(The Big in the Philippines)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Though there was a quiet investigation going on by Angela and her friend Pete, Booth and Brennan still had their jobs to do and solving a murder took priority at the moment. Even though Wendell had been injured during a hockey game, he felt fine enough to do his rotation that week. The case they were working on was interesting and he didn't want to miss anything because of a broken arm.

Excited about the hockey game that he and Wendell had played in, Booth had proudly shown Brennan the parts of the game that he had recorded which included the hit and fall that had shattered Wendell's arm. Curious, Brennan had studied the film and decided that the broken bones that her intern had suffered shouldn't have occurred the way they had. After she obtained his MRI she knew that she had been right. Wendell had Ewing's Sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer that was ninety percent fatal.

She had a decision to make. After some careful thought, she decided to tell her intern about his illness, but she needed to decide how to do it. Not telling him had never been an option, but when to tell him and who else to tell were on her mind. His illness should be a private affair, but not too private, not too secretive. He needed help and he needed support.

A feeling of anxiety made her hesitate, but in the end, she broke the news to Booth before she told Wendell. Booth was good at personal interaction and he could help her when it came time to tell Wendell about his diagnosis. She just had to break it to her husband first then determine the best course of action.

"Ewing's sarcoma?" He'd never heard of it, but if Brennan had asked to meet him away from the Lab then this was serious. "What's that?"

"Cancer. A rare bone cancer. It has a ninety percent mortality rate." Booth's skin turned pale and she knew that he was reacting to the news as a good friend would. "I've known for a few days and I've been very awkward around him, but I needed to make sure of the facts before I broached the subject to him."

Filled with a certain amount of dread, Booth needed to accept what was happening. Wendell was his friend and he needed to help the man if he could. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course."

He didn't know why he'd asked her that, maybe he was trying to deflect what was happening. He didn't know. He just knew that one of his friends had been given a possible death sentence. "Sorry, of course you do."

"I need to tell him, Booth." She felt her heart beating faster. She wasn't afraid to die since everyone died eventually, but Wendell was a young man. He'd barely experienced life and she wasn't sure how to tell him.

"And you will, Bones. I'll help you." He didn't want Brennan to go through that alone. He knew that Wendell was one of her favorite interns, even though she tried not to have any and she wasn't taking this as stoically as she wanted to do. "We'll tell him together."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

The news about Wendell was upsetting, but Cam knew that everyone needed to support the young man and that meant no hysteria. He had a major decision to make about his life and she knew that Brennan had presented him with the data he needed to make that decision. Cancer was a terrible diagnoses and Ewing's Sarcoma was one of the really bad ones, but she knew that giving up was not an option. Wendell needed to fight for his life and he needed to start now.

"Mr. Bray, may I speak to you about a personal matter." In the past it had been her policy not to become involved in the personal lives of the people that worked for her and most of the time she was successful, but during her tenure at the Lab she had seen an intern shot and killed on the platform and another intern betray everything that the people that worked with him stood for. Those events had broken her heart and she had stepped further away from the private lives of the others at the Lab, but sometimes what we want to do and we need to do are not compatible.

As he entered the office, Wendell knew from the somber look on Cam's face that she knew about his condition. "Sure, I guess."

It wasn't a very inviting response, but Cam pushed on. "I know this is a private matter, but I want you to know that I am aware of your situation and if you choose to fight, I will help in anyway I can. Your position at the Lab is safe. I will not replace you if you choose to undergo treatment for your condition. I know that having a paycheck coming in will help with your situation. Also, by working here, you will be covered by our health insurance plan."

Surprised and grateful, Wendell smiled although it didn't last long on his lips. "I thought about just ignoring the treatment and living what little life I have left . . . I watched my father die of cancer. He was so sick and he barely had a life, but he fought for my mother and me. He didn't want to give up . . . My father worked all of his life to give my mother a good life, to make sure I could go to school and to be something, but cancer killed him and it didn't care about what he wanted . . . I could just travel and see exotic places and meet exotic women, but then I thought about it and I would be leaving my mother behind and she doesn't deserve that. She's always been there for me and I know that this is going to be bad for her, I might die, in fact I probably am going to die, but if I run away and die away from her what kind of person would I be? I don't want to be selfish. I want to be the kind of man she thinks I am . . . I told Dr. Brennan that I'm going to fight to live. I have a ten percent chance but it's a chance and I'm going to take it. I guess this is going to be the biggest gamble of my life."

His speech had been intense and filled with passion and Cam wanted to cry for him, but she knew that would not help him. Tears are for the defeated not the fighter. "The decision is yours Mr. Bray but I think it's the right decision. My mother died of breast cancer. She fought everyday to live until there was no fight left. She taught me a valuable lesson. Never give up, never give in and spit in the face of death."

Slowly nodding his head, Wendell knew that he was making the right decision. "Thank you for your support Dr. Saroyan. I don't know how this is going to turn out, but at least I can say that I tried."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Pete Jackson had contacted Angela to check up on her and was disturbed when she told him about a murder case that the FBI had investigated that was linked to The McNamara Corporation. The fact that Giles McNamara had used his corporation to pay William King to kill Gale Storm was disturbing enough, but to be linked to a possible serial killer case made Pete feel very nervous. "What the hell is going on?" Just how deep was McNamara connected to the mysterious blackmailer that had got Wayne Kitchen to commit treason and murder and to get William King to use his mercenaries to go after a CIA employee? Pete didn't understand what was going on, but he was still filling in the puzzle pieces.

Now that he knew that the McNamara Corporation was covering for a serial killer, he began to wonder why? Who was this serial killer? Why would a major corporation risk ruin to cover up several murders? What did they have to gain? Giles McNamara was dead and so was his son Trent which left the corporation in the hands of Stephanie McNamara, the daughter of Giles and sister of Trent.

Curious, he started to look closer at the McNamara Corporation. His gut was telling him that the serial killer was a mistake and the puppet master behind Kitchen and King had made a strategic error using a corporation that could eventually bring her or him down.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting on a chair on the patio in the backyard, Booth looked down at his sleeping daughter in his arms and smiled. He loved children and was happy that he had both a daughter and a son. They brought him a lot of joy and he knew that Brennan loved them dearly. It had been quite a shock when Booth had learned about Wendell's cancer scare and he had done quite a bit of praying for the younger mam. He wanted his friend to experience the things that he had. Finding love, becoming a parent, living a full life. He'd always hoped that he would have a family and Brennan had made his dream come true. The thought that Wendell could die and never achieve anything made him sad. The young man was just beginning his life and he should have time to accomplish the things he wanted to, but Booth knew that life wasn't fair and Wendell would have to fight for the things he wanted.

Living in a house filled with hate had almost destroyed him. He knew what it was like to give up hope and almost give in to the pain and grief, but his grandfather had saved him and shown him that he could have what he wanted if he fought for it. Later, while he was in the service, he had been tortured as a prisoner of war and his feet had been badly damaged. For a while, no one was sure he'd ever walk again, but he hadn't given up. He'd had numerous surgeries and endless therapy and he'd never given up. He knew that hope and faith could help Wendell and he would be there for the man. His friend needed backup, someone to believe that he could defeat his disease and Booth knew that he was that man. "Fight Wendell. Fight with every bit of you that you can."

She heard him speak as she left the house and she knew that her husband was worried about her intern. Sitting down next to him, Brennan smiled at her sleeping child and felt a small sense of peace that Christine gave her whenever she was nearby. "He has decided to fight Booth and I am in contact with an oncologist that might be of help. He's working on something experimental and I'm hoping that I can talk him into taking Mr. Bray into his program. It will depend upon whether he has any openings in his program."

Booth liked the sound of that. "That's good, Bones. That's good." Carefully shifting Christine in his arms, hoping not to wake her, Booth freed his right hand and placed it on Brennan's knee. "Thank you, Bones. You have a big heart and I've always loved you for that."

His words left her with a warm feeling. Booth had been the only one that had ever said things like that to her. She had always assumed that she didn't have any empathy or compassion, but Booth would never accept that. He saw in her the things others didn't and she love him so much for that.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks