Brennan thrashed about in the water try desperately to return upright. Cam began moving toward the frantic woman for assistance. As she regained her footing and brought her head above water she began screaming hysterically between sobs. Her screams resonated through the cave.
"No! No! No!" She just kept repeating over and over.
Cams heart shattered in that exact instant.
Brennan's screams were heard by those on the surface. The men froze mid swings as they worked diligently to chip away at the opening. Sadness fell like the rain. Silent prayers were being said. Hodgins wiped away the tears threatening to fall.
"Come on men we need to get this done." Hacker said, his voice thick with emotion.
The men continued their work. Their movements more robotic then energized as they were before they heard.
The volunteers in the cave heard the screams. Their first instincts were to run and see who may need their assistance, but their sense of duty took over. They were needed here. They bowed their heads in prayer then continued their work, clearing away the area they would need for evacuation of the cave.
Wendell and Sweets froze where they stood. Their already negative thoughts intensified. Brennan was a usually calm and reserved person. She wouldn't be screaming like that if it weren't bad. Their worst fears overwhelmed them. It was the medic who snapped them from their immobilization.
"We need to keep moving guys. Sounds like they are still pretty far away. They might need help." He said.
Special Agent Barrows performed the sign of the cross as he started moving forward.
Sweets was uncertain if he could handle all this as he waded down the path. The thought that kept him going in this one moment is that the two women would need his help. Though none of the team valued psychology, he knew that he would be needed to help heal their mental wounds.
Wendell experienced every emotion in an instant. He thought back to when everyone went their separate ways. Deep down, he knew that after this the team would fall apart. Brennan often said she would only work with Booth. Without Booth there would be less work. He wasn't even sure if they could all work together with this memory in the forefront of their minds. Angela would have the baby, she was emotional. She couldn't deal with the memories, he knew it. Brennan would become more rigid as she pretended nothing had ever happened. Would cam really be needed if they only worked on archeological finds? He knew Hodgins admired Booth and considered him a close friend. He and Angela may just move away to escape. He knew for sure, no one would get over this very fast.
Angela and Caroline sat near the entrance of the cave as all the volunteers worked around them. An agent standing in close proximity answered his radio call. The words they heard next all but destroyed them.
"Screams were heard from who we think is Dr Brennan. Prognosis doesn't look good at this time."
Angela broke into quiet sobs and the older woman shed her own tears as she tried to console the grief stricken woman.
Caroline had always thought of Seeley Booth as a son. Yeah she taunted and scolded him at times, but that was just how she was. She admired his dedication to his work. She never had a problem prosecuting his cases with all his thorough work.
She had seen him come to life on his assignment with the Jeffersonian. She knew his emotional ties to the Doctor. He could deny them all he wanted. She could see the love in his eyes when he looked at the woman. She would miss Seeley Booth. In her despair she began considering her own retirement.
Angela had always been the most human of those from the Jeffersonian. Every case brought on more emotion for her. She couldn't compartmentalize like many of them. This was the worst though. Booth was going to be the godfather to her child. The lab had changed when they began working with them. He brought life to the group. Before Booth it was all science.
She thought of how this would affect Brennan. The longer she worked with Booth, the more she came out of her shell. She would surely retreat into herself after this. She would blame herself for his heroics. She thought back to when he had taken the bullet meant for Brennan from the freaky stalker chick. When they all thought him dead, Brennan shut down completely. She hid in her Bones. She didn't live; she just existed.
Caroline reached into her pocket and removed her cell. She called back to the Hoover building. "This is Caroline Julian, Can I please have the numbers to the Family of Special Agent Seeley Booth please."
She wrote down the numbers as they were given. She took a deep breath and dialed the first number.
"Is this Mr. Jared Booth? Yes this is Caroline Julian; I am a friend of your Brother Seeley… I am afraid I have some bad news… Seeley was working on a case in Virginia, There was a landslide and he and his partner were trapped inside… No, Dr Brennan was injured but escaped to get help… Your brother sustained many injuries, they are trying to get to him now… I am afraid the prognosis isn't looking good right now… We fear the worst… Dr Brennan was heard screaming by rescue teams as she reentered the cave with help… No conformation has been made yet… I assure you we have people working very hard to get your brother out… Are you sure? I can make the calls if you aren't up to it... I will have someone with the GPS coordinates contact you immediately… We will see you soon."
She closed her phone. She hated making calls like that. She was only happy to concede to him making the call to his grandfather and the mother of Booth's child. She told the nearest agent that he needed the GPS coordinates sent to Jared's number. She then allowed her own emotion to take back over.
The sun set on the mountain. This day had come to an end. Darkness had fallen not only upon the land but also on the hearts and minds of all those who knew and Special agent Seeley Booth.
Authors note: I know a lot of people are hating me right about now, but please keep on reading. This story is not done, there is much more to come. Please review. Look for the next chapters to come, you won't regret it (at least I don't think you will.)