Chapter #7: Changes and surprises
Brennan searched for the doctor until she finally found him in the nurse desk writing some indications in a patient file. The doctor notices her and smile.
"Did Mr. Booth need something?"
"No… may I have a word with you?"
"Sure" The doctor gives the file to a nurse and after ordering some food for Booth, walks to an empty conference room near to the nurse desk. After letting Bones enter he closes the door behind him.
"I was wondering if, I can take him home?" She asked him in a calm voice.
"Yes… if that is what he wants."
"If I do so, what are the indications for him?" She knew that his care was going to be a lot more that just remain in bed and she was determined to take care of him no matter what.
"Well, he will need to be injected three times per week, with a medication for his anemia, and he need a IV."
"But why the IV?"
"Well, as you see, he does not want to eat. So we need to give him some nutrients into his body. Also, he needs to be calm and rest. The medications have to been given as is." The doctor tell her in a calm voice that does not show the seriousness of his condition.
"Ok. I can do that." She assures him with a smile but felling his world crumbling in her insides.
"I will let the nurse give you some indications for his care, so you knew what to do and what to expect with him." He said and she knotted in affirmation.
"If he needs to be connected to an IV, why would you discharge him?" Brennan asks confused.
The doctor smiled at her. "Well that decision is not mine, I have a conference call this morning with his oncologist, and he was the one that convince me to let him go home."
"Wait… you are not his oncologists?" She asked intrigued by the news.
"No. He just came here to take his treatment near home. This is not common, but I guess that his doctor had a good reason to let him came here."
"May you tell me the name of his doctor?"
"Sure. His name is Dr. Gunman" Said the doctor as he read Booth file.
"Dr. James Gunman." Said she in disbelieve as a little smile appeared in her lips.
"Did you know him?"
"Yes, we have met in various conferences, and he was my professor in one of my classes." She said happily.
"Well, you can call him, and ask him for other information about his condition. If you need more information regarding Mr. Booth health, just call me (the doctor gave her a card). Good luck, I will order the nurse to explain to you all the indications regarding his care."
As soon she arrive into his room, she saw two nurses at his side, one with a damp towel in his forehead and speaking him trough his ear, the other injecting some medication into his IV. After a few minutes, Brennan saw as Booths body relax under the effects of the medication. The nurse that was whipping his face stays in the room, cleaning his chest. For the first time Bones see the catheter in his chest. At it sight, her eyes became full of tears. The nurse looks at her and smiles…
"The doctor told us that he is discharging him tomorrow," The nurse tell her in a friendly voice.
"Ah… yes" She answer distracted as she put her cell phone on her purse and get near him.
"It is great. If you want, I can teach you how to take care of him." The nurse offer her and she accept thankfully.
Brennan got closer to the nurse, as she cleans the area in which the medicines enter his body. With enormous care, Brennan takes a sponge and cleaned the area in his chest. Suddenly, she became sure that she was not leaving him alone.
After 15 minutes in which the nurse explains everything to her, she was left alone with him. The nurse told her that he would sleep quite some time due to the drug they had given, so she kiss him in the forehead and step out of his room. She walked toward the nurse station and after giving them her information, she exits the hospital toward the parking lot. In the way to her car, she calls Angela.
"Hey Sweetie, are you? We are supposed to have lunch together, but Zack told me that you flew out of the lab 4 hours ago" Angela said halve mad halve worried about her friend.
"Ange sorry, something happened" Bones said simply as she turn on her car.
"Well, if you don't want to tell me that's ok, but I hope is that you finally have a date… well… only for lunch" Angela had a hug grin in his face as she tough of Brennan in a date.
Brennan smiles shaking her hear side ways. "Booth calls me this morning"
"Oh!" Angela said simply while she smiled. "I understand now, but how is he?" Ask sadly.
"Not quite good. But hopefully I will take him out of the hospital by tomorrow morning." Brennan confessed to her friend with a huge smile on her face.
"Are you sure honey?" Angela asked, but she was secretly happy that her friend assume the care of the only men she truly loved.
"Angela for the first time in my life I'm completely sure of what I'm doing."
Angela smile. She can say that by her friend voice it will be all right.
"Ange, I need a favor" Brennan knew her friend will help her.
"What you want?" Angela asked walking toward Jack to tell him the news.
"Would you go to…" Brennan was driving to the city as she explained Angela her plan. Angela sat on Jack desk and start writing in a paper her friend indications as a huge smile appeared in his lips.
-o-o-o-o
Brennan came back to the hospital later that night. She spends all the afternoon preparing the guest room for him. She knew that he will want to go to his home, but she felt that he will be better in her home. When she entered his room, the same nurse that teaches her to treat him in the morning was with him.
"He asks for you a few minutes ago?" The nurse told her with a smile and in a low voice trying to not wake him up.
"Is he all right?" She asked as the nurse injected him on his left arm.
"He is stable in his current situation."
"What is that?" Brennan asked as the nurse put a band aid into his arm covering the place in which she injected him.
"This is epoetin, is a drug to help his anemia." The nurse told her knowing that she had to be accustom to his medications and they uses. "You should inject him three times per week."
"But did I can put into his IV." Brennan said half asking the nurse.
"No. You just had to inject him, and have to change the places every time you did it." The nurse tell her as she start picking up the medical supplies she have used.
"I knew how to do it. Is only that I don't like it." Bones does not like the idea of having to inject him.
"It's hard at first, but if you fell better, he can do it himself. I knew that he has done all this alone, so he can help you." The nurse said to her as she get close to him an kiss his cheeks.
"He is hot!" Brennan said scared.
"He has a little fever but is normal. You must prevent him to get off the house at any cost. The cold temperatures in his condition are bad. As also infections his immune system is week to fight a simple infection right now."
"I talk to his oncologist this afternoon; we are going to meet tomorrow to see some other options of treatment for him." Brennan told the nurse in a voice filled with hope.
"That will be nice. Apparently his system was not reacting as well as all expected to the chemotherapy." The nurse told Brennan as she excuse herself, and turning off the bring neon light located near the bead head, exit the room.
Brennan sits in the chair beside him and learns that he was awake. A force smile appeared in his lips.
"Hi. I was thinking that you ran away." He said with a teasing voice.
"Never Booth. I will never run away." She was sure that he meant this thinking on his current condition.
"Fine, I believe you. Did you eat?" Ask him seriously
"I eat some snack in the way back."
"You must eat Bones." He said in a mad tone but with a shy smile on the lips.
"Oh… I must eat… what about you?" She said looking into his eyes.
"I ate" He said proudly.
"You do" Ask Brennan amused.
"Yes. I ate a yogurt. It was the only thing that I can handle right now." He said while he tried to cover himself a little more with the bed covers as he shiver.
"Ok. I will make sure that we got plenty of yogurts in the fridge for you. Hey, the doctors are going to release you tomorrow morning. Did you still want to get out from here?" She ask, but she wont take a no for answer.
"I don't think that's a good idea. Look Bones, I don't want to by a burden for you… or for others." He said looking directly into her eyes.
"Hey… you are not that. We all be happy to help you." She confessed to him.
"We all? What did you mean with that?" Booth move a little to his right side to face her completely.
"Well… I call Cullen in the afternoon and the squints, they are really happy that you are getting off the hospital, Rebecca and Parker." She said smiling.
"But I don't have someone to stay with me." He said to her and she can see the sadness in his eyes.
"Hey… I will stay with you" She laught at his face expression.
"What?" He said in a confound voice.
"Well… I have plenty of vacations days, and I cancel my Christmas plans into Mexico to be with you. You need me, also the guys offer themselves to help you." Brennan told him simply without entering into details.
"But" He was going to argue with her, but she put a finger in his lips to made him stop.
"You need to rest ok, tomorrow you will see. I got a surprise for you." Booth smiles at her and close his eyes. Brennan took his hand inside hers, and lost her war to the sleep, today was a long day a long happy day.
-o-o-o-o
Brennan had the most wonderful night rest time in a long time. Her back ache, but finally she was able to sleep. When she looks into his bed, it was empty. She became scared but then the nurse came in.
"Where is he?: She ask scared, fearing the worst.
"Don't worry honey, he will came back in a few minutes. We take him to some test. He does not want to wake you up." Brennan smile knowing that he was always watching for her wellbeing. "Well, the doctors sign the release form last night, so when he arrives you can take him home. I knew that you already have some medical equipment in his place, right?" The nurse asked her giving her some documents.
"Yes. I spoke to his oncologist and he gives me the indications of the equipment that he may need." Brennan responds the nurse while she put the documents over his bag.
"He called this morning and ordered a few test prior his release. We are going to give you the images so you can give to him."
Brennan does not tell Booth yet, that his doctor was going to see him today.
"Hey Bones good morning." Booth seems relax but tired. He was sitting in a wheel chair without his IV. He was already dress to get out of the hospital. He was wearing a pair of black losses jeans, with an undershirts and a long cotton shirt over it a cap and a pair of gloves. In the bed was his coat.
The nurse explains Bones the step to connect him to the IV. They just take out the line, so he can move, but let in the needle and the catheter. So it will be easy for her to connect him when they arrive at their destination. The nurse give Bones a few books with some extra indication and place in Booth lap his "beloved backpack".
"Inside are all you medications, including the ones for the anemia and for the pain. Also the prescriptions for the antibiotics and other medications."
They both knotted and the nurse step out.
"Are you ready to go home?" Bones ask him smiling.
"Bones I…" He was happy to be out of the hospital, but he was still worried to be a burden for the others.
"Booth pleases… no second's toughs." She said kneeling in front of him and taking his face on her hands. Booth moved his face to his right side pressing her hand between his pale skinny face and his shoulder. She smiled at what he had done. Booth close his eyes and gave her a lightly knot with his head.
Brennan picked up the remains belonging of him and call the nurse to help her with him. The nurse gave her the images of his test, and the enveloped with the other test results that they had been doing to him. Booth looks suspiciously at this, but it was Brennan after all… she wants to control everything…
After twenty minutes both of them were in the way to their destination. Booth was near to sleep but was fighting his eyes. Brennan smile at him, and notice his trouble to maintain his eyes open.
"What happened with your car?" Booth asked to her, as they were traveling into a small black Mercedes SUV, instead of her small sport car.
"Well, I change it. I think that SUV are more secured that small car, so I change it a few months ago." Booth smiles and for the first time pay attention to the road they were heading. They were entering into a private home complex located in the north part of Virginia.
"Bones… I think that you are wrong, this is not the way to my home." Booth said in a worried tone.
"I know that Booth we are going to mine." She said simply smiling as she see his confusion.
"But this is not the way to you apartment either, you see in here there are only houses." Booth move his hand as up as he could to point the houses they had been leaving back.
"I never told you that we are going to my apartment. I told you that we are going to my home."
When she said the last word, Booth found himself in the drive way of a beautiful two story white house.
"Well Booth, welcome to my house."
The house was covered all with snow. Brennan opens the garage doors and drive into it, closing the door before opening hers.