Author's Note: Yes, I'm back. Sorry I took so long to update this or any of my other projects. :( I hope to get back on track soon...
I do not own Bones or any of its characters.
Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this. I greatly appreciate your patience with me.
D: I figured that it would be a complex issue for Sweets to decide to carry a weapon, given how he chose his profession in the pursuit of helping others. And I agree that Sweets is misguided in thinking that he somehow has to "prove" his worth to the team, but figuring out his role within this group seems to be an on-going struggle with him...I also agree that when Booth said that Sweets could have his back that he said just what he needed to, and it was nice to see Sweets appreciate that.
Charlotte Thornton: Thank you for the review. I am with you in thinking that Sweets is not the type to come to decisions quickly or easily and thus it made sense to me that he would agonize over something like this. I hope you enjoy this update.
Lives in the now: Thank you. There was so much going on in this episode, it felt like the perfect opportunity to "fill in the gaps" per se. This season is giving me a lot of ideas overall, actually. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thank you for your continued support.
Rankor01: I agree with you that this is really the beginning of a lesson for Sweets and not an end, despite the impressive skills he has demonstrated. Like you said, there is a lot more that goes into something like this than just doing well on a practice range, and it will be important for Booth to instruct Sweets in this area. I'm enjoying the fact that Sweets getting opportunities to grow and evolve in this season and I can only see this enhancing his character over time.
Peanutmeg: Thanks for the review. :) I'll admit, I had a lot of ideas while I was watching this episode, and it has been fun to get them out into fic. Plus, I was wanting a chance to try something a little different with this one. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Sorry it took so long in coming.
The Shift of the Perspective—Chapter 3
When she first saw them, she thought that they were family.
Amber had worked as a RN in this hospital for over ten years, and had seen many things. People caught up in the heights of joy and relief and others shoved down into an incurable sadness. Patients who left…and those who never did…
For the last four years, Amber worked in the ER, and this morning she was doing double duty by helping to check in patients and assist the doctors. Fortunately, it was an oddly slow day at the hospital, so it wasn't hard to keep up with the pace.
'Still…Amy owes me big time for calling off today and making me have to cover her shift too,' Amber frowned to herself. She started to walk back to the waiting rooms to see if anyone needed her help when she saw two men walk in.
The first one, older, handsome with a commanding presence, had short brown hair and broad shoulders. He was guiding the second man, a slighter, but tall man with curly brown hair and large chocolate eyes, over toward the reception desk. Amber was able to catch snippets of their conversation.
"…Agent Seeley Booth…Doctor Lance Sweets…We need to get his bullet wound checked as soon as possible…."
'Doctor Sweets?' That had surprised Amber. The younger man did not look old enough to be a doctor of anything, but it was clear that the agent was serious in his assessment.
The one called Sweets continued to hold his arm stiffly, and the nurse could detect some embarrassment from him over the concern that the older man was showing for him. She had seen it many times before between parents and children, husbands and wives, and older and younger siblings.
As she walked off to the side, Amber mused over that last point. Truthfully, she had been a little surprised by the fact that the two men had different last names because her first impression had been that they were related, more than likely brothers. She had seen the protective stance of the elder man and the unconscious effort for the younger to stay close in many a set of siblings. She then thought again about what they had told the nurse at the reception desk.
'He said "agent". So FBI then?' she thought to herself. 'Maybe they are partners.'
After the two men had signed it, they went over to a set of chairs to wait, the agent carrying a clipboard and pen in one of his hands. Once they had sat down, the one called Booth seemed to insist on filling out the form himself with the young doctor dictating the information to him, much to his obvious chagrin. Once they were done, Booth turned the clipboard and pen back into the nurses and settled back in beside Sweets. The two of them sat quietly, sharing a silence that could only be called companionable.
Since she had no one else to tend to, Amber decided to check them into an examination room. She picked up the necessary forms and peered at the list of sign-ins to make sure she got the name right.
"Doctor Lance Sweets," she called out. The two men immediately rose to their feet, the agent holding out a hand behind Sweets' back just in case he needed to be steadied even though the younger man seemed to be determined to shrug off any pain his injury was giving him. Booth followed Sweets into the corridor and this did not surprise Amber in the least.
Sweets appeared calm if still a little mortified as he gave his basic medical history and explained the cause of his injury: a ricocheting bullet.
Amber then went ahead and checked over the wound itself, noting that it wasn't serious, but figuring that it still probably hurt. The nurse then led them over to an examination room with instructions to wait for the doctor. She then dropped off the file where it could be picked up by the attending physician and left them to work on other duties.
A few minutes later, Amber happened to be walking down the hallway, when she heard voices coming from the examination room.
"Hey Sweets, Bones just texted me. Apparently she's got some more ideas about who the murderer might be. I'm going to call Daisy, and let her know what's going on. She can drive you back to the office since I need to get going. I'll check up on you later and let you know if I need you for an interrogation."
"Thanks Booth…and uh…thanks for…For letting my pass my certification."
"You passed because you did well during your test. Nothing more. It had nothing to do with what I thought…Wait, did you think that I wouldn't pass you?"
There was a long pause and then Amber could hear a sigh.
"I knew that you didn't want me to have a gun. And when I saw that you were going to be the Range Master for my test, a little part of me…well maybe more like a big part of me…thought that maybe this was all just a way to prove your point: that I wasn't competent enough to carry a weapon in the field."
"Sweets…did you think that I was there to sabotage you?"
"Not so much sabotage…More like, you'd be tough. So tough that there was no way that I could ever pass. And then when that ricochet hit me…..I was so sure that I had failed."
Another long sigh filled the room, and Amber could hear the shuffling of feet on the floor.
"Look, this is not the end of this conversation, but I want you to understand two things right now. Are you listening, Sweets? Your getting hurt today was the result of a malfunction in the machines. It was in no way your fault, and it was no reflection on your ability to handle a gun, all right? And second, I did not show up today just to prevent you from passing. Like I said before, it's not that I think that you shouldn't be able to defend yourself. I just wanted to be sure that you were up for the task…Now hold on, this isn't about you being competent. It's about what I need in the field."
"What you need?"
"Yes, what I need….If the guns do come out….and something happens to me…I want to be sure that you can take care of yourself, and that you won't need me to save your life. And I…I want to be sure that you can protect anyone else who might need our help, if I can't do it myself."
"Booth….I…."
"No, not now. I need to get back to the office, and you need to get stitched up. I'll get a hold of Daisy, and we will talk more about this later."
Amber immediately moved along, a little ashamed that she had listened in on what was clearly an intimate conversation between close friends. A few seconds later, the agent was walking briskly out of the room, down the hallway, muttering a number to himself as he went.
Soon, a doctor made his way to the examination room where Sweets was waiting and Amber assisted him. They had just finished examining and cleaning the wound when a petite brunette came rushing into the room.
"Daisy," the young doctor assured her while holding her close with one arm. "I'm fine. It's nothing major. Just a scratch."
"Mr. Sweets is quite correct," the physician chimed in. "He'll just need a few stitches is all."
"It's Doctor Sweets, and scratches don't require stitches," Daisy sniffed. Amber couldn't help but smile a little at that while Sweets went on to explain what had happened to Daisy. It was clear that Daisy was intent on babying him somewhat, and the nurse sensed that Sweets did not mind it. In fact, Amber was willing to wager that he enjoyed it to some extent and that perhaps he might even need a little of that in his life.
Amber walked away as the physician attempted to give Sweets four stitches, with the young doctor insisting that he only needed two. As she walked by again, she heard the physician advising him to keep his arm stationary for a day or so while giving him a sling to wear so as to make sure that he wouldn't tear his stitches.
The nurse then sent his paperwork out to the front desk so that Sweets could check out when he was done. She was glad that Sweets appeared to be all right and would be well taken care of. He struck her as a kind, empathetic man who had more than one person invested in his welfare. A part of her wondered how the rest of the conversation between him and the one called Booth would turn out, but Amber found that she wasn't really worried.
She was still convinced that they were family in some way….and it looked as if this family were going to keep each other as close as they possibly could.