I am on a roll with this story. Hopefully. I can continue to publish. I'm shooting for an update every couple of weeks. I'm doing my best to rewatch episodes to make sure I am staying true to the characters. It's a bit of a challenge since this is actually early in the series but the overall characteristics of the characters didn't change a ton so it still works.

Thanks for the reviews I have received. Please let me know your thoughts.


"Thank God!" Angela said as she saw a set of blue eyes flutter open.

Brennan did her best to focus. She felt funny, almost as if she had a major release of adrenaline and was coming down from that high. She felt sweaty and shaky. "What…what happened?" Her mouth was dry and her voice was weak because of it.

Angela moved to sit on the edge of the bed. She grabbed a wet washcloth that must have been sitting on the table and wiped the sweat from her best friend's brow. "You scared the hell out of us is what happened, Bren."

Brennan took stock of herself and realized that she was now hooked to additional equipment. A blood pressure cuff began to squeeze on her arm and she realized she now had a nasal cannula forcing cool oxygen into her body. Her body felt heavy and her brain seemed slow. She felt sticky as if she had just done an hour of cardio. She felt Angela rub the cool washcloth on her forehead again. While she appreciated the relief the coolness brought, the action made her feel vulnerable and uncomfortable.

"I'm okay, Ange," she tried to say but her mouth was so dry that she coughed through the question.

"Here," Angela said. "They said the stuff they gave you would make your mouth dry." She reached to the table and grabbed a cup with a spoon.

Her body felt shaky but she controlled her arms well enough to grab the cup from her friend. She lifted a spoonful of the ice to her mouth and immediately felt relief as the cool ice melted in her mouth. "Thanks," she said, her voice already more clear and confident. "Where's Booth?"

Angela put the washcloth back on the table grabbed her friend's hand. "He went down to breakfast and to the chapel with Hodgins, sweetie. Once they got you stabilized, he needed some fresh air. Let me page Liz and she can explain it all to you." She reached and hit the call button. "You feel ready to sit up more?" She asked.

After a few seconds to think she nodded and answered "It was a nightmare," Brennan said definitively as she nodded and grabbed the rails to pull herself to vertical. She gritted her teeth through the morning stiffness. "I… I have had episodes during times of high stress." She had never told anyone about her nightmares. She had at least once a month but they did happen more often when she wasn't feeling well or when they had a rough case. Booth knew she had some from time to time but she had never officially admitted that to him. She knew he had heard her have one when she fell asleep in the car in New Orleans but he didn't press the issue.

Liz entered the room. "That was one hell of a nightmare. Your pulse ox dropped dangerously low and your heart rate and blood pressure were all over the place. Jenna picked it up from the nurses' station and when she got in here you were thrashing. Booth had to hold you down before they could even get an oxygen mask in you. They had to give you lorazepam and that's a weighted blanket," the nurse motioned to the blue blanket Brennan has just pushed back. "It can help with calming. How do you feel now?"

"I'm sorry," Brennan said.

"Don't be sorry, Brennan," Angela said. "We're just all worried about you. "Booth called me and Hodgins and I got here as soon as we could. Taffet has us all losing sleep and we aren't sick."

Brennan nodded. She was embarrassed that Angela had figured out the source of her dream so quickly. She decided to avoid the conversation and answer her nurse. "I'm not exactly sure how I feel. I feel like I had a strong adrenaline release and am now in let down. How long was I out?" Brennan tried to stretch a little more to alleviate some of the fuzzy feelings.

"The episode lasted about an hour before they got you calmed. Your vitals were still erratic for another hour or so. We were able to switch you to monitoring from the desk about 3 hours ago." Liz explained and began to look at the print out from the heart monitor. "Feeling anything new?"

"I'm fine," Brennan straightened her posture in an effort to back up her statement.

Liz grabbed her stethoscope and began to check her over. After a few routine checks, she said, "Your lungs are still clear and your temperature is normal, thankfully. How's your general level of pain today?"

"I would like to avoid any opioid-based pain relievers for the next few days. I would really like to get a shower." She completely avoided the question. Honestly, she wasn't sure. She felt so fuzzy that she didn't feel pain but she knew it as there hiding behind the fuzz and stiffness. She really just wanted a shower. Her clothing and hair were still damp from sweat and she really needed to collect her thoughts alone.

Liz gave her a questioning look. "Your physical therapy session will be after breakfast. As your lead nurse, I need to make sure you understand that your pain management is extremely important to you being able to achieve goals with PT."

"I appreciate your concern. I will let you know if it becomes more than I can handle," the anthropologist said dryly.

Liz tried to avoid rolling her eyes. "If you can hold down some food. I can give you relatively light doses of Tylenol. Ibuprofen is off the table due to your nausea and stomach cramping."

Brennan just nodded. She knew what she was doing. She had to clear her mind and focus through the pain. She had to be strong. She had allowed herself to become more dependent than she intended. If she was going to make sure Taffet went to prison for her crimes, she would have to forget about her medical struggle and let her brain work clearly.

"I'm going to get them to send up your breakfast tray, now. It will probably be 20 minutes or so. Your pulse ox has been fine for the last hour. I'm going to take you off monitoring but if you feel short of breath at all, you'll need to buzz," Liz said as she removed the nasal cannula and blood pressure cuff. "You may feel a little wonky until the sedative wears off," the nurse finished. "Be careful when you shower."

"Angela, will you hand me my phone? I need to text Booth to make sure he has all the Taffet files. I think I would like to get a shower and then try to get some work done."


Booth walked back in the room and found Angela sitting in the chair closest to the bathroom. He could hear the water running. "Is she okay?"

Hodgins walked to stand by Angela as she began to speak. "She says she is. She said it was a nightmare but wouldn't tell me anything about it."

Booth nodded. "She has them but I've never seen anything like that one before," he sat on the couch. "Sometimes she will have them if she falls asleep in the car but the worst one I have ever seen was in Texas when we stayed for the circus. I don't even think she realized she had one there."

"She knows about this one. She's scared," Angela said.

"She scared me. She was trying to push me away like I was trying to suffocate her. She just kept saying she was sorry. Every machine on her was beeping like crazy. I had to use my whole body to keep her from slapping Jenna away when she tried to put the oxygen mask on her face," he said as he let his head fall back on the couch. He was clearly exhausted. "Finally, another nurse gave her a shot of something and she calmed down. I'm pretty sure she's going to have some new bruises from fighting against me."

"This Taffet crap couldn't have come at a worse time," Hodgins said. "I really think I could take that woman out if I had 5 minutes alone with her."

They all nodded and sat in silence for a few minutes. Angela spent the time studying over Booth a little. He had stretched out on the couch. He has his arm covering his eyes but she knew he had huge circles under his eyes and his hair looked unkempt. "Booth, when's the last time you really slept?"

Booth took a deep breath. He honestly couldn't remember. "I don't know," he admitted. "Between all of her vital checks and just her sounds in general, I wake up every time I doze off."

"No offense, man, but you look worse now than any of the times you've been kidnapped," Hodgins chimed in.

"I can't leave her," he said. He didn't deny his own condition. "She can't be alone."

"Booth, I get it, I do but you are going to be the one that has to take care of her once she gets released. Imagine how it would have been if last night happened while you were alone with her." Angela knew that Brennan's well being was the first priority but Booth needed to stay sharp for her.

Booth sighed. "It's not like I can just leave her," he said. "I know she would be fine. I just can't leave her, in this damn hospital, by herself." He wiped his hands over his eyes as he talked. "She gets bored and then gets cranky because she doesn't have as much to do and she can't stare at her computer like she used to. Her eyes bother her."

He let out a long sigh. He knew she would be fine for a couple of hours but he was scared. Every time he left her, he felt as though it would be the last time he would ever see her. He knew she was doing better and beginning to recover but she was far from healthy. He wanted so much to sleep and spend a Saturday at the park with Parker but he couldn't bring himself to leave.

"I get that, Booth," Angela said. "But you won't help her if you end up passing out from exhaustion."

They heard the water turn off. "She wants to work on the Taffet files, right?" Hodgins asked. "Why don't you go home and sleep and I'll stay here with her and go over the case files with her."

"I'm going over to her new house today to work with an interior designer a little bit. We still have to finish up her bedroom and the downstairs," Angela said. "Then, I'm meeting a moving company at her apartment. If she gets tired of Hodgins or needs something, I can be her in a split second."

Booth took a deep breath. He didn't want to leave her but he was exhausted. He hasn't had a real night's sleep in 3 weeks. "If Bones is okay with it, I'll go but if she so much as exhales funny, call me," he said as the door to the bathroom opened. "Give us a few?"

"We'll run down to the gift shop and will be back in 30 minutes," Angela said as they stood to leave. "I'll be right back, Sweetie." She gave her friend a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sorry, Booth," Brennan said as soon as the door closed behind her friends. A tear slid down her cheek.

Booth stood and wrapped her into his arms. "You still don't have anything to be sorry about. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

He felt her shake her head against his shoulder. "Maybe one day but right now, I would rather try and move on."

He squeezed her in a hug. She was dressed in a thick fleece pullover and leggings but even through the thick clothing he could feel her bones and feel her fragility. She had lost at least 15 pounds and a lot of her muscle tone was wasting away. Her hair was damp and despite her weakened appearance, she looked cute. He felt her stretch slightly. "You need to sit down." He said.

Before she could agree or protest, there was another knock at the door and a nutritionist walked in with a tray from dining. "Dr. Brennan, we discussed a meal plan with Dr. Brooks. We will be bringing several smaller meals throughout the day. Each one will have a protein replacement drink with it as well. Take it slowly at first and avoid using a straw at all since it can contribute to excess air being swallowed. If you can keep this down without irritating your system, we can progress you toward a BRAT diet by this evening. If you need anything else, just page."

"Thank you," Brennan said as she sat in the recliner and pulled the tray closer. Once she heard the door shut, she pulled the cover off of the food.

"It doesn't look as good as diner fries, Bones, but at least it's a start," Booth said as he rolled closer to her.

She rolled her eyes. "Attempt to feed me, and I will break your 5th distal phalanx."

Booth laughed. "I actually know what that means."

She pulled the spoon out of the wrapper and went to take a bite. She was nervous but she knew if she wanted to get any strength back, she needed to eat. She would have to take it slowly but she could do this. She was grateful to find very light foods. A broth, a soft gelatin cup, and a protein replacement drink. She took her spoon and managed to take a bite of the broth.

Almost immediately, she felt it hit her stomach and it immediately clinched in a harsh cramp to protest the fluid hitting it. She instinctively wrapped her arm around her midsection. Booth jumped up and waited to see what she needed. She waved him off, took a deep breath against the feeling and, thankfully, it passed. She looked up and saw Booth watching her pensively. She needed to do this without him watching every grimace. "Booth, do you think you could get some more ice?"

"Sure, Bones." He said. He knew she was trying to get rid of him for a minute. He stood to leave and smiled as he saw her forcing another bite of broth into her mouth.

It took her about 15 minutes but she managed to finish the gelatin and broth without incident. She went to stand to get her laptop. As she did, she recognized a new pain coming from her wrist. She immediately rubbed it slightly.

Booth stood and rolled back the oversized fleece. He found a couple of nasty bruises forming 4 lines along the outside of her wrist. "Oh, God, Bones. I'm sorry," he said. "We couldn't get an oxygen mask on you and I had to…"

She interrupted him. "It's okay. I just wasn't expecting the tenderness in that area. It's just bruising. Nothing is damaged."

He pulled her into a hug. "You scared me," he rubbed her back as he talked.

"Physical therapy should be here soon," she said not wanting to linger on the topic. "I need to finish checking a few emails before they get here."

He nodded in response and placed a kiss in her hair. He shuffled and put his hands in his pockets before he spoke again. "Bones, you can say no if you aren't okay with it…"

"Go home, Booth. Get some real sleep. Call Sweets and go to the diner and get some pie. I'll be fine."

"You heard, huh?" he said with a grin.

"My hearing seems to be the one thing unaffected by the chemotherapeutics," she said with more sarcasm than she intended.

She grabbed her laptop and sat on the couch. She was winded from the simple movement. "I need to tell you something, Booth." She said as she shivered. She still could not manage to get warm regardless of the number of layers she wore.

He tipped his head in concern and grabbed a blanket for her.

"My hair is falling out." She said bluntly. "I have been suspecting it for several days but today, a large amount fell today while I was in the shower."

He took her hands. "I'm sorry, Bones. You don't deserve this."

She shook her head. "I expected it. I just need to determine what I would like to do. I need to contact Mackenzie to see what will give the best public impression," she said. "I'm sure Angela will have an opinion as well."

He kissed her hairline. "What would you want, Bones?"

She shrugged. "I would really like to find a wig that can look just like my regular hair and can still work with a ponytail."

He nodded and put his arm around her and gave her a slight squeeze. "You sure you will be okay if I go home and sleep for a while?" He asked.

"I'll be fine, Booth. I'm going to work for as long as I can and then I will rest if I need to." She explained.

"And take medicine if you need it?" It wasn't really a question.

Hodgins and Angela came back into the room. "You ready to do some work, Dr. B?" Hodgins asked.

"Booth, do you have the files?" She asked.

"FBI Courier just texted. Hard copies are at the desk. I'll go get them before I leave." He said. "Bones, please don't do try and do too much. You have physical therapy today. Even locking Taffet up isn't worth it if it sets you back at all."


"There has to be some connection," Hodgins said. "Serial killers smart like Taffet don't just pick random people. She had to have some way of identifying people wealthy enough to pay the ransom," Hodgins said.

Brennan just kept reading the page on the profile of the Kent Boys. Their family was wealthy but for the most part. He wasn't a major public figure and his boys lived a relatively normal, albeit spoiled, life.

She pulled the file on Terrence Gilroy. He was her first known victim and while he was younger, his family was similar to the Kents. Wealthy but not public. "How did she identify these two families when they weren't in the public eye?"

Hodgins looked at her. "You know, we really didn't look much into Taffet. All we know is she married that guy, Burton, but maybe we need to dig a little more."

There was a knock on the door. "Dr. Brennan?"

"Yes," she answered. She was tired of meeting new people. She just wanted to work and block out her situation for a few minutes.

Two young ladies entered the room. Brennan was thankful they didn't seem overly perky or inquisitive. They seemed professional through their introductions. "I'm Kendall, your physical therapist and this is Erin, your occupational therapist."

Hodgins took the opportunity to give her a little privacy. "I'm going to make a phone call to Cam and Angela. Maybe Cam can get Caroline to get a warrant to go through Taffet's history back to early college. Maybe we can find something."

Brennan nodded as Hodgins exited the room.

"Alright, Dr. Brennan. Dr. Brooks has said you have lost a fair amount of weight as well as muscle tone, are struggling with back pain, and are having issues with balance and vision," Kendall said as she flipped through Brennan's chart.

Erin chimed in, "I'm primarily here for the balance and vision issues. According to the indications of your chemo regimen, those may be lingering issues you will need to learn to work through."

"Which of Dr. Brooks' concern is the most bothersome to you, Dr. Brennan?" Kendall asked as she leaned against the wall near the door.

Brennan thought for a moment. "I'm not sure I can make that judgment since it's like trying to compare apples to bananas," she said.

"I think maybe you mean oranges," Erin offered.

"Whatever the idiom, I can't really rate one ability as more important than the other. I do know that my lumbar vertebrae are causing me more intense pain but the vision could have the largest impact on my profession."

Kendall pulled in a cart of supplies and pulled out a mat and situated it on the floor of the suite. "We're going to start by evaluating muscle tone in your legs and then some stretching of your lower back." Erin offered an arm to help Brennan off the couch and onto the mat. Kendall watched as the anthropologist moved tentatively. "Just let us know if you feel pain anywhere, Dr. Brennan."


Booth opened the door to his apartment. He had only been by a few times to check mail and pay bills. Thankfully, he had cleaned out his fridge so nothing smelled. He walked into the bathroom and turned on his tub. He figured he would do a couple of things while it filled with the steaming water.

He checked his dryer and found a load of towels. He folded those quickly and then walked back into the kitchen. Normally, he would grab his beer hat and a comic book but he really just wanted the time to clear his head a little.

He climbed into the hot water and let his head fall to the back and rest against the ceramic tub. He recounted the events of the last 6 weeks from her weekend cold and clash with the suspect to the nightmare. He was so tired. Physically, he was exhausted and his body needed sleep but mentally he was tired too. He was tired of looking at those too pale walls of the hospital. He was tired of watching her hurt and try to put on the strong face. He was tired of watching her struggle. He wasn't tired of her. He was tired for her. He just wanted to drive her to the lab and fuss at her that she needed to leave at a decent hour. She had gone through enough in her lifetime. She didn't need this too.

His mind flashed to the front of the Royal Diner during Zack's celebration. She told him she thought she was the kind of person that didn't get to be part of a family and he told her there was more than one kind of family. He had vowed to himself that he would be her family. He was going to do whatever he needed to make sure she got to spend as much time as possible with her family. He wouldn't let this take her from him.

He reached behind him and grabbed a book of prayers from the shelf. He closed his eyes and prayed to the saints to grant him the strength to be the man she needed and for her body to hold on long enough to let him show her family.

He continued to voice prayers until his skin was shriveled. He knew she could give him the exact reason for the shriveling and he laughed at the thought. He climbed out of the tub, pulled on some sweats and collapsed onto his bed. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was just 9:30 am. He could get several hours of sleep and be back to the hospital before Brooks did evening rounds.

He said one more prayer and allowed himself to drift to sleep.