CHAPTER 27

Brennan regained consciousness slowly, surfacing gradually through layers of thick fog. Booth's voice was drawing her along, unintelligibly at first, then she began to make out words, then whole sentences. She wanted to tell him she was fine, not to worry, but she couldn't make her mouth work. Frowning with effort, she opened her eyes and was relieved when his face was the first thing she saw. He smiled at her, that dear charming smile she loved so much, and she felt him squeeze her hand.

"Hey," he said, brushing the hair back from her forehead. "How do you feel?"

Licking her lips, she finally managed one word. "Water," she croaked, and he put a straw in her mouth. A few sips and the straw was taken away. "How long?" she asked.

"You were in surgery for over two hours. They repaired the torn ligaments in your knee. You have to stay off it for at least two weeks, but the surgeon says you should regain full mobility in a month or so."

Her gaze moved beyond him to look around the room. "Ange?"

"She and Hodgins' went down the hall to get some coffee. Zach's here." Zach rose from a chair in the corner and approached the bed. Brennan smiled at him.

"Don't worry about the lab, Dr. Brennan, everything's under control. Terry's there now, processing the evidence from the last body that was found." Zach knew her well enough to waste no time in bringing her up to date on the goings-on at the lab. It was the best way to keep her calm.

Just then the door swung open and Angela and Hodgins came in carrying coffees for everyone. Angela handed hers to Hodgins when she saw Brennan was awake and rushed to her friend's bedside. "Sweetie! How do you feel?"

"Fine," she replied, smiling as she tried to push herself up against the pillows. Booth was right there, adjusting the angle of the bed, pushing another pillow behind her. Brennan grabbed his arm to still his fussing. "Seeley, please, I'm fine. Stop hovering." She closed her eyes for a minute, taking a deep cleansing breath. When she opened them she found herself the center of attention. "Please, can everyone just be still?" she asked quietly. They all settled in chairs around the room, except Booth who stood at the head of her bed with his hand just touching her shoulder, as though he needed the contact to know she was okay. Brennan smiled up at him and then around at the others.

"Tell me, about—about him," she said, needing to know.

Booth spoke first. "Charles Riggs is in custody for your kidnapping, of course. Forensics is still processing all the evidence and we hope to have a complete list of the charges against him within the week. He'll be charged with Jenkins' death once we've confirmed that he set the charge wired to the front door of his house. We're fairly certain he was responsible for the murders of at least four small children prior to his stint in prison, plus the little boy killed the other day."

Brennan frowned, trying to get her fuzzy brain to form her next question. "Was he the man at the park?" she asked finally.

"Yes, his blue sedan matches the one at the park."

"But why?" Brennan was still struggling to put coherent sentences together, but Booth wasn't having any trouble following her train of thought.

"Riggs and Bascom became lovers while they shared a cell. When Riggs was paroled, he learned that I had killed Bascom and he became obsessed with making me pay. He patiently researched me and laid his plans. The day at the park was just dumb luck. He was there scoping out his latest victim when he spotted us with Parker. When the abduction was foiled, he found a similar little boy and…" Booth swallowed and found he couldn't continue.

Angela spoke up. "In the course of following Booth, Riggs figured out that you were lovers and decided to kidnap you and use you as bait. He could have taken Booth too, but he wanted Booth to suffer. He was going to kill you in front of him, then murder him."

It was Hodgins' turn. "We've got enough on him, he's not going to be breathing free air for a very long time, if ever."

A tear slipped down Brennan's cheek and Booth gently wiped it away. "All those children," she whispered. Booth decided she'd had enough.

"Okay, everyone, Bones needs to get some rest," he told them. Brennan didn't have the strength to object as one by one they hugged her and left. Then they were alone and Booth sat holding her hand. His thumb was stroking the back of her hand, but his eyes avoided hers.

Finally she squeezed his hand. "Booth," she said when he still wouldn't look her in the eye. When he did at last, the pain she saw there squeezed her heart. "I'm okay."

Tears filled his eyes. "I don't think I could go through that again," he admitted. Raising her hand, he kissed it tenderly. "When you were missing, it was like someone had torn my heart out."

"It's okay, everything turned out fine—" Brennan hastened to reassure him, but he wouldn't be deterred.

"I almost got you killed," he interrupted, his voice breaking, taking the full load of blame on himself.

"So what are you saying? Are you breaking up with me?" Please say no, she begged silently. You said you'd never leave me, her heart cried.

Blinking the tears back, he looked away. "Maybe that would be best. If anything were to happen to you because of me—I just don't think I could live with myself."

Brennan's temper rescued her. "Seeley Booth, I never would have taken you for a coward," she said in a stronger voice, far more harshly than she wanted to. His head snapped up and she saw a flash of anger in his eyes. "That's right, I said coward. There are no guarantees in life. One of us could be killed crossing the street tomorrow. Danger lurks behind every corner. We, each of us, have a choice. We can spend our days in fear, extreme caution sucking all the joy from our lives. Or we can be courageous, stepping out every day, determined to make the most of the time we have. I thought you had the guts to do that. Maybe I was wrong." Closing her eyes, she turned her head away. "I'm tired, so if you don't mind I'd like to be alone so I can sleep."

She didn't see him turn at the door and look back at her once more. If she had, she might have lost her resolve.

A week passed and Brennan was getting cabin fever. Each day passed the same as the one before, her world shrunk to the size of her apartment. Angela had come to stay with her the first few days, but Brennan finally sent her home on the fifth day. By then she had become quite good with the crutches. She spent her time reading and listening to music until she thought she was going to scream with boredom. She actually missed her television. Her laptop got a daily workout, but she found it hard to concentrate as the strangest things reminded her of Booth. She would be writing a reply to an email from an anthropology student and she'd suddenly remember how sometimes he'd complain he needed a translator in the lab. Her apartment was full of memories of the time they had spent together there and she actually considered moving even though she loved the place. Something had to change soon, she was going crazy.

She had just settled back on the couch with a sandwich and a cup of tea, a pillow under her knee and a throw over her lap when her doorbell rang. Sighing heavily, she started to get up when the doorknob rattled, making her stiffen apprehensively, heart pounding. Then the door opened and he stood in the doorway and still her heart continued to pound. He looked good, no, he looked wonderful, in spite of the circles under his eyes.

Smiling tentatively, he held up a key and shut the door behind him. "I still have your key," he explained unnecessarily. Brennan couldn't seem to frame a reply as he put the key on the table by the door.

She finally found her voice as he approached her. "What are you doing here?" she demanded breathlessly. Her heart was still racing. He sat on the coffee table near her, resting his forearms on his thighs, hands clasped together. His eyes were searching hers anxiously, looking for—what? Forgiveness? Friendship? Love?

"Temperance, I—I couldn't stay away any longer," he confessed. "Angela tells me you're doing well, but I had to come see for myself."

Pulling the throw up under her armpits, Brennan decided to play along. He wants to do the 'just friends' thing? I can do that.

"Yes, I'm doing well. Crutches aren't that bad once you get the hang of them."

"Good," he responded with a small smile. The smile faded as he became lost in the crystal depths of her eyes. I love you, Temperance, he wanted to shout, but he was still trying to find the courage for that one. "Do you need anything? I could rent you some movies—damn, you still don't have a TV."

"No, though I'm beginning to rethink that. I never thought I'd get tired of reading," she said wryly. He smells so good, she thought, surreptitiously breathing him in.

Another awkward pause as they continued to stare. Finally Booth took his courage in both hands and leaned closer. Brennan's heart slammed in her chest and she forgot to breathe. "I'm sorry, Temperance. For what I said at the hospital. You were right, I was being a coward. It was just so damned hard, when you were missing." His voice caught on the last word and Brennan reached for him and then his arms were holding her close at last. Tears coursed down her cheeks as joy made her heart sing. He finally pulled back a little so he could kiss her and she thought she'd burst with happiness. There was no more talk of breaking up or being just friends. They had found the courage to continue together, stronger as a unit than they would ever be separately.