Hello again! Glad you guys are still with me after my momentary absence. Now, we find out what we've all been waiting for...
Chapter 8
Brennan sat on the edge of the bathtub. She looked at the clock built into her phone again, it had only been 2 minutes. Why it felt as if hours had passed, she had no clue. She tapped her toes on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, hoping that it would distract her.
Today was the first day she would be able to get an accurate result, hopefully accurate anyways. She couldn't wait any longer to find out. It wasn't possible to wait any longer. At least to her, it wasn't. Why would she wait longer? It was already eating her thoughts away, turning them to pieces of what used to be her memories. She could barely sleep last night, and had gotten only two hours in. She had stayed awake wondering, waiting, hoping.
It was driving her crazy, even though she never let it show.
She tugged on her hair with the tips on her fingers that weren't bandaged. Twisting it in small spirals around them. She hadn't showered in a few days, she noticed when her hair felt greasy beneath her fingers. Maybe she should shower, to help pass the time?
She looked at the time on her phone again. 3 minutes. More than halfway there. She couldn't shower in the remaining 2 minutes, that would be nearly impossible.
She picked up the boxes from the tests. Rereading the instructions for a fourth time. She had done everything else correctly, all she had to do now was wait. It seemed like the hardest part of the whole thing.
Booth was at work. Again. She was thankful for that though. He didn't need to be here when she took the tests, right? He wasn't even the father, so why should he be around? He had woken up to find her asleep on the couch, with the TV on. He had woken her to say goodbye, and then left. He had no idea what she would be doing when he was gone. She hadn't told him when she would be able to find out, but she assumed he was wanting to know just as much as she was. He said he would be there for her, and she believed him. But he didn't need to be here for her now.
She looked down at her unpainted toenails. They were so... bare. She wiggled them, noticing her toes crack when she did. The cold floor felt good beneath her feet though, it was exceptionally cozy in Booth's apartment. Which wasn't all that bad, but it overwhelmed her sometimes.
Thoughts ran through her head faster than racing greyhounds. What would she do? If she was pregnant, would she keep it? Where would it live? Would she give it up for adoption? What would she name it? Where would she put it? What would it look like? Would it be as smart as her? Would she go back to work? Would Angela help her? Would Booth help her?
How would she tell Booth?
4 minutes. She was just one minute away. The longest minute of her life, it felt like. She paced around the bathroom. Dragging her toes underneath her feet as she walked. Since when did time pass so slowly? She stopped at the sink, and looked in the mirror. Her hair was still messy from sleeping, it was becoming a rat's nest. She knew she should brush it soon, but now was not the time. She ran her tongue along her teeth, feeling the plaque, but not feeling like brushing them. Even though her toothbrush was located right in front of her. She looked at hey eyes, they were still gray. After all this time, they never seemed to have gotten their bright blue back. She sighed, gripping the edge of the sink with her hands, and leaning forward. Her skin had become increasingly pale from being inside so much. Her hair had become almost black, from lack of sun as well. The fluorescent lights above the mirror only added to the pale effect.
She looked like a soulless creature.
She shivered. She needed to go outside. It couldn't be good for her.
She sat back down on the edge of the bathtub, and put her face in her hands. The bandages on her hands were so soft, she felt like she could fall asleep right then and there. She shook the thoughts from her mind and looked the clock for the last time.
5 minutes.
She scrambled towards the vanity that had the tests on it, knocking them over the side and onto the floor. She picked then up and set them back onto the vanity. She opened her eyes and looked at the tests.
Two positives.
It wasn't possible.
It couldn't be, could it?
She shook the tests slightly, maybe it had made an error.
She knew she was being irrational, why would they both be wrong?
They both said the words she had dreaded to see since she took the tests.
Pregnant.
Brennan leaned against the wall of the bathroom, and slid down to the floor. She breathed heavily, looking around the bathroom, as if she was looking for something to prove this wasn't real. That this was all just a bad dream, and that she would wake up and go back to work. Without bandaged hands, without her fear of the dark, without this. She stood up, and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes remained the cold, gray color that she feared.
She.
Temperance Brennan.
Was going to be a mother.
She stumbled, almost blindly, out of the bathroom and down the hall. The hardwood floor felt hard beneath her feet as she made her way over to the couch. She sat down slowly, and stared at the
blank television. It wasn't on, but she somehow found comfort in it's quiet. She sat silently, contemplating what to do now. Even though she was trying desperately to hold back emotions, she felt tears well up in her eyes. She quickly soaked them up with her bandaged hands, and leaned back into the couch. She didn't want this, not at all.
What kind of mother was she?
Brennan let the tears fall down her cheeks, would she end up like her mother? Abandoning her child for her own good? She looked down at her legs, they were shaking. Her whole body was shaking. Just slightly, but enough to scare her. How could she keep this from happening?
She couldn't.
It was too late.
She sobbed quietly. She hated this, why couldn't she control her emotions anymore? She used to be able to, but now they all just poured out.
She sat up straight when she heard the front door open, and turned around to see Booth coming home from work. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and looked away from him.
"Hey Bones," He said, putting his keys and jacket down.
"Hi," She managed to choke out. She couldn't cry now, not in front of Booth.
"What are you doing? Watching the TV?" He asked, looking at the blank television.
Brennan felt her bottom lip quiver, and slowly nodded her head.
Booth shrugged, and walked into the kitchen, opening a cabinet a looking around inside.
"What do you want for dinner?" He asked, picking up a box, and looking at the back.
"I don't know," She said, hearing her voice crack as she said the words.
"Does pasta sound good?"
"Yeah, it does."
As Booth cooked, Brennan sat on the couch, wiping away her silent tears. She wished he hadn't come home for another hour. It would've given her time to get this out of her system.
How was she going to tell him?
She would just have to do it fast, like ripping off a band-aid. She got up, and walked into the kitchen, where Booth was busily stirring noodles in a pot of boiling water. She walked up next to him.
"Booth," She said, shakily. Trying to get his attention.
"Yeah?" Booth said, he soon noticed the tears that stained her cheeks, "Oh my god- Bones, are you okay?" He asked, turning towards her with the wooden spoon he had been using to stir the noodles in hand.
She took a deep, shaky breath, and looked into his eyes.
"I'm pregnant."
Brennan looked down at her feet. She didn't see Booth's reaction. She didn't want to. But the next thing she noticed was Booth wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and pulling her into his chest. It took her a moment to realize what was happening, but she soon wrapped her arms underneath his and held onto his back. She rested her head on his shoulder as he held her.
"It's alright Bones, you'll be fine," He said, squeezing her tighter.
"I know," She sniffled.
I hope so.
There it is! So what do you think? Will she keep it? Well, you don't get to decide, but I'd love to hear what you have to say!