Found in snow

Chapter 2

James Aubrey woke up the next morning and at first he didn't know why he was sleeping on the sofa but then it all come back, finding Mac in the snow, taking her home and tucking her in in his bed.

He slowly got up and started his morning routine when he was done he poked his head into the bedroom to see how Mac was doing if she was still asleep, which she was but she didn't look well, the young girl's cheeks was bright red and sweat was coating her forehead, and as James walked in to have a closer look he could hear that Mac's breathing seemed laboured. He placed his hand on her forehead and nearly snatch it away again the poor child was burning up in a fever.

James stroke Mac's sweaty hair from her forehead.

Poor child he thought as he went back to the bathroom to fetch the fever thermometer to see how high her fever was, at the same time he started the coffee maker so that he would start on breakfast soon as well, he didn't know what Mac would want be as luck would have it he had been grocery shopping the day before so he had food.

James place the thermometer on the child's forehead and saw that Mac had a temperature of 40,2C, but as she was still asleep he left her for the moment and went out into the kitchen to start on breakfast for them, he could still hear if Mac woke up or if anything else would happened.

He had just poured a big mug of coffee when he heard someone from his bedroom cough, he put the mug down and rushed in to find Mac half sitting half lying in bed coughing so hard that it seemed like she couldn't breathe. James rushed over and help the child to sit up and stroked her back soothingly like his own mom had done when he was a child with a cough.

"So easy now," he said softly "Try to breathe in slow breath, everything is okay."

It took a few minutes but in the end Mac did stop coughing but didn't look any better, her nose was running, she was flush from the fever and her eyes was glassy also from said fever.

James ask softly if she wanted some water which she did so after helping her sit a bit better in the bed he quickly went and grab a glass of cold water and helped Mac drink it.

The water helped her sore throat a bit but it still felt like she had eaten ground glass and barbed wired, she was also so hot at the same time cold as she was shivering even as she had a thick blanket around her but most of all was she just so tired.

"Mac, do you want something for breakfast?" James asked

Mac shook her head in no then she groan as the movement made her head feel like someone was squeezing it in a vice.

"Does your head hurt?" James asked and got a short nod as an answer "Wait here I think I have some pain killers."

He hurried off leaving Mac in the bed, she looked after him and a small part of her was wondering why he was so nice to her. James returned with some more water and a pill, which Mac took before she lied back trying to relax but couldn't has the cough was back and soon was she doubled over coughing what felt like her lungs up, James sat beside her and rubbed her back until the coughing once again ended and Mac so tired from it nearly fell of the bed but luckily James managed to grab her before she was hurt and helped her back into bed where she promptly fell asleep again.

James looked down at the now sleeping child and wondered not for the first time why she was left behind, when he was sure that Mac was deep in sleep he went out to the kitchen to see if he still had some of the chicken noodle soup he had cooked a few weeks ago when he had had a small cold, the recipe was his great something grandmother's and had always made him feel better so he hope that it would help Mac as well, he found a few containers in the freezer with soup so he picked two out to thaw.

When that was done he wandered around a bit in the apartment not sure what to do, he checked on Mac a few times but she was still fast asleep.

He wandered into the living room thinking he maybe should call Bones and Booth, but he stop that thought when he saw the bag that held Mac's clothes that she was found in.

James started to unpack the bag mostly to see if the clothes held any clue as to why Mac had been left behind, he picked up the pair of Jeans and found that there was something in the pocket of them, James slide his hand into the pocket and pulled out a paper that for some reason wasn't too damaged, he carefully unfolded the paper and read the note, then he reread it and then for a third time he read the note, a deep frown grow on his face, he put the note on the coffee table before he made one of many called he would do that day.

"Hello Booth speaking," Booth said as he answered his phone.

"Hello Booth it is me Aubrey," James said in a sort of short voice.

"Hello Aubrey," Booth said "How is Mac doing?"

"She has a cold a really bad one, last I checked her fever was around 40," James told his friends "Could you and the rest of the team come over and maybe see if Caroline could came too."

"Yeah sure I will call them," Booth said "I will text you when I know when we are there okay, and take care of the little one."

James said that he would and ended the call, before he called a friend of his that worked at social service and ask her to come over too.

When that was done he returned to the bedroom and checked on Mac who was still fast asleep, he took her temp again and it was the same as before.

After that he could only wait for the team to arrive, so he wandered into the kitchen and started making coffee and even boiling water if anyone wanted tea, he had a few teas at home as he sometimes enjoyed teas in the evening or when he wasn't feeling well.

James sat down at the kitchen table just staring out into space not really thinking just waiting, the note he had read was flashing before his eyes, he couldn't get how parents could do something like that to a child, he was so deep in his thought that he didn't first hear the sound from the bedroom it was not until he heard the sobs that was growing in volumes that he react and went to check on his young guest, he found Mac on the floor sobbing and coughing trying to clean up the puddle of sick that was both on the floor and in the bed.

"Hey," James said and rushed over to help the child. "Are you okay?"

Mac looked at him with feverish eyes and flinched when James come near her.

"Sorry," she croaked "Am sorry, am cleaning it up sorry."

Big fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she said over and over again that she was sorry and would clean it up.

James took a deep breath and then slowly as to not scare the poor child gently helped her up from the floor and led her to the bathroom, where he helped her clean up, he had just the day before done a load of washing so he quickly grabbed a clean t-shirt and put Mac in it as her own t-shirt was covered in sick, he then asked her if she needed the toilet which she did so he left the room to give her some privacy and clean the bed so that Mac could go back to bed as soon as she was done.

Mac sat on the toilet looking around in the not too large bathroom of the nice man, she still felt like she just wanted to sleep, she was cold but could feel the sweat rolling of her and every part of her body hurt, her head was spinning, after a few minutes she washed her hands and slowly as she was a bit dizzy she exited the bathroom and with the help once again from James she was returned to the bed and tucked in, something she had no real memory that her parents had ever done.

James disappeared only to return with two buckets and a rag, he cleaned up the puddle and told Mac that if she felt sick again she could use the bucket at that was beside the bed.

Mac stared at him wondering why he wasn't mad at her for making a mess.

"I will just be in the kitchen call if you need anything and if you can't call throw that at the wall and I will come," he said and pointed at a rubber ball that was on the bedside table.

Mac nodded and snuggled under the warm and cosy blanket and was soon once again fast asleep.

James return to the kitchen he looked at the clock and saw that it was closed to lunch time so he started to heat up the chicken noodle soup, at the same time he also made a few sandwiches for himself as he didn't think Mac's stomach could handle sandwiched.

James woke Mac up about an hour later holding a small bowl of soup and a mug of peppermint tea.

"Wake Mac," he said softly and after having put the mug and bowl down he softly shook the child's shoulder "I have some soup and tea for you, if you want it."

Mac whimpered but open her green eyes, she looked at the bowl with steaming soup and the mug with tea.

"I will try," she said in a hoarse voice and tried to sit up but couldn't and ended up having a coughing fit instead, James rubbed her back until she could breathe again, then he helped her eat about half the bowl of soup and most of the tea.

"How are you feeling?" the FBI agent asked "Do you want a tablet for pain? And would you want to watch some TV?"

Mac said that her head did hurt a bit so James fetched a pain tablet for her and then asked again if she wanted to watch some T.V, Mac just looked at him as if she expected him to change his mind and yell at her if she said that she wanted to watch TV but in the end she nodded shyly and with the help from James she was soon in front of the TV and watching some cartoons, James tucked her in tightly and snuggly and left her to watch in peace.

An hour later and James had just got a text from Booth that they were just outside his place, a minutes later his friend from Social text the same thing, he looked over at Mac who was still awake but so enthralled by the cartoons that you would think she never had seen them before.

James let his friends in and directed them to the kitchen so that they wouldn't disturb Mac as she needed rest.

"So how is it going?" Angela asked, she and Hodgins had a few bags with them

"Well she has a cold maybe even the beginning to the flu," James said sitting down on one of the chairs "She has mostly been sleeping, she has eaten a bit and a mug of peppermint tea, she has been sick once, I found her trying to clean it up, she was so scared when she saw me."

"Does she have any bruises?" Booth asked "Any sign of abuse?"

James shook his head in no, he told them that Mac was thin as a rake but had no sign of physical abuse.

"So what do you need all of us for?" Caroline asked

James placed the note he had found in Mac's jeans on the table.

"Read," he said

A sound from the living room made James excuse himself to see if Mac needed something, he left the others to read the note.

Mac coughing and she couldn't breathe, every time she tried to breath in she would cough and it won't end, and she was so scared.

Suddenly just as Mac thought she would pass out she felt someone rubbing her back and far away she heard something soothing.

"Shush it's okay," the soothing voice said and started to come closer "Breath in slowly and calmly everything is okay."

Slowly but steadily Mac calm down and her breathing slowed down and her coughed ebbed out, she looked up and saw that James sat beside her, she was just about to say thanks when instead she got sick all over both herself and James.

James looked in horror as Mac when from white as a sheet to more normal to pale green face colour, before he could react he and the child was covered in sick.

"Am sorry," Mac cried and started to cough again from the crying

James started to rub the crying child's back again while saying soothing things.

James really don't know what to do as both he and Mac was covered in sick, so it was a god send when Angela poked her head in the room.

"Oh sweetie," she said and rushed over to the crying child

"Angela could you help Mac get clean up," James asked and got a nod in return.

Angela gently took the still crying Mac to the bathroom while James when to the bedroom to change.

"Oh sweetie," Angela said again as she helped Mac get clean and put a new t-shirt on the young child, she notice that James was right the poor child was thin as a rake. "Don't cry, it is okay."

Mac just tried to stop crying, Angela looked at the poor child and hugged her, the reaction was instant Mac grow stiff as a board so Angela let her go and helped her back to the sofa where James already stood waiting.

"Am sorry," Mac said hoarsely

James squatted down so that he was at her eye level.

"Mac you are ill," he said softly "it is totally normal to be sick when you are this ill, I am not mad at you."

Mac stared at him with her big green eyes.

"Here I thought you may like a Popsicle," he said and gave her a blue Popsicle

Mac looked at the icy treat like she had never seen one before and after a few second she took it and licked the icy treat.

"Nice?" James asked and got a nod in reply.

Mac was soon tucked in on the sofa watching cartoons again and once again a bucket was standing beside her if she needed it, and she was instructed to call if she needed anything or throw a ball at the wall.

"Poor child," Angela said as they walked back to the kitchen "Did you see how she looked at the Popsicle? Like she had never had one before."

"She was the same with Cartoons," James said.

The duo returned to the kitchen, where the other had read the note and was just like James not happy.

"How could someone do this?" Hodgins asked

"I agree it is horrible," Caroline said "But what do we do? We can't let the poor child go back to them."

"I am not letting Mac return to them," James said and turn to his friend from Social service "Is there anything you can do, Hetty?"

Hetty thought for a moment.

"I could place her in protective custody as her family abandoned her," she said after a while "And I can grant you James the right to look after her until we find someone better."

"I will help chére," Caroline said "I will have it fix sometimes in the coming days."

James nodded and sighed in relief that was one less problem he had to worry about.

Hetty and Caroline bid their good byes as they had lot to do and soon was it just Booth, Bones, Angela and Hodgins left in James' kitchen all sipping on their coffee mugs wishing that it was something stronger.

Mac who had more or less fallen asleep on the sofa, feeling so tired from the cold she had and that had already started a few days ago. After having fumbled for the glass of water that James the nice man had placed on the table and finding just an empty glass, Mac tried to get up so that she could get some water, she really didn't want to be a bother to James who had been so nice to her even though she had been sick twice already.

Mac made it just a few steps when a dizzy spell hit her and she started to lose her balance and with a weak scream like whimper she fell down.

In the kitchen the sound of the soft thump that Mac made as she fell down made everyone rush to the living room, to found the young child in a heap on the floor trying to get up but couldn't.

James rushed over and lifted up the girl noticing not for the first time how light she was and placed her back on the sofa.

"Mac what happened?" he asked softly

"I wanted some water," Mac said hoarsely "But didn't want to be a bother."

Angela rushed out to the kitchen and soon returned with a glass of water for the sick child.

James sighed and told Mac once again that she was not a bother and that he didn't mind her asking for help. He know that he would most likely having to tell her the same thing many times more before she believed him.

Mac slowly sipped on the cold water that even had ice in it, she nearly never got ice water at home!

"Thanks," she said

James nodded and ruffled her hair a bit.

"Try to rest a bit more and I will soon start on dinner," he said

Mac nodded and snuggled down under the blanket that James had wrapped around her.

"Mac," Booth said as he suddenly remembered something "Me and my wife have a few things for you."

Mac turn and stared at the tall broad man and wondered what he and his wife could have got her.

"Oh that's right! Thanks Booth for reminding me," Angela said "we have a few things too."

Booth, Bones and Angela rushed out to the hall to fetch bag after bags into the living room, Mac's eyes grow bigger and bigger as the bags seemed too kept coming. How could all this be for her?

Angela and Bones started to pack up, clothes nothing too fancy sweatpants, t-shirts neutral colours, underwear and socks, a good jacket and a pair of boots, a thick woolly hat and mittens.

"I thought that when Mac is better we could have a shopping trip and she can help us find what she likes," Angela said

In one was toys and books again nothing fancy, a few stuffed animals, the complete Harry Potter series, and a few other things.

One bag even had all the medicine a child who was sick like Mac would need, James thanked Bones and Booths especially for that bag.

Mac just sat in the sofa staring at the things and clothes that the grown-ups said was for her but that couldn't be right, she never get new stuff.

Her eyes fell on a stuffed cat that was black and white with a blue collar, James saw how she looked at the stuffy and picked it up and gave it to her.

"Here," he said smiling

Mac stared at the cat that was given to her and with some hesitation she took it and hugged tightly with tears running down her face.

She tried to say thanks but could only sob which led to her coughing which in turn led to Mac starting having problem with breathing and that made her scared which only led to her coughing worse.

Mac struggled to breath and grow paler, dark spots grow over her vision as she started to black out.

Far away she could hear someone talking to her but she couldn't for her life hear what the voice was saying, she felt that someone had picked her up and that she was sitting on someone's lap resting her back against that someone's chest, the voice which she slowly could hear better was telling her to breath slowly in and out at the sometime as the voice's owner was breathing.

It didn't take Mac too long before she started to calm down again and notice that she was sitting on James lap and that he was talking to her in a soft voice.

"…everything is going to be okay," she heard him say "just breathe slowly in and out, it's okay."

After a few more minutes and Mac felt much better and a bit sleepy and without really notice it her eyes started to grow heavier and soon she was fast sleep still hugging the stuffed cat in her arms.

James slowly got up and carried Mac into the bedroom and tucked her into his bed, he thought that she would be more comfortable there then on the sofa, he made sure that she was safely tucked with her kitty also tucked in before he returned to the living room and his friends.

He slumped down on the sofa and looked as tired as he felt he rubbed his hands over his face.

"Aubrey," Angela said softly and sat down beside him.

"She is asleep," he said

"I think she got scared when she couldn't breathe," Hodgins said

"She liked the cat at least," Booth said

James nodded and nodded a thanks when he was given a mug of warm coffee.

They all sat there in silence for a few moment the only thing that could be heard was a faint snoring with a cough now and then from the bedroom.

"Do you need any help?" Bones asked

James thought but couldn't think of anything at that moment and said so.

The group discussed a few things that needed to be done before the four friends bid their goodbye and left to return to their own home leaving James once again alone with Mac.

Looking at the clock and saw that it was high time for him to start making some dinner both for him and Mac, he started warming the same soup that Mac had got for lunch and made more tea but this time he use the tea that Bones had given him, it was supposed to help with fever and stuffy noses and tasted good.

Soon the soup and tea ready, James poked his head into the bedroom and saw that Mac was already awake and was looking around with some confusion on her face as if she was wondering how she got there.

"Hello little one," James said softly "I have made some soup and some tea do you think you can eat and drink a bit of it?"

Mac nodded, she hugged her cat closer to her as she fear a bit that James or one of the others would take that cat from her.

James helped the child out to the living room where he started the T.V again and found some cartoons.

He wrapped the blanket around Mac and the kitty and told her that he would return with the food and drink.

And soon sat the two on the sofa watching cartoons and eating.

"Do you like cartoons?" James asked

"I like it," Mac said softly so to not start coughing again, the tea had help a lot and the soup was really good too.

"What is your favourite cartoon?" he asked

"I don't know," she answered and maybe it was because she was starting to get tired or maybe she just felt safe with James. "It is the first time I have seen any."

James looked down at the child and wondered if he had heard right, was this really the first time this young girl had seen cartoons?

"So you don't watch cartoons at home?" he asked

Mac shook her head and said that her brothers would watch but she was never allowed to watch, but when James asked why he was just meet with silence, the reason he notice when he looked down was that Mac had fallen asleep curled up beside him hugging her cat and with a small smile on her face.

The end of the second chapter

I hope you all like it, just a little notice I may have some problem with seeing reviews and faves I am hoping it is nothing.