Slice of Heaven

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones...if I did, we'd shorten the summer hiatus!

AN: I'm sorry I took so long to update. My only explanation is that I've rewritten this chapter (and the next) an ungodly number of times, trying to get it just right. I hope I succeeded!

"Maybe we should just have sex…"

Brennan made this suggestion, only partially in jest, as she and Booth drove home from their second false labor scare. Being ten days past her 'due date', she had tried several popular methods to induce labor, and was now feeling a hint of desperation. On her due date Booth had taken her to a small Italian restaurant just around the corner from their apartment to enjoy some eggplant parmesan, and had only gained indigestion for the trouble. There after Brennan insisted taking a walk each afternoon around the park hoping the exercise would convince the baby it was time to make his appearance and it seemed to have worked about noon on day six of the post-due date wait. Unfortunately, much like tonight, upon reaching the maternity wing of the hospital all signs of labor vanished with the baby still firmly in residence in her womb.

Booth cast a quick glance at Brennan, "Excuse me?"

Brennan twisted as far in her seat as her encumbered body would allow, "I'm not asking for anything overly romantic, just something quick that might get the contractions started."

"Wow Bones, way to make a guy feel special…"

"I wouldn't even ask you if I thought I could get it done by myself…"

"Bones… how can you…," Booth sputtered, unable to comprehend her bizarre reasoning, "I'm not going to have sex with you just to…"

Brennan interrupted, intense frustration welling up inside her, "Why not?"

Booth paused, searching for the words to express what he was feeling, "It's just not…"

Brennan was quickly coming to the conclusion that Booth didn't have a reason for his unreasonable resistance to what could be the perfect solution to their problem, in a huff she wedged her body around to face the passenger's window.

After a moment's silence she muttered more to herself than him, "I can't believe you're being so incredibly selfish."

That got Booth's attention, and not a small amount of his ire, "Me?"

"Yes, you, "she shouted back, not bothering to face him, "I'm exhausted and sore all the time and apparently that doesn't warrant ten minutes of your time…" Brennan knew she was being unreasonable, but for the life of her she couldn't stop the words or the tears from streaming from her.

Banging his hand on the steering wheel Booth shouted right back, his frustration coming to the forefront as well, "Yes I know that damn it! But you don't get to just snap your fingers and I do your bidding like some lap dog…Don't you think I'm frustrated too?"

Brennan didn't respond, just continued staring out the window, feeling isolated and alone for the first time in her pregnancy. Why couldn't he understand her need to have this over with?

When they arrive at the apartment, Brennan strode silently through the rooms to the bathroom and turned the shower on, intending on washing her hair before going to bed again. The wall clock in the bathroom showed that it was two in the morning, and suddenly Brennan felt very weary.

As she undressed Booth came to stand in the doorway, but for the first time in many months, his mouth didn't spread into a sly smile nor did he make some sexual explicit comment.

"Are you ok?" Booth asked, his tone polite but not warm.

"Yes, I'm fine."

As Booth was turning to leave her in privacy she spoke again, "I think I'm going to sleep in the guest room."

"You don't have to do that…"

"I want to sleep late tomorrow, and this way you won't have to turn the alarm down."

He nodded, then, still standing just outside the room, asked, "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Nothing definite, probably lunch with Angela."

"Will you call if you decide to go somewhere," Booth asked, shifting back and forth on his feet. She thought he looked so miserable being angry with her and her emotions mixed between sympathy and irritation; didn't he know that he could have prevented this argument?

"Yeah," as Brennan gave that monosyllabic reply she stepped into the warm shower, from within the roar of the running water she heard Booth pull the door shut.

Brennan allowed the water the wash away the tension and frustration of the day and relax her tired muscles. Enjoying the warmth of the water, she sank onto the bench seat and allowed the water to run down the front of her body. Within her swollen abdomen she felt the baby squirming, the space in her womb having grown crowded despite his still small size. Running her hands soothingly along the sides of her belly she spoke softly to the baby,

"What are we going to do with him?" Brennan asked referring to Booth.

Of course there was no answer, just some more wiggling about from within.

"He just doesn't understand what it's like to share a body with someone."

He didn't understand, couldn't really, but as she sat there and pondered, her mind drifted back to all the times he had sat with her during the early morning sickness, or when he had driven out at ungodly hours to get her something she was craving. He might not understand what it was like, but for nine months he had been doing his damndest to make her feel better; and often never got the credit or thanks he deserved.

After some moments of resting her back against the cool tiles of the shower stall and thinking, she said sleepily to the still active baby, "We'll apologize in the morning…"

Brennan had intended to rest there just a moment longer before getting out and heading to bed, but as it happened she was jerked awake by the sudden loss of water, as Booth turned the shower off. His hair was mussed from sleep and his eyes bore the bleary expression indicating that his sleep had been interrupted.

"Are you ok?" Booth asked, his voice laced with sleep.

Brennan sat up on the bench and glanced at the clock on the wall, which now read a quarter to four in the morning, "Yeah, I must have dozed off."

As she became more fully aware, she became cognizant of how chilled she'd become from the tepid water.

"Do you need help getting up?" Booth asked, trying to urge some action from her, so that he could get her in bed and himself back to sleep.

"No, I think I'm alright. You go back to bed, I'll be fine."

Booth eyed her skeptically before, brushing aside her efforts to dry herself off, "Here let me do it."

And Brennan, not wanting to start another argument, relented and in short order she found herself dried, dressed, and in bed, sleep was not far behind.

Brennan woke the next morning in high spirits, and found that her energy level was higher than it had been in a few weeks. After getting out of bed and having her customary breakfast of fruit and toast, she decided to clean the apartment, to make sure that everything was ready for the upcoming arrival of their child. Working from the bedroom forward she dusted and mopped every available surface. In some irrational part of her mind that Brennan would never admit existed, she thought that if the house were clean enough the baby would come. Shortly before lunch time Brennan gazed around the house and determined that it was as clean as she could get it without the help of some serious chemicals. Pleased with her efforts she strode into the now immaculate kitchen to grab a glass of water. As she moved the dull ache that had settled across the small of her back came to the forefront of her attention. After downing a full glass of water, Brennan reached for the children's Tylenol to gain relief from the throbbing.

At twelve thirty Angela called and asked what Brennan wanted from the Chinese restaurant. Brennan briefly considered an order, but the incessant aching in her back had robbed her of an appetite and so she declined, telling Angela that she was just going to have some toast and take a nap.

"Are you sure sweetie? That doesn't sound like enough to keep a bird…"

"Angela…have you seen my body lately? I am far from starving."

Brennan could virtually hear the smile in Angela's voice when she applied, "You've got my godson in there, so I'm allowed to fuss and worried."

Yawning, and stretching to ease the pressure building in her back Brennan assured her, "Angela, I'm fine…we're fine," she stressed.

Over the phone Brennan could hear some back ground noise and could tell that Angela had arrived at Wong Foo's.

"Ok Angela, go eat your lunch. I'll talk to you later."

Angela was speaking to someone in the restaurant then said absently into the phone, "Ok sweetie, call if you need anything."

With that they hung up, and Brennan padded her way into the kitchen to make that toast she had mentioned.

After Brennan had finished preparing her plate, it held not only toast, but also a bowl of salad and a tall glass of sweet tea (something she had begun craving at eight months). About halfway across the kitchen, a sharp squeezing sensation forced the breath right out of her chest in a strangled gasp. She reached out and placed the plate on the kitchen counter with a resounding thump. It was a contraction, similar to one of the many she had felt in recent days and weeks; this one, however, was far more intense than the previous ones. Her first instinct was to call Booth to come home, but then she remembered the two previous times, she had thought labor had begun, only to be disappointed. Taking deep cleansing breaths she decided to wait a while to see if this was the 'real thing.'

Brennan picked her plate back up and made her slow way out to the couch. Getting herself settled comfortably, she turned the TV on, switched on the discovery channel, and began munching on her salad. As the various programs played across the screen, Brennan's abdomen began contracting at more regular intervals and with steady intensity. As the squeezing continued Brennan began counting the length of the contractions, still not sure that this was 'real labor' but wanting to be prepared just in case.

As the afternoon passed slowly by, Brennan tried walking through the apartment, sitting, lying, or leaning in various positions, anything to ease some of the pressure that was building along the pelvic floor of her abdomen. At around three thirty an urgent need to relieve herself overcame Brennan, and she made her way as quickly as she could down the hallway. From within her abdomen she felt what could only be described as a hiccup and then to her great shock a quick gush of fluids spilled onto her freshly mopped floor.

After the fluid had seemingly all spilled, Brennan noticed that the pressure was relieved. No longer feeling the need to relieve herself, Brennan stepped over the fluids, intent on heading to the linen closet for towels. As she neared the closet door, a vastly more intense contraction began spreading across her abdomen, searing the muscles as it went and stealing the breath from Brennan again.

The force of the contraction nearly brought Brennan to her knees. Gripping onto the door handle, she panted waiting for the contraction to end, so she could grab her phone. Once the compression had ended, Brennan made her way back into the living room, taking care not to slip in the mess she had made.

She was thankful that the phone was on the end of the couch nearest the hall, because as she reached it another contraction grabbed her in a vice like grip. Brennan crouched down on her knees beside the sofa, rocking back and forth trying to ease the pain in her muscles. Once that one had passed Brennan quickly pressed her speed dial.

"Booth,"

"Hey Booth it's me. I need you to come home."

She could hear the concern in his voice "Is everything ok?"

Tears began welling up in her eyes, as the reality of the situation started to crystallize in her mind, "It's time Booth…"

"Time," Booth asked, his mind going temporarily blank.

"My water broke… Booth, I'm scared."

That admittance, something so out of character for his Bones, brought Booth back into reality, "Sweetheart, I'm on my way. Just stay where you are."

"Ok but hurry."

How did I do? I thought the end of the story could use a little drama…what did you think about the argument at the beginning, did the characters seem 'in character' to you? I have to admit that was one of the more challenging parts to write…