A week had passed from the incident. Booth sat in a chair, one he hadn't left in the whole week, next to the hospital bed. Tempe had been unconscious for the past week, after she had flat lined it had taken the doctors and nurses ten minutes to get her heart started again. Technically, she wasn't supposed to be breathing. Over the past week her heart had given up two other times, resulting in enormous amounts of electricity to be injected into her very being.
In the corner of the room Russ sat playing cards with Zach, Angela and Hodgins while Booth sat holding Tempe's hand, and watching her for any sign of life other then the faint breathing she gave off.
"Got any five's?" Angela asked Russ.
"Gold fish." He said as Angela grabbed a card.
"I'm hungry and could go for some fish." Hodgins said looking over to Booth.
"Me too, why don't we go and get something." Angela said throwing her cards on the table and rising from her seat.
"Good idea." Russ said throwing his cards down as well. "You want anything Booth?"
"no." he answered plainly, his voice dead.
"Sweetie you have to eat something, she wouldn't want you to starve yourself." Angela said walking over to the door.
"We'll get you something and bring it to you. You can choose to eat it if you want." Russ said following Zach and Hodgins to the door.
"Excuse me, but may I speak to the close family members of Temperance Brennan?" a young woman asked stepping through the door past Zach.
"Yes, is something wrong?" Booth asked, his grip tightening around her hand.
"I'm sorry, but I can only answer to close family members." She said giving him a forced smile.
"Well I'm her brother." Russ said waving his hand to Angela, letting her know he'd be with her and the guys in a few minutes.
"Good, could you please come with me then?" she asked walking out the door.
"Well wait, he's her husband." He said stopping her, Booth's face coming to life at the statement. "Don't you think he should know too?"
"Oh yes of course, I just didn't know." She said returning into the room. "I can tell you both here then." She said gesturing for Russ to sit down. "We've received a few tests that were taken after her last flat line and I regret to inform you that if it happens again we can't do anything about it."
"Why not?" Booth asked sternly.
"Well if we inject any more electricity into her body serious damage can be caused to her brain. Also it just might kill her." she spoke softly.
"So if it happens again we can just say good bye?" Booth asked coldly and received a death glare from Russ.
"I'm sorry Mr. Booth, but unless she wakes up soon, we can't do more for your wife." she said and got up to leave.
"Well what do we do know?" Russ asked looking over to his sister.
"We pray she wakes up and soon." He said gripping her hand and gave it a small squeeze.
"I've been doing that for the past week, I don't think it's going to help much." He said and headed for the door.
"Thanks Russ." Booth called after him.
"For what?" he asked popping his head back in.
"For saying she was my wife."
"Booth, to me she is. You're the only man to ever treat her right. It's just a title, you've always been married, no paper needs to say that." He said and left.
"Hey Bones." Booth whispered in her ear. "Baby you need to wake up. I miss having you around. Physically doesn't count, I need you here to talk to. I miss you."
It was silent for a while; her breathing was her only response.
"I want you to wake up so we can get married. I want to spend my life with you and I want the world to know it." He said raising her hand to his lips to brush a gentle kiss on it. "I want you to wake up and be alright." He sat for another fifteen minutes talking to her before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Three days had passed and signs of healing showed. The bruises and bumps from her first beating were long gone and the ones from her most recent were fading away. However the scars would always remain.
It was past mid night when it happened. Angela had gone home earlier to sleep while Zach and Hodgins had stayed an hour later only to leave as well. Russ had stayed until eleven only to leave, positive his sister would be fine. Booth however had stayed, just like every other night. He stayed at her bed side, holding her hand and never once letting go.
Booth lay asleep in his chair as the person beside him gave a soft and faint moan. She didn't know where she was or why she was in pain, but only knew that the hand holding hers was causing her pain.
"Let go." She whispered her voice raspy from the ten days of not using it. She gave a gentle tug only to discover she was weaker than she thought.
Unwillingly, she opened her eyes, the pounding in her head not nearly as bad as it was the last time she was in the hospital. Looking around she found herself connected to Booth as if he was her life support and he wanted to make sure she lived.
"Let go." She said again, tugging a little harder, but finding it hard. Her throat was dry and the demand came out more as a plea.
"I'll never let you go." He whispered, clearly he was still asleep.
"I need my hand back though." She said trying not to smile at his remark.
She watched as his eyes popped open and rested on her. Disbelief ruled his eyes and face as he slowly brought his hand up to brush against her cheek. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel the contact and opened them to see him in shock.
"Are you real?" he asked unsure.
"As real as I'm going to get." She replied smiling at him. "Now can I have my hand back?"
"never." He said and pulled her face close as his lips met hers in a soft and loving kiss, after which he did release her hand.
"Where am I?" she asked looking around the room confused.
"You're in the hospital." He answered getting up from his chair to call a nurse over into the room. "Do you remember anything?"
"I remember everything." She said smiling. "Can I have some water?"
"Of course." He said reaching over to a small tray and poured her a cup of it. "here." He said handing it to her.
"thanks." She said taking a drink of it and handed it back to him as the nurse came rushing in to check her.
"Thank goodness you are alive, Mrs. Booth. We were so worried." She said happily and left the room.
"Mrs. Booth?" she asked once the nurse was gone.
"Russ told her that." He said defensively.
"I thought I dreamed that." She mumbled shrugging it off.
"You heard everything?"
"Well yeah." She answered lying her head back down. "So what happened?"
"What do you mean? I thought you remembered everything."
"I did, but I want to know where I was shot."
"In the leg, it's healed by now. The stitches however need to stay in for another week just to be safe."
"And my head?"
"It seems to be healing well." He answered his hand back at her cheek, stroking it.
She smiled as her hand went from her chest and towards her stomach, it froze and she winced in pain, giving off a small vocal sign of pain.
"That however is still sensitive." He said as she pulled the covers off to look down at herself.
Studying the bandages, she could easily see her whole torso was tightly wrapped and her legs were covered with a pair of hospital pants. She quickly covered back up as a chill entered her body and looked to Booth, dreading the next question that came out of her mouth.
"What happened to David?" she muttered the question, unable to even think of him still alive.
"He's dead, Temperance, and that's all you need to know."
"You shot him." She stated lowering her head. It was silent for a few minutes before she opened her mouth and spoke again. "Thanks."
Booth got up from his chair and left the room without a word leaving Tempe in utter confusion. When he returned a few minutes later he took his seat back at her side and stared into her eyes.
"I did it because I love you and never want to see you hurt again."
"Where did you go?"
"I called Angela and Russ. They'll be here with Hodgins and Zach in a half hour."
"Booth?" she questioned after a long silence between them. "Were you serious?"
"About what?"
"Getting married?"
"Yes. Very serious. I can't seem to live without you. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you." He said watching her facial expressions.
Tempe smiled at Booth, but never said anything else. Slowly she took the ring he had given her off of her right ring finger and placed it on her left. Knowing that's where he meant to place it three years prior when he had first given it to her. A long silence passed between them as they stared the other in the eyes, knowing soon everything would be alright.