Guys, as usual, I'm more than grateful for the reviews, the alerts… You always make me smile, and want to continue!
Sorry it took so long for me to update, but musie had been sleeping due to some difficult times in my life.
Along with my stubborn migraines and back pains, one of my favorite aunts was stuck in the UCI for 2 weeks, and she passed away on Saturday.
Today musie tried to give you this. I know, I know, it's kind of a filler, but apart from the fact that I felt it was necessary, I sometimes think they underestimate Cam way too much on the show. She's a great character, and I feel they don't take advantage of her the right way, (I mean no offense to the writers! It's just that I love her! Sometimes I think she's the only one who knows how to knock some sense into Booth, and I would love to see her real reaction to Booth being with Hannah on the show…)
BTW, is anyone scared by the previews of 6x08? I am! Brennan's face broke my heart!)
After hanging up with Booth, Cam leaned her head back against her chair, closing her eyes as she waited for Angela and Jack to come to her office. She thought about the right words to say, about the words that would make them understand, but right now, her mind was completely blank. She could only hope that they would get the severity of the situation, and that they wouldn't take it upon themselves to try and help her in the way they thought Temperance needed. Right now, Booth's philosophy was the only way to help her, and that was in short a simple "Do NOT rush her".
"Hey, Cam, you called?", Angela's voice broke through the silence, and she opened her eyes, seeing the forensic artist and her husband wait by her threshold.
"Yeah, I did. Come in, please", they entered. Cam could see the worry they were trying to hide. They were all professionals, and she knew Temperance was counting on them all to keep the lab running while she was away, but the toll the past few days had had on them all was fairly visible on their faces, "Sit", she said, pointing to the chairs in front of her desk.
After they had taken the two sits in front of her, Jack asked, "Ok, Cam, what's with the suspense?", and Cam breathed deeply before replying.
"Before I tell you anything, I need you to promise me something. Promise me you'll wait until I'm done before you run out of here and rush into something, and try and be as understanding as you can be, ok?", she saw the dubious looks on the couple's eyes, but they nodded anyway.
"Guys, Booth called me", she saw Angela's eyes widen as the implications hit them all, "He's with Brennan", she paused.
"My God, Cam, where are they? Tell us already so we can go!", Angela said frantically, and Jack just took her hand and squeezed it, adding his own part, "Yeah, Cam. We've been worried sick about Dr. B, why didn't Booth call Ange?"
"Guys, guys", Cam said, giving them her most stern look, "One answer at a time. Please, listen to me. Booth is with Brennan, at Bethesda"
"Bethesda, Cam?", Angela said, her eyes getting a frightened look seeing the pathologist nod grimly at her question.
"Yes, Ange. Bethesda. Brennan… Guys, Brennan tried to slit her wrists", both Jack and Angela gasped.
"What, Cam? That's not possible. Dr. B… She wouldn't do that!", Jack replied in obvious disbelief, as Angela was too stunned to speak.
"Well, unfortunately, she did, Jack. Booth has been staying with her. Let me explain", she saw the couple in front of her trying to be calm and wait for her explanations.
"Ok. Guys, Dr. Brennan is clinically depressed. She hid it masterfully, from all of us. Max's death was the last straw, and the night after the funeral, she slit her wrists. Booth didn't tell me the details, but right now she's on suicide watch", Angela's eyes were filled with tears, and Cam was surprised to see Jack's were also pooling as well. "I need you to understand something. Suicide watch has very strict protocol. She's under constant surveillance, so that if she feels the urge to try something again, they will stop her, though Booth tells me she's been reacting well after the initial shock".
"Why didn't she call us?", Angela said brokenly, and Jack tenderly brought her against his side, his hand going instantly around her, rubbing her still flat belly softly.
"Ange, she wasn't herself. Booth told me he was the only one to reach her, to make her come back to her senses. She was in complete shock, and not even Russ had been able to get through to her", Cam replied.
"Cam, she must be needing us. We should be with her right now", Jack said, and Cam sighed deeply.
"Guys, I know that we all wish we were there with her, but right now, I don't think it's the best course of action", Angela's head snapped as her eyes shone with fury.
"How can you possibly say that, Cam? You don't really know her! She needs us, she needs me, her best friend!", Cam flinched a bit, but she knew Angela's words weren't said to offend her, they were coming out in concern and love for her fallen friend.
"I know, Angela, and you have every single reason to want to be there, as we ALL do, but right now, it's not what she needs", seeing her ire grow, she raised her hand in the air to halt their protests, and said, "You promised you would hear me out. So please", Angela breathed deeply, and crossed her arms across her chest in a clear defensive gesture, and Jack just settled for rubbing her forearm softly, knowing at least one of them had to be calm enough to listen to Cam. He knew she was the most level-headed of them all, a trait she had proved time and time again as their boss, keeping her cool and rational thinking when the demands of a case got too much and their passions made them lose their focus, she was the one, along with Dr. B, to pull them back together.
"Guys, Dr. Brennan was overwhelmed by everything. And I know it's unbelievable to think someone as strong and logical as Dr. Brennan could have taken such a rash course of action, but she had been down in a way we hadn't noticed, as she hid it like a pro. We had assumed she was disappointed by the change in our dynamics, but I think we all missed the signs. The thing is, right now, she's under heavy protocol. The only person they're allowing to be with her right now is Booth, for the reasons I already told you. And the psychiatrist was adamant that if anything or anyone disturbed her, she would have to spend the rest of her hospital stay, alone, something we all know won't be good for her", Angela shook her head.
"Cam, you might be a doctor, and her psychiatrist might think whatever she wants, but she doesn't know us, and what Bren needs right now is her family", Cam nodded, but the couple could see the sadness in their boss' eyes as she had to oppose to their desires, which were also her own.
"Guys, I know, and I would agree with you, wholeheartedly, but I'm telling you this, not only as a doctor, but as a friend. I know, you're right, Angela, I haven't known her as long as you have, but I like to think we've all created a deep bond", Angela lowered her eyes, knowing that in her anger, she had snapped unfairly at her, "Guys, Booth called me, and specifically told me Dr. Brennan had asked me for a very special favor, a favor coming from all of us".
"What is it, Cam? We would do anything for her", Jack said, and Cam sighed deeply, and she swallowed before replying.
"She… she needs us to stay away", Angela gasped, "I know you don't understand. Booth told me she wanted us to know she loves us deeply, but that right now, she needs the quiet. I know what you're thinking, because it was my first reaction too, but we all know we're… a little overwhelming, and whether we like it or not, Booth is the one she needs right now, and he's with her", Cam said.
Angela released a teary scoff, "For how long, Cam? Until Hannah decides it's enough? Until he decides he needs to go back to his life?", Cam shook her head sadly.
"Ange, that's terribly unfair, and you know it. I'm not saying I'm happy he was with Hannah, because, the same way you do, I was hoping for them to get together and put an end to this stupid charade they've been in for the past years, but we can't deny he waited patiently though all of these years. He waited while she and Sully were together, while she practically flaunted her dates in front of him. Guys, every person has a limit, and Booth waited for more than enough. If he left, it was because Dr. Brennan ran from here like the very hounds of Hell were after her, and he couldn't deal with it. Didn't he deserve some happiness as well?", neither Jack or Angela could deny the truth in the statement, though it had stung to hear it.
"Look", Cam started again, "Even I knew he loved her, back when we were together. Don't get me wrong, it hurt, but I realized that what Booth and I had was pointless, because his heart was hers for the taking. He tried, guys. He really tried, but there's only so much heartbreak someone can take. How do you think he felt when she left him at his weakest, right after his surgery? I had to stare into those wounded… puppy dog eyes", she said, her mind going back to those grim weeks when he had been trying to find his footing, his heart aching for his friend, for his partner, for the woman he loved, "I had to witness his confusion, I had to see him struggle with everything, and in that process, I had to acknowledge I no longer knew him, because the one who knew who he was, who he is, was the woman who had deserted him. I tried to help him put the pieces of his life back together, but it couldn't compare to what he needed, from what I knew she could give him, and I knew it wasn't me. And even when he was wounded, and sad, there was still hope, but the moment she said she was leaving him, them", she said pointedly, "yet again, I saw that hope finally die. You saw it too, that day, at the airport?", they could only nod as they had all witnessed the heartbreak in both their eyes as they held hands and walked away from each other, "And we can't forget we all liked Hannah", Angela lowered her head, knowing she had indeed liked the blonde journalist. Jack couldn't deny it either, the three people admitting she wasn't even at fault for a past she had no insight of. Her only fault was falling in love with someone whose heart had belonged to their friend for longer than any of them could remember.
Something clicked in Angela's mind, and she snapped her head as she realized something Cam had just said, "Wait, you said "was" and "liked"… Cam…", the pathologist smiled sadly at the couple, seeing the hope in Angela's eyes, and nodded.
"Yes, Ange. Booth broke things off with Hannah", a happy, disbelieving smile came to Angela's lips, only reflected in her husband's face.
"Really? He's… He's finally with Bren? Is that why they're letting him stay?", Cam nodded again, "Yes, Angela. I hate that it took for something so awful to happen for things to go like this, but… they're finally together. This hurts, I know, that she's not letting us help, or even be near her, but for her, we have to give her the time and space she's asking of us. Booth… Booth is what she needs to get better, and we all know he won't desert her, he will make sure she's back on her feet. He told me… He promised me he would be easing her into meeting us, but we have to do our share. It's what she's asking of us".
Angela just stared at Cam, her shoulders falling, "I can't believe Bren doesn't want to see us", she said brokenly, and leaned her head against Jack's shoulder, who just continued to rub her skin soothingly.
"Ange… I'm no psychiatrist, but what you need, what we all need to understand is that she must be in shock still. When someone as strong as Dr. Brennan realizes she has lost her drive to fight, that in itself is more than overwhelming, and while it's irrational, she needs time and space to accept, to believe in her mind we won't think less of her", Cam stated, and Jack replied,
"But Cam, she knows us. She knows we love her, and our only intent is looking out for her", Cam stared into the icy blue eyes of the entomologist, "Yes, Jack, I know, we all know, but her mental state right now is not letting her see that. One of the issues people who have tried to… commit suicide is is the idea of their loved ones looking down on them, thinking less of them as they realize their weakness, something even more prominent in someone as independent and strong as Brennan. As painful as this is, Booth is the only one who can make her see our opinion of her is not changed, that we love her still, and now even more when we know she needs us badly".
"I know what you mean, and you're right", Angela replied, "Bren… Bren has always been too self-conscious for her own good. Perhaps her time in the foster system… I don't know", she said, running a hand through her curls, "But she's always had this irrational fear of appearing weak in front of others, that's… another part of her walls, and I have always felt that is why she's been so reluctant to accept love for what it truly is", the three people knew that what Angela was saying was completely right, "Anyway", she said tearfully, "Even if this is the single most painful thing she's gone through… it brought them together", she smiled sadly, and Jack nodded.
"I hate that it took near death for them to realize the truth of their feelings, but at least, it served the greater good. But I have to say Cam, Booth deserts her… I have people", Jack said menacingly, and Cam chuckled a bit.
"Don't worry. He said we had carte blanche to hit him in his very hard head if he screws this up", even amidst the pain, they were able to laugh at Jack's statement.
"So… what do we do now?", Ange asked.
"We wait. We keep this lab running, as she would have wanted us to. We give her the time and space she's asking of us, and when she's ready to see us, we just go to her, tell her we adore her, we tell her she continues to be the best forensic anthropologist and person in our eyes, and we help her heal. I know the waiting will be hard, but for her, we have to", Jack and Angela nodded sadly, and Jack helped his wife stand.
When they were on the threshold, Angela turned and said, "Cam… thanks for…thanks for making us see that this is what Bren needs… You're a good friend", Cam smiled, and when they were out, she just took her cell and texted Booth, not wanting to disrupt him, but needing to ease them both.
Inside the room, Booth was practically asleep when he felt the vibrations of his cell phone in the table next to her bed, and he just extended one of his arms behind him to grab it, a grateful smile coming to his lips when he read the text from his longtime friend.
Mission accomplished. Make me proud, Seeley. Camille
Hope you liked and that it somehow it eased the pain of the long absence…
Please, lemme know what you thought…