Thanks for the feedback about the first chap! Glad people are liking it! It really is pretty dark this story, but if you like it let me know.
Tempe watched Booth sitting in the middle of her living room on the wooden floor. He held his head in his hands, his son's blood still drenching his plain white suit shirt and black pants. His tie had been thrown off somewhere along the way, his shirt hanging loosely open. His hair stood on end, ruffled up and untidy.
Tempe was brought out of her dream-like state as there was a knock at the door. She turned around and opened the door, sighing in relief when she saw Angela and Hodgins.
'Sweetie,' Angela sighed. 'We heard what happened.' She looked around Tempe to see Booth sitting on the floor, his back heaving with great sobs.
'I don't…' Tempe began, but hung her head, not knowing what to say. 'Come in.' she ushered them inside and they walked into the kitchen, looking sadly at Booth. Once in the kitchen Angela spoke.
'This is terrible,' she said sadly.
'I don't know how to deal with this Ange,' Tempe said, allowing a tear to fall. Angela wrapped her arms around Tempe, holding her close.
'Hodgie, can you go and watch Booth for a minute?' Angela asked and Hodgins nodded, walking back to the living room.
'Bren, sweetie,' Angela said, holding her at arms length. 'You just need to be there for him right now.'
'He just looks so lost,' Tempe said quietly. 'He's got…his blood is still all over him.'
'How about you go and run him a bath,' Angela said. 'Jack and I'll stay in the living room if you need anything. You don't need to do this alone.' Tempe nodded and led Angela back into the living room. While Angela sat next to Hodgins on the couch, Tempe bent down in front of Booth. She rested her hand on his arm and he looked up her, his eyes red raw.
'Booth…' she whispered. 'We need to get you cleaned up.' He nodded silently as she helped him to his feet. She held his hand lightly as she led him to the bathroom. She closed the door behind them and turned away from him to run the water. She slowly turned back to him to find that he was looking down at his feet, tears still falling down his cheeks. She stepped closer to him.
'Booth, do you need me to help you get undressed?' she asked and he slowly looked up at her, a sob escaping his lips. 'Shhh, it's alright.'
She lifted her shaking hands up to the front of his shirt and began to slowly unbutton the shirt. His head remained heavy, hung forward as he barely acknowledged her. When she had completely unbuttoned his shirt she slipped it off his shoulders, allowing the pile of red and white to fall to his feet. She quickly unzipped his pants, not wanting either of them to admit to the ironic intimacy of the situation.
Once he was completely undressed she led him to the bath and he carefully stepped into the water, sitting down uncomfortably. She took a stool from the corner of the room and moved it so she could sit close to the edge. She took the soap and handed it to him. He began to absentmindedly run the soap over his body, his eyes still not focussing on anything in front of him. Once he was done he put the soap on the edge of the tub, allowing his shoulders to slump as he stared at the water.
Tempe reached out, cupping the back of Booth's head and, as she hoped, he leant back into her touch. She used her other hand to scoop handfuls of water over his head, pushing it back into his hair. She made sure not to get it into his eyes as she avoided looking at the pink tinge in which the water had turned. Once his hair was completely wet she poured some shampoo onto his scalp, massaging it in before washing it carefully out. She then took a face-washer and squeezed it, making sure it was not too damp before gently wiping the clots of dirt and blood on his face away.
Once she saw that he was completely clean she offered him her hand to help him up and handed him a towel which he absently wrapped around his waist. She led him, gently holding his hand, out of the bathroom and down the corridor to her room. Once in her room she gave him a pair of his tracksuit pants and an old FBI shirt that he had leant to her in a time before his life had fallen apart within seconds.
He got dressed quietly and sat on the side of the bed. Tempe moved to pull back the covers, which he slipped underneath.
'Do you want me to stay?' she asked. He shook his head, nodding quickly afterwards. He brought his right hand up to rub his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, but unable to hide the sobs which once again racked his body. Tempe wrapped her arms around him, allowing him to rest his head on her stomach as they both lay on the bed, him sobbing sadly. She rubbed his back with one hand while running her other through his damp hair.
'My little boy…' he sobbed. Tempe slid down the bed so that they lay face to face. She cupped his cheek in one hand and his head fell to her shoulder, his tears soaking through her shirt. She wrapped her arms around his back, feeling his muscles tense with each sob.
'My little boy…' he repeated.
'I know,' she whispered, unable to stop her own tears from falling. 'I know…'
There you go! How'd you like it? Thanks for reading!