(Season 11)

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Booth had observed the way Hodgins was treating Angela and everyone else at the Lab and he had found himself clenching his fists and gritting his teeth to keep from reacting. He knew that Hodgins was hurting after losing the ability to walk which was no small thing, but he was tearing apart the team. Everyone was on edge and most of the team didn't necessarily want to deal with Hodgins anymore. Booth could see everyone was trying to accommodate the man, but he was miserable and he was making everyone around him miserable. Even Brennan was losing patience and she considered Hodgins a valued friend.

He remembered waking up in the hospital in extreme pain after he'd been rescued from the Republican Guard. Unable to stop himself, he had called out for help and the nurse had given him something to numb the pain. After a while a doctor had come into his room and had talked to him about the damage to his feet and that if he was to have a chance to walk again, he'd have to have numerous surgeries. Booth had tried to follow what the doctor had said, but the fear he felt didn't help and when the surgeon had told him that there was a chance that he would never walk again . . . well he'd cried.

He'd been subjected to several surgeries, intense therapy, both physical and psychological and a few months later he was walking again. He'd been grateful for the surgeons and the therapists that had helped him. He had never forgot what it was like to lie in bed, worried that he would be an invalid for the rest of his life. He knew that comparing himself to Hodgins' position wasn't fair since he'd had a chance to walk and Hodgins' injuries were permanent. He was never going to walk again.

Worried for his friend, Booth had considered talking to him, but he didn't think there was common ground for them to meet on. He needed to find someone that knew and understood what Hodgins was going through and after a few moments of reflection, he was sure he knew the man to do the job.

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He had gone too far and he knew it. Hodgins had thought it through and he knew that he was making Angela's life a living hell. He was mean, he was impatient and he was a man with no hope. He had put together a list of the things he owned and he had signed them over to Angela. He thought she would be happy, but she had rejected his gesture.

She had sighed deeply and wanted to cry, but she had held back her tears, looked her man straight in the face and was as honest as she could be. "I know this is painful for you and I know that you think I couldn't possibly understand what it's like, but this is life. It's hard and it's painful and it's every day, but we fight. We fight together."

Weary, Hodgins tried to hand her the folder once more. "This is my decision."

Furious, Angela had glared at her husband, not willing to let him give up. "No, this is a coward's decision. I'm not letting you make it. I don't care about any of the stuff in this folder. I need you." She paused, pulled her purse strap up on her shoulder and stood up. "See you at home."

Surprised, Hodgins watched his wife walk away from him. The stoop of her shoulders told him that she was sad and he didn't know what to do about it. He knew he was at a crossroads, but he didn't know what path to take. As he wheeled his chair out of the Lab and down the hallway, he realized that Angela had left without him and he had no way of getting home. Indecisive, he finally called Booth and asked him to come and get him and take him home. Booth's SUV was big enough to carry his chair and he knew that Booth would help him into the truck. It was humiliating to have to get someone to help him like that, but Booth was a soldier and he knew what it as like to be gravely injured. He could count on Booth to help him without pity.

Once Booth had arrived and they were both in the truck, Hodgins stared straight ahead and tried to show a little courtesy. "Thank you for coming to get me."

"Not a problem. Look I need to go see someone before I take you home." Booth drove down the parking ramp and out into the street. "I hope you don't mind."

"Why would I care?" Feeling sorry for himself, Hodgins turned to stare out of the side window. "It's not like I have control over my life anymore."

Irritated, Booth decided that if he said anything it would make the situation unbearable between them. As he drove, he worried that he might be making a huge mistake, but something needed to be done about Hodgins and he was willing to risk his friendship to help him. Once he was parked outside of Hank Lutrell's house, he turned to face Hodgins. "Want to come in? I might be a little while and you might be more comfortable in the house."

Shrugging his shoulders, Hank shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Suit yourself." Booth knew that this was going to get messy very fast. Once he was out of the truck, he walked over to the front door and knocked. The door opened fairly quickly which surprised the Agent. Booth looked down at his former comrade in arms and spoke quietly. "He's in the truck. I'm not sure if he's going to listen to you, but I appreciate any effort that you make."

A grim look on his face, Hank knew that Booth was risking the trust of a friend, so he would be careful not to damage that friendship. Rolling over to the truck, Hank waited for Booth to open the passenger door then wheeled into the opening and looked up at Hodgins. "Hi, I'm Hank Lutrell, an old army pal of Booth's."

Surprised, Hodgins stared down at Judge Lutrell. "I've seen you in court. I didn't know you're a friend of Booth."

"Look, Booth wants me to talk to you. He's afraid that you're giving up." Hank watched the man glare at Booth and he continued to speak. "I was in your boots once. I was injured on a mission with Booth in Kosovo. He carried me back to safety . . . pretty much saved my life. When I woke up in a hospital, I was told that the damage to my spine was too extensive and I'd never walk again . . . I went from being a Ranger to an invalid in the matter of seconds."

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Hodgins was trying to control his temper. "I don't need a pep talk from you or anyone else. Booth take me home."

He could see the anger in the man's face, but Hank needed to get through to the man. "This isn't a pep talk. Not by a long shot."

Surprised, Hodgins shook his head. "Then what do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything from you." Hank heard Booth clear his throat but ignored him. "When I found out I'd never walk again I was . . . well, to be honest, I was suicidal. I scared the hell out of my wife. I didn't want to live anymore. I was never going to get to do the things I loved to do. My job was gone and I thought that my life was too . . . I didn't do anything for two weeks, I just laid in my hospital bed and felt like shit until my wife walked into my room one day, stood over me and told me that I was going home that day. She told me that the kids voted to turn the den into my new bedroom. Jennie and the kids bought stuff to make the room convenient for someone that couldn't walk. She bought a bed that could be lowered and raised. It was a pretty nice bed actually. She used the money we had saved up for vacation. The kids voted on that too . . . My wife believes in democracy as long as it doesn't get out of hand . . . Anyway, she took me home and helped me into my bedroom and I just sat there, looking at the bed and thinking that was going to be my life, but Jennie and the kids weren't having any of that stuff." Hank laughed. His wife was a marvel and he loved her so much. The kids weren't too bad either.

"She got a therapist in the next day and they started working on me, Jennie and the therapist." Hank still couldn't believe what his wife and gone through for him. "She took a leave of absence from her job and she was there by my side night and day . . . I balked of course, but you don't know Jennie. She doesn't take no for an answer and it's easier to just go along with her plans. Anyway, day after day I worked on my upper body strength and the therapist massaged my legs because of the crazy shit they would do on their own sometimes. I couldn't feel anything below my waist, but sometimes my legs would just jerk and believe me that was painful." He saw Hodgins nod his head and he knew the man knew what he was talking about.

"So, while that was going on, my kids would get me to help them with homework every night. They'd come into my room and play with me and after dinner we'd watch television or movies. It got to be a routine and I started to forget that I was an invalid . . . well not really, but I didn't dwell on it. I was too busy being a father and doing what Jennie told me to do and I didn't have time to feel sorry for myself. I was living my life and it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. Then one day, my wife talked to me about going back to law school. I had a degree in law, but she thought I should take some refresher courses then pass the bar. I thought she was insane, but like I said, it's easier to just go alone with Jennie than buck her . . . I went back to school and before I knew it, I'd passed the bar. I worked as a lawyer for a year until my wife got pissed off at Judge Anderson and she told me that I was going to run for his seat. Let me tell you I was shocked about that one, but well I thought it might be fun and it was. I didn't expect to win, but I did and I'm not really too bad at the job. I'm better than Judge Anderson was that's for sure."

Hank didn't know if he was making sense to Hodgins, but he didn't know how else to explain it. "Look, I thought my life was over because I couldn't walk, but I'm more than a pair of legs. I have a brain and I used it. Booth tells me you're a bug and dirt guy . . . I'm sure there's a technical term for them, but anyway, he said you're brilliant at your job. He says you have three or four degrees and you love doing what you do . . . Start living your life again. Work with your bugs and dirt. He says you have a wife and son. Let them be part of your life again. Be the husband and father you need to be. Sure, you can't play football or soccer or whatever you think is a sport, but so what? Your son needs you. Your wife needs you. Your friends want to be part of your life again. You can do it by taking it one day at a time. I didn't have a miraculous epiphany, life just happened. I lived each day and as each day passed, I found that I could live the next day and the next." He wasn't sure what else to say. He was afraid he hadn't said enough, but it was up to Hodgins. His future was in his hands. "Don't be mad at Booth. He knows what it's like to lose the ability to walk. He was injured during Operation Desert Storm. He was just lucky that his injuries were fixable. He went through hell to get back on his feet. He wanted me to talk to you because he didn't think his story related to yours and it probably doesn't but he knows the fear. He knows the pain." Finished, Hank wheeled his chair from the truck and rolled past Booth. "Booth, don't forget Jennie's birthday party is next Saturday."

"I won't. Thanks." Booth watched Hank move back to the front door, enter the house and close the door behind him. Now alone with Hodgins, Booth closed the truck door, walked around the SUV and entered the front seat. Silent, he started the truck and drove Hodgins home. Once they were there, he helped Hodgins leave the truck and get settled in his wheelchair. "Angela loves you Hodgins. If she didn't, she'd have left your ass weeks ago."

"I know." Hodgins rolled up the ramp to the porch and opened the front door. Once he was in the house, he made his way to his bedroom where he found Angela lying on their bed crying. Tears springing to his eyes, he swallowed and tried to keep those tears from falling as he rolled over to the bed. Leaning over, he placed his hand over Angela's hand and gave her a weak smile. "I don't know how this is going to work, Angela, but . . . but I'm not done with my life. I'm not done with you or Michael Vincent. I'm not done at the Lab. I'm going to take this one day at a time for me and for you . . . for us."

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Reminder, we were introduced to Hank Lutrell in the episode "The Soldier on the Grave'.