Booth felt pain radiate out across his shoulder. He stumbled forward and Brennan kept him from falling. Brennan almost didn't process what happened until she felt the warm blood on his back. Booth gritted his teeth together and caught himself on the car. Another shot resounded and dirt kicked up next to Brennan's foot.

"Get in the car!" Booth yelled.

"Booth, you're hurt!" Brennan protested.

Booth pulled Brennan over with him to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. "Stay down." He hissed as she crawled in.

"Booth, what are you doing?" She yelled at him. Her question was cut short as he slammed the door shut. Booth grunted as he made his way around to the back of the car and poked his head out. It was dark and he couldn't see anything. He recoiled as a bullet ricocheted off of the back of the FBI car. Booth judged the trajectory of the bullet and fired twice in that direction. He heard some laughter. "Nice try, Booth!" a voice mocked.

"Coward!" Booth yelled back and fired again. He leaned against the car and slowly slid down so he was in a sitting position. His breath came in pants.

"What's the matter, Booth? Your shoulder hurt?" Dirt kicked up directly in front of the toe of Booth's shoe.

Booth suddenly realized the mistake he'd made when he hadn't gotten in the car when he'd had the strength. "You're a coward, Taffet." Booth called back. "You only take chances when you know that you have the upper hand and you exploit other people to get what you want." His voice quavered slightly as his energy started leaving him. He could feel the blood draining out of the hole in his shoulder. He struggled to stand up and his hand tried to reach out for the back passenger's door handle. He got a good grip and started pulling himself up.

"Who's the coward now?" Taffet demanded and fired another shot near Booth's feet.

Booth didn't care right now. Now he needed to get Brennan out of here safely. He suddenly pulled himself into a standing position and got a head rush. He found himself back on the ground and in pain. He slapped his hand against the door. "Bones." He called. "Bones!"

The door swung open and Brennan hastily helped Booth into the back seat. Booth sprawled out across the back seats. "Drive." He said groggily.

"Booth, you've been shot I can't just-"

"Drive." He said urgently. " 'f you get shot… my fault…"

Brennan winced and then clambered up to the driver's seat. She slammed the gas pedal down. The car skidded at first and then took off. The back windshield shattered as a bullet tore through and lodged itself in the front passenger's seat headrest.

"Booth, you've got to keep talking to me, okay?" Brennan said from the front.

"M'kay." He mumbled

"How was Taffet able to find us?" Brennan asked. It was the first thing that popped into her mind and therefore, in her panicked state, was the first thing to come out of her mouth.

"Prob'ly planned it before." Booth pressed his back up against the seat to try and keep pressure on his shoulder. He pushed air through his teeth at the staggering pain.

"But he drove away, Booth. When he left me he drove away." Brennan replied. She started fiddling with the GPS as she waited for Booth's response.

"Switched cars… went in a loop… lots of options…" Booth slurred out.

Brennan was glad when she found that the Frostburg General Hospital was not too far away. She went even faster as she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a truck speeding up behind them. "Booth…"

Brennan didn't have to tell him. Booth knew. He struggled to sit upright and grunted with effort as he did so. He leveled his gun on the seat and waited for Taffet to fire first. The shot didn't come. Booth glared in the truck's direction. He tried to see past the headlights and into the window but couldn't. Maybe it wasn't Taffet.

A silent thirty seconds passed.

"What's he doing?" Brennan asked. If it was Taffet he had to have switched vehicles. It wasn't her car that was chasing them.

"Could jus' be a random pers'n." Booth said and slid back down onto the seat. He sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them bright square lights were shining down on him. He winced and looked away.

"Booth!" Brennan yelled. "Booth, you're in a hospital, okay?"

Booth groaned and looked around. He was being pushed down a hall on a gurney. A couple nurses and doctors were pushing the cart at a rather fast pace. "How'd we get here?"

"I contravened multiple traffic laws." Brennan replied. "The doctors are going to take you into surgery to remove the bullet."

" 'Kay." He mumbled. He was out before Brennan could say more.

-Earlier-

Cam had come back to the hospital when she had received Angela's call and she was glad she did. If she hadn't no one would've been in Sweets' room when he woke up. Angela had left to go gather some things from the Jeffersonian and then go home where she presumed Jack had taken Michael.

Cam had been sitting in the chair beside Sweets' bed when she heard a weak, "Cam?"

She looked over to find Sweets looking at her. A broad smile crossed her face. "Sweets! How're you feeling?"

The psychologist looked confused. "Foggy." He replied.

"The doctors have you on some sedatives." Cam replied. She was surprised Sweets had even been able to wake up in the first place.

"I'm out?" Sweets asked as his eyes started drooping shut again.

"Yes, Sweets." Cam reached over and clasped his hand. "You're safe."

You could see the relief wash over his form as he drifted back to unconsciousness.

-break-

Two and a half hours later Booth was out of surgery and fighting with the nurses. "I don't need a sling." Booth protested. "Look all I need is some pain killers and more of that pudding." Brennan heard him from down the hall and was quick to come to the doctors' rescue. Booth was sitting on the edge of the bed in only purple and blue striped socks and a hospital gown. "Bones!" he said happily as she entered. "Would you please tell them that I'm fine and I can go now?" He looked pointedly at the nurse that was holding a blue and white contraption. "Without a sling."

Brennan sighed inwardly. "Would you allow us a moment alone, please?" she asked politely. The nurses filed out.

Booth's eyes were pleading. "Please, Bones. I don't need a sling."

"Booth, you got shot. The bullet lodged itself in the infraspinous fossa of the scapula." She saw the lost look on Booth's face. "… your shoulder blade. You had to have surgery to get it removed. They also had to administer a blood transfusion and heavy painkillers. It would be best for you to listen to the doctors."

Booth hung his head. He looked at the far wall. "I… I don't want to wear it because…" he trailed off and looked at the wall again.

"Booth?" Brennan asked gently and walked over to his side.

"I don't want Sweets to know." Booth said softly. Brennan would have missed it if she hadn't been listening. "I don't want Sweets to feel guilty if he sees me in the sling. He'll ask what happened and…" he looked over at Brennan. "I just don't want him to go through anything he doesn't have to."

Brennan could imagine why. She knew some of the mental trauma the psychologist was probably facing. "I'll talk to the nurses." She decided.

"Thanks." Booth said and then looked back at his feet. Brennan turned to leave. "Oh and, Bones?" The anthropologist looked back. "Would you be able to get my spare set of clothes out of my car?"

"Sure, Booth." Brennan agreed and then walked out.

A/N: I thought about having Brennan get shot at first. But then Booth would have had to chase Taffet down and kill him right then and there. So this kind of made the playing field a little more even. :) Thanks again for all the reviews guys! They are really appreciated and they help me write the updates. It lets me know your questions and what you're thinking. So please review more! XD