Disclaimer - Bones doesn't belong to me. Neither do any of the other characters and settings in this wonderful show. Only the plot of this little story is mine, however cliché it might be.

A/N – Hi! Sorry for the slight delay in getting this chapter out to you all, but I've had a busy week. All your wonderful reviews kept my spirits up though, so thank you from the bottom of my heart. This isn't the world's longest chapter, but it is an important one, so please enjoy, and let me know what you think!

~ Lost and Found ~

Part Four

Booth woke slowly.

At first, he wasn't even really aware that he was waking up. His thoughts were so foggy and chaotic that he could barely remember who he was, let alone what was happening, and for a few difficult moments it was all he could do to stop himself from sinking back into the darkness of unconsciousness once again.

Eventually he managed to wrestle back a semblance of control over his mind, but the relief was brief, and it didn't take long for the memories to start battering at his subconscious, bringing with them flashes of pain and shame so excruciating that he wanted to be physically sick. He couldn't make sense of them any more than he could stop them coming, but they terrified him nonetheless.

He could feel his heart speed up in his chest as the seconds passed, but he was powerless to stop that as well. He was trapped; caught between consciousness and unconsciousness, between the past and the present, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't pull himself out.

He wanted it to stop. Oh God, he needed it to stop…

"Booth…?"

Booth moaned almost involuntarily as the pain and confusion grew, but he didn't open his eyes. He couldn't. He didn't know what was real anymore. He didn't know if the soft, feminine voice he'd just heard was part of reality, or if it was just another trick being played on his battered mind.

He'd always hated being out of control, but as a fresh flash of pain burst through his head, coupled with a stabbing in his chest that made it difficult for him to breathe, he knew that there was nothing he could do about it this time. He was trapped in a nightmare, and he just didn't have the strength to find his way out…

"Booth…Can you hear me?"

The pain in his body stilled long enough to allow that question to register briefly in his battered mind, and this time he clung to the voice like a drowning man clinging to a float. Because real or not, he knew that voice…

He knew them…

A fresh wave of pain shot from his head to his feet, and his heartbeat, already a little too fast, sped up even more, making him dizzy and nauseous all at once. It was an endless cycle of numbness and pain, of cloudiness and clarity, and the ringing in his ears was getting louder and louder, the pain building to a crescendo…

"Help," Booth whispered, his voice hoarse and weak. He coughed, but that only brought with it more pain, particularly in his chest. God, it was excruciating…

"Booth, you have to calm down," the mystery woman told him, and Booth could hear the desperation in her voice, could feel her panic. "Please, calm down."

He wanted to tell her that it was easier said than done, but the pain in his head was getting worse now, and for a moment he couldn't even think, let alone speak. He wanted to scream. God, he wanted to die…

"Where's the doctor?" asked another voice, this one male, and Booth wondered who it was and when they'd arrived. "Someone get the doctor!"

"We need help in here!" called a third voice, this one a little further away. Booth really wanted to open his eyes now, because he recognised that desperate voice as well, but absolute exhaustion and white hot pain kept his eyes firmly shut. He had no control over his body anymore. There was nothing he could do…

"Someone get in here! Now! He needs help…"

Booth moaned again, and he felt someone grab his hand as if trying to anchor him in reality. It was no use though, because he could already feel the darkness coming back, and he couldn't do anything to stop it this time. In truth, he didn't even want to hold it back. It was all too much, too quickly, and he couldn't handle it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Booth knew he was being cowardly, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It hurt too much…

"Out of the way, please!"

Booth moaned again as they jostled his weak body, but when he felt something rush through his veins only seconds later, something undeniably chemical, he didn't fight it. The drugs were finally numbing everything; his mind, his battered body, and even though he couldn't really think anymore, Booth didn't mind.

The darkness came quickly then, and for once, Booth welcomed it.

The second time Booth woke up, he felt a bit more like himself. A battered and bruised version of himself, sure, but himself nonetheless. The pain, whilst still there, was more of a dull throb now, and although the pain was making it difficult to concentrate, he was at least able to finally pull open his eyes.

He regretted it almost immediately, the shocking, sterile, white walls of the room almost blinding him at first. He persevered though, because although his thoughts were still a little fuzzier than he would have liked, his mind was undoubtedly clearer this time, and he wanted to make the most of it. He didn't remember much about what had happened to him, but he remembered enough to know that he could still be in danger. He felt safe, but he knew from experience that it didn't mean he was. He had to be sure…

With much more effort than it should've taken, Booth managed to lift his head up off the pillow slightly, just enough to get a look at where he was. What he found shouldn't have surprised him, and yet it did...

He was in a hospital room. A standard, plain old hospital room, complete with white sterile walls, and a plethora of beeping machines.

It even smelled sterile, but it confused Booth, because he honestly couldn't remember being taken to hospital. He thought hard, but the last thing he remembered was taking one too many punches and then passing out. And even though he couldn't remember much more than that, he knew that the people who had been doing the punching wouldn't have even considered getting him medical help, so how in the hell had he wound up in a hospital…?

Booth shook his head slightly in an effort to get rid of the fog again, but it only made him feel dizzy again. Of course, Bones would have no doubt been able to spout off a hundred medical reasons why the dizziness had nothing to do with him shaking his head, but…

Wait. He stopped, and waited for his brain to catch up with what his heart already knew. Bones…

Bones. His wife. He and Bones were married, and they had a daughter, and things were finally good…

Was Bones here? Or was this another dream world? Or was the world with Bones as his wife the dream world, like he'd experienced after his brain tumour? God, it was so confusing, and the frustration grew within his chest. This was why he hated hospitals. Well, that and the fact that he was only ever in a hospital when he was hurt, and that was never fun…

Booth shook his head more forcibly this time in an attempt to regain control over his mind, but it was no use. Whereas before he had struggled to dredge up any semblance of thought, now he had too many flying around his head, and he couldn't stop them. He closed his eyes, but the dizziness remained, and it was all he could do to stop himself from passing out again…

"Booth…?"

Booth's eyes shot open, startled by the unexpected presence of another person. He jerked almost involuntarily, and it caused white-hot pain to shoot through his chest. He groaned, pushing back the rising nausea as best he could, but it was almost like fighting a losing battle. God, that hurt…

"I'll get a doctor…"

"No!" Booth protested almost immediately. He didn't need a doctor, he told himself forcibly. His thoughts were still moving faster than he could control, but he knew that much at least. He had more important things to do than be poked and prodded by a doctor.

Like talking to his wife…

"Bones," Booth began, his voice hoarse and weak as his eyes finally rose to meet hers. She looked scared and relieved all at once, and it only made him love her more. "C'mere…"

She didn't need a second invitation. Instead she almost threw herself forward, although she was clearly being mindful of his injuries as she tentatively wrapped her arms around him. Booth couldn't really lift his arms up to hug her back, but she didn't seem to mind, too wrapped up in her own relief. The truth was though, that only made Booth worry more. He didn't know exactly what had happened to him, but clearly something wasn't quite right…

"…so glad...missed you…was looking…"

Booth shook his head once more, trying to focus back on Bones' mumbled words. God, something was definitely wrong…

"What?" he asked, trying to concentrate on her and not his own confusing thoughts. It was difficult though, because despite waking up only moments ago, he could already feel himself flagging. The exhaustion was creeping up on him with alarming speed, and it was becoming a monumental effort to even keep his eyes open.

"Bones…" he muttered again, trying to prompt his wife into speech. He knew she hated to be vulnerable, even with him, but he had to know what was wrong, and he had to know before he passed out again…

Thankfully, Bones took the hint and pulled away from him slightly, lifting her head to meet his gaze. To his distress though, Booth saw tears in her eyes, and she looked tired too. Like she hadn't slept in a week…

"I thought…" she began, clearly trying to collect herself. "I was worried that you wouldn't remember me again, Booth."

A memory tugged at his mind, from the early days after his brain surgery, but this time he didn't even try to bring it forward. It didn't matter, not now. Not when she was so upset.

"How could…I forget?" Booth told her, his voice barely a whisper. Even his voice was failing him now, but he had to stay awake. He had to know...

"You were…" she paused, uncharacteristically uncertain. It made him worry more if anything. "You had quite a severe cerebral oedema as a result of repeated trauma…"

Booth closed his eyes. "English, Bones…"

"They hit you in the head so often that it caused severe swelling of the brain," Bones told him in the matter-of-fact manner she used when she was trying to detach her emotions from equation. "You nearly died, Booth."

"I'm…still here," he told her, wishing that he could actually think straight so that he could be more comforting. He knew the brain-swelling thing should have scared him, but he felt a little numb now. Actually, in retrospect, that probably wasn't a good thing…

"Booth?"

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Head's a bit funny."

"That's to be expected," Bones replied. "You went through something very traumatic. But the fact that you're awake, and relatively compos mentis, is a very good sign."

That made even less sense to him that usual. "That's good?"

"Yes," she replied, before frowning slightly as if a thought had just occurred to her. "Booth?"

"Yes?"

"You do know who I am, don't you?" Bones asked, her eyes a little more worried, her expression a little more vulnerable.

"Course I do," Booth replied, confused by the question. "You're...Bones."

"But which Bones," she pressed. "Who am I to you, Booth? Your partner, or…"

"You're my Bones," Booth asked, unable to think of a better answer. Exhaustion was pulling his eyes down with every passing second, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he lost the battle.

But first he had to make her understand...

"Love you, Bones," he told her, the blackness already creeping on the edge of his vision. He pushed it away as best he could, but he knew he didn't have long left. "Not just in an...atta-girl kinda way. I love you."

It took a few seconds for Bones to process his words, but when he saw her finally break into a smile, the action small but undoubtedly sincere, he knew that she had finally understood his bumbling, tired attempt at trying to put into words what she meant to him. Despite his growing exhaustion, it made all the effort to stay awake completely worth it just to see her smile...

"I love you too, Booth," Bones told him. And suddenly, in that moment, everything was right with the world again. Not perfect, because he could feel himself slipping away again, but right. He still had hundreds of questions about what had happened to him, and he still didn't really know whether there was any lasting damage to his head and body, but for now, the fact that Bones was here and that she loved him...that was enough.

This time when he felt the pull of the darkness dragging him down again, Booth went with a smile on his face too.

A/N - So, what did you think? I realise that this chapter was a little confusing and disjointed, but it meant to be like that. I wanted to do a chapter from Booth's point of view, but since I've never been knocked out myself, I found it difficult to say the least. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how I did though? Realistic? Too choppy? Completely wrong? Let me know! For now though, thanks for all your support so far, and most of all, thanks for reading!