Chapter #5: Back at the beginning
Booth opened his eyes to found himself at his hospital bed. At his side was Cullen, all dress in paper clothes and with a mask at his face. Booth understands at his sight, that his conditions have worsened.
"How I did?" Booth said in a low harsh voice.
"Hey, you did just great. Now you need to rest. The doctor was really pissed off when the ambulances take you in here. You were dehydrated and the think you can have anemia, that's why you fainted in the court room." Cullen told the agent seriously and Booth began to laugh uncontrollably.
"What is so funny Agent Booth? I don't think that your current health situation is funny." Cullen said in shock as the completely change of humor of his agent.
"I have lost today one of my new work clothes" Booth said remain with a smile in his lips as he saw how Cullen became more relax.
"Don't worries about it. The Bureau will give you another." Cullen smile at Booth as he sees the old Booth for the first time since he returned.
"Its ok, I was joking. Well if you have to be dress like that to enter my room I may think, that my immune system is gone by now." Booth said like a statement.
"No, it was just a precaution measure. The doctors don't want to take any chance with you by now." Cullen said honestly while he handed a cup half filled with water to Booth and then returned it to the table.
"I just need to know." Booth had his hand over his head and then slowly passes it to his face. He notices that the nurses had put him on oxygen, as he felt a fine tube but surrounding his ears and over his checks.
"Now I take my leave, you need to rest. I'm going to send everybody to their home. You really scare a lot of people in the court today." Cullen was heading to the door when Booth voice stops him.
"What?" Booth had his eyes closed trying to understand the meaning behind his boss words.
"When you fainted " Cullen began to explain what happen after he pass out on the court room, but at he see him, he looks so tired that Cullen stop. "Well, all the squints are outside waiting to hear from you. And since you only authorized me to enter, they are outside waiting with Caroline." Booth just closes his eyes analyzing what he had just heard.
"Sir, would you do me a favor?" Booth opens his eyes and look directly into his boos eyes. "Let them enter, but please tell them that I'm sleeping. I don't want to answer questions right now."
"Are you sure of that Seeley?" Cullen asked worried.
"It's ok sir. I may scare the hell out of them today, so let them enter." Booth said with a small grim on his face.
"You really care of the as they were." Cullen was saying but Booth voice stopped him. "Friends sir, they are my friends."
Booth closes his eyes just to pretend that he was sleeping, while Cullen left the room. He does not want to scare them, so if they just see him, maybe they leave to their home, and he can rest alone.
Cullen arrive completely undress of the white paper clothes and faces the squints and Caroline. They are all scared. As they spot him a shower of questions felt over him.
"How is he?
Can we see him?
Cullen?" Cullen stopped in front of all of them and raised both hands to make them stop the rain of questions at once.
"Just, calm down for a moment." Cullen said in a pledge tone, before continuing. "No, he is not fine, well you all saw him at the court today."
But we want to see him, to talk to him. But the nurses and the doctors said that only you and Caroline are authorized to enter into his room. Why did you do that? We are his friends you know. Angela said obviously mad at the current situation
.
Caroline step up, and for the first time, face the squints. "First of all, we don't do it. It was Seeley who authorized us to visit him."
"But why? " Cam asked in shock.
"I can't answer that Dr. Soroyan" Respond Caroline. "But right now, you all have to accept his decision. As he ALWAYS respect and accepts yours." When she said this she was looking directly to Brennan.
Jack throws his arm in Angela shoulder "its better that we get out of here"
All the squints were leaving when Cullen calls them back.
"He authorized you to enter to his room."
All the squint smiles at him.
"What?" Angela asked in total confusion.
"I talk to him a few minutes ago, and when he learns that you all were here, he asks me to authorize you all to enter to see him. He does not want to scare you." Cullen said in a calm voice.
"We can talk to him a lot." Angela said while she hugs Jack.
"I don't think that he is going to answer any of your questions." Cullen said seriously.
"But he just let us enter!." Cam said as a matter of fact.
"Yes, he does, but he was sleeping right now, the medicines you know."
The squints knotted and follow Cullen toward the nurse desk. Since the visits are going to be fast, the nurse gives each one of them a mask, and let them enter the room.
"Just for five minutes he is too weak and need a lot of rest." The nurse said to them before opening the door of his room.
All the squints enter the room in complete silence. Booth can hear Angela sighs as she saw him. Neither of them attempt to move toward him and remain in the same place. Angela grabbed Jack hand and squeezes it hard. Booth just imagines the fear faces they had right now. After a few minutes a nurse enters the room and order them to get out, Booth understand that since he was allowed to have visits one at the time, this had been a special treat for him. Booth hears as all of them get our in silence from his room, but then he felt a pair of warm lips kissing his forehead, while a warm hand touches his head.
"You don't have to do all this alone, you know. Just let me repair my mistake; let me be here for you as you always had been there for me. You don't have to be alone this time."
He felt again the lips in his forehead, and then heard her steps getting out of his room. As Bones exit the room, he opens his eyes and felt as the repressed tears find their way out. The nurse came back after the visitors exit the room. She became worried about him when she saw him crying but as she believes is all about pain, she gave him another dose of painkiller, that make him slept in a few minutes.