Chapter 11.
"Hey." A voice said thru a thick and heavy fog that laced Sweets ears. "You still hanging on?" The voice laughed as though it found the question deeply humorous.
Sweets mumbled something that consisted of an insult and profanity but he wasn't sure how it sounded or if it ever left his lips. He smelled the aroma of garbage and figured Derringer returned from Emily's body dump.
"Yeah you don't look so good. Not sure what else I can cut here." He said looking at the blood on the knife in his hand.
Sweets had felt his subconscious try to rouse him when new stinging pains rang out from his shoulder and then the middle of his chest. If there were more cuts he was hardly aware of them. The cuts varied from shallow to moderately deep, enough to keep him alive and bleed slowly, but in all would add up to a definite end. Derringer smiled as he liked his cuts, he knew them well but now he seemed to be growing bored.
"If you aren't going to talk to me Dr. Sweets then I have to consider our session over."
Sweets opened an eye and wondered to himself if and should, he be able to muster the strength to talk to Derringer if he even wanted to. He wasn't sure how much time he would need to buy. The Jeffersonian team would know he was missing, but what was the likelihood of them locating him? He chastised himself for that. He knew how smart they all were, he began to wonder if all was not lost.
Sweets attempted to push himself into a more professional sitting position though it was near impossible as his arms no longer felt like they were attached, numb from the bleeding and the circulation being cut off at the wrists.
"Well Mr. Derringer. What would you like to talk about today?" He knew he sounded sarcastic, and horrible. The loss of blood was pulling any hydration from his body and his voice was increasingly hoarse.
"Ah Dr. Sweets, it's so nice to see you again. What would you like to talk about? My family perhaps?"
"You mean how they are the reason for how you are today? Tell me Mr. Derringer, was your mother named Jane, your sister, or your first psychologist?"
Derringer's smile faded and Sweets knew he was right.
"You said I was smart Mr. Derringer." Sweets said finding him questioning in a way he normally may not have. Maybe he was hallucinating he wondered to himself, but whatever it was, it was working for him. Or so he thought.
"I don't want to talk anymore. Look, you, you and your fancy education!" Derringer was clearly coming unhinged. Sweets sort of enjoyed it except for the fact he would now become unpredictable. "You don't know me. You don't know what it's like to grow up in a messed up home!"
Sweets dark chocolate eyes became cold and serious. "I would happily wager a substantial amount on that." He continued to stare at Derringer who seemed confused.
Sweets found it ironic that the new cuts on his skin were done without knowledge of the scars hidden still under the fabric on his back. Idly he thought of this as child's play from what he had been thru as a child.
However, he had to admit the present pain was pretty intense right now and the sense he was becoming lighter, as though he were separating form him his body were taking on a euphoric approach. He wasn't scared, he was tired, and this change was a strange sort of relief.
Sweets was pulled from his revelation when he saw that Derringer was now shouting with himself. This can't be good Sweets told himself. He was right as Derringer returned with the knife looking at Sweets in eyes that were fading.
"You may be smart you know, but you didn't keep me from leaving here and killing someone else. You got yourself killed and you've got nothing to show for it." Derringer raised the knife to the left side of Sweets neck. "What kind of smart man dies alone?" Derringer slowly slid the blade along Sweets neck smiling as Sweets winced in pain as he did so. His voice now gone too hoarse, he had nothing to cry out with.
"Goodbye Dr. Sweets. It might take a while, so think about everything as you lie here, die here, alone. I've got another Jane to meet."
Sweets felt nauseous as he heard the metal door close. He wanted to grab his neck and apply pressure but his arms still wouldn't move. He turned his head to the side allowing his head to create pressure on his neck though the attempt would be futile as the end result was going to be the same. He just wondered how long it would take, the blissfulness he was feeling earlier gone, now left with only pain, an intense coldness and the feeling he was above all else, alone.
"How much longer Booth?" Brennan asked and immediately felt like a child asking if they were there yet.
"We're about twenty minutes ahead of the team. It took them some time to assemble." Booth answered her.
Brennan looked down at the GPS to see they were ten minutes away from the address. She also deduced from Booth's speedometer that they were not necessarily going to wait for the team to arrive either. Brennan was glad, she could not describe it without giving into some of Sweets ill-conceived phycology, but she had would he would call a bad feeling. She felt the urge, presumably the same one Booth had, to hurry.
They pulled up at the location to see several buildings much to their dismay. Booth drove into the area and looked around for a guess, any guess to where Sweets might be.
The buildings didn't have any lights on them and Booth was guided only by moonlight. He told himself they would just find Sweets in one of the buildings, tied up in a corner and they would take him home and he'd sleep in tomorrow. Booth knew it wasn't the case but he wanted it to be.
Brennan was on the phone to the team who stood in Angela's office waiting, looking over all the evidence again.
"Dr. Brennan!" Cam nearly shouted into the phone after jumping at its ring. "Did you find..."
"There's dozens of buildings here Cam. Is there anything you can tell us to narrow it down? It will take a great deal of time to search each one." Brennan knew it was a stretch but she was feeling anxious though she hid it well.
Cam repeated the question to the group who immediately went back to their notes and ran thru their thoughts. They had been running on high all night despite the midnight hour.
"Bones!" Booth shouted having pointed at one of the buildings. Brennan had a look on her face questioning why that one.
Booth started to walk up to the building and pointed to the trash can outside. "None of the other buildings have one, all the buildings are abandoned and this is new, it's also Derringer's company."
Booth pulled on the door but it wouldn't open. He backed up to see in the dim light there was a padlock on the outside.
"Sweets?" He called but heard nothing in response. Booth backed up as Brennan opened the lid of the trash and quickly closed it.
"What is that smell?" Booth asked.
"There's no body, but there was at least one in there I assure you." Brennan said closing the lid.
Both felt angry now as he repeated to himself that it had better not been Sweets in there last. He drew his gun and pushed Brennan around the building to avoid a ricochet off the metal door. An ace shot later and the padlock was destroyed. Booth pulled on the door and rushed in the room.
"Sweets? Sweets?" He asked again though he figured they must have the wrong building after all. He was turning to leave when Brennan flipped on one of the light switches. It wasn't as bright with just one switch on but Booth still squinted as the light among the former dark was intense. "Bones, why?" He asked rubbing his eyes.
"Booth…" She said and he felt her rush past him. He forced his eyes open to see her running around him and some other drums to see what had drawn her attention.
Brennan was already at Sweets side when Booth came around the corner. He didn't realize he had taken a step back in surprise when he saw Sweets. He was slumped against the wall, blood on his dark gray suit at various angles from the various cuts.
"Booth!" Brennan said and Booth realized it must not have been the first time.
"Yeah." He said coming closer. "Is he uh…"
"I feel a faint pulse." She said resting her fingers on the right side of Sweets neck.
Booth pulled out his phone to call for an ambulance, an agent down and gave them their location. He put the phone on speaker so he could set the phone down and help Brennan. He noticed Sweets head looked uncomfortable so he moved forward to adjust it.
"No! No!" Brennan said taking his hand away. "He has a cut here on his neck. Dr. Sweets is applying his own pressure, keeping the bleeding under control."
Brennan was answering very clinically as to help Sweets effectively.
"He slit his throat?" Booth asked filled with rage and anger that he was late.
"Not exactly. If Derringer had wanted to slit his throat he would have from the front and Sweets would have been dead quickly. My guess is he wanted him to suffer more slowly by bleeding out from this series of cuts." Breannan said as she looked over the cuts on Sweets chest to make sure he did not have severe chest trauma that could be affecting his heart directly. Booth tried vainly to keep his hands from shaking with anger that Derringer did this.
"Is he going to make it?" Booth asked quietly as he tried to keep everything he was feeling in check.
"I don't know. He has a lot of punctures and it would appear he has lost a great deal of blood."
"Sweets, can you hear me?" Booth asked putting a hand on Sweets shoulder.
Sweets lips moved but no sound came out.
"Sweets, we're here buddy." Booth said moving a little closer and trying not to lose it that now that his shoes were in Sweets blood. He vaguely hoped that Derringer would walk back in the door, shooting him would be merciful considering what was going thru Booth's mind.
"Sweets." Booth said wanting to try and keep the young psychologist conscious on at least some level.
Sweets instinctively raised his head as he tried to come to and blood began to run from his neck again. Booth reacted immediately and put his hand over the cut on Sweets neck and tried to put pressure over it but not choke him to death.
"Sweets, please stay with us, the ambulance is on its way." Brennan said pulling Sweets neck tie off to use as a tunicate on Sweets arm.
"Booth." Brennan said taking a visible swallow as she did. "Do you have a pocket knife?"
"No, why?" He asked turning to see what she saw. He instantly paled at the sight of Sweets near blue hands that lacked circulation and ragged damaged wrists. He figured it was from Sweets pulled at the ties probably while being tortured. His was grinding his teeth so hard he was sure his gums were about to bleed.
Brennan jumped up to look on the counter for something to cut it with. She saw a knife with blood on it and while she didn't want to compromise the evidence she took it back over to Sweets knowing it was more necessary to cut the bondage.
Sweets barely opened an eye when he caught a glimpse of the blade and shuddered.
"It's okay Sweets, it's just Bones." Booth said holding Sweets arms at the shoulder so he wouldn't move. "She just wants to cut the ties off, okay, understand?" Sweets gave a slight nod but his hands began to tremble as Brennan brought the blade toward his skin. She concentrated as hard as she could to not cut Sweets and only the zip tie.
"Please hurry Bones." Booth said not looking at her. She took a deep breath and cut upwards away from Sweets skin. Sweets sucked in air as the pressure against the ties was extremely painful.
"Done." She announced and Booth immediately put his hand back over Sweets neck. Brennan wrapped the neck tie around his wrists when she heard the ambulance enter but the sound went away.
"They can't find us." She said them immediately went outside to wave them down.
Booth looked back at Sweets as with his free hand moved Sweets head to look at him. His stomach twisted at the pale and greenish color the young man was turning.
"Come on Sweets, don't do this, stay with me."
Sweets eyes failed to focus on Booth and instead only rolled uncontrollably and tired, so very tired. Sweets almost smiled as the blissfulness was returning.
