Angela sat quietly by Brennan's bed, watching her breathing. She was just so glad to see that her chest was still moving on its own. Her face looked terrible, and she knew that was only the start of it. But her friend was alive, and that's all that mattered at that moment.

As she watched, Brennan sighed and moved, a pained look crossing her face briefly. Reaching for her hand, Angela cursed under her breath when she flinched, before relaxing into the touch that meant her no harm. Cracking open her eyes with great effort she smiled at Angela, who brought her chair closer.

"Sweetie! How are you feeling?" she asked, as Brennan coughed slightly.

"I'm OK, Ang, a little sore," she admitted, seeing Angela nod in understanding.

"You had surgery, Bren, you're bound to be sore."

She frowned, reaching up to touch the mask covering her face briefly before dropping her hand again. "What happened?"

Angela sighed. "I'm not sure, sweetie, all I know is that someone said you tore your spleen in the...attack and they had to repair it. They did though, it all went really well and now you're here!" She paused. "You also broke some ribs, and have some really bad bruises, but apart from that you're fit as a fiddle!"

Brennan smiled along with Angela's infective smile. It was good to see her friend, she had started to have serious doubts if she would ever see her again, as well as if she would ever forgive her for what she did. Blinking slightly, she sighed, looking around her pristine room.

"Where's Booth?"

Angela grimaced, knowing that this question was going to come and really hoping she'd have more time to think of a plausible lie before it did.

"He's...gone home, sweetie, for a shower, he was exhausted. He's been working himself to the bone looking for you these last few days."

Blinking, Brennan listened and watched Angela carefully, including the way she avoided looking at Brennan until she'd finished speaking, a smile on her face as she nodded, as if trying to convince herself of the lie more than Brennan.

"You're lying," she started bluntly, starting to wriggle on the bed as her monitors started blaring loudly.

"Sweetie, what are you doing, don't move! You need to calm down, before the nurses come in and throw me out," she finished with a laugh, feeling guilty as her friend closed her eye against the pain, trying to control her breathing and heart. Slowly, he numbers on the monitors calmed, and Brennan cracked open her eyes.

"Where is he?" she murmured, her heart sinking as Angela sighed.

"He's coming later, Bren, I promise. He just...he had to stop off somewhere first." That wasn't a lie, but it was a huge stretching of the truth. Brennan's eyes narrowed. When had she gotten so good at picking up on behaviour? That must have been just one more thing that Booth had taught her.

"Where did he go first?"

Rubbing her forehead in stress, Angela thought for a moment, before looking up to see Brennan watching her evenly.

"OK, sweetie, I'll tell you the truth. But you have to calm down and promise me that you won't do anything once I've told you?" She waited for her to nod, not missing the pained look on her face. "He went after Steve. He got injured, Bren, but he's fine, it's nothing severe, but Steve had a knife and he caught Booth's arm with it. He's in the ER getting it stitched up, then he's coming straight up here, OK? He already made me tell him everything that happened since he was gone," she finished with a smile.

Brennan closed her eyes, the world feeling like it was underwater as her hearing went strange. Booth had gone after Steve, when he said he wouldn't, and now he was hurt. And it was all her fault. She'd tried so hard to keep him safe, but it still hadn't been enough. She was never enough.

"Sweetie? What's wrong?" Angela asked, reaching out for her when she saw tears running down her face.

"I don't want to see him, Ang. I can't...I can't see him."

Angela frowned. "What do you mean, Bren? He's really worried about you, I don't think anyone could keep him away."

"Please?" she asked, looking so pitiful that Angela nodded.

"OK, I'll do my best. But you're gonna have to explain this to me, Sweetie, coz I don't understand why you don't want to see him, it's Booth! Are you embarrassed? Or mad at him for going after Steve?"

She shook her head. "No, I had a feeling he would go after him. I just...I guess I am a bit embarrassed, because he saw me like this, because he knows how weak I was and because...because...I failed, Angela, I wasn't strong enough! I tried to stop him getting hurt, and he got hurt anyway! I can't see him, I can't."

Angela nodded, patting her shoulder as she rubbed soothing circles round her wrist with her fingers. "It's OK, Bren, you just calm down and get some rest OK? And I'll do my best to keep him away for now. But we need to talk about this again when you're feeling stronger, OK, coz you're wrong about a few things that we need to clear up. And I can guarantee that Booth isn't going to take no for an answer for very long, so you're gonna have to talk to him eventually. OK?"

Brennan nodded, closing her eyes again as she let out a tired sigh. "Thanks Ang."

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now just sleep, OK? I won't go anywhere, and you need to get some rest."

Feeling calmer with her friend by her side, Brennan nodded and slipped into a fitful sleep. All she could dream about was Booth and how she had hurt him. Tossing and turning, she didn't notice when Angela fetched the nurse who put something into her IV, the dreams turning into blackness as she finally for the restful sleep that her body was crying out for.

Booth stood and stared through the glass window. Angela was watching her friend anxiously, lost in her own thoughts as she looked at her face. He had to lean against the window for support as he looked. She was attached to so many monitors, and drips and oxygen that it broke his heart. Her face was almost unrecognisable from all the swelling and bruising. This wasn't his Bones. And he knew that he could have stopped this if he had only fought her harder when she said she was going to leave. She did all this for him.

Sliding the door open quietly, he smiled at Angela and was surprised when she look sad and sympathetic, moving to push him out of the room again as she closed the door behind them.

"What's going on?" he asked in confusion as Angela continued to stand firmly between him and the door.

"How's your arm?" she asked, taking in the bruise starting across his forehead and down his cheek as well. He smiled, holding up a white bandaged forearm and shrugged.

"It's fine, they stitched me up and I'm as good as new. Pain killers and the lot!"

She nodded, looking at him sadly. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

He dropped his head and sighed. "They think I broke a rib, but the painkillers took care of that. I'm fine, Ang, really. The most important thing is that we sort out Bones right now."

"What happened to Steve?" Angela asked, seeing Booth wince at the question. "What? What did you do?"

He rubbed his face. "He's here, in another ward obviously."

"You put him in the hospital?" she asked incredulously. "Booth!"

He shrugged. "I'm sorry, OK, but I was angry, and I couldn't stop myself! Look what he did to Bones! I love...I mean, I, uh, well she's my best friend, Ang, he deserved everything that's coming to him."

She nodded, rubbing his shoulder gently. "Yes, he did. But Booth, won't you get in trouble?" she asked anxiously, relieved when he smiled and shook his head.

"It seems he was trying to find me too, and the fact that he had a knife gave him more motive than me." He paused for a moment, giving Angela a cocky smile. "Hey, I'm the victim here!"

She laughed, leaning against him as she gave him a hug before pulling away. "I'm glad you're safe, Booth. We need you around here."

He smiled. "So, can I go and see Bones now you've quizzed me?"

Her smile fell, and she looked at him sadly. "I promised I wouldn't let you in, Booth, I'm sorry."

"What?" he asked looking so confused, before a horribly sad look hit his face as he felt his heart drop. "She doesn't want to see me."

"I'm so sorry, Booth, she'll come around! I told her we needed to talk again, I just wanted her to sleep first, she was really wound up and tired and in pain and..."

"Easy, Angela, it's not your fault." He sighed, rubbing his face as he looked through the glass again, fighting the feeling that he'd still lost his partner. "I guess I should have expected she'd be mad at me, I just...I had to make sure he couldn't hurt her again."

"That's not it, Booth," she told him, her hand resting supportively on his shoulder. "She's...well she's embarrassed, that's what her problem is."

"Of what?" He was surprised, not expecting that information.

"Of everything. That you saw her like you did, that you know what happened with...everything. But mostly, because she thinks it's her fault that you got hurt, and it's killing her."

Booth's mouth fell open. "She thinks this is her fault?" he asked, seeing Angela nod sadly. "Oh, God, Bones," he groaned as he dropped his head to his hands. "How could she think that? Please, Ang, I need to talk to her, I've got to sort this out! She can't keep torturing herself like this."

Angela nodded. "I know, Booth, I told her that she'd need to talk to you, but I promised I'd keep you away until she's feeling a bit stronger. Please, don't make me force you out. I promise, I'll talk to her as soon as she wakes up. They had to give her something because she was having really bad dreams so I don't know when that will be, but I'll talk to her."

She was half surprised when Booth nodded, pulling her into a tight hug before looking down into her eyes intensely. "Look after her for me, OK?"

Angela nodded, tears in her eyes at how much he obviously loved her. "I will, Booth. She's safe in here."

He nodded. "I know, just not safe from herself it seems."

Shrugging, he limped off down the corridor, obviously having injured his leg at some point in his fight with Steve as well. Angela watched him go as a tear escaped her tight control. Brushing it off, she shook her head in amazement at that brilliant man, who understood her friend so completely, and headed back in, determined that Brennan wouldn't be alone when she woke up.