A/N: Here is chapter 3. Hope you enjoy.
Breakfast was unusually quiet this morning. Lukas and his parents sat at their kitchen table, each of them eating in complete silence. There was no Riley to lighten the mood and the adults were carefully avoiding speaking to one another. Every now and then, they'd look up from their bowl and blue and brown would make contact but they'd immediately look away.
Lukas ate quietly, worried about both his parents and his sister. He knew his sister was really sick and he wasn't aloud to go near her. She was always sleeping, locked up in her room, curtains drawn. He'd gone to visit her the previous night but he hadn't stayed for long. Her room was cold and he wasn't sure why.
The air was also so tense that he wished that Parker was home with them. When his big brother was home, his parents acted normally. Again, he was left confused. Had him or his sister done something and now his parents were mad? His eyes went from his sad mother to his angry father. He felt a lump in his throat that he swallowed, hard. He pushed his bowl aside.
"Eat your breakfast." His mother told him. "You barely took two spoonful."
She pushed the bowl back to him. Lukas sighed because picking up his spoon.
Temperance waited for everybody to be done eating before getting up and clearing the table. Booth folded his newspaper and placed it neatly on the corner of the table... just like he did every day.
At least that is normal. Lukas thought.
"Luke, you go get dressed. The bus will be here in fifteen minutes." He heard his mother say.
Temperance knew fully well that fifteen minutes wasn't going to be enough and that someone would have to drive him to school.
Hopefully, Booth will accept. She thought bitterly.
They were all running late this morning and Temperance still hadn't found anybody to babysit Riley while she was at work. She just couldn't afford to lose another day of work. They were already behind on the remains brought in two days ago and new ones were brought in practically every day.
She wasn't bothering asking Booth to stay home with his daughter. She already knew his answer. He'd say he was too busy at work, that he had this meeting he couldn't miss, and so on and so on.
She heard Lukas leave and walk up the stairs, his tiny feet making the steps under him creaking. Temperance smiled. She hadn't realized before today how much she loved that sound. For some reason, it made her feel safe.
She turned to see Booth staring at her, an indecipherable look in his eyes. She looked immediately away, uncomfortable. She wasn't used to him staring at her like that lately.
"What's the matter?" she asked him.
Booth shrugged.
"Nothing. Just wondering."
"About what?"
He opened his mouth to reply but immediately closed it. Instead he sighed and got up.
"Nothing important." He said before walking out of the kitchen.
Temperance rolled her eyes and continued clearing the breakfast table.
Lukas hadn't missed the bus but only by a second. Temperance had waited until the yellow vehicle had turned the corner before walking back inside, frozen. She hadn't bothered with a coat and now she regretted it. February could be really cold.
She walked up the stairs and went to her room where she knew she'd find her husband.
"I need you to stay here with Riley today." Temperance said, tentatively.
She hadn't found a babysitter and asking Booth was the only option left. She knew it would probably lead to an argument but it was worth the shot. Maybe seeing his daughter so sick would have given him a change of heart.
Unfortunately for her, she soon found out that it hadn't.
"I can't. I have a meeting again today. I can't miss it." Booth replied, playing with the knot of his tie.
Stupid thing. He thought angrily.
"Well I really need to go to work. There are still skeletons to be identified. Zach didn't..."
"Are you deaf, Bones? I just said that I can't stay here."
Temperance glared at him. How dare he speak to her on that tone? Who did he think she was? She told him so but Booth didn't reply.
"Why can't you be more helpful? Your daughter is sick, Booth."
"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Booth asked, ignoring her question, as he crossed to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
"Yes, we did but..."
"There's no buts." Booth replied as he squeezed toothpaste out of the tube and onto his toothbrush. "I just can't stay here with her today. I wish I could but I can't."
"Whatever." Temperance replied, before leaving her husband alone in the bathroom.
She stepped into the hallway and walked to her daughter's room.
The room was still cold, probably as cold as outside, but even so Riley slept with hardly any blankets covering her. She's the one who had complained about her room being too warm and Booth had practically shut down the heat completely. At first, Temperance had been a bit astonished by it but now she realized that maybe it had been a good idea.
She sat down on the bed and pressed her hand on her daughter's forehead. It seemed warm than the previous night. Temperance reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the thermometer. She tucked it under her baby's arm and waited a few minutes. The beeping announced that the thermometer was ready. She pulled it away and brought it up to her eyes.
The room was dark but Temperance could still see the numbers: 101.8. She knew that a temperature taken in the armpit was close to one degree lower than a temperature taken orally. This meant that Riley's temperature had gone up one degree. She immediately became worried.
Getting up, she casted one more glance at her daughter's sleeping form before walking quickly back to her bedroom.
"I'll stay with her today." Temperance informed her husband.
Booth, who was now standing in front of the mirror, didn't bother looking at her.
"Great to know you changed your mind." He said.
Turning around, he grabbed his suitcase from the bed and walked past her.
Temperance could feel her heart ached as she watched Booth walk out of the bedroom. She quietly followed him down the hall and the stairs and stopped when he reached the door. She watched him, from the stairs, as he put on his boots and coat. He grabbed his suitcase and opened the door.
He was stepping out in the cold air when he noticed his wife staring at him.
"What?" he asked, a bit harsher than he had wanted.
Temperance shook her head, tears stinging at the back of her eyes. She forced them where they were.
"Nothing." She replied, softly. "Nothing."
Booth sighed loudly and Temperance could have sworn she had seen a wave of sadness sweeping over his face but it was gone in an instant. She smiled sadly at him, thinking it had been a figment of her imagination, and watched as he turned around.
"She'll be okay." She heard him say as he walked away to the SUV.
Temperance sighed and closed the door.
"Hey Zach. How are things at the lab?" Temperance asked, sitting down in front of the videophone.
"Not so good, Dr. Booth. I really wish you were here to help. New bodies were brought in today by the FBI. It's like a crime wave or something. By the way, Ryan asked for you when he came today. Wanted to know how you were doing."
Temperance nodded.
"What did you tell him?"
"I just said that Riley was sick and that you were staying home with her."
"Thanks, Zach."
Zach shrugged before changing the subject back to the remains.
"I'm in way over my head and Goodman's going nuts because we're not making any progress. It's a good thing we have a videophone. I'll be able to fill you in."
Temperance nodded. She reached over for her clipboard and her pencil.
"Lay it on me, Zach."
Zach looked at her questioningly but didn't say anything. Instead, he began the fill-in.
Temperance felt like she had been writing for hours when, in fact, it had taken less than twenty minutes. She felt as though Zach had gone over everything she had needed to know and she thanked him for his help.
"No problem. That's what colleagues are for. How is Riley anyway?"
"Not good. Her fever went up again today. I just hope it comes down soon."
"Any other symptoms? Harsh breathing? Panting? Sweating? Nausea? Dizziness?"
Temperance shook her head.
"She sweats a bit but not much and she has none of the symptoms you mentioned. She just... sleeps. She barely eats. I think she had maybe half a small bowl of soup last night and she hasn't eaten anything yet."
Zach frowned.
"Maybe you should wake her up and give her some food. Maybe that's what's keeping her from getting better."
"I guess."
"And how's Booth taking it?"
She had been about to answer when a scream from the second floor reached her ears.
"MOMMY!"
In a flash, Temperance was on her feet, excusing herself to Zach before sprinting down the corridor and up the stairs to her daughter's bedroom.
She barged in the room to find Riley laying on her back, her eyes half-closed and breathing hard.
Wow! It must have taken all of her strength to call me. Temperance thought.
She stepped closer to the bed and noticed that her child's lips were dried and chapped.
"Mommy." Riley said, weakly. "I'm thirsty."
Temperance fought the urge to cry as she nodded numbly. She wished, at that instant, that Booth was here to comfort her.
"Mommy will be back in two minutes with a glass of water."
Riley nodded as she licked her lips, trying desperately to moisten them. She was so thirsty, her throat was dry and two minutes never seemed so long to her. Her mother finally returned to her room, a glass in her hand and sat down beside her. Riley sat up, slowly, and took the glass into her weak hands.
The plastic glass felt heavy and her hands began shaking under its weight. Temperance put her own hand under the glass and held it up to her daughter's lips. Riley drank quickly and soon the glass was empty.
"More." Riley said.
Worried, Temperance nodded and ran back down to the bathroom. She filled the glass once more, to the top, and walked back quickly, trying not to spill any of its content on the floor. Again, Riley drank quickly.
"Do you want more?"
Riley shook her head before laying back down and closing her eyes. In two seconds, she had fallen back asleep. Temperance kissed her burning forehead before getting up and walking out of the room.
Zach was still waiting for her when she sat back down at the table, suddenly exhausted.
"You don't look good, Dr. Booth." Zach said, worried.
"I'm fine. I'm just a little worried."
Zach nodded, knowingly.
Two minutes later, they were disconnecting.
It was past noon when Temperance finally decided to fix herself a sandwich. She was starving and bored. She flunk herself in front of the TV, plate on her lap and flipped through the channels. She finally settled, after two turns, for the local news. She wanted to know about the case she had been working on with the local police. But something entirely different caught her attention.
"A foreign disease is sweeping through Washington and has finally claimed its first victim. Jennifer Watson, 37, died of the strange illness last night after a week of suffering."
Temperance set down her sandwich, unable to take another bite.
"Watson is believed to have died from Febril, a south africain illness, that have been plaguing Washington residents for over two weeks now. Watson was the first case reported to a hospital staff but several dozens of other cases are believed to be going on throughout the city.
Febril started in Africa a year ago where the disease has already made thousands of death throughout the southern part of the continent. It is believed that the disease was brought here by accident by travellers who have recently visited the country of Kenya.
The victims of Febril suffer from extreme fevers and the illness can lead to deaths. The medical authorities have issued a health warning and are begging everybody who is suffering from some kind of flu or are having fevers of undetermined origins to consult with their doctors as soon as possible."
Temperance stared at the TV, dumbstruck. The word Febril echoed through her head. Febril: fever in spanish. She shivered. Riley had a fever.
Don't forget to review! Coming soon: Booth's explanation as to why he is acting the way he is.