(Season 11)
A/N: I had a couple of requests to write a sequel to chapter 28. I hope you like it.
I don't own Bones.
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The odor coming from the crime scene was a real stomach turner. Agent Ross Brantner had been involved in a few cases, but this was his first suspected murder and his very first introduction to a body that had been dumped in woods and left to rot. What the animals hadn't eaten had slowly melted in the stifling hot air and that just made Brantner's stomach roll with each breath he took.
Agent Booth was introducing his new agents to the business of murder and all the sights and sounds that went with it before assigning them each to a new partner. Brantner was the last of the three new agents to go out in the field to a murder with Booth and he wasn't sure the head of Major Crimes hadn't waited until there was a really very gross body available to impress him with.
Far from impressed, Brantner was horrified and kept swallowing while he stood next to Booth who was conferring with his wife, Dr. Temperance Brennan. "What have we got Bones?" Booth held a few index cards in his hand, a pen poised over them to write.
Carefully studying what was left of the body, Brennan shifted her feet and squatted closer to the remains. "It would appear that the victim is female, approximately forty years old, of Asian descent."
Busy collecting whatever insects, maggots and other wild life currently crawled about on the remains, Hodgins stopped and with his gloved finger pointed at a medical bracelet on the victim's wrist. "She was diabetic. Maybe she was out for a walk and suffered from hypoglycemia."
Moving aside the rags covering the victim's lower stomach, Brennan turned her head to look at Booth. "She didn't have an insulin pump. We'll have to have the remains brought back to the Lab so I can determine cause of death."
After jotting down a few quick notes, Booth looked around at the FBI techs. They were all busy searching for whatever remains that the local fauna had dragged away from the victim.
Curious, Agent Brantner spoke up and asked a question. "Can you guess how long the victim has been dead?"
His eyes closed, Booth shook his head, sighed and waited for Brennan's response.
Irritated, Brennan turned to look at the younger agent and fixed her deep blue eyes on the man. "We are not paid to guess, Agent Brantner. We will go over the evidence and use that evidence to give a precise time of death. In the field, we can give an educated answer using the environment and insect activity, but that is not an official date and time. We will have to wait until numerous tests have been run back at the lab for that."
Feeling a little sorry for the man, Hodgins looked up and smiled. "I'd say from the level of predation that the victim probably died four days ago. Of course, we'll know for sure once we get her back to the Lab."
His cheeks a flaming red, Brantner gave a curt nod and glanced away from Brennan. "Thank you."
"Is there a chance this was a murder, Bones?" Booth ignored the discomfort of his junior agent and waited to see what she said.
Brennan was certain that the condition of the body wouldn't allow her to answer the question. "There's too much flesh and the body has been damaged from animal predation. We'll have to wait until we get back to the Lab."
He had expected the answer, so he let it go. "Right. Well, I'm going back to the Hoover. I have a meeting in a couple of hours that I can't get out of. Agent Brantner will remain with you and Hodgins. I'd appreciate it if you'd bring him back to town with you."
His jaw clenched, Brantner watched Booth place his index cards in his jacket pocket and glance around the field. "Brantner, you stay here and assist Dr. Brennan." With that, Booth pivoted and strode away from the crime scene. Unable to do anything about it, the younger agent pulled out a small notebook from his jacket pocket and made a few notes. Determined to be professional, he stood where he was and waited to see if he was going to be further humiliated by the anthropologist.
Ignoring the agent like she ignored most of the agents that worked with her, Brennan continued to study the remains while Hodgins collected as much of the living wild life eating away at the remains as possible. After moving a piece of the shirt aside, Hodgins pointed at a shard of wood sticking out of the body. "Dr. B, look at this."
Carefully, Brennan shifted her feet and leaned over the body as she examined what Hodgins had found. "Excellent work, Dr. Hodgins. We will have to be careful not to disturb that area of the body when we move it."
Smugly, Agent Brantner looked on and felt compelled to comment. "So she was murdered after all."
Her eyes on the body, Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "I have no way of knowing that at this time. It might be part of a murder weapon and it might be the results of her falling on whatever this is. I'll have to examine it and have the area of the body x-rayed. To assume murder at this point would be leaping over the pistol."
Confused, Brantner shook his head. "What?"
Amused, Hodgins continued his search for insects. "It's jumping the gun, Dr. B, but that was real close. It's derived from track and field sports. It refers to a false start, leaving the starting line before the starting pistol is fired."
"Thank you." Brennan struggled with idioms, but she wasn't afraid to try to use them. "That makes sense."
Staring at Brennan like she was an alien from another planet, Brantner shook his head. "What the hell would jumping over a pistol even mean?"
Eyes glinting, Hodgins stood up and glared at the younger man. "Are you deliberately trying to be an asshole?"
Outraged, Brantner clenched his jaw and his nostrils flared. "I asked a question, how is that being an asshole?"
"That will do Dr. Hodgins." Brennan sensed that Agent Brantner didn't like her, but she didn't really care. "Please continue to do your job. We should be ready to move the body in about an hour or so." As Hodgins squatted down next to the body, Brennan turned her attention on the young agent. "Only a fool thinks they know everything. I am not a fool and I don't claim to know everything. Some idioms don't make sense to me until their origin is explained to me. That is called learning. Learning new things helps you achieve growth, be it in your field of expertise or just for personal growth."
Embarrassed, Brantner shook his head. "Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't understand what you said."
Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps you should check with the other techs to see if they are close to finding the missing parts of this body. Remind them to collect any excrement they find."
Cleary being dismissed, Brantner stepped away from the body and noticed that a few of the techs had stopped what they were doing and were watching him. Assuming that they were his ally, the younger agent glanced at Brennan and rolled his eyes. Much to his dismay that gesture earned him several scowls. As he moved closer to Marcus Geier, he noticed the man glaring at him. "What?"
"I don't know what your problem is, but try not to upset Dr. Brennan." Marcus continued to glare at the younger agent. "She's the best that there is and she deserves respect."
"Respect?" Outraged, Brantner crossed his arms against his chest. "What about being respectful to us?"
Disgusted, Marcus squatted down next to a chunk of masticated flesh and placed it in an evidence bag. "Respect has to be earned and Dr. Brennan does respect me and my people. She's learned to trust us and we do our best work to keep that trust."
Unable to fathom Marcus, Brantner sighed deeply. "She acts like a damned queen."
A younger tech moved closer and spoke with a lowered voice, matching the two men. "Why shouldn't she? She's the best forensic anthropologist in the world. She's earned more awards and honors than anyone in her field. She makes the FBI and therefore us, look like damned geniuses to the general public. Our solve rate if very high because of her and Agent Booth. You might want to shut up and learn something."
Marcus snickered and moved to look for more body parts. Brantner shook his head and left the field. He decided to stand in the tree line and just observe. Everyone seemed to be pissed at him and he didn't appreciate it one bit.
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The body turned over to the techs to be transported back to the Jeffersonian, Brennan, Hodgins and Agent Brantner started to make the trip back to the District in Brennan's car. Sitting in the back seat of the Ford Fusion, the younger agent checked his phone for emails and his twitter account to see if any of his friends were doing anything interesting.
As they got closer to Washington D.C., Brennan was startled when someone ahead on the road crossed the median and headed right for her. With not a lot of room to maneuver, she hugged the shoulder of the road, flashed her lights and honked her horn. At the last minute the other driver over corrected, moved back across the road to his side of the road and into the woods where the car hit a tree. Quickly stopping, Brennan backed up her car until it was parallel to the wreck. Hodgins got out his phone and called 911 while Brantner waited for the car to stop.
Once the car was stopped, Brennan raced from the car and across the road. Able to open the door, it squealed on its hinges. The front of the car smoldering, Brennan with the help of Hodgins, unbuckled the driver from his seat belt and carefully removed him from the car. Agent Brantner moved closer and helped move the young man further away from the now burning car and they laid the man on the ground. Brennan removed her jacket and placed it under the victim's head. "We've contacted emergency response. Help is on the way."
Frightened the young man felt a wetness on his face and tried to touch it. Brennan smiled and grasped his hand in her hand. "What's your name?"
"Tommy . . . Tommy Jackson." The young man felt cold, but he didn't feel any pain. "Please call my mother. I'm late. She's going . . . she's going to be mad at me. I'm late and I wrecked her car." Tommy started to cry. "I don't know what happened . . . I don't know what happened."
Brennan brushed his wavy black hair away from his eyes and clasped his hand harder. "She won't be angry with you Tommy. She loves you. She'll just be happy to see you. You'll see."
As they talked the blood on Tommy's shirt got darker and seemed to spread quickly. "Tommy, I need to look at your chest and stomach. Is that okay?"
Numbly, Tommy nodded his head.
Pulling his shirt aside, Brennan saw he had substantial chest trauma and was certain that she couldn't do anything to help him. With a quick glance towards Hodgins who walked away to make another call to 911, Brennan grasped the young man's hand once more. "You're going to be fine, Tommy. Really you don't have anything to worry about. You'll get to see your mother before you know it."
Ross Brantner knew she was lying and he felt sick that he couldn't help the young man.
His head feeling dizzy, almost light headed. Tommy looked at Brennan and swallowed. "Mom, I am so sorry I totaled your car. Don't be mad at me . . . please."
Her voice soft, her eyes filled with tears, Brennan kissed the younger man's cheek. "I forgive you Tommy. It's just a car. You are much more important to me than a car. I love you Tommy."
So glad to see his mother, Tommy smiled. "Thanks Mom. I'm sorry I was late . . . I love . . ." His breathing stopped and they knew the young man had died.
Tears flowing down her cheeks, Brennan let them as she continued to hold Tommy's hand. A few minutes later, first a Sheriff's deputy and then an ambulance stopped on the road and took over the situation. Free to leave, Brennan walked over to her car and got in to the passenger's side. "Dr. Hodgins I would appreciate it if you would drive."
Hodgins knew that his friend was grieving and he was barely under control of himself. "Sure I will."
Affected by what he had seen, Brantner quietly entered the back seat and remained silent for the rest of the ride back to the city.
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The next day, Rodney Baker met Ross Brantner in the break room and laughed. "So how'd it go with the ice queen yesterday?"
Furious, Brantner crowded his friend against the snack machine. "You shut the fuck up. She deserves respect and you damn well better give it to her, at least around me."
Surprised, Baker pushed Brantner away. "What the hell got into you?"
"Me?" Agent Brantner stepped back and growled. "Dr. Brennan . . . Dr. Brennan . . . aw hell. Some guy was in a car wreck yesterday and she tried to help him. I've never seen anything like it. The boy died, but she was so kind . . . so kind. Just show proper respect." A little too emotional, Brantner pivoted and stalked out of the room and down the hallway to the restroom. Once there he leaned on the sink, looked into the mirror and shook his head.
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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.
