"Ok Doctor Brennan, you should give him these pills three times a day – once when he wakes up, once during lunch, and before he goes to sleep."
"Thank you doctor, I'll make sure he takes them" Brennan nodded, and she took the small plastic jar of pills and put them in her purse.
"Should he experience any symptoms of allergy to the medication, please cease use and contact the hospital immediately." The doctor said, stressing this point.
"Well if he shows any resistance to the medication, I'm not exactly going to keep administering them – that would be careless" She said, asserting her intelligence.
The doctor was a little taken aback for a moment, yet quickly recovered.
"Even so, I advise you to remain diligent for any reactions to the medication." Brennan simply nodded and left the doctor standing in the hallway.
She arrived at Booth's room. "Time to go Booth – have you got your things?" Booth turned around from gathering up the cards and gifts he had got from his friends, family and colleagues.
"Yeah, it's just like it feels like I'm taking more than I had to begin with." He struggled to carry the many cards and trinkets. He looked happily at a drawing Parker had given him.
"Well, I can't help but notice that Angela's beer bottle is empty." Brennan commented accusingly.
"I had nothing to do with that, Bones. Maybe you have a secret addiction that you're trying to hide by blaming others" He said admonishingly.
Brennan rolled her eyes. "Of course Booth – come on, we have to sign out of the hospital." She gathered up the remaining trinkets and cards, and led the way out of the hospital room. Booth was all too eager to follow her.
Once they reached the checkout desk, Brennan spoke up again. "Booth, I think it would be easier if you stayed at my apartment for the duration of your recovery." Booth gave his charm smile.
"You're asking me to stay at your apartment?" Brennan looked up.
"Was that a question or a statement?" She asked genuinely confused.
Booth laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry Bones, I'll be out of your hair before you know it – I'm quick at recovery." Brennan shook her head.
"Really it's no trouble Booth. We'll go by your house on the way home and pick up some things for your stay, then I'll drop you off at home while I get supplies from the store."
"No way Bones, I'm coming with you to the store – if I'm going to be at your house for a week I may as well be as helpful as I can."
"Well since your injuries would impair you from doing anything I couldn't already do myself, I think your assistance will be of minimal requirement."
Booth rolled his eyes and hobbled off in the direction of Brennan's car, which Angela had dropped over his first night at the hospital. Brennan hadn't gone home since arriving; wanting to stay and watch over Booth, as according to her he was bound to get himself into more trouble if left on his own.
He instinctively made for the driver's side of the vehicle, but was ushered to the passenger door by Brennan instead.
"No way are you driving in your condition. I will enjoy being behind the wheel for once. I'm a good driver." She got into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition.
As they got onto the highway, Booth enquired casually. "Did the doctor say when I'll be able to get back to work?" Brennan shot him a look.
"Booth, you are supposed to be in heavy recovery, I'd expect that you'll be out of work for at least a week." Booth looked devastated at her words.
"A week? Oh no, I am not taking a week off work, I have to catch the guy that blew me up, and finish the case files on that guy from California, and keep an eye on the squints in case that bomb guy strikes one of them next."
"That's what I was meaning to ask you about Booth, what happened in that explosion?"
Booth sighed. "I don't remember much Bones, but I guess that I remember walking to the lounge, and then I saw something slide across the floor, which I assumed was someone dropping something by accident, but then I heard something loud, and then you were there."
"Yes, as soon as I heard the explosion, Angela and I rushed to the scene."
"Thanks Bones for thinking so quick, and staying with me, and welcoming me into your home, and just everything." He patted her on the head, not wanting to hug her while she was driving.
"No problem Booth. Here's your house, if you feel uncomfortable with me in your home, I could wait for you out here in the car." She suggested.
"No way Bones, why would you think I'd be uncomfortable?" Booth asked incredulously.
"Well, the last time I was in your house you reacted badly and made several statements that I shouldn't enter your house." Booth thought for a moment, and then recalled when Brennan had last been at his house.
"Oh, I remember, but that was a completely different situation, I mean I was taking a bath, and you didn't even knock."
"Oh, well next time I enter your house with intent of yelling at you, I will be sure to remember to knock first." Brennan said, without any hint of traceable sarcasm.
They entered Booth's house, and it looked like a bomb site. There were clothes in places clothes didn't belong, there were dirty fermenting in the sink, the garbage hadn't been emptied in more than a week, and parkers toys and drawing supplies were scattered over most surfaces.
"Wow, it's worse than I remember" Booth said, a little bewildered at the sight of his house.
"Alright, um, you can go pack your things, and I'll… wait out here." Brennan said eventually.
Booth nodded and made his way to his room. He opened his drawers, and withdrew mostly casual clothes, and a couple of work suits. He briefly contemplated bringing his beer hat, but decided against it, as he believed he would not be taking any baths at Brennan's house.
When he emerged from his bedroom, to collect the final items he needed, he discovered that the kitchen was clean. "Wow Bones, did you do that?" he asked, a little shocked.
"Yes, I thought that should your kitchen's state be given the opportunity to ferment any further, permanent damage could be done to it." Booth ran his hand across one surface.
"It has never been this clean, not even when I bought the house" He exclaimed.
"Well go and get the last of your things, and I will continue with cleaning."
"Bones, you're taking me into your home, you don't have to clean mine." He protested, but she had already tied the garbage bag with a knot at the top, and taken out the front door.
He sighed and made his way to the bathroom, where he collected his toothbrush, tooth paste, hair brush, and etcetera. He left the bathroom to find Brennan looking closely at spider-man comic.
"This comic book is very un-realistic." She commented as she examined a fight scene.
"It's not mine, it's Parker's…" He trailed off, then looked sadly at the comic. The reason why dawned quickly on Brennan.
"Booth, if it is your weekend with Parker, he is more than welcome to stay at my apartment as well." She said, smiling warmly. She liked Parker, although they hadn't met more than once or twice before.
"Really Bones? You'd let Parker stay?" Booth said ecstatically.
"Of course, I know you don't get to spend as much time with him as you like, and the time you do have is special. And he is a great kid." Booth enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug.
"Thank you so much Bones, I promise the kid won't cause trouble." He said, squeezing her tighter.
Brennan coughed under the pressure her lungs were withstanding. "Booth, I am having trouble breathing." He let her go quickly, and held her at arms-length. His huge boyish smile turned out to be infectious, and soon she was smiling back at him.
"I'll go get his stuff." Booth said awkwardly as he let her go. "I'll only be a sec." He hobbled as quickly as he could in the direction of Parker's bedroom. Brennan smiled after him, and bent down to collect Parker's drawing equipment. She noted a picture of a dinosaur that he had drawn – it was very good for a child of his age.
"Ok Bones, I got everything, where to now?" Booth asked, trailing the two suit cases behind him.
"Well, first we are going back to my apartment to put your things inside, then we will go to the store if you insist to accompany me." Booth nodded at her plans.
They made their way out to Brennan's car, and piled Booth's stuff into the back. They arrived at Brennan's apartment in good time, as she tended not to notice speed limit signs. When Booth brought this up, she countered with "You always drive me everywhere, I don't get a lot of practise time Booth." She did have a valid point.
When they came to Brennan's floor, they immediately noticed the door was open ajar. "What the hell? Stay back Bones" Booth said cautiously as he pulled out his gun.
"I thought you weren't bringing your gun." Brennan muttered, but stayed back from the door as Booth peeked inside. It was worthless to argue – when it came to her safety, Booth couldn't be swayed.
"I'm going to go inside and look around." Booth entered the apartment, and Brennan gave him three seconds before entering herself. "What? Bones I told you to stay out there!" He whispered quickly.
"Well it's my apartment, and you're hurt Booth, even if the intruder was still here then you wouldn't be able to apprehend him." He dismissed it with a wave of his hand and continued to look through all the rooms in the house. Brennan took a moment to register the state that her apartment was in. Everything had been broken or destroyed completely. Her laptop was missing, but apart from that everything else seemed to be there, but in pieces.
"Uh, Bones, you're gonna wanna look at this…" She heard Booth call from the direction of her bedroom. Brennan was a little nervous at what she would see, but continued anyway to her bedroom. She placed a hand over her mouth as she saw what adorned the wall over her head. There was a border of pictures, most taken from a distance, of her, doing various day-to-day activities. But in the middle of this border were several pictures of her friends, single portrait pictures, much larger than the small ones that surrounded them.
The pictures, in succession, were of Cam, Sweets, Hodgins, Angela, Zack, and Booth. Under these was scribbled in something that looked a lot like blood were the words "ONE BY ONE, JUST LIKE THEM."