Booth sat for the hundredth time in the small office. He listened again to the doctors saying that he should consider taking Bones off intensive care. He had thought, so many times, about it. Bones didn't deserve to die without knowing anyone was there. He wanted her to know he had always been there, never giving up. His arms ached to hold her again, to feel her warmth in his.
"I want her to die with me, knowing I'm there."
"That is very unlikely, with the smoke damage on the body there is little chance of her knowing who you are anyway."
"I don't believe you, she was protected."
"She was protected from the flames, not the smoke. The amount of carbon inhaled from the smoke had almost certainly caused huge brain injuries. That is of course only in the unlikely event of her even waking up."
"She will wake up."
"If she did the problems in her brain may kill her seconds later anyway."
"No, she will be fine."
"People's lives are at stake, the intensive care could be being used on someone with a much bigger chance of survival."
Booth got up, opened the door and left. He didn't care what the doctors said, Bones would be okay, she had to.
Booth lay awake on the bed. The phone was always next to him. His house was still not repaired, so he was in Michael's old room. Angela had been very kind and strong to give him the room, with Michael dead and everything.
Sweets had paid him a visit today, he often did. He still felt he could help Booth. But Booth seemed set that this was his entire fault, he had killed his friends and family and neighbours. He had endangered many people and lost people so much. Booth was still sure that without Brennan here he would have killed himself.
The phone rang the hospital.
"Hello, Sealy Booth?"
"Yes?"
"Your wife is getting worse."
"What?"
"Her condition is now critical; she is going to die in about an hour."
"What! Defiantly."
"Yes, I'm very sorry."
"I will be right there."
He jumped in the car and put on his siren. He didn't care about rules or danger or anything. Streaming down the road, he wouldn't let the information set into his brain. Bones WAS NOT GOING TO DIE. She couldn't, could she?
He bolted up the now familiar steps to her room. About five doctors stood around her, trying to stabilize her heart. Booth saw what a state she was in. Her face covered in sweat, shifting around on the bed. The doctors quickly explained that she was in a coma but it was so intense she could move and maybe hear. He didn't really understand and he didn't care. He looked again at his wife, with doctors rushing around her. This couldn't make her feel good, and he had finally accepted it wasn't going to help.
"stop." He ordered.
"okay." the doctors understood what he wanted. They left Booth alone with his dying wife.
Once Booth had removed the wires from her, he held her and whispered to her. Talking about all sorts of things, Harrison's funeral plans, what had happened to people. About their house rebuild and the sad neighbours. He felt her slipping away, a strange presence in his head. As her body went still, her eyes opened.
"Booth," she said, barely a whimper "I love you...let go love..."
With tears in his eyes, Booth placed his wife down. Down the corridor and outside he went. The fresh air felt to light in his throat. Brennan's last words lingered in his mind. He needed to carry on, be happy and move on, that's what she wanted. But how could he? The world had just crashed down around him. As he looked ahead he saw the blank uncertainty of the future. To one side he saw the lead up to the disaster. Broadsky, bullets and terror, losing Stephen. To his other side he saw the bomb. Flames engulfing his wife and son, his friends looking so scared. The dead baby in Miss Sands burnt arms. Death and suffering, and Broadsky's smiling face. Broadsky had won, Booth realised. He turned around, there was the before. Happy memories from his life. With Bones and their sons, times out with his friends and even past cases. Anything that wasn't disappointment, war or Broadsky. He didn't want to turn back forwards; he didn't want to leave the happiness. But that happiness wasn't real, it had been once, but not now. He needed to find new happiness. It wouldn't be easy, but he had to do it. For Bones and Stephen and Harrison and Michael and Hodgen's and all the others. Also for himself, he needed to move on and feel happy again.
Bones was buried in between Stephen and Harrison. Booth was there for the double funeral, with his friends surrounding him. He had Parker with him too. This was the end of all he had loved, but the start of something else. No one knows what that will hold. But we all know Booth will keep all he has lost alive in his heart.
Stephen Booth
15 years
Loving son and amazing friend x
Harrison Booth
12 years
Bubbly and always discovering x
Temperance Booth
50 years
The most incredible wife, friend,
Mother and employee ever.
More radiant that the sun x
The end. Hope you enjoyed it, although yes it is a tragedy and it's very sad. Let me know what you're thinking about it! ;)
Darkatdusk xxx
