "Doctor Sweets needed some additional sleep too."
"You mean he's still asleep?" Booth asked, immediately lowering his voice as he came into the apartment. His question was soon answered, however, when he spotted the psychologist just starting to stir from under his blanket on the couch.
"He's been having more difficulty than usual sleeping for the past three nights," Brennan murmured. "He was resting so soundly last night that I thought that it would be best to not disturb him for as long as possible."
Booth watched as Sweets began to slowly blink his eyes open and instantly felt bad about waking him up, having seen first-hand how hard it had been for the past few weeks for the therapist to get any quality rest. But some of that guilt dissipated when Sweets looked his way and smiled drowsily.
"Good morning, Booth," he yawned while sitting up. "Is there a case?"
"Hey Sweets," Booth grinned back. "No case. Just a day of paperwork ahead of me. I thought that I'd take you and Bones out for breakfast, if you two hadn't eaten yet, so we can have some fun before a day of dull tedium."
"My day isn't going to be dull," Brennan protested. "The lab received a set of remains yesterday from a find that could prove to be from a Bronze Age site. And Sweets is meeting with Miss Wick later today, so I doubt that his day will be dull either."
"Ok fine, how about we enjoy some breakfast before I have to endure the dull tedium," Booth scowled playfully. "Up and at 'em Sweets."
"Ok," Sweets nodded while running a hand through his hair and stretching. He then got up from the couch and looked over at Brennan silently. Having lived with him for weeks now, Brennan understood the unspoken communication there.
"Oh go ahead and get ready in the bathroom first, if you would like," she said.
"Thank you," Sweets mumbled. He then walked over to his room to get some clothes for him to wear for the day. Brennan began to loosely fold up the blanket from the couch.
"Bones, what is it?" Booth said, noticing his partner's tense mood. "Did something happen last night with Sweets?"
"Sweets acts like he's scared about this meeting with Daisy," she said. "I don't understand. I thought that he would be happy to see her."
"I'm sure that he is," the agent insisted.
"He kept saying things last night like how he is worse now and was worried about how Daisy might react to the sight of his new scars," she continued. "Booth…it was as if he thought that he was too ugly or damaged physically for her to love."
"Here, let me help you with that," Booth said as he helped her drape the blanket onto the back of the couch. The anthropologist turned to see Sweets walking by them with some clothes on his arm. Once he was gone and they heard the bathroom door shut, Booth turned back toward her.
"Look Bones, he's just nervous is all," he said. "All of us, me, you, Angela, Cam, Hodgins…we've been here from the beginning of this, so we know what is going on and don't need anyone to explain it all to us. That's not the case with Daisy, and Sweets is just worried about how she's going to react to all of this. Plus, you remember what Wyatt said, right? That evil bastard Jensen really messed with his mind. Sweets is still trying to sort through all that. It's going to take time."
Brennan nodded as she laid the blanket down, and Booth took one of her hands into his.
"Hey, I'll talk to him for a few minutes while you get ready," he said. "I'll see if there's anything else that's going on there, all right?"
"Thank you," Brennan said, relief coloring her tone. "I tried talking to him last night, and told him that Miss Wick probably will not care about his scars. But I don't know how effective I was. I…I'm not sure of what is the right thing to say to him at times."
"Listen, Bones, you've been great with him through all this," Booth assured her. "During his last check up with Werner, I heard the doctor say that he's gotten a lot stronger since he's been staying with you. And all of us have noticed how relaxed he is while he's staying at your place. It's why he's here a lot longer than anywhere else. Whatever it is that you're doing, it's apparently what he needs right now."
"Thank you, Booth," she smiled. "Although you have also done a lot too. I have observed a direct correlation between when you spend the evening or the night with us and Sweets' overall condition. Any night that you have a meal with us, bring movies for us to watch, or just converse with us results in more sleep and fewer anxiety issues for Sweets."
"Thanks Bones, but it's all of us, ok?" the agent said. "Sweets is going to get better because all of us are working together to help him out." Booth paused, and Brennan noted the determination starting to shine in his eyes.
"Besides," he added. "I made a promise to Peter that I intend to keep." Brennan was about to ask him what it was that he promised when Sweets walked out of the bathroom. He was wearing a thick, dark navy blue sweater with black jeans. His curls were still damp from a shower. Brennan gave Booth a meaningful look that was not lost on either Booth or Sweets for that matter.
"I'll be ready in a few minutes," she said as she walked away, leaving the two of them alone.
"Doctor Brennan told you about last night, didn't she?" Sweets sighed as he plopped back down onto the couch. Booth winced and sat down beside him. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely comfortable with the possible directions that this conversation could take, but he knew that there were some things that Sweets just could not discuss with Brennan. Things that he wouldn't be able to discuss with most people…even if he needed to.
"Bones mentioned that you were a little anxious about seeing Daisy today," he replied. The psychologist fidgeted for a moment and then looked away.
"I'm sorry," Sweets whispered. "I know that you don't really want to discuss…any of that." Booth sighed and patted the therapist's arm.
"That's not the point, Sweets," he said. The point is that you need to talk about it. So come on, what's bothering you?"
"I…I…." Sweets stopped and kept his gaze firmly fixed onto the carpet while Booth waited patiently for him to work up the courage to speak.
"Doctor Brennan said that Daisy won't care about my…about my scars," Sweets mumbled. "But I don't know how that could be. I mean, I look like a freak. Every time I look at them, all I can think about is…."
"I know," Booth said gently. "You think about how you got them and about the ugly things that happened to you. And you're sure that that is what other people see too." Sweets nodded still not looking up.
"Look, I know that it's not easy when you have physical reminders of what happened to you like that," the agent continued. "But I think Bones is right on this one. Whatever else she is, Daisy doesn't strike me as the superficial type who is going to walk away from you just because you now have a few more scars."
"But what if you're right?" Sweets asked. "What if she sees them, and she doesn't care? Then she's going to want to…She's…It's been six months since we've…been together. So she's probably thinking about…I mean, shouldn't I be thinking about the same thing?"
Booth winced again. He was pretty sure that Sweets had finally hit upon one of the things that was really worrying him, and it was one of the last things that Booth wanted to talk about with him. Still, Booth remembered how Wyatt had repeatedly encouraged all of them to get Sweets talking about anything that could be bothering him, so he pushed down as much discomfort as he could.
"Ever since I woke up at the hospital, I haven't really wanted to…I mean there really hasn't been any…desire, you know?" Sweets continued his face turning red. "I don't what I'll do if she wants to…and I can't…."
Watching the way that Sweets clasped shaking hands together while he stumbled to get the words out, Booth suddenly realized that just how difficult it was for the therapist to mention this at all let alone discuss it with him. Booth felt a pang of sorrow hit him at how nervous and distressed Sweets was over this and reached over to put an arm around Sweets' shoulders.
"Hey Sweets, what you're going through is not uncommon, all right?" Booth said. "When I was in the Army, I'd hear a lot of the guys brag about all the crazy stuff they were going to do with their wives or girlfriends once they got back to them. But after they get into some brutal combat situations…or worse yet, if they were captured and held by the enemy at some point….they would often be just as likely to want nothing more that to just be held by those wives and girlfriends while they tried to shut out the horror of what happened to them. Believe me, there's nothing wrong with you just because you're not…in the mood right now. And it doesn't mean that it's going to be this way forever."
Booth rubbed Sweets' shoulder and was happy when the psychologist was finally able to look up at him.
"When you see Daisy today, just let whatever happens happen," the agent told him. "And if things start to get, you know…and it turns out that you're not ready for that, don't beat yourself up over it. Just relax and stick with what's comfortable for you. I'm sure Daisy will understand."
The psychologist still did not look entirely convinced, but it was clear that he was relieved as a result of having the chance to talk this over and was far less tense than before.
"Thank you, Booth," he said, still blushing. Booth squeezed his shoulder one last time before standing up upon hearing Brennan walk into the room.
"Ok, so how about we all grab some breakfast now?" the agent said, clapping his hands together. "I'll even buy this time."
A few minutes later, the three of them were sitting at a table in the Royal Diner, waiting for their food to arrive. While they waited, Booth and Brennan talked about recent cases that they had closed with the conversation eventually turning toward more personal topics which continued onward even after their breakfast arrived.
Sweets occasionally joined in on the conversation when something was directed at him in particular, but for the most part he was content to just watch and listen to them while he slowly ate his plate of eggs, fruit and waffles. Both Booth and Brennan sometimes sent worried glances his way. It saddened all of them how reluctant Sweets was participate in most of their discussions these days unless he could talk to someone alone, despite the reassurances they got from Wyatt that this would eventually pass. It didn't help that they were also trying to eat a meal, and Sweets was only eating about half of what was in front of him.
After Sweets' last doctor's visit, Werner informed all them that Sweets was still about ten pounds underweight and asked them to be on the lookout for any developing flu or colds since they could turn into something serious in his weakened condition.
None of this was heartening news for them to hear. They already knew that Sweets was still struggling with depression, panic attacks and insomnia and this only added to their concerns. Plus, they were recently dismayed to discover that Sweets had no desire to go anywhere alone and only felt comfortable going to a select set of destinations with someone accompanying him. As a result, his surroundings varied little over the past few weeks, and they were starting to worry that Sweets could become increasingly agoraphobic over time.
Booth frowned at the way the psychologist was continuing to pick at his food and was about to encourage him to eat more when his cell phone rang.
"Booth," he said after pulling it out. The agent was quiet for about a minute before nodding. "Ok, we'll be there as soon as possible." Booth hung up the phone and grabbed at his coffee mug.
"We have a case," he said between gulps.
"I'll need to stop by the lab to get my things," Brennan said as she finished what was on her plate.
"That works," Booth replied. "I figured that we could drop Sweets off there and you could get the stuff you needed for the crime scene." He then turned toward Sweets. "If that is ok with you."
"I was planning on meeting Daisy in Doctor Brennan's office later this afternoon anyway," the psychologist said. "So that's fine for me."
"Great," Booth said as he scooped up the rest of his eggs into this mouth. "You kids have fun tonight while Bones and I solve this case."
A few hours after Booth had dropped Sweets off at the Medico-Legal lab, the therapist was lightly dozing on the couch in Brennan's office.
After leaving the hospital, Wyatt had recommended to the others that Sweets not be left alone for long periods of time, and as a result, Sweets usually accompanied Brennan to the lab. Sweets knew that he could not go near the forensic platform, but everyone tried to make him feel as welcome as possible while he was there.
Sweets filled many of the hours that he was there with reading or wandering around the gardens on the grounds of the Jeffersonian as best he could. Other times he would hang around Angela's office to visit with her or would sit on the balcony overlooking the forensic platforms so that he could share some coffee and conversation with either Cam or Hodgins when they had time. Often, the therapist retreated to Brennan's office for either a nap or to give himself some quiet time alone. When lunch time rolled around, everyone took turns taking Sweets out to eat or sharing a meal with him on the balcony so as to spend some additional time with him alone.
Despite all of their efforts to include him, however, Sweets was frequently left with a lot of time to himself and he found that he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was next to useless to the team now.
Bored and frustrated at having nothing to really challenge his mind, recently Sweets had taken to exploring the rest of the Jeffersonian so that he could educate himself. At first he often needed assistance since his cast hindered his mobility, a task that one of the others or even Wendell or Arastoo would often help out with. But now that the cast was gone, Sweets was free to spend as much time as he wanted to study and learn about the many artifacts and exhibits that were on display at the Jeffersonian.
It was after one of these explorations that Sweets ended up where he was now, napping on Brennan's couch. He had just spent a couple of hours in the Egyptian section and was already exhausted from all of his walking around. As a result, he fell asleep almost as soon as his he settled in to lie down.
Having been directed there by one of the lab technicians, Daisy walked over to Brennan's office and went inside. She found Sweets asleep and smiled as she crept over and knelt down beside him on the floor. She sat there quietly and watched him slumber for a couple of minutes before deciding to pounce on him and give him a hug.
"Lancelot," she squealed gleefully. "I missed you so much."
The response from Sweets, however, was far from what Daisy had envisioned. The psychologist's eyes flew open and he yelped while shoving Daisy aside and jumping off the couch. Once he saw who it was, Sweets slumped back down onto the couch, his eyes wide and fearful.
"Don't….don't do that," he gasped. "Don't ever do that again."
"Lance, I…I'm sorry," she stammered out. Sweets stared at her for a few more seconds before leaning forward and putting his head into his hands. He remained silent for a moment while he worked to calm his breathing.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I…I didn't mean to snap at you." Daisy got up and joined him on the couch.
"It's ok, baby," she said. "I know that…well with what you've been through…I know that it hasn't been easy for you, and I am sorry that I scared you."
Sweets couldn't help but smile a little even though his insides were still quaking. Her words and methods of showing affection might be clumsy, but in this moment, all that the cared about was the fact that she loved him.
He reached over and grabbed one of her hands, his face still downcast. He hadn't even realized how much he really had missed her until just now when he could feel the touch of her hand and listen to the sound of her voice.
Daisy scooted over to him and gingerly wrapped her arms around him while resting her head against his chest. Sweets immediately responded by placing his own arms around her and holding her close. The two of them then sank down into the couch that way.
"I'm so sorry, Lancelot," she whispered into his ear. Sweets gulped and felt fresh tears rush to his eyes. He knew that she was apologizing for far more than startling him a few moments ago, and while on the surface such an apology seemed trite in the face of everything he had gone through these last few months, all that mattered to Sweets was the sentiment behind it.
Tears spilled out of his eyes, and Daisy moved to hold him against her while he wept. Sweets clung to her for a while in the hope that she could bring some solace to his shattered soul.