I thought I owed you guys a really quick update, so here's chapter 10. Review please!
After playing, Booth decided to make dinner, while Brennan stayed in the playroom with Christine. Parker wanted Mac n' Cheese, and knowing that Brennan wouldn't be able to make it, made it himself. He brought the Mac n' Cheese into the playroom, making Parker eat it over the small table in the corner.
As he and Booth ate, Parker immediately scrunched up his nose. "Dad, this is awful. How come Mommy makes such amazing Mac n' Cheese and yours tastes like cardboard." Booth gaped at him in mocked hurt and shock. "Well, Buddy, you wouldn't know good Mac n' Cheese if it bit you in the a…"
"Booth!" Booth rolled his eyes. "Fine, butt." It was Brennan's turn to roll her eyes. "First of all, Booth Mac n' Cheese cannot bite you in the butt, it doesn't even have teeth, or human qualities of any kind. Second of all, he has a point. My Mac n' Cheese is often praised by all three of you, where as yours garners many negative reviews from the three of us. I even recall Christine spitting it out, which is really telling considering that she eats what you call, 'stupid, healthy mush.'"
Booth looked at her. "Well at least I don't feed him the mushy porridge you call oatmeal." Brennan frowned. "Parker said he liked it." Parker looked at his father guiltily and pleadingly. Booth realized he had lied to spare Brennan's feelings. He smiled at his son, before answering. "I'm sure he does, Bones, I'm sure he does." Now Brennan was confused, but she figured it was more of a father son moment, and simply shrugged it off.
"Listen, Bones you're an amazing cook, but let's face it, 99% of the American population does not like oatmeal." Brennan's eyebrows furrowed. "Where are you getting those statistics? Is there a national census that I am not aware of?" Booth laughed. "No Bones. I'm just speaking from experience." Brennan seemed to slightly accept this before retorting, "But statistics beat experience, and since you don't have any statistics to back up your statement, I win." She smirked smugly.
"That's it. It's time to wipe that cocky grin off your face." Brennan gaped. "You're the one that's cocky! Your belt buckle even says that for pete's sake. It's like you already admitted it." Booth shook his head and leaned over and kissed her so passionately, that they were both stunned into silence. Parker laughed. "I guess it's a tie." All three laughed and watched Christine as she giggled along with them, and then went back to playing and babbling nonsensically.
Noticing that it was 8:45 pm, Booth realized Angela would be here soon to pick Christine up. He saw that Brennan was getting tired, again; he picked her up and carried her back to bed, lying down with her as she fell asleep, yet again.
When she was asleep, he took Christine and Parker to the living room to wait for Angela. At precisely 9 pm the doorbell rang, and Parker leaped up off the living room couch to answer the door. Angela entered cautiously, and Booth mouthed, "She's asleep." Angela nodded, and took Christine from Booth's hands, cuddling her in her arms. Booth thanked her and Angela told Booth to keep her updated, and she left as briskly as she came.
Parker was tired, so he went to his parent's bedroom and knelt down besides Brennan. He kissed her forehead, and whispered, "Sleep well Mommy. I love you." Brennan smiled and whispered, "You too, Baby, love you too. Sweet dreams." She pulled him down weakly, but fisting his T-shirt, and kissed his cheek back. Parker trotted off to his room, and Booth tucked him in smiling as he saw his boy fall fast asleep. Booth turned off all the lights and crept into bed with Brennan, reveling in wrapping her in his arms, as she slept, somewhat peacefully.
However, this peaceful sleep didn't last long. Two hours later, Booth awoke when he felt himself getting damp. He opened his eyes and looked at Brennan. When he saw her, he knew she had hit rock bottom. She was white as a sheet, shivering crazily, her teeth were chattering and although her eyes were closed, Booth could still see the pain in them. There were frown lines on her forehead, her eyes scrunched close, her jaw clenched in an effort to stop the chattering.
Booth leaned over and felt her forehead, but immediately regretted it. "Bones, sheesh you're burning up!" At this Brennan started mumbling in her "sleep". "Bones, sweetheart, sweetie, what is it?" Brennan muttered, "Co-o-o-l-l-d-d" in between teeth chatters.
Booth smiled down at her sadly. "I know, baby, come here." He took off his shirt and placed her on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, tightly and intertwined their legs. "Better?" She nodded, but mumbled, "still cold". Booth held her tighter, but didn't cover her with the blanket, as he knew it would cause her body temperature to rise.
When she had settled down, slightly, he decided she needed a bath and a change of clothes and new sheets. He slowly got up, smiling at her grumpy mumblings and filled up the bath with lukewarm water. 'Oh she's gonna hate me for this.' He sighed, but he knew he had to get her temperature down.
When the water was filled up, he went back out, removed her clothing and carried her to the bathroom, gently placing her in the tub. She screamed at first, and slapped at him, urging him to take her out. His heart broke for her, but he stood his ground, explaining to her why she needed the bath, and simply held her from outside the tub. He knew she understood, but he was upset when she was upset no matter what.
After a while he took her out, and put her in her pajamas, holding her while he changed the sheets. He placed her back on the bed, but didn't lift the covers back up, and she cuddled up to his side as he wrapped an arm around her and they slept next to each other, so close that their noses were touching. She was still shivering, and burning up, but Booth was okay to cuddle with her.
An hour later, Booth woke up to Brennan shaking him. "Booth! Booth! Wake up! Booth wake up!" Booth opened his eyes. "Bones what's wrong?!" Booth asked, panicked. "We have to get the watermelons! They need to go now! Otherwise the Pan troglodytes will get them! Quick come on!" Brennan made a move to get up, but Booth pushed her back down, confused. "What?!" Brennan tried to get up again. "You heard me! Let's go!" Booth shook his head. "Bones, calm down. What watermelons? And what the hell is a pan tragolite?"
"The watermelons in the forest! And it's troglodyte! They're chimpanzees! Come on Booth, we're wasting time!" At his, Booth realized she was delirious, and despite the fact that he knew this was a symptom of her being sick, he couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you laughing, Booth! The watermelons could die! We have to move the watermelons!" Booth forced himself to stop laughing to address his crazy, usually rational, partner. 'This is going to be a long night'. "I got it, Bones. Don't worry. I'll take care of it. You just lie back down, okay?" Brennan nodded, and gratefully lay down, as Booth left the room for five minutes, closing a few doors and making clattering noises in the kitchen, to make her think he was busy helping the "watermelons".
When he came back he saw that Brennan was looking at him, worriedly, and he whispered, "All taken care of Bones. You have nothing to worry about, not while I'm around." Brennan nodded and curled up to Booth again. "Thanks, Booth." Booth smiled at her. "No problem Bones. You just go back to sleep and focus on getting better." At that she fell asleep, and Booth kissed her, praying she'd be better by tomorrow.
It was a long night. Brennan woke up every hour or so, either with raging fevers, trouble breathing, delirious statements, upset stomachs, which resulted in heaving and vomiting, and tears. Booth was there through it all, holding her when she was cold, calming her when she was scared, holding her hair back when she retched, changing her clothes and sheets when she drenched them.
The next morning, Booth awoke, and immediately turned to Brennan to see how she was. To his relief, she wasn't shivering anymore, and her sweating seemed more cool, somehow, than the tortured, hot sweating she suffered last night. He placed a hand over her forehead, and smiled. Her fever had broken. The worst was over. At his comforting touch, Brennan opened her eyes. "Hi" he smiled.
"Hi, back, and Thanks, Booth you're the best hus…partner anyone could ever ask for." Booth stared at her wide-eyed. 'Did she almost say husband?' As if reading his mind she answered, "I did almost say husband. Lately, I've been…It's stupid." Booth shook his head. "Nothing you think is stupid Bones."
"Well, lately, I've been wondering what it would be like to become husband and wife." Booth's widening grin was contagious and Bones started to smile as well. "Is that a proposal, Bones?" Brennan thought for a moment. 'Why can't we get married? Sure, it's an archaic institution and an alpha male ritual, but I do love Booth. It's irrational, but I like the sound of calling him my husband, and him calling me his wife.' Brennan nodded her head. "I guess it is."
Booth smiled even wider. He leaped off the bed, confusing Brennan by rummaging through a drawer. He pulled out a blue velvet box and approached the bed. Brennan gasped. "I thought you said I was going to propose to you."
"I only said that because I didn't want to push you. But I wanted to be prepared for when you were ready, and now that I know you're ready, I'm doing the official proposal." Brennan sighed, but smiled, "typical alpha male." He climbed back into bed, and held her left hand, kissing it gently before he continued.
"Dr. Temperance Brennan, you are my life. If anything happened to you I would feel like I lost a piece of me, half of my heart, and my soul. I would die without you. I know I love you, and I will continue to love you forever and ever. Will you marry me?" Brennan rolled her eyes. "Since I made the original proposal, I think the answer to that question should be obvious."
"Say it anyways." Brennan kissed him gently. "Yes. Yes. I'll marry you Booth. Because everything you feel towards me, I feel towards you if not more. I had the experience of losing you for two weeks." Booth opened his mouth, but Brennan shushed him with her finger. "I realized something in those two weeks. I couldn't survive without you. I cried myself to sleep everynight. For the first few days I couldn't even get out of bed, but I realized that I had to honor you by working. So I emerged myself in my work for days trying to compartmentalize. I didn't eat, didn't sleep, didn't cry. I was emotionless. But I realized something. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't compartmentalize when it came to you, and that scared me more than anything or anyone had ever scared me in my life. But I wouldn't allow myself to cry, it would be too painful, like I was admitting to myself those two weeks were true. But I do love you, Booth. So much, and I can't live without you. So, yes, I will marry you. Did that satisfy your alpha male needs?" Brennan teased at the end.
Booth nodded. "It certainly did. That's why you looked so skinny and pale when I saw you. I wanted to say something, but you were just so mad. I realize, now, that that anger was, in fact, the passion that Sweets was talking about." Brennan frowned and scrunched her eyebrows. "Did you just say that Sweets was right?" Booth frowned too. "Ughh…darnit. It'll be our secret, okay?" Brennan nodded.
"Anyways…" Booth opened the box and Brennan gasped at its contents. Inside was a simple silver band. Except it had engraved on the surface two, intertwined blue, opal dolphins, with two small diamonds on each side of the dolphins. Inside was an inscription that read, "To my own dolphin and our dolphin calls that will continue forever."
Brennan didn't realize she was crying, until two teardrops hit the surface of the box with two pounds. "Oh Booth…" She looked up at him. "You're my dolphin, and we have our own language, so I thought it was appropriate. Do you like it? I know most women prefer large diamond stones, but I thought that would be impractical because I never want you to take it off, and a big diamond wouldn't fit under your gloves." Brennan interrupted Booth with a hug. "Booth I love it! You really do know me so well. And…I have a surprise for you, but first, can you…I know it's irrational, and so traditional, but can you put it on me Booth." Booth carefully slipped it onto her ring finger, marveling in how it fit her finger like Cinderella's glass shoe fit Cinderella's foot.
"So, what's the surprise?" Brennan leaned over to the nightstand, and reached for a white box. Brennan turned back around to face Booth, laughing at his shocked expression, and gaping mouth. "Yes, Booth. Well, you already proposed, so I guess you just have to open it." She handed it to him and he opened it. His jaw dropped at the thoughtful ring. On the surface it had a yin and yang symbol and inscribed with "We may be opposites, but we complete each other". And inside it was inscribed, "Thank you for giving me happiness, love, laughter, friendship and a dance."
They kissed each other passionately, and held each other closely, their noses touching, their arms wrapped around each other, their tears mixing, and their lives combining. At that moment neither one felt they could be happier. Brennan would be better soon, then they could have a nice wedding, become husband and wife and grow old together like both had always envisioned. "Life doesn't get any better than this" they said together, and laughed.
What did you think? Long chapter, I know. Review please : )