PT III

AN: I've got some more lyrics for this chapter; I hope they suit well with what you're picturing! Mad Season by Matchbox 20.

So are you gonna stand there?

Or are you gonna help me out?

We need to be together now

I need you now

Do you think you can cope? You figured me out?

That I'm lost and I'm hopeless

I'm bleeding and broken though I've never spoken

I come undone in this mad season

Cam rolled over on the couch; it was uncomfortable but it was bearable. After she heard the whisper, she couldn't leave. She knew she had to, but she wouldn't; she couldn't.

She knew where to get the blankets and extra pillows; Booth's apartment was cold, very cold; she needed to layer up. Suddenly, Cam's phone buzzed just as she was finding peace. She was thankful it was only a text, because she didn't want to wake Booth up; his sleep, although restless, was still sleep. Cam flipped open the device and read the message:

NEW EVIDENCE- COME TO LAB

DID YOU FIND BOOTH?

-BRENNAN

Cam new it was wrong, but she was staying right where she was. The resident pathologist could help them out:

FOUND BOOTH, STAYING WITH HIM

FIND SANDY

SORRY

-CAM

Cam got up off the couch and decided it was best to check on Booth. She'd been lying for about an hour on the uncomfortable couch. She slowly opened the door and it squeaked as always. She laid her eyes upon a sleeping form and walked over to it. Booth was on his back; that was bad. The last thing he needed was to be choking on his own vomit.

Cam leaned over him and grabbed his right shoulder and pulled him toward her. Booth stirred, but did not wake. When she finally got him on his side she fixed the covers and took one last look at his tired body. Cam longed to touch him again, she always missed him. She was the one who broke it off, and she regretted it ever since. He was such an alpha male when it came to her; Cam just guessed she didn't like to be put on a pedestal. She wasn't a princess, she wasn't untouchable; but he treated her as so and Cam just got tired of it.

Lost in her thoughts, Cam didn't notice that Booth had awoken from his rude change of position. He hadn't opened his eyes, but he knew she was there. He heard her breath, her soft inhales and exhales; it calmed him. Finally he opened his eyes, and brought Cam back to reality. "Lost in space?" he whispered.

Cam jumped. "Seeley, I-I didn't know you woke. I'm sorry."

"Why are you in here?"

"I just rolled you onto your side; I didn't want you to choke." Cam blushed, if only he knew what she was thinking.

"Well, thanks…" Booth said awkwardly, knowing it was only hours after he pleaded her to stay.

"No problem…" Cam returned the emotion.

Neither turned away as they left themselves in a somewhat comfortable silence for a few minutes until Booth said, "Um, you can have the bed, because I-I really want you to stay, and you're… you're probably not comfortable on my leather couch."

"Well it's not a lie" Cam replied, "but it's fine, please, you stay in the bed you really need some rest."

"No. I've had enough rest," Booth stood up, "you're going to lie down in this bed and warm up because even if you tell me you're warm the bumps on your arms tell me different," he walked away, "and I'll get you something because you're obviously not comfortable sleeping in whatever kind of tight name brand you've got on."

Cam looked down, she hadn't even noticed that she was in her newest 'Dior' outfit; almost 1000 dollars no less. "Seeley…"

"Don't 'Seeley' me. I'm fine and you're uncomfortable. Now hold on a minute."

"Fine."

Booth opened up the top drawer in his dresser. He surfed through it and unfortunately didn't find what he was looking for. "Uhm…"

"What?"

"I don't have any shorts clean… Is- is a pair of my boxers okay?" he cleared his throat.

Booth wasn't going to lie to himself; Cam was only looking better by the day. Picturing her in his boxers might not be the best thing right now, but unfortunately it was what fate left them.

"I guess, yes."

Booth grabbed a pair he rarely wore anymore, closed the top drawer and opened the third. He grabbed the smallest t-shirt he could find as quick as he could so the silence would end.

"Well, here…"

"Thanks…"

Booth said nothing more, Cam knew where the bathroom was; Cam knew where everything was. Cam knew everything about him; except what was happening now. He had to tell her; that's it, he was going to.

Booth walked as purposely as a drunk man could to his bathroom door. "Um, Cam?"

"Seeley- uh, I'll be out in a minute!"

"No, it's fine, take your time. I just wanted to tell you that I'm ready to talk now…"

"Booth, you're drunk, you probably can't even think properly."

"But I can if I try. I want to tell you."

Cam opened the door, and Booth was lost in the past. Memories flooded him of what they had, what they lost and how they lost it. Booth couldn't get out; he was trapped in his mind. Visions of them together flashed in front of his eyes; he was cooking eggs for her birthday, no, he was tackling her into the beautiful green grass, no, now he was making love to her. More and more images flew everywhere and Booth fell to the ground.

Cam was stunned. Booth was on the floor in seconds. She didn't know what to do. She dealt with dead bodies, not live ones. She just ran to him and knelt beside him. She did everything she thought of; she grabbed him, shook him, hugged him, tried to stand him up, but nothing worked. Cam was lost and she was beginning to lose control, what the hell was she supposed to do?

Sweets.

She could call Sweets.

She knew Booth would hate her, probably never talk to her again but she didn't know what to do. Sweets was the only answer she could think of.

Cam ran to the coffee table across from Booth's couch and grabbed her phone. She flipped it open and ran back to Booth. He was still on the ground, his eyes blank. Cam was growing more and more scared as she sorted through her contacts; she couldn't find Sweets. She wanted to cry; was it too late? Booth didn't look okay but he looked alive. Finally, she found the psychologist's number and pressed 'call'. Four rings, the four longest rings of her life and he answered:

"Hello?"

"Sweets?"

"Yes"

"It's Dr. Saroyan, I need your- we need your help right now. I found Booth, we're in his apartment, he-he's blanked out he just fell to the ground and I don't know what to do. I've leant him against the wall but his eyes aren't responsive. I think he's lost in his mind."

"Oh, god. You're in his apartment?"

"Yes, do you know where it is, Sweets?"

"I do. I'll be there in less than 15 minutes."

"The door is unlocked we're around the first corner on the right. Hurry, please."

Cam hung up. She needed to turn her attention back to Booth. He was still limp, it was like he was sleeping, but his eyes were open and they were scared. Cam sat down beside him and rubbed his arm. All they needed was Sweets; he would know what to do, he had to.

Cam counted the minutes; it had been nine since she called Sweets. She kept more calm on the outside than she did on the inside. She successfully held back her tears and kept a varied amount of composure in the moments she awaited Sweets' arrival.

Finally, after 13 minutes, Sweets rushed through the door, almost passing the couple on the floor.

"Uh, Dr. Saroyan?" Sweets questioned as she saw her attire.

"Not now, Sweets," she stood up, "I'll explain it later, just look at him. He hasn't moved since he collapsed."

"Jesus…" Sweets announced as he dropped his jacket and knelt down in front of Booth.

"There's a pulse" Cam admitted nervously.

"That's great, we can tell the paramedics when they get here."

"The wha- You called the paramedics?!"

"Yes. Dr. Saroyan I am most certainly not equipped with what's happening here. I came after the fall. I wasn't here to witness what happened before. Were there any specific words he said, actions he made or slight shift in emotion?"

"Yes, but he is not going to be happy that you called officials. Booth hates the hospital, and he hates being forced to go there. He's going to hate you for calling them, and he's going to hate me for calling you who called them" Cam shot out.

"Okay, Cam, calm down. Slow down, there's nothing we can do. I can look up the symptoms and come back to you about the possibilities of what it might be. All we can do now is wait."

"He is not going to be happy about this. He going to wake up tomorrow and rip all of the IV's out of his arms and just trudge out; I hope you know that."

"Well how could I have known that? You can't just call someone and tell them that someone who just had a major brain surgery crashed on the floor and is unresponsive!" Sweets squeaked.

"I thought you would know what to do! I'm sorry… My head's just spinning right now." Cam's head surrendered to her hands.

"Loved ones tend to lose control over emotion when-"

"Oh, don't 'loved one' me crap. Something's obviously wrong, Sweets!"

"I'm sorry." Sweets leaned against the wall, looking into Booth's lost eyes.

"Do you- do you think he's still in there?" Cam whispered.

"Well, um- in my professional opinion, I truly think he can hear everything we're saying."

Cam let out a deep breath. She walked toward Booth and wiped some sweat falling onto his brow. As she did so there was a fierce knock on the door; the paramedics.

When the stretcher was brought in, and the professionals drowned Booth in their swarm he woke. From wherever the hell he was, he woke and he was scared.

Shaking and sweating, he wouldn't let them touch him.

Cam didn't know what to do, she felt awful.

Would she ever be able to help him if all he did was get lost?