Thank you THANK YOU!!! To all you faithful reviewers and to all you who reviewed for the first time. 1) Sorry, I know amnesia is cruel...but it had to be done...I mean...look at the title... 2) All shall be revealed in due time...

Booth's eyes fluttered open at ten-thirty the next day and slowly scanned the dimly lit hospital room, events from the day before rolling their way back into his consciousness. He winced at the memories, so many pained expressions directed at him, and nothing he could do to ease the pain. He wished he could believe it would be different today.

His gaze fell on two huddled figures sitting in a chair across the room. It was the woman with the blue eyes.

Dr. Brennan he thought, pleased that he remembered her name from yesterday.

At least I remembered something

On Dr. Brennan's lap there was a child with a mop of curly blonde hair, straddling her legs and whispering to her conspiratorially. Booth remained still and strained to hear the conversation, much to no avail.

"Did you bring what I asked for Parker?" Brennan spoke in a hushed tone, trying not to wake the sleeping patient a few feet away.

Parker nodded vigorously and leaned over to get something from his bag. He handed her the framed picture from his bedroom.

"Daddy's favorite pi'ture of me and him." He pointed at it, though Brennan already recognized the photo's subjects.

She simply nodded, delicately tracing their happy faces with her forefinger. Booth had Parker on his shoulders, holding the boys' hands out to the sides and they wore identical grins. She smiled.

"Elmo?" Parker whispered.

Brennan looked up at him, "Yes?"

"Is my Daddy gonna be okay?" His chin quivered ever so slightly as he glanced toward his father. The big bandage wrapped around his head scared him. All the machines scared him. Parker wasn't used to feeling scared when his father was around, that scared him more than anything.

Brennan set the picture aside for a moment and took Parker by the shoulders.

"Parker. Listen to me." She waited, the boy's wide-eyed expression told her she had his undivided attention, "Your dad…he's not feeling well."

"Does he have a cold?"

"No. He has…he hit his head. He forgot some things. He might not recognize you or me, or a lot of other people, but he's going to be okay. We're going to help him." She smiled at him and Parker nodded, still not fully comprehending, but felt comforted by her confidence. Feigned though it was.

Booth shifted in his bed and she looked up. His eyes were wide open, studying them.

"Is that your son?" He asked. It seemed like a natural conclusion, by how familiar and natural she was with him.

Brennan's eyes widened in horror. She knew it was a possibility but…never considered it. Never considered Booth would have forgotten his own son.

"N-no…" She stuttered. Parker cut in.

"No Daddy! Elmo is watching me while Mommy went for coffee." Parker grabbed the picture and scooted off Brennan's lap. He quickly climbed up onto his father's bed, Brennan still too shocked to try and stop him.

Booth looked at the boy, who now sat quite comfortably on his lap.

Did he just say Daddy?

As if to confirm his suspicion, Parker began speaking.

"Daddy, Elmo says you hit your head." He spoke in all seriousness, trying to decipher the weird looks his father was giving him.

Booth nodded.

"She says you forgot stuff." The boy picked up the picture from his side and thrust it into Booth's face, who took it from him slowly.

"I don't want you to forget me, Daddy." He finished and gave Booth a long look. Brown eyed gaze met brown eyed gaze, confusion on both sides. Finally Parker turned and scurried off the bed and went to the door, where an uncomfortable looking Rebecca had suddenly appeared, unnoticed by both Booth and Brennn. Parker took his mother's hand and waved to his father.

"Bye, love you." Then the small child disappeared down the hallway.

the exchange had given Brennan time to regain her composure and she walked toward the bed.

Booth looked up at her, she was shaken to see so much pain and hopelessness in his brown eyes.

"I can't remember my own son." He said quietly.

She reached a hand out and laid it on his arm.

"You will." She was equally quiet, though using all the voice she could muster.

"Seeley?!" A shriek rang out from the doorway.

They both looked up as a frazzled looking woman in her sixties rushed into the room followed closely by a tall, gray haired man.

Brennan stepped away from the bed to make room, knowing full well who they were without having ever met them before. The man was a spitting image of her partner.

"Oh, Seeley." Laura Booth was immediately at her son's side, wrapping him in an embrace. Her son, her baby boy, he was hurt and she just wanted to hold him, make sure he was okay.

But when she felt him stiffen, she pulled back, tears running down her face.

"What is it sweetheart? What's the matter?"

Booth looked up at the older woman, and found nothing to recognize in her face. More faces he didn't know and should have. He drew his eyes over to Dr. Brennn, pleading with her to help him.

Brennan saw the confusion and torment warring in his eyes and felt her heart drop. He didn't recognize his parents.

Michael Booth had joined his wife at his son's side and was silently taking inventory of the younger man's injuries. In the army he'd learned to assess a situation first, take action second and panic later. As far as he could tell, Seeley was mostly okay, except for the large black and purple bruise on his left side, most likely caused by cracked ribs. That and the white bandage wrapped around his head.

Then his eyes drifted to the woman on the other side of the bed. She seemed to be trying to melt into the shadows of the room, who was she?

"Ummm, Mr. And Mrs. Booth, could I speak with you outside?" The woman asked.

Brennan suprised herself with the strength of her voice and threw her shoulders back, hoping to summon more courage for what she was about to do.

Laura noticed Brennan for the first time and glanced at her. Then, looking back at her son and seeing the same confused look on his face he'd worn before, she nodded and moved to follow Brennan to the door, her husband guiding her by the small of her back.

Brennan pulled Booth's door shut and faced the older couple.

"Are you our son's doctor?" Laura asked anxiously.

Brennen shook her head. "No. I'm his partner Temperance Brennen."

The couple looked confused for a moment, then Michael's face lit up.

"Bones? He calls you Bones?"

Brennan's eyes stung with tears and she blinked them back furiously.

"He used to." She whispered, wrapping her arms tighter around her middle, trying to protect herself from the pain that seemed to be surrounding her all of a sudden. Closing her eyes momentarily, Brennan pushed down the urge to run.

I won't do it. Not this time.

"What do you mean 'used to'?" Laura stepped closer to Brennan and put a hand on her shoulder. Her maternal instincts making her simultaneously want to provide comfort and get information from the .obviously distraught young woman.

Bones. What I would give to hear him call me that again. A nickname I used to hate, but now, I can't stand the thought of him never saying it again…

Brennan shook the turmoil out of her head and looked up.

"The doctors didn't tell you anything?"

Michael shook his head. "We just got here. We haven't spoken to any doctors, jsut the nurse who showed us the way up here."

Brennan nodded slowly and took a quick glance around, hoping to see Booth's doctor so she wouldn't have to be the one to break the news to his parents.

All she found was a glaringly sterile white hallway and far off echoes bouncing off the walls.

She turned her attention back to Booth's parents.

"Booth was…in a car accident, you know that right?" Silent nods responded to her and she continued. "Well, mostly he's okay. Bangs and bruises by and large but…" Suddenly her voice got tight and she stopped to hold back the tears.

"But what?" Michael urged.

Brennan swallowed hard.

"Well, he was in surgery for quite a while. He has, um, head trauma."

Laura closed her eyes, she knew that wasn't all of it. She groped around blindly for her husband's hand and found it searching for hers as well. She opened her eyes and squeezed his fingers tightly.

"He, um...he has...amnesia." Brennan's words were barely audible, but she saw that both people clearly understood her.

Michael pulled his wife to his chest as she dissolved into sobs, the day's stress and her son's diagnoses finally taking it's toll. Brennan connected with Michael's eyes as he kissed his wife's hair and mumbled to her softly.

He too was close to tears, but his need to protect his wife and be strong for her outweighed his need to grieve and he silently granted permission to 'Bones' to reenter the room.

Brennan closed the door behind her and walked to Booth. He was staring at the door, having heard the sobs that rang out in the empty air.

He looked up at her and she tried to smile, feeling like he was a stranger and a friend all at once.

"I hate this." He said finally, pain and anger clear in his voice.

Brennen nodded. "I know."

He looked at her again and saw the empathy in her eyes. He was sure she really did know, maybe better than anyone else.

Acting purely on impulse he reached out and grasped her hand, his need for physical contact pushing aside any awkwardness he felt at being so intimate with someone he barely knew.

Brennan was surprised at the gesture and quickly pulled her hand from his, wrapping it back around herself.

Booth's gaze faltered and he turned away.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

Brennen's mouth gaped with words she couldn't find. She knew how badly he needed her, but she was terrified. She'd come so close to losing him.

She had essentially lost him. Comforting him now would only serve to make her desire more something she couldn't have.

Brennan studied his profile for a moment as he stared out the window again.

Stop being so selfish Temperance! Booth is what is important right now.

She looked past him and saw that he'd stood the picture of him and Parker on the table next to the bed.

He must be terrified. I can't just leave him like this.

She sighed and sat in the chair next to him, reaching out to grasp his hand and interlacing her fingers with his.

We're dealing with Booth right now. We'll deal with my issues later.

"Don't be sorry Booth." She gave him a tight smile, "I'm not going anywhere."

Booth smiled back at her.

"Thank you." Then, he frowned slightly. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Will you…will you please tell me who you are? I feel like…you're special? Somehow. It's killing me to look at you and not know why."

Brennan sucked in her breath, but somehow found the energy for a smile and reassuring squeeze.

"Of course I will."

She nodded. "I'm you're friend. I work at the Jeffersonian Institute, I'm a forensic anthropologist. I sometimes help with cases for the FBI, which is where I met you…"

I'm sure there's some discrepancies here as to the inner workings of hospitals, like, Booth's parents would probably already know what's wrong with him before seeing him, but this way worked better for the story, so I hope you'll forgive any inaccuracies

You guys have been unreal in all you're reviews, it's absolutly fabulous! please, don't stop:)