Although it was scientifically impossible for time to stand still, to Temperance that is exactly what it felt like it was doing as she watched the flat red line on the heart monitor. Distantly she could hear the sound of feet running, but her wide-eyed concentration was on Booth. I'm not enough for him, she thought just as hands closed over her shoulders. Temperance turned to her attacker, confused for a moment when she saw a nurse.
"I'm sorry, but you can't be in here right now. Please, you need to leave." The nurse tried to lead Temperance from the room, but she wasn't moving. The anthropologist simply shook her head even as other doctors and nurses ran past her and into the room.
"Hey, what's going on in here," Jared asked as he and Padme arrived back at the room. He looked at Temperance and then to the nurse. From the bedside, the doctor turned irritably.
"Nurse, get them out of here now." He didn't take the time to see if anyone left as he turned his attention back to Booth. Temperance watched everything until she felt Jared lay a gentle hand on her arm.
"Come on," he said as he guided her from the room," let them do their job." He led her out of the room, pulling her into a hug as the door closed behind them.
"I wasn't enough for him. He didn't want me," Temperance said, fighting back the tears threatening in her eyes.
"What are you talking about," he asked as she pulled away from him. Temperance shook her head and looked around the hallway wildly.
"I can't stay here. I have to go." Jared reached out to her once, but she shrugged away from him. "No, I have to go."
"Temperance..." Jared watched helplessly as she left, hurrying down the hallway and onto an elevator.
"Jared, just let her go. There's nothing you can do right now except wait." Padme took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.
"He's going and I can't help him. My brother's dying in there right now."
"Shh love, don't do this to yourself. They could save him. You don't know what's going to happen baby. Have a little faith." She smiled at him and leaned in to give him a kiss before leading him to a waiting room for word on Seeley either way.
XxXxX
Booth heard the sound of the heart monitor and began to panic. The last thing he remembered, he was in the kitchen with Bren. She was fine then, a little sad maybe, but there was nothing wrong. Now he was standing in her hospital room as a heart monitor blared her loss of life. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. He took her to the emergency room when early labor began. Now she was hooked up to several monitors, one of which screamed her death.
"I'm sorry, but you can't be in here right now." Booth turned to look at the nurse standing at his side. She looked at him with a kind but urgent expression. "Please, you need to leave."
"But that's my wife! I can't leave her here alone." He glanced past the nurse as others scrambled into the room and surrounded Bren's bed.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Booth turned and looked at his brother, his face showing some relief to not be alone anymore.
"Jared, she's... this can't be happening." He shook his head and glanced back to Bren's bedside. The doctor there turned to glare at Booth before turning to the nurse.
"Nurse, get them out of here now." The nurse gave a terse nod and reached for Booth's arm. He shrugged her off before Jared clamped a hand onto his shoulder.
"Come on, let them do their job." With those words, he led Booth from the room and into the busy hospital hallway.
"I can't be here without her Jared, I can't."
What are you saying Seeley? You're not going to do anything stupid are you?"
"Just... I have to get out of here, go get some air, you know?"
"Don't do anything rash bro. She'll make it, I know she will." Booth heard his brother yell down the hall after him, but paid him little attention. His Bren was gone, he could feel it in his gut and there was only one person who would truly understand, but where was she? He'd been with Bones earlier and could still taste her kiss on his lips, but she was gone too. Her scent no longer lingered around him.
Booth ran from the elevator, across the lobby and out the entrance of the hospital, paying little heed to what was going on around him as snow fell in heavy sheets around him.
"Bones! Bones where are you? Please, I need you." He paused in his attempt to find his heart's love as he heard the blare of a horn. As he looked up, the headlights of a truck were the last thing he saw as the vehicle slid across a patch of black ice and straight at him.
XxXxX
"Clear!" The doctor placed the paddles onto Booth's chest, sending a jolt of electricity into his body. The line on the heart monitor jumped back into a steady rhythm. The doctor and nurses let out a relieved sigh and began to put the equipment away. The doctor paused, turning back to Booth as he began to mumble.
"Bones! Bones, where are you? Please, I need you." The doctor returned to Booth's side and watched as the agent's eyes opened.
"Welcome to the world of the living Mr. Booth. How are you feeling?"
"Like I got hit by a truck," Booth said, his voice scratchy from disuse. The doctor chuckled a bit at the response.
"Yes, I suppose that's about right. You've given us quite a scare, but I'm confident that you're past the worst of it now."
"What happened?" Booth looked around the room, frowning. Why wasn't anyone there with him?
"While in surgery, you had a reaction to the anesthesia, which put you into a coma. Like I said, you've given us a scare."
"How long have I been out?"
"Two days. Now, why don't you get some rest and I'll send your brother in. I expect he's worried about you." The doctor left the room and a moment later Jared popped in.
"Nice to see you again bro. You had me pretty scared for a while." Jared smiled at his older brother and sat down bedside.
"Where's um, I thought that you know..." Booth looked past his brother to the doorway. Jared glanced back and let out a sigh.
"She's gone Seel. I'm sorry."
Booth closed his eyes and nodded. So she was gone and he was alone. Jared watched as his brother seemed to deflate before his eyes. He knew he needed to do something for his brother.
"Don't worry, she has to come back at some point. Her purse is still here, and her luggage is in the back of the car."
"Wait, what?" Booth scanned the room and stopped his frantic search as his gaze settled on a very familiar looking purse sitting atop a table on the other side of the room. He sagged with relief and settled back onto his pillow, closed his eyes and smiled as he drifted back into sleep. "Bones."