Loving the love. Thanks to beta-face.

Also, hello shortest A/N of my entire life-force.

God.

Chapter Five - Relapse, My Silence Please

Booth stepped backed in surprise when he heard her voice. He felt an overwhelming surge of emotions grip his body when he saw her looking up at him with wide blue eyes. She was awake.

Temperance looked at him, confusion spreading across her features, "Booth?" she called again, this time looking frantically around the unfamiliar room, "Booth!" her voice rose a notch.

Booth rushed back to her side in that split second he had comprehended her aroused, distressed state, "Hey, hey, Shhh it's okay, Bones" he soothed, taking her hand in his once again. Her busy eyes were taking in everything; the stark whiteness of the room, the cold bed beneath her, the harsh smell of anesthetic swirling beneath her nose. It all screamed HOSPITAL.

She scrunched her eyebrows together, "I don't understand, Booth?" she said in a weak voice, energy already draining from her body.

He watched and allowed her to absorb her surroundings before he spoke, "Do you remember anything?"

She shook her head sideways, "Why am I here?" She tried to sit up but found her arms too weak to lift her heavy body. She had never felt so exhausted in her life. But why?

"You collapsed at the lab, Bones" he answered, his eyes meeting hers.

"I had the flu---"

"It's more than that," he cut in, "This isn't just the flu." he said softly, noticing the uneasy expression settling on her face.

Her lips parted to speak, but closed again when she suddenly lost the words. Booth seemingly understood her silent question, unarticulated, but present never the less, and said, "Your heart."

"My heart?" she echoed, her voice breaking ever so slightly, "What's wrong with it?"

Booth sighed and looked down. "Tempe--" he started.

The reference to her name made her head spring up. He never called her Temperance. Never.

Booth let go of her hand and stood, "I'll get the doctor. She'll be able to explain things better."

"No Booth! Please, don't leave me." she quickly blurted out, her intense gaze following him towards the door. She really didn't want to be alone right now. She would never admit it, but waking up in a strange hospital room had left her feeling just a little afraid.

He had his back to her, and for some reason, that made her nervous. Not seeing his face, the comfort she seemed to draw from it, had her heart pounding. "Booth..." she tried again, sinking lower into the bed.

He stopped a short distance from the door and turned, "I won't be two seconds, okay?"

She nodded hesitantly, her eyes flicking around the room "Okay."

He left the room silently, the door closing with a squeak. She tried sitting up, but again found her energy reservoir nearing empty. She examined her room. Obviously a private room, it was large and white, the sun glinting through the blinds and covering her bed in gentle tendrils of light. She hadn't realised she had been holding her breath untill she felt the pressure against her chest and she released the trapped air inside her. The hollow tube supplying her extra oxygen under her nose began to itch, and she wondered why she needed it. She lifted her arm to remove it and saw the tightly wound bandage on her arm. But it's only a cut...why would they go to so much effort to dress a petty cut?

It was that thought that caused her notice the wires attached everywhere on her body. Five circular electrodes were tapped around her chest, all around her heart. My heart...

Her heart pounded harder, sending a flood of blood into her chambers. She tried taking deep breaths to subdue her erratic pulse, but found the thoughts in her head fighting against any peace she was attempting to conjure up. Calm down Temperance. Control!

The nurse sat at the nurse's station filling out paperwork, while sporadically watching over the monitors for the patients on the cardiovascular ward. The vitals in room 206 were increasing dramatically. She pushed herself out of her chair quickly and called out to the other attending nurses for help before paging doctor Hart.

Booth was on his way down the corridor when Dr. Hart appeared at the end, her feet barely touching the floor. She was jogging very quickly, and as she brushed past him she gave him a small nod and continued down the hall. He turned on his heel and followed close behind. Somehow he knew she was running for Tempe.

Switch on headlights. Angst is becoming.