My Beta 554 Laura is really fast with going through my chapters, You should thank her for this quick update. Lots of thanks to her.
Booth had finished his bathroom routine while Brennan was tucking Emma in. He was now in Haley's room, putting the fresh sheets on the bed and waiting for Brennan to get ready for bed, too.
Ready for bed… He groaned as he eyed the small bed. How on earth had he agreed to share this tiny bed with her?
They had shared a room more than once. In fact, they'd even shared a bed while undercover and also while on a case out of town. However, in those situations there were either two beds, or at least a big king size bed where they could stay apart from each other.
That they often had woken up somehow entangled with each other was something else to think about. He chuckled remembering some of those occasions. It'd been a little embarrassing, but also very intimate, and he only had fond memories of those mornings. Waking up next to Brennan was always the best way to start a day.
He sat down on the left side of the bed. They'd agreed that the left side would be his when they shared a room in Vegas as Tony and Roxy, and it had been that way ever since that eventful trip.
He looked around and grinned at his surroundings. This was a first for him. He'd never shared a room with Barbie and Arielle, a small baby doll in a crib, and a stuffed dog who he swore was eyeing him suspiciously.
His hands ran up and down his thighs nervously. He had stripped down to his boxers and a t- shirt for the night. Bones had seen him dressed like that many times, so there was nothing to worry about. So why am I so nervous?
The door opened and in came Brennan. His heart skipped a beat at that moment. Really! Tiny sleep shorts and a tank top? That's what she's chosen to wear tonight? Is she out of her mind? She looked sexy like hell and so tempting…and of course, his heart started beating wildly.
As if she hadn't seen his reaction, or heard his small gasp, Brennan put aside her toiletry bag and sat down on the other side of the bed before turning to Booth. "So, how do we handle this?"
His voice felt stuck in his throat. He swallowed at least three times before speaking. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe just lay down. Watcha think?"
"I suppose we can try that."
Hesitantly, Booth laid down, filling more than half of the bed. Brennan also reclined on her side, trying to stay as far on the edge of the mattress as possible, and a thought immediately ran through her head. I'll definitely fall out of bed if I keep this position for any length of time.
However, since the bed was just too small, they were still in contact with each other from shoulder to calf. They lay there for some minutes, unable to sleep. Too uncomfortable to close their eyes, they both stared at the ceiling. Because Brennan had switched off the bedside lamp, the room was mostly dark, so they couldn't see much, but their other senses were on high alert.
Hearing each other taking short breaths to calm down, inhaling the comforting scent of each other…it was so familiar and so addictive. The feeling of their skin touching each other was intense. How would they ever be able to fall asleep?
Eventually Booth spoke quietly. "Bones, this isn't working." He turned to her in the dark, rolling slowly over to lay on his side so he was facing her. "Neither you nor I will be able to go to sleep in this small bed if we stay like this, trying not to touch each other. We can't ignore that we're just too close together."
She took a deep breath. "So, what should we do about it?" She shifted a bit, trying to find a better position.
"There is no way that we won't get close to each other in this bed, so we should just accept it. I suggest we try to make the best of it, okay? Roll over on your side, facing away from me."
She had to move closer to the middle of the bed before she could turn onto her side or she would have fallen out of the bed. "Like this?," she mumbled. She could feel him behind her back, his body heat radiating into her.
"Um, yeah. Now I'll scoot closer to you, if that's okay with you…"
Brennan heard the nervousness in his voice. "You mean like spooning?"
"Um, yeah, I guess so." He snuggled behind her. "Are you okay with this? Do you still feel comfortable?"
A small grin grazed her lips and Booth could hear the smile in her voice when she answered.
"Booth, you know that more than once we've woken up in exactly this position, so yes, I'm okay with it." She wiggled closer to get comfortable. That they were a perfect fit didn't go unnoticed by either one of them.
He placed his arm around her waist and tried to find a comfortable position as his mind drifted towards sleep. "What you did today, Bones…it was huge. You know that, right?" he whispered, his lips next to her ear.
Brennan felt her skin tingle because his breath tickled her neck. "Booth, it's just money."
He chuckled quietly. "I predicted you would say that." His voice became softer. "I understand that you feel that way, but for Amy, it means the world. You may have saved her little girl."
Brennan thought over his statement for a moment. "I couldn't stand the thought that something might happen to Haley. I needed to help, Booth, especially because I'm really able to do so. You know that."
Booth agreed. "I know you love her."
Brennan nodded and added, "Yes, she's part of my family."
"But still, you did something great." And I love you for that, he thought. He couldn't help but dip his nose a bit into her hair, hoping she wouldn't mind. "We should go to sleep. We have to get up early so we can get Emma to school on time." He pressed her a bit tighter against his chest, his hand spread wide over her abdomen.
As Booth's hand found a comfortable spot against her belly, warmth radiated through Brennan's whole body. She felt enveloped in Booth's arms and was more than comfortable.
"Night, Bones.," he whispered next to her ear. "Sleep tight."
"Night, Booth." Her soft answer was the last he heard before sleep took over.
§§§
Brennan woke first the next morning. During the night Booth's arm had somehow managed to slide beneath her head. She was laying on his arm and held firm with his other arm. She tried to get up without waking him but he held her tight, even in his sleep. It was still early,15 minutes before the alarm would go off.
He had woken up as he felt her moving and trying to get up. "Just a few more minutes," his voice, still rough from sleep, whispered into her ear. He took a deep breath, letting her sweet scent fill his lungs. This was something I could get used to. He couldn't let her go yet.
"Booth, we need to get up…the earlier the better." She tried to move again but his strong arms wouldn't let her go. "Booth, come on!" She wiggled until he finally let her go. She stood up and turned to look at him. He glanced up at her with a big smile on his face, and his hair ruffled. He looked more attractive to her than ever.
'Get a grip, Brennan. This is your partner, nothing more.,' she kept telling herself, ignoring the fact that they'd become so much more than partners over the last few months.
After breakfast, Booth took Emma to school while Brennen cleaned up the kitchen. Then Booth picked her up and they went to the hospital.
Amy told them that the medicine was expected to arrive early that afternoon and so they sat there waiting until Dr. Gilmore came into the room, the first bottle of the precious drug cocktail ready to go into Haley's blood stream.
Now all they could do was wait to see how Haley's little body would respond to the treatment. They hoped for the best.
§§§
Later that afternoon, Booth picked up Emma from school. Out of impulse he went with her to a grocery store on the way home. They bought enough groceries to fill their fridge, freezer and kitchen cabinets. Emma helped him put all the items away, happily chatting and telling him how her Mom would be so surprised about that.
They'd planned on Amy coming home for a while, so she could stay with Emma for a few hours, get a shower and rest a little while. Booth would go back to the hospital to stay with Brennan and Haley. Later that evening, Amy would bring Emma to the hospital so that she could see her sister for a few minutes and then Booth and Brennan would take her home, make dinner and take care of her for the evening.
§§§
It took longer than planned at the hospital. It was good that Emma got to see her sister, even though it was disturbing for the little girl. She knew that Haley was in serious danger, but her mother had also told her the good news about the new medicine, which would hopefully help her sister get better.
Because it was late, they stopped on the way home to get some dinner and ate it directly after coming home.
Emma was happily chatting as they ate. It was the second night in a row to have something special for dinner, and she was thrilled. "Aunt Tempe, can I ask you something?"
Brennan turned to the girl. "Sure, what's on your mind?"
"When Mom was home earlier, I told her that our school is closed for the afternoon tomorrow, and I have to be picked up at noon. She asked what I wanted to do…you know…if I wanted to visit a friend or if I wanted to do something with you." She looked expectantly at Brennan and Booth.
"So, what do you like to do?" Brennan smiled at her. "Hmm?"
"I'd like to go to the beach. We've only been there once since we moved here. I wanted to go again, but we haven't had time." Emma beamed at Brennen. "Can we go there? Please?"
"Hmm, I don't know. " She glanced back and forth between Emma and Booth. "I didn't plan to do that. I didn't bring my swimsuit. What about you, Booth?"
Booth shook his head. "I didn't bring my swimming trunks either."
Emma looked sad. Hating to disappoint her niece, Brennan laid a hand on her arm. "But I think we can go to the mall tomorrow morning and get some new ones." She smiled at Emma. "I think a beach trip is a good idea."
"Thank you!" Emma stood up and threw her arms around her aunt. "Really, I'm so excited."
While Booth started his night time routine, Brennan spent some time with Emma to say good night. When Emma had laid down comfortably, Brennan asked her about her day. She had the feeling that Emma always had to step aside for Haley's needs and that she enjoyed very much the idea that at least for that night she had Booth and Brennan to herself, and that her small world was important for them.
She told Brennan about school and that she was so glad that they were staying there with her. Emma also told her about her grocery shopping trip with Booth. Booth hadn't mentioned a word about it to Brennan. She nodded, filing the knowledge away so they could talk about it later.
Emma also told Brennan which shop to go to for their swimsuits. She was so excited about their plans and Brennan had a hard time getting her calmed down enough to sleep.
After she closed the door to Emma's room, she went directly to the bathroom to get ready for the night.
When she entered their room minutes later, Booth was already in bed waiting for her. He'd laid down more or less in the middle, but had made room for her to slip somehow into his arms.
She laid her head on his shoulder, her hand spread along his torso. I could get used to this, she thought, but didn't mention it to him.
"So, Emma is really excited about tomorrow, huh?" he asked while turning off the bedside lamp.
Brennan nodded against his chest. "Very excited." She looked up at his handsome face. "She told me where we should go to get some swimsuits and where we needed to go tomorrow at the beach. She couldn't stop telling me how happy she is."
Brennan snuggled deeper into Booth's arm when she remembered what Emma told her. "She also told me about your trip to the grocery store."
Booth pressed Brennan a little tighter to his chest. "And,,,I hope you are okay with that?"
Brennan looked up at him again. "Of course, I am." Her voice became very soft. "That was very considerate of you." After a while she added, "But I should give you the money back. I imagine you spent a lot on the groceries."
He chuckled and Brennan felt his laughter, his chest heaving next to her. "Bones, you paid their complete medical bill, so I think my buying some groceries is nothing compared to that. Wouldn't you agree?"
"But Booth, they're my family, not your responsibility."
"Bones, how many times do I have to tell you? There's more than one kind of family. Your family is like family to me, too. Do you understand what I mean?"
He put his finger under her chin and tilted her head to look at him. "I care for them, too."
Out of impulse, Brennan stretched her head in his direction and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Booth. That means a lot to me."
Booth's heart skipped a beat because of her unexpected kiss, which left him a little breathless.
"I know, Bones…I just wanted to help them, okay? No big deal."
"I disagree." She laid back and got comfortable in his embrace. "But we should probably go to sleep now, alright? We can continue our discussion tomorrow."
"Yeah…okay." He nodded in agreement. "Sleep tight, Bones."
"Night, Booth.," she whispered. Completely comfortable in each other's arms, they both fell asleep easily.
AN: This was a happier chapter. I hope you like where this is going. Please let me know in a review.