A/N: Sorry last chapter was confusing for some of you. Everything gets cleared up in a couple of chapters. Until then, enjoy the rest of the story:-)

"Okay. I've had enough! Tomorrow, we're bringing her to the doctor's!"

That had been what Booth had said just before they had climbed in to bed and Temperance had a feeling he had forced himself not to add that she should have done that a long time ago. She felt guilty even though he hadn't said it because she knew he was right. She should have brought Riley to see her pediatrician the first day she had been sick but she had been too caught up in her work to do anything. She guessed she just figured that her daughter would get well soon and that eveverything would be over in a matter of days. How could she have been so wrong? Riley had been sick for almost four days and she was far from getting better.

Temperance turned to look at her clock. It was a little past three in the morning. She sighed. She doubted she would get any sleep tonight. Booth, on the other hand, was sleeping heavily beside her and the only noise in the room came from his deep and steady breathing. She wondered how he could sleep so well when his sick daughter was in the next room and his wife was tossing and turning in their bed.

She remembered the nights when she had been tossing and turning and Booth would wake up just for her and force himself to stay awake while he'd give her a massage or a backrub until she fell asleep. She sighed as it hit her that he hadn't done that in over a year.

She turned to look at him. What had happened to them? They used to be so happy and so in love and now they barely spoke. As she looked at his face, examining the features she knew so well, she wondered, more importantly, about what had happened to him. Was she responsible for his change of heart? Was he? What had happened inside his mind that had changed him so much? All of his anger seemed directed to her. Why was that? She must have done something wrong to angry him. Why wasn't he telling her?

She tried to think things through logically. Logic always helped her understand situations. She had a feeling that this time it wouldn't help. She tried it anyway.

The most logical place to start was probably at the end of the Bradford case. Things had been rough between them during the entire case, going from tender and loving to anger and arguments. She had threatened to divorce, tired of the jealousy, if he didn't change his behaviour and he, himself, had considered it. But when she had gone to him in a moment of pure weakness, he had admitted that he had no intention to call the lawyer and the subject of divorce had never been mentioned again. It couldn't be because he wanted to divorce. He would have told her.

Just like he had promised, they had talked about having another baby. They had tried often yet she still hadn't gotten pregnant. Could it be what was bothering him? She couldn't understand why. She was the one who wanted another baby. Booth had just agreed with her. She was the one who should have been upset over it. Not him. No. That wasn't the reason. There just had to be another one.

What else had there been after that? Well, she couldn't forget the fact that Booth had started his therapy. His therapist, Dr. Jordan, was the best in the Washington area. Booth had apparently met him when he had had enough of his gambling problems but he hadn't seen the man in years before he called him up six months ago. Could it be that Booth had realized something while in therapy and that now he held a grudge against her? It was after he had started his therapy that things had changed.

Nothing else out of the ordinary had happened afterwards. At first, things hadn't been so bad. They just argued more than they did usually. Then night came, all the anger seemed to have dissolved and they'd "practice" making their new baby. She smiled at that thought but the smile quickly faded away. They hadn't tried for a baby in three months. Turning to him once again, she wondered how he could do it. Did he have a mistress? She pushed that thought aside immediately, not wanting to think about it. Besides, Booth would never cheat, especially not after experiencing it first hand. She cluthed the blanket as she thought about Tessa. She still couldn't believe that she had cheated on him.

Things had just degenerated. They had gone from fighting two or three times a day to up to ten times. After a month or two, they had just stopped talking to one another. Booth still helped her around the house but no words were spoken. It was like the silence treatment she would give her parents whenever she was mad at them. But Booth wasn't immature like she was.

She yawned widely and noticed that her eyelids felt heavy. Maybe she would get some sleep tonight after all. She closed her eyes and settled herself comfortably in her bed. Beside her, Booth turned onto his side, facing away from her.

He would have turned onto my side before. Temperance caught herself thinking.

Her eyes shot back open. She hadn't realized it herself until just now. When had she become this dependent and clingy person? This person who felt hurt by the stupidest move in the world? So Booth had turned the other way in his sleep. Big deal. He had done it before and she hadn't minded. Could this be the reason why Booth and her were drifting away? She had always been this independent woman and now she had turned the opposite. Maybe Booth was tired of it.

She sighed, more in frustration to herself. She was now being paranoid, thus completely irrational and she knew it. Turning towards her husband, she threw her arm over him. She felt him instinctively grabbed her arm and pull it close towards his chest. She took it as a good sign. Minutes later, she was falling asleep.

The doctor's office was pratically full when Temperance walked in the waiting room, Booth following closely behind her with an asleep and heavy Riley in his arms. They managed to cross the room, avoiding and overstepping toys and children. A couple with no children moved over on the bench to make some room for them. Temperance nodded, thankfully, to the woman. The woman turned her attention back to her magazine.

The waiting room was noisy and Temperance wondred which one of these children were actually sick. They all seemed in good health as she watched them play with their toys. She came to the conclusion that most of them were probably here because of their parents who were slightly panicking because of the Febril epidemic.

Beside her, Booth was clinging to their daughter like a lifeline. It had taken Booth and Temperance hours before they were able to pull the child out of bed. She was just too weak and could barely stand up. Temperance knew that, if Booth loosened his grip even just a little, Riley would slip out of his arms. Reaching out for her daughter's hair, Temperance ran her hand gently through it.

There had been another death the previous night. A twenty-five year old man, this time, had passed away after two weeks of fever and suffering. Ten more cases had been reported and five people were now in intensive care. The number of cases just kept on growing and, as she ran her hand through her daughter's hair, Temperance wished that Riley hadn't caught the strange illness. Nobody had survived it yet.

The parents both looked up to see a nurse appear at the door, mask covering her mouth and latex gloves on her hands. Riley's name was called and Booth and Temperance got up. The nurse led them to a room down the hall and Temperance wondred if Dr. Blooms had switched offices. Not that it mattered, really. She was just curious. The doors to the other offices were closed.

The pediatrician was waiting for them in the tiny examination room, wearing the same outfit as her colleague, the nurse. The difference between the blue came down to the doctor's blue jacket that finished her ensemble. Temperance and Booth looked at each other, frowning. What was going on here?

Sensing their confusion, Dr. Blooms immediately explained herself. Her voice was muffled by her mask.

"We don't take chances at the moment." She said, closing the door behind her. "With Febril running around the city, all doctors in Washington are required to wear a surgeon's vest, with a mask and gloves. It's procedure. Sorry if that offends you."

"Not at all." Booth replied, slightly offended. She only has the flu.

He placed Riley carefully on the examination table and joined his wife, who was leaning against the wall beside the door. He watched with a certain apprehension as the doctor began her examination of his daughter. She seemed worried but wasn't saying anything.

Her brows were furrowed in concentration. Her hand was resting on Riley's back, preventing from falling back.

This child is weak. She thought to herself.

"Has she eaten in the last few days?"

Booth turned to his wife.

"She ate a bit of soup last night for dinner."

Dr. Blooms turned to the couple.

"How much is a bit?"

Temperance shrugged, not remembering clearly.

"Half of what she usually eats, I'd say, which is usually half a bowl."

"Okay... so a quarter of a bowl?"

Temperance nodded, cursing herself mentally for being so vague. It was so unlike her.

"Has she had any other symptoms besides a fever? Runny nose? Cough? Headache? Nausea?"

The doctor sounded just like Zach and Temperance smiled in spite of the situation. Her smile quickly faded at Booth's glare.

"No. None. Well maybe a runny nose. Last night, she used a lot of tissues."

The doctor nodded. The parents watched as the doctor checked the child's pulse, listened to her heartbeat and checked her ears. Finally, after five or ten minutes of examination, they weren't exactly sure, the doctor straightened up and turned to the parents.

"I think she's just caught a pretty bad cold. I'll prescribe some cold medication and if she's still not fine a four or five days, don't hesitate and come back to see me."

Temperance nodded and Booth thanked the doctor. He picked up Riley, who couldn't sit straight anymore, and kissed the top of his baby's head. They waited for the doctor to finish up the prescription and Temperance grabbed the pink paper handed to them.

Thanking the doctor once again, they left the office.

Riley had been given her medication and put immediately to bed. She hadn't lasted more than five seconds awake the moment her head had touched her pillow. Booth had left for work, claiming he had yet another important meeting while Temperance waited patiently for her mother-in-law to arrive. Judith had agreed to watch after Riley so Temperance could at least get a bit of work done at the lab. Temperance couldn't be more thankful.

Judith took less than twenty minutes to arrive and Temperance wondred how fast her mother-in-law had driven here. The Booths lived at least thirty minutes away. She smiled at the older woman as she walked in the house and told her everything that she needed to know.

"Everything will be fine." Judith told her as she pushed her towards the door. "Go work! Don't worry about a thing. Everythign is under control."

Temperance had barely gotten the time to put on her coat and boots before being pushed out the door. It closed behind her, leaving Temperance on her porch.

Judith had told her not to wrry about a thing. But Temperance would worry. It was maternal instinct.

The afternoon seemed to drag on and on for the worried mother. She did manage to get some work done before her watch announced the end of the day at 4:00 pm. As Temperance zipped her coat and walked out in the parking lot of the museum, she couldn't help but wonder when had been the last time she had been this happy to leave her work. As much as she tried to remember, she just couldn't.

She just had to go home and check on her daughter. She had spent the entire afternoon worrying. Dr. Goodman had been patient with her but she could sense that he had been getting a tad annoyed at the end of the day. She welcomed the time to go home with open arms.

She was surprised to see Booth's car as she pulled in her driveway and she noticed that Judith's was gone. Frowning, she got out of her own car and walked to the door as quickly as the ice on the ground allowed her to. Had something happened to Riley? Was Booth home early because of that?

But the house was quiet when Temperance walked in. Lukas immediately ran to her but she hugged her son distractedely. Pushing him gently away, she walked to the living room to find Booth watching TV.

"Where's your mother?" she asked.

"She left. I came home early. Couldn't concentrate." Booth replied, his eyes never leaving the television.

Temperance nodded and headed towards the kitchen, ignoring the fact that Booth had seemed more than distracted. It was time for Riley's medication.

Riley's room was still cold and Temperance shivered as she sat down on the bed. Her daughter was still heavily and Temperance almost felt guilty about having to wake her up. But she did anyway and, in two minutes, Riley had taken her medication and Temperance was walking out of the room. She'd need to prepare dinner. She knew Lukas would be begging for food soon enough.

She walked back downstairs and, as she passed the living room, saw that Booth still hadn't moved an inch. She sensed his eyes leave the television and follow her as she walked past the room.

"Temperance?" he called out.

She stopped in her tracks, surprised that he was talking to her but even more surprised that he had used her first name. He hadn't stopped calling her Bones since things had first started to go downhill for them.

Turning around, she headed back to the living room.

"Yes?" she asked, trying to sound as cool and unaffected as she could.

He seemed to hesitate for a second and just when Temperance thought she just ought to go back to the kitchen, he finally voiced his thoughts.

"I love you."

The words caught her off guard and all she managed to do was to nod and disappear down the corridor.

Booth sighed sadly, yet a small smile than tugged at his lips. At least he had told her. At least he had let her know, just like he had promised himself.

Okay so promise #1 has been fulfilled. Tune in some time next weekto find out if Booth fulfilled promise #2.