Did we mention yet that we love your reviews? We absolutely love them! In return, here's a slightly more angsty chapter. Enjoy ;).

Chapter 25

The next day, Brennan had to stay in bed. She was running a fever, her brain was fuzzy and she was almost too tired to even go to the bathroom. Suddenly she was absolutely floored by the fatigue built up in the past period. Elena was pretty much reliant on Booth and Hank, since her mother was too tired to even read to her. The day after that, Brennan still wasn't going anywhere.

Elena was growing a bit impatient. She liked doing things with her father and great-grandfather, but she missed her mommy. "Mommy can you please, please, please, get up?" Elena begged her as she lay down next to Brennan.

Brennan drew her daughter close and kissed her hair. "Sorry, honey. Mommy's really tired."

Elena sat upright. "You can't be tired always!" She lay back down next to her mother. "How can I make you better, Mommy?"

Brennan tucked Elena's curls behind her ear. "By being a good girl and listening to Booth, sweetheart. I just need a lot of sleep."

Elena's eyes filled with tears of disappointment and worry about her mother being sick. Her mother was never sick.

"It's okay to cry, honey," Brennan said, her heart aching when her daughter cried. Big tears rolled down Elena's cheeks as she held onto her mother. Brennan comforted her as best as she could. "Elena, it's not that serious. You have fun with Daddy and Grandpa Pops, don't you? Try to have one more day of fun for me. You can come read to me tonight if you want."

Elena calmed down a little. "Okay, Mommy," she said in a teary voice.

Booth walked into the bedroom. "Here is my princess! I was wondering where you went off to after breakfast." Booth noticed that she scooted closer to her mom and he sat down on the bed. "Is everything okay here?"

"She misses me," Brennan explained. "I'm not a lot of fun like this, I'm afraid."

"Well, baby, Mommy is sick. She needs to rest a lot. You want Mommy to get better. And you just said yesterday how much fun it is to lay in bed and read lots and lots of books while you get better."

"I want to stay with Mommy and read until she's better," Elena said stubbornly. She was done being a good girl. She just wanted to stay with her mother, now.

"If you let Mommy rest now, you can stay with her in the afternoon."

"But we can rest together," Elena insisted as she buried her face in her mother's nightgown. "I want to go back inside your belly," Elena whined.

"Elena, Mom needs to rest. Now, come with me, we are going to do something nice. And then after lunch, you can stay for a little while," Booth told her gently, but firmly.

Elena wouldn't move. "Sweetheart," Brennan tried, but Elena kept stiff as a board and couldn't be moved. "Can you let me sleep for a little while? I promise I'll stay awake in the afternoon so we can read together."

Elena dried her tears on her mother's nightgown. "I want to stay with you," she pressed.

Booth sighed and picked up his daughter as gently as he could. She was struggling, but Booth was determined. "Come on, Elena. Bye Mommy, we'll be back in the afternoon for reading time."

"Wait," Brennan said, feeling sorry for her little girl and that Booth was being a little harsh on her. "Elena, honey. Don't be like this. I want you to have fun with Daddy. Just go with him. You know he loves you as much as I do, right? He doesn't want you to be bored and neither do I. Don't cry, sweetheart. Come on, give me a kiss."

Elena leaned down from Booth's arms to kiss her mother. "Bye, Mommy," she sniffed.

"Bye, darling," Brennan waved at her, then quickly stuck out her tongue which made Elena laugh. Good. She left with a smile. Now, Brennan could rest.

Booth carried Elena downstairs and helped her to put her shoes on. "We are going to go to town and buy something nice for you and Mommy, okay, princess?"

Elena pushed her hair out of her face and nodded her head. "I don't want her to be asleep all the time," she sniffed.

"Mommy couldn't sleep very much when she was studying so hard, so now she needs to sleep extra," Booth explained. He helped her into her jacket and held out his hand.

Elena heaved a sigh and took his hand. "I want her to come," she repeated.

"We are going to buy a surprise for Mommy. How can we surprise her if she comes with us?"

Elena shrugged. "She could close her eyes," she sulked.

Booth ignored his sulking daughter's words as he lifted her in the back of his car. Booth buckled her in and kissed her cheek. "Ready, princess?"

Elena crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Okay," she said with a pout.

Closing the door, Booth walked around the car and got in behind the wheel. He buckled himself in and then they left. He drove her to the nearest Build-a-Bear store. He parked the car out front. "Have you ever been to this store, princess?"

Elena looked out the car window. "No, I haven't." Her mood changed immediately, though. It looked like a lot of fun.

Booth turned to look at his daughter in the backseat. "We are going to make a bear for Mommy."

Elena couldn't stop herself from smiling. "She'd like it," she said contently.

"I think so, too. Now, there are a few rules for while we are in the store, Elena. No yelling, no whining and you listen to me and stay close. Okay?"

"Okay! Can we go?" Suddenly, she was excited.

"Absolutely! Come on!" Booth unbuckled his belt buckle, got out and then went to unbuckle his daughter.

Elena was already chuckling and she hopped out of the car. She took Booth's hand and they went inside together.

They found a cute little empty bear shape with all kinds of chemical beakers. They chose the yellow teddy bear with the beakers and they also picked a little heart to put into the bear. Both of them made a wish for Brennan and then they watched as one of the employees filled the bear. When the employee asked if they wanted to make the bear talk, Elena's eyes widened and Booth told the employee that, yes, they wanted to make the bear talk. Elena recorded a few words and the bear was closed up. Next, they went to find an outfit. They came across a cute blue lab coat and they both decided it was a good idea since Mommy was really, really smart.

Booth crouched down in front of his daughter. "You've been such a good girl. I'm very proud of you, princess. So, I think we are going to have to make another one. Just for you. Do you want one, too?"

Elena nodded, eyes wide with excitement. "I'd love to have a bear!"

They went through the whole process again, except this time, they chose a light-blue teddy bear with dolphins on it since there were no whales, and a blue princess dress. Once they were done, they went to give their bears a name and a date of birth. Booth paid for the bears and gave the bag with the bears in it to his daughter. They were just a few steps removed from the door when one of the employees ran out of the store. "Sir!" Booth turned around. "You forgot your credit card!"

Elena stood still in the parking lot as she waited for her daddy to return. Suddenly, she heard a lot of noise and as she was turning to see what it was, Elena was smashed into the ground. Sharp pains were all over her little body. She raised her head and looked up. Two older boys were bent over her. They were holding skateboards and looked very guilty.

"We're very sorry," one of them said, and the other, "Are you okay?"

Elena looked down on herself and saw red stains in her clothing. "I'm bleeding!" she told the boys angrily.

"Damn it," the boys said. "What if her parents sue us? Let's get out of here." Quickly, they left on their skateboards and Elena looked for her daddy as her bottom lip started to tremble.

Booth had quickly gone in to retrieve his credit card and when he heard the commotion outside, he hastily put the card in his wallet and ran out the store. Elena was on the ground and she was crying. Her little hands had blood on them, as well as her knees and she had a small cut on her forehead. Booth's heart nearly gave out and quickly, he sank down to his knees next to her. "It's okay, Elena, daddy's here. Where does it hurt the most, baby?" His heart was beating wildly inside his chest. He should have taken her with him back into the store. What kind of father left his little girl alone just outside a store?

"Mommy," Elena cried, but then reached for Booth. "Daddy," she said in the most pitiful voice. "I hurt everywhere."

"Does your head hurt, princess?"

"Yes," Elena nodded tearfully. "And the bears. They're hurt, too."

"We are going to see a doctor, sweetheart. Come on." Booth carefully lifted her from the ground and carried her to the car.

"I have blood," Elena complained. "Am I whining, Daddy?"

Booth kissed her forehead. "No, sweetheart. If it hurts somewhere, I want you to tell me."

"Everywhere," she said again. "It hurts everywhere," she repeated in a more dramatic voice.

"I believe you. We are going to the doctor and he's going to take a look at you and make the pain stop."

Elena nodded and took one of the bears out of the bag, hugging it tightly.

Booth noticed she had grabbed her mother's bear and he buckled her in. He got in behind the wheel and put his phone in the handsfree set, then called Brennan's number.

It took a while for Brennan to wake up. She managed to find her phone and answer it. "Hello?"

"Temperance, I have bad news. Are you still in bed?"

"Yes. What? What happened? Is it Elena?" Brennan was instantly worried and pushed herself upright.

"Yes. Two skateboarders ran into her. She seems to be okay, but I'm taking her to the nearest hospital to make sure. Can you please ask Jared or Pops to drive you?"

"Oh, god. What's wrong with her? You said she's not badly hurt, right?" Brennan, keeping her panic down, was getting out of bed and tried to find some clothes.

"She says she's hurting everywhere." Booth swallowed and tightened his hands around the steering wheel. "I asked her if her head hurt. She said yes."

"Oh, no. I'll be right there. Tell her to be brave for me, okay?"

"You're on speaker, Brenn, she can hear you."

"Elena? Sweetheart? Mommy's coming to the hospital. Be a brave girl, all right? Daddy's going to take care of you."

Elena listened to her mother's voice. "But you're in bed. We have presents."

Brennan relaxed a little. Her little girl was talking, which meant she probably wasn't seriously hurt. "I'm coming, honey. Stay with Daddy. I'll see you in the hospital."

Booth gave her the name of the hospital and parked the car in front of it. He helped Elena get out and carried her into the ER, where several nurses immediately approached him and his little girl with her bloody clothes. They were taken into an examination room, Elena still clutching her bear.

As she always had, Brennan dug deep and found the energy somewhere to get dressed. "Hank?" She went downstairs. "I have a favour to ask you." She quickly explained the situation and Hank immediately drove her to the hospital.

In the examination room, Elena was allowed to sit in her father's lap as two doctors inspected her injuries. She was dressed in just her underwear, and given a piece of candy to suckle on and calm her down. Her scrapes were cleaned and dressed, and when the neurologist entered, Brennan and Hank also did.

"Look, baby, Mommy is here." Immediately, Elena reached out for her mother. Brennan went to sit down next to Booth and he transferred their daughter to her lap. "I'll be right back." Booth stepped out of the examination room and Hank followed.

"Shrimp, don't."

Booth had to take a few deep breaths. "Don't what, Pops?"

"You know what. Don't blame yourself. Tell me what happened."

Booth sank down on one of the chairs and told his grandfather what had led to his little girl's injuries.

Pops listened carefully. "It's not your fault, son." He placed a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "It could have happened anywhere and those kids should've been more careful. Besides, she seems okay."

"Pops," Booth's voice wasn't steady and the fear and stress finally shone through. "What if there is something wrong with her head? What if she has a concussion?"

"Shrimp..." Pops paused. "One step at a time, son. And if she has a concussion, she and Temperance will recover in bed together while you nurse them back to health."

In the examination room, Brennan kissed Elena's cheek. "Mommy's here, Elena. You seem to be okay. What a beautiful bear you've got there."

Elena nodded as she leaned against her mother. "It's a gift from Daddy. This one's yours and we made me one, too," she said quietly.

"That's very nice of you both. Thank you," Brennan smiled and pressed a kiss to Elena's hair. The neurologist squatted down in front of them and asked Elena to play a few games with him. Elena behaved well and concentrated on what he was asking her.

The neurologist rose. "I believe nothing's wrong with you. It was scary, but you're okay. Just take it easy the next couple of days. You should be fine. Mom," he said, turning to Brennan, "she's fine."

The neurologist exited and Booth rose. "How bad is it, doctor?"

The doctor sent him a reassuring smile. "Dad, she's fine. She's being released as we speak."

Pops put a hand on his shoulder. "See? Everything is fine. Come on."

Brennan rose with Elena. "She's fine, Booth," she said, relieved. "Can you take her?" Brennan still felt weak from the fever.

"Yes, of course." Booth took Elena from Brennan's arms and to his relief, his little girl snuggled closely into him. Brennan had already helped her to get dressed again. "Come on, we are going back home."

Pops gently put his hand on Brennan's arm. "You go with them, dear. Stay with your family."

"Thanks, Hank." Brennan went home with Booth and Elena. She settled in the backseat with her daughter. "I'm proud of you, honey. You were brave." Elena nodded and settled against her mother.

"We're going home," Booth said, not knowing who he was trying to reassure. Elena, Brennan or himself? Silently, riddled by guilt, he drove them home and parked as close to the door as he could. He got out of the car and lifted his daughter in his embrace. He grabbed the bag with the bears and then went over to Brennan. He supported her as they made their way back inside.

Brennan and Elena got into bed together and Booth went downstairs to make them hot chocolate. Brennan kissed Elena's face. "You look really tough, now," she told her, and Elena felt proud.

Booth returned upstairs with three cups of hot chocolate. He sat down at the end of the bed and together they sipped their warm, soothing beverages. Elena was still clutching one of the bears, her own this time. Booth gave the other one to Brennan, who received it with a smile and compliments on the bear's outfit. When they finished their drink, Booth gathered the cups and put them on the nightstand. "I think you two should rest." He looked at Brennan, "Is there room in bed for one more?"

"If it's you, then, yes, of course," she smiled at him. "I'm really glad you were there for her."

It felt like it was his fault, but he could hardly say that in front of his little girl. "I'm glad you came to the hospital," he told her as he lay down on the bed, Elena in between them.

"Yeah, I think I got super powers," Brennan said jokingly. They all lay down once they finished their hot chocolate. Elena reached for both her mother and father's hands.

"What's the matter, princess?" Booth asked her as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. His little girl was covered with bandages. If only he had told her to come back inside with him, nothing would've happened.

"I love you," Elena said. "I wasn't scared because you were with me, Daddy."

"I'm very happy to hear that, Elena." Booth kissed her cheek again. "I think that we all should nap. Mommy still has to sleep a lot and you have to rest, now, too."

Elena nodded obediently and closed her eyes as she pulled her parents' arms around her.

Booth and Brennan embraced their daughter and Booth made sure that both of his girls were tucked in. He rested his head on the pillow, promising himself that he would simply rest his eyes for a moment.

Pops went up to the room when he hadn't heard from them in over half an hour. The sight that met him was endearing to say the least. The entire family was huddled together in bed. He closed the door with a content smile around his lips and went back downstairs. They would be all right. More than all right.

So, Elena finally showed some signs that the big changes in her life are starting to sink in. More on those changes next chapter, it should be a heart-warming one. We look forward to your reviews as much as you look forward to new chapters, so keep them coming!