AN: Here's the last chapter of this story. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to redrider6612 for her editing skills and to everyone who reviewed.
Several hours later the tests were completed and Booth's visitors, noting his exhaustion, had left. A nurse bustled in, gave Booth his next dose of pain medication, smiled at Brennan and left.
Brennan sighed silently in relief. She really needed time to collect herself. The conversation with Booth after he woke had really thrown her emotions into a tailspin. The initial pain of him not knowing her was followed by embarrassment that he'd dreamed her story, and then relief that he hadn't forgotten her.
She took a couple of deep breaths to calm down and looked up to see Booth watching her.
"Everything okay?"
As usual, he read her like an open book.
"I'm fine, Booth," she answered, surprised to find that it was true. His awakening didn't fix the empty feeling in her heart, but things would soon be back to normal.
"I can't believe how tired I am. All I've done for the past four days is rest."
"Surgery is hard on the body, Booth. Just rest. You'll be back to your normal self in no time."
His eyes closed and his breathing slowed.
When he was safely asleep, she whispered, "Sleep, Booth. I'll be here watching over you."
The emotions of the last few days crashed over her in a wave. She hugged herself and swallowed a lump in her throat. A few tears made lonely tracks down her cheeks. The relief was incredible. He was healthy and would recover quickly.
She watched him as he slept. The relief she felt hammered home how much he meant to her. Who was she without him? She wasn't sure anymore. He'd shown her the world and taught her about love. She needed him to help her navigate the depths of her heart and experience the breadth of the world in its multiple facets.
The covers rustled as Booth turned onto his side with his back to her, leaving a small section of the mattress exposed. The empty spot caught her eye. It was just big enough for her.
An aching loneliness swept over her. The man she loved was sleeping only a few feet away and he didn't even know how she felt. Afraid of losing him, she had hidden her feelings from both herself and him. Loneliness warred with her fear of abandonment, threatening to tear her apart, driving her to find solace in the one place she knew she would find it.
She toed off her shoes and slipped into the small space between Booth and the rail of the hospital bed, spooning against his back. As she slipped one arm over his waist, the emotional firestorm abated and she slept for the first time since his surgery.
Booth's whispering woke her. "I know you're not very big or very old yet, but I already love you."
Sometime during the night their spooning had flip-flopped. Her back was now against his chest and his hand rested on her abdomen. She reveled in the sensation of being in his arms until her sleep-fogged mind interpreted his words.
"Booth, who are you talking to?"
"Bren, you're awake. I'm talking to the baby."
She bolted upright. The night before she had been too tired and emotional to consider how this might affect him.
"Booth, you call me Bones, not Bren, and we are not nightclub owners. That was a story I wrote."
Confusion and devastation warred for dominance on his face as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Then why are you in the bed with me?"
She glanced at him shyly and then looked away. "I was scared and I needed you to make it better. That was as close as I could get to a hug." She would never get a better opportunity than this. She took a deep breath and continued. "I wouldn't mind being your Bren, if you don't mind being my FBI partner."
When he didn't respond, she raised her eyes to his face.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"It's impossible for me to know what you're thinking, Booth."
He leaned toward her slowly until his breath soughed across her lips. Her pulse raced.
"Does that mean you won't hurt me if I do this?" He captured her lips with his.
She slid her arms around him and kissed him back. Fiction had nothing on reality. Their kiss was soft and sweet and somehow reassuring.
She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but when it was over, she rested her head on his shoulder and listened to the steady beat of his heart. As she tightened her arms around him, she wondered how reality compared to his dream.
"Are you sad there's no baby?" she asked in a small voice.
"Don't you mean 'Am I sad that there's no baby yet?'"
"If I'd meant that, I would have said it."
"A little, yes, but memories and experiences are better than dreams, and I'm looking forward to having those with you."
She smiled, her heart as full as her arms.