So what does a hurricane have to do with everyone waiting to find out if Aubrey and Booth survive their shootout? Read on to find out...
Jessica and Brennan burst through the doors of the ER of GWU Hospital and were relieved to see Agents Genny Shaw and Chamberlain standing together, chatting quietly.
Brennan was breathless as she hurried over to speak to them. "Agent Shaw...Agent Chamberlain…what is going on? Where's Booth?"
Genny puffed out a trembling sigh as she tried to remain calm. "He's in X-Ray right now. He took one in the shoulder and from the looks of it he may have also dislocated it. The ER doc said the trauma and orthopedic surgeons will probably want to operate in a hour or so."
"I'll need to talk to the doctor before they put him under any sort of anesthetic.", Brennan said before briskly walking up to the nurses' desk. After a few moments of discussion, the anthropologist returned. "They will come out to get me when he returns to his room after the X-ray."
"What happened, Genny?", Jessica asked nervously.
Shaw shook her head as she looked over the notes from the first responders who'd worked the scene. "Details are sketchy at best right now. All I know is Booth got a call from someone at Histavark saying that Vincent Sipoletti had returned to the office, so he and Aubrey hauled ass over there to talk to the guy before he could get away. They couldn't get the guy to talk and then suddenly they were being shot at. There...was a gunfight and then Sipoletti ran his car into a light pole. He was DOA...GSW to the chest." She sighed audibly. "Today seems to be the day for dead suspects."
"What about Aubrey? Where is he?" Now terrified, Jessica tried to press Shaw for more details. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened to him, Genny…."
"He got hit in the thigh and nicked in the abdomen. He bled pretty badly, but Booth was able to use his tie and his pen, as well as his body weight, as a tourniquet around Aubrey's leg. No small feat considering Booth was bleeding a lot and banged up as well. The EMTs said his quick thinking probably saved the boss's life. One of the medics said Aubrey was barely conscious and complaining of left shoulder pain when they loaded him in the ambulance."
"Kehr's sign...his spleen…", Jessica said softly.
Brennan put her arm around the intern. "Ms. Warren, it could also be that he injured his shoulder when falling down. The gunshot can also be causing bleeding to irritate the phrenic nerve."
"They'll need to transfuse him as soon as possible…Aubrey's blood type is AB positive. He…he has no allergies…I need to tell someone…", Jessica said as she paced the room. "I need to see him…"
"Jessica, they have all that on the electronic medical record from when he got caught in the blast with Hodgins last year. The surgeon said they were low on AB positive and O negative blood, but they're calling for donors..."
"AB positive is the universal recipient-", the redhead replied.
"That's what the trauma surgeon said, too, so they started transfusing Aubrey with A positive when he got here and will continue to do so while he's in surgery. She asked if we could get the agents and anyone else who's available to give blood. I've already called Deputy Director Stark, and he's putting out the word as we speak."
Jessica thought of her Superman all helpless on the OR table and the memories of a year ago when she was holding another vigil for him raced through her mind. "Can I see Aubrey before-"
"No...I'm sorry. Dr. Elias took one look at his thigh and said it was critical to get him into surgery ASAP. They took him to an OR as soon as they could get one set up.", Genny said.
"His femoral artery was possibly compromised...", Brennan murmured. "I see. Yes, it would be imperative to act immediately."
"If he loses too much blood, his leg could be...amputated...or he could have brain damage...", Jessica muttered softly. "...or he could exsanguinate…"
"The boss is tough, Jessica and he's going to get past this, too.", the young agent said before looking towards Brennan. "I'll call everyone else, Dr. B."
"Please do so.", Brennan said before leading Jessica to the waiting room. "It's going to be all right, Jessica. If it's the same Dr. Elias that worked on Booth last year, she's very skilled as a trauma surgeon."
"That's good, Dr. B. But if Aubrey's femoral artery was damaged…"
Brennan put her arm around her intern. "It sounds like Booth was able to slow the bleeding significantly. You know the FBI trains its agents to administer first aid, and Booth also received training as a Ranger. He knew what he was doing..."
"I know...it's just...oh, my God...James…" For the redhead, everything came to her mind a rush. Their weekend…the fight…vandalism of her vehicle and locker…the burglary of her apartment...her bad vibe...missing his call…it was too much as she broke down again in tears while Brennan comforted her.
Within the hour Booth and Aubrey's friends had joined their vigil, which had moved to the OR waiting room. Steve and several other agents from both the Homicide and Major Crimes divisions also joined the lab group as everyone able took turns donating blood. Daisy came alone while Beau watched the kids at Booth and Brennan's. Even Oliver was there, surprising everyone by offering to get people coffee or anything else they needed.
Karen was there as well, much to the annoyance of the Jeffersonian's staff. However, they ignored her as much as possible while they talked quietly about the day's events.
At the two hour mark, Brennan watched the patient update screen and Booth's number carefully. When his status changed from OPERATING ROOM to RECOVERY, she sighed in relief. Fifteen minutes later, the surgeon came out and took Brennan into a private room for an update. Coming out ten minutes later, she had tears of relief rolling down her cheek.
Angela got up and rushed her friend. "Bren, how's Booth?"
"Booth experienced a Grade III separation to his left shoulder and they removed a low caliber bullet next to the separation. Dr. Dear stated that probably due to the size of the projectile, the damage was limited to two ligaments. The orthopedic surgeon in the OR also elected to repair his dislocated shoulder with arthroscopy because Booth is an FBI agent and an active man. Both estimated about three to four weeks of physical therapy and he will have to wear a sling for a week or two, but both surgeons are confident he will make a full recovery."
"Any complications from the anesthesia?", Cam asked. "I know you were worried about that…"
"No, it doesn't appear so. His vitals are strong and as soon as he's in recovery, I can go back with him.", Brennan replied before looking at Jessica, who was pale. "But I'll come back out to wait for word on Aubrey as soon as he's stable."
Five minutes later, another nurse came out to the OR waiting room. "Dr. Brennan? I have an update regarding Agent Aubrey's surgery, if you'll come with me."
Brennan got up to talk to the nurse, taking Jessica with her inside a nearby room. Karen made three steps to follow when Genny stopped her.
"You weren't invited, Dr. Delfs."
Karen crossed her arms. "Jessica and Dr. Brennan don't have a monopoly on Aubrey. Contrary to what they like to think, I'm his friend too, Genny."
"So am I, but I'm staying out here with his other friends. I suggest that if you don't want to go a round with Dr. B that you do the same. They'll update us in a few minutes."
"He needs someone to help translate that medical speak to everyone-"
"Dr. B and Jessica are forensic anthropologists, and there are five more forensic anthropologists out here. There is also a forensic pathologist, forensic scientist, and an oncology nurse. I think we'll be fine...now take a seat, Karen."
Startled by the intensity in the petite woman's dark eyes, the profiler back away. However, when she saw Jessica and Dr. B returning to the waiting area, Karen immediately converged onto the two women. "What's going on with Aubrey?"
Jessica and Brennan simply walked around the profiler before the redhead addressed the group. "Turns out that the gunshot missed the femoral artery itself but hit his lateral femoral circumflex artery and that they're still working to repair it while transfusing him with blood. The OR nurse said they will try to keep us posted."
When done, Jessica quietly sat down in a chair and stared at the wall. Daisy put her arm around her friend and the redhead fell onto her shoulder while Andie held her friend's hand.
Still standing where she was, Karen stomped back to her seat. 'People can ignore me all they want, but Aubrey and I are still close and I won't let them forget it.'
Two hours later, Aubrey's surgery was still ongoing and everyone was feeling tense. Karen continued to shoot daggers at Jessica while she sat with Steve, who was unusually quiet. Aubrey's agents that were available to wait remained, including Genny. From another part of the hospital, Caroline returned from giving blood and walked up to Jessica.
"Any news, Honeychile?"
"Not yet, Ms. Julian. Thank you for giving blood.", Jessica said with a wan smile before turning to everyone in the room. "Thank you, everyone. Aubrey will like that a lot."
"Yes, it's important in times like these to give to others.", the US Attorney said before looking at Karen.
"What? I fainted the last few times I was poked with a needle."
"But you're not afraid to slicing your hand for a confession, bonne a rienne?", Caroline said before sitting down. "Interesting."
"I'm just sorry I couldn't donate.", Angela said.
"That's okay, Angela. You have the best excuse in the world.", Jessica said while nodding towards her abdomen.
Oliver walked up to Jessica. "I'm sorry about Agent Aubrey. While I still think luck had a lot to do with him barely winning our game in Aerial Attack, I hope he comes though this okay."
"Thank you, Oliver.", Jessica said, surprised at her fellow intern's uncharacteristic turn of empathy. No one noticed the quick glance he gave Daisy before sitting back down.
Just then, Brennan returned through the OR doors. "Booth has been admitted for the evening. He was quite groggy, but he asked about Aubrey. Any word?"
Jessica looked to the patient update board for Aubrey's number. "It says he's still in surgery. I'm glad Booth is okay, Dr. B."
The redhead quietly got up and looked out the window. She was joined by Andie and Daisy who came to comfort their friend.
"Jessica, Aubrey is a stubborn ass man. He survived being blown up with several pieces of shrapnel in his back last year, didn't he?", the nurse said quietly.
"Yeah…"
Daisy caught on to what Andie was trying to do. "Didn't you tell us that he survived Thanksgiving with your brothers? You said they liked him a lot because he stood up for you against your bitchy mother."
Jessica wiped away a tear. "Yeah, he did."
"Jessica, there's no way fate got you and Aubrey back together just to have him die on you. No way.", Andie declared emphatically. "I'm a nurse and I know of what I speak."
"I don't what I'll do…what if he doesn't…it hit his lateral femoral circumflex artery —"
"But Jessica, it missed the main femoral by two millimeters. That's good news.", Andie said.
"But the EMS report said he fell on a concrete parking block and landed on his side. His shoulder pain could be because of his spleen—"
"Which they can repair if there's an injury, but the nurse said the ultrasound didn't pick up massive internal bleeding. It may just be bruised, Honey. I'm sure the surgeon will know what look for, okay?", Daisy replied.
"He also hit his head on the concrete barrier on the sidewalk-"
"Yeah, he's going to have a headache, but he's also been tased, in a bomb blast, ate some weird foods..." Andie said while squeezing Jessica's hand before murmuring. "...survived being around Karen…"
The three women shared a quiet chuckle. Daisy smiled as she put her arm around her friend. "Aubrey is going to come out of this because he loves you…fight or not."
Jessica felt better when her friends took her into a group hug, but the moment was shattered by another voice.
"And if he doesn't, I'm blaming you, bitch."
Everyone turned to see Karen snarling and ready for battle. Jessica took a breath, not up for fighting. "I'm not the one who shot him or Booth, Karen. I know you're upset about what happened, but you're not making any sense, okay? I wasn't even there…"
The profiler clenched her fists against her sides. "No, but you're the twit who argued with him before he went out and got caught in a fire fight...again. He may be trained, but you fucked with his mind so he was distracted."
"That is an extremely illogical premise. These men are both highly trained professionals, each with multiple citations for valor. They are not ruled by their emotions while they are working." Brennan stared down the profiler. "You apparently don't have much faith in Aubrey or in my husband, Dr. Delfs—"
"I don't give a flying fuck about Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan. He obviously failed Aubrey because he's not the one who has been in surgery for over four fucking hours."
"I beg your pardon—", Brennan replied angrily. "Your comment, and your profanity, is totally inappropriate…"
"Karen, sit down and be quiet.", Angela said. "We don't need your hysterical drama queen act right now."
Rolling her eyes, Karen stood with her hands on her hips. "I'm not hysterical. I'm just stating facts about your precious Jessica here."
"How did you know I had a fight with Aubrey?", Jessica asked in a steely tone of voice. "That's not something he's going to tell you."
"I heard you and Angela whining about it after you were jabbing your jaws to Agent Shaw in her office earlier, and Steve saw how you and Aubrey were acting at the office yesterday. Obviously you were peeved because he blew you off after you showed up out of the blue at work and interrupted his busy day. You can't just come to the FBI and expect Aubrey to drop his busy caseload just to entertain you. Just because you're a college intern who dilly dallies at the lab doesn't mean we at the FBI have the same privilege."
Agent Bower saw all the angry looks his girlfriend was getting and he was becoming annoyed with her attitude as well. Sensing Karen was about to make a fool of herself, he grabbed her hand, talking softly as he tried to pacify her. "Sugar, come on…"
"No, Steve! This brat needs to be told the truth!", Karen said before wretching her hand away.
The agent's annoyance grew to anger at the profiler's behavior and her obviously more than friendly concern for his supervising agent. "Get a grip, Karen. Aubrey is Jessica's boyfriend, not yours."
"Get a grip? He's important to me, Steve. I can't let Jessica railroad me-I mean him-again!", Karen shot back before heading towards the redhead.
Steve didn't miss Karen's slip of the tongue and as he looked around, no one else did either. "You know what? I don't need all this fucking drama from you, Karen. I'm out of here."
Jessica saw the agent stand up and storm out before turning back to the woman in front of her. "Karen, what goes on between Aubrey and me is between us, not us and you too. Now, I don't like you, but right now my boyfriend needs all the support he can get. With that, I'm attempting to be cordial with you because I know you're worried about him, too. However, you're testing my patience. Now, please go sit down.", the redhead said as calmly as she could.
Karen ignored the younger woman's warning and stormed up until she was right in front of her rival. "You know, you've led Aubrey around like a yo yo for months. You broke up with him in the middle of a fucking case and he had to be in a firefight that night. He could have been killed, but would you have cared? No, because you were all pissed about him getting shitfaced at Cam and Arastoo's wedding."
"That's enough, Karen.", Hodgins said sharply, but his warning fell on deaf ears.
"You know it was more than that...however, it's really none of your business, and I have more important concerns right now than debating your delusions." Jessica's body shook as she fought to control her temper with Andie and Daisy each flanking her. "Now, for the last time, go find your boyfriend and leave me alone."
Jessica tried to walk away, but Karen refused to be silenced.
"No, Firecrotch, because you're going to listen to me.", Karen yelled as she continued her tirade. "You wear those short skirts and just sashay your little ass and wiggle to get every man's attention...probably without any underwear on so you can go quick and dirty if you have to. Then you get bitchy and Aubrey comes running begging for forgiveness. I'm his real friend...unlike all of you that encourages him to put up with her shit."
Andie took a step forward and stared the other woman down. "Karen, get over yourself and leave my friend alone...better yet, just go home. No one cares what you think."
"Shut up, Andie! This doesn't concern you.", Karen retorted.
Daisy also stepped up. "I would do what my friend says, Karen. You're treading on thin ice here and your concern for Aubrey only gets you so far before we push back."
"Bite me, Ms. Football Trophy Wife. You think you're so mighty on your ivory tower because your husband plays in the NFL. Well, you're not.", Karen snarked before turning back to Jessica, confident that the smaller woman in front of her would fold once she put her in her place. "You're the reason Aubrey's might die, you cheap slut! Now, I'm warning you...if he doesn't come out of this, I'll make you pay."
Jessica's eyes blazed as she finally snapped and stepped into Karen's space, causing the older woman to take a step back in surprise. "That's it. I've had it with your over the top, whiny ass mouth. You do nothing but stir up trouble, you know that? You acted like my friend last summer, but yanked my chain behind my back, and Aubrey's, too."
"I'm his friend-"
"Bullshit. Booth is his friend...Hodgins is his friend...everyone here is his friend. You may have strong feelings for my boyfriend, but he's not your friend...he's just a conquest to you. He's someone to screw so you can prove that you've won whatever game you're playing and to prove something...God only know what that is. Are you really that desperate to prove you're a desirable woman?"
Karen didn't like how close Jessica's words cut her. "No. I care about him more than you ever will. After you broke his heart, I tried showing Aubrey how much better off he would be with me, but he wouldn't listen to me because he just wanted his head in your always open crotch. You probably don't even wear panties."
"At least Aubrey has seen my panties…", Jessica shot back, silently apologizing to her boyfriend and his private nature regarding their sex life. "...including my hot pink ones...and taken them off me with a frequency that I find very satisfying. What is your fascination with my underclothes, anyway? Don't you have any of your own?"
Karen's jaw hardened at the reminder of the special underwear that she bought to wear just for the agent which were now shoved in the back of the drawer. "I'm the only one who has tried to be there for Aubrey on a consistent basis, even though now that I have a fantastic boyfriend. It's a crock that he can't show his appreciation for my friendship because he's always pacifying you and your obvious jealousy of me."
"Jessica...jealous of you and Aubrey? You annoy the shit out of him, Karen.", Angela shot back. "Did you not get that when he ignores you, even after they arrested the teenagers who tried to kill him and my husband a year ago?"
"I will admit that we had a rocky start-"
"Rocky start? You ate the first real meal he had after his surgery last year, which is a big fat no no with him.", Jessica replied. "You ambushed him for a date five months later when you two were with Booth discussing a case. After he told you he was involved with me, you embarrassed him in front of a suspect-"
"Aubrey has moved on from that, Jessica. I'm the one who told him that his father was having him followed by the suspect.", Karen said, trying to take control of the situation.
"Is that your big claim to being Aubrey's friend? 'I told him his father was having him followed…', Jessica retorted in a mocking tone. "Big deal. What do you want? A damn cookie?"
"I-"
The anthropologist interrupted the other woman. "You wanted him for yourself, Karen, and you were pissed that he was dating me."
Desperate to get control of the situation, Karen took a deep breath. "As I told him that night, I just wanted a one night stand before I left for Kansas City."
"But that wasn't the case when you returned to DC last summer, was it Karen?", Jessica shot back. "You buddied up to him pretty fast when you came back."
"Well, someone had to be there for him. You sure as hell weren't.", Karen snapped back. "You ran off on some jaunt to Europe."
"That 'jaunt' was me attending a three week course at the University of Edinburgh for my dissertation, you ignorant twit...and I went with Aubrey's blessing." Seeing the profiler's mouth open, Jessica continued.
"After we broke up, when Aubrey didn't respond to your very overt sexual advances and hints, you made up rumors about you two which I was stupid enough to believe. Then, you stalked him at the Hoover with shitty meals and didn't get the hint when he ignored your phone calls. Then you tried ruining my friendship with Aubrey by harassing me at work with lies. Next, you crashed his birthday party and gave him an inappropriate gift and he had to threaten you with sexual harassment charges just to get you to back off. Then when you do manage to get a boyfriend of your own, you rubbed our noses in it because you thought Aubrey might actually get jealous. He's not, by the way…he was just as grossed out as I was that day at the diner when you extolled your twisted thoughts on the Wizard of Oz and shared about your guys' sex games with a pee soaked lion costume...yeah, you're so there for Aubrey."
The redhead ignored the chuckles as she advanced another step, poking her finger into Karen's chest. "Get this through your thick head. It doesn't matter how many meals…how many low cut tops, or how many S&M stories involving you and Agent Bower you tell to try making Aubrey jealous. He doesn't want you, Karen. He's in love with me and I'm in love with him. I'm going to be the one he asks for when he wakes up, not you. He's not going to care if you're here or not."
"Shut up!", Karen screamed, but Jessica continued in a low, threatening voice.
"You know, instead of chasing my boyfriend and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, maybe you need to start paying attention to your own relationship."
"What are you talking about, little girl?", Karen shot back.
"What am I talking about?", Jessica shot back as she crossed her arms. "When your boyfriend is not playing kinky sex stuff with you, he spends his spare time crudely flirting with other women and not keeping his hands to himself. For example, that day you and Steve crashed my lunch with Aubrey at the diner? He tried playing footsie with me under the table at the Royal Diner until I kicked the crap out of his leg."
"I don't believe that—"
"Of course you don't. You're too desperate for attention to see what a philanderer he really is." Jessica smirked at Karen's glare. "Oh, then there was Monday, when he told me I needed a real man because Aubrey was a skinny little putz. Steve even offered himself to me, saying he could be, and I quote, 'someone who could really make you squeal.'. Must be a big fan of 'Deliverance'…or he confused me as interested in playing one of your weird sex games. Of course, he saw you coming and his tune completely changed."
"You're a liar—"
"Then yesterday we were working the crime scene out at Antietam. First, he wanted to let me know that I had 'options' out there, meaning him instead of my 'scrawny kid' boyfriend. Then, he offered to help me relieve the stress I was under by following me home after work before grabbing my hand. I don't like men who think it's okay to touch me without asking, and the attention was not welcomed, so I bent his fingers back and told him to fuck off."
Karen's face was flushed with anger. "You are so fucking delusional. Steve's told me about how you flirt with him when Aubrey's not around, like yesterday when you approached him for a quickie near the crime scene. When Steve turned you down because he's faithful to me, you retaliated by pushing him into the mud. Dr. B saw what happened and helped you humiliate him further by making him take off all his clothes."
"Dr. Delfs, I have too many other things to worry about, such as my husband and family, to concoct a scheme with my intern just to humiliate a mediocre FBI agent. Believe me when I tell you that he is able to humiliate himself quite thoroughly without my assistance.", Brennan pointed out as everyone snickered quietly. "His unnecessary presence while Ms. Warren was examining the area compromised the scene. He was provided with a jumpsuit and his clothes were taken as evidence. If he would have left Ms. Warren alone, as per the established protocol, I wouldn't have had to confiscate his clothing for examination."
Ignoring the last comment, Karen pressed further. "I also know about the calls you are making to Steve before hanging up, you little slut."
Jessica rolled her eyes before smirking at the enraged profiler. "I'm not doing hang up calls to your boyfriend's phone...I don't even have his phone number. Even if I did, I'm too busy to make hang up calls because I'm either working at the lab or enjoying myself as Aubrey makes love to me….which we do frequently and, just so you know, since you're so fascinated with our love live... he's really, really good and very imaginative in bed."
On a roll, Jessica ignored the fury on the other woman's face. "Those phone calls Steve is getting are probably from all the other girlfriends he's screwing on the side. Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't contracted an STI by now, but knowing him, he owns stock in Trojan considering the way he must go through condoms. Now, you'd better start paying more attention to your boyfriend. Maybe then he'll stay away from me and any other woman he's made passes at or is sleeping with. Perhaps he'll even shape up if you find a new hobby other than stalking all of us."
Shaking her head, Karen was incredulous. "Stalking all of you? You're the stalker. You're just an intern…I'm the FBI profiler for the Jeffersonian."
"Karen, contrary to what you believe, you are not a profiler assigned to us by the FBI. You are one of several profilers in the BRIU that work with Booth, Aubrey, and a select few other agents that we assist in cases.", Cam replied.
"But I work your cases like Dr. Sweets did. Unlike him, I didn't act like an overgrown child to get your attention the way he did so he could hang around you. My God, you all attract weirdo child prodigies like flies."
"Lance was not a weirdo child prodigy!", Daisy said pointedly, upset at Karen's callous words. "He was smart, but he was also sweet, already ready to help a friend when needed, and if he wouldn't have died he would be right here with me, being an amazing father to our son."
"Sweets did work cases for other divisions, Dr. Delfs.", Brennan said as she crossed her arms, equally upset at Karen's derogatory comments about her late baby duck. "Yes...he made mistakes with Booth and myself, but he was adult enough to face us and apologize. Once we got past that hurdle, we got to know him and he became our friend. I still have reservations about psychology, but he did his job fairly and over time he was also trained to be in out in the field. I trusted him not only with my husband's life, but also with my children. However, friend or not, if he couldn't do his job, then we wouldn't have worked with him, because the lab only works with the best."
"I am very good at my job."
"Your skill is above average, Dr. Delfs. I'll concede that.", Brennan replied blandly.
Feeling like she was slapped in the face, Karen stared down her rival before gesturing to everyone. "You may have convinced Aubrey that he doesn't need me and somehow you got Dr. Brennan to take your side, but this is my group, Jessica, and you're the one who needs to get some real friends."
Brennan was at the end of her rope. "Dr. Delfs, you are not our friend. In actuality, you're merely an entitled individual who sometimes joins us for outside activities without an invitation."
Feeling her cheeks turn red at her humiliation Karen was determined to win. "I was invited to Cam and Arastoo's wedding-"
"Yes, after dropping several hints and being pushy.", Angela said.
"Like Dr. Brennan said, Sweets may have been overeager when he first began his work at the FBI, and he did make mistakes. However, he owned up to them over time, took his lumps, and became a wonderful friend to all of us until he died", Cam replied calmly. "We may have become friends with you over time if you weren't so damn overbearing."
"Overbearing? I think that's an exaggeration."
"No, it's being polite, Dr. Delfs. We do not feel particularly close to you because you are conspicuously lacking in any of the normal social graces. Your questionable actions towards Aubrey and my intern have helped me decide that you are not one I would consider a friend. Ms. Warren, on the other hand, is one of my students, and she also has good relationships with several people at the lab.", Brennan said.
"I bet you have good relationships with people at the lab, Jessica.", Karen said snidely. "Flirting with all the guys...leading them on...most dates one and done. I've heard all the stories with your short skirts and slutty behavior-"
"The casual relationships she engaged in when she started at the Jeffersonian were mutual, Karen. However, once she became friends with Aubrey and started dating him, she's never stepped out on him.", Angela retorted. "Not that it's actually any of your business anyway. Besides, weren't you the one who told Aubrey you only wanted a one night stand with him?"
Karen didn't like the ease with which Angela threw her words back in her face. "But Steve said Jessica has been flirting with him-"
"Your boyfriend is a lying pig.", Daisy said. "He hits on women all the time. He made passes at me a couple of times while I was dating Lance, before I was pregnant and during my pregnancy. At the Halloween Gala, he even offered me a chance to ride 'The Scarecrow Train' when you were in the ladies room, even though I told him I was married. Yuck."
"He was flirting with my daughter when she was at the FBI building two weeks ago.", Cam said. "It took Booth's arrival to make him leave Michelle alone."
"And I repeat, Agent Bower was being a nuisance with my intern yesterday before he fell into the mud, compromising the crime scene.", Brennan added. "What Ms. Warren has told you is correct, Dr. Delfs."
"You're all liars.", Karen yelled, before glaring back at Jessica. "You are the reason Aubrey is in surgery."
Fed up, Caroline stood up. "Enough of that broken record. This young lady didn't shoot Booth and Aubrey...they were shot by some suicidal nut job who is now dead. Now sit down Dr. Delfs. You will not be told again."
The profiler looked at the attorney and rolled her eyes. "What are you doing to do? It's not like you can arrest me..."
"Je vas te passe une calotte.", Caroline stated. "Rough translation? I'm going to smack you silly if you don't."
"Karen, just go away.", the redhead replied wearily. "I haven't got the energy to deal with another one of your temper tantrums. I have a boyfriend in surgery and he needs my thoughts, not me dealing with your insignificant insults."
"No, Jessica. I'm going to—"
"Dr. Delfs, leave now."
Everyone turned to see Brennan with a nurse and a security guard. Karen's mouth dropped in shock. "E-excuse me?"
"Because I have Aubrey's healthcare Power of Attorney, along with Booth, I have the authority to limit who sees him and who doesn't when he is unable to decide for himself. You are causing a disruption, not just for us but for everyone in this section of the waiting room. Now, you will leave this area, immediately..."
"You can't make me go.", Karen blustered. "This is a public place...it's not like your precious lab. You can't tell me what to do."
"Perhaps not, but this nurse can. She's been watching your little tirade and has called this security guard, who is ready to escort you out. Now, for the final time, go find Agent Bower and leave. Do not return until you can offer everyone here an apology for your appalling behavior and can conduct yourself like most women your age should be able to."
Karen dug through her purse for her phone. Finding it, she made a call as she stormed off. "Steve…where the fuck are you?"
When the profiler was gone, Cam turned to her colleague and friend. "Dr. Brennan, as I recall, Power of Attorney status does not include who waits while a patient is in surgery…"
Brennan shrugged as she rubbed Jessica's shoulder. "No, it doesn't…but it seems Dr. Delfs didn't know that, and I didn't see the harm in a little subterfuge so we could be rid of her."
Daisy pointed at the update screen. "Look! Aubrey is out of surgery!"
Two minutes later, a petite blonde woman in surgical scrubs came out. "For James Aubrey?"
Everyone gathered around the surgeon. Brennan and Andie held Jessica's hand as they waited. Dr. Elias offered up a kind smile as she pulled the group to the side.
"Our agent here is a tough one, and he did great. The spleen was only bruised, so no surgical repair was needed, but he will be on best rest for at least 72 hours so we can monitor him and he'll have to take it easy for a few weeks. There was a gunshot to that area, but it was near the top layer of his skin, so we closed it with some sutures, but there will be a nasty bruise. Most of all, we were able to successfully repair the damaged artery to his left thigh. Agent Aubrey is a lucky man because not only did Agent Booth's tourniquet save his leg and his life, but that bullet was a one in a million shot because it also missed all nerves and bone. It's going to take some time, but I anticipate that he'll make a full recovery."
Jessica couldn't control her anxiety any longer. "Can I go see him?"
"Are you Jessica?", the surgeon asked.
"Y-yes…"
"He muttered your name a couple of times before we put him under. Traditionally we wait until they're fully situated, but you can visit for a few minutes. We're arranging for him to go to ICU after some time in Recovery."
Jessica followed the doctor back past the revolving doors. She glanced at the open doors of other patients, trying to quell the nausea. After what seemed like a lot longer than twenty seconds, she was led into a room.
There was her Superman, pale but still breathing. His leg was covered with gauze and he had a bandage behind his ear. 'Must be where they sewed him up from where he hit his head.'
On the chair by the wall, she saw a bag with his name on it with Dr. B's signature on the label. Walking over and opening it, a tear fell as she pulled out his suit jacket and shirt and saw the two holes prominent on the left lower side and large blood stains on both. Digging further, she found his pants with the left leg cut off and blood over the crotch and inner right side.
"It's his suit from yesterday. He didn't even have time to change it."
Looking again, she pulled out his brown and blue striped tie, one of her favorites because it brought out his eyes. Miraculously, there was no damage. Holding it against her for a moment, she pulled out his badge.
For a few seconds, she felt sad that it wasn't she who had signed for his items, but Booth and Dr. B were his emergency contacts and his proxies, not her. Maybe someday it can be me, too… However, that wasn't important right now.
Putting everything but his tie back in the bag, she carefully set it on the floor before pulling the chair up to the bed. Taking his hand, she held it tight as she continued to hold his tie with the other hand. "I'm here, Aubrey…"
At 1:00 AM, Aubrey started to stir. Moving his body slightly, he winced from the pain. Looking to his right, he saw a fall of red hair on the bed and felt a small hand in his own. He was hazy but he'd know that hair anywhere.
"Jess…"
Startled awake, the redhead looked up and a tear fell as she saw her boyfriend open his eyes. "Aubrey…"
"Honey...I forgot to duck…ruined a perfectly good suit, too..."
In spite of herself, she chuckled. "Superman, you scare me like this again and I'll kick your ass."
The agent gave her a sleepy grin before falling back asleep with a smile. Relieved, Jessica brushed the hair at the his temple before giving in to her emotion, sobbing in relief.