Sorry guys! I meant to update yesterday but got sidetracked. So without any further delay...

Booth wasn't aware of anything in the outside world, hadn't even tried to move from his kneeling postion on the floor. He only felt the overpowering sensation of loss that crippled his body.

He wasn't sure if he was crying or not, but judging by the jerky movements of his chest and his blurry vision, he probably was.

"Mr. Booth?" A surgical intern walked out of the OR and knelt beside him. "Sir, are you going to be okay?"

"Temperance." He looked up quickly, trying to regulate his breathing. "I need to be with her."

The intern shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry Mr. Booth, but you can't be in there."

Booth looked at the floor again. He couldn't feel his legs or his arms or his head. He was completely debilitated at the thought of not being there for his wife when she needed him most. At the thought of losing her.

He swallowed hard. There was only one other place he could think of being if he couldn't be at her side.

"Can I see my baby then?"

The intern's face brightened slightly. "Sure. I'll show you the way."

Booth rose to his feet and allowed himself to be led by the young woman. He didn't know how long or how far they had been walking when the sound of crying babies woke him from his numbness.

He looked at the intern anxiously as they walked into the Neonatal Care Unit. She finally stopped at a small plastic cradle in the middle of the room.

Booth looked past her, looked down, and saw a small body wrapped in a warm blanket sleeping soundly despite the noisiness of the nursery. She reached in and carefully lifted the child.

"Here you go. Baby boy Booth." She smiled at the man as she saw tears begin to well in his eyes and he carefully took the child.

"Boy?" He whispered to her, never taking his eyes off the child.

"Yes. You have a son, Mr. Booth." She touched the child softly once more on his head and left the room, which had gotten surprisingly quiet, as if the other children could sense how much these two men were going through.

The boy got fussy for a moment at the sudden altitude change, balling his tiny hands into fists and squeezing a few tears from his eyes.

"Shh…it's okay buddy. I know you miss you're mom, but everything's going to be okay." He gently rocked the child as he whispered softly to the bundle of pink flesh.

The baby quieted again.

"That's better. Aren't you just the most beautiful thing in the world?" He smiled softly, a few tears falling down his cheeks. "Gave me quite a scare didn't you bud? That's not a nice thing to do to your old dad."

Booth was so wrapped up in his son's presence in the world that he didn't notice the crowd of people forming at the viewing window. He hadn't been at Parker's birth, and he felt like a great gift had been given to him for being allowed to be part of such an event.

With his next prayer for Tempe he sent up a 'thanks' as well.

Angela, Zack, Hodgins, and Parker were waving wildly at the window. Finally Booth looked up and saw them.

"Hey buddy, looks like there are some people who want to meet you."

He carefully walked over and turned so the others could see the child. Zack and Hodgins cooed softly, smiling at each other giving high fives.

"It's a boy!" They grinned.

"You Neanderthals." Angela grinned at the baby through the glass. "It just as easily could have been a girl."

"But it's not, it's a boy!" The boys threw each other another high five.

"Aunt Angela, what's a Neanderthal?" Parker looked up at Angela and she just smiled.

"Nothing sweetie. Look, look at you're baby brother."

Angela tapped lightly on the glass as Parker strained to see the baby in his father's arms.

Booth tore his eyes away from his son for a moment and looked around the hallway, he soon realized what made him do that, when he saw two figures looming in the shadows across the hall.

The sight of Russ and Max had been a rare occurance in the past year, but Booth wasn't altogether suprised to see them at the birth of Tempe's first child. He exchanged a slight nod with Russ, who smiled but looked fidgety, obviously worried about being recognized. Max, on the other hand, was completely still, trying to burn the sight of the baby across the hall, into his brain.

Booth's brown eyes met Max's and his last words to the Agent came flooding back to him. All their calls or encounters ended with the same words. You take care of her.

"Angela, is my dad okay?" Parker questioned.

Angela looked up and saw Booth's face was painted with worry, tears collecting in the corners of his eyes. She held her breath.

He felt her eyes on him, and after a moment, he looked over to Angela, knowing she had almost as much ability with reading people as he did.

Angela gasped quietly and covered her mouth with the hand that wasn't holding Parker's shoulder.

"Oh no." She said in a barely audible whisper that none of the guys ogling at the baby heard.

Booth's eyes locked with Angela as she slowly mouthed 'baby'.

He shook his head ever so slightly.

She closed her eyes. 'Tempe'. She opened them and saw Booth blinking hard to hold back his tears. Suddenly her face was covered in her own.

"Angela, what's wrong baby?" Hodgins put a protective arm around Angela's waist and Zack peered over his shoulder.

Angela finally broke her eyes from Booth's and looked at Hodgins. Not wanting to upset Parker she leaned in close to his ear and whispered.

"Something's wrong with Bren."

Hodgins looked at Booth and noticed for the first time his eyes rimmed in red. Zack did too, having heard the whisper.

Parker looked from one adult's face to another and realized something was wrong. Finally they landed on his father's. Parker's six-year-old eyes took note of the sadness and desperation in Booth's face and recognized it.

A memory came flooding back to his brain. At Christmas two years ago his father had not been able to be with him. He'd stayed with the squint's all night at Tempe's work and Sid had brought him to see his father and talk to him through glass doors.

Parker bit his lip and instinctively raised his small hand as far as it would go and placed it flat against the glass.

Angela, Hodgins and Zack watched him do this, unable to use their voices enough to question him. Booth studied his son. He was surprised at the understanding that lay within his young brown eyes.

Taking one hand from out from under his newborn son, Booth placed it flat against the window across from Parkers. After a few seconds Angela followed suit as did Hodgins and Zack. Before long all of them held their hands to the glass trying desperately to convey feelings they were incapable of expressing with words.

Fear. Joy. Worry. Welcome. Understanding. Hope.

For a second, even Baby Booth stretched out his small hand and arm, reaching toward the glass to join the others.

"Mr. Booth?"

Booth heard his name and turned around, breaking the silent connection he and his family had been sharing. Angela saw the doctor at the doorway and knew it was about Brennen. She turned away and put her head on Jack's shoulder, unable to look.

"Yea?" Booth replaced his hand under his son and pulled him closer.

"Mr. Booth, you're wife is out of surgery."

Booth held his breath.

"She pulled through. You'll be able to see her in a few minutes." The doctor finished.

A relief like he had never known washed over Booth and he felt like literally jumping for joy, but the warm body in his arms told him not to. Instead he thanked the doctor and looked down at his son, whose face was contorting into a frown again.

"Be patient son." He leaned over and kissed him lightly on the head and the child's face softened once again. "You'll be able to meet your mom in a few minutes."

He turned back around where eight sets of eyes stared expectantly at him. His face broke into a wide smile and he thought he might burst. The others immediately understood his reaction and they did the jumping for him.

There, I saved Tempe. Now just one more chap to go.