The team waited impatiently for the emergency crews, while they treated their friend. Her Pale skin had taken on a red hue as they brought her body temperature up. They used to water to dampen her mouth as they hoped to rehydrate their friend.
With Brennan's head in her lap, Angela talked to her smoothly and calmly. She did her best to bring comfort to her unconscious friend. For the first time since they found her, Brennan began to move.
"Shhhh, sweetie. We are here for you. Everything will be ok." She whispered while stroking Brennan's hair from her face.
All of a sudden Brennan's body jerked violently. "BOOTH!" She shouted. Everyone jumped in alarm to her sudden outburst and rushed to her side.
Her eyes snapped open, and she struggled to sit up. Her eyes jumped from face to face, the one face she desired to see the most was the one that was absent. For the slightest moment she had thought it all a bad dream, the worst nightmare she had ever had. As she became aware of her surroundings, she became highly aware that it had all happened. Booth was still endangered and everyone was wasting their time here with her.
"We have to go, we have to help him." She shouted.
"No we have to wait for emergency services." Cam softly corrected.
"No! No, we have to go. The cave… the cave… He is going to die if he hasn't already. We have to go now!" She was shouting in almost hysterics.
The team looked to each other for what to do. Booth could die if he hasn't already. Those were her words. They were a team. They all worked together. If they waited here and anything happened to Booth because of their delay, not one thought they could live with that on their conscience.
They spoke to each other silently. Hodgens grabbed his cell and made another 911 call stating they would be changing locations. He also notified them that they would need another emergency unit and to get the exact location from the park rangers.
Cam went to Banks and told them they needed to get to the cave immediately for their other friend.
Banks didn't know what to think. He had followed the orders given by the FBI agent. Somehow, he was still riddled with guilt. He had seen this woman, Dr Brennan, so vital and full of life just 3 days earlier. Now here she was looking almost broken and frail. If she were this concerned over the Agent and not with herself, he couldn't imagine his condition.
Wendell lost the argument and had to ride the rest of the way to the site with the ranger. Banks could feel the cold glares he was receiving from the young man. He hated it, but only because he knew he deserved them. This was his area. He should have insisted that he or other rangers should have been on site at all times. They knew the extremes out there. They knew the dangers. Out of wounded pride and resentment he had left those two city people to fend for themselves. There would be an investigation. He may not have his job any longer, but he found that that wasn't his highest concern. He deserved whatever consequences he would get from his actions.
In Angela's van the rest of the team sat quietly as a still weak Brennan described what had happened. Her voice broke with all the emotion she kept pent up inside. She wouldn't allow the emotions to win, she had a job to do and she would get it done.
She told them she had been lost in her work. She wasn't aware of anything until Booth had grabbed her and through her to safety. She explained that she had spent hours trying to uncover him. She fought hard against the sobs that tried to escape when she revealed that he had died. She explained the dilemma she battled between further injuring him and performing resuscitation techniques.
Their hearts broke for both friends as she described their injuries. They stifled the questions that arose in their own minds when she revealed Booth had said he saw someone and that there was an explosion. Those questions could be reviewed later when they knew the condition of their friend.
They admired their bravery as she spoke of Booth's plan and their slow and painful journey towards the only opening they knew of. She explained Booths plan further, the details of how he had helped her to reach high enough to get to the rock formations that allowed her to escape the cave grave.
They all winced at the descriptions of the sounds she heard as Booth's already fractured leg had made as it gave away, of the sounds of his screams of pain as he fell into the ice cold waters below. She told them that was the last she had seen and heard from him.
What she hadn't told them was his confession of his feelings towards her, and her own small gesture towards him. That was theirs. No one but them had the right to that knowledge.
She glazed over the details that brought her to where they had found her. Her focus was all on Booth.
The team stayed in silence after she concluded the story. Each of their thoughts and prayers remained on their missing friend. They dreaded the thoughts of what they would find when he was located.
Soon Booth's FBI truck came to view.
Angela stayed in her own vehicle with Brennan as the team got out to investigate. They could see the slight damage to the window Brennan had struck with the rock. The sleet had turned the snow to ice. All their eyes focused on the copper colored shape imbedded in the ice. The large caliber rifle round that stood as a message from who had done this. One word screamed through all their thoughts. Broadsky.
Cam grabbed her phone instantly to notify Caroline what she had found. The ranger gave the coordinates of the cave to notify the crime technicians and Agents that would follow.
"Find my boy" were the last words she muttered before disconnecting the call.
The team returned to Brennan now who was now arguing with Angela.
"I have to go. I have to show them." She was screaming.
"Sweetie, you are just too weak, you will slow them down." Angela argued as soothingly as she could. "That guy knows how to get there. He will show them."
"No, the entrance is useless. The design of the landslide will prevent access from the mouth of the cave. Any disruption of the material will most likely cause an imbalance and cause another landslide. They need to get to the opening. The opening I used to exit. They won't discover it soon enough without me."
The team doubted that under the conditions that were described if Brennan herself would be able to remember exactly where it had been. But they also knew how stubborn their friend could be.
"If you don't go with me I will go on my own. I am formidable in martial arts injured or not, I doubt one of you could stand against me and win." She fought.
During the argument Banks had uncovered a small ATV that had been in the bed of his truck. "We can cover up the good doctor and she can ride with me. They radioed that they will be sending Choppers in with personnel as well as by cars. If it will bring her more comfort, let her come." He explained.
So they began their journey. Brennan and Banks driving slowly, while all the team minus Angela following as quickly as they could on foot. Angela was in no condition with her swollen belly to follow. She stayed back with information and to guard the evidence. She would follow with another ranger when the others that were expected arrived.
Each person's imagination ran rampant with what they thought they might see. No one voiced their fears, as saying them aloud might bring them to truth. Brennan survived, so could Booth. They did their best to reassure themselves. He was big and strong; as tough as nails. He fought wars; fought crime. Through his life he had been beaten, tortured, shot, stabbed, and blown up. His body and mind had been tested in every way known to man. He always survived. Through everything he never wavered. He kept his fun and loving personality through it all. He would be find they told themselves. They just wished that they could believe it.