Note & Disclaimer: I don't own these guys. Only in my mind. This chapter isn't what it started out to be, but I hope it turned out okay. A bit more angsty than the last, but…what can I say? Nothing brings people together like a near-death experience. Please review.
"I brought coffee for everybody!" Angela exclaimed with way too much enthusiasm for six-thirty in the morning. She sat down two drink carriers down on the table without human remains on it. What are you guys working on? Have you been here all night?"
"You could have called us if we had a new case," added Hodgins, coming up behind her.
"Nothing you could do until this morning. A couple of teenagers found a pile of bones on the shore of the lake yesterday evening. Booth brought them straight here. Me, Casey and Zach have been working on them ever since. Casey, are you finished with that hand yet?"
"Almost," she said, "just having trouble with these last few."
"You've been at it for over two hours!" Brennan exploded. Casey cringed back, and looked like she was going to cry.
"I'm sorry," she muttered. "But there's something weird about these."
Brennan looked over her student's shoulder at the two bones in her hands, then took them from her. The girl slid from her stool and let Brennan sit down. She fidgeted with her fingers, and Angela was about to intervene on her behalf when Dr. Brennan spoke. "Casey-"
"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan! I tried, but-"
"No, Casey, I'm sorry! I see the problem. This certainly isn't your fault. In fact, how in the world did you even recognize them as phalanges?"
The girl was still reeling from the earlier criticism. "I- huh?"
"These five bones have been severely corroded. Like someone left them in acid or something." She stood up. "Hodgins!"
He appeared almost out of nowhere. "You beckoned?"
Still holding the two bones she had taken from Casey, she rushed up to him. "These are two of the last finger bones in this victim's right hand. These and the other three are corroded. Check them out, see if you can find out what was used on them."
Without being asked, Casey gathered the other three bones in question and gave them to Hodgins as well. Angela smiled as she watched the girl, crushed moments ago scramble to get back on even footing. She knew by now that after the sting of Dr. Brennan's words faded, she would work that much harder to be the best. Casey went back to the table and began sorting through the pile of bones, looking for the other hand to see if it had the same deformity. Angela sat one of the cups of coffee in front of her. "Here. It'll put you back in the game."
Casey looked at the green cup, and shook her head. "Thanks, but I can't. I'm allergic to caffeine."
"Caffeine?!"
"Yup. I'm allergic to everything! Kinda sucks." Casey grinned.
"I'd say! What all are you allergic to?"
"It's quite a list." She ticked them off on her fingers. "Acetaminophen, naproxen, aspartame, seafood, Lysol, Tilex, that scrubbing bubbles stuff, Gain detergent, a dozen different lotions and skin products, and most make-up."
"Wow! You are allergic to everything. Good thing you have good skin." Angela walked away to find Brennan again.
Casey was quiet for a moment, then said after her, "Hey, wait! I have good skin?"
She was alone for several moments before Dr. Brennan and Angela came back. "I found the pieces of the left hand, Dr. Brennan."
"Okay. Sort out the last bone of the fingers and give them to Hodgins." Casey set about the task without another word.
"Is it morning already?"
Angela smiled as a tired-looking Zach climbed up the steps to the platform. "Yeah, the sun is almost up. Coffee?" The young doctor grabbed eagerly at the cup, and spilled a little bit on his hand. He yelped, the blushed, embarrassed.
"Ok," said Angela. "You guys have been here for almost twenty-four hours. You have done so much. Go home and get some sleep!"
Dr. Brennan thought it over. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll go home for a few hours. You two, too."
"Um, if it's ok with you, Dr. Brennan, I think I'll stick around. I fought with that hand for hours, and I want to see what had me stumped." Casey was still smarting from Dr. Brennan's angry words, apology or not.
"That wasn't your fault, Casey. I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"It's ok. I'm really not that tired. I'm not ready to call it quits for tonight…today, I mean."
Dr. Brennan was impressed with her new apprentice's work ethic. She decided to offer a reward for it. "Well, while you wait, maybe you could take a crack at reassembling the skull?" She tossed out the offer casually, as if asking if she wanted to order a pizza.
The girl's eyes widened. "My first skull reconstruction?"
"Already?!" exclaimed Zach. He tried to classify what he felt. Was he jealous? It had taken him much longer to get to that. No, he wasn't that shallow, was he? Pride, maybe? Because he had helped her some? Or maybe he was just happy for her. He didn't know, and that bothered him. His stomach once again rolled alarmingly. Why the Hell wouldn't it settle down? It had been almost three weeks, so he wasn't coming down with something. Maybe he was allergic to something around the lab.
Dr. Brennan interrupted his thoughts. "Zach, you can go home too."
It sounded like a good idea, but something wouldn't let him. Something nagging at the back of his mind that he couldn't identify. "Dr. Brennan, Casey might need some help. I'll stick around a little longer if you don't mind. And if Casey doesn't mind."
Dr. Brennan looked at him, trying to figure out why he felt the need to stay. But psychology wasn't her thing, and she knew he must have his reasons. "Sure. If you two are sure you're okay to work."
"I'm fine," both Casey and Zach said in a perfect unison that caused them to glance at each other and smile.
"Ok," she said. "I'll be back in a few hours. Call me if you need anything." She disappeared into her office to get her purse.
Zach looked at his younger colleague. "I'll be in the office over there when you're ready to start on the skull. But I won't bother you if you don't need me. I'm not trying to steal your moment."
"Thanks, Dr. Addy," she said with a tired smile.
"And…uh…you can call me Zach. I mean, if you want to."
"Ok, Zach," she said, trying it out. "I'll be there as soon as I get these bones to Hodgins." He walked away, wondering what had come over him to say those things. What kind of example was he setting for her. Did she think he was saying she couldn't do the skull herself? He hoped she wasn't offended. She didn't seem offended, but she was tired, and sometimes people had to think about things before they were offended by them. He wished he was better with people.
Casey began gathering up the bones hurriedly, when Angela stepped in. "I'm heading that way anyway. Just put them in a glove or something." She could touch bones when she had to, but preferred not to when it could be avoided. "I'll take them to Jack."
She wrapped the five little bones in a piece of cloth she had been using to clean them. "Here. Thanks." Then she gathered the pieces of the skull into a plastic tub, excited.
Angela smiled. "Good luck with your skull!" Casey smiled as she followed Zach. "Never thought I'd hear myself say that," Angela added to herself as she watched the young girl go.
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"So then, even as tired as he was, Zach insisted on staying to help her with the skull. What does that sound to you like?"
Hodgins winced. "Do you really think he's pushing himself like that to gain brownie points with Dr. Brennan? That's not like him."
"I know, but you should have seen the look on his face when Bren gave her the skull job. You know how long it took him to get to do it alone."
"What are we going to do?" he asked. "If they start a rivalry, we'll lose one of them."
"Talk to him," Angela said.
"And say what? I know she's brilliant and sweet and funny, but we still love you too?" he replied sarcastically.
"Well, yeah. Or the version less likely to send him into a diabetic coma."
Hodgins sighed. "You're right. I'll come up with something. We'll talk after lunch. You just get Casey away so she doesn't overhear. I don't want to hurt her feelings."
"Or turn her against Zach."
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Casey sat down in front of the pieces of the skull, and pulled out her iPod. As she was untangling her headphones, Zach spoke up. "Just a casual observation, but Dr. Brennan doesn't like us to listen to music while we work."
"I already discussed it with her," she stated, putting in the ear buds. "It helps me to focus." Zach shrugged, and made his way to the back of the room. He intended to keep his word; he was only there to help if she needed it. He wouldn't hover, make her nervous, or otherwise indicate that he lacked faith in her. Unless he already had, just by being there, in which case he definitely had to stay out of her way. He picked up a rag and can of Lysol to clean the back table.
She hummed along with her iPod, not realizing that she was doing so out loud. She was completely engrossed in the job in front of her, not even aware that Zach was watching her carefully. He recognized the song. It was by a country duo called Montgomery Gentry. The song was called "Hell Yeah". A smile slowly crept onto his face as he watched her. There was something about her, even after over twenty-four hours without sleep or a shower she was still pretty. She was also very good at her job. He silently cheered as she found the place for a very small piece. She was-
He hadn't realized how sweaty his hands had become, and the can of Lysol fell from his hand. When it hit the floor, it started spraying, and jammed on. He dropped to his knees to try to stop it. By the time he fixed it, and stood back up, he noticed she had stopped humming. It didn't take his genius IQ for him to know something was wrong. The iPod fell from her lap to the floor, and she was clutching her throat. A choked gasping sound escaped her throat. Immediately suspecting a biological contaminant that had somehow missed the scanner, he hit the manual containment button.
She was struggling to pull in the tiniest bit of air, as she turned to Zach, eyes pleading for help. The alarm sounded, the room locked down, and her already frightened eyes got even wider. Zach jerked on a mask, and pulled one down for her. "Casey, are you okay? It's going to be alright! They'll find whatever the contaminant is and get us out of here. It's OK."
She tried to step toward him, but fell to her knees. He raced forward to catch her before she hit the ground, her face taking on an alarming bluish tint. "Come on, Casey! Hang on! Breath!" He lowered them both to the floor, cradling her head in his lap. "Somebody help! We need a medical team in here! Help!" Then he turned his attention back to the girl. "You're going to be okay. They're going to get us out." She struggled in his lap, and he tried to adjust her so she could get a breath in. He put what he hoped was a reassuring hand on her forehead.
Cam, Angela, and Hodgins came running as soon as the alarm sounded, and saw the two youngest members of the crew there on the floor. Cam was immediately on the computer, checking as the back-up sensors searched for a toxin that had caused the girl's symptoms. Angela and Hodgins could only watch in horror, seeing the panic in Casey's eyes, and the fear and horror in Zach's. Hodgins saw what was about to happen before it did.
Zach let out a little cry of fear when Casey stopped struggling. Her hands fell from her throat as she went unconscious. He shook her, a little at first, then harder. "No, Casey! Come on, breath! Don't do this!" Tears filled his brown eyes as he turned to his friends. "She's not breathing! Help her!"
Angela sucked in a shaky breath, feeling a little short of breath herself. "How much longer on the scanners?" Hodgins asked Cam.
"Three minutes," she said grimly.
She knew it already, but he said it anyway. "She'll be dead by then!"
Zach really wished he hadn't read their lips. It was a useful talent most of the time, but now he wished he didn't know what they had said. There was no hope. This girl was going to die in his arms. She was going to suffocate to death. He knew, rationally, that she was already past pain, and wouldn't know anything more, but that didn't make it any easier to just sit and watch her die. Tears streamed down his face. He couldn't just sit here and watch her die.
And there was a way! He knew it was a bad idea, he knew that if he survived, he would be fired. He knew that he could very well be putting the others in the position of watching not one, but two co-workers, two friends die, but he had to try. Couldn't just let her die. He pulled off his mask and lowered his mouth to hers.
"Zach, no!" exclaimed Angela in horror. He was exposing himself to whatever was killing her. She watched, beating on the glass helplessly as the man she was worried about being jealous risked his own life to breath for the girl.
"Come on!" Hodgins yelled. "Can't that thing go any faster? We have to get them out!"
"I know," Cam replied. "But we have to make sure that whatever hit them doesn't get out."
Angela's eyes wandered for a split second away from the pair on the floor, and she saw the culprit. The Lysol can, still laying on its side, where Zach had left it when Casey collapsed. "Cam, there's no toxin! She's having an allergic reaction! See, nothing's happening to Zach! We have to get her out!"
Zach continued to force as much air as he could into her lungs, waiting for his own airway to constrict. Maybe by the time it hit him, they would be almost out. The haz-mat team would be here soon, and maybe they could survive. Casey still wasn't breathing, but her pulse was strong and bounding. He was doing it! He was actually keeping her alive! Why wasn't he having trouble breathing?
Three beeps signified the end of the scan, and the doors flew open. Hodgins got to them first. "The ambulance will be here any second! You're fine, Zach. There's no toxin, she's having an allergic reaction. We have to get her out of here. Want me to take over?"
Zach gave her another breath. "I got her." He picked her up and they ran out of the room. Cam ran ahead and got a rolling table. She met the others. "Here, put her on here."
Zach put the girl on the table. "She's still not breathing! Where's the ambulance?!"
"Keep breathing for her," said Hodgins. "Get up there with her."
Zach looked at him, confused. "Huh?"
"It'll be easier than running beside her. Now, get up there if you are going to keep breathing for her!" He didn't need further convincing, so he climbed up on the table and knelt beside her.
"GO!"
The ambulance was pulling up when they got her outside, and the paramedics swarmed around her. They loaded her into the ambulance, and looked back at the rest of them. "Anyone coming with her?"
Looking around at the others, Zach took a step forward. "I'll go with her."
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Zach was the first person Casey asked for when she woke up, but he had disappeared. Angela stayed with her in the ER while Hodgins went to look for him. Finally, after checking the cafeteria, snack room, and waiting room, he found the young man shaking in the men's room floor. He had been throwing up, and the events of the morning had obviously caught up with him. With only a moments thought to hygiene, Hodgins slid down the wall to sit beside him. "She's okay now. Breathing, talking, oxygen saturation up to 96. You saved her. It was a stupid thing to do, and if there was a toxin, we could have lost you both, but she's okay." The younger man looked up, pale and shaky, into his friend's eyes.
"Lysol. I'm the one who did this to her! I'm not her hero, I almost killed her! And if I hadn't broken protocol and she had died, I couldn't live with myself. I could have killed her!"
"But you did. And she's fine. She asked about you."
"Really?" he asked. "I-" he started to get up, but sat back down hard. "Can I talk to you? Man to man?"
Hodgins looked uncertain. "Dude, you've been through a lot, but if this is going to lead into something about sexual positions…"
Zach shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I just-"
"What the Hell are you two doing hiding in here?" demanded a voice from the door. Hodgins looked up at it's source.
"Booth? What are you doing here?"
"I was with Bones when Angela called. We came as soon as we could. Zach, generally when you try to kill people, you don't do rescue breathing. It defeats the purpose!"
Zach hung his head, and Hodgins glared at Booth. "Not funny. Also not the time! He feels bad enough!"
Booth winced. "Sorry, kid. I guess I didn't think. I just-"
Zach stood up abruptly. "It doesn't matter. She asked for me, and I'm hiding in here. I should go." Then he grabbed his stomach. "I'll meet you there," he amended.
Hodgins steered Booth outside as they heard retching. "Give him a break. He's beating himself up about it enough. He doesn't need your help."