"I think we should abort the whole plan of getting all this gear back off the mountain," Hodgins whispered after Bones fell asleep.
Booth listened, but didn't respond. He was too tired to keep his eyes open, much less worry about gear he cared nothing about. And now, his very warm, very alive partner was lying on a blanket with him, close enough to touch. Any other time, the temptation to reach out would have been too much.
Tonight, he was too tired to even think about it.
Hodgins didn't say anything after that, but he watched Brennan for a time before rolling over and closing his eyes. His wife would be over the moon that her best friend appeared to be in decent shape, and he looked forward to calling her the next day and letting her know.
Exhausted, Booth also watched Brennan sleep. He counted breaths to make sure she was breathing evenly, unable to believe she was as okay as she appeared to be.
Her leg was beyond any of their skills and Bones decided it was best to leave it alone, until x-rays and doctors could tell her how badly she'd injured it. After hearing Bones' explanation on where the brightly colored cord came from, Booth planned on telling Parker just as soon as he could how important that bracelet turned out to be.
Giving in to the temptation to touch her, Booth brushed some of the matted hair from her face. He was relieved that she appeared to have no other injuries than those he saw in his visions.
As he closed his eyes, Booth acknowledged that Hodgins was right. Anything other than food and water would be left behind. Later, when everyone was settled, the gear could be retrieved.
The only thing that mattered was getting Bones off the mountain.
