AN -- I hope to get another update finished before I go out of town for a couple fo days, but it might not happen. If not, I hope everyone has a great holiday and I will hopefully have more up this weekend. I hope you are all still enjoying the story. I have a few more twists and turns in store for everyone's favorite non couple. Please continue to let me know what you think.
Let me clarify on this chapter. I have not seen the movie I have them going to see. I just thought it was funny that it opened on the weekend I needed a movie for and Hart Hanson always compares B/B to Nick and Norah.
Disclaimer - Bones is property of Fox.
Chapter 37
Booth finished at his apartment. He got a few things ready for Parker to come over for the weekend. Today was Friday and it had been 2 full weeks since he had spent the night there. He didn't miss it at all, but realized that he would have to stay there if he had Parker. He didn't want to confuse the boy.
On his way to pick Bones up, he called the movie theater to see what was playing. It was the first Friday night in October and there was really nothing new out that he wanted to see. He thought that Bones might like the cultural aspects of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist that opened this weekend. He had seen the previews and it looked like it had some goofy comedy that he would enjoy as well. Besides, he had seen a few of the 1950's movies and thought Nick and Norah were funny. In many ways, they resembled himself and Bones. He thought going to see that movie would be fitting. He checked the show times and found that it would be showing at 8:30 at the theater near the Sushi Beat Restaurant. He and Bones liked the place and they had great sushi. At that point, it was almost 6:00. They would have plenty of time.
He pulled up to her apartment and ran up the stairs. He wasn't sure why he was running, but found himself taking the stairs 3 at a time. He couldn't believe the things that woman did to him.
As Booth was finishing up and making his way to her apartment, Brennan was getting ready. She was a little surprised at his phone call. Sure, they did a lot of things together, but this time she was a little nervous. She couldn't pinpoint why. Maybe the medicine had made her a little edgy – that had to be it.
Brennan had not left her house since she came home from the hospital except for the visit to the therapist she had made the previous day. She was actually glad to be out and feeling a better. Most of her symptoms had gone away. She was still more tired than normal and moving around a lot was still painful but it was much better than it had been. She had managed to get herself to the point where she was only taking the narcotics before she did any therapy and before bed. She expected that she would be able to manage on Monday without the narcotics at all and be able to work. Hopefully her appointment and therapy wouldn't be too bad. She would just have to manage. She was going to go to work Monday regardless of how badly she hurt.
Figuring out what to wear was a struggle. It looked like she would have to break down and go shopping. Realistically, she was going to have to wear some type of cast for the next 3 months, minimum. She was scheduled to get her hard cast off sometime during the first week of November. It would be replaced by some type of boot or something after that. Her screws would come out during the second week of December, hopefully. After that, she might actually be able to put on a pair of regular pants, but that would be questionable. Her 4 pair of boot cut jeans would get her through that many months. She contemplated breaking out her dig clothes that consisted mostly of cargo pants, but she needed to maintain a degree of professionalism that the "eco warrior" look didn't provide. Shopping was her only choice.
She dreaded the next few months. First would be the Jeffersonian Halloween Party. She'd have to go, but she was pretty sure that the Wonder Woman effect would be lost if she showed up on crutches. Maybe Cam would let her out of it, but the Christmas Party would be a non question. Since the Valley Fever incident, it had become much more formal and a requirement for all salaried staff. What she dreaded most was the donor ball the third week of January. It was a completely formal occasion. She was expected to bring a date and mingle with the donors for 2 hours. Her ankle began to throb at the thought of putting on a pair of heels and trying to stand in them. It amazed her at the difference 2 weeks had made on her attitude toward shoes and standing. She almost always wore heals and now never wanted to wear a pair again.
She snapped out of her thoughts and went back to the task at hand, getting ready. She grabbed a shirt and put on some makeup. As she was putting on her necklace, she heard Booth come in her apartment door. She walked to the kitchen, reached into the cabinet and popped a couple of ibuprofen. She didn't even consider trying to hide her actions from Booth. When had she become so comfortable with him that she didn't mind him seeing her take medicine?
He walked beside her and placed his strong hand on the small of her back. "You hurting, Bones?" He asked. "We don't have to go if you aren't up to it yet." He finished.
She rolled her eyes at the alpha male. "I'm fine Booth. It's more for prophylactic purposes than anything else. I'm just trying to stay on a schedule to keep the pain from becoming unbearable and to help the swelling diminish." She provided him with her very blunt answer.
He nodded and took her answer as saying, 'Don't be an alpha male right now. I'm okay.' He could always tell how she was feeling based on her tone. Spicy, scientific tone, like the one she just used, meant she was fine. Short, one word answers along with sighs meant something was wrong. He liked spicy Bones the best.
He was pretty sure that her spiciness was a turn off to some guys, but he loved it. He loved making her defensive so she would rattle off scientific words and explanations. Usually, when she finished, he would just grin at her. The look she would always give him after she finished was priceless. She could never figure out why he was grinning at her. It was a look of confusion, but for some reason, he couldn't get enough of it.
He noticed that she seemed ready as she put her water glass in the sink. "Ready to go?" He asked.
She nodded and clicked toward the closet to get her coat. It had started to get quite crisp in the evenings. The last week had been unseasonably cold with the lows in the upper 20's already. She opened her closet and did her best to put on her coat, but was unable to avoid the observant gaze of Booth as she struggled to get the coat on without falling over or letting her foot touch the floor. "Need some help," he said. She silently griped to herself at needing his help. 'He should have gone into science if he's that observant,' she thought.
She accepted his offer for help and allowed him to grab her elbow. While she didn't quite understand the expression, she mumbled under her breath, "This sucks."
Booth just nodded at her and Brennan got over her little pity party as he grabbed her elbow to allow her to release her crutch long enough so that she could get her jacket on. Once she was finished, they headed out the door. As the elevator doors closed, she asked, "So where are we going, Booth?" Booth had to smile because she seemed excited – almost like a child.
"I'm taking you out for some Japanese so you can get your fill of sushi for the week and then we're going to the movies. It's Friday night and you are my surrogate, remember." His thoughts went back to the conversation with Sweets only a couple of weeks ago. He already knew that Sweets was right. He and Bones were so close, that they didn't need anyone else.
They walked out to his SUV which was conveniently parked in the closest spot to her door. It was an authorized vehicle spot. Booth would never dream of parking there if it was his own comfort that was in question, but he wanted to make things a little easier for his Bones.
As they approached the car, he let her take the lead to see if she would want his help. She looked up to him as she made the last few steps and stopped. He took this as her way of asking for help. He opened the door and took her crutches as she eased her way into the tall SUV. Booth closed her door and put her crutches in the back seat before getting into the car himself.
The drive to the restaurant was made mostly in silence. Booth updated her on the talk with the boyfriend and how he would be coming in on Monday for interrogation. She told him about some of the plans she had for Parker's project and even told him a little about the 2 extra chapters she had finished on her next book. She didn't know why she told him about the book, she just did. It just seemed natural.
They pulled up in front of The Sushi Beat Restaurant just before 7:00. Since solving the murder of Carly Victor, all of their team had frequented the restaurant. Ernie's sushi really was the best around. Most of the time, he would make sure they had a great table and were well taken care of. It was no secret that he was a fan of Brennan's books and was grateful that they had solved Carly's murder. He really did care about her and Booth still felt a little guilty for making him suspect number one for a while during the investigation.
As soon as they parked, Booth hopped out and ran to Brennan's side of the SUV. He grabbed her crutches from the back seat and helped her out. As they entered the restaurant, Ernie quickly spotted them from behind the sushi bar. "Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan, it's good to see you. It's been a couple of weeks. What the heck happened to you Dr. Brennan?" Ernie commented about the crutches as soon as he noticed them.
"Good to see you too, Ernie." Brennan smiled as she spoke. "It's just a little ligament damage to my ankle. I had surgery on Monday." She explained. Booth just shook his head at how she minimized the injury.
"Sounds little," Ernie said sarcastically. "You guys want to sit at the bar or a table tonight?" He asked.
Booth responded quickly. "We'll take a table tonight. We aren't in any big hurry. Bones has been cooped all week and could stand to spend some time at a table out of her house."
"Alright, I'll have the hostess take you back." Ernie said and then motioned for the hostess. "Take them back to table 35 by the fish tanks. Dr. Brennan, take care of that ankle and let me know when you newest is about to come out. I'd love to host a party for you or something." He smiled and shook Booth's hand.
"Thanks Ernie. It shouldn't be too much longer. I have about 9 more chapters to write and then it will go into review phase. It is usually out a few months after that." Brennan liked Ernie; otherwise, she wouldn't have provided that much information.
The hostess came and led them to their table. It was a great table – right beside the huge fish tanks. "Parker would love this." Booth commented as they sat.
Brennan nodded and smiled. "You should bring him sometime." She leaned her crutches against the table and took her seat.
The hostess noticed and grabbed the crutches. She carefully placed them behind the table and against the wall so that they wouldn't fall. "Do you need an extra chair for your cast or something?" She asked.
Booth began to answer but Brennan cut him off. "No thank you. I'll be fine. I'll let you or the waiter know if I get uncomfortable." The hostess just nodded and placed the menus down on the table.
"Enjoy you meal, your waiter will be here shortly." The hostess said as she turned to leave.
"Bones, seriously, I can't bring Parker here. He would turn his nose up at eating sushi. He has seen me eat it and makes a big deal out of it every time I have it." Booth was actually impressed that she had considered Parker highly enough for him to come to such a nice restaurant.
"You know Booth, introducing new foods is all about approach. I would think that if you presented it to Parker in an educational way and explained to him how it is prepared, he would try it. You could probably even start with some of the vegetarian rolls. That way, he would not be able to say anything about raw fish." She knew Parker well enough to know that he loved to learn and would probably try anything for the sake of learning.
As Booth was about to speak, the waiter came to their table. "Good to see you tonight. My name's Terry and I'll be taking care of you. Can I start you out with a good beer or wine this evening?" The young man was very polite.
"I'll just have water this evening, Thanks." Brennan responded and closed the beverage menu. The waiter took the beverage menu and looked to Booth.
Booth was shooting Brennan a confused stare as he said simply, "I'll take an Asahi, thanks."
The waiter nodded and said, "I'll get those right out for you. Let me just say, Dr. Brennan, I love your books. It's a pleasure to take care of both of you tonight. You two are a pair of celebrities around here." Booth and Brennan just nodded as he walked away.
"No wine tonight, Bones?" Booth asked.
Again, she went into clinical mode. "I have a lot of pain killers and anti inflammatory drugs in my system right now. I would rather not risk an interaction with the drugs. If I never have to see an emergency room again, it will be too soon for me." She explained.
"Ah, I understand. Good use of a slang phrase by the way, Bones." Booth grinned as he commented about her use of the 'too soon' phrase.
"Thank you, now back to Parker. If you want, we could bring him here sometime this weekend or something. I'm sure Ernie could come up with something for him. It could be fun." She smiled just thinking about it. She was sure the Booth was raising a fine young man in Parker, but she could help with the cultural and scientific aspects of things.
"Thanks Bones, that sounds good. He really likes you." Booth said as the waiter brought back their drinks.
The rest of the meal consisted of casual conversation as they ate. Brennan actually told Booth a few stories from her childhood and Booth shared a little as well. He talked a lot about Parker and told Brennan about the upcoming youth hockey league that Parker would be playing in and that he would be helping coach. He also talked about his law enforcement hockey league that was schedule to begin practices next weekend. She promised to come watch him and Parker play.
As they finished up their meal, Ernie came back by to check on them. "How are things?" he asked.
Booth responded. "Great, we just need the check and we'll be going."
"Come on G-man, your money isn't any good in this place. Well, not as long as I'm not the prime suspect in a murder investigation, anyway." Booth just smiled and thanked him. He asked about the possibility of bringing Parker on Sunday and Ernie seemed excited assuring Booth that he could whip up something that would be kid approved. "Where are you guys headed now?" Ernie asked.
"We're going to the movies." Brennan offered all the information she knew.
Ernie shot a doubtful look to Booth. "Not much out this weekend, hope you find something worth seeing." He said.
Booth elaborated on his plans. "I know, but that musical Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist opened last night, I figured we'd give that one a shot." He explained.
Ernie laughed out loud at the movie choice. "Well, that's appropriate for you guys if it's anything like The Thin Man or the old Nick and Norah movies."
They both wished Ernie a good night and they were ready to go. Booth helped Brennan get back on her crutches and placed his hand back on the small of her back as they left the restaurant. He headed toward the SUV and Brennan stopped as he began to turn. "Booth, if we are going to the theater a few blocks away, I'll be fine to walk."
He immediately became protective. "Bones, it's freezing out here and it's a pretty good walk."
"Booth, I appreciate the thought, but I'll be fine." She reasoned. "Anyway, I need to get some exercise."
He gave in, but wanted to protest a little anyway. "Fine, but I am not carrying you back to the SUV when it's over and do not blame me if you get frost bite on you exposed toes." He looked down to her left foot. He couldn't believe how cute he thought she looked with her 5 toes poking out of that flesh colored cast thing. He had it bad and he knew it.
She nodded and began to walk. It really wasn't that far to the theater. They managed to get there in just a few minutes. Their conversation was very date like. They talked about college days and other simple things, but they both shared, and both enjoyed it.
As they neared the theater, Brennan was getting tired. She would never admit it, but she wished she had let Booth have his way and drive.
Booth could tell she had slowed a little bit and was probably becoming uncomfortable. "Bones, are you sure those crutches are adjusted right? They look a little low to me. You should probably get Jameson to check them on Monday. I really don't want you to ruin your back trying to give your ankle a chance to heal." He explained.
"You're probably right, but I'm not sure there is much that can be done to make them comfortable. It is just something I'll have to deal with." She said very matter of factly.
They walked up to the ticket counter and Booth bought two tickets for the movie. "Bones, let's find seats and I'll come back out and get some popcorn and drinks." She just nodded as he held the glass door open for her.
"Booth, you can't seriously be hungry, we just ate." She questioned as they found some seats.
"Oh, come on Bones, you can't go to the movies without popcorn dripping in butter. Do you want anything to go with it?" He asked.
"Water will be great, thanks." She said as she sat down and lowered her crutches to the ground.
As she waited for him to return, she worked to get comfortable. She was hurting a little, and internally cursed herself for walking that far. She was pretty sure she would pay for it in the area of swelling, but it would all be okay in the end. She could handle it.
Booth returned about 5 minutes before the movie started and handed her the water. She thanked him and lowered the cup holder to put the water in. They sat in silence until the lights went down and the movie started. During the first half hour of the movie, Brennan often tapped him on the shoulder to say "What does that mean" to almost every pop culture phrase they used. Every time, Booth just smiled and explained. After that, Booth noticed her squirming to get comfortable. He placed his hand on her leg and got her attention.
"I'll be right back," he said as he stood and walked out of the theater for a brief moment.
When he returned, he was holding a booster seat thing that Brennan had often seen in theaters, but never really knew what they were for.
"Hey Bones, I'm going to put this in the seat beside you. It will keep it down without someone sitting in it. Parker used to need one when we came to the movies. I'll raise my cup holder bar up and you can turn sideways a little and elevate your ankle in the seat next to you." He explained his plan to her.
Without complaint, she did as suggested and once she was settled, she was much more comfortable. Booth snaked his arm around her and gave her a little squeeze. "Better?" he asked.
"Much - thanks." She answered and returned her attention to the movie.
As the movie finished, they stood to leave. "Bones, do you want to stay here while I run get the car?" He didn't want her to hurt more just because she was trying to avoid making him right.
"No, I'll be fine. It's not that far." He nodded at her answer. He didn't want to push her.
"So, what'd you think of the movie." He asked.
"It was entertaining, but I really don't see the connection to the old Nick and Norah's or to The Thin Man. The only commonalities were the name and the fact that the couple found themselves in an unplanned situation that they had to work out." She explained. "I personally like the old Nick and Norah's better." She finished.
Booth smiled, "Me too, Bones, me too." He was a little surprised that they had the same opinion of the movie. "Hey Bones," he said, "Did you like moonlighting?"
She looked at him, a little confused at why that came up. "I've never seen it, but have heard that there was lots of sexual tension between the two lead characters."
He just shook his head, "Bones, you've never seen Moonlighting!" He was stunned. "I wish I would have known. I would have rented it for you to watch while you were cooped up." He thought for a moment. "Next time it snows a lot or you sick or something and we can't get out, I'll get it for you to watch."
She looked at him with her questioning look. "Booth, if it snows a lot, you won't be able to get to my apartment to bring it to me." She said before she added a little of her own spice to the conversation. "And remember Booth, I don't get sick."
"Bones, I have my ways and remember everything happens eventually." He said and the conversation was over.
She managed to make it all the way back to the SUV but was pretty sure she would be sore the next day. She'd just have to get over that, though. She would be okay and would make sure that Parker's project was great.
She waited at the SUV and he helped her in and put her crutches in the back. On the way to the apartment, she drifted in and out of sleep. As they pulled onto her block, Booth decided to wake her. "Hey Bones, what time is your therapy appointment n the morning?"
She rubbed her eyes a little before answering him. "7:30, I am planning on doing all of my appointments then or earlier to get them in before work."
He just laughed. "Leave it to you, Bones, to have an appointment at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning." He said as he pulled into the authorized vehicle parking spot and jumped out to help her. "I'll drop you off at therapy and then run pick up Parker. I'm getting him around 7:30 and Rebecca's is really close to your therapy gym. It won't take me long to get him and then we'll pick you back up and we can go get breakfast." He seemed to already have it all planned out. "Will that work?"
She seemed to be going on autopilot, but still managed to answer him. "That's fine Booth, thanks."
They made their way upstairs and she went immediately to her room to change. She was tired, achy, and cold. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into her comfy bed.
Booth realized how tired she was and went ahead and got out all of her medicine and her cooling thing for her ankle. When she didn't come out of her bedroom in her typical 12 minutes, (yes, he had counted before) he went back there. He found her in her pajamas on top of her covers fast asleep. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. She was probably as beautiful as he had ever seen her before. She had on a light blue spaghetti strap shirt with matching polka dot, Bermuda length shorts – Angela must have bought the set for her. She had removed all of her makeup and had her hair in a very simple pony tail. He enjoyed looking at her for a couple of minutes, but then woke her.
"Hey Bones, you need to get some ice on your ankle and take these meds." He had to shake her a couple of times before she even stirred. 'Man, I didn't realize how much one night out would take out of her,' he thought as he shook her.
She finally woke long enough to make eye contact and sit up. "Thanks Booth," she said as she dry swallowed the pills. "I got it," she said as he started hooking up the cooling unit. He nodded and let her show her independence. She pulled the covers back, crawled in, put a pillow under her ankle, and fell back onto her pillows. Booth threw the covers over her and turned to walk out.
Just as he reached the threshold of her door and was about to turn out the light, he heard her small, tired voice. "Booth?" she called.
"Yeah, Bones, you need something?" He stopped and turned to face her.
"No, but thanks for tonight. I had a lot of fun." She said and never opened her eyes.
He smiled even though he was pretty sure she was already asleep again. "You're welcome Bones, I had fun too." He said as he flipped her light switch and walked out the door.
He looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:15. It was still pretty early for him, but he opted to go ahead and go to bed. He was content. He had spent a great evening with his best friend. He only hoped there would be many more to come and that soon she would be more than his best friend. He already knew he loved her, but the timing had to be perfect to tell her that.