"Ok, so I found Dehi and he's in the city," Angela told Brennan as they walked back to Angela's office five minutes later. Brennan had been entertaining the children with Hodgins the best that she could, while trying hard not to go crazy out of worry for Booth.
"I have a trace on his-where's Booth?" Angela exclaimed, stopping in her tracks. Brennan eyed her in confusion as Angela's head whipped around the lab. "Where'd he go?"
"Angela, he was standing right here?"
"Yes and had very sad puppy eyes…Booth?" Angela called out. "Booth!"
It took less than a second before Brennan realized what her husband had done.
"Ange-Ange, I don't think he's here. Was the number displayed on the screen?"
Angela's eyes widened. "Yeah, as soon as I had found it, I went to find you."
"Ange, he's heart broken and feels guilty. I know Booth- he probably went after Dehi. Alone." Brennan sprinted into Angela's office and looked at the computer screen where she found a picture of Dehi. Angela picked up her keyboard and started typing away.
"I'm way ahead of you, sweetie. I'll track his cell and we'll find the both of them."
Six blocks away, Booth stood at an intersection, waiting for a phone call from Dehi. The man had sent a text directing Booth to wait at that intersection until getting further instructions. It had only been ten minutes, but it felt like forever to Booth.
Buzz. At the vibration from his pocket, Booth pulled out his cell phone and saw the number to be Dehi's. He hesitated before answering, "Hello?"
"Drop your cellphone in a nearby trashcan and head to the address I'm going to text you," Dehi directed, "You have twenty minutes or I will come after your wife and children."
"Alright, I'll be there." Dehi hung up before Booth could say another word. The agent sighed and glanced around the street, no passerbys saying or noticing his antsy behavior. There's nowhere that I could leave a message for Brennan…unless…..
Booth opened his cellphone and started writing a text: I'm going after Dehi- I need to fix this. The address is in the pone. I'm sorry and I love you- Booth.
After muttering a quick prayer, he saved it in the drafts and dropped the cell phone into a nearby trash can. With hands in his pocket, Booth started the short walk over to the address Dehi had sent him, ready for the final showdown.
Back at the lab, it only took a minute to track Booth's cell. Brennan wrote down the address and sprinted out the lab with Hodgins and Sweets right behind her. They arrived at the intersection that Booth once stood in and only found a few people dining at a café, two stores, and two trash cans.
"He's not here!" Brennan exclaimed, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. Hodgins and Sweets quickly scanned the area before Sweets dialed Booth's phone. The Charlie Brown ringtone Booth had chosen for his phone started ringing from one of the trash cans. Not caring what she touched, Brennan stuck her hand in the trash and felt around for the cell phone. She pulled her hand out once her fingers wrapped around the small black phone. "I got it!"
She flipped open the screen and found the text message on the screen, ready to be sent. "He has an address on the phone…..26th and 4th Street?"
"I know where that is!" Sweets exclaimed, "I'll drive!"
26th and 4th, Washington D.C
"You had the choice to stop it! My sister died in that school!" Dehi yelled after giving Booth a knee to the stomach. After the agent willfully came to the small abandoned warehouse, Dehi had beaten him and tied him to a chair on the top floor of the building. Dehi was nervous; Booth didn't seem like the person to abide by a suspect's demands like this without an infantry close behind.
If he was going to kill this man, he needed to do it soon.
Booth groaned and grunted, "I told them to stand down, but they wouldn't listen! I know I should have done more and I'm sorry for your loss-"
"Enough! There's always a choice! My sister is dead because of you and your men!" Dehi pushed the chair down to the ground, causing Booth to hit his head. "They atoned for what they did and now it's your turn."
Two blocks from 26th and 4th Street
"We'll get him, Dr. Brennan! I promise!" Hodgins told the frantic anthropologist as Sweets sped down the street towards the warehouse. Once there, the car swerved into the parking lot and screeched to a halt before Sweets, Brennan, and Hodgins jumped out.
"Whoa, wait- we can't just run in there! Only one of us has a gun! We'll get killed!" Hodgins exclaimed. Brennan walked past him and stated, "My husband is in there! I'm going in and you guys can come with me or not, your choice."
She took off into the building; Sweets hesitantly exchanged looks with Hodgins before both took off after Brennan. On the first floor, Brennan quickly scanned the empty floor before hearing a scream come from above her head.
"You worthless piece of crap!" Dehi had screamed at Booth before kicking Booth in the side and giving the agent two punches to the mouth. Dehi then pulled out a knife and jammed it into Booth's abdomen. After the agent screamed, Dehi smiled at the color leaving Booth's face.
Finally! They've all paid for what they've done! Now finish this. Dehi pushed the knife as far as he could into Booth; he was so focused in what he was doing that he didn't hear the footsteps come from the stairwell. Booth's eyes began to flutter before both men heard, "No!"
Brennan ran towards Dehi and Booth, but stopped when Dehi yelled, "Stay back! Let me finish what I started! Let him die!"
"Please, give me my husband!" Brennan cried out to Dehi. Booth continued to struggle to get out breaths. "I love him and you can't let me or his children!"
Dehi pointed a finger at Brennan. "He has to pay for what he did to my sister!"
"By punishing me as well? That isn't rational-"
"Rational? I am quite rational, Dr. Brennan. I am doing what my sister would have wanted me to do!" Dehi grabbed Booth by the shoulders, but froze when the faint noise of police sirens became louder and louder.
"I will kill-"Dehi suddenly froze and let go of Booth. The Afghani solider swallowed before collapsed to the floor, a small bullet hole suddenly appearing in his neck. Behind Brennan, Sweets lowered his gun and sighed. Hodgins patted Sweets on the back and said, "We just made it. Nice shot, man."
Brennan gave Sweets a thankful smile before running to her husband's side and pulling him into her arms.
"No, no- Booth, look at me!" Brennan whispered as she held him tightly. Booth's eyes fluttered as he gasped, "I-I-I'm so-sorry." At the stairwell, Hodgins and Sweets directed police officers and paramedics to where they were.
"NO, don't you dare leave me! Don't you dare! I love you!"
As two paramedics kneeled behind her, Sweets grabbed Brennan's shoulders and gently pulled her up. "Let them do their jobs. Come on…"
Don't leave us, Brennan thought as she allowed Sweets to pull her back. Don't.
St. Raines Medical Center- Washington D.C
Brennan sat in the waiting room with her head on Sweets' shoulder. After paramedics had taken Booth to the hospital, surgeons had admitted him into surgery for his stab wound. Three hours later, Brennan, Angela, Sweets, and Hodgins all sat in the waiting room with no word from surgeons on Booth's status. Cam and her daughter had stayed with the children at the lab.
Brennan twisted her wedding ring in a complete circle before looking up to the surgery wing entrance. She wiped away a tear before the door opened and a young, dark haired surgeon stepped outside.
"Family of Agent Booth?"
"Your husband survived the surgery," the surgeon said softly, amongst gasps of relief and happiness. "He's stable and we believe that there should be no complications. We'd like to monitor him right now so I can only let you in, Dr. Brennan."
Brennan nodded. "Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much."
Room 24
"Booth?" Brennan called out as she entered Booth's room. He was lying on his back with his gaze locked on the slowly rotating ceiling fan above his head. Amongst the wires hooked between machines and her husband, Brennan could see a bandage on Booth's side where he had been stabbed. Booth said nothing until Brennan touched his ankle.
"He was right, you know," Booth whispered. Brennan cocked her head and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I should have done more."
"No, look at me," she squeezed his hand, "Did you do everything that you could to stop those men? "
"I guess…I told them to stand down and they just kept on firing."
"Then you have nothing that you need to atone for. Dehi was only a delusional, grieving man that lost control." She placed a hand on his head and whispered, "It's over."
He nodded and touched her arm. "Are we ok? I understand if you'd want some time away from me-"
"I'm not leaving- I was hurt that you felt that you didn't need to tell me, but…..we'll get through this- the trust between us has to be rebuilt." Brennan smiled when Booth nodded, yawned, and closed his eyes.
"Get some rest, Booth," she told him. She then noticed that the agent was already asleep.
"I love you," Brennan whispered into his ear. She gently placed his hand back on the bed and laid her head down onto the bed. Within a minute, the forensic anthropologist fell asleep next to her husband, both at peace.
-The End-