Once Brennan pulled away and ended the kiss, Booth sighed. He had been enjoying the intimate action immensely.

"We can do that again later," said Brennan, reading his mind. "You have visitors and I need the bathroom."

"Don't let them in until you get back, okay?" Booth asked.

"Whatever you want. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just want to make sure that someone will keep me from being squashed underneath their hugs."

Brennan laughed. "I can do that. Give me a moment." She disappeared into Booth's bathroom for a couple of minutes, then returned looking refreshed. "Ready?" she asked Booth before going to the door.

"I'm ready."

"Okay." Brennan opened the door and stepped to the side, allowing their friends to enter the room.

"Booth!" exclaimed Angela as she rushed over to the bed, carrying flowers and something that looked like chocolate.

"Hi, Angela," said Booth warily.

"We've been so worried about you," said Hodgins once he had managed to pull Angela off of Booth. "We're glad that you're safe and that you're going to be okay."

"I'll be alright. Brennan told me that it will be a long recovery, but I plan on making it shorter than the doctor thinks."

Hodgins laughed. "I don't doubt that, Booth. And, we'll all be here to help you. Whatever you need, whenever you need it."

"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it." Booth glanced at Brennan. "Hey, Hodgins?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you do something for me?"

"Of course."

"Get Angela to take Bones out for a while this afternoon. She needs to relax, and that isn't going to happen here."

"I can do that."

"Also, I need you to pick something up for me. It's in my apartment. You can't tell anyone what it is, though."

"Why?"

"Because I need it to surprise Bones."

"Is it what I think it is?"

"Maybe. You'll find it in the bottom drawer of my right bedside table, underneath the papers I've got in there. The key is on my key ring. I assume Bones or Aubrey will have my car keys."

"Brennan has them. She refused to part with them while we were searching for you. I'll get them from her."

"Tell her that you're getting me some clothes while she helps Angela with something. That will be the only way you're getting the keys from her."

"Okay. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. You can rest."

"Thanks, Hodgins." Booth looked around at his friends. "Hey, where's Cam and Aubrey?"

"I don't know. Cam called to say they were coming, but would be a little late. Do you want me to call them?"

"I want to call them. Can I use your phone?"

"Sure." Hodgins handed over his phone and stepped away.

Booth stared at the screen for a moment. His eyes were still tired, which made his vision somewhat blurry when he stared at bright objects. The doctor had said not to worry, that it would pass the more he rested, but it made it difficult to do some things. After another moment, Booth found what he was looking for and called Cam's cell.

"Hey, Hodgins, is something wrong? I shouldn't be too long," said Cam.

"It's not Hodgins, Camille," said Booth.

"Seeley! Are you alright? Why are you using Hodgin's phone?"

"I'm fine. I don't have my phone right now, and I wanted to know where you and Aubrey are." He heard a sigh of relief from the other end of the phone.

"I just got to Aubrey's apartment. I'm waiting for him to get his things, then we'll be on our way."

"Is Aubrey okay? I don't remember much, but I remember that he seemed pretty down."

"He's sad, but he can't wait to see you. He's missing you."

"I miss him. He's a good friend, Cam."

"That he is."

"Can I talk to him?"

"When we get to the hospital, you can. You're meant to be resting, not calling people."

"I am resting. I'm sitting in bed, under the blankets, with a pillow behind my back. I'm doing nothing other than talking to you. That's pretty much what the doctor ordered."

"Sitting? You shouldn't be sitting with a wound in your stomach!"

"Relax, Cam. I'm sitting as much as I can. It looks like I'm slouched in a beanbag right about now. My stomach is fine."

"You better not be lying to me, Seeley Booth."

"Why would I lie about it? You were here last night, you saw how I am. It's not like I have any strength to do more than what I am doing."

"I'm coming now. In half an hour, I'll be there, and you had better be resting properly."

"I am. I'll see you soon, Cam." Booth ended the call before Cam could think of anything else to worry about. "Hodgins, thanks for the phone," he said, handing it back.

"Are they coming?"

"Yes. Cam said about half an hour."

"Alright. Maybe, when they get here," said Angela as she and Brennan came over to the bed, "I can borrow Brennan for a while? I need to do something, but I can't do it alone."

"Of course you can borrow Bones. She's your best friend. Why are you asking me?" Booth asked, trying not to show how glad he was.

"Well, you are laying in a hospital bed with serious injuries. I just wanted to make sure that you'd be okay on your own for a while."

"I'll be fine. I did just spend several hours alone, after all." Booth smiled cheekily.

Brennan smiled. "I'll have my phone with me, Booth. Call if you need anything."

Aubrey was so happy to be going to see Booth, but he was also worried. He hadn't seen his friend since they had rescued him. Were the injuries worse than what he first thought? Did something happen during Booth's surgery, or overnight? What if Booth was angry with him for not finding him sooner? He had tried as hard as he could with nothing to go on. Surely Booth would understand that? Aubrey sighed. He just couldn't stop himself from worrying. He had made up an excuse when came had asked why he looked exhausted that morning, but he was tired because he hadn't slept. Every time he had shut his eyes, Aubrey had seen Booth, bruised and bloodied, unable to walk alone. He saw his friend collapse in his fiance's arms, saw the paramedics working quickly to stop the blood pumping from his injuries. He saw the heart monitor's screen, with Booth's heart rate dropping several times. His mind had been in overdrive, conjuring up images of Booth being declared dead at the scene, or at the hospital, of Brennan crying over Booth's coffin...

"Aubrey? Are you okay?" asked Cam as they pulled into the hospital's parking lot.

"Sorry?" Aubrey asked.

"What's wrong? You've been quiet the whole drive here. I thought you would have been excited to see Booth?"

"I can't wait to see him, I just..."

"It's not your fault, you know that, right? You didn't do anything to Booth."

"I know."

"Don't blame yourself for any of this. I know for a fact that Booth doesn't blame you- he just wants to see you."

"Is he okay? I know you saw him last night."

"He's exhausted, but he'll be fine," said Angela as they passed by Brennan and Angela in the hospital's entrance.

"Where are you two going?" asked Cam.

"I need Brennan's help with something for Booth," said Angela. "And, I needed a friend to come with me to the spa- Hodgins chickened out at the last minute."

"And you actually agreed to this, Dr Brennan?"

"I did. Hodgins is with Booth, and the two of you will be there, as well. He'll be okay for a couple of hours," answered Brennan.

Cam nodded in surprise. "Okay. Well, we'll let you know if you need to come back, then, I guess. See you soon." She watched for a moment as Brennan and Angela headed away, then led Aubrey up to Booth's room.