Chapter 10

Seeley Booth raced to the emergency room entrance; he had haphazardly parked his large SUV, and was running full speed to the automatic doors. His heart was racing, and he was scared and angry all at the same time. The parking lot was deserted, thankfully.

He stopped abruptly at the front desk, and breathing heavily, said in a rush "I am here for Temperance Brennan"

An older woman gazed up at him, and stood to meet his gaze "of course, the doctors are waiting, you are….?" She waited for him to identify himself, her eyebrows raised in question.

He wanted to shout at the woman it didn't matter who he was, he just wanted to know if Bones was okay, he managed to stifle his need to throw is FBI weight around, and managed a croak "her husband"

The older woman nodded approvingly and replied "the doctor will be here to see you in a moment, if you'd like to have a seat" she gestured to their waiting area

Seeing red, Booth exploded "you want me to have a seat? She could be back there dying, and you want me to sit down?" his hands were on his hips, he stood there before the front desk more angry than he recalled being.

Luckily, the waiting room was empty, or else he would have felt stupid, when the doctor approached him from the side, and said "are you here for Temperance Brennan?" the doctor glanced at the clipboard and back up at him expectantly

Embarrassed, he quickly cast an apologetic glance at the older woman, who stood there with her arms crossed, looking indignant. He walked quickly beside the doctor, who was briskly heading towards the intensive care unit, his white lab coat flapping

"What happened?" Booth asked impatiently, meeting the doctor face to face as they stopped in front of the entrance to ICU.

"From what I understand, Ms. Brennan was on the back of a motorcycle, fortunately for her, she was wearing the appropriate safety equipment, a helmet. I have no doubt in my mind it saved her life. The driver of the motorcycle was killed when an oncoming car struck the cycle. The responding officer, who spoke to the witnesses on the scene, said the driver had been going around a sharp curve, there was some moisture on the pavement, they skidded sideways, your wife was thrown from the cycle, which also assisted in saving her life, while the driver was struck and killed instantly. Thankfully, they were not going at a great speed, which could have been fatal if that were the case" the doctor told him, his face drawn, he glanced down at the notes on the clipboard and back up again.

Booth's mind reeled – Jaron was killed. While it was true they no longer spoke, he never wanted him to die. Yes, he wanted to kick his ass, but not kill him. Shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts, he glanced up from the floor he had been staring at, lost in thought, and back up at the doctor.

"What about Temperance? What injuries did she sustain?" he asked, looking over the doctor's shoulder into the ICU ward.

The doctor signed heavily, and placed the clipboard under his arm, and led him into the ICU area, through the swinging doors.

"Ms Brennan-"the doctor began, Booth cut the doctor off

"Its Doctor Brennan" he supplied quickly

The doctor looked irritated and cleared his throat, "Uh, right, Dr. Brennan has sprained her both her back and neck, her right ankle is shattered, and her right arm is broken as well. She is very very lucky those were the only injuries. She also has abrasions from the pavement along the right side of her body. Thankfully, the helmet shielded her face from this. She will be required to remain here for a few days, and then she will need some assistance at home recuperating" the doctor finished, and closed the clipboard

"When can I see her?" he demanded, needing to see her for himself

"She is resting comfortably now, she is on IV pain medication, and that will keep her quite groggy. Her pain is at a manageable level, you may see her, although she is sleeping now. I'd prefer you not awaken her" he concluded, gesturing to the hallway on the right.

"She is in room 211, go right in" the doctor told him

Booth rushed into the room, and stopped short when he saw her lying there, lit by one florescent light, casting an eerie glow across the room. The door whooshed shut behind him, he studied her intently, his throat tight

Bones lay in the bed, flat on her back, her right leg in a cast. Her right arm braced in a cast also. Her eyes were closed, her skin so white it looked translucent. She was hooked up to a heart monitor, pulse and blood pressure machines, all which indicated she was normal. There was also and IV pole with liquids to keep her hydrated and pain medications also.

He slowly walked to her bedside, and sat down in the standard issue uncomfortable chair each hospital seems to furnish. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the doctor wasn't monitoring him.

"Bones…" he whispered, more to himself than to her

He took her left hand in his own, and closed his eyes a moment, and opened them, watching her closely. He'd almost lost her. She'd almost died the same night he had planned on telling her how he felt about her. She could have died not knowing how he really felt. He studied her expression, serenely asleep. The set of her stubborn jaw. Her hair spilled out on the pillow.

"Bones….I'm glad you're okay. I…I need to tell you how I feel about you Bones…" he said in a quiet voice, still grasping her hand, as if she'd drift away if he let go. He gulped past the lump lodged in his throat, blinking away the tears shimmering in his eyes

"I am going to take care of you when you go home Bones, you're going to need help your doctor says" he rambled, tracing circles on the back of her hand "and no arguments okay? This isn't an alpha male thing" he gently pointed out, hoping somehow she heard him

"Bones…" he said again…then "Temperance" he amended, "coming this close to loosing you has made me realize, you are more than a partner to me" he sighed.

If it was this hard to tell her while she was unconscious, how would it be when she was awake? He wondered, shifting uncomfortably

"I guess what I am trying to say here Bones is that I love you"

There it was out.

He said it.

He looked up at her from where he was seated, still holding her hand. He half expected her eyes to be open, watching him, however her eyes remained closed.

He stood and placed her hand at her side. He had some calls to make.

End chapter 10

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