Chapter 8

FBI Agent Seeley Booth slammed the door of his SUV, and without looking back, clicked the automatic door lock, which simultaneously activated the alarm. He heard a loud bleep, indicating it was secure. He slipped his keys into his pocket, and exchanged it for his poker chip.

He'd had a long day at the office, it went by fast though. He couldn't seem to concentrate; his mind kept drifting back to waking up with her in his arms, in her bed with her. This wasn't how partners were supposed to be. Well, not the kind of partners they were, he amended to himself. What the hell was the matter with him? Lately he sure hadn't been thinking of her in a platonic way that was for damn sure. He chastised himself. When had it all changed anyway? It wasn't that long ago he was checking out any females within proximity, now all he could think about was Bones.

Frowning slightly, he wondered what Bones meant about not getting upset about her car. He'd already seen her car. Why would he get upset? Idly, he wondered if that prank call thing, and the break in were related. Scenarios were running through his mind as he walked through the garage. Tossing the poker chip in the air and catching it, he whistled as he glanced absently around the parking garage.

He came upon her car and could now see why she said what she did.

The entire passenger side of her silvery sports car was dented, wrinkled and marred with black paint, and in other areas, primer was visible. Her passenger window was shattered, and her windshield was cracked as well.

Immediately concerned, he quickened his pace as he took the stairs to her apartment two at a time, anxious to find out what happened, and if she was okay. This whole situation seemed to be escalating, and obviously steps needed to be taken to keep her safe until whoever was responsible for this was apprehended he decided grimly. He was already planning the argument in his head he knew she'd have in store for him, when he told her he wasn't leaving her side until this mess was taken care of.

Turning the corner from the top of the stairwell, he gazed down the dimly lit corridor, and could make out a form in a crumpled heap on the floor in front of the apartment door, which also seemed to be ajar. A few feet away lay a cordless telephone, just out of reach of an outstretched hand.

His heart in his throat, he quickly approached the form, and his suspicions confirmed it was Temperance. Stooping down, and gently turning her over, he immediately saw a large ugly purplish bruise that was beginning to form on her hairline, near her right temple. From the looks of this, she was hit very hard over the head.

He quickly checked her pulse, which was slightly sluggish, and upon closer inspection, he found her eyes slightly dilated. Blood had dried and caked to her hair and skin. As careful as possible, he pulled her slight form up into his arms, he kicked the phone into the open apartment doorway, and reached to slam her apartment door shut behind him.

Taking the stairs down to his SUV, while trying to wake her in the process. "Come on Bones, wake up…come on…you with me here? Dammit!" He jogged as quickly as he was able to, while holding her in his arms, trying to keep her close to him.

He fumbled with the key fob for his SUV, and finally got it unlocked, and slipped her into the passenger seat. He leaned over her, and inhaled her feminine scent as he managed to get her seatbelt locked in. Her face was shrouded with her hair, which fell around her, obscuring her features. Her eyes remained stubbornly closed, her lips slightly parted, faint breaths coming from between them. Her skin was deathly pale, almost translucent.

He wondered how long she'd been unconscious, he'd only hung up with her a few moments ago it seemed like, he thought as he gently guided her head back, and brushed her hair out of her face. Satisfied she was secure, he shut the door and quickly got into the truck and head to the nearest hospital. Dialing the hospital in route, advising them he was on the way with an injured person, so a team could be ready as he pulled up, he tried to concentrate on the road, but at the same time kept on glancing over at her apprehensively, willing her to wake.

"Bones…. TEMPERANCE…hello? You with me here Bones?" slamming his hand on the steering wheel, he swore. Glancing over at her, he noticed her eyes were fluttering open, and she was slowly raising her head, peering at her surroundings.

"Oh hey…yeah…Bones, its me, come on, what happened there?" he said, trying to keep her conscious, while also trying to obey the traffic laws. "Do you remember anything?" he demanded

This blinding pain in my head seems to be keeping me from talking she thought to herself. What in the world happened to me? she wondered, frowning trying to remember. The pain was so great, it hurt to think, much less process her surroundings. The fading sun also didn't seem to help her pounding skull. It felt like a million jackhammers were chiseling away at her brain

"Booth…" She managed in a hoarse whisper "What…. happened? I…" darkness was closing in on the edges of her vision, and she struggled to remain alert, but failed, and succumbed to the welcome peace of unconsciousness. Her head tipped forward, her chin resting on her chest.

Booth looked over at her, at her furrowed brow, as she struggled to recall what happened. Before he had a chance to answer her, she seemed to slip away again. Just as her eyes closed he grabbed her hand in his and held it tight.

Finally pulling into the hospital emergency room entrance with a loud roar of the engine, he was greeted with several nurses and doctors waiting with a stretcher. They quickly opened the passenger door, and glanced over at him, as he hurried around the front of the SUV. "Agent Booth?" one of the nurses questioned. He nodded briefly, and they went about removing her from the vehicle, and securing her onto the stretcher. In a matter of seconds they were whisking her off to some unknown place in the hospital. The same nurse stayed behind and asked him if he knew what happened, how long she'd been out, if she'd awoke, and for how long. He answered the questions as best he could and she hurried away to advise the staff of what she learned.

"Hold on!" he called to the nurse, who ignored him as she rushed after the doctors "Great" he muttered to himself.

He stood there a moment, his hands in his pockets, and looked down. Who did this to her? And why? Was this related to her father? How did I miss seeing the guy who did this? He must have left a few seconds before I got there, yet I didn't see anyone.

Leaving his SUV where it was, he walked briskly to the front desk, where a young woman was typing away at her computer.

"Excuse Me," he said, his hands placed flat on the surface of the counter his eyes boring into the top of her head.

The young woman, who wore a nametag that said "Heather", kept on typing as if she hadn't heard him. Slamming his fist down on the counter again, making the nearby plant move a fraction of an inch, he tried again with less finesse.

"Excuse me, I am with the FBI, could I get some assistance here?" he said with more force.

Heather looked up at him with a blank expression on her face.

"Yes, can I help you…sir?" she said, with sarcasm in her voice, her green eyes shooting a glare his way

"Yes, you can. I need to know what is happening with the young woman who was just brought in here," he demanded, meeting her gaze with his own glare, two could play at this game he thought

She glanced over her shoulder, as if there were someone back there with the answer, and looked back at Booth, and replied "are you family? Her spouse?" she queried, standing from her post behind the desk, hands on her hips.

"Yeah, I am. Now go find out what is going on right now," he said barley containing his anger, pointing down the hall where they had taken her.

Without another word, she turned and disappeared down the hallway and into a pair of swinging doors. Booth stared after her, impatient for information.

After a few moments, she emerged, "As soon as the doctors determine the extent of damage to her head, they will advise you. Please have a seat, and they will be with you as quickly as they can."

She turned and sat back down, without looking up at him and began typing again at whatever it was she had been previously working on.

Staring at her a moment, debating weather he had any way of arguing with her and getting more information, he sighed, defeated as he went to sit on the hard plastic chair she'd pointed to. Abruptly standing again, he paced around the waiting room, staring out the window, at the boring walls, the plants, the artwork, the TV that had a news station on, droning on about weather and local news. Running his fingers through his hair, he swore to himself and turned just as a doctor was approaching him from behind.

"Mr.…" The doctor began, looking at him to supply his name

"Booth…Agent Booth with the FBI, what is happening with her?" he asked quickly, taking a step towards the doctor.

Retreating a step himself, Doctor Fryhling slipped his hands in his pockets and said to him "yes, Agent Booth, the young woman you brought in" –

Booth interrupted "Brennan, Temperance Brennan" he supplied

"Right, well she has quite a bad concussion, and also required a few stitches for the gash in her skin, I would like to keep her overnight for observation, however she refuses to stay, and is demanding to be released" he said, frustration in his voice, irritation skipping across his face.

"She's awake?" Booth said quickly, glancing over the doctor's shoulder, suppressing the urge to dash down the hall and find her for himself.

"Yes, she regained consciousness shortly after she was brought in" he confirmed.

"Will you be staying with her then for the next 24 hours? She will require close monitoring, and she will have a good deal of pain also, for which I am prescribing a pain medication for you to administer also. Confusion, dizziness and disorientation are also common. You will need to wake her periodically as well, which is normal for patients with concussion, do you think you will be up to all this Agent?" The doctor said in a patronizing tone, handing him the prescription, a small smile on his face

"Yeah, I think I can manage. You wanna show me where she is so we can get outta here?" he said, gesturing down the hall where the doctor had come from.

The doctor glanced over at Booth, "of course, this way"

Booth followed the doctor down the corridor, into the swinging doors where Temperance waited. The room was long, and had several beds lined up, with curtains pushed aside, with all kinds of medical equipment scattered throughout the room. He saw some cranial x-rays, and her chart hung on the wall next to her bed. The last bed closest to the wall, he spied her. She was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, clearly quite angry with the two nurses who were apparently trying to coax her to sit in a wheelchair so they could escort her out. He almost felt sorry for the two RNs.

"I can walk out on my own. I have a bump on the head, I am not paralyzed" she said in a crabby petulant tone, her arms crossed over her chest. She glanced up and saw her partner walking towards her, a deep scowl on his face.

"Oh good. Booth, can you please tell these nurses to let me walk out of here? My head is killing me and I want to go home and go to bed". She started to stand, and both nurses placed their hands in her shoulders, and tried to push her back down onto the bed.

"You are gonna want to just let her stand, she will probably kick both of your asses if you try that again" he recommended to the two young nurses, who looked at him, eyebrows rose.

"Sir, its hospital policy to escort all patients out via wheelchair" the brunette nurse informed him.

"Well, we are gonna just have to look past all that today, okay?" he said, flashing his most winning smile at the ladies, and at Bones who sat on the bed, looking more and more angry by the moment

"We can't let you DO that, if she were to fall as a result of us overlooking this, we could be held liable in a court of law" the other nurse pointed out, looking back at her companion nurse, and seeking assistance from the doctor who was silently watching the whole exchange.

"Fine, you know what, how about this?" Booth said, taking two long strides, and with one fluid motion, lifting her into his arms. Turning and maneuvering around the surprised doctor and nurses, he called over his shoulder "thanks, I will see myself out"

end ch 8

Sorry so long guys making up for lost time –please review – thanks!