Author's Note: So, this wasn't as angsty as it started to be. I don't know if any of you have heard the song but it was originally based on the song, "The Last Thing She Said" by Ryan Tyler. The song is just really awesome and kind of sad but...anyway. That sort of changed as I was writing a little, but some of the credit for inspiration does go to her and that song.
By the way...shameless plug here, but I recently started a full-fledged BB fic. It's AU and is called Love Remains The Same. Feel free to check it out after you're done reading here. Thanks, and if you have time reviews are like candy. Thanks!
Booth sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't get why you're acting like this Bones. All I did was say that, maybe-"
"My intentions were perfectly clear when we entered this relationship!" Brennan moved across the room and away from him as she grabbed her purse. "Angela is my best friend and I will support her completely during her pregnancy with whatever it is she needs me to do. However, I am not, nor will I ever be...a mother."
Booth coughed and placed his hands on his hips, knowing they were steadily losing control of the situation. "So I guess it's out of the question to ask if you wanted to go to the movies with Parker and me tomorrow night, right?"
Her eyes widened. "That is completely unfair, Booth. I care very much for Parker and you know I would go if you asked me."
"Then what's the problem, Bones? I've seen you with kids. You're great with Parker, and do you remember Andy? Even since then there have been children involved in our cases and you've talked to them just fine." Booth argued.
"The children in our cases are different. Just because I can hug someone while they're crying or offer them some piece of hope that their mother or father is no longer in pain does not guarantee that I would be able to do the same thing with my own child." Brennan cried, frustration seeping through her every pore. She saw the pain and frustration on Booth's face and knew that if they went much further they'd both say something they would regret. "I'm going to the lab. I have to help finish verifying objects for the Civil War exhibit; I'll be back later."
"Wait. Bones, you can't just leave-" Booth paused as she opened up the door and turned to look back at him.
"I can leave if it's what I choose to do. Right now I'm not completely certain I'd like to stay, so I'm going." Brennan declared before offering a sad smile and closing the door behind her, leaving a surprised looking Booth in her wake.
Red and blue lights pulsed outside the window, and it took Brennan only a fraction of a second to realize she was in her car. Squinting her eyes against a bright light she tried recalling where she was and what she was doing there.
"M'am, are you alright? Don't worry, we're working on getting you out of there. You'll be headed to the hospital just as soon as that happens." A man said-the man who had graciously moved the flashlight so her eyes could actually focus on his face.
It was then that she remembered. They were having a fight, and she left. How long ago had that been? A loud sound was heard and she swore she recognized what it was but couldn't place a name on it. Brennan tried moving her head from the wheel but soon winced in pain. "Booth..."
"M'am? Is there someone we can call to let them know where you'll be going? We'll need your name as well..." His voice grew increasingly concerned.
Brennan coughed and fought a stream of blood that was steadily growing closer to her mouth. "Booth," she coughed. "You should...you should call Booth."
Somewhere close to her she could hear someone else talking to the man and heard her name mixed in with his words. Apparently they'd been able to get through the passenger side and find her purse for some identification but due to the nature of her injuries were still in the process of getting her out of the vehicle.
"I shouldn't have said-" Brennan coughed and wrapped a hand around her abdomen, almost thankful for the seat-belt they were in the process of cutting off. Had it not been there, she wasn't sure what would have happened. "I need to tell him-"
"Miss Brennan, we're going to move you now, alright?" Another voice called out, but this time she didn't bother with trying to find out who it belonged to.
The noises grew louder and as she was lifted onto a stretcher her eyes caught a glimpse of the scene surrounding her. Ambulances, police cars, a helicopter which she guessed had been the cause of the noise though with everything happening she wasn't sure. People hovered over her trying to assess the damage before finally moving aboard. Brennan tried to answer questions as best she could but they insisted she lie still, and their worried faces told her not to second guess their judgement.
So something was wrong, but Brennan wasn't sure just how badly she had been hurt. Her mind was progressively growing cloudy about the subject but she knew he had to know. They'd fought before and neither of them had left and when she did it wasn't because she wanted to, but because she was afraid of what they'd end up saying if she were to stay. Booth had to find out and she hoped someone could tell him though she hated to think of what the phone call would end up like. A mask was placed over her face and her eyes fluttered. No, Brennan thought. I have to do this...
Cafeteria coffee a nurse had given him out of pity because she knew he wouldn't leave until he knew something wasn't his idea of a great time but he needed something to keep him awake. Every time a door would open Booth's head would pop up only for him to be disappointed each time. Something was happening-they were in there with the woman he loved-and he was left to sit and worry.
"Booth," Angela was a flurry of brown hair and tears as she ran to hug him, holding on tight as she continued to speak. "I came as quick as I could. Have you heard anything?"
Booth waited until Angela released her grip on him to reply. "Not yet, I guess they've only been in there about an hour or so." He sighed and shook his head. "I should have stopped her."
Angela sat down and encouraged Booth to follow suit. "You guys were fighting?"
"Yeah, and I just-" Booth set down his coffee cup to keep from crushing it. "I could have stopped her from leaving, you know? I could have apologized first and we could have reached a compromise about it, and then everything would have been fine. The subject could have come up again in the future but we'd take care of it then."
Angela sighed and placed a hand on his arm. "Do you really believe that, Booth? You're right. It might have ended the argument now, but do you really think if Brennan wanted to leave that badly that there wasn't a reason and you could have stopped her?"
For a moment a brief smile crossed his face. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Booth replied. "I'm sorry for calling you by the way, I know you and Hodgins have a lot to deal with already with the baby on the way and painting the room and all but-"
"Are you kidding me? I'd be angry with you if you wouldn't have, so don't even think about apologizing for that." Angela replied before rubbing a hand across her stomach. "Besides, we want to wait until we find out whether it's a boy or a girl first. It would kind of make it easier to paint the room."
Booth rubbed his hands together and stared around the room. There were a few other people sitting there, perhaps also waiting for news about their loved ones. He knew it was bad because while he wanted them to be alright as well he couldn't help but hope news about Brennan would come first. He though of their argument and wondered again if he could have actually stopped it, yet still realizing Brennan left of her own accord. Booth didn't blame himself but the wondering about what could have happened otherwise was beginning to take its toll on him.
Periodically, a nurse would come and inform them of what was happening and Angela would get on the phone to inform the others. Hodgins had asked her time and again if she wanted him to be there but she insisted that Brennan would say they should be doing work if at all possible, and that if the waiting room were to be more crowded it probably wouldn't make the situation any better.
Booth barely drank the cup of coffee the nurse had given him, but had instead reverted to pacing back and forth in the waiting room.
"Seriously, you need to sit down. If you don't there's going to be a hole in the floor." Angela told him. "The doctor will come out once everything is finished."
He'd already been told the same thing twice by the nurse after he practically ordered her to come back the second anything happened. "I can't just sit Ange, she's in there and-"
"And we're out here. I know," Angela replied sadly. "but when Bren wakes up I'd like her to see you rather than have to explain why you were escorted out by security because you were making everybody in the waiting room anxious."
Booth was about to reply when he saw her looking over his shoulder. Turning, he saw a doctor looking in his direction.
"Agent Booth?" The doctor asked, already knowing who he was due to the description he'd gotten from the poor nurse who'd had to deal with him.
Booth gulped and nodded in confirmation. He had to know but at the same time was afraid of the answer. "How is she?"
"Miss...rather, Doctor Brennan as she informed us is currently being wheeled to recovery. She sustained an injury to her neck as well as both legs. We were able to go in and repair most of the damage and once she wakes up we'll be able to get a better picture as to how long her actual recovery will take."
A breath Booth soon realized he'd been holding exited his mouth and he could hear Angela gasping from behind him. "Thanks Doctor..."
"Fields." He informed the agent.
"Fields," Booth nodded. "When can I see her?"
Doctor Fields shook his head. "Not until she is moved to a regular room unfortunately, but then you're more than welcome. I do suggest only one person at a time however and to keep your visits short." He replied, remembering the way Brennan reacted upon being taken into the operating room. "There is something you should know, Agent Booth...your partner...she was asking for you all throughout the time until she was put under anaesthesia."
Booth was again reminded of the argument they had before she left. She was asking for him before the surgery and while he wasn't sure of the reason it only served to make him want to see her more. "Really? Uh, thanks. Did she...say anything else?"
Fields nodded with the slightest hint of a smile, not wanting to betray what was supposed to be his completely professional persona. He glanced at Angela knowing she could easily hear what he was saying but had already assumed by the reaction to Brennan's recovery she was there for her as well. "I can only tell you what she said, not what she meant by it. Doctor Brennan-Temperance-said that she was sorry. About what I'm not sure, but she made it incredibly clear that she wanted you to know."
Booth bowed his head and clasped his hands together. He knew Brennan was still at a point in which she didn't believe in God but he hoped that saying something to him would help. The room was quiet around him and everyone was still until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see Angela standing next to him. "Thank you, Doctor."
"Is there-are you sure there's no way he could see her now? I mean he isn't sick or anything so it isn't like he'd contaminate the area." Angela said. She noticed the way his shoulders had slumped and the sudden weight he was carrying. Brennan had been so hurt from their conversation-about what she still wasn't completely sure-and she had left. Doctor Fields said she was fine now, but wasn't there always a chance? Booth was someone who took everything personally even if he chose to not admit it. In her last minutes before surgery Brennan's last words had been to him, in an essence trying to let the blame off him; it wasn't his fault really, but Angela knew if nothing changed Booth would see it that way.
Doctor Fields shook his head. "As soon as she wakes up, you'll be the first to know." He looked at Booth and offered a look of sympathy. "You should go home and rest, or at the least go to the cafeteria and get something to eat, you'll be here waiting for a while. Her chances of recovering are significant but as I said the complete picture won't be clear until Doctor Brennan wakes up."
The lights stung her eyes and her body ached but as she blinked the sleep from her eyes Brennan realized where she was.
"Bones." Booth called upon seeing her eyes flutter open. "Hey, Bones-" He was immediately at her side, hand cupping her cheek. "Can you hear me?"
Angela looked up from a chair against the wall and witnessed the situation. Knowing they needed a private moment and that everyone else in the waiting room who had since arrived would want to know she stood up and began moving for the door. "I'll just...go let everyone know."
"Booth," Brennan said, her voice coming out scratchy but otherwise perfectly normal. Her fingers curled around his when he grabbed her hand.
"How are you feeling?" Booth asked as his thumb traced the slightest hint of a bruise on her right cheek.
Brennan blinked and tried to find the right words to say, but as she was thinking her mind went back to one of the last things she remembered; the image of Booth standing in the middle of their living room looking shocked and hurt. Tears sprouted in her eyes as she knew the reason and she opened her lips to speak.
He knew she was remembering and immediately shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Bones. Everything's fine."
"No...no, it isn't. Booth, what I said-" Brennan pursed her lips, feeling a little defeated by her current state. "I shouldn't have left, I realize that. I was afraid of what would have happened had I stayed but I still should have tried."
"I could have, too." Booth replied as he scrubbed his face with his free hand. "Look...I love you. I know what you think about that sort of thing and I know the idea of it scares you. But it's the truth, Temperance. I'm in love with you, and one stupid fight isn't going to change that."
A thousand thoughts swarmed but she could only focus on the ones the registered what he said. Her eyebrows knitted together for a moment as she considered his words when it dawned on her. "That's the first time you've said that."
Booth nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. But I've known for a while. For-"
"Booth," Brennan cut him off, her voice sounding steady and insistent. "Our relationship is anything but what is considered normal but there are still certain things that occur. What happened today wasn't just an argument, but it could be."
"What are you saying?" Booth asked, frowning.
Brennan sighed as she heard a light overhead begin to buzz. The light flickered twice but stayed on. "You are an amazing father and you can deny it all you want, but you'd like another child. I on the other hand am perfectly content with the way things are and have no desire to have that change." She watched his face for any signs of his reaction. "I'm sorry, Booth."
Booth blinked back a fresh set of tears and shook his head. He pulled her hands into his and allowed his thumb to graze the surgical tape on the back of her hand, staring at it before looking back at her. "You are what is important to me, Bones. When I got the call, I just...I froze. All of the arguing, it didn't matter, okay? All that mattered was that you were alright and that we'd work through it." He smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze. "If Parker is the only child I ever have, I'm okay with that. I love him more than I ever thought was possible, but if he's all I ever have...that's fine. You're more important to me."
She fought back a wince, disguising it as she shifted in the bed. The pain medication was wearing off and she was pretty sure a nurse would come in soon to check on her but found she didn't care. "I really am sorry, Booth. What I said to you-"
"Doesn't matter." Booth shook his head. He smiled as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're going to be fine, that's all I care about. But you aren't as good at hiding that you're tired and in pain as you think you are." He gave her a knowing look and watched as a blush crept across her face. "I'm going to go get someone to check on you and then I'll be right back." Booth said, leaning to plant a kiss on her lips.
True to his word, Booth returned shortly with her doctor who spoke for a few minutes about the procedure and what to expect afterward. He advised a nurse to administer another round of pain medication and to order follow-up tests for the following morning before they left the room. Angela, Hodgins, Cam and Sweets came for a few minutes, all saying how glad they were she was fine. It wasn't long before Booth was the only one left in the room.
He was just walking back from shutting the door when he caught her shiver. "Cold?"
Brennan shook her head. "No, I'm just...I'm fine. Could you-" She sighed, finding that words weren't coming as easily as she would hope.
Booth stood at the side of her bed trying to fight the smile he felt growing. "Are you asking me to stay?"
"Well, you don't have to. But-" Brennan glanced at the chair beside the bed before returning her eyes to him. "I was just thinking that chair looks rather uncomfortable. So, if you wanted..."
"I don't want to hurt you," Booth argued, already knowing that if she asked he'd agree.
"You won't." Brennan confirmed, her eyes drooping as her hand fell to the mattress. She made a weak attempt at waving him over. "Booth."
He laughed but knew she was being serious. "Yeah, Bones?"
"Would you just...come lay with me?" Brennan asked, her eyes a shining blue and her mouth revealing the slightest hint of a smile.
"I thought you'd never ask." Booth grinned. He helped her by readjusting the pillow before carefully settling in next to her. Keeping her injuries in mind, Booth put an arm around her waist and smiled as he felt her head rest against his shoulder. They'd had a fight but after everything that happened during the day it didn't seem to matter anymore. What was important was that she was safe and healthy and that she would make a full recovery. Her hair brushed against the stubble of his chin but it was something he had grown accustomed to, and in a way found almost comforting.
She hadn't intended to end up in the position she was. Rather, she hadn't meant to be in the hospital overnight. The fact that Brennan was in Booth's arms was something she was quite content with. Her plan had been to go to the lab for a few hours, ignoring any calls she was sure he'd make. If she was lucky he wouldn't actually come to the lab and instead she'd stop by the diner for a slice of pie as her portion of the compromise before heading home. Home.The idea was something relatively new to Brennan; a house to go to and someplace to sleep at night was what she had been used to. Having crayon drawing secured to the fridge door and pictures of family members hanging in the hall-that was what now represented home to her. She would never have known that had it not been for Booth, and for that she was grateful.
"Hmm?" Booth mumbled against the top of her head. He thought he's heard her say something just as he closed his eyes but wasn't sure.
Sheets rustled a little as she adjusted slightly to look him in the eye. She had said it before, quietly, as confirmation to herself. But he had heard and he had enough right to know. "I said that I love you," Brennan replied. "It doesn't exactly make sense, but I do."
Though sleep and the effects of the day were beginning to take their toll, Booth heard everything she said clearly. Though not the most romantic, sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of answer...he knew nothing like that would ever come from her. He leaned down to softly place a kiss against her lips. "It makes perfect sense to me."