Update 35- The Frightened Run
Temperance adjusted the bandage on her hand for the fourth time that morning, unwrapping, and wrapping the small gauze wrapping that she had put around the burns. They were healing fine, it had been a couple of days, and she sit at her desk staring at the computer screen, staring at her e-mails, her eyes not reading, her mind just reeling. She knew that it was Wednesday, she had heard from Harding that morning with the announcement that he would be going to the courthouse that afternoon with Rebecca and Parker, and the announcement that today was the day that Booth would be released.
She waited with a chilled anticipation, the past two days at work had been filled with paperwork and catching up, and she didn't have a spare moment to take a breath, and she loved it. She loved it because she didn't have a moment that she could afford to dwell on the changes that were occurring around her so quickly. Sunday had been tiring, after skipping dinner the night before, she wasn't surprised that Antonia was awake as soon as the sun came over the horizon, poking her mother's nose again and again, and that was simply how the day had begun.
"You're hungry?" "Yes." She nodded. "What would you like for breakfast?" "Daddy." "Very clever." Temperance said, sitting up, she watched her little girl climb up onto the bed, she crawled up and looked at the wet towel on her mother's hand. "Mama, you're bed is all wet." "That is because ice melts." She replied, pulling the little girl into a hug with her good arm, Antonia cuddled as she leaned over her mother's arm. "Lemme see, Mama." She said, poking at the bandaid on her mother's elbow, she sighed. "Looks like you're gonna have to leave it on there for a little longer." "Well, thank you, Doctor Brennan." "No, Mama… you're Doctor Brennan…" "Then who are you?" She asked, a humored look on her face as she hugged her daughter to her again. "I'm Doctor Antonia. That's what Uncle Bugs calls me. He says that way I won't get mixed up with you." "Ah…" She nodded. "Uncle Bugs is a very smart man, he knows what he's talking about." "Yeah, he's a genius." She said, climbing from her mother's arms, she rolled her feet to the floor and smiled. "Rise and shine, Mama. Let's go see daddy." She said, running out of the room, Temperance watched as her daughter disappeared around the corner before she flopped her body back down on the pillow and sighed, allowing a tear to fall down her cheek as she decided to start her day with the typical morning cry.
"Mama, I'm hungry." Antonia said as soon as her mother's eyes flashed open.
The remainder of Sunday had gone by quickly with a lunch with Angela, and dinner spent with Antonia, quietly trying to rid herself of the thoughts that were plaguing her mind. She felt guilty and confused, yet she didn't know who to talk to about it with, though deep down in her heart she knew that there was only one person that she could actually talk to about this, and she found that she was too afraid to approach him. Max had tried to talk to her on Monday when she dropped Antonia off on her way to the lab, but Temperance wanted to hear nothing of it, though she knew that her father could tell that she was breaking. He told her so.
"Tempe, why don't you come in?" Max said, holding the little girl in his arms, he rocked her back and forth as she slept soundly on her grandfather's shoulder. Temperance had just handed her over to him, and the little girl hadn't even batted an eyelash since being lifted from the car. It was very early, and it seemed that today she wanted to sleep through the morning. "I can't come in, Dad. I have to get to work." She said, taking a step back, and Max's hand was in hers. "Just come in for a second, please? Help me put her in the bedroom, and give her a kiss goodbye." Max said, giving her a pleading look that he always reserved for moments of emotional manipulation, and like a good con man, it always worked. "Fine, but only for a couple of minutes." She said, following Max toward the bedroom, he had avoided asking her about the bandage on her hand, but as soon as Antonia was nestled in the guest room bed and cuddled in with her stuffed elephants, kissed by her mother and left to dream, Max began his campaign. "Sweetheart." Max said, taking her hand as she walked quickly toward the door, she stopped. "Dad, I have to go. I told Cam that I'd be in today, and I am so behind on…" "Can't you just give your father a second of your time? I just want to check on you." "I'm fine, Dad." "No, you're not fine." He replied, watching his daughter's glare, he could see that she wasn't sleeping well, that she had cried recently, that she was conflicted, and that she was going to try to make work her excuse. "I can see just by the look in your eyes that you're not sleeping well, that you're not taking care of yourself. Temperance, if you keep this up, you're going to wear yourself down, and you're not going to be able to take care of Antonia. You're breaking, Tempe." "I am not breaking, that's ridiculous!" She exclaimed, nearly tripping over her feet as she reached the door, Max reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. "I'm fine." She said, wrenching her arm from him, she could feel the tears in her eyes. "What happened to your hand?" He asked, watching her glare at him as she reached for the door knob. "I burned it on Saturday, its fine." "Tempe." "I said it's fine, Dad. Stop worrying about me, okay? I am fine, Antonia is fine… I have to get to work." She said, pulling the door open. "Have you talked to Booth, Tempe?" "That is none of your business." She glared at him as she walked out of the apartment. "Temperance, you can't keep running away." "Bye, Dad." She said as she stomped down the hallway, trying her best to ignore his pleas as she disappeared from view.
So she had busied herself in the office, making herself work late to finish some of the tasks that she had missed out on since her absence, and she felt more tired and more stressed out than she had been before. She glanced to her clock and noted that it was nearly three in the afternoon and she still had heard nothing from Harding, nothing from Booth, nothing. She was so concentrated on her computer screen, that she nearly fell out of her chair when she heard the voice across the room.
"Doc!" Harding exclaimed, watching the stunned look on her face when she jumped, a look that turned immediately to anger.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, her hand on her chest as she stared at the man blankly, her eyes were wide and shocked, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. "Harding?" She exclaimed, noting that he was staring at her.
"Geez, Doc… what the hell are you doing to yourself? You look exhausted."
"I'm fine, and I have a lot of work to get done, okay? What do you want?"
"We're going over to the courthouse. I'm bringing Parker and Rebecca… we thought you'd want to be there."
"Did you not hear what I said, Harding? I have work to get done."
"Temperance?"
She narrowed her eyes at him, leaving no room for discussion, and his brow furrow in frustration.
"Doc…" He said softly.
"I don't need your sympathy, and I don't need a lecture, Harding." She replied harshly.
"Deuce would like it if you were there, Doc."
"Well Deuce…" She said, speaking the nickname quite sarcastically, she gave Harding another glare. "He knows where to find me." She said, softening after a second, she shook her head. "Just… just take his family to him, okay? He needs his family." She said, rubbing her forehead with her thumb and forefinger, she stared at the wooden surface for a moment. "Just bring his family to him."
"That's what I was trying to do." Harding said without a tinge of regret, he watched her for a moment to see if she'd make eye contact with him, and when she didn't, he turned and simply walked out of her office and out of the lab.
Temperance felt like she was going to crumble right there, she felt like she was losing it, and she needed some semblance of control. She gritted her teeth as she tried to hold back the onslaught of tears that she could feel prickling her eyes and she sat up slowly, grabbing several files and papers, she took a deep breath and walked toward the exit of her office, turning the light off as she looked back at the work piled on her desk. She took another deep breath and walked out of her office toward Angela's office, pausing in the doorway until the artist looked up.
"Sweetie, are you okay?" Angela asked, seeing the distress on her friend's face, she couldn't help but be extremely concerned.
"I'm fine." She said, swallowing hard. "Do you think… I mean… would it be too much trouble if you watched Antonia tonight… and maybe tomorrow night."
"Yeah… sure, no problem. She has stuff at my place… why? Are you okay? You don't look okay, sweetie."
"I just… I just need a little bit of time." She said, shrugging. "I just need a little time."
"Okay… okay… I'll pick her up at your dad's after work, tell him what's going on… did you want me to tell Cam?"
"I'll call and leave her a message, let her know that I probably won't be in for the rest of the week." She nodded.
"Okay. Bren, are you sure you're okay? Was that Harding that was just here?"
"Yeah, he's going to go pick up Booth." She said, watching Angela nod her head in understanding.
"Are you going to be okay, Brennan?" Angela asked seriously, watching her friend's eyes carefully, she could see that she was about to break down, and was just looking for a quick exit.
"I'll be okay." She nodded. "I just need some time. I'll call sometime tonight, and you can just bring her to dad's on your way to work tomorrow, I'll call him and let him know you're picking her up."
"Okay." Angela said, walking toward her, she reached her arms out and wrapped them around her friend. "I'll take care of Little A… you just go take care of yourself."
"Tell her mommy loves her very, very much…"
"I'll tell her, sweetheart."
"Thanks, Ange." Temperance said, rubbing her eye with her palm as she straightened her bag on her shoulder. "Thanks."
Angela simply nodded, as she watched her friend turn and stride quickly through the lab and out of its doors, her head shaking as she tried to understand how someone so brilliant, could be so conflicted about a decision that seemed so easy for anyone else to make.