The floor felt warm beneath his body, warm and wet, and his arm lifted as it clasped hold of the shaking body on top of his. The squealing cry that escaped the child's lips was deafening, breaking his heart that he couldn't do more. He couldn't move any more than to wrap his arm tightly around the screaming child that gripped him with all of her strength. He could hear her screaming call, feel her hot tears rolling down his skin as she begged him to say something.

Suddenly, there was light in the room, Booth tried to roll, tried to keep his arm firmly against his daughter, and hold her there against the safety of his body. Sounds were muffled, and he held his grip against Grace, and nothing was going to allow her to be taken from him, nothing.

"Booth." Temperance's voice echoed through the fog. It was deep and tense, and he could feel something pulling at Grace. The connection of Temperance's voice, and the hold he had on the little girl didn't connect in his befuddled mind, so he held his grip. "Booth, you have to let go of her. I'm here… I'm here, please…" She begged. "I love you, please let me save you, please." She begged.

Booth kept his hold on the girl, her face in his neck. He heard her soft whisper in his ear, but was sure that it was probably louder than he could sense. "It's mommy, Daddy. Mommy will take care of me." She said to him, and reluctantly he allowed the warmth of her body to be pulled from his. He was trembling and couldn't remember if he was cold or warm. His mouth was dry, and the light seemed almost blinding.

There were sounds of footsteps and voices, and he could hear his daughter, feel his wife's hand against his skin. He wanted to whisper to her, that he loved her, that he didn't want to die. He wanted to hold her hand and be happy that they had saved Grace and Seeley, he wanted to cry for joy that she was safe again. Instead, he faced the darkness of his eyelids, and the sights and sounds faded quickly, and all was suddenly silent.

Temperance kept her voice low and even as the EMTs surrounded her husband. Grace held onto her mother with all of the strength that she could muster. Seeley was also holding onto her, and Temperance was quickly losing any strength that she had. "Booth." She said, the tension in her voice was overwhelming. "Booth, don't fall asleep!" She called, watching as his blank stare disappeared, his eyelids closing.

"Ma'am, he's going into shock, we have to get him out of here." The EMT said, just as the gurney was pushed into the room. Flashlights filled the room, and morbid shadows bounced off the wall as the rest of the SWAT team assessed the scene. She felt like she was in a whirlpool, spinning and turning in endless circles as the visions around her assaulted her. The man that Booth had chased was lying dead against the wall, a sharp metal pole driven through his body. Temperance just looked at the crime scene and could see the entire thing unfolding before her. The force of Booth's body slamming into him, had sent him hurtling downward toward the protruding metal bar, sending his full weight and Booth's onto the pole. It appeared to have skewered him right through the soft tissue of his abdomen, ripping through organs and coming out the other side, stabbing Booth in the side, as the other man's body hit the wall.

Booth had managed to pull himself off the pipe, and the blood loss had been immense, sending him to the ground, where she had found him. What they hadn't learned just yet, was that if Grace hadn't laid upon him with her whole weight, if she hadn't unknowingly kept the pressure on the wound on her father's side, he'd have been dead in moments.

Temperance watched the EMTs work over his body, lifting him onto the gurney, as the chaos around her seemed to echo off the walls. She heard someone saying her name, but it didn't register. She heard the voice again, and still couldn't keep her eyes off her husband. "Doctor Brennan." The voice said again.

She turned, her jaw slack for just a split second before she focused on the EMT in front of her. "We can take the children." He said. "Check them over."

Temperance could feel the tight grip of both of the children on her, and she suddenly realized how soaked Grace was in her father's blood. She still hadn't even assessed the situation properly, and immediately had a blanket of guilt wash over her. Her stare was still blank at the EMT, and her eyes flashed to the gurney as they exited, still working on Booth as they went.

"Booth." She whispered.

"If you prefer to do this on the way…?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied, allowing the EMT to help her follow the gurney.

The light of the afternoon nearly blinded her, and the troops of law enforcement officers at the scene seemed to surprise her. Everything was making her jump, and the feeling that she would be choosing either her daughter or her husband first, was pulling her apart at the seams. Temperance's thoughts flashed back to the moment when she had opened the door, to the way he was holding Grace against him, protecting her even in his weakest moments.

Grace and Seeley were still crying, but seemed more frightened than injured. Jared had already been sent away in an ambulance, and the other suspect had been cuffed and escorted away from the scene. Temperance had heard one of the SWAT members mention that they had caught the men at the cash drop off, and they were now in custody as well. She remembered not caring about money, or her own wellbeing, but simply needing Booth to survive. She needed that to live.

All of the rest could wait.