Oh my god…. More than 100 reviews…. Thanks so much, people!!! …
Here we go, next chapter... a mix of Booth's and Brennan's pov now.
Chapter 11:
Booth woke around lunch time, when a nurse entered his room to check on him. He opened his eyes and after a short moment of disorientation, he recognised his surroundings. And that he still was intubated... his eyes narrowed. He gestured for the nurse to come nearer and mimicked pulling out the tube. The nurse nodded and said: "I'll get Dr. Chen."
Ten minutes later the tube was removed and Booth's coughing finally had ended. His throat felt as if he had munched glass shards for breakfast. This thought made his stomach grumble
'Seriously?' Booth patted his upper stomach gently 'You wake up when I think of eating glass shards?"
But the grumble and the empty feeling in his stomach made clear that it had been a long time since he had eaten something.
He grinned a bit. His soar throat surely was a good excuse to get the nurses to shower him with pudding, right?
He pressed the button again and the nurse reappeared in his room. "How can I help you, Mr. Booth?"
He was not able to talk yet, he could only rasp out some incomprehensible sounds.
So he mimicked spooning something and mouthed 'Pudding?' The nurse understood, but hesitated.
He flashed her his charm smile to solidify his plea. And it worked like magic,just as it should.
'Ah, how good the be free of that tube' He thought, when the nurse smiled back a bit and said. "Oh, alright. I understand you are hungry and the pudding will be good for your throat, I suppose. I'll be right back."
He really hoped she'll bring more than only one cup. His stomach grumbled in agreement. A lot more than one.
Another ten minutes later Booth felt a lot better. His gaze locked on the last remaining full cup of pudding; standing beside the three he had already emptied. He decided to keep the last one for Parker, who had inherited his obsession with good pudding. Well-fed for the moment, he settled back a bit, careful not to put pressure on his wound. Soon his medication caused his eye lids to get heavier and heavier and after some time, he was asleep again.
Temperance Brennan, Angela and Freeman had enjoyed their late breakfast and all three of them realised that with their talking, they finally had reached a level of mutual respect and sympathy.
At 11:30 however, Brennan began to get nervous and impatient. She needed, desperately needed to do something. She had called the hospital already, to get information about Booth's progress, but the nurse only had told her, that he was still at the ICU and she was not allowed to give her more information. So she had no idea if his condition had changed at all. She sighed.
Nobody had called her... She decided to call Rebecca in the evening... she surely would know something until then.
"Angela, I need to go to work... I have to do something. This sitting around, doing nothing is driving me crazy!" She told her best friend. Angela gave her an incredulous look.
"Well, read a book or something, Sweetie... or are you simply not able to take a day off to relax?"
"I can't relax right now, Angela... I.. I need something to distract me, Ange..." Brennan admitted.
"Oh... okay, I understand... Well, I would go shopping to distract myself, but I guess Agent Freeman will not recommend going out into the public right now?" Angela gave him questioning look.
"Exactly. I'd rather have her at the Jeffersonian that wandering around in shopping malls. Easier to keep her safe." Freeman agreed.
Brennan rolled her eyes. "I don't need a bodyguard." She mumbled, but kept her voice quiet enough, so that only Angela near her could make out her words.
"Uh-uh" Angela gave back in a low voice and added. "I am sure Booth would be glad to see you at the hospital, hey, maybe you could share a room?"
"Angela, Sarcasm is not helpful in this matter!" Brennan snapped.
Angela just shrugged. "It serves the purpose. You know very well that you should keep your head low until that lunatic is arrested, don't be so touchy about it."
"Mhm" Brennan mumbled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her best friend, but avoiding her gaze.
Freeman had watched their talking with interest and smiled. "Are we ready to go, or what?"
They quickly grabbed their things and got ready to head to the Jeffersonian. Brennan was looking forward to examining remains... She was used to put aside personal thoughts and fully concentrate on her work. Her usual work routine would help her to stop worrying about Booth's condition, her feelings for him, if he returned the feelings... and everything else. Yes, work definitely was what she needed right now.
They did not talk much during the ride, all of them seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Freeman accompanied Angela and Brennan to the lab. He examined her office and talked to the security guards and decided that it would be safe enough for him to leave for an hour to drive home, shower and get changed.
He gave Brennan a stern look before he left and said: "Do not even think of leaving the lab, do not go near windows or doors! The security guards are informed, so nobody will be able to get in here. I'll be back in an hour."
"I am not a child, Agent Freeman!" Brennan gave back.
"I know, Dr. Brennan, but my orders are to make sure you are safe and that's what I am going to do... even if it means to treat you like a child." Despite the serious words, he winked at her and left.
Brennan took in a deep breath and looked at the familiar surroundings of the lab. "Okay...Zach, what's the next body from limbo we can work on?"
An hour later, Freeman came back, as he had promised. After showering, shaving and changing into new clothes he seemed to be in a better mood than ever before. Angela looked at him curiously... Surely these ordinary things could not have made him feel happy enough to whistle.
"Dr. Brennan?" He asked.
She was too engrossed in her work to hear him. "Dr. Brennan!" He had spotted her at one of her examination tables and stepped near. He placed a hand casually on the rim of the table. Speaking her name had not earned him her attention, but touching her examination table did. "Hands off!" She commanded, but did not look at him.
He quickly removed his hand. "Okaaaay. Dr. Brennan, I have good news!" He said, which finally made her lift her gaze from the remains she was working on.
"What kind of news?" She asked cautiously, hoping he was talking about Booth.
"You won't have to endure my presence any longer" He grinned. "The FBI arrested Henderson and they were able to prove he built the bomb. Turns out Ray was not smart enough to use gloves when he built the bomb. He had installed a light barrier at the door and our people found his fingerprint. The light barrier ignited the bomb. And Ray Henderson confessed the murder of his wife. Case closed."
Brennan's eyes widened. "Ah... yeah, good." She said lamely.
"I really thought you'd be a little more enthusiastic." Freeman smiled. "At least about the prospect of getting rid of me."
Brennan returned a wry smile. "Sure, I am glad the case is solved and you can return to your usual work again."
"I sense a BUT" Angela piped up from behind Brennan.
Brennan shrugged. "I am just not used to this... I guess. I mean... it was OUR case, you know. We identiefied Sue Henderson. We worked on this case for three days... I guess this is the first case we started, but we did not solve it ourselves..." Her voice drifted off.
"That pisses you off?" Freeman asked.
"A little bit." Brennan admitted.
"It should." Freeman said, his voice serious now. "It's a normal reaction. You start to work on a case and you want to be the one to close it. But sometimes it doesn't work that way. It seriously pissed me off to lose the Eller-case three years ago, but I had a car accident.."
"I think I just need to get used to it..." Brennan agreed, but then she suddenly tensed. "Eller? Three years ago. As in Cleo Eller? But this was our case. Booth's case."
"Nu-uh- It became Booth's case. It should have been mine. In fact...All this... Working with the Jeffersonian should have been my job. Booth was only a substitute. I was called to the place were the remains were found – Cleo Eller as you identified later. But I had an accident while driving to the scene. Bad luck, I guess. I had to stay in hospital for about two months. Until then Booth and you had already worked some cases together successfully and so Cullen decided to let you two stay a team." Freeman reluctantly told her.
"So... are you telling us, that it was only coincidence that Booth became assigned as the liaison for the Jeffersonian?" Brennan asked, a bit shocked. Angela smiled a bit. 'Coincidence? More like karma' She thought.
"Yep." Freeman nodded. "But a good coincidence, right? You make a good team."
"Good coincidence? You've been in a car accident!" Brennan stated.
"Yes and it wasn't pretty, but that's been three years ago, Dr. Brennan. I daresay Booth and you make a better team than you and I would have ever made." He winked at her.
"Well... I'll go now. Would be nice to meet you again, Dr. Brennan, Miss Montenegro...Preferably under circumstances that do not include hospitals and accidents of whatever sort."
He waved a goodbye and left the lab with quick strides.
Brennan's gaze followed him, still processing the information that in fact HE should have been her work partner. How would that have turned out? What would have happened... would she ever have met Booth at all?
Angela's eyes followed Freeman, then she turned towards Brennan and grinned at her thoughtful expression. "Sweetie, Freeman is okay, but I think you definitely should be thankful for the 'coincidence' that brought you Booth instead. Maybe it was... meant to be?" She suggested.
"Angela! How can I be thankful for a car accident... it must have been more serious than he lets on when it took him two months to recover. And I don't believe in things that are 'meant to be'!" Brennan gave back.
Angela shrugged. "Have it as you want, Sweetie, but fact is: I doubt you would have ever even met Booth."
Brennan looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe."
And in her mind she added 'And if he does not feel like I feel, I guess it would have been better to not meet him at all.'
What do you think???