When Brennan gets to the scene Cam, Vincent and Hodgins had beat her to the scene, the scene is just off the highway a broken guardrail leads to the Atlantic below, she notes Booth isn't there either as she approaches the scene "Dr. Brennan," Cam motions to the FBI agent closest to him, "Agent Justin Laurie, he'll be our liaison for this case."
"Good to meet you, Dr. Brennan, I'm a huge fan." He smiles and offers his hand to shake as Brennan sees the harnesses and equipment to take them over the edge of the cliff and quickly realizes they're on a clock to beat the tide.
Brennan nods at him once, "Did you disturb the remains?" she demands grabbing her own harness as Hodgins gets hooked up to go down first.
"No, ma'am, no one has gone down." Laurie shakes his head, looking down at the pad of paper he had, "A man slammed into the railing at approximately 5:25 this morning, rescue workers pulled him and his car fully back on the road an hour later and they found that." He points down the cliff to the body, it's in a heap only just at the base of the cliff, "We got called and you were called next, your friend there is the first one down there."
Brennan nods looking at her watch "We'll have to be quick and thorough, we have 5 hours and 37 minutes til high tide takes any evidence we may have."
Agent Laurie nods "Okay, Y'all heard Dr. Brennan, I want everyone canvassing for any evidence, we have 5 hours here."
Brennan sides eyes Cam, wondering if this agent is up to her standards, Cam seems to be able to read her thoughts as she shrugs before hooking herself up to repel down, can't change who the FBI sends. Brennan quickly follows the pathologist down.
Hodgins is grabbing insects from the body, "This one hasn't been here more than 12 hours according to these beauties."
"It's male, age indeterminable right now," Brennan says looking at the body.
"Looks like he was burnt before he was dumped," Cam moves the little bit of clothing untouched by the fire, "Though looks like his clothes smouldered it out before it could finish the job." she looks down at what is probably his legs, though the many broken bones and crumpled mess puts them above the head, "These look like they could be military."
Brennan frowns, "His head was crushed, I'll need to reconstruct it before Angela can give us a face."
"Whoever dumped him really didn't want him identified," Cam lifts the hand slightly "They cut off every one of his fingers."
Brennan grabs the radio to contact the agents up above "Agent Laurie, your agents should be looking for fingers." she begins before listing the specifications for the intern and the techs to collect and bring back to the lab.
After she's done Cam grabs the radio, "You heard Dr Brennan, I want all of you to be extra careful, this tide isn't going to give us another chance."
Cam stands up easily hookinging herself back to the pulley letting the agents pull her back up to make room for the techs to get down, the small outcrop of rocks is certainly a tight fit. Soon after Brenna decides to follow her up, "See you at the lab," Brennan offers to Hodgins before leaving herself.
As she gets to the top of the cliff she slowly gets her footing back on the edge, before she can fully get on the top Laurie is offering her a hand, "You said that you'll need to reconstruct the skull, do you suppose that's from the fall or from the person who dumped it."
"I won't be able to be certain until I get them back to the lab." Brennan replies taking a step closer to the agent, still on the corner of the cliff
"Of course," he nods, "Sorry maybe got over excited."
Brennan nods, "Don't let it keep happening, when we get the evidence we'll let you know."
"Yes-" The Agent is cut off by a roaring of a car coming down the sole open lane, and before they can think there's several bangs as gunshots ring out. The agent pushes the anthropologist back a bit as everyone ducks, Brennan feels a sharp pain through her arm before the pulley's rope loosens, and the doctor falls a bit, grabbing the rope before she could fall too far but slamming into the cliff edge with a grunt.
When the echos stop ringing she hears the Agents moving quickly around the scene, she gets pulled up quickly and sees the techs then quickly detaching that pulley for another one, the bullet had hit the rope, snapping some of it, "Are you alright Dr. Brennan?" she hears her intern's voice ask as she's moved quickly to the Jeffersonian's van by one of the agents.
"I"m fine, Mr. Nigel-Murrey." Brennan tries to shrug off the agent, seeing it's the lead agent.
"I want all agents on high alert! Get that pulley back in place and I need this place fully secured, If you this it already is do it again, close the entire road. I want an APB on that vehicle and everyone out of here safely." He announces to the group at large before quieting down as Cam comes over to them.
The pathologist is clearly worried as she comes up to them, "My people are okay, just shaken," she looks over to Brennan frowning "Dr. Brennan, you're bleeding." Looking down Brennan is surprised she's right, there's a deep lacerations on her right leg and another right below her right shoulder, hitting the jagged cliff face must have caused them, the rest of her arm is covered in abrasions where her autopsy suit didn't cover from the shifting of the harness. Noticing the cuts seemed to be enough for her brain to acknowledge the sharp pain from the injuries. "Brennan," her boss slowly motions her to sit in the open back of the van, having her sit. She turns to the agent "Radio for an ambulance, she's gonna need stitches."
Brennan shakes her head, "No, I'll be fine, I'll clean it up at the lab."
"Like hell you're driving with a leg like that." Cam replies before looking in the other doctor's eyes and realizing this will be a fight that it'd be quicker to give in, she motions for Laurie's radio, "Hodgins?"
"Hey, Cam, what the fuck was that? Everyone okay?"
Cam tries to sound sure but fails so even Brennan notices her worry, "Drive by, they're getting the pulley put back in to get you up, Brennan's mildly hurt but nothing too bad, I'm leaving the keys to the van for you and Vincent to get back to the lab, I'm going back with Brennan."
The bug and slime guy doesn't sound particularly happy when he agrees, but Cam is too focused on finding gause for Brennan giving the anthropologist a look about how much she's willing to argue about this or her driving before handing it to her Brennan puts it on the higher cut, limping to her car's passenger side before unlocking it, putting her keys in the cup holder for Cam to take.
The almost ninety minute ride back to the lab was a long one, when the cuts finally go from bleeding to cutting, Brennan leans back slightly into the chair, trying to stop her focus on the pain, "Booth is going to kill that kid for this," Cam say giving a side glance at the cuts, they look painful and will certainly need stitches.
"No, he won't, it was just an accident," Brennan looks down, "Besides he's out of town with Hannah, so not like he'll know for a week. Most likely more as he hasn't been talking to me much."
Cam frowns, "Damnit Seeley," she whispers under her breath, she opens her mouth to answer but is interrupted by Brennan continuing her explanation.
"It makes sense, he loves her, and we're just partners, I didn't…" she shakes her head decidedly, "It's my fault."
Cam doesn't pretend to know why Brennan turned down Booth, or honestly many things the anthropologist does, she knows the truth matters more to her than anything else… had they truly read the doctor wrong or what made Booth give up on Brennan so completely, nonetheless that conversation is too big of a web for her to step in right now, unless Brennan was as sloshed as she was that night weeks earlier, though getting Brennan to that level of losing control was rare. So instead she just shakes her head hoping for the anthropologist to understand what she's trying to say, "You deserve to be happy too Brennan." she offers awkwardly, her and Brennan almost always have a veneer of professionalism, they're certainly friends but there's always a line.
"Last time I followed what I wanted after Booth decided to, we ended up here." Brennan replies easily.
Once again, Cam is unsure how to answer, debating to push. Instead she lets the conversation to fall silent.
After several long minutes it's too awkward for Cam, "So Michelle wants me to get a dog."
"Anthropologically speaking kids are often given pets to teach responsibility," Brennan replies, "Michelle is a bright girl, she'd be a good owner."
"No she wants it for me, she's worried I'll be lonely when she leaves for college." Cam roles her eyes, "No friends, not dating far as she's concerned I'll be a hermit."
"We're friends," Brennan replies maybe a bit too quickly, " I mean you're friends with Angela and Booth."
Cam nods, "We're friends, she just thinks I need people outside work."
"So...a dog?" Brennan raises an eyebrow
"So a dog… apparently," Cam sighs, then laughs, "I thought this puppy love was a thing only little kids did."
"I think I'm going to get a cat," Brennan offers, "Sweets said the same thing about being good company."
"Think I could get Michelle to agree to a cat?"
They get back to the lab easily enough, the conversation back to being light and easy, though Brennan flinches repeatedly at each rough bump shifting and pulling her wounds, the blood still oozing slowly.
"If you really want to not go to the hospital, you're going to let me sew up those wounds," Brennan opens her mouth to argue but Cam cuts her off, "If you argue, I will tell security to keep you out of the lab until you get proper medical care."
Brennan huffs before dropping back, the fact that she doesn't argue makes Cam take it as a win, a rare event in her and Brennan's little game.
After slowly helping Brennan hobble to the lab, the pain in her leg is almost enough to ground her not that she'd admit it if asked, through her tensed jaw. Angela is waiting for them, offering to help Brennan get there as Cam moves ahead, preparing her office for a live patient, pulling the blinds and grabbing the tools she needs as the others are near behind her.
"No one else was hurt?" Angela double checks as she helps Brennan onto the table.
"Nope, they missed everyone," Cam cuts a small length of plastic tube in her office, "Dr. Brennan obviously the people I usually cut into are dead, so I have no pain killers, you sure you want to do it this way?"
"I'll be fine," She replies easily
"Okay, Angela, wanna help me with her shirt?"
Angela gives the pathologist a look, "They're both too high up to be able to roll the sleeves or legs up above them for Dr. Saroyan to clean the wounds, I have spare clothes in my office," Brennan explains already doing the best she can to unbutton her blouse, hissing at the stretching, Angela nods pushing her friend's hands away before slowly unbuttoning the others, Cam goes to the other side of the table and slowly helps the artist take she shirt off, wincing when the dried blood causes some fabric to pull at the wound causing Brennan to yelp slightly before slamming her mouth shut.
"Okay," Cam hands the anthropologist the tube, Brennan easily puts it in her mouth, "You can't move, got it Brennan?" She tells her maybe needlessly but still giving her friend an out.
When Brennan doesn't reply instead flipping her arm to give Cam an easy view of the wound she takes that as understanding, the wound on her arm is deep, though not long, so with a deep breath Cam begins by cleaning the wound, Brennan lets out a whimper and Angela grabs her friend's hand, letting her focus on that, though Brennan doesn't react otherwise, she remains totally still as Cam puts the stitches in, then wraps the arm in gauze. The cut on her leg is longer and getting to it causes the dried blood to pull more, Brennan lets out a small scream though quickly swallows it down, squeezing Angela's hand a bit tighter than she'd like, despite doing it longer Cam does it just as quick and just as accurately, "Done," Cam says quickly, "I'm sorry, done," She apologizes needlessly as Brennan focuses her breathing trying to calm down, Cam hands her a pair of autopsy scrubs figuring the loose clothing would hurt less on the stitches.
Brennan quickly puts the clothes on "Thank you, Dr. Saroyan," she says, "I'll be more careful in the future." she offers before leaving quickly.
"That wasn't her fault," Cam shakes her head, "This case gives me a bad feeling in my gut."
"Was it the drive by or the way the guy's identity has been totally covered up?" Angela asks wryly hiding her worry as best as possible.
"I don't know, everything." Cam drops into her chair feeling exhausted despite it only being 4, she grabs her mother's necklace around her neck, biting her lip, "just a bad feeling."
Angela nods, "I don't suppose you could wait to have Hodgins deskin the bones?" Cam frowns at the potential delay of justice, "Hodgins said Bren would have to reconstruct the skull, If it's going to be deskined tonight, she'll stay and do it, and she's been, well,"
Cam nods, "Not taking care of herself? Pulling away from everyone? Self destructing?"
"You've noticed."
"Yeah. For a few weeks."
"How bad do you think she is?"
Cam laughs, "Does it matter? She's not going to listen to us right now, we just... need to keep an eye on her I suppose." The door to the lab opens revealing Hodgins, Mr. Nigel-Murphy and the techs with the body, "I'll tell Hodgins to wait on it, but I think I pushed my 'get Brennan to not argue' cards today."
When the body is laid out, they try to make more observations about the body, Angela confirms Cam's note about the clothing being military, "I'll see if these scraps can give us anything, though I doubt it will."
Cam nods, "I'll start the autopsy, see if tests can tell us anything, Hodgins you should be able to strip the bones tomorrow morning most likely."
Hodgins nods, continuing to look over the body for any particles to help, "I'll run some tests, see why set this guy up in flames."
"Dr. Saroyan, If the flesh isn't off til tomorrow I can't start the skull reconstruction til then, I could finish it tonight and let Angela give us a face sooner."
"We're doing this by the book Dr. Brennan, flesh then bones, you can start your reconstruction tomorrow."
"But…"
Cam takes her gloves off to prepare autopsy for it's newest visitor, she gently puts her hand on Brennan's shoulder, hoping she'll see this isn't a punishment, "Go home and get some rest Brennan, that was a rough fall and you've been working a lot lately."
"I don't need rest, Cam," Brennan scoffs, "I use one of my freebies."
"Dr. Brennan," Cam repeats sternly, "Go home." she leaves the platform, let Brennan be upset with her if that's enough to help her oh so stubborn friend,
"Sweetie," Angela looks up from her clipboard making notes on the clothing, "Cam is right, go home, eat, rest. You're no good to anyone if you're burnt out."
Brennan frowns before nodding, she giving up her fight perhaps quicker than she normally would. Leaving the lab perhaps faster than she'd like.
When she gets to her car she falls back, just drained from today, she decides to do something else to at least try to stop thinking, she decides to go home and change then find her own company for the night.
That plan takes her to a bar near her apartment. It has her take her first drink, then three more. She laughs easily and when a woman asks if she's the author Temperance Brennan, they start talking. Jesse is a doctor at one of the hospitals, she buys Brennan another drink. Brennan shares some of her more interesting cases, Jesse does the same. Brennan can't help but notice how she's just the opposite of Booth, no messy ties or losing everything. No getting hurt when she leaves.
Jesse offers to take Brennan home and when Brennan replies with her inexperience with women, Jesse just laughs, promising to teach her. Brennan orders two more drinks before agreeing, giving the cab driver her address before guiding Jesse upstairs. She lets the blonde lead her, the doctor is gentle with her injuries and the giving up control for once is nice. Giving into even the illusion of happiness makes her honestly smile for the first time in a long while.
The next morning her good arm is over Jesse, their legs are tied together it's still before the sun comes up, she decides to close her eyes again, the next time they're open it's from an alarm not her own, "I gotta get up, need to get ready for 10am rounds," the blonde groans rolling off the bed looking for her clothes. Brennan nods realizing she's going to be late too, she rolls out of bed and begins getting ready too.