13.

Recap 12: Sweets hasn't slept but he knows the time from Wednesday is unaccounted for. His health has rapidly deteriorated when Joe plans one last torture why adding to the scars on Sweets back. In a second when Joe is distracted Sweets moves and grabs a gun and after an exchange shoots Joe and leaves. Booth & Brennan arrive to find the secret room and a dead Joe on the floor but no Sweets. Cam & Hodgins arrive and the four go on a search of the area and later find Sweets hiding in an overpass. He is disoriented and in bad shape but alive. Sweets is not responsive to Booth who takes it personally.

By the time they arrived at the hospital one thing in particular had changed. At the onset of the car ride Booth drove rapidly in the driver's seat, though in a hurry was also aware of the lives of those he cared most for in the vehicle with him and double checked each red light he ran. Cam called ahead to the hospital, Hodgins called Angela. In the back, Sweet lay uncomfortably, his six foot frame bent to fit but he kept a careful distance from Brennan. His eyes stayed fixed on hers though they bore a heavy look that pained Brennan to see them. She knew he longed for sleep but now it seemed as though he had come to terms that it would not come, or if it did, it would be far too permanent. At first she was able to only keep two fingers on his wrist to check vitals, he refused a closer distance at first as his eyes continued to watch her. Soon she was able to come close enough to lay a hand on his chest and monitor his breathing, then it changed when she was able to come close enough to touch his face and examine his head for any injuries.

With each move Brennan moved slowly and silently, aware of Sweets watching her. It bothered her that he reminded her of a faithful dog, beat and unsure of who to trust. He wanted to believe it was her but he held such a reserve that he was either hallucinating or under such a brainwashing that he would consider her a threat. Brennan heard none of the conversation by Cam or Hodgins, she hadn't glanced at Booth, he had a task and so did she. She was limited in the darkness and Sweets apprehension on how much observation she could do on him. By the time they reached the emergency entrance though instead of being at arm's length, Sweets allowed Brennan close enough as she wrapped an arm around his chest, his head on her leg as she unknowingly ran her fingers thru his hair. She didn't know about praying but she was sure hoping it turned out the way she wanted it to.

A gurney arrived as the car pulled to a stop. Hodgins was motioning to the back doors while Cam was identifying the lead doctor. Booth opened the doors which made Sweets jump as the lights and sounds flooded in. He began to back up in fear, searching for a shadow to envelop in. Brennan held him a little tighter and issued promises that it was going to be okay. Booth looked about nervously, unsure what to do and not liking it. It seemed to him that while Sweets was here, he wasn't all there.

The medical aids arrived at the doors and began to slide a board under Sweets body who panicked at the movement.

"Whoa!" Brennan called. "Let's just stop a moment."

"Dr. Brennan?" Cam asked appearing at the end of the vehicle.

She was trying to calm Sweets breathing which had greatly increased to a point she feared he would enter cardiac arrest.

"From what you told us on the phone Dr. Soroyan we need to administer help to this man now." The angry in charge Dr. Fitch announced. Cam glared at the tall blonde she had already taken an unliking to.

Cam looked to Brennan who eyes searched for the right answer but Cam took it from there.

"This man has been thru extreme conditions, he cannot be treated exactly like any other patient." Cam said. Though shorter than this woman without her tall heels Cam still had a demanding presence and a look that suggested Dr. Fitch not screw with her.

"Maybe we shouldn't have brought him here." Booth said looking at Sweets who painfully retracted in the car, away from the doors as far as he could.

"No, he needs medical assistance." Brennan said and turned to Sweets.

"Sweets, I'm right here okay, you know that right?" Brennan said softly, almost so only the two of them could hear. Sweets halfheartedly nodded as though he wasn't completely convinced. Brennan looked to Cam and Dr. Fitch at the doors, one concerned and the other annoyed. "Sweets, look, I promise you that either myself or Dr. Saroyan will be with you the entire time okay?" Sweets wanted to nod but he turned away as though ashamed again. "I know you're confused and there's nothing wrong with that okay? Sweets, I would feel the same way." This time he looked at her. "And I'd be just as glad if you made the same offer to me if I were in your shoes."

Sweets nodded this time with positivity and Brennan looked at Dr. Fitch who shrugged an agreement. Sweets tensed as a board was slid under his back but Brennan was prepared and held his hand in reassurance. Slowly he was removed from the auto but Brennan's glance remained locked with his the entire time and she never lost a step with him. As he was placed on the gurney Cam took his other hand, pushing Dr. Fitch slightly out of the way as they made their way to the doors.

Sweets flinched at the bright light and Brennan took her jacket off.

"Sweets I'm going to put this over you so the light doesn't bother you but we're still here okay, this is us." Brennan said gripping his hand. She put her coat over his face to shield the intense light he wasn't used to until they got inside.

Booth and Hodgins followed them as they moved gently but briskly to an exam area. The doctor stopped them at the door.

"You'll have to wait outside." Dr. Fitch informed them and quickly turned to leave.

Hodgins and Booth looked at each other and thru the windows of the doors.

"This is outside right?" Hodgins said sarcastically as they were merely on the other side of the doors.

Booth nodded. He wasn't moving an inch.

Dr. Fitch hadn't been happy with the extra visitors in the room. It wasn't her idea but Cam nor Brennan cared very much about her opinion and a little more about the fragile state of their companion. Brennan and Cam worked out a system when the doctors and nurses needed more space one would put a hand on Sweets shoulder and release his hand while the other stayed. They moved back and forth and while the nurses and other assistants admired this method and smiled Dr. Fitch continued to have difficulties. She did not like to be spoken back to as Cam had outside.

Sweets, while stable, was in no immediate medical concern and when word of the 'special situation' of a downed agent under extreme circumstances reached Dr. Lemus arrived. He found the two men standing outside the door as soon as he arrived. They quickly moved to allow personnel in and he recognized that the one tall and built man must be another government agent while the curly haired man puzzled him some. What he had no confusion over however was the concern they had.

"Gentleman…" He began.

"Doc we're not leaving." Booth said cutting him off.

"I'm not asking you to." Dr. Lemus said. "I would however like to invite you to this window here." He motioned around a corner to a window that looked into the room. "You can watch without interruption. I'm Dr. Lemus, I'm going to be helping your friend. But I'll visit more with you soon."

Dr. Lemus headed back into the room and instantly the pair liked him considerably more than the current primary care physician. They watched as Dr. Lemus approached Dr. Fitch whose demeanor changed towards this man who appeared her superior. He gained some information from her and then politely excused her. She tried to leave with her dignity but she failed to do so as she huffed out of the room.

"Dr. Soroyan." Dr. Lemus said turning to the man on the table but speaking to her. He noticed Sweets eyes screwed shut so he went across the room to turn down the lights and noticed the man was at greater ease, his heart rate began to level off. He never understood why younger doctors these days didn't take the time to think of things such as this. He turned a lamp close but away so had a little more light but it wasn't shining directly down on the young man on the table. "I don't know if you remember me Dr. Soroyan, but you were a brilliant student of mine."

Cam did a double take and looked the man over in more detail. "Oh, yes Dr. Lemus. I'm sorry I…."

"Of course, you were worried for your friend. Don't fret over me. I heard you were here raising some cain and came to assist. I don't usually get to work with patients as much as I once did but I think in this case you might allow me to replace Dr. Fitch."

"Gladly." Cam said nodding eagerly.

"Dr. Fitch seems efficient however she lacks a great amount of people skills." Brennan said and stopped in her tracks. She wondered if she was like Dr. Fitch but as Sweets reached for her hand she took it quickly and suddenly felt as though she were not similar to her at all.

"Tell me." Dr. Lemus said gently. "How did your friend come into this situation?"

Cam & Brennan looked down nervously at Sweets and Dr. Lemus nodded that maybe now wasn't the time to discuss it, it was far more sensitive than Dr. Lemus had considered.

"I shot him." Sweets said in a voice that sounded as though it had been ground over glass. His hand began to shake some.

"Sweets should get a medal for shooting that guy." Hodgins said from outside the room.

Booth didn't look at Hodgins as he knew better. "Not to Sweets." Booth said. Hodgins felt confused as his own anger still raged.

"Didn't you want to kill the guy?" Hodgins asked Booth.

"Yes. And if he had been alive when I got there, who knows what the hell I would have done. Yeah, I probably would have killed him, especially if I had seen Sweets…..the way I'm seeing him now." Booth took a second as he looked in at his emaciated friend with the dark circles under his eyes, gauze soaking up the blood from his back, temporary bandages warming his feet, a blanket warming his chest over incredible scars he knew were there – at those were just the physical.

"Yeah, I know I would killed him. And maybe the bosses wouldn't have asked. And I don't doubt either that Sweets killed him in self-defense." Booth said.

"So what's the issue?" Hodgins asked.

Booth turned to look at Hodgins, surprised he hadn't guessed already. "That's not Sweets Hodgins. Sweets, he…" Booth shook his head in confusion on his own part based on what had happened. "Sweets believes the best of the world, he can help anyone. Shooting someone is crossing a line to him and while he can justify it, he will feel remorse that in his mind he failed to save someone."

"Even if they aren't worth saving?" Hodgins asked with a huff.

"To Sweets we're all worth saving."

"You were not at fault." Brennan said trying to assure the young man but his heart rate began to increase too rapidly.

An IV had been inserted with some difficulty when Sweets arrived. Finally the aid had allowed Dr. Soroyan to do the task which was the only way they could get it to be done. Dr. Lemus turned to the aid to ask for a pain reliever but questioned something.

"Your friend's name is Sweets?" Lemus asked.

"Dr. Lance Sweets." Brennan said with a certain amount of pride. "He is very young but very smart."

Lemus smiled at her demeanor. He noticed she wore a ring but the young man did not, the man in the hall did and he deduced quickly how this small ground felt about the man on the table.

"Dr. Sweets." Lemus said addressing him. "I will need to draw a small amount of blood. He looked over Sweets arm without touching it and saw the many bruises and abrasions on it. "It will not be comfortable but I cannot give you anything for the pain until I know if anything is in your system. I suspect something is because I can see an injection on your neck as well as your arm. Please understand I am doing this only to help you."

Sweets bloodshot eyes painfully looked up at Cam begging her to not let him do it. She tried to hold a serious look but one of compassion as she spoke. "Sweets, it's important. I know you're confused and not completely understanding like you normally would right now but please let the doctor…." Sweets pulled his arm away from Cam when the aid arrived with the needle for the sample.

Brennan took Sweets face in her hand and looked him in the eye. She wanted to think of the words to say but none came to mind. She grabbed Sweets hand in hers as Cam held Sweets other arm down and the doctor aimed to draw a blood sample as quickly and as gently as possible. The act to Sweets however neared betrayal though Brennan wouldn't let him let her hand go, an act to show she would remain there. Cam repeated the action as the doctor handed off the sample. Sweets' body began to relax not so much from acceptance but from exhaustion and he began to drift off.

Booth looked away for a second to Hodgins who looked like a ghost. Booth looked back to the scene in the room and he realized what Hodgins must be thinking, it was all so unreal, how could it be happening.

The doctor continued to look Sweets over and pointed to various areas of Sweets body such as his chest and feet and back and issued orders. He was asking the women to step outside with him but they resisted until he motioned to the window and they agreed to go, able to still keep watch.

They joined Booth and Hodgins and the doctor saw his assumptions were right as Booth wrapped his arms around Brennan. Hodgins gave Cam a half hug and Lemus wondered when their own significant others might arrive.

"As you may have guessed I'm going to keep him under observation. I would say close observation but I think you'll know that as I don't have a feeling any of you will be leaving soon?" Lemus asked.

He didn't need to hear the answers to know them.

"Perhaps now you can tell me how the young man arrived at this state?"

They all looked to each other wondering how to explain it. Booth stepped forward, always the leader.

"A former patient of his, also an FBI agent was discharged under his suggestion, I backed that decision up. The agent was, unstable, sought revenge." Booth explained.

"I see." Lemus said in shock at such a situation. "Well, your friend has sustained many injuries as you may have seen. I suspect he has endured two such things that may not, on the surface, appear to be very serious but they are. One is sleep deprivation, I'm sure you didn't miss the hallowed and dark circles around his eyes. He is going to have some difficulty sleeping and if I do administer sleeping aids if the tox screen comes back clear, well, it's not going to be an easy fix. The other is malnutrition but based on some sores on his mouth I'm afraid that he may have been given some food that could have been poisoned or have been very old. We'll know more on the blood work as well. The other injuries are, well, he will recover from them. We are going to be taking several x-rays as I suspect some broken ribs and the breathing may be compromised with pneumonia. Again, they are all treatable but that's not why I'm the most concerned, strange as it may sound."

They all tensed at what the 'bad news' was.

"This many injuries, while on their own are bad enough, the sheer amount of them is, well, I think you know. However we have that but what we don't know is what mental damage has been done. Your friend is not far gone as he is receptive to you but I suspect when the tox screen comes back we will see that he was administered some narcotics. I warn you to be patient as we find out the effects of those drugs."

They had only been away seven minutes but Sweets jerked back awake, having been conditioned to only sleep a short while at best. His arms reached out but found no one there to take them. The medical aids looked at him with concern but did not make the connection. The simple pane of glass separated them only a few feet but the emotional distance was far greater.

Booth forgot Sweets reaction to him and only saw his friend's panic at waking up after such an ordeal in a room- unfamiliar with people poking at him. Booth was the first to get to the room and stand over Sweets side. Sweets eyes widened when he saw Booth but quickly turned his head away.

"Don't." Booth said but Sweets shook his head.

"I'm fine Booth, it's nothing…" He tried to sound brave to the agent he admired.

Booth wanted to yell at Sweets for thinking he should be ashamed to be in peril. "Sweets, I don't know if I could have made it okay? Just don't think that." Booth put his hand on Sweets shoulder. "Besides, I've been in the hospital, in the gown and all, more times than you anyway and I never thought you saw me as weak." Booth was trying to lighten the mood but he could see the psychologist was still uncomfortable. "Sweets I only care that you are here. The rest is crap Sweets."

Sweets finally looked back at Booth and while he said nothing more nor did he offer any great gestures, he didn't look away. Booth took that as a place to start.

"Now they're going to do some x-rays." Booth said and Sweets nodded as Booth stood. Sweets calmed himself to do this alone when he saw Booth remove his gun and badge and hand it to Cam who left with them. He sat back down. "But I'll be right here." Booth said sitting back down as the tech left for a shield for him against the machine.

"Me too." Brennan said sitting opposite. Sweets wanted to smile but again he felt like a lost puppy getting pity. "I'm glad to be here, and I'm glad you are too."

The tech returned with one shield then seeing Brennan left for a second one. Dr. Lemus nodded, it wasn't conventional, but neither was this patient's situation.

Lemus looked to Cam and Hodgins on the other side of the glass and gave them a smile and nod. It was laced however with a bit of worry he couldn't leave out of it, a worry they knew existed.

"I don't know Cam." Hodgins said looking in.

"I know, Sweets is good, and he gets the shrinky stuff and all, but can he, can anyone, really…." Cam said thinking to herself of what to even call it.

"I can't help but think we are missing something." Hodgins said as the x-ray machine began its work.

So what do you think? Sweets isn't completely fixed and we still have a few mysteries left. What was really wrong with Joe? What about the accomplice and what happened to Wednesday?

More soon (I hope) and you might also see a little chapter pop up on another recent popular story suggestion. I know, why start another story when this one isn't done? Well for one I keep coming up with ideas i don't want to forget. Last night actually, while lying in bed, sick and unable to sleep I actually wrote the entire chapter in my head. It went pretty well too (I think). However I was too exhausted to get up and put it on paper. Well, the laptop. I'm so old school I think of it as paper. I actually think of writing as though I'm away on an old time typewriter complete with returning the cylinder. I guess I see myself as His Girl Friday typing away, ha ha. Anyway, point is (good Lord I hope there's a point) start to the new story and alternative 'start' hopefully coming soon. Some of it did actually make it on "paper" today...