Those Times
"I...I'm sorry, Bones. I couldn't save her. She just...slipped," Booth says, avoiding eye contact. He fiddles nervously with his hands. Clears his throat. Forces his hands to be still.
Brennan stares at him. Blinks. Her eyes fill with tears that she refuses to let fall, though crying is the natural thing to be doing in her current situation. She just sits.
"I know you were close," Booth adds quietly. "I can't imagine how you're feeling. If you need to talk..."
Clamping her eyes shut, Brennan takes a moment to compose herself. She waits until the moisture in her eyes feels less and then slowly opens them again, wiping them dry with the back of her hand.
Using the armrest of her chair for support, she stands. "I wasn't that close," she very nearly whispers. Her tone suggests denial, false bravado. "We only just met last week."
Booth reaches over to squeeze her hand. "I know you just met, but sometimes it's easy to get attached to someone in a short amount of time. And it's never easy facing death. It's okay to care."
"I know," Brennan nods, "and I do care. It's just..."
"Too much, too quickly?"
"Something like that. Yeah."
"Well," Booth murmurs after a moment. "Be grateful the time you knew her. Hold onto those times. Don't let it overwhelm." He watches as Brennan nods again. "You'll be okay?"
"I will," Brennan confirms. She offers him a watery smile. "And will you? It wasn't your fault she...fell."
Booth swallows as the guilt rises once again in his throat. He shrugs. "Yeah, Bones. I will be too. One day."