UPDATE; UPDATE; UPDATE...
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here we go...
Chapter 14:
„Hey Daddy!" Parker entered the room, followed by his grandparents.
"Hey, Bub... wow... you are early!" Booth smiled at his son, who came to his bed to give him a careful hug. Booth's voice still was hoarse, but a lot better than the day before.
"Cause we are going to the zoo later, Daddy. Grandpa Bob says we are going to see lions and zebras and tigers and famingos and ... what else?" Parker tried to recall what other animals his grandfather had been talking about.
"It's flamingos, buddy... and there are loads of animals at the zoo... tell you what, you try to remember them all and we draw a picture of them when I come home from hospital. Sounds like a plan?" Booth smiled at his son.
"Okay, Daddy." Parker nodded enthusiastically. "You know what, Grandma Mary is going to buy me ice cream!"
"You think so?" Booth asked his son and raised an eyebrow.
Parker nodded again and grinned at his grandmother. "Uh-Uh. You always do, right, Grandma?"
Booth frowned at his mother. "Always, mom?"
She smiled sweetly. "It's the grandparents' privilege to spoil a kid. I remember my dad always gave you chocolate, Seeley."
Booth had to smile at that and nodded, but he towards his son he said: "But not too much, Parker... you know what happens when you eat too much ice cream?"
"My tummy hurts. But I am not going to eat too much, I promise." Parker said. "Pinky swear?" His father asked and Parker giggled. "Pinky swear."
"Rebecca knows you are going to the zoo, right?" Booth asked his parents.
"Son, of course she knows... we asked her if it was okay." Bob shook his head. "What did you think, we just kidnap your son and feed him to the zebras?"
"Zebras eat grass" Parker corrected. "But lions do not."
"Huh" Booth looked at his son in astonishment. When had he become a little smartass?
"And what do lions eat?" Bob Booth mused.
"Bugs" Parker shot back. "And earthworms, cause they taste like chicken..."
Robert and Mary Booth exchanged a look of astonishment, but before one of them could say a thing, Booth grinned at them. "Don't ask... he's got that from a movie. But we already discussed that, right, bub... not everything that's shown in a movie has to be true..."
Parker nodded absently, already distracted by playing with a toy car he had brought with him. "Vrouuuum"
He let the car drive over Booth's bed and his nightstand, the chair and everything else within the reach of a nearly six-year old.
"How are you feeling, Seeley?" Mary Booth asked concerned, and her hand automatically rose to his brow.
"Mother... I am not here because I am feverish, okay? I am doing fine so far... It will take a little time, but I'll be alright." Booth gave back, a little impatiently. "Can't we talk about anything else?"
"Sure... Your brother said to greet you. He would have come too, but Sarah and the kids are all sick at the moment ..." And so his mother started to fill him in on the latest news of his brother's family, while Parker was busily running his toy care over the table and the chairs.
Temperance Brennan quickly gulped down the cup of coffee she had bought at the diner in front of the hospital.
Then she hurried inside the hospital and addressed the young woman at the reception.
"Good morning. I wanted to ask if I can see Special Agent Seeley Booth. I don't know if he is still at the ICU."
"Morning. One moment please... Uhm... no, there's not Seeley Booth in the ICU. Are you family?" The young blonde woman asked, the words slurred by the huge amount of gum she was chewing.
Brennan's heart made jump. Not at the ICU anymore? That could only be good news... right? A lump formed in her throat. What if there were bad news?
"No. My name is Dr. Temperance Brennan. I am his work partner. I would like to see him." She explained.
"Sorry, Ma'am. I can't tell you anything. I've got a list of family members here and you're not on it. Only family members allowed to see him, you know. I am not allowed to tell ya anything." The young woman produced a big gum-bubble and smiled more or less apologetically.
"What? But... Why not? I am his partner!" She shook her head impatiently.
"Ah, you're FBI? Show me your badge please!" The young woman seemed to be more interested now.
"I don't have a badge. I am a scientist, I am not with the FBI, but I am Booth's work partner. Could you please tell me where he is?" Brennan slowly was losing the last bit of patience she had possessed.
"Na, sorry, not happening. See, there's the rules, ma'am. I am not allowed to give information on the medical status or the whereabouts of a federal agent, unless you're FBI too or part of the family!" The words obviously had been memorised and now were getting recited.
Brennan looked at the younger woman incredulously. "Are you kidding me? He's been in hospital before and I was able to visit him!"
"New rules, Ma'am. Got the memo a month ago. Look, I am sorry, but I can't tell you anything." The young woman produced another bubble.
Brennan clenched her fists. "But I need to see him... you know what, I'll call his boss. Deputy Director Cullen from the FBI... if he tells you I can visit him, you'll have to let me, right?"
The blond woman shrugged. "Guess so."
Brennan closed her eyes for a brief moment and tried to keep her temper. She quickly pulled out her cell phone, but before she could dial a number, the young woman said: "No mobile phones. You gotta go out for that." The sweet smile she gave Brennan was one of the falsest things she had ever seen.
Muttering a curse, Brennan retreated from reception and quickly left through the main entrance. She pressed the phone to her ear and waited for somebody to pick up.
A minute later she was close to rip out somebody's throat. Cullen was in a meeting, his secretary had told her, and no, she was not able to help her...
"How many meetings can one man have?" Temperance Brennan hissed. A young man, who just left through the main entrance gave her a puzzled look and she shot back a death glare. The young man quickened his pace.
Brennan inhaled deeply and went back inside towards the reception. "He is in a meeting. Nobody knows how long it will take. Can you call Dr. Chen, maybe? He knows me!"
Between two big, pink gum bubbles Blondie informed her that Dr. Chen was not available today, because he had had a night shift. Brennan let out a shuddering breath. She was not going to lose her temper... but she had to see Booth. She just had to make sure he was alright.
"Look, I have to see him, okay? Can't you make an exception?" She tried again.
The young woman shook her head. "Nu-uh. No exceptions. I'll make one exception today and tomorrow there are ten exceptions... no." Another fake smile. "Sorry"
That was it... the hollow, false "Sorry" ate away all self-control Brennan still had managed to hold.
"You are enjoying that, right? Telling me I can't see him. You... you... I HAVE TO SEE HIM!" She yelled, her eyes shooting daggers at the blonde woman in front of her.
One minute later, a kicking and cursing Temperance Brennan was dragged out of the building by two security men.
"I'm bored!" Parker announced. The adults were talking about Auntie Sarah and Parker's cousins and their illness. As if the flu was that interesting! He tugged at his grandfather's sleeve.
"We will leave soon, Parker." Grandpa Bob said. "Why don't you take a look out of the window and tell me if you can see the zoo from here already?"
Parker hopped over to the window and looked outside. "Daddy!" He shouted an instant later
"One moment, Bub." Booth gave back, still engrossed in the conversation he had with his parents.
"But Daddy, there's Bones!" Parker pointed outside.
"Yeah, Parker... I... What?" Booth turned towards his son. "You mean Bones... as in Dr. Brennan? Daddy's partner?"
Parker nodded enthusiastically and Booth smiled broadly. So, Bones was going to visit him... could that day get any better?
"Daddy... why is Dr. Bones fighting with two men?" Parker suddenly asked.
"What?... She is.. WHAT?" He nearly tried to jump out of the bed to have a look himself, but the searing pain that radiated from his back told him that quick moves were a very, very bad idea.
"They have uniforms... like police men..." Parker observed and Booth's eyes widened. He shot a pleading look at his father. "Dad... please, have a look and tell me what you see!"
Robert Booth moved towards the window and looked down towards the square in front of the entrance. "I see young beautiful woman fighting with two security men. Whewww... she's furious!"
Booth briefly closed his eyes. "Parker, are you sure it's Bones..." Parker nodded enthusiastically.
"Figures, who else would pick a fight with the hospital's security? Dad, open the window and tell her... I don't know... Just stop her!"
Robert Booth opened the window and hollered. "Dr. Brandon!"
"Brennan!" Booth and his mother corrected, but Parker already shouted: "BONES!"
Temperance Brennan heard something that sounded suspiciously like her last name, but since one of the security men was constantly talking to her, she could not be sure. She moved her head to look back to the main entrance, but there was no familiar face.
But then suddenly – she heard something very, very familiar: "BONES!"
She froze... The name was familiar... and the voice too, albeit not the voice that usually came along with the nickname. 'Parker' she thought and looked around frantically.
"Up here" A more mature voice added and when she looked up she saw Parker laughing down at her from a window at the third floor, waving frantically. An elderly man was standing beside him and he looked so much like Booth, she knew it had to be his father. She blinked once, not daring to believe her eyes at first... when she opened them again, they were still there, waving.
haha... and in the next chapter there will be the long-promised, long-overdue FLUFF!!!!!! please, please, please let me know, how you liked this one!!!