The man introduced himself as Dr. Brian Gilmore, the hospital's lead pulmonologist. He politely asked Booth and Brennan to leave because he wanted to speak to Amy privately, but she insisted that they both should stay. She definitely wanted Brennan to talk to the physician, since she'd better understand what he was talking about.
When Amy introduced her as Dr. Temperance Brennan, the doctor initially thought he was speaking to a colleague. Brennan quickly cleared up the misunderstanding, but Dr.
Gilmore learned very quickly from the questions she asked that her knowledge was admirable and so he ended up speaking more to Brennan than to Amy.
They discussed various treatments, all of which, unfortunately, had very little chance of helping in this particular case. Amy was getting desperate. She now realized that Haley's chances of recovering would be more or less based on expecting a miracle.
While Brennan stepped aside to talk to Dr. Gilmore, speaking softly so that Amy couldn't hear them, Booth walked over to Amy and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. He could easily imagine what it would be like to get news like that regarding Parker. The least he could do was to offer comfort and support…one parent helping another when the news was about their child might be difficult to hear.
Suddenly Brennan remembered an article she'd read which discussed new treatments for lung ailments, and she mentioned it to Dr. Gilmore.
"Dr. Gilmore I recently read an article in a medical journal about a physician in New York who is an expert in treating lung cancer patients. They were treating the patients with a new combination of drugs, and they had noted an increased chance of survival…by as much as 30%. As a part of this new study, they found that this new drug cocktail was also successful in treating patients with cystic fibrosis."
Dr. Gilmore leaned forward, not wanting Amy to hear what he was saying next. "I read that article, too. I even got in touch with Dr. Alexander Drilon, the author of the study, and we spoke at length about this new treatment modality even before Haley was a patient here.
He continued quietly, whispering the next sentences to Brennan."Unfortunately, at this time there are very few health insurance companies that would be willing to pay for these treatments, since they're considered experimental…and certainly not Haley's insurance plan." He sighed as he looked at Brennan. "I hope you understand what I'm saying. I don't want to get Mrs. Brennan's hopes up by telling her about this experimental treatment and then crushing those hopes when I explain to her that she most likely can't afford it."
Brennan leaned in and placed her hand on Dr. Gilmore's arm.. "Dr. Gilmore, money shouldn't be an issue here. I want you to contact Dr. Drilon today so you can begin Haley's treatment as soon as possible."
Dr. Gilmore gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan, but we're talking at least about $100,000 to $150,000. I don't know if you were expecting those amounts, but the cost is significant…"
Brennen was insistent. "Dr. Gilmore, as I've explained, money isn't an issue here. As a best selling author, I make a good deal of money, so I'm able to pay for the treatments." She grabbed her bag and looked through her wallet. "Here, this is my business card. Please just send the bills directly to me…or, if you'd rather…" She pulled out another card. "...this is the address of my accountant. You can send the bills there and they will pay them immediately. Use whatever method is preferred by the hospital."
Dr. Gilmore was more than surprised. He hadn't expected that turn of events. "So you really want to do this for Haley? If so, I would suggest that we talk to Mrs. Brennan first and tell her what we've discussed. After all, the treatments aren't without risk."
He turned to Amy, who was already on high alert. She had remarked to Booth that something very important was going on between Temperance and Dr. Gilmore. "I hope it's good news."
Dr Gilmore quickly summarized what they had talked about, explaining the treatment and how it would affect Haley's healing. He didn't withhold any details, stating that this was a new treatment and still experimental, but he thought it might be her best chance for survival.
Amy listened to him carefully. She didn't want to get her hopes up until she had all the facts, but what he had planned sounded like perhaps it might be the miracle they needed.
" , you've told me about this method and that it is very new. Would our insurance company cover this cost?" That thought had been running through her mind from the moment he started explaining the procedure.
Dr Gilmore shook his head. "No, unfortunately, because of its experimental nature, no insurance company will cover this treatment at the moment."
Amy was very frightened, since she knew they couldn't afford it. They had just bought the house and had a big mortgage. She couldn't work because Haley needed her at home, and Russ had just started a new job. They were barely able to live on what Russ was earning and a large medical bill wasn't in their budget. She was distraught, tears filling her eyes. This was the news she had feared, something that could help Haley but wasn't affordable for them.
But Dr. Gilmore was already going on. "We're talking up to $150,000, but Dr. Brennan told me she's going to pay all the medical bills, so see I have no reason we shouldn't get in touch with the physician in New York right away to ask them to ship the new drugs via an overnight courier."
"No, no…" Amy could barely hold back her tears. "No,Tempe, you paid the bill 2 years ago and that was a few thousand dollars, but this is too much! We can't ask you to spend that much money."
"Amy, of course you can. We're family." With that, she turned back to Dr. Gilmore to discuss the next steps.
Amy stood there stunned. Seeing Booth still standing beside her, she addressed him. "Seeley, she can't do that…that's too much." She sobbed. "It's just too much."
Booth pulled her back into his arms. "Shh, Amy. She can afford it, don't worry. Just take it." He chuckled lightly. "She'll tell you it's just money, and she doesn't care how she spends it."
"But Seeley, that's a lot of money! How is she going to pay those bills?"
Booth looked stunned. "You really have no idea, do you?"
Amy's expression showed her surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"Russ never mentioned that she's loaded?" Booth laughed softly. "I mean really loaded. She doesn't even know exactly how much money she has, because it doesn't matter to her."
Amy shook her head. "I had no idea. Russ told me she had written a few books, but I never knew science books could make so much money."
"Oh." Booth couldn't stop grinning. "It's not the science books that made her the fortune. It's her crime novels starring an attractive female forensic anthropologist and a hot FBI agent, solving crimes together. That's the deal."
That finally brought a smile to Amy's face. "Oh, I can see that." She suddenly became serious again. "How can we ever thank her enough for that? We can never pay it back."
"Don't worry about it for a moment, okay? She'll never expect you to pay it back. If it helps and Haley gets well, that's all that matters to her."
His eyes shone with warmth and affection. "You're her family…a family she has missed having for years. This is a way for her to express her happiness that she now has a family. You know, she cares a lot about you guys."
Dr. Gilmore finally left the room, wanting to contact the hospital in New York that afternoon in hopes that they could arrange to send the drug by courier the next day.
Amy got up and walked over to Brennan, hugging her tightly. "Thanks Tempe. You have no idea how grateful we are for your help. You'll probably save our little girl's life." New tears began to flow. "Russ will be so relieved to hear this good news. He felt so helpless having to be in Seattle and not being able to be here with me."
Brennan just let Amy cry onto her shoulder as her eyes met Booth's. His look told her you did the right thing. He beamed at her. She sensed that he wanted to say more privately later, but it would have to wait.
They sat next to Haley's bed again. The young girl was still sedated and oblivious to what was going on around her, but if she'd been awake she would've noticed that the mood had changed. There was a glimmer of hope that had entered into that silent hospital room. She would've noticed how different her mother's look was, and how happy the other two visitors were as they sat next to her bed.
"So, Amy…" Brennan finally began to speak again. "What should we do next? You told me that Emma is with a friend, right?"
"Yes, I was glad that she could stay with her new friend Betty and that her parents agreed to take care of her last night, but she has to be picked up soon, and anyway, I think it's time for you both to relax a bit."
"We're fine.," Brennan reassured her. "But we can pick Emma up from her friend's house and take her home. I assume you'll be staying here with Haley again tonight. Am I right?"
Amy took a deep breath. "I can't leave her alone. I think she feels me when I'm with her. I have to stay here with her." She turned to Brennan. "I'm so glad you want to stay here with us so I can be sure Emma is taken care of, too. We only moved here a few weeks ago, and she doesn't know many people here. Neither do we, for that matter."
"So what's the plan?," Booth said, joining the conversation. "We'll pick Emma up from her friend's house and then drive to your house?" He winked at Amy. "And then we stay there and take care of Emma while she's home?"
"Yeah, that would be great. I've planned for Tempe to stay in Haley's room while she's here." Amy shot Booth a look "I didn't know you'd be accompanying her. Maybe you can stay in Russ' and my room?"
"No, no. Please don't give up your room for me. We can arrange something. We'll be fine.," Booth hurried to reassure her. "We can stay in Haley's room, right, Bones?"
He gazed at Brennan, his eyes telling her not to worry Amy any more than necessary, that they'd figure out something.
Finally, Brennan agreed. "Of course we'll be fine, Amy, no need to worry."
Amy still wasn't sure if the relationship between the two had changed, but if they agreed to sleep in the same room, they might have taken their friendship to the next level. She was more than happy about that. Booth seemed like a very good man.
Then Amy rose from her seat. "Emma can give you some clean sheets. I rushed Haley to the hospital so quickly that I couldn't arrange anything, I hope you don't mind."
Brennan got up as well. "Don't worry, Amy…we'll find everything we need. We'll take care of Emma, make her dinner and prepare her for school tomorrow morning. I think she knows we'll pick her up and she'll be fine to stay with us, right?"
Amy nodded. "Yes, I explained everything to her. She is happy that she can stay with Aunt Tempe for a few days. " She turned to Booth. "And also with Uncle Seeley."
Booth got up as well. "So, Bones, get ready so we can go."
They said goodbye to Amy after she gave them the address of the friend's house and they promised to come back the next morning.
§§§
They picked Emma up at her friend's house and drove to the new house Russ and Amy had moved into a few weeks ago. Brennan hadn't seen it yet, but found out right away that it was in a nice area south of Wilmington. It was a small house but in good condition.
Since Emma had a key, she let them in and showed them around. On the first floor was the living room and an open kitchen next to the dining room. There was also the master bedroom and bathroom and a small closet with the washing machine and some cleaning supplies and a small freezer.
A flight of stairs led to the second floor with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a very small room that they used as a kind of office and where Amy kept her sewing machine. This was also the room where they found new sheets on a shelf. Emma pointed this out to Brennan.
Emma first showed them her room and then they went to Haley's, which would be their room while they stayed with Emma.
The room wasn't very big and the only bed in the room was a queen size bed. Booth, what are you getting yourself into, was the first thought that went through Booth's mind. The look Brennan gave him told him she had the same thoughts. But now was not the time to discuss that topic. They had promised Emma that they would make dinner soon.
Brennan and Booth went into the kitchen to start cooking, only to find the refrigerator more or less empty. Opening cupboards and the small closet didn't help them either. There wasn't much food in the house.
They exchanged a knowing look. Obviously, Russ and Amy had to save every dollar for Haley's treatment, and it was close to the end of the month, so money would be an issue.
Emma entered the kitchen and wanted to help fix dinner.
Booth was the first to react. "Hey Emma, watcha think? We're going out for dinner tonight." He grinned as Emma's face lit up. "Is there a good pizzeria or diner in the neighborhood?"
A big smile crossed Emma's face. "Really? We haven't gone out for lunch or dinner in months. Russ and Mom keep telling us it's too expensive. You really want to take me to have pizza?"
"Of course, Emma.," Brennan chimed in. "Well, do you already know where you want to go?"
Emma nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, my friend just told me about it. It's on Barclay Pointe Blvd."
Booth nudged Brennan and Emma out of the kitchen and toward the front door. "So Vamos, let's go. I'm sure our navigation system will take us there."
Emma was thrilled. Going out for pizza with her Aunt Tempe, whom she loved dearly, was the best part. Adding Booth to the mix was even better. Intentional or not, she'd always taken the back seat because of her little sister and the illness that affected them all. Tonight she felt like it was all about her, and she was enjoying it immensely.
It was a little late for a school night when they got home, and Emma promised to get ready for bed immediately. They agreed that Booth would take her to school in the morning while Brennan would take care of the house.
"Okay...go on upstairs. We'll be up soon." Brennan smiled as Emma quickly obeyed. Then she turned to Booth. "I think while we're out tomorrow, we may need to get some groceries…"
Nodding, he stifled a yawn. "Probably so, but I'm beat, so let's discuss it tomorrow. Come on…I'll race you upstairs…"
Hearing his laughter as he jogged away, Brennan shook her head. It was definitely going to be an interesting visit.
AN: Thanks to all of you who followed and favorited this story and the encouraging reviews I got for this story. I hope you like where this is going.