Chapter 9
Brennan crept silently out of her bedroom the following morning around 5:00 am. There was no sign of Booth in the living room, so she knew he must have slept in the spare bedroom. She called a cab and then wrote a quick note letting him know that she had gone into the lab early. Thankfully the swelling in her knee seemed to have decreased, so she was getting around fairly well, albeit more slowly than usual. She grabbed some juice and a banana from the kitchen and put them in her bag, then headed downstairs to wait for her ride.
When she arrived at the Jeffersonian she went straight back to her office. Brennan sat behind her desk, leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. For the first time that morning, she allowed herself to think about the kiss. Of course it could be blamed on any number of things, rationally speaking. She had been medicated and sleepy, and after the ordeal of that afternoon her ability to compartmentalize her feelings had been compromised. But in the moment that their lips met, he became something more than her partner and friend. The sexual attraction was not the surprise - she had been aware of that underlying tension between them for years. What had shocked her was the extreme emotional pull she felt toward him in that moment. While she sensed he had also felt something, she knew he had not fully responded to her. And what scared her even more was the look of confusion in his eyes before she walked away.
Brennan stood up and walked out of her office. She decided to do some work in bone storage while she waited for evidence to start coming in from the crime scene. She pulled down a few boxes of bones and got to work, quickly losing track of time. Several hours later, she looked up from the bones of a World War I soldier and realized it was almost lunchtime. She made a few notes on the chart and then walked toward Cam's office to see if she knew anything about when the evidence would start to arrive.
Cam looked up, surprised, when she knocked. "Dr. Brennan, I didn't know you were here. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. I've been in bone storage working while I waited on evidence from the crime scene. Have you heard anything?"
Cam nodded. "I know that they were going to allow the crime scene techs to begin evidence recovery some time around mid-morning. I already sent Wendell and Daisy out there." She held up her hand as Brennan opened her mouth to protest. "Dr. Brennan, you have a concussion and you're limping. I just can't allow you to go back down into the basement and risk further injury. Wendell and Daisy are both capable, and you can examine the remains when they arrive."
Brennan let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. I'll be in my office." She limped down the hallway, pausing when she heard Angela call out to her. "Sweetie, Booth is here looking for you. How are you feeling?"
Brennan felt dread clutch at her stomach. Logically she had known that she would have to see him at some point today, but still felt she wasn't ready to face him. "I'm fine Angela. I'm just on my way to my office now," she said.
Angela stared at her friend curiously. She had sensed something off with Booth, but figured it was just the case coupled with the fact that Brennan had been injured. Now, seeing how reluctant Brennan was to see Booth, she wondered if there was more to it than that. "Are you ok, Bren?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Hmm." Angela watched Brennan as she limped away. They definitely needed to have a talk after Booth left.
Brennan walked into her office and saw Booth sitting on her couch, holding a takeout bag. He looked up as she approached her desk. "Hey Bones. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine Booth. There was no reason to drive over here to check on me." She avoided looking at him as she sat down and turned on her computer. She heard him stand up and walk toward her. "How long do you think I'll be waiting for the evidence to arrive?"
"The techs were just getting started when I left about 30 minutes ago." He held up the bag from the diner. "I figured you hadn't eaten yet, so I brought you lunch."
"Thanks. Wendell and Daisy were at the scene?" She took the salad from him and opened it. Booth watched her carefully. To any casual observer, Brennan seemed fine, but he knew her well enough to know that she was retreating behind her walls.
"Yeah. Daisy was doing her best "Dr. Brennan" impression, so the techs were all properly intimidated. I told them to send the evidence as it's recovered, so you should have something to look at by mid-afternoon. I'll stop by before I head home and see if you have anything."
Brennan looked at him for the first time, surprised. "You're not working tonight? Why?"
Booth shook his head and took a deep breath. "I had plans that I cancelled last night, and I really don't need to cancel again if I can avoid it. But I'll be by again after dinner."
Brennan was confused. Booth seemed very uncomfortable, and she suddenly realized what his plans might be. "You have a date?" Her chest hurt suddenly, and she turned her attention back to her computer. "I wasn't aware that you had a girlfriend. You really don't have to be secretive, you know."
"I wasn't being secretive, Bones. I just haven't been seeing her very long, so it's not very serious." He could see her retreating further and further with every word, and cursed silently. "Look, I wanted to talk to you about last night...."
Brennan interrupted him. "I really have a lot of work to do, Booth. I'll call you later when I have something."
Booth stared at her as the silence stretched between them. As much as he wanted her to open up to him about last night, he knew it wasn't going to happen right now. "Ok, fine. I'll stop by later."
Brennan waited until she was sure he was gone, then leaned her head on her hands. She felt tired and hurt and alone, and that it was Booth who was making her feel that way only made it worse. He was the one she talked to when she was upset, but that was impossible today.
She looked up as Angela walked into her office, closing the door behind her. "Ok, sweetie, time to talk. Booth just left here looking like a kid whose favorite puppy died, and you don't look much better. What's going on?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Ange." Brennan poked at her salad with her fork, though the idea of eating made her feel sick.
"No, don't even try it. Security said you were in here before 6:00 this morning. Didn't Booth stay with you last night?" Angela watched Brennan closely, and noticed that she seemed suddenly uncomfortable. "What, did you two suddenly give in to the unresolved sexual tension that we've all been making bets on for years?" Angela was joking, but when she saw the expression on Brennan's face, she knew she had hit a nerve. "Oh my.... did you two SLEEP together?"
"What? No, of course not Angela, don't be ridiculous," Brennan replied, her face flushing.
"Well, obviously something happened. You might as well tell me, otherwise my imagination will take over and fill in the blanks, then I'll just have to talk to Booth."
Brennan sighed, then looked at her friend. "I kissed him, but it was an accident really. He turned his head, and I was tired, and the medication..... it was not a big deal."
Angela suppressed her grin. This day was suddenly very interesting. "So, was it hot? I mean, it's Booth, so it must have been hot. I'm surprised the DCFD didn't have to respond," she added, fanning herself.
"Angela, stop."
"What, I can't live vicariously? This celibacy thing is no picnic, you know. I want details, and it's your responsibility as my best friend to provide them."
"Angela, it was a mistake and it won't happen again."
"Oh, sweetie, don't be naive. You can't stop a volcano once the top has been blown off."
"He has a girlfriend, Angela." Brennan was proud of herself. Her voice sounded perfectly calm when she said it.
"Wait, he what?" Angela asked, confused. "Since when does Booth have a girlfriend?"
"I don't know the details, but he told me about her today. She's the reason he's not working tonight." Brennan continued to concentrate on her computer screen, though she wasn't even sure what she was looking at anymore.
Angela suddenly felt angry. "So he kissed you last night, then today he comes by to tell you he can't work tonight because he has a date with his girlfriend?"
"No, I kissed him, and I told you it was an accident. Can we please stop talking about this?" Brennan stood up and limped over to her couch. "I really didn't sleep well, so I think I'm going to rest for a little while. I'll be busy this afternoon examining the remains as they arrive."
Angela knew she probably wasn't going to get anything else out of Brennan at the moment, so she stood up. "Sure, sweetie. We'll talk later ok?" She left Brennan's office and went to grab her purse - apparently there was a certain FBI agent long overdue for one of her chats.
