New goal guys - As far away from 100 as possible, then we can do a ritual dance around a pepper corn tree, and I'll hand out 3D unicorn stickers, and it's gonna be great. Swear.

Foxtrot. Uniform. Charlie. Kilo.

Chapter Four - Abraisons of So Many Things

Booth stood stifly outside Brennans hospital door. He had been doing so for the last fifteen minutes, digging deep within himself for the courage to go in. Physically, he knew she hadn't changed, but everything else that was familiar about her had. The strong, independent Brennan was gone, replaced by a weak, lifeless shell of a woman. He wasn't sure if his composure would hold out for much longer. Seeing her would surely break him, he held onto no false hope that it wouldn't. He had no doubts in his mind that this wouldn't hurt. But he would stay. He would be there for her, no question. She was his partner, maybe in everything.

He rested his forehead against the closed door softly, his hand hovering over the door handle. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, wishing he could shut out the pass couple of hours. He never thought that Temperance could get sick, never thought it possibe. She wasn't like other people, she was strong, these things didn't happen to her, it wasn't supposed to. Her life had never been easy, each heartbreak inevitably breaking her down just a little, ensuing the walls around her heart to rise gradually higher, locking herself in that box that would keep her at arms lengnth, securing her safetly.

She didn't deserve this. Oh god, how she didn't deserve this..

He sucked in a huge breath and cursed his hesitation. Pull yourself together! She needs you in there! He exhaled through clenched teeth. Placing his hand around the handle, he turned it smoothly, the door opening with an audible squeak.

The room sat in relative darkness, all but the dimmed flourescent light above her bed. His gaze held the floor and slowly, he looked up. He swore his heart stopped beating the second he saw her. He turned his head sharply to the side, his breath hitching in the back of his throat. Bones..

She was hooked up to countless wires, all monitoring her current condition closely. Beneath her nose she had a oxygen tube running the lengnth of her cheek and tucking behind her ear. Her face was a ghostly white, her cheeks holding no color at all. The steady beep of the monitor to her left told him she was breathing in regular, even intervals, but anyone could see that by looking at the unfaltering rise and fall of her chest.

There was an uncomfortable looking chair next to her bed and Booth sat down on it, releasing a tremulous sigh in the process. His eyes wondered over her face, taking in every detail. He had never had this freedom to just look at her. It was always quick sideway glances or sneak peaks when he dared. It felt different to what he expected it would be like, to look at her with all the love exposed deep in his eyes... she needed to be looking back at him.

He entwined his fingers with hers, using his thumb to trace delicate circles on her soft skin. "Hey, Bones" he whispered to her quietly, his lips tugging into a smile, not because he was happy, but because of all the memories that came from using that endearment; Bones. How she had hated it when he had called her that, the look she threw at him whenever he said it. He imagined she was accustomed to it by now, he hardly ever got verbally abused for it these days. If his suspicions were correct, she had grown to be quite fond of his acquired endearment for her.

"Wake up for me, Bones." he told her, watching her closed eyes for any sign of acknowledgement. Nothing.

He continued to watch her for several more hours, until the black sheet of night slowly pulled away to allow daylight its time in the world. The nurses had been in and out of the room numerous times, checking on the patient, observing the undeniable devotion by a man who loved a woman. They never asked him to leave, mostly because he wasn't doing any harm, and mostly because he was fast asleep, his head resting on the side of the bed, two hands still entwined together unflinchingly.

It was the enthusiastic chirpping of the birds outside the window that finally woke him. His neck and back felt cramped and sore and he wondered how long he had been asleep. He started to panic slightly, thinking that Temperance had woken up during the night and he wasn't awake to reasure her. He stopped stressing when he saw she was still in the same position she had been in the night before.

She was perfectly still.

There was some color to her cheeks this morning, a beautiful contrast to her pale complextion. He brushed a stray piece of hair aside, letting his fingers trail down her cheek, falling to her neck. He leant over her bed and placed a small kiss on her forehead, "You're too stubborn for your own good, Bones."

He felt her breath brush against his cheek, "Booth?"

This chapter was mainly a filler. I didn't want to jump straight into the story without at least some "reflection" time from Booth. Next chapter will be more...buoyant...ahem...sorta...ah.

I don't wanna beat around the bush...FOXTROT! Damn that song.