A/N: Set after Doom in the Boom
"Mommy?" Christine spoke up from the back seat of her father's car. "How long will Uncle Jack be in the hospital?"
Brennan glanced at her husband, who was grimacing as he looked out the windshield, his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. They had discussed this very scenario last night after Christine was in bed for the night. It would only be a matter of time before their daughter realized that things were difficult for Hodgins and his family right now, and they had decided a simplified version of the truth was best.
"I don't know, Christine. Uncle Jack was hurt very badly, and it will take him a long time to recover. He may not be able to come home for a very long time."
"What's wrong with Uncle Jack? When I asked Michael-Vincent about it when we were at the playground, he just started to cry, and then he ran away from me. I think I made him sad, Mommy, but I didn't mean to. I want to say I'm sorry, but he won't let me." Christine rubbed her eyes, upset with the memory.
"Sweetheart…." Brennan grimaced slightly trying to decide the best way to explain the situation so that Christine could understand. She turned so she could see Christine in the back seat. "Uncle Jack was injured by an explosion when he was at a crime scene. At first we thought he wasn't hurt badly, but pressure from a very large bruise has built up on his spine so messages from his brain can't get to the nerves and muscles in his legs. That means he can't walk right now."
"Will he get better when the bruise goes away?"
Booth looked at his daughter in the rear view mirror. "We hope so, Christine. I think he's going to get better, but it will be a slow process." He glanced at Bones. "Mommy says that even when the bruise goes away, Uncle Jack's muscles in his legs will be weak and it may still be a long time until he can walk again. He's going to need something called physical therapy." He sighed softly. "We're gonna have to be patient, Sweetheart. But the good news is that Uncle Jack's brain still works well, so he can still do all of his sciency stuff when he gets out of the hospital. He can still look through his microscopes and play with his bugs when he wants to….he just can't walk right now."
Brennan coughed slightly and caught her husband's eye, shaking her head slightly. "Uncle Jack is very sad about being hurt right now, Christine, and it may take him awhile until he wants to do science things at work, but Aunt Angela and Michael-Vincent are working hard to cheer him up. They have to concentrate on that right now, but I think Michael-Vincent understands that you didn't mean to hurt his feelings. He was just upset about his daddy being hurt."
The family rode in silence for a few miles until Christine spoke up again. "Daddy….when you got hurt at work last time, it made me scared. I don't like being scared. You might get hurt like Uncle Jack or you might die like Uncle Sweets. I don't think you should go to work any more. Can't you take time off again?"
Booth and his wife exchanged glances. They had also realized their intelligent daughter would be able to put together the facts and arrive at the conclusion that her parents had dangerous jobs. "Sweetheart, I know it's scary when I get hurt.", Booth began. "I want you to know that I always do everything I can to be careful so I can come home every night."
Brennan continued the thought. "Your daddy is very good at his job, Christine. He takes many precautions to make sure he doesn't get injured. Uncle Jack and Agent Aubrey were careful, also, but sometimes people do bad things and people we love get hurt because of those things. However, people get hurt other ways, too, even if they aren't at work. There are accidents or illnesses that hurt them." Brennan paused at she looked at Christine again. "We always have to be careful, but sometimes things happen to us or our friends that we can't control. Daddy is going to look for the men that hurt Uncle Jack, and he needs to go to work to do that, okay? We want them to be arrested, right?"
Christine sniffled as she nodded her head. "I guess so, Mommy. Daddy, do you promise to always be careful?"
"Of course, Christine." Booth nodded. "I don't like to be hurt, and I don't like to be away from you and your brother or from Mommy. I'll always be very careful." The SUV pulled into the parking lot of Christine's school. Brennan got Christine out of her car seat and brought her daughter to Booth for a goodbye kiss. "Okay, no more worrying. Have a good day at school, and we'll see you later, alright? I love you, Sweetheart." They watched as Christine ran up the walk to her school, waving at her as she turned back to wave at them, and then pulled away from the curb.
After a few more miles of silence, Booth turned to his wife. "You alright there, Bones? You're being awfully quiet."
She nodded as she wiped away a tear. "I was just thinking about what Christine said about your job. Booth….do you promise me that you'll always be careful? Remember the rules...you are not allowed to die…."
"Yeah, Bones...I promise...I'll always be careful." He grinned. "I always want to come home to you every night."
Brennan nodded and smiled back They both knew there were many things about their work that were dangerous and beyond their control, but they were the best at controlling the things they could control, and they'd do their best to get justice for their friends.