Her chance came the next morning. Booth arrived in the lab before Brennan. Angela had to figure that her best friend had worked herself until the early morning hours. Whenever distraught she hid herself in her work. That was just her way of dealing.

Unlike Angela, who confronted said problems head on. She latched onto his arm before he was fully in the door. "You. Me. My office. Now."

Her voice was so strong he was afraid to argue.

Inside her office she shut the door for privacy. Then she faced him. "You're not engaged."

For a brief moment he looked perplexed. Then suddenly he understood, his facial expression giving him away. The moment only gave Angela more proof. "Yes, I am."

"No, you're not."

Angered, he started for the door. "You know nothing about my relationship."

Angela was speedy in heading him off. "I know you don't really love her. You have that syndrome, where two people who have been through something traumatic bond together because they feel the rest of the world doesn't understand them."

"The rest of the world doesn't."

"Did you give them a chance?" Closing in the space between them, she continued. "Did you ever give her a chance? Have you ever told her anything about the abduction?"

He closed up tight. Angela could see if she didn't move along he'd be out the door before she could finish prying. "I know you can't possibly be in love with Debbie because you love Brennan. You always have."

His eyes dropped down to the floor.

"Brennan may believe your crap but I see right through you."

The room was spinning for Booth. The stress Angela was putting upon him was making his already compromised state worse. Without warning he sank down onto her soft sofa.

Angela was right next to him. She gripped his arm. "Booth?"

"I'm sick, Ange," he admitted to her. "I can't let her love me because I'm sick."

Angela had a feeling he didn't just mean he had the flu. Worried tears pricked her eyes. "Sick?"

He nodded.

"Like…?" She couldn't bring herself to say the word. Fatally? Nothing else would make sense in his rejection of Brennan.

Booth comprehended what she meant. "Yeah."

Angela gasped. "You've seen a doctor, right? They're treating you?"

This was a topic he'd been grappling with for weeks. Even now he still wasn't ready to discuss it. He was giving her as little details as possible. "Yeah. It's hard because they don't exactly know what's wrong."

Her grief struggled to show itself. "You have to tell her, Booth. You have to."

"I'm gonna. I am," he said to her look of disbelief. "I just, I haven't found a good way to tell her."

"She needs you, Booth. And you really need her."

"I know. I just wanna be able to tell her in a way that's not going to make her run to Guatemala or something." He tried to kid.

She didn't share his humor. Close to her she pulled him into a tight embrace, not caring if it made him uncomfortable or not. As it turned out she ended up being the one with uncomfortable feelings. Through his sport coat and shirt she could feel the prominent bones of his shoulder blades. Booth had always been a muscular, strong man. Now all she could feel was his structure. He'd been hiding weight loss.

"I'll be okay," he false promised her.

"You better be. Or else I'm going to kick your ass."

***

Things went on as usual between the pair, only tense. Neither of them discussed that moment outside of the bar. Nor did they discuss his engagement, which he still allowed her to believe was taking place, or Debbie. All their conversation was strictly procedural.

If Angela ever talked to Booth, she never said anything to Brennan about it. That struck Brennan as odd. Angela was never one to back down or go back on promises. Why hadn't she pursued her inquiry with Booth?

Some of her behavior sometimes made her wonder. Booth would cough or sneeze. Angela's eyes would become as wide as saucers. It seemed strange she'd act in such a way at such a simple act. Everyone sneezed. What was so scary about that?

Booth himself pushed further and further away day by day. Brennan was at a loss as to what to do. If he didn't love her like everyone insisted, fine. Rejection wasn't something she was used to but she'd handle it. Didn't he want to work with her anymore? Friendship was better than nothing.

One afternoon they'd gone trailing after a suspect. The man they were trying to rein in took off running. Booth gave chase. It didn't take long for him to catch up to the slightly overweight murderer. Side by side they ran down a back alley. In order to stop him Booth had to latch onto the man's shirt and haul him back against a wall.

The man didn't give up so easily. He fought back at Booth, harming him in any manner he could. But he was no match for Booth's power. He'd had him in a choke hold before the man pushed back and dropped them both to the ground. On his landing Booth managed to fall straight onto his arm with the lump. The pain he felt nearly caused him to black out.

The man rose to his feet. Before he could take a step forward Booth stuck his leg out and tripped him. Forward onto his face he tumbled. Booth rolled over and slapped hand cuffs around his wrists. Caught. "You have… the right…" He breathed. "To remain silent.."

Additional back up arrived then and took over. Booth gradually climbed to his feet. He crossed his arms, watching critically as the man was led away to the back of a police car. All those around him followed.

A stab of pain pierced his arm, reminding him of his own danger. Bright red blood was soaking through his shirt and jacket. God only knew what was happening underneath. The doctors had warned him.

He leaned back against the wall behind him. The scratchy brick scraped at his back as he slid down onto the ground. Booth reached across his chest and tried to apply pressure with his hand. The warm liquid just bled straight through his fingers. His clothes were sopping up the rest.

This was it. Like it or not Booth was going to die here. This alley after catching a perp was set to be his final resting place. His heart raced into over drive, making him feel as though he were having a heart attack. A powerful wave of dizziness drove his stomach straight into nausea.

Memories appeared to haunt him.

Booth was restrained against the same cold metal table while Brenghause laid into him with a heated metal coat hanger. "You're nothing!" The man spit at him. The hanger might as well have been a whip. "You don't deserve to live, you know that? Putting an innocent man away." Another hit.

Booth kept his eyes and mouth shut. With every hit he cringed inward a little more.

"How many more innocent lives have you taken?" Smack. "How many, Agent Booth?" Hit. "Enough to deserve to have yours taken." Whack. "Although I'm sure you're far from innocent."

Booth was gasping for air. He tilted his head back while his eyes shut. Brenghause had won. Without being alive he'd still managed to take Booth's life. In more ways than one.

***

"Dr. Brennan?"

Brennan glanced up from her cell phone at the officer calling her name.

"We need a statement from Agent Booth. Have you seen him?"

She ended her phone call. "No," she replied in confusion. The last she'd seen he'd taken off running. Booth never just disappeared from crime scenes. He'd never leave her no matter how angry or discomforting things were between them. So where had he gone?

All around the area she did a general canvass. When she happened upon the place in which he'd collapsed she could hardly believe her eyes. Racing to his side, she dropped to her knees beside her fallen partner. "Booth?" Her voice hit a high.

He was stark white and shaking. His eyes were still closed tight. Up and down his chest heaved while he struggled with his breathing.

"Booth what happened?" Brennan's eyes were filling already with frightened tears. "Are you hurt?"

He was unconscious to her presence.

She leaned in to get a better look at him. As she did she touched his arm. The feeling of sticky warm fluid made her draw her hand away. It was then she noticed all the blood. "Were you shot?" She yelled, thinking maybe if she talked louder he'd answer.

Nothing. Booth's trembling was steadily growing worse.

"We need a medical assistance!" She screamed to anyone listening. Her own fingers were shaking as she tried to peel off his clothes to get a better look. It was useless. Besides being dead weight he was pressed up against a wall. There was no way to move him enough to survey the damage.

Brennan pulled him into her arms, holding him close to her. "It's all right." She reassured him. "Hold on, Booth."

His soft, shallow breaths in her ear caused a tear to fall.