A/N: Wow, I don't even want to count how long it's been. My laptop has been broken for a month and I had to replace the hard drive, and I was having huge writer's block on this story, plus I've been working like crazy to save for school. Stupid school. School is stupid.
Anyway, many apologies, I'm doing my best to update my ongoing stories in the near future. Enjoy this chapter!
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"You want to what?"
The doctor sitting across from Brennan and Booth gently reiterated.
"In order to confirm our suspicions and get a definitive diagnosis, Dr. Brennan, we need to perform a bone marrow aspiration, which simply means…"
"I know what it means!" said Brennan, unable to help the accusatory tone that crept into her voice. "You want to stick a needle into my child's iliac bone!"
Her arms wound tighter around Sebastian, who was sleeping peacefully in her lap, oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
The doctor let out a patient sigh, and Brennan felt Booth's hand wrap around her own. Almost unconsciously, she leaned against his shoulder, a tidal wave of emotions crashing over her.
"Dr. Brennan, I'm sure I can't even begin to imagine how frightening this must be for you and your husband. But I must be blunt. Something is wrong with your little boy. And in order to treat him, we need to have a definitive diagnosis. If there were any other way to confirm it, I would not make you put him through this. However, there is not."
There was a long pause in the room, broken by Booth.
"Do you…do you put him under…for a test like this?"
"Yes. For a child as young as Sebastian, anesthesia is used. We draw a small sample of the bone marrow, then send it to Pathology, which gives us a definitive diagnosis."
"Shows if the cancer has spread," Brennan whispered.
"If it is indeed cancer…then yes," the doctor confirmed. "We would need to know if it has spread, and if so, how far."
At that moment, Brennan felt Sebastian stir and start to open his eyes. He looked around the unfamiliar room, pressing himself closer to his mother.
"Mama, tired," he yawned.
Brennan lifted him over her shoulder, where he quickly fell asleep again. For a moment, she turned her face into his hair, breathing in his smell. She felt Booth reach around her and pull both of them into an embrace. Brennan felt the tears run freely down her face as she tightly embraced her family. Her family. She never thought she'd be in such a long-term relationship, much less have a child and be part of her own family. Now that she was, though, fear surged through her. What if…what if they lost Sebastian? What if the family she loved so much was torn apart?
Brennan felt the child press a wet kiss to her cheek, and she squeezed her son tighter. They'd fight. They'd fight for their son's life and for their family. She lifted her head as she felt Booth lift his also. Their eyes locked and Brennan knew he understood.
She looked to the doctor and nodded. "Let's do the procedure."
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"Sweetie!"
Brennan's head snapped around at Angela's voice. The artist was running down the hospital hallway, followed by Hodgins, Cam and Wendell. As soon as Angela reached Brennan, she threw her arms around her best friend, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Brennan, still unaccustomed to hugs, patted Angela awkwardly on the back.
"Sweetie, what's going on? We got a message that they were sending the little one to the hospital! We got here as quick as we could. What's going on? Is he alright? What's wrong with him?"
None of Angela's questions were sinking into Brennan's already overwhelmed mind. She felt Hodgins' blue eyes look her over carefully, as he stepped in, laying a hand on Angela's arm, effectively stopping the stream of questions.
"Ange, why don't we sit down? I don't think Dr. B. is ready for an interrogation right now. Let's see what the doctors say."
Angela immediately looked remorseful as Hodgins led her over to a chair. Cam came up to Brennan, standing awkwardly before her.
"How are you, Dr. Brennan?"
Brennan sighed with exhaustion, looking at her friend. "They're doing a bone marrow aspiration."
Cam's face blanched. "C…cancer?"
Brennan gave a tiny nod. "They think so."
All the rational scientist seemed to leave Cam in a rush.
"But…but he's so young."
"Can happen at any age," Brennan whispered.
Just then, a nurse came over to the group, laying her hand gently on Brennan's arm to get her attention.
"Dr. Brennan? The procedure went very well. Your son is being transferred back to his room. I can take your husband up to see him as soon as you're ready."
Brennan nodded. "Booth's filling out paperwork. He should be here any minute."
At that moment, Brennan felt a hand wrap around her waist. Instinctively, she tensed, but instantly relaxed as she felt Booth unwrap his arm and take her hand instead.
The squints stood, and gathered around Booth and Brennan with reassuring words and comforting pats that did nothing to soothe the knot in Brennan's stomach as the nurse beckoned Booth and Brennan to follow her. The squints stayed back, after Booth and Brennan promising to call them with any news on Sebastian.
Brennan and Booth were led to a plain white room, with a bathroom, a dresser, and a crib pushed against a wall. They crept over to the crib and looked down at their sleeping son. Sebastian lay on his back, sedated and sleeping. Brennan let a hand brush over her son's hair, and couldn't resist lifting his hospital gown slightly to check his wound. The toddler's left hipbone was padded with white gauze that Brennan didn't dare move.
In the crib, in the big room, Brennan was struck by how small and fragile Sebastian looked, like something that could shatter in an instant. The lump forming in her throat was choking her. She felt the bile rising in the back of her throat, and she barely managed to make it to the bathroom before she found herself vomiting again and again into the toilet. She was dimly aware of a hand smoothing her hair back, and a wet cloth being pressed to her cheeks. When she was sure she had vomited her insides out, however irrational it sounded, she finally slumped down to the floor, Booth's arms catching her.
"What happened, Bones?" she heard him whisper.
Brennan shook her head weakly. "I don't…I don't know. He just looks so…breakable there."
"No," Booth shook his head. "Not just now. I mean recently. You always look tired, but you get well enough sleep, now you're throwing up for no apparent reason."
"My son is in the hospital." Brennan said defensively.
"Our son. And I realize that, but…" Booth was cut off by the sound of the door opening, and the doctor's voice calling out their names. Booth stood and started to pull Brennan to her feet, but she shook him off and stood shakily. They made their way back to Sebastian's crib and shook hands with the doctor. Booth peered at his face, his stomach clenching when he realized the doctor looked slightly apprehensive.
"Mr. and Mrs. Booth…we have the results of your son's bone marrow aspiration."
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A/N #2: Anthropology encourages reviewing. It would make Brennan very proud, I'm sure. It's totally rational to review, as humans we depend on feedback both positive and negative, to change how we view ourselves, and therefore what we produce, and in that way what we write. Can't argue with logic folks. Pleeeease?
