9.

"No, no. No!" Sweets shouted waking with wide open eyes. He felt an arm on his shoulder and moments later his eyes came into focus. It belonged to Hodgins.

"Hey, hi." Hodgins said as he slowly sat back down.

Sweets didn't say anything and fumbled as he pulled the pillow over his head.

Jack's smile faded. "Sorry. I can go if you like."

Sweets stayed hiding under his pillow.

"Where are you going?" Angela asked having entered the room.

"I think I upset him." Hodgins whispered.

Angela walked over to the bed and pulled the pillow off Sweets head. The sudden movement shocked him. She gave him a stern "mommy" look then sighed and sat down next to him.

"Sweetie, I'd like to think that I'm patient but I'm really not. I have a terrible bedside manner. But, please, please can you tell me what you are thinking?"

Sweets looked at her for a long time and when she didn't break away from his glance he reached out his finger and touched the hand she had sitting on the bed. He poked it a second time. Angela was confused at first and then she recalled Gordon mentioning the hallucinogens and not sure what was real.

"I'm pretty damn real sweetie. And you can kick Hodgins out but I'm gonna sit right here and bug the crap out of you until you talk to me."

Sweets smiled inwardly as Angela always did have a way to get things out of you. It was genuine and so was she.

Sweets looked at her quizzically. He didn't want to talk, he wondered why she was there. He didn't understand anything and it was exhausting.

"Do you think that we don't like you?"

"Ange!" Hodgins said trying to get her to stop talking.

"What? Gordon said something about stuff like this right? I just want to get it all on the line. And the answer is that we're pretty far from it. Sure sometimes you annoy me because you're usually right about thing I want you to be wrong about which is when I want to be right." She offered a smile and Sweets seemed to be taking that into consideration.

"But I can't imagine our team without you Sweets. I hope you come back to us." She said as his eyes rested shut again.

After he was asleep she turned to Hodgins in a hushed voice. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" He whispered back to her defensively. "He was having a nightmare so I woke him up."

"Nightmare?" Booth asked coming in at the end of the conversation.

"Well hell wouldn't you after that?" Hodgins asked. Booth realized he was right, he just hated that it had to be that way.

"He doesn't seem to understand that we're real." Angela said struggling to explain.

"That may take time." Gordon said stopping in. "But if you are persistent I think you will all be able to help our young friend." Gordon sat a large and old book down on the table next to Sweets bed and headed back to the door.

"Well you're going to help us right?" Booth said as Gordon headed out to leave.

"I think you all know well what to do. I will be around and visit Dr. Sweets. I think you all underestimate your own abilities. You're all doing just fine." And with that Gordon was gone.

"What do you mean he doesn't think we're real?" Booth asked Angela.

"It seems like it's fuzzy to him. I don't know what went on there but it's like his mind drifts all over the place. It's like one second he's here and then the next he's scared and shaking." Angela explained.

"I have an idea." Booth said motioning them outside. "No more talking to him." They were surprised and wondered if Sweets was the only one who had lost his mind.

Sweets woke up to the sound of heels on the floor. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Cam pushing a hospital table in front of him. She took something out of a bag and Sweets strained to focus on what it was. Cam remained quiet as she set up a game of Jenga.

Sweets eyed her quizzically once she was done. She nodded that it was his move. He knocked the tower down and pieces fell onto the bed and the floor. While he had knocked it over he had still jumped at the sudden noise the piece made.

Cam remained wordless as she sat the tower back up.

"I'll go, if you win." She said once the tower was complete. Sweets eyed the tower. This should be simple he thought and took a piece off. Cam took another piece and they continued the game. Sweets hands lacked the mobility he thought he had and was unable to steadily move the pieces. Cam knew this was an after effect of the shock therapy.

Cam knew this was practically setting the young man up for disaster but her plan was to engage Sweets mind in a simple activity combined with the company of a friend.

The tower fell a third time and Sweets looked determined though he still jumped involuntarily as the pieces fell.

"Once more." Cam suggested as she set up the tower though no more conversation ensued. She also used this time to access Sweets ability to move. He was still shaky and his motor skills were hindered by his constant shake. By the time the tower fell again Sweets looked defeated.

"We'll try again tomorrow. You have my promise, you beat me, and I'll leave you alone." She said putting the game back in her bag. She walked from the room smiling that she knew she was a Jenga master.

Sweets was equally glad and frustrated that Cam had gone. He was quickly bored and found the book that Gordon has left behind. Sweets flipped open the cover of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest and began to read.

"So who do you see yourself as?" Gordon asked as he came in and sat down by Sweets bed. "Chief? McMurphy?" Gordon set it up to be a trick question but Sweets wasn't playing along. Instead Sweets folded the finished book shut and pushed it towards Gordon. It was obvious though that Sweets was now tired and didn't want to discuss it. A discussion ended by more deep coughing on Sweets part.

"Well, I thought you might be through that book." Gordon said taking it. He pulled another book out of his pocket at sat it on the counter. It made hardly a noise as Gordon sat it down but Sweets still jumped at it. Gordon pretended not to notice as he left the room. He glanced back to see Sweets turn his head and read the cover. He was relieved the young man was responsive but concerned that he was obviously unable to concentrate and was still incredibly jumpy.

"Mr. Gordon?" The doctor asked and Gordon was somewhat placated by the fact he was not addressed as a doctor since he no longer associated himself with that field.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to stop you for a moment, about your friend, Dr. Sweets. We will be looking to move him in the next week or so." She said with a warm smile.

"Oh that sounds like good news." Gordon said but he somehow felt there was a catch.

"Yes, he is improving though his mobility is still limited. His eating is not what I would like for it to be. But the most concerning, physically is his pneumonia. It's quite severe and I'm afraid that too early of exposure to a new environment could be a setback." She explained.

"Right, I agree. So you will be transferring him where then, once the pneumonia clears up?" Gordon asked now following.

"Based on Dr. Sweets recent evaluation with our own psychiatrist he cannot be released on his own recognizance. He will need to be admitted to a facility until he is better." She said as though it were obvious.

"I believe Dr. Sweets would need to commit himself." Gordon said but the doctor shook her head.

"He has not shown the ability to think on his own actively. With no family he is under our care and assessments. I believe this will be the best for him." The doctor said as she walked away.

Gordon sighed at the young doctor, eager to please her bosses he figured by moving patients quickly. She had failed to recall what Dr. Sweets had just been thru and how damaging it would be. He could call in other psychiatrists, since he was no longer active, but they would most likely assess the same, that Sweets could not be on his own.

Gordon was not relaxed at the thought of needing to call the others with this news.

"WHAT?!" Booth said with the reaction that Gordon has expected. Passing nurses and doctors past the waiting area where Gordon had assembled them took notice of the conversation but tried to remain uninvolved.

"Well, I guess that place might be better, I mean, Danvers was as bad as it gets right?" Angela asked.

"Yeah but Sweets just left one institution." Booth said still highly irritated.

"Agent Booth, in my opinion is correct. Yes, this institution would be up to the current standards however, if Dr. Sweets is sent to another one, the mental effect it could have would be very damaging. I'm afraid he would see himself as 'beyond repair' if you will."

"Okay, so what do we do?" Cam asked.

"I believe we are on the right course, I think we just need to move it a little faster." Gordon said. "Things being as they are."

Sweets looked up from his book and to see Dr. Brennan come marching in. She quickly pulled up a chair as though she meant business. Sweets continued to read his book trying to ignore her. He saw her as a figment of his imagination. He was pretty sure that he had an in depth conversation with her the night before about how his field of work was useless and he should quit. It seemed very real but lately people had come by not to talk with him but for other tasks so now he wasn't so sure. It was exhausting to try and figure out what was real and what was not.

He pushed the thought away and saw she had set up a chess board. He was curious towards it but he went back to his latest book from Gordon.

"I'll win you know." Brennan said and Sweets sat his book aside.

One game later Brennan had, easily. Sweets sat up in his bed some, this time he was going to concentrate more. This time he lost again but not as quickly. After the third loss Sweets was genuinely concerned that he had lost his ability to play. Brennan noticed he lacked a confidence to begin the fourth round.

"Booth says that I should let you win a round so you will be build confidence. I disagree however. I believe that you can beat me without such trickery." She explained in her usual way.

Sweets looked at her curious which was the real Brennan, the one now or the one last night who admonished him. His hands tapped while he seemed to consider playing. Brennan saw improvement not only in Sweets brain functions but in his mobility as they played. She didn't want that to reverse now.

"Once when I was living with my foster parents, I was hit, in the face. A hard slap if you will." Brennan said and moved a chess piece. The story got Sweets attention. She was looking at the chess board so he made a move. She continued her story once he had moved a chess piece. She made a move and stopped her story again. He waited and then moved another piece. She continued her story.

By the time Brennan completed the harrowing tale Sweets stared at her for sharing such a story, uncommon to her usual behavior.

"Congrats Dr. Sweets. You won." Brennan said and Sweets looked down at the board in surprise. A small smile came onto his face.

Brennan began to pack up the board as Sweets was obviously tired again as the coughing resumed. She helped to hand him a cup of water to clear his throat.

"Thank you." He said in a near whisper.

"You're welcome." She said trying to contain her excitement he had spoken. She was so used to Sweets talking incessantly that his quiet nature had been unsettling.

"And for sharing. An experience like that can lead to…." Sweets began but trailed off. For a second Brennan saw the old Sweets, ready to help and diagnose but he stopped like he had forgotten what he was going to say. She put a hand on his for a second. Sweets looked at her as though he were surprised she were really there. Brennan noticed and told him good night.

"I think it's best to interact with Sweets in a very physical way." Brennan said and Booth literally stopped going thru the papers on his desk in wrapping up the Danvers asylum case.

"Come back on that again Bones." Booth said hoping this was going to be way better than it sounded.

"He did really well but when I left I touched his hand, he seemed surprised I was real Booth, I think he's confused. I think if everyone who visits can just do that, shake his hand or something, then he knows it's not a hallucination."

"Okay, now I'm with you Bones." Booth was relieved that she didn't have some sort of 18th century tribal dancing naked under the moon dance involved.

"I'm going to share with the others." She said ready to hand up and make more calls.

"Just be sure and get them the whole story." He said knowing they would be most likely as confused as he had been.

"Don't forget Booth, we've only got another week before they want to admit him." Brennan said still feeling miles from their goal.