"Alright, I have analysed the solid remains, and sent the liquefied remains to Cam. Hopefully we shall have the results of her tests in a half hour."
Booth clapped his hands. "Right, what do you have for me Bones?"
"Well the knees were both dislocated, then the femurs were broken, all the ribs were cracked, there are signs of dislocation in the right elbow, however the left elbow is shattered, which can lead me to believe that it was thrown up to protect the face in an attack – but I will have Angela run a simulation before I come to any conclusions."
"Ok that sounds very painful. Do we know any personal details about the victim?"
"The victim was female, between sixteen and nineteen, her bones showed signs of surgery earlier in life, for what was most likely a standard wrist fracture, however both wrists are shattered."
"Do we know the order of the injuries yet?"
Zack walked in at that moment, carrying a box with a majority of the bones in it.
"Yes, I identified a chronological order of her injuries, and came across new ones under the microscope. Her wrists were broken first, most likely in a struggle, then the elbow was shattered. After that the legs were dislocated, followed by the right elbow, then all ribs were broken, most likely in a beating."
"My God, that sounds horrible" Booth exclaimed.
"That's not all. What I discovered under the microscope was teeth marks on the knees and lower arms, made by various creatures, however the most prominent is human. There are signs of dog bites and rodent gnawing, but I can without doubt say that everything occurred before she died."
Brennan had to steady her breathing before continuing. "Have you determined the final cause of death yet?"
"I cannot fully determine the cause of death until Doctor Saroyan finishes her testing and presents her findings."
"Ok… good work Zach, you can go back to Hodgins and resume your individual experiments."
Zach nodded to Brennan with the hint of a smile and left the lab.
"This is God-awful, what we're dealing with here is torture of the first degree" Booth growled.
"Calm down Booth, as soon as Cam finishes with the remains we can piece together our information."
"Alright Bones, but it's lunchtime and your looking thinner than your clients here."
Brennan laughed at the joke, but shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
"Bones you need to eat something. I know you spent the night in the lab and you haven't eaten since yesterday, according to Angela."
Brennan thought for a moment, then relented. "Fine, I will have lunch with you."
"It's a date… But not a date – date, just… I'll see you in a few minutes, ok?"
"OK Booth" Laughed Brennan as she shed her lab coat.
Angela sidled up to Brennan at that point. "So… who's got a date with a certain hot FBI agent?"
Brennan sighed, getting ready to give Angela a lecture about how she and Booth were just friends, when they heard a loud explosion. They instantly started to run towards the source of the sound.
They reached the corridor outside the lab, to find Booth had been at the centre of the carnage.
"Booth! Oh my God, Angela call 911" Brennan yelled as she ran to her partner's unconscious form. He was on fire, so Brennan pulled off the thin cardigan and smothered the flames. "Don't worry Booth, ambulance is coming, don't worry, I'll keep you safe."
Booth stirred. "Bones… it hurts…" Brennan hugged Booth close to her.
"It's alright Booth, you're going to be fine. I promise." Tears were rolling down her face.
Booth reached up and wiped them away. "Don't cry Bones. Hospital… pudding… good…" Then he passed out again.
The ambulance came and took Booth away on a stretcher, and allowed Brennan to ride in the ambulance with him.
Once they arrived at the hospital, Brennan was sent to the waiting room while he was given emergency surgery. The doctor emerged later and walked over to Brennan.
"Doctor Brennan, we have diagnosed Agent Booth's injuries, and they are severe. He has various bruises and lacerations, mainly around the torso, his shoulder was dislocated, and his ribs fractured. His recovery is expected to take at least two weeks."
"Thank you doctor – may I see him now?"
"Yes, I will take you to his room." He made an about turn and walked down the corridor.
They reached Booth's room, and he was asleep. Brennan assumed that this was due to the painkillers.
She sat on the chair beside him, and the doctor left the room to give them some privacy.
"Booth, thank goodness you're going to be alright. I was so worried when that explosion went off, and then… you were in surgery for so long…" she collapsed into more tears.
"Not… your… fault…" She heard his rasping voice. He didn't open his eyes, and just as quickly as he had stirred, he was asleep again.
When he woke once more, Brennan was still by his side. "Hey Bones…" he drawled.
"Hey Booth, how are you feeling?" She asked, her voice gentle, but laced with concern.
"Like crap." He stated simply. "If you weren't such a workaholic then you would have been blown up as well. And for that, I'm glad."
"I got you something." Brennan said, and presented him with a pudding cup and a plastic spoon.
"Thanks Bones." He said in earnest. She smiled as she pulled the plastic off the top of the pudding and dipped the spoon in. She handed it to Booth and he heaped a spoonful.
"It would be worth it to be here every day of my life to eat this pudding." He said as he ate it.
"I'm just glad you're ok." She said a little sadly.
"Don't worry about me Bones – I'm a fighter. Speaking of which, did they tell you when they're letting me out of this joint?" Booth asked as he continued with his pudding.
"They said your recovery would take around two weeks."
"Dammit! Can't you pull some strings and get me out early?"
"I think you should stay here and recover properly – you got blown up Booth."
"I'll be fine. Come on Bones, please? I'll give you some of my pudding?" He grudgingly held out the pudding cup to her.
"Fine Booth, I'll talk to the doctor. And I don't want your pudding." He sighed in relief and continued to devour the pudding. She smiled as she left the room.
She came back later to find he had finished the pudding cup and was attempting to reach the TV remote in front of him. She handed it to him and he gave her a grateful look.
"What did the doctor say?" He asked when she sat down.
"He said he thinks you should stay for the duration of the two weeks, but relented to release you in two days when I said I would take care of you."
"Wow Bones, you don't have to take care of me."
"You couldn't lift your arm to pick up the remote Booth, you need some help."
"Thanks so much, for everything." Booth spread his arms for a hug, and she smiled and put her arms around him.
"Oh, I almost forgot." She said, and presented him with another pudding cup.
"what would I do without you, Bones?"