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Chapter Twenty-One

When Temperance awoke, she was surprised to find herself in her own bedroom, dressed in her blue cotton pajamas and feeling as if she'd been run down by a large truck. She moaned as she attempted to sit up and a sudden sharp pain in her abdomen forced her to stay where she was.

She carefully lifted the covers and winced when she saw the bandages peeking out from her top, which had ridden up in the time she'd been out.

How long had she been out? Temperance turned her head to get a better view of the clock next to her bed, but her eyes widened as she noticed the slumped figure sleeping in a chair next to her bed.

Seeley Booth lay in the chair, one of his legs resting on Ripley, who was snoozing away as well. The shirt he wore was not his own, and there was a spot of blood staining his jeans.

Temperance was about to reach over and wake him to ask him why he was there, when suddenly she was assaulted with a memory of snow and wolves and the world going black. Seeley must have carried her back to her home...but why?

She had been so horrible to him. Why would he do something like that...for her? And on an obviously injured leg.

She was about to reach out once again when a voice from the doorway stopped her.

"Hey, Sweetie. How are you feeling?" Angela asked, quite loudly.

Temperance's head whipped around and Seeley's eyes opened immediately as he regained consciousness. "What? Huh?" he exclaimed as he sat up straight.

Temperance ignored him for the time being. "I'm quite fine, Angela." she responded to her friend's question. "Just a slight pain in my lower abdomen. I should be fine with a few simple painkillers."

"That's great news, Sweetie!" Angela exclaimed, happily. "I sure am glad Mr. Booth brought you back to us or you may never have recovered." She said this pointedly, looking from temperance to Seeley. Temperance shook her head, not quite understanding her friend's strange looks. Angela groaned. "Say THANK YOU!" She said between gritted teeth.

Temperance flushed, feeling very stupid, before she turned to look at Seeley, her throat catching in her voice as she noticed the bloody outline of a scratch under the bandages on his arm. "What happened to your arm?" She asked, feeling even stupider as the words left her lips. Of course she knew what happened. Those damn wolves happened. So why did she feel the need to ask?

Seeley looked down at his arm. "Oh, this? Shark bite." He gave her an easy smile, which she returned with an indignant look.

"No, it wasn't. It's a wolf scratch. I saw you receive it myself."

Seeley chuckled. "I know. It was just a joke." He explained.

Temperance frowned. "I don't get it."

Angela groaned and Temperance turned towards her, catching her eye as she motioned for her to get on with the thank you.

Temperance nodded and took a deep breath, before turning back to Seeley, who had rolled his pant leg up to reveal a plaster cast, which he'd stuck a pen down to scratch an itch.

"You shouldn't do that." Temperance warned. "You may irritate the skin and make it more uncomfortable to wear while it heals."

Seeley sighed as he seemed to reach the spot. "Yeah, well, this itches like hell. It'll drive me insane if I don't fix it right away."

"That's impossible. You're mental state can not be affected by whether or nor you get an itch scratched."

"I beg to differ." Seeley retorted as he removed the pen from his cast and threw it towards Temperance's bedside table.

Temperance rolled her eyes and turned to look at Angela, who was glaring at her. Temperance rolled her eyes once more and turned back to Seeley. "Um, thank you." she said, softly.

Seeley's eyes widened. "What?" he asked.

Temperance cleared her throat. "I-I said, thank you. For bringing me back to the mansion when I was...inanimate."

"In-what? Oh, you mean passed out? No problem, Roxie." He blushed. "Thanks for helping me with the wolves. I don't know what would've happened if you weren't there. I could've died."

"As could I." Temperance pointed out. "Though I have more experience fighting them off. I'm very skilled in multiple forms of martial arts, including Tae Kwon Do, and Karate, as well as-"

Angela's coughs interrupted her. Temperance turned to her friend with a quizzical look. Angela lifted her eyebrows, trying to send a subtle message to her friend. Temperance got it and with a blush turned back to Seeley. "I've just had to deal with them a lot. So...how long did Cam say you were going to be on crutches?"

"Who said I needed crutches?" Seeley asked.

"Well, by the looks of that break and the fact that your and my added weight may have caused a lot more pressure on it, I assume that you may be on crutches for at least the next four to six weeks, so as not to put too much more pressure on the break."

Seeley's eyes widened at her explanation. "Uh...yeah, actually. That sounds about right. How do you know that much stuff about bones, anyway?"

"I was an osteologist." Temperance offered without thinking. Then quickly, she added. "Not a particularly good one but I knew the difference between a break and a fracture and I can name all the bones. I didn't get too far in med school before...you know."

Seeley nodded. "Yeah. But, still, you know a lot more than me. All I know is the funny bone."

"That's not the actual name of a bone." Temperance responded blankly.

"Well, obviously, you don't have one." Seeley responded, grinning. Temperance gave him a blank look. "Never mind. I should get going. I gotta long walk ahead of me."

Temperance's eyes widened. "Wait!" She exclaimed, before he could so much as get his crutches out from behind his chair. She blushed at the shocked look he gave her. "You...you shouldn't be walking long distances with a break like that and my carriage will not be able to take you all the way to your home. Please, for your own comfort and well-being, stay. You will have your own room here and you will be allowed to leave as soon as your leg is healed."

Seeley was silent for a moment, partly due to shock at her sudden change of attitude. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was telling him to leave. Now she wanted him to stay? "Why do you want me to stay so bad?" he asked, suddenly, acting on this thought.

"Be-because, I-I was a med student, which means entering school was like taking an oath. I will not let any patient go and risk them further injuring themselves until they are completely healed." She had determination in her eyes, so Seeley didn't bother arguing why he should leave right then.

"Fine. As long as you promise to treat me like a human being. Not a prisoner. Meaning no more demands or yelling or keeping me locked up in my room, and when it's time for me to leave-"

"I will let you go. No questions asked. But only as long as I see that you are fit for travel. Deal?"

Seeley smirked. "Deal."

Temperance couldn't resist the small smile that appeared on her own features, as a new, unfamiliar, yet pleasing warmth spread over her.

"Nice doing business with you, Bones." Seeley mumbled as he drifted back into sleep.

And, with that, the smile was gone from her lips. "Don't call me Bones."

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