A/N: This is a short one, but at least it's on time! Thanks for reading!
B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B
A somber looking woman held the hand of little girl, who looked to be no older than five. The little girl delighted in pulling petals off of low branches as they walked.
"Where are we going, Mama?" the little girl trying to keep up with her mother asked.
The woman slowed down a bit, noting that her daughter was struggling to keep up. She sighed loudly and stopped altogether.
"Do you remember some of the things I've told you about your father, Abby?" the woman, Brennan, said squatting to her daughter's height.
The girl nodded vigorously, "You said that my daddy was in heaven."
Brennan nodded in response. When Abby had first asked about her own father after spending an evening with her mother's father, Brennan had been prepared to launch into a speech about what happens – and does not happen – after death. Yet, when she saw Booth's chocolate brown eyes looking back at her, she changed her mind. Brennan knew Booth would want their little girl to think he was in the heaven.
"You said that Daddy was very brave and loved me very much even if he only knew me when I was in your tummy."
Brennan smiled, "Yes, he did. Abby, when people die, the people who loved them bury them in the ground."
"But, I thought you said Daddy was in heaven, how can he be at two places at the same time?" Abby asked.
"Well, only Daddy's body is in the ground. His soul is in heaven," Brennan replied, mentally noting that she could present her daughter with the facts later in life.
Her daughter nodded with understanding.
"We are going to visit where Daddy is buried. Mama comes here sometimes to talk to him."
"Can he talk back?" Abby asked curiously.
"No, but I promised your daddy a long time ago that if something happened to him, I would visit," Brennan said, unsuccessfully trying to hold back tears.
"It's okay to cry if you are sad, Mama."
Brennan smiled slightly.
"You miss Daddy," Abby guessed.
"Every day," Brennan said, scooping her daughter up and into her arms, "I loved your daddy very much; that's why you are here on this earth."
"Where else would I be, Mama?" Abby asked, genuinely confused.
"Never mind, sweetheart. I think you are old enough now to come visit you daddy with me."
Abby nodded, "I will be in kindergarten soon!"
"Yes, you will," Brennan confirmed with nod.
She knelt down to return her daughter to the ground. Brennan took her small hand, and they continued their walk towards the cemetery.
"No, no," Brennan groaned.
"Bren! Sweetie, thank God you are okay!"
"Ang? Where am I?" asked a disoriented Brennan.
"You're in a hospital. You passed out and hit your head."
"Why did you take me to the hospital if I merely passed out? How long have I been unconscious?"
Angela squirmed uncomfortably in her chair, "We were already here…for Booth."
"Booth," Brennan repeated softly, tears springing to her eyes.
"He's gonna be okay, sweetie. He already pulled through surgery.
Brennan looked her quizzically, "But he…my daughter and I were…"
Brennan's voice trailed off before she frantically asked "The baby! Is she okay?"
Angela gestured to the fetal monitor around Brennan's stomach, "She's fine. You were unconscious for a few minutes. When the nurse called for assistance, we all came running. They said only one of us could sit with you."
"I fought your dad for it," Angela said with a mischievous smile.
"Booth came through surgery?" Brennan asked, her memory of the last several hours returning to her.
"Where is he? Did they move him?" she asked apprehensively.
"Not yet, but everyone will head up to the ICU waiting room when they do."
"I need to," Brennan began as she removed the pulseox from her finger, "be with Booth."
Angela grabbed Brennan's hand before she pulled off the leads on her chest, "They need to monitor you, sweetie. You hit your head; you could have concussion."
"That's unlikely. In any case, I'm not leaving the hospital. I am sure that the nurse caring for Booth in the ICU would be more than capable of determining if I have a concussion."
"Sweetie, at least let the neurologist examine you," Angela plead.
"Ang, that's not necessary. I need to be there when Booth wakes up," Brennan replied adamantly.
"He won't wake up alone, Bren."
Brennan shook her head, "I need to be there when he wakes up."
An understanding washed over Angela.
"Sweetie, Booth knows you wouldn't leave."
"I have in the past."
"That's the great thing about the past…it's over," Angela said with a smile.
Brennan nodded hesitantly in response.
"You know that Booth would want to make sure that you're okay. He'd want you to get checked out by a doctor."
Brennan considered Angela's statement for a moment then replied, "Okay."
An hour and a half later, Brennan and Angela waited for the elevator to take them to the ICU. A concussion had been deemed "unlikely" based on the neurological and physical examinations. Brennan had patently refused a CT scan due to the risks to her unborn daughter. Over an hour of fetal monitoring showed a steady heart rate. She had been released with instructions to report to the ER immediately if any neurological changes were noted or she experienced any cramping or bleeding.
As Brennan boarded the elevator, any thoughts of her own health faded. No matter what her dreaming mind had conjured, Booth was alive, and according to Cam, stable. He was still unconscious, but responded to stimuli.
In a moment, Brennan would be at Booth's side. Right where she belonged.