Booth woke up to the ringing of the doorbell. "One sec!" he yelled back.
He rubbed his hands over his eyes and attempted to focus. To say he was sleep deprived would have been an understatement. Hell, he hadn't planned on sleeping now. Bones had been missing nearly two weeks and he had no intention of resting until she was found. He pushed himself from Bone's couch and went for the door. Looking through the peephole he was surprise to see his assistant, Charlie, on the other side.
"Charlie?" Booth asked as he opened the door.
"I've been instructed to pick you up and deliver you to this address by the Director. He will meet you there. You may not ask any questions and you must turn over all of the weapons on your person or leave them secured here. I am then to return to pick up your SUV and any items you may need and deliver them to you. Do you understand, Agent Booth?" Charlie repeated verbatim the instructions he was given by the Director. He knew the seriousness of the situation and why things were being handled in this manner and he hated it.
Booth was suddenly wide awake. Something was up. He quickly put one and one together and undid his shoulder holster and unceremoniously dropped it to the floor, never breaking eye contact with his assistant. Next he bent down and undid his leg strap, there was no sense trying to hide that one from Charlie, he already knew about it. Again, his eyes never left Charlie's. The sharpened plastic blade with sheath was still completely hidden and would remain that way. Booth grabbed his jacket and Charlie searched it, deeming there to be no threats he returned it. Booth grabbed his keys, turned off the lights, set the alarms, locked up and silently followed Charlie.
Charlie drove full throttle and there was a police escort picking him up and leading him on. Traffic during the day was never this clear. Someone had cleared the interstate in preparation for this. Something important was going to happen, but he couldn't ask what. It wouldn't of mattered. Nothing could have prepared him for what he found 45 minuted later. Charlie didn't drive him far before he was at an FBI helipad where he was joined by Director Cullen.
Once they were in the Helicopter a while the pilot seamed to be circling, looking for some marker for an indication of where to land, maybe, Booth thought. Then Cullen turned to Booth, "Approximately 95 minutes ago some kids exploring some abandoned buildings reported finding several dead bodies. 58 minutes ago police responded and started running license plates of cars at the address as they waited for back up to arrive." Cullen said and then handed Booth a manila envelope. His hands shook as he took it. "There are the registrations of the vehicles and the driver's license of the women they belong to."
Terrified, Booth open the enveloped and looked at the pictures of the women in front of him. Each one similar build, height, hair color, facial structure as Bones. Holding his breath he flipped to the last picture. "No," he whispered. His hand flew over his mouth, tears welled in his eyes.
"Given this new information, more advanced tactical teams were called in. And while we are responding as fast as we can to get there with you, there was a team much closer. They entered the premises 25 minutes ago." Cullen reported.
"And? Was she there? Is she alive?" Booth demanded.
"There is no power there. They were trying to identify remains, so they were unsure. They were bringing in lights. On last check; thirteen females, one male, all dead. I'm so sorry, Booth. According to Agent Clayton, if the smell was any indication, they've been that way maybe a week or more. Some definitely more." Cullen said with a frown.
If Booth weren't strapped into the chair he would have slid to the floor. Bones had managed to cross paths with what sounds like a serial killer and they were headed to what? His dumping site? Booth's head began to reel with the possibilities of what he would find when he reached the ground. He was being handled, he knew that, but they knew he would never rest unless all his questions were answered. There was no other way then to allow him to see things as they unfolded. Now he understood why he wasn't armed. They were headed to the crime scene. He was going to get to kill the son of a bitch who killed Bones. Booth took silent comfort in the plastic blade sheathed at his elbow.
"Okay, Pullium, we can land now." Cullen instructed and the helicopter closed the distance and Booth got his first glimpse of the scene below.
Refusing to think of what state she was in he focused on the ground below as details came into view. A dozen SWAT vehicles lined a narrow dirt road that lead to a dilapidated warehouse in, what looked like, the middle of the woods. Two ambulances and a fire truck were at the entrance and a fireman was going in with a saw.
As Booth exited the helicopter a younger agent came running up to him, "Agent Booth, I am Agent McKinney. Agent Clayton asked me to fetch you the moment you landed. They found her, sir. EMS is with her now. I am here to lead you to her." He yelled, not stopping his run but instead turned at the words 'found her' and started running back, he knew Booth would follow.
The words barely registered in his mind before his feet took off running. He followed the agent down the twisted path into the basement. The Agent in Charge hadn't been overestimating the smell. His heart and feet froze when he entered the room they were working on her in. An older agent came up to Booth and was talking but Booth couldn't hear him. Across the room paramedics were performing chest compressions on a pale rag doll in the dark, but Booth knew it was her. Before he could get to her they were hoisting her up and carrying her towards him. They never paused as they ran passed him to get her out with Booth hot on their heels.
"Copter just touched down." Booth heard come over the walkie-talkie of one of the men carrying her. If the EMS techs heard it they didn't acknowledge it, they just kept running.
As daylight began to filter in through the broken windows and Booth started to get the first glimpses of Brennan's state. Her head was covered with gauze and they had oxygen strapped to her. Her eyes were open staring blankly ahead, head bouncing back and forth as they cleared the last doorway of the warehouse and ran towards the waiting helicopter. In full daylight Booth could see her face was caked with dried blood and dirt. What he could see of her skin looked gray. She looked...dead.
With the final thought Booth took off full running. There was no way he was letting her out of his sight unless he absolutely had to. He climbed on the helicopter uninvited and his stared dared anyone to question his being there.
"Clear!" A voice rang from within and Booth turned to look as Brennan's body convulsed as they shocked her.
Booth sent a silent prayer toward Heaven, willing her heart to beat, her lungs to fill with oxygen. "Just live." he begged her.
Seven minutes later and they were still working on her as they landed on top of a Trauma Center in Northern Virginia. As they wheeled her past him on the way to emergency surgery he saw the knife handle that was previously hidden by gauze, strangely absent of blood, protruding from her head. He followed next to her as long as they allowed but when the sign read, 'Employees Only', he had to stop.
The EMT tech stopped at the door, "Anything you would like to say to her before the surgeon takes her?" he asked.
Booth stepped up and took Brennan's hand in his. Her eyes were closed now and he forbade himself from looking at the knife lodged in her head. He kissed her on the head, "I'm here now, Bones. Just live. Whatever it takes, just live baby." He begged her.
They wheeled her through the double glass sliding doors and he stood there and watched until she was taken around the corner, beyond his view. A nurse came and showed him where he could wait to find out if she would live or die. Booth sat staring ahead, still in shock over the last several hours. People started filling the room but Booth's eyes remained locked on the door where the doctor would come and tell him his fate.
A pinch in his arm brought his attention to the left where Cam was inserting an IV into his arm. "You're dehydrated big guy and I know you won't go anywhere else so shut up and let me do this." Cam said flatly.
Booth looked around the room. His friends, his family, no THEIR family was gathered around in support of Brennan and each other. Every couple of hours Cam would disappear and return with an update, 'Brennan was still in surgery', and he would continue to wait. Hours ticked on. Coffee runs turned into a coffee pot and a mini refrigerator courtesy of Jack. Sweets ordered food but no one ate.
Sixteen long hours later a tall man in teal scrubs entered the waiting room, "Brennan."
Booth was on his feet the moment the older man appeared. "Yes?" Booth asked. The doctor looked around the room. "Whatever you have to say you can say in front of all in this room." Booth said.
"She's in recovery now, but in extremely guarded condition. We had to stop surgery and give her some time to heal before we continue." That was the doctor said but all Booth heard was, she's in recovery. He nodded his head and stared past the doctor to where Brennan was. She was alive and he needed to see her. His foot stepped forward, around the doctor when a hand closed around his wrist.
"Wait a minute, Seeley" Cam instructed before turning to the doctor, "You had better walk and talk, he hasn't seen her in two weeks, Hell itself won't keep him from her now."
Cam didn't know how right she was. They led Booth down the hall where they made him and Cam scrub down and put on scrubs, masks, and gloves. Finally they lead the silent agent to a door with armed guards. Cam once again stopped Booth, his hand on the doorknob.
"They had to stop in the middle of surgery. Do you understand what that means, Seeley?" She asked. He looked dumbfounded at her. It didn't matter what that meant. She was alive and he was about to see her. His expression must have conveyed this to her because she took a deep breath before continuing, "That means that they didn't close her up yet, her abdomen is still open, just covered with wet towels. She is still on the ventilator so she is still sedated."
Booth nodded his head and turned back to the door and twists the handle. Stepping inside the lights were dimmed. Brennan lay on her back with her head slightly lower than her feet. Her head is bandaged but decidedly missing her hair, knife removed. Her color is pale, but no longer ashen, he releases a breath he is holding. Daring to step further into the room he gets closer. Her eyes were sunken and her lips were dry and cracked. Her eyes have been taped close and don't appear to be moving underneath, but it is hard to tell through the tape. There are wounds on her face they have glued to minimize infection and scarring. Multiple bandages are scatted across her bare shoulder and neck. The blanket is pulled up to her chest but both arms lay bare on top of the sheets. More stitches. More bandages. He was spared from the sight of what lay beneath.
He wanted to touch her so badly, but where? Both hands were bandaged with rolls of gauze. Deciding it was perhaps best not to touch he settled for the chair the surgeon offered. Crossing his arms, he sat and waiting. His eyes on her face waiting for any sign of trouble.
And so, Booth kept vigil the remainder of the night. Nurses came and went and sometime during the night Max arrived with Russ. The following morning she was still quite weak but they whisked her off to surgery and Booth waited. Max was the one to finally make Booth eat and sleep.
"She's going to need you when all of these surgeries are over and you'll be right there next to her if you don't take care of yourself." He warned.
He had been in the same clothes for three days. If today's surgeries went well they would finishing closing her up from surgery and move her to the ICU, where Angela could finally see her. They forbade phones and cameras in recovery rooms at this hospital he found out. Once he knew she came through surgery okay he went to a hotel, showered, called his son, and tried to a take a nap. The days that followed were more of the same. Back and forth between the ICU and surgery, and every few days someone would make Booth go shower at the hotel and sleep in a bed for a couple of hours. But they didn't understand that although he lay in the bed he did not sleep there. He only slept next to Bones.
On hospital day seven he was in the elevator when he heard the over head page, "Code Blue: ICU One. Code Blue: ICU One." He stopped breathing. The elevator was painfully slow and he got off at the next floor opting for the staircase instead, dropping his coffee along the way. By the time he made it to the ICU Max was waiting near the elevator with his phone to his ear just as Booth's phone rang.
Seeing Booth Maxed hung up the phone. "They just took her back to surgery." He explained, still somewhat dazed.
"What happened?" Booth pleaded.
"She just started shaking violently. There was blood in coming from her nose and the doctor said something about clear fluid in the ears. I don't know. I don't know." Max trailed off.
He was having a hard time with this. Hell, everybody was. Thankfully Booth's personal medical translator was rushing up the hall to him now. The clicking of Cam's heels announced her arrival before Booth saw her. "Oh, thank God, Cam, you've got to find out what happened. Max said she started shaking. They called a Code on her and took her to surgery. Please, Cam?"
Cam headed off to find out what happened and Booth went back to the waiting room to update the rest of the family. Everyone took turns visiting her in the ICU. Her big brother, Russ, her little brother, Lance, her sister, Angela, her doctor, Cam, and her father, Max. Booth, he barely left and after today he never planned on leaving her side again.
A few minutes later Cam appeared. "They've taken her back to surgery, she has a brain bleed which caused a seizure. She's kind of lucky she had it, they may not have caught it until it was too late otherwise." She offered a weak smile. Sweets began taking dinner orders as Jack headed back to the hotel to pick Angela back up. The whole team was on standby.
Four hours later Booth's view of the doors the doctor came through was blocked by a large yellow square. Blinking Booth focused on what was in front of him. "Cherie', you look like shit." Carolyn said as she handed him a Gatorade.
"Thanks," Booth retorted, aking the offered drink and drinking from it.
"How is she?" She asked.
"Still in surgery," He replied, the phrase becoming monotonous.
"Did they have any clue on who did this?" She asked, hoping to provide a bit of diversion.
Suddenly, all eyes were wide and on Booth. "No, I didn't know they had any suspects. Matter of fact, they failed to mention that part in particular." He replied, his jaw tensing with each word. Now he knew the true reason why he was unarmed, four hours away from home, and being kept in the dark. He stared at Carolyn Julian and waited for her to continue. The woman loved to gossip but she would not have brought this up without having some information.
"I promise not to do anything stupid, Carolyn. I'm not leaving Bone's side until I know that she is going to be okay." He promised.
"Well. . ." She started as she looked around the room to make sure that all eyes were on her. "They brought in the two kids who reported the finding the bodies and the owner of the place. Along with couple of local questionable individuals. They also called in the CSI crime scene tech people." She explained. Clearing her throat she turned to Sweets, "Oh and their criminal pro-filer would like to consult would the kid, this is his number." She informed him, giving him a business card.
Booth got up and started pacing the length of the room. He had promised not to do anything stupid, but that didn't stop him from prying. He flipped open his phone and instructed Charlie to get him a copy of the case file ASAP as well as some clothes from his place. One thing Booth had on his hands was time. The last thing this suspect wanted was Booth with time and a reason.
The momentary silence was interrupted once again, "Code Blue: OR Two. Code Blue: OR two." Booth's eyes snapped to Cam's, who was already on her feet. "On it." She announced as she ran out the door. Moments later feet were heard running down the hallway.
Cam was permitted to the OR doors where teams of doctors worked on Brennan as a nurse updated her to what had happened thus far. Four minutes later they let her in room. Brennan's monitor was on silent but Cam could see it flat lining. She leaned next to Brennan's ear, "Fight, God-damn it. I'm not going out there and telling him your dead. So you have got to fight."
Ten seconds ticked by and nothing. "Time of death..." somebody began to say when they were cut off by a 'beep' then another. "150 mg of Epi! Damn this girl is one hell of a fighter" he called.
"That's my girl." Cam whispered before she was pushed from the room.
Cam, fearing the worst possible outcome in the log term headed back to Booth. Maybe it was time to start preparing the team for the real possibility that she may not pull through this one. She schooled her features to a neutral mask. But she couldn't. Not when she saw the look of fear and panic in Booth's eyes as she came around the corner.
Booth jumped up the moment he saw her, "What happened?"
"Her heart stopped in the middle of surgery. She just. . . couldn't take anymore. The infection is in her blood and with the brain bleed they fear encephalitic. . ." Cam began to explain but she could tell he was no longer listening.
Booth's legs collapsed under him. He could hear Angela crying behind him. The room was spinning. Suddenly Cam was in front of him. "She's not dead. Seeley can you hear me? She's not dead." She repeated over and over, slapping him lightly in the face until he started to nod his head whispering, "She's not dead."
After a few moments he calmed down and was able to get into a chair. Sweets handed him a bottle of water.
"How long was she down for this time?" Booth asked. When Cam looked at the floor and back to him he knew he wasn't going to like the answer.
"Eleven minutes." She said quietly.
Eleven minutes, that was long enough for the possibility of brain damage. Add in the fact that she was coded unknown times for unknown length of times before he arrived at the crime scene, plus at least one other time he knew about for eight minutes. Her odds were not stacking well in her favor, but Booth was a betting man after all. "I keep expecting this to be a nightmare. I'm going to wake up and she's going to be asleep next to me or in the den or a t work. . . ." He eventually muttered to no one in particular. "If you'll excuse me." He said before heading to the hospital's chapel.
The funny family stood huddled together as they watched the retreating form of their very broken friend. Silently they wondered just what would happen if Temperance Brennan died. Cam stood at the doorway and watched as the center began to crumble. Carolyn Julian went to make a few phone calls to see what else she could find out about the investigation.
Booth entered the Chapel and crossed himself in reverence. Walking forward he went to his knees before the simple wooden cross in the front of the room and folded his hands in prayer. Dear God, I know I've been a bit needy here lately but you know what's going on and you saw fit to return her to me. Don't take her from me now, please. I know she's hurt, none of that matters, just let her live. Please' he begged. A few minutes later a priest entered the room and could hear Booth's pleas as he cry to himself, begging, "please Lord, let her live. Please."