Again, my apologizes for not posting chapters as often as anyone (including myself) would like. I just finished my first teaching placement and now its back to class, so hopefully more time for writing in between.
A BIG thank you goes out to everyone who has reviewed, the response to this story has been overwhelming and I very much appreciate it!
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Temperance Brennan sat with her knees drawn up to her chest watching the scene in the ICU. Ruth knew her daughter was in shock, seeing her mortal body hooked up to so many machines, knowing that she was treading that thin line between life and death.
Ruth also knew that her daughter was thinking about her guardian angel, about the man that would become a factor in the huge decision she would have to make.
When Booth had saved his partner's life he had not only changed her fate but his own at the same time. His life now hung in the same balance as hers. If she chose to live he would live on, but if death was her choice, his would follow.
Ruth knew what the outcome would be should her daughter choose to die: She could see Booth's future, it was one where he would shut himself off from the world after his partner's death. He would blame himself for what happened; the scenario would run through his mind all hours of the day. He would be unable to return to the Jeffersonian or interact with her team. His job became a constant reminder of her life until he quit, choosing to return to active duty in the army. Booth would be shipped off to war and would volunteer for the riskiest of missions as a ranger. One assignment would prove all too dangerous. His men would be ambushed and as the leader he would sacrifice himself to save them all. He would die a hero in the eyes of others, but a failure to himself.
Ruth wanted nothing more than to prevent Booth's death but it was no longer her place to make arguments. Her daughter had to make the decision on her own.
Brennan didn't know what to think, feel or believe anymore. She thought she had this situation figured out, she thought it was a figment of her imagination or her drug induced mind, she thought she would have woken up by now, but all her theories had no real proof to support them. Then she had seen her body in the ICU and realized that maybe, just maybe this was real. It certainly felt real. There was no science or proof to say this didn't happen when someone was being kept on life support, so really, anything was possible. What she did know was that her death had been imminent before Booth saved her. She had felt her body giving up, she had felt death coming, and there was no other way of explaining that; Which meant she knew just how extensive her injuries were and how long it would take to recover from them, if she even made it through another round of surgery. Yet she had a choice to make, it loomed in front of her. She could die and give into that feeling she had while lying in her destroyed lab. Whatever came after death would surely be better than the life she would have if she chose to live.
Yet her mind returned to the minutes before she had come to the white room, to the image of Booth hovering over her, pleading with her to stay with him.
Her mind returned to Booth.
Booth, her partner, her friend, her constant, her guardian angel. She loved him, she knew that and she wondered what her death may do to him. He would blame himself, she knew that, but he was strong, he would go on without her. She knew it would take him time but he had so much to live for. She knew he had Parker and he would eventually forget about her in years to come. He didn't need her…or did he?
He had saved her life, he was her guardian angel. Her mother had said they had a bond that transcended the physical, that their souls spoke to each other. Brennan knew she had never felt the way she felt when she was with Booth with anyone else. If she chose death would the fact that he saved her mean nothing?
His voice shook her from her thoughts and she watched as he sat beside her in the ICU. As he took her hand she seemed to hover above her body in the room. When he spoke she could almost feel his emotions.
"…I need you to live Bones…"
Her tears matched his as she watched him by her bedside. His words rang in her ears, she could sense him willing her to fight, to live. His energy, his emotion, his grief and pain all were tangible to her. When she hovered in that room she was closer to him than she ever thought possible. She reached out to touch him but found herself back in the white room staring at a white wall again.
Suddenly the thoughts of her own death seemed selfish. Whatever pain and suffering she would go through he would feel it. She realized just how much of an impact she had on his life and how he impacted hers. She needed him just as much as he needed her. Brennan had never believed in souls before but the connection she felt with Booth was too strong to deny they existed.
She turned to her mother, "Our souls don't speak to each other," she began.
"They do Temperance, they speak and say more than any words can."
"But it goes deeper than that," Brennan continued, "I didn't believe in souls before, but now, they must be real, because I can feel him. I can feel his pain and I can feel him willing me to live with every breath he takes. Our bond, it goes deeper than our souls just speaking, doesn't it? Something bad is going to happen to him if I don't live, isn't it?"
Ruth nodded, "You're right. Your bond with Booth goes deeper than just your souls speaking. You can feel Booth because your souls are connected."
"If I die something will happen to his soul then…" she trailed off, trying to imagine what may happen.
"I can't tell you that Temperance; it is your own decision to make. Are you ready?"
"Yes."
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The doctors were ready. The drug induced coma had been lifted and Dr. Monroe listened to his partner's heart beat and gave the signal to the nurse;
"Turn off the machines," she said.
Booth took a deep breath as the life support machine was slowly turned off. With all his being he prayed she would take a breath on her own, that the machines wouldn't scream as she crashed again. Booth knew that if she didn't breathe it was over, that a part of his own life would end if she left.
"Please Bones," he whispered.
Her heart rate held steady as the whirring of the machine stopped. The steady blips of the rhythm held and he closed his eyes making one last silent plea that the woman he loved would stay with him.
The beeps slowed.
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Brennan laid on the table she had woken up on in the white room. Her mother kissed her forehead and she could feel her mother's tears mix with her own.
"Close your eyes," said Ruth.
She did as instructed and suddenly she was falling…
To be continued…
