Hi, its me again. Hope you all had a great christmas, I know I did :) I'm not sure if I'll be able to post in a very uniform manor for the next couple of weeks cos I've got exams for my A-levels but I'll try my best :)

Disclaimer: I dont own Bones

Chapter 25

Survive

Washington General, Washington D.C, 27th June 2008, 4:41am

Seeley Booth decided he would never understand hospitals, never feel comfortable in them. As he followed after his partner, who enquired hastily after her friend at the main reception before skipping her way up three flights of stairs in a manor that definitely wasn't befitting of that time in the morning, he was struck once more by the basic irony of hospitals. The maternity unit they were heading to would no doubt be filled with happy parents anxious expectant mothers, proud grandparents gladdened by a new addition to their family. However, Booth would always find it disconcerting that geriatrics was only one floor below, a lonely ward filled with people who were as far from the infants above as was possible. The people there were anticipating the end of their lives, alone and afraid rather than celebrating the beginning of a life, a child surrounded by happy family members.

'Temperance slow down.'

His warning went unnoticed as the brunette narrowly avoided taking a tumble on the polished tile floor as she rounded a corner too fast. She recovered and continued her path down her chosen corridor. The walls were littered with images of gurgling babies and crude drawings created by toddlers with wax crayons. Temperance however wasn't looking at the wall displays, her only concern at that present moment in time was the small crowd of people that had assembled themselves at the end of the corridor. She hurried to them, her hair flicking around her, her coat flapping around her. She embraced Jack without a second thought, her colleague squeezing her tightly in return.

'Thank God you're finally here.'

Booth watched as Temperance flicked her head around to the owner of the voice. Daniel Goodman sat stiffly three chairs across from a twitchy looking Zach. Booth realised then that this was the first time he had seen the Jeffersonian administrator since his return to DC and wasn't sure whether to greet the elder man with a genial handshake or throw a fist at his face for the way Goodman and the rest of his establishment had used and ultimately damaged the esteemedTemperance Brennan. Booth opted for neither and brought himself to a halt, placing himself on the end of the row of chairs beside Zach. He patted the young anthropologist on the shoulder and Zach exhaled slowly, perhaps relieved to no longer have to shoulder the complete responsibility of supporting Jack.

'Dr. Goodman.'

Brennan nodded her head in acknowledgment of the elder gentlemen but Booth noticed the tightness of her demeanour, the tension in her spine. She was no longer relaxed and Daniel Goodman was the cause.

'Please, Temperance, considering the situation I think we can drop the formalities don't you?'

Apparently she didn't. Booth watched with interest as something passed between employer and employee and wondered for a moment just how deeply Temperance's resentment of her current position ran. Her lips twitched and she nodded again before turning back to Hodgins who, quite frankly, looked like a nervous wreck. Booth let a small smile grace his lips as Brennan placed her hands on Jacks shoulders and manoeuvred him firmly into the nearest plastic chair. Even now, in the throws of her own personal meltdown, she was taking charge of her little brood of squints, playing the mother, supporting them in their hour of need. Booth noticed the way Zach and Hodgins were now both focussed on her as though looking for direction. Even Goodman seemed to have deferred control to the fiery young woman before him.

'Right…'

She took a deep breath and raised her hands to rub at her temples whilst she thought best what to do and say. Zach stood and began to pace the corridor beside her, Goodman ran a tired hand over his face and Hodgins simply stared at the floor whilst biting nervously at his thumb. Booth blinked, looking up at his partner and wishing he could take this all away from her, take the stress away and wrap her back up in the oblivious bubble of contentment they had been in just half an hour ago. But he couldn't, and now he was back in her world, back in the world where her wants and needs came second to those of others now, the world where right now the safe birth of her best friends child was all that mattered. She seemed to have finally collected herself and dropped her arms exhaling loudly.

'Right, first things first, Zach, stop pacing it wont help, if you want to feel useful go down the hall and get Jack a coffee, he's probably going to need it.'

The younger anthropologist stopped pacing and looked momentarily stunned as he realised that pacing really wasn't logical before he nodded quickly and turned on his heel to head off down the corridor. Temperance turned back to the remaining occupants of the corridor.

'Ok, since apparently he's in no situation to tell me…'

She jabbed a finger in Jacks direction where the nervous father-to-be was still sat silently and turned her attention on Goodman.

'…what's going on?'

Goodman replied eagerly, seemingly just pleased that Temperance wasn't shouting at him, something that had become a recent occurrence in the past few months.

'Miss Montenegro's went into labour at around two this morning and she, Jack and young Mr. Addy came straight here. Mr Addy then called me and I got here about an hour ago. I think he contacted me for a bit of moral support, what with Dr. Saroyan on her honeymoon and you…otherwise engaged.'

Daniel flicked his eyes from Booth to Brennan with a knowing expression and Booth would swear later that he nearly hit him right there and then. Temperance's eyes flashed at Goodman's all too correct insinuations. She took a deep breath knowing that now was definitely not the time or place to talk back, especially not with her position at the Jeffersonian as delicate as it was.

'So what's going on now, where's Angela'

'In the delivery suite…'

Jack finally seemed up to talking as he turned to Temperance blurry eyed and petrified.

'They wont…they wont let me in…something about complications, they wont…they wont tell me anything…why wont they tell me anything dammit?'

Temperance moved to sit next to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

'I'm sure…I'm sure everything's fine. No news is good news right? They'll tell us when there's something to tell.'

Hodgins might not have heard the way her voice cracked but Booth did. He heard the slight hitch in her voice as she attempted to comfort her friend and he saw the tear that tracked a wavy path down her cheek as she bowed her head, hair falling about her face. Every inch of him itched to just walk over and comfort her but he didn't, couldn't.

Zach chose that moment to come back, a tray of machine coffees in hand, plastic cups and all. He handed them out before settling back between Booth and Goodman and joining them in what was sure to be one of the longest waits of their life.

Coming up: Will Angela and the baby be ok? And what will be said when Booth and Brennan finally talk?