"Right now it may not seem like spring at all,
We're drifting and the laughs are few.
But I've got rainbows planned for tomorrow
And all my tomorrows belong to you."
'All My Tomorrows', Frank Sinatra
oo00oo
It had been two weeks since Booth's crisis of confidence and nearly a month since the attack on his base in Iraq. Brennan was supposed to have left the German hospital weeks earlier but she stayed by her partner's side, waiting the last few days before he would be able to fly back home to Washington DC.
She stayed by his side constantly and basically slept in his ward room, curling up on the chairs to rest her eyes from the hours of watching him, just watching. She was still worried about him, still concerned by his injuries. Although his condition was slowly and steady improving, she knew he still wasn't happy.
Booth was the type of man who fought. Whether it be for the victims of crime or defending the people closest to him, he always fought to protect them.
He's been protecting me from the moment we met, whether I wanted him to or not. Now it's my turn to protect him.
And that was exactly what she had been doing for weeks.
She knew how hard it was for him to find himself weak and vulnerable, and that he wasn't even all that keen on her seeing him in that state. The idea of having anyone else around him, anyone else that he cared about, seeing him trying to fight could end up just setting him back again.
Brennan had discussed the situation with both Angela and Rebecca. Angela was always the one she turned to in a crisis and she relied on her opinions and insights in to how he might feel.
She has a knack for people, just like Booth does. I don't have that. I doubt I ever will. I have other talents. Together, we compliment each other.
As for Booth's ex, she had suggested bringing Parker out to Germany, a sort of inspirational tool to keep the agent working hard to regain his strength. In the end, they decided against it.
The last thing in the world Booth would want would be to have his little boy losing his hero and gaining the realisation that his father was just another weak and broken man. Rebecca understood that and they just hoped that the phone calls with his son would be enough.
Brennan knew that they had made the right decision, though part of her still worried about it. She still worried about him.
Pushing his wheelchair down the corridor, the pair bickered between themselves good naturedly. Their old back-and-forth cheered Brennan up no end. The fact that Booth had returned to his old self and lost a lot of his melancholy meant that she was sure he was going to keep fighting.
Entering the physiotherapy suite for the daily session, Brennan watched as Booth flashed Nurse Escrow his biggest charm smile. She grinned back at him as both women moved to each side of the chair, helping Booth over to the parallel bars.
They chatted about inconsequential things - the weather, sports results, good local restaurants and alike - keeping the focus away from why they had to be there. It was just easier that way.
Booth shuffled in to position, his full weight resting on his hands against the wooden bars. He gave Brennan a quick wink and a tight smile as the doctor approached, encouraging the agent and explaining the progress. Booth just nodded slowly, biting his bottom lip with concentration as he focused on the task at hand.
Brennan watched intently, her eyes narrowing as he took a deep breath. Her arms folded across her chest, she hugged herself slightly, unconsciously holding her breath.
She watched as Booth's right knee jerked slightly, his brows knitted together in concentration.
He's not having to swing his legs by using his hips anymore. He's definitely improved significantly.
Slowly, Booth raised his knee a little, the foot below dragging across the padded floor, his weight still being supported by his arms. His features strained, he placed his right foot down carefully.
A broad smile exploded across his face as he looked over at Brennan. She couldn't keep the grin from her own lips at the look of accomplishment on his face, pride and love surging through her.
He's doing it. He's almost there, he's almost there…
Booth shifted his hands on the bars, raising his left leg off the floor. He was obviously straining, the effort almost too much as he shuffled his hands along the bars to place his left foot down ahead of his right.
The look in his eye told Brennan he wasn't just fighting anymore. He was winning.
He shifted his hands again, adjusting his weight. Slowly, he straightened up, carefully attempting to fully utilise his legs. Gradually, he raised his hands off the bars, letting them hover a few inches above the wood as he balanced precariously on his weakened legs.
Brennan stepped forward, instinctively trying to get closer in case it all went wrong, wanting to be there to catch him if he fell.
Just like he always catches me.
Booth turned his head to her, grinning from ear to ear as she grinned back at him, feeling the pride beaming from her face. He opened his mouth to speak, wobbling slightly between the bars as he tried to regain the old skill he thought he'd lost forever.
Suddenly, his face fell and his eyes widened. Brennan felt her smile begin to slip, her brows knitting together in a confused frown. Then she realised what was wrong.
Booth's knees buckled beneath him, unable to hold his weight just yet. He fell to the floor, barely putting his arms out in time to break his fall. Brennan didn't make it in time to catch him. He slammed in to the ground, his chin bouncing off the padding and dazing him slightly.
Brennan dropped to her knees beside him, reaching out as he looked up at her. Her heart seemed to slow as she feared how he would react to yet another setback. She searched his eyes, looking for any sign that he was about to give up, that he needed encouragement and help.
So what if I'm not good with people? This is Booth. I'll do anything I can to help him. I love him.
He just stared up at her for a moment, blinking rapidly. Slowly, a wide smile spread across his lips. She frowned slightly.
"Booth, are you ok?"
He grinned as he nodded, rolling on to his side.
"I'm good."
Nurse Escrow crouched down beside him, hooking her hand under his arm to help him up. He grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks.
"Agent Booth, is everything ok?"
He just smiled, removing her hand from his arm. Frowning, she backed off, casting Brennan a confused glance. The anthropologist shrugged slightly, leaning in to ask him what was going on.
Before she got the chance, Booth pushed himself up on his arms. His biceps flexing beneath his t-shirt, he reached up and grabbed the bar above him. Brennan shuffled backwards to give him space, silently willing him on. Behind her, the doctor stepped forward with his eyebrows raised.
Booth reached up with his other hand, using all the strength he had in his arms to pull himself up. He leant over the bar, shifting his weight to steady himself on his feet. Brennan and Nurse Escrow stood up too, both of them wringing their hands as they watched him warily, the tenseness obvious in their whitened knuckles.
Booth wobbled precariously, leaning against the bar on his right so that he could reach out to the one on the left. With both hands firmly placed against the wood, he balanced himself properly on his feet.
Slowly, he removed his hands again, attempting to steady himself. He just stood there, obviously relishing the moment.
Brennan felt a nervous smile pull at the corners of her mouth as she watched him.
He's doing it. He's standing. He's almost there…
Booth let out a long breath and held his head high, staring straight ahead with a look of strained concentration as he carefully raised his left knee, balancing all his weight on the right leg. Slowly and somewhat painfully, he dragged his foot off the floor and jerkily placed it back down a good distance ahead of him.
He rocked slightly, desperately trying to find his centre of balance again as Brennan stepped forward with a nervous frown, resisting the urge to put her arms out as a kind of safety net. He glanced at her briefly, a flicker of hope in his eyes, and she stopped herself.
This is his battle to fight. And I think he really is winning.
Regaining his balance at least for the time being, Booth falteringly shifted his weight to enable himself to fling his right leg forward, landing it just ahead of his left. Again he seemed to teeter on the brink of falling but caught himself, panting a little from the exertion.
Brennan found herself laughing heartily, her hands clutched against her chest as tears of pride stung her eyes.
He did it. He really did it. He just took his first steps.
Booth turned his head to face her, his arms held out at his sides to help him balance. The look she saw there - the accomplishment, the love, the thousand thank yous - caused the tears to spill over, running down her cheeks in quick succession as she grinned at him, nodding slowly.
He nodded back, knowing she understood just how thankful he was for her support, her encouragement but most of all, her love. He knew this was a moment they would both treasure for the rest of their lives and he couldn't help but conjure up the image he cherished of Parker's first faltering steps in the world.
Slowly, he moved forward again, his eyes still locked with hers as his muscles finally began to remember their purpose.
He was walking. Slowly but surely, he was walking.
Reaching the end of the padded floor, he let his hands fall back down to the wooden bars to support him, blushing a little at the round of applause he received. Brennan was leading it, her hands a blur as she clapped.
She raced forward, slamming into him and almost knocking him off balance again as she flung her arms around his neck. Shifting his weight so only one hand was gripping the bar, he wrapped his other arm around her waist as she stared up at him, her eyes wide.
He saw his own reflection there and for the first time since he'd left her, he wasn't ashamed to see it. For the first time in over a month, he didn't see a weak and broken man. He saw himself the way he was meant to be, the way he knew she had always seen him.
Leaning down to kiss the woman he loved, he silently thanked God for bringing Brennan to him. And he promised that he would never give up again.
With Temperance Brennan by his side, Booth knew he could fight off anything that came their way. And he would win.
A/N: Told you it was soppy! Hee hee. By the way, one of my birthday presents was the Bones Season 1 DVD boxset. I'm now a very happy girly! And if you haven't seen the clip of this coming wednesday's Bones where BB go undercover in Vegas (pure genius idea!), check it out at the fox homepage. Not so sure about the accent or the hat, but the flirting's brilliant. I'm now going to bed with a very big grin. Ok, that sounded dirty and was not at all what I meant... Get your minds out of the gutter and press that button in the bottom left. You know you want to... Thanks for reading!