Chapter 10
As soon as Booth left Bones's office he was able to let everything sink in. "God damn it!" He shouted. How could anyone have done this to Bones? She shouldn't have had to go through that. With her parents leaving her she really didn't need any more disappointments and experiences. I am going to get this sick bastard if it is the last thing that I do Booth swore to himself before he calmed himself down and walked over to where everyone else was.
"Booth! How is Tempe?" Mel asked, "Did she get her medicine?"
"She is doing alright considering, and yes I gave her that medicine. Speaking of which how long has she been on that stuff?" Booth asked remembering what Bones said about taking the medicine.
"Let's see…she has been on it ever since she left his house, well actually since two weeks after she left his house. Why?" Mel asked unsure if she should have told Booth how long she has been on it.
"So you are telling me that she has been having panic attacks since she was 16 and I never noticed any of this? Wow what a great partner I am" Booth said mad at himself.
"Sadly she has been because she didn't want to talk to anyone about it. And you not noticing does not mean that you are a bad partner. The other foster homes never noticed and the only reason I knew was because I was there when she got it and she never tried too hard to hide it from me" Mel explained.
"Well if that was meant to make me feel better it did not work, but thanks for trying. And I wanted to know because I do not want her to become reliant of medicine to be able to get through the day. She should rely on me or you or someone else more" Booth explained.
"Well she is going to have a hard time doing that Agent Booth. But I think she has a bigger change relying on you because she never even told me the whole story. She told me a little bit and I saw some of it but that is it. What she is doing with you, which is above and beyond for her. It may not seem like a lot but it really is a huge step for her. And I am glad that she is taking that step with you" Mel admitted.
Zack watched this exchange before him with confusion. He couldn't figure out why everyone was so calm and what Agent Booth and Melanie were talking about.
On the other side of the lab table Angela seemed to be having the same problem. Why is Booth so calm about this, he should be freaking out now Ange thought. "Booth!" Ange yelled, "What the hell is wrong with you?! We just saw pictures of what happened to Bren and you are standing here talking about medicine like nothing happened! I don't get it!"
"Angela if you think that I am not upset about this you are gravely mistaken" Booth said fiercely. "Right now I am choosing to be calm and focus on how Bones had a panic attack and try to comfort her before I get physically angry. Believe it or not I care more about Bones then I do myself, I need to make sure that she is all right before I get worked up. Someone in this room has to be looking out for her and since you, Zack, Hodgins and Mel are unable to help her it is going to be me. I am trying very hard to keep my anger reined in and make sure that it doesn't show around Bones. But don't you EVER tell me that I do not care!" Booth said with such ferocity that Angela took a step backwards.
"Uh… look I'm sorry Booth I guess that I am still in a little bit of shock," Ange admitted regretting that she had second-guessed Booth.
"It's ok Ange, I can understand that you're in shock. Oh and before I forget Mel, what hospital did you take Bones to when she went for her panic attacks?" Booth asked remembering the promise that he made for himself.
"Um I think that it was the memorial hospital here in D.C." Mel answered.
"OK thanks" Booth said before walking out of hearing distance and calling the hospital.
"How can I help you?" the reception lady asked.
"Um yes, can I speak to Dr. Edwards?" Booth asked.
"Well I need to know who is calling first sir." She informed Booth.
"This is Special Agent Seeley Booth," He told her hoping that since he was in the FBI it would help let him talk to the doctor.
"OK he will be right with you Agent Booth," She said as she paged Dr. Edwards.
"Hello? This is Dr. Edwards" Dr. Edwards told Booth.
"Hi, my name is Special Agent Seeley Booth and I was looking for some information" He told the doctor.
"Ok well what type of information are you looking for and I can see if I will be able to get it for you" The doctor said wondering what Booth would want.
"Well I was looking for some information on a patient that you had a little while ago, a Temperance Brennen" Booth said.
"I remember her but I am not going to give up confidential information to just anyone. May I ask who this is and why this information is important to you?" Dr. Edwards asked unsure of why this guy was asking about Temperance.
"I know that you are not allowed to give up confidential information. My name is Special Agent Seeley Booth and I am Temperance's partner" Booth answered.
"Hold on let me check something really quickly," Dr. Edwards said since the name Seeley Booth sounded familiar. As he went and looked in Temperance's folder he saw that her next to kin was Special Agent Seeley Booth. "Ok Agent Booth what information do you need?" he asked not telling Booth that he is listed as next to kin.
"Oh ok, well I was wondering about when she came to you. About her panic attacks" Booth explained.
"Ah yes, I remember those. Her panic attacks shocked me a little bit. Usually I am not able to remember exactly what a patient was like from this long ago but I remember Miss Brennen. Her attacks were very severe, when she was first brought in however it wasn't for her panic attack it was for her actual attack. Are you aware of that?" He asked Booth.
"Yes I know about that attack and just to let you know it is Dr. Brennen, not Miss" Booth corrected knowing how much it would annoy Bones if she was listening to this doctor call her Miss instead of Dr.
"She is a doctor?" Dr. Edwards asked surprised.
"Not the type that you are thinking. She is a forensic anthropologist. But what was so severe about these panic attacks?" Booth asked wanted to talk about her attacks instead of what she is doing for a living.
"Oh alright. Well the first ever one she had she was brought in by a friend of hers. She remained unconscious for 3 days, which is highly unusual for a panic attacks and she would get seizers during those 3 days. After 2 more days she was sent home, whereever that was, because she refused to do anything unless we let her go home. I sent her home on the strict orders that she has to take good care of herself and that she has to rest. I am not sure if she actually did those things but I am guessing that she didn't. The next time that I saw her was less then a week later, a really short time to have another panic attack, and this time she was only out for 2 and a half days. But when she woke up she could not remember what happened, who she was, or where she was. That made me nervous because she should be able to remember that stuff and after another day it came back to her and she tried to run out of the hospital. We had to have one guard stay with her at all times in case she tried to run away again. What that guy did to her to make her like that was terrible, that was one of my hardest patients to treat" Dr. Edwards explained.
"Oh gosh. Well how did she get the medicine for her panic attacks?" Booth asked while getting more and more concerned for Bones and hating Mr. Samuels.
"Ah yes. Well on her last visit to the hospital while her friend was getting something to eat from the cafeteria she asked to talk to me. She told me that she wasn't going to come to the hospital anymore for her attacks, I tried to make her understand how it was important for her to get the right attention when she has her panic attacks but she wouldn't listen. She was sent on never coming back to the hospital. The only thing that I could think of that might make her stay was because I knew how much she hated swallowing pills. She took the IV over the pills every time she was here. So I told her that if she left she would have to take pills every time she got an attack. She agreed to take then and that was when I told her that I would not give them to her. She got extremely angry and started saying that if I would not prescribe the pills for her, that when her next attack came she would most likely not be with anyone and die. She said that it would be my entire fault too, so I ended up giving the pills to her. Since I knew that she could die from no one being there to help her and no medication I was not willing to take that risk" Dr. Edwards continued.
Oh my god Booth thought this is so bad; this means that Bones forced a doctor to give her medicine. "How could someone die from a panic attack?" Booth asked confused as to why Bones would die from one.
"Well most people who get panic attacks would not die. But the type of attacks that Dr. Brennen got were so severe that without medical assistance then she would die shortly after. I told her friend what to do with her when she gets an attack and gave her the prescriptions and I believe that she gets a new bottle of pills a little over each month" Dr. Edwards responded.
"Ok well thank you Doctor, that is all the information that I need" Booth thanked.
"No problem Agent Booth. And if you have any more questions feel free to call. And just wondering how is she doing and why the sudden curiosity about her attacks?" the doctor asked.
"She has been doing well. It's just this case that we are working on that strikes a little too close to home. She had a panic attack and collapsed at the lab and luckily her friend Melanie that you were talking about was here visiting and helping Temperance. She told us what to do and that is when I found out about the pills and I wanted to know why she needed the pills," Booth explained.
"I see. Well I hope I answered your questions and good luck with your case. Take care of Temperance too" Dr. Edwards responded.
"Thank you and I will take care of her. Goodbye and thank you again" Booth said.
"Bye Agent Booth" Dr. Edwards said before hanging up his phone.
Booth snapped his phone shut deep in thought. I still don't understand how I could not have known about this. I have never seen her taking pills. And refills about once a month! That is a lot of panic attacks. I hate this bstard and I will make him pay He thought before heading back in the direction of Bren office.
When he was right outside of the door he could hear Bren's small gasps of air. Crap! She is having another panic attack Booth thought worriedly as he barged into her office.
"Bones!" Booth screamed as he took in the site of Bones on her hands and knees on the floor gasping for air. "Bones look at me. You have to slow your breathing, take deep breaths and focus on me," Booth ordered lifting Bones off the floor.
When her breathing got a little slower he felt a little better. "That's good Bones, now just a little bit slower. Come on I know you can do it. Focus on me, look into my eyes. In and out now, nice and slow" Booth said as he demonstrated.
Bones finally slowed her breathing after another minute of her irregular rapid breathing.
Booth sighed with relief and smiled at Bones. "There you go. That wasn't so hard now was it?" Booth asked.
Bren gave a weak smile in return. "Thank you Booth. I would have blanked out again and that would be a new record for me. Twice in the course of 45 minutes" Bren said still breathing a little heavy but deeply.
"Bones, I think that we should take you to the hospital" Booth said. "People do not get panic attacks that often and your medicine is not helping right now so you would be better off at a hospital where they can monitor you better. I know that you do not want to go to one but it would help you and make me feel a lot better" He finished seeing Bren face when he told her this.
"I am not going in a hospital just for panic attacks again. I just need to finish this case as quickly as possible and then I will be fine" Bren stated.
"One it is not 'just' panic attacks, I know how serious your attacks are. What happens when I am not here and you have an attack? What happens then?" Booth asked wishing that she would just go to the hospital.
"Well Booth it has happened before. I know that the ones that I have had are really minor ones but even if a bigger one come I have always waken up eventually," Bren answered.
"Oh Ya Bones just go lying here for 4 days, see how well that goes. If you do not go to the hospital that means that you will have to spend every waking minute with me" Booth stated.
"I am not going to spend every second with you Booth. That is just unreasonable" Bren pleaded.
"There is no negotiating this unless you want to go to the hospital," Booth said firmly.
"You know that I do not want to go to the hospital so that isn't much of a choice" Bren stated obviously.
"That was the point Bones. It looks like we are going to be rummies Bones. Now lets go" Booth said as he placed his hand on the small of Bones's back and led her out of her office.
"Wait Booth! Where are we going it is only 7 in the morning and I have work to do" Bren protested.
"Well Bones you have been working for over 24 hours with no sleep and I doubt any food and we are going to get some sleep and eat. You need to gain some more weight Bones" Booth ordered.
"How would you know if I need to gain weight, and that is an odd thing to say to a woman?" Bren said huffing.
"Someone had to get you on your office couch or did that little detail slip your mind?" Booth asked and with the look of realization on Bones face he continued, "I thought so Bones. You do not weigh enough Bones. I felt like I was carrying a stick, so you are going to be eating three meals a day from now until you get back to a healthier weight and there will be no exceptions so don't even try to get out of it."
"Harrumph" Bones sighed as she walked out to the SUV realizing that she actually was tired.
Booth followed right behind her with a smirk on his face because he won and Bones was going to listen to him. This is going to be a fun week Booth thought sarcastically and he climbed into the drivers seat smiling at a pissed off looking Bones. Oh yes, defiantly fun.