Author's Note: How did you like that last one? I liked that last one. Well I kinda have to like it cause I wrote it…but that's ok! Alright! This chapter is brought to you by yours truly with a teensy bit of sap…a teensy bit or crying…a teensy bit of confusing stuff that you won't get right now (I did that one purpose…you'll get it later…I promise!) and a teensy bit of something I think is funny. If you have read my profile then you know how much I love the show 'Bones' and only my fellow 'Bones' watchers are going to understand what I'm talking about. (hint: the doctor's name). so…as always…Read! Enjoy! Review! Eat a cookie! I looooove cookies and you should too!

Chapter 50 – White Walls

Running. She was running. She didn't remember where she was but it was all white. Sara blinked. It was very bright but when she opened her eyes again it wasn't so bright anymore. She ran and ran. She didn't remember what she was running from but she ran anyway. She saw a door at the end of the white-walled hall and went through it. It was a stairwell. She went down. Down. Down. Down. Down all the way to the bottom. When she got to the bottom she went underneath the steps. She huddled in the corner and sat. She didn't do anything. Just sat. Sat and waited. She couldn't remember why. She couldn't remember why she was here. She looked to her left. Big black letters were stenciled on the white wall. San Francisco General Hospital. This confused her for a second. Then she remembered. She remembered why she was here. She remembered this. She looked up the stairwell. His face popped into her vision, startling her. She smiled. He was ok. She had been scared but now he was alright. He was right here. But she blinked and he was gone. She looked around. He had just vanished. Or had that been a figment of her imagination? It had to be. He was upstairs. He had been hit…

"Mommy!"

Sara was pulled out of that dream. The white blinded her. Sara's memories of the last few hours were fuzzy. She remembered a paramedic standing over her. She didn't remember the ambulance or the doctor's. But now she was in this overly bright hospital room. She blinked, trying to clarify her vision. A black splotch swam into her vision.

"…sleeping…you…quiet…" someone was speaking. They were far. They were whispering.

"…awake!" Sara recognized Charlotte's voice.

"Charlotte?" she asked. She blinked again and realized the black splotch was her daughter.

"Mommy?" Charlotte whispered. Sara blinked some more until she could see clearly.

"Charlotte…" Sara whispered. She laid her head back on the pillows. Her brain pounded on her skull.

"She's awake!" Charlotte shouted. It bounced around in Sara's skull. A migraine was forming very fast.

"Not so loud, Charlotte," Sara said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Mommy."

Sara tried to sit up but it wasn't really working very well. Her brain seemed to be rolling around in her head, making the migraine worse. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. She thought for a second. Why was she here anyway? The question only went unanswered for a second. Sara's eyes snapped open and her head snapped up. She looked at Charlotte. Greg swam into vision just past her. Her head protested to the sudden movement but she had to ask her question.

"How's Lindsay? And Catherine?"

"They're…they're in the same condition you are. Catherine just woke up and Lindsay is still out."

Sara looked down. "How longs it been?" she asked timidly, resting her aching head back on the pillows.

Greg looked at his watch. "About three hours. You weren't out for very long. Well…considering a bomb blew up not to far from you."

Sara looked down again. She was trying to match up her last memories with these bits of information. Her aching head was protesting vigorously. "What happened…exactly?" she wanted to know.

"The bomb guys put the basket down and I guess they jostled it too much. It blew."

"Oh my God," Sara said quietly. "Is everyone ok?"

Greg hesitated, looking at Charlotte who was listening intently. He hadn't told her anything yet.

"4 people. All bomb guys" He hoped that would cover it. Sara understood.

"Any…criticals?" she asked after a moment of digesting that first thought.

"2. One is in ICU and the other is still unconscious. One bomb guy the other a civilian. Catherine and Lindsay aren't."

"Aren't what?" Charlotte asked. She didn't like that they were talking in such a way that she didn't understand at all.

"Critical," Sara answered. "Did the doctor say when Lindsay would wake up?"

"He said he's expecting within the next hour. Now he also told me to tell you that you need rest. So no more questions."

"Wait…just one more."

Greg sighed. "What?"

"Where's Nick?"

Greg smiled. "He went to visit Catherine. She woke up like ten minutes ago so he was just checking in on her. He said he'd be back soon."

"Ok," Sara said and lay back into the pillows again. Charlotte was standing by the bed and carefully climbed on with Sara. Sara smiled as she snuggled up beside her and rested her head on Sara's chest. Sara reached up and stroked her hair, closing her eyes against her pounding head.

She lay very still for the next couple of minutes. Her head pounded and she willed it to stop. She wanted to get up and visit Catherine as well but she didn't think she would be able to stand against her migraine. She heard the door open a while later and someone walk in.

"Is she awake?" Nick asked Greg.

Sara's eyes snapped open.

"Yeah," Greg answered.

"Nick," Sara breathed. For some reason her eyes filled with tears.

Nick practically sprinted the five feet to Sara's side and Sara saw a gash on his cheek. Seeing that she wondered how bad her own face looked.

"What happened to your face?" she asked the tears still in her eyes.

"Some debris caught me. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Really bad headache but I'll be fine."

Nick reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind Sara's ear. "I thought you said you would come back," he said with the tiniest smile.

Sara laughed and it hurt her head so she stopped but kept smiling. "I'm back," she said quietly.

Sara looked down. His hand was on hers. "How's Catherine doing?" she asked, still stroking Charlotte's head.

"She's a little bit scared, but she's going to be fine." Sara looked at him. "And Lindsay isn't awake yet," he finished, answering her unasked question.

Sara closed her eyes and nodded. Sara was thinking about drifting off to sleep when she heard the door open again. She opened her heavy eyelids to see a man in white come in.

"Oh, you're awake. That's good to see, Sara," he said. Sara squinted at him. She didn't recognize him. She watched as he took a penlight out of his pocket and walked over to her.

"My name is Dr. Goodman. How are you feeling this evening?" he asked kindly.

"Evening?" Sara looked out her window. Sure enough it was dark. "Umm…I'm ok. I've got a bit of a headache but its nothing really. She watched as Dr. Goodman checked her eyes then ran a few other 10-second tests and asked her a few questions.

"What's around your neck?" Charlotte asked.

Dr. Goodman smiled. "That's what we call a stethoscope. I use it to listen to people's hearts."

Charlotte nodded. "I can listen to a heart too…when I put my head on my mommy's chest it goes thump-thump…thump-thump…"

He smiled again. "That's right. But you can hear it even better with this stethoscope. Do you want to try it?" he asked kindly.

"Can I?" Charlotte asked, amazed.

Dr. Goodman put the stethoscope in Charlotte's ears then held the end up to her own heart. She listened a second then shouted, "I can hear it!"

Dr. Goodman smiled again. He took the stethoscope back. "Well, I am pleased to inform you that your mother's heart is in perfect condition."

"That's good," Charlotte said. Dr, Goodman smiled then left, closing the door softly behind him.

"What time is it?" Sara asked once he left.

"Greg looked at his watch again. "10:30," he answered.

"10:30," Sara repeated. She looked at Charlotte.

"You have to go to bed," she said.

Charlotte went into automatic whining mode. "Bed? I don't wanna go to bed."

Sara thought a second. She couldn't go home and put her to bed. She looked at Nick.

He got the hint. "Charlotte, why don't you come home with me and then we can come back and see mommy in the morning?" he asked.

"But I don't wanna go to bed! I wanna stay…" Charlotte tried to stifle a jaw cracking yawn. "…stay here."

Sara laughed. "I don't think so. You're going home with Nick."

Charlotte knew she wasn't going to win this battle so she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Come on kiddo," Nick said stretching a hand out to her. She pouted for another second. "I can read you a story…" he coaxed.

"Which story?" she asked perking up.

"Whatever one you want," he said. Charlotte smiled and took his outstretched hand. She hopped off the bed but turned back before going far. She kissed her mom on the cheek.

"Good-night, Mommy," she said.

Nick leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head. "Good-night, Mommy," he said and smiled.

"Bye," Sara said, watching and smiling as they left. Greg went out with them and Sara was left alone. She tuned off the light and fell asleep within the next minute.

SnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickers

Nick buckled Charlotte into the car and drove toward Sara's. Charlotte nearly fell asleep in the car but was wide awake while Nick was reading her story. After the story was done he turned off the light and was about to leave when she stopped him.

"Nick?"

"Yes?"

"Is my mommy going to be in the hospital very long this time?" she asked.

"I don't think so. She'll be there for a few days but she will be home before you know it."

Charlotte smiled. "That's good."

Nick nodded. "Good-night, Charlotte."

"Wait…Nick?"

Nick sighed. "Yes, Charlotte?"

"You know how you askeded my mommy to marry you?"

Nick smiled again. "Yes."

"And you asked me to be your daddy?"

Nick kept smiling. "Yes."

"Well does that mean that I call you daddy now?"

Nick was surprised at that. He wasn't sure. "You can call me daddy if you want to, but you don't have to."

"Ok," Charlotte said.

Nick was about to shut the door when, "Oh, and Nick?"

"Yes, Charlotte?" he hoped this question period didn't happen every night.

"If I call you daddy then does that mean that my other daddy isn't my daddy anymore?"

Nick was a little taken aback. "Of coarse your other daddy is still your daddy."

"But can I have two daddies or am I only allowed to have one?"

Nick smiled. "Your other daddy will always be your daddy. That's never going to change. But if you decide to call me daddy then that means that you get to have two daddies. And you know only special people get to have two of something."

Charlotte smiled. "Now, good-night Charlotte. I'll see you in the morning."

"Ok," she said and closed her eyes. Nick smiled and shut her door.