At the hospital…

"Mr. Keenan, your daughter has been brought to the ICU. You can go up there now. There's also a waiting room there", they nodded to the nurseand made their way to the elevator, mindful of Angela's condition and Booth having to carry a sleeping Parker.

They reached the fourth floor, and they were led to the door of the ICU, where a different nurse was already waiting for them. "Mr. Keenan?", she asked, and he nodded.

"As the doctor told you, only two of you can go in. We can let you stay 20 minutes, maximum, given her delicate condition. Will you be going in?", Max nodded, "Well, you have to put on some scrubs, and wash your hands thoroughly for 2 minutes. That goes for whoever you decided will accompany you. I'll be waiting for you inside", she said, and disappeared behind the swinging doors.

Max turned to the team, seeing them a little far behind, but enough to listen to the nurse's instructions.

He walked to them, Booth silently staring into space as he sat holding Parker to his chest, who thankfully continued to slumber tiredly against his father's body.

He stood right in front of Booth, and kindly said, "Booth?", he raised tired, bloodshot eyes to Max, and the older man said, "Let Cam hold the boy. You're coming with me", Booth's eyes filled with grateful tears as he realized this was truly the way Max was showing him he had indeed forgiven him.

Cam instantly sat on a chair and received Parker in her arms, who grumbled in his sleep before resuming his light snoring against her chest.

Booth stood hesitantly before Angela, who was resting her head on Jack' shoulders, and she understood what he was trying to say, "Don't feel bad, Booth", she said softly, "No matter what you did, you never stopped being her best friend, no matter how far you were, how much distance you put between… That spot stopped being mine ages ago, and… She needs you. You're the only one, who can pull her back. She was waiting for you to realize it", Booth gave her a tearful smile, and followed Max into the ICU, not wanting to waste more time.

Max was handed a robe and a hat, but taking a look at Booth, the nurse asked him to remove his clothes entirely, since they were filled with blood, and handed him a full set of new scrubs. Following her instructions, he removed his shirt, and then washed his hands of the blood, seeing the water turn a muddy pink, thinking that if she had felt the same way when he was shot, no wonder she was so angry at not being told he was alive. Thinking of the pain in his jaw, he smiled slightly, No wonder were that right hook comes from, comparing the current pain he felt on his face with the one she had inflicted as his fake funeral.

He dried his hands, removed his pants, and put on the surgical gown. He tied the hat behind his neck, and washed his hands again, as the nurse had told him to do when he was fully clothed so he indeed removed all traces of blood from his skin.

When he was ready, he found Max waiting for him, the nurse leading them to her cubicle.

When they reached her bed, Booth's heart sunk when he saw her face unnaturally pale. She had always had the cutest rosiest blush, and seeing her so fragile made him physically ache.

"Ok. I put a chair next to her bed. One of you can sit, and I'll allow the other to remain, as long as he stands here", she pointed to the foot of her bed, "You can shift whenever you want, but understand only one of you can stand next to her, ok?", they both nodded, and she pulled the curtain a bit, to give them privacy, waiting a bit to see if they had any questions.

Max walked to the chair, and sat tiredly on it. She was hooked to several machines, her left hand had an IV drip, apart from the breathing tube and the respirator attached to it, and he noticed there was a bag of something red-yellowish attached to the vein in her arm, "What's that?", he asked.

"It's plasma. She'll be anemic for a while, her body has to replenish what it lost and acknowledge the new blood we gave her. As the doctor explained, we're monitoring her spontaneous breathing, and once we're sure she's breathing on her on, the breathing tube will be removed. I know it makes her face look awkward and gaunt, even worse than she really is, but the machines indeed lower the effort her body has to make to recover", Max nodded and seeing he wasn't looking at her, she left them alone.

Max carefully took her hand, rubbing her knuckles so he didn't move the IV. "My sweet baby girl", he said tenderly, "You should have let me kill her when I had the chance", Booth's heart ached for the man sitting tiredly before his daughter. Being a father, he could only understand the dread Max felt at seeing her like this. He had felt the same dread when he thought Howard Epps had come after Parker, feeling his heart practically stop until he was certain Parker was ok and unharmed.

"You're the strongest person I know. I couldn't be prouder of everything you've accomplished, of the woman you've become. I need you to know, I love you more than anything. You're my sweet, sweet angel, no matter how tough you are. But right now, you have to fight. You have to use that stubbornness and fortitude to pull through, to prove those doctors wrong, to show them you can do it, ok?", he said tearfully, and remained there, just staring at her face and rubbing her hand, trying to vanish the cold from the skin.

The doctors had cleaned her, and there was a huge bandage on the side of her neck. Her hair was pulled to the side, arranged in a somewhat messy ponytail, but it had been cleaned so it wasn't as soaked with her blood, but Booth could see the traces of it there.

After some minutes of just staring at her and gently rubbing her hand, Max stood, and said, "Come here", Booth lowered his eyes, "We know she would have wanted you here, no matter what. Do I have to drag you?", Max asked, and Booth shook his head and after Max cleared the way, he sat in the same spot that had just been vacated.

"Bones, my Bones, I don't know if I have the right to call you that anymore", he started, rubbing her hand, "I don't know if there's anything I can do to make myself worthy of you, after the mess I've made of things. It's not only because you're the smartest, most successful woman I've ever known. It's because of how beautiful you are. Inside and out. You've mesmerized me from the day we met. I think… I fell in love with you at first sight. And I know you're listening to me saying that it's impossible to fall in love, let alone at first sight, but it's true. Everything I thought about was you", he swallowed so his voice didn't shake, "Yes, at the beginning, it was all about lust, about passion, but… when I got to know you, you heart, your soul… You started filling my nights, and my days: there wasn't a single day when I didn't dream about you, about the life I wanted to live with you… I held myself back from touching you so many times because I knew, I knew that one touch, and I would be hooked forever. But I was a fool, because I already was hooked. You're so… I don't have any words. There's not a single thing for me to say that would make me worthy of your forgiveness. You broke my heart, but what I did to you was even worse. And I'm so sorry. Because I broke my promise to you. I stopped being the friend you needed me to be, and I… I left you alone. I was so scared… I needed to feel loved, to fill my loneliness, but I screwed things up, I really did. I should have seen how much I was hurting you, being with Hannah, and… how I treated you… that night, when you told me…", he cried for a few moments, unable to hold it in anymore, "that you regretted missing your chance with me…", he couldn't stop from rising a hand to caress her face gently carefully around the tube in her mouth, his eyes lost in her beauty, flinching when he felt her skin icy cold, "But I was so stupid. Because you never did, you never lost your chance, because I never stopped loving you. If I doubted… Not anymore because… you made me see. I still have a son, because of you. And it's not because I feel unbelievably grateful to you for saving him, because I am, that I'm telling you this but… because in that moment I knew I had never stopped aching for you. Because when you closed your eyes, for a second I had a glimpse of my world without you in it, without your eyes, your smile, your body, your intelligence, your passion… No woman could fill that hole. Ever. So I'm begging you, please open those beautiful eyes so I can crawl like a bug and you crush me like I deserve, so I can hear you say, anthropologically speaking and I don't know what that means, and correct everything I say, and I can beg you to take me back, even if I'm the worst partner and friend you've ever had. Open your eyes so I can make things right, so I can…", he sobbed, "Love you the way you deserve, so I can treat you like a queen, like a princess. Besides, if you don't, I'm sure your Dad will gut me alive, so… Open your eyes, my beautiful, brave Temperance, and save me from my doom", he finished, and gently bent his head until it rested next to her body, sobbing softly.

Max's eyes were moist as he heard the agent beg for her forgiveness, how he vowed to make himself worthy of her again. It's all he had ever wanted, someone to love his little girl for who she was, and he knew Seeley Booth was the only one who knew her and loved her that way. He was angry that things had to reach this point for them to realize the monumental mistakes they had been making, and he was sad that they were missing out on so much for being so stubborn.

The only thing left to do now was wait. Seeing the broken man leaning against his daughter, he went to find the doctor in charge of the ICU.

Fortunately, he didn't have to walk far because the doctor was there, by the nurse's desk.

"Excuse me?", Max said, making the man raise his eyes from the computer, "I'm Max Keenan, Temperance Brennan's father", the doctor stood and went to him, "Dr. Kyle Petersen".

After shaking hands, Max began to plead his case, "Dr. Petersen, I understand there is a reason why ICU protocol is so strict, but I need to ask a huge favor of you: you know of my daughter's case, right?", the doctor nodded and waited patiently for Max to continue, "I also understand it was only because you were aware of the severity of her case that you let us see her for a while, that you're fearing the worst. Doctor, I get all of these things, but I´m here to beg you: my daughter´s partner is in there, with her, and I know that in a few minutes, we have to leave, but I need you to bend the rules once again and let him stay with her", seeing the doctor about to protest, Max raised his hand, halting what he knew would be a definite refusal, "Hear me out before you rule this out completely. My daughter and that man have been in love for years, but have been too stubborn to act on their feelings. It might sound stupid, but my daughter risked her life to save the life of his little boy. So he's basically in there, blaming himself for what happened, almost to the point of beating himself up, thinking this is all his fault. I know it seems like it won't make a difference, since my daughter is in a comma", Max had to swallow the bile that rose to his throat when he said the word comma, "But it would ease his guilt tremendously if he feels he can be here for her. Imagine if the woman you loved saved your son and you were denied the chance of just sitting with her, and holding her hand. For you, it doesn't make a difference, but it would mean the world to us if you let him sit by her. You won't notice him, he won't be in the way, but he needs it. If…", Max fought his tears, "If something happens, and he´s not right there by her side… It will kill him".

The doctor seemed reluctant, "I understand what you're seeing, Mr. Keenan, and I'm sympathetic to your predicament, but your daughter´ situation is critical, and it wouldn't be wise to let him stay, as you said, these protocols exist for a reason", he said, and Max shook his head.

"So", Max spat angrily, "To protect your precious protocol, you're going to let my critically-wounded daughter to lay there alone, to perhaps die alone, when she could have someone she loves right next to her. You might think, clinically, that she won't know. What you're not considering is the torture you'll be submitting that poor man too. Think if you were in the same situation: wouldn't you like to spend the…", he inhaled deeply to be able to get the words out, "last hours of the life of the woman you love right next to her?"

The doctor lowered his eyes momentarily, and Max said, pleadingly, "Doctor, look. I'm not asking you for this, but for me. I would love nothing more than to be next to my little girl, but I'm giving this to that man, because right now? If she doesn't wake up, and he can't be there when… she goes", his eyes pooled with tears, "He'll be destroyed. So please, have some compassion. It's late at night, and there are very few people here. Visiting hours are already finished, and no one but the staff will notice. He won't be in the way, I promise you".

The doctor looked pensively at Max, before replying, "I will allow this, but if he disturbs her in any way, he´s out immediately", Max smiled and reached for his hand.

"Doctor, you won't regret it. I'll go tell him, and I'll leave", he said, and went to find Booth.

When he reached them, his heart broke. He knew how it felt to feel that you were losing the woman you loved. He recalled with acute clarity the pain he felt when his beloved Ruth died, how from that point forward, his life lost all meaning. He was only glad he had Russ and Tempe, because if not, he knew he would have put a bullet through his brain, because only his kids gave him a reason to continue fighting, and in truth, he had promised her, by her grave, that he would protect them until his dying day. That was his only reason to be.

But Booth had nothing to hold on to, he could see it. If she died, giving her life to protect him, he would always blame himself, he would become a shadow of the man he once had been.

Before he spoke, Max closed his eyes, and prayed, "Ruthie, please, if you're in Heaven… help us. We can't lose her, not now".

Booth continued to cry silently, his body bent, her hand gently cradled in his, his head next to her body on the bed, praying to every Saint he knew, every muscle coiled with tension.

"Booth?", Booth raised his head, and sniffled, wiping his face with his free hand, unwilling to let go of her, seeing her so pale she almost blended with the white bedding of her hospital bed.

"We have to go, right?", he said brokenly, staring at the woman he loved, so fragile, so broken lying there.

"I have to go", he said pointedly, "I talked to the doctor, and… they're letting you stay", Booth's eyes lit up at the news, and if Max had any lingering doubts of his love, the spark of hope at the news told him what he needed to know. His baby girl would be safe with him.

"Really?", Max nodded, "Yes, but you have to make yourself invisible so they don't throw you out. Think you can do that?", he asked, eyebrow raised in challenge.

Looking at her, caressing her with his eyes, Booth nodded, "As if my life depended on it".

Max got closer, and tapped his shoulder, "You're a good man, Booth. And I'm going to her place, safe in the knowledge that you'll care for her while I'm gone. Don't beat yourself up any longer. When she wakes, you'll have the chance to make amends".

Booth swallowed the lump on his throat, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin of her knuckles, "When she wakes, I promise you Max, I'll do everything to convince her, to prove to her, I won't ever leave her. I just need one chance, one more chance, Max, to make things right", Max nodded.

"Call me if anything happens, good or bad, ok?", Booth nodded, but his eyes were fixed on her.

"Max?", Max turned to look at him, "Can you wait for just a moment here? I need to go talk to the squints. I know they'll want to be here, but it's pointless if they're going to be there, like sitting ducks. Don't… don't let them pull an all-nighter, if I don't manage to convince them to go home, ok? Help me convince them. I know Angela will want to, and in her condition, it's not safe. If there's anyone I trust to help me, it's you", Max nodded again.

"Go. But don't take long", Booth quickly stood, bur before he exited, he bent his head and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

He didn't notice it in his haste to leave, but he could see the frown marring her face ease just a little, "You found yourself a good man, baby girl. Give him a chance when he wakes up".

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

When he exited the doors of the ICU, after explaining things to the nurse in charge outside the door, the squints stood to hear the news, except Cam, who was still cradling Parker against her chest.

"Guys, she's… stable", he began, "But she won't wake up", their faces fell instantly, "You heard them before. Guys, I know you want to be here, but you know they're not letting anyone in".

Jack asked, "What about you? Are they kicking you out? Why isn't Max here?".

"Max is watching her. They… Max asked them to let me stay. I don't know what he said, but… the gist is I get to be close to her. I…", his eyes filled with tears, "I can't leave her, guys. I can't go".

Angela smiled sadly, her gentle heart breaking for their pain, for how they had to face a tragedy for him to realize where his affections really were.

"Booth, go to her", Angela said encouragingly, her eyes soft and forgiving.

"Booth is right, people", Cam interjected, "As much as we would all love to be here, they won't let us here while her condition continues to be critical. Let's be grateful that at least they let Booth here stay", the rest of the group agreed with her assessment. At least, they could go home knowing she wouldn't be alone, and that he would care for her, fiercely.

"Cam?", he began hesitantly, "Can you…", Cam raised her hand, "You don't need to ask. I'll take the little guy home, but I think you should wake him and explain things to him so he doesn't get upset. He could feel betrayed if he didn't wake up here", Booth nodded and crouched next to his friend and son.

He gently shook the boy' shoulder, "Bub? Wake up", another gentle tug on his shoulder, only getting a sleepy grumble. He tenderly rubbed his curls, and tried again, "Parker? Please, wake up. I need to talk to you. It's about Bones", it seemed the nickname for the woman they both adored was the only thing the boy's mind registered, and he sleepily raised his head from where he had been resting it against Cam' shoulder to meet his father's eyes.

"Daddy, how's Dr. Bones?", Parker asked, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles; Booth thought about lying, but if there was one thing Parker loved about Brennan was her honesty, and how she didn't baby him, giving him the facts in ways he could understand.

"Bub, she was wounded pretty hard. Right now, she's sleeping tight, so she can get better faster. Remember like when you had the chicken pox and when you had the fever, you felt better when you were sleeping?", Parker nodded, "Well, it's like that, bub. We have to be patient, so her body has a chance to heal properly. Can you do something for me?", another nod, "Can you go with Dr. Cam to your mom's?", seeing his eyes drop to the floor, he nudged his chin softly with his hand, "Bub, your mom must be so scared, she must be wanting to hug you real tight after all that happened, and it's just because she knew you wouldn't leave that she hasn't come here, and because she didn't want to make this too crowded, but she must be missing you terribly. I know you want to be here, but they won't let you see Dr. Bones right now".

Parker seemed lost in thought until he asked, "Are you staying to take care of her?", Booth nodded, and his boy took his little hands to caress his face, making his heart feel just a bit lighter and hopeful, smiling reassuringly at him.

"Dad, she won't leave us. She loves us too much for that. She will fight for us, I know it. Just promise me something?", Booth nodded, fighting tears as he saw the hope in his son's eyes, "When she wakes, can we make her our girlfriend? I truly love her, Daddy", Booth reached out for him, and held him tightly against his chest. Amazing how a few words coming from his little boy and he felt hope again.

"I promise you, bub. As soon as she wakes", he whispered against his boy's curls, and kissed his temple.

"I have to go back. I promise you I'll talk to the doctors so they let you in very soon and you can see her", Parker nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Bye Daddy. Take care of our girl", Booth smiled at him as Cam stood with him wrapped around her, holding him to her body carefully.

They all had tears in their eyes, and he was only able to give them a strong hug. He even hugged Sweets tightly, knowing the young psychologist would be there for him when he felt overwhelmed by it all, and instinctively realizing their baby duck must be terrified.

He returned to the ICU, and stood by her bedside. Max, acknowledging him, and silently left, and once more, he retook his post by her bed, unable to stop himself from kissing her hand.

"I'll be here when you wake, baby. I promise. I won't fail you again, I won't let you fall, and if you do, we fall together", he vowed, already bracing himself for a lifetime of sleep deprivation, if that's what was needed of him, until she opened her eyes.

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Next, Brennan's journey begins…