Title: The Man in the Hospital
Author: Shannon - shannyfish
Disclaimer: I do not own "Bones" or its characters, Fox does. This is merely for entertainment purposes only. "
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Pick up from the Season Four Finale – plain and simple.
Warning: Severe spoilers for "The End of the Beginning" – Season Four Finale episode! You have been warned!
Chapter 7 – "Day Seven and Eight"
Author's Notes: Okay, I do plan on finishing this. Just been a lot going on the last year. Also, this fic takes A LOT of research and a different tone of voice. It takes me a bit to slide into this writing style sometimes ~_^
Day Seven – Somewhere in Peru
It felt like it had been two weeks, but Brennan knew it had only been four days. She'd left later than the group that she was following behind on day three and had ended up injuring herself during the close of the day. She'd purposefully stayed behind the group quite a bit more in order to have her privacy and apparently it had been enough that they hadn't heard her calls for help. How everything must just echo up here.
Brennan had been rationing her food and water. She had enough for a few more days if she needed to stretch it further. She'd tried to move in order to perhaps come along someone, but with her leg broken and feeling her other ankle weakened and possibly sprained, there was a higher chance that she'd further injure herself. The last thing she needed was for the bone to actually protrude from her skin from the break in her leg. Bleeding out wouldn't help her last out there.
Booth would have made her bring a satellite radio.
She hadn't brought one.
She had wanted quiet.
Isolation.
Time to think.
Well, she was definitely getting that.
And all she'd come up with was that she missed Booth and she missed his overprotective ways. That Booth would probably actually enjoy the trip if he didn't have to hike so much in one day. Booth would make it take a week, but she had a feeling that he wouldn't mind it. He'd mind the whiny businessmen on vacation though. She smiled at that thought.
Today was the day she was supposed to get word to Angela. Brennan felt an overwhelming sadness hit her; she didn't want to worry Angela. Of course, technically, her current situation was cause for worry but she didn't want to put Angela through that. She'd put herself here. She'd been unable to deal with the world that she had lived in and had left it to come live in one that was of isolation, sadness, and survival. Angela was never going to let her leave the Continental United States again.
Brennan groaned as she attempted to move. She'd already attempted to fix her leg as best she could. She was afraid that it'd start to heal and would have to later be re-broken and set correctly. The pain would be worth it, she knew. It wasn't something to look forward to, but it would be necessary. She tried to move so that she could put her back against the mountain side. She'd been working slowly each day to inch closer and closer.
Her surroundings were flat land and then the mountains. She knew that only so many tours were permitted each year on that trail and it wasn't likely that another group would be right along to save her. She needed to come up with a viable plan. Brennan yanked her backpack to her and pulled out the map. Unfolding it and then smoothing it, she looked it over to try to figure out where exactly she was. Of course, a satellite phone and GPS would have come in quite handy in this case if she'd actually packed those things.
They'd already passed Pampa Japones. She'd made it past the Inca Chiriaska Pass, she knew that. She moved her finger along the trail map. Sisaypampa was the next location where the group she'd originally been with would have camped the fourth night. She wasn't really sure how far in between the pass and the next camp she was. Which made it harder to figure out the distance. There was no way that she'd make it to Machu Picchu though in her condition. She'd need a mule or another rideable animal of some kind.
- Sisaypampa – Day Four Camp
- Wayllabamba – Day Five Camp
- Pacamao – Day Six Camp
- Machu Picchu
That's where she should be. At Machu Picchu, reveling at the beauty and spender of the remains of an ancient and advanced society. She could make the food and water stretch for that long if she really wanted, for four more days, but she knew that there was just no way she could walk it. Even if she was able to set her broken leg herself and splint it and deal with her weakened other ankle, it would take her possibly a week to make it at the very fastest. Her bones would most likely protest, though, in doing so.
She needed Booth.
That was the bottom line.
She needed Booth.
Looking around, she looked for anything she could use to hold her ankle still so that she could try to yank it back into place. There was a rock here and there, but not a lot that were together where she could use them to manipulate her bones. "There has to be something," she mumbled.
A splint had already been thought out. She had a small first aid kit, but it didn't have a splint in it. Her backpack, however, had a metal pipe frame. She'd pulled the backpack's frame apart and decided to use four of the pieces that were similar in size. She wanted to make sure that the bone didn't move at all if she tried to put her weight on her leg. She needed to walk.
The only solution to set her leg was to use her belt around a smaller rock. She slung it around the back of it and placed her foot firmly flat against the rock's side before strapping it in place. The angle hurt, but it needed to be like that. She double checked to make sure that the belt was good and tight, she didn't need to be slipping when she started to pull.
Pulling back with all her weight, she put her other foot alongside of the other and pushed. She kept her balance as best as she could and screamed as she did so. The pain was barely bearable. She kept wanting to stop, but she kept knowing that if she stopped then she'd have to start all over again and at the moment she was actually really close to having it set. Stopping now would reverse any progress she'd made.
Once the bone was in place, she relaxed and reached out for the pipe pieces, the four pieces would be put on each side of her leg to ensure the bone remain exactly in place. She used a few pieces of gauze wrap in order to keep the pipes in place before unbinding her foot and turning to her belt. She wrapped it around so that it kept the bars in place in the middle of her leg. The gauze wrap kept it in place at the top and bottom. She just hoped it was enough to keep it secured.
She needed to get moving…
It was starting to get late, though and she knew that she shouldn't be moving in the dark, especially not in her state. She didn't have a choice, tomorrow would be day eight. She needed to try to move, to try to get to Sisaypampa…to Wayllabamba…to Pacamao…to Machu Picchu.
She went through her bag and made sure that she had anything. Anything she didn't absolutely need she'd leave behind. At least the sleeping bag, though warm, was light. It wouldn't hinder her movements. For that, she was thankful for. She tucked her sunglasses and hat away in her backpack before pulling the strings together and then pulling the flap down.
Time to move.
…
Day Eight – Outside of Sisaypampa
Brennan had stopped the night before after tripping and really slamming down on her legs. Her weakened ankle felt like it might be fractured, but not quite broken while her other leg felt like it'd shattered into a million pieces. She'd managed to get herself into her sleeping bag and had slept for the night right where she'd landed. There was no need for anything fancier.
The sun was overhead, though Brennan hadn't moved. She'd remained in her sleeping bag. She'd tried to sleep off the pain, but her leg just throbbed in pain. It was excruciating and the only pain killers she had were Motrin and Tylenol which she'd found in the first aid kit and only two doses each. It wasn't enough to kill the pain, she knew that. She'd eaten one of her bars and taken Motrin with a swig of water and then had told herself that she needed to sleep away some of the pain.
So when she woke later, it was dark and she hadn't moved an inch farther all day. And with the pain she was experiencing, Brennan didn't think it was possible for her to travel much further. There was no way that she'd make it to the next camp site. Wayllabamba was too far away and she'd end up going down hill. Though walking down hill was easier, it would increase the possibility of her furthering her injury. The ground in general was uneven and going down hill would pose the danger of her tripping and possibly rolling downward.
It would most likely result in her death.
She wouldn't fall off the side of the mountain or anything. She'd just tumble enough that she'd most likely hit her head on a rock and incur some kind of skull injury, which in turn would result in a brain injury.
…
Day ? – Outside of Sisaypampa
The days passed by in a blur. Brennan wished that she'd taken the time to write in the journal she'd brought along. That she'd left a goodbye to Booth...to Angela…to Hodgins…to everyone… So that if her body was someday found, they'd know that she had thought about them in her final days. She knew that it would mean something to them.
But she had no strength left.
She was cold and the wind howled. It had rained lightly the night before, just enough to soak the ouside of the sleeping bag, but it hadn't permeated the core of the bag. So for now, she was still able to keep somewhat warm.
She was fading.
She could feel it.
Did Booth even remember her, she wondered. Would he grieve her loss? Tears slipped through her closed lids and down her checks. She sucked in breath eagerly. "I'm sorry, Booth," she whispered to the wind. If only, the wind could take it to his ears. She hoped that he wouldn't blame himself, that he wouldn't be scarred for life, that he'd move on with his life. She was only his partner and she'd known the risks when she'd started this trail. The only regrets she had was not being able to say goodbye.
Booth.
"I'm here, Bones," came the gentle voice.
Booth's voice.
Brennan couldn't manage to force her eyes opened and just wrapped her arms around her body tighter. She was hallucinating. It wasn't uncommon. She was badly injured, in pain, and hadn't really been eating or drinking the last of her rations. Hallucinations were to be expected. Why the hallucination of Booth hadn't come along sooner, she didn't know.
"You're not real," she barely whispered in response.
"You gotta hold on, Bones," his voice told her.
She was happy she could hear his voice. This last time. It was comforting. She could feel arms around her, supporting her. She let out a cry though when her leg spasmed. And then the cold swept in and blanketed her body. She gripped the sleeping bag, but it didn't help.
…
TBC…