In response to aching silence, memory summons half-heard voices

After the wedding, it was decided among the scientists at the Jeffersonian that Kelly would not take a single step alone. They would be in the waiting room at doctor's appointments, they would go grocery shopping for the newlyweds, and they would never let them do more than the bare minimum. Kelly and Jeremy would be as pampered as cancer would allow.

It was Jeremy's second chemotherapy session of that week and it was Cam's time to sit with Kelly in the waiting room. But she had gotten stopped on her way out of the Jeffersonian by an important patron and ran into the hospital after Jeremy had already been taken back.

"Kelly," She ran up breathlessly. "I am so sorry I'm late."

"No worries." Kelly shrugged, placing a bookmark in the book she had been reading. "I always come prepared to these things."

"It has been so hectic at the Jeffersonian all day. Booth brought in a new case for us and he and Brennan have been running in and out of the lab. The antiquities department's equipment is broken and they've been borrowing some of our things. Have you met Dr. Kniss?" Kelly shook her head. "Oh he's a pompous ass. Thinks he is God's gift to archeology. I've been dealing with him all morning. When I argued that catching murderers was more important than positively identifying a jug as a Neolithic ceramic container he told me, "Without these important discoveries we may never understand the true nature of the human being, therefore my department will one day unlock all the secrets and solve all the murders that you never even dreamt of." Really. He's an ass."

"He sounds like a lot of fun." Kelly laughed at Cam's deep-voiced impersonation

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Kelly reading her book and Cam found some paperwork in her briefcase to review. After a few pages of her book, Kelly's jean clad leg started bouncing up and down, shaking the entire row of chairs.

"Kelly." Cam laughed and put her hand on the younger woman's leg. "Are you alright."

"I'm fine." She sighed a response that led Cam to put down her folder and look her straight in the eyes. Kelly nodded as if to confirm her earlier admission, but she froze when her eyes hit Cam. They sat that way, each gripping on to their respective reading material and unemotionally staring at each other. Cam heard stories from Booth about how Kelly had cried. She put on a brave face for everyone else, but Booth saw how she really felt. He saw the tears and heard the pleading. Every "I love you" became a prayer while every "I'm fine" pushed Kelly further and further away.

Slowly, Kelly took a few breaths. Her mouth tightened, but Cam swore she saw the resolve breaking down behind her eyes. If it wasn't for her years with Booth, Cam would have never seen it flicker.

"Kelly." She repeated gently.

"I'm waiting for Jeremy to jump out from around the corner and go "Surprise! I don't really have cancer!" You know? I feel like this is just one big, sick joke. A joke that I just don't get. And what does it say about me? I was born to a drug-addicted mother and an alcoholic father. The only people that ever loved me where the people who weren't supposed to. I've never been given the chance to love someone the way I loved Jeremy. And it looks like Fate doesn't want to give me that chance. Fate, God, whoever it is up there controlling our lives, they hate me. They give me things just to take it away." She stopped and swallowed angrily. "Every. Single. Time."

"You're angry."

"Of course I'm angry! I have been on life's shit list from day number one and I can't get off! Every good deed I do just goes unnoticed! What the hell ever happened to Karma? I know life is unfair, but this is beyond ridiculous! My life is slowly becoming the saddest thing to come out of Pennsylvania since the Gosselins." She noticed the blank look on Cam's face and continued, "Jon and Kate Plus 8?"

"No, I know who they are, but I don't understand why you think your life is sad." Cam shook her head. "You've been thrown into difficult circumstances, yes, but it's not sad. Not when you have a family who loves you. Not when your brother would shoot anyone who hurt you. Not when you have a man with an IV of chemotherapy hooked to his arm so that he has the fighting chance to be with you forever." Cam grabbed Kelly's hand. "He's fighting because of you. He could very easily give up."

"Hope isn't frivolous, not when it's all you have." Kelly whispered

"What?" Cam asked in confusion

"Something Seeley told me."

"Seeley's pretty good at giving little sound bites, isn't he."

"It just means he talks a lot." Kelly laughed, flipping through her book nervously

"This is probably not the time to tell you this," Cam said after a minute. "But I went with Seeley to your mother's funeral."

"You know how she died?" Kelly looked up into Cam's eyes. "Her liver failed."

"I'm sorry."

"No, she deserved it." Kelly laughed uncomfortably. "I'm a big believer in you get what's coming for you and she had it coming."

"Was she a bad mother?"

"A bad mother? No." She shook her head. "A stupid mother? Yes. I mean, my flesh and blood, right? So I should cut her a little slack and if I had to pick my mother or my father, I'd pick Stephanie in a heartbeat. But it was her stupidity that did her in and I vowed the day I heard she died that I would never, ever be as stupid or as selfish as she was."

"I wish you would have told Seeley that." Kelly looked up with surprise. "He was so worried you were no better off than she was. I know you know all this now, but losing you was probably one of the hardest things he ever had to go through."

"Yeah, well, maybe he can help me out when I've lost Jeremy cause I'm sure he'll know how I feel." She grumbled then looked up, shocked that the words actually came out of her mouth. "Wow, that was super uncalled for."

"I understand what you mean."

"Good, because I don't know if I do." She brought her fingers up and squeezed the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry, Cam. I'm just really tired."

"Do you need me to do anything for you? Are you guys alright on groceries? Do you need someone to walk Dexter for you?" Cam offered blindly.

"No, we're alright. Actually, Hodgins brought by groceries last night and Dexter is sort of my out, you know? When things get a little tense, I can just say that he needs to go on a walk. Walking the dog... now that I have become an expert in." She shrugged sheepishly

They sat in silence for a little while, Kelly returning to her book and Cam flipped through the pages of her files, not really processing anything.

"Cam?" Kelly closed her book and looked up. "This is going to sound terrible. I mean, absolutely the most insensitive and barbaric thing I could possibly say."

"Say it." She insisted.

"I can't wait for this to be over." Kelly exhaled loudly as she let her shoulders drop. "I just can't help but think it's going to be better for everyone. I don't want to lose him, Cam, I don't. But I think-"

"He needs to be shown some mercy."

"Yeah." Kelly looked at her wedding ring. "Someone should just show him mercy already."

"That's not a terrible thing to say." Kelly started to respond, but Cam held up her hand. "You love him, Kelly. You want him to be happy, to be whole. I think you're the farthest thing from you mother. You're not selfish. You've got so much love to share and Jeremy is lucky that he has you now."

"Thanks." Kelly smiled softly. "I'm glad you were here today."

"Me too, Kelly." Cam reached out and squeezed the younger woman's hand. "And we'll be here every step of the way."