Author's Note: The end of this chapter is not for kiddies. Sorry.

For two days a dangerous fever kept Booth lost in a stupor. He slept mostly, so out of it that he didn't seem to notice if the lights in whatever room he was in were on or off. Brennan attempted to play nurse. But nothing she did seemed to have an effect. Higher and higher his fever soared. His skin burned red and doused itself in sweat.

She didn't know what to do. Did she take him to the hospital? Could they do anything for him? Debbie might know, but Brennan was afraid to call her. Brennan was sure she could handle whatever mean spirited things could possibly be thrown her way. But if Debbie turned on Booth simply out of spite in such a dire hour then Brennan wasn't so sure she could control herself. If this was it; if Booth was dying, then she needed to act fast.

Eventually she ended up giving in. It was her surprise when Debbie answered on the second ring. "Debbie, it's Dr. Brennan," she threw the "doctor" in there for good measure, as though to reinstate her status in the world. "Booth's sick. Really sick. I don't know what to do for him."

There was no reading Debbie's voice. It was nondescript. "What's wrong?"

"His fever is approaching one hundred and three. I have him taking aspirin but it doesn't seem to be helping. Should I take him to the hospital?"

Debbie waited a moment before responding. "Take him. Call Dr. Paxton. He's handling our cases. He'll know what to do."

"Debbie… thank you."

"Just take care of him."

Brennan rushed Booth straight to the hospital. While driving she called the number Debbie had given her for Dr. Paxton. The man was waiting for them once she pulled into the Emergency drive way.

Booth was taken straight into treatment. Brennan numbly sat down in the same chair she had come to know so well. She felt like breaking down into an uncharacteristic bout of sobs. It wasn't like she didn't know that Booth was dying. He'd told her himself. All this time she thought she had steeled herself. She was sure she'd had prepared herself for the worst and accepted it. But now, she realized she hadn't readied herself for anything at all. Over the years Booth had become so much to her. He was her rock. But now that rock was crumbling, leaving her scrambling to pick up the pieces. And no matter how painful, she wouldn't turn away. If the worst scenario happened then she'd still see it through.

For once she was given information on his condition right away. Dr. Paxton came to see her after only a mere hour. "We have him stabilized. We're working on reducing the fever."

Brennan exhaled. "Is it the lump? Is he being poisoned?"

"It's unclear at the moment whether it's tumor related or simply the flu. We've submitted some tests but haven't received results yet."

"May I sit with him?"

"Of course. He's been asking for you."

Brennan was liking Dr. Paxton. He led her through treatment into ICU where Booth was sleeping lightly. Sweat had already saturated the gown and sheet covering him. Cold ice packs had been placed around his head, neck, and Brennan suspected along his body. He shivered every so often. She didn't think she'd ever seen him so miserable.

Next to him she pulled up a chair. "Booth," she talked straight into his ear. "I'm here."

His eyes cracked open. "Bones?"

"Yes. The doctors are working on helping you. You're in good hands."

He shuddered. "Why didn't you find me?"

Brennan pulled her head away a bit in confusion. What did he mean? "I've been with you all along."

"Brenghause." He sighed tiredly. "You said, Baker found me."

She didn't understand where he was going with his thoughts. "Booth, you're delirious."

"Why was it Baker? Why wasn't it you?" He shut his eyes.

Even though she didn't get it she understood he needed answers. "There was nothing for me to go on. The only evidence in your car was your own blood. I had to trust the FBI." She held onto his cold hand. "I had to let someone else take control. If it meant saving your life than I would have completely disassociated myself. I couldn't jeopardize your chances." The guilt she hadn't felt in a while found her. "I should have looked for you sooner. I should have known something was wrong."

"You held me," he murmured as he drifted off.

She clung to his hand. "I'd do anything for you."

***

By the next day the fever had broken. The day after that Booth was released from the hospital all together. Dr. Paxton never did determine what had caused the sudden illness. There were no signs of virus in Booth's blood and the amount of poison intoxicating him hadn't changed. But none of them cared, as long as Booth was healthy once again.

Unfortunately, he hadn't come away unscathed. He was much weaker than he had been. Now he was given no choice but to stop working all together. Brennan had to at last fill her colleagues in on the awful truth. No one could quite believe what was happening to their friend.

Booth had been home no more than a few days when Brennan woke up to find the bed empty one morning. Since coming home the two had begun sharing a bed. They'd been shy at first, but had gotten over it quickly. She liked having him next to her. It allowed her a sense of security. However sleeping with the lights on took some getting used to.

She sat up, noticing his shoes and jacket were gone. As was his phone from the spot where he kept it on his dresser. "Booth?" She called for him.

He appeared in the doorway, dressed and ready to go somewhere.

"Where are you going?"

"I got something I gotta do, Bones."

She felt jealous at being excluded, but trusted him. "Can you drive?"

"Yeah. I'll be all right. I got my cell." Booth traipsed in long enough to give her a fast kiss goodbye. Then he was gone.

Through the streets he guided his car back to the hospital. Debbie's surgery was that morning, and though he knew she hated him, he had promised to be there. That morning he'd woken up late and missed her. But when she woke when the the surgery was done he was determined to be by her side.

At the hospital he informed the front desk who he was there for. He was pointed down a series of halls until he found the waiting room for surgery patients. Down onto a sofa he sat. A few other families waited around him.

For hours he read magazines and drank cups of coffee. Sporadically he glanced up at the large old fashioned clock ticking over head mounted on the wall. Much more time passed than it should have. Every extra minute was causing another tick of anxiety in his stomach. Had something gone wrong? Had she died?

A doctor motioned for him some six hours later. The surgery was only supposed to have taken four. Booth tried to keep himself from running to the man. "How is she?" He swallowed.

"She's doing well. The procedure took longer than we anticipated. But I'm confident she'll make a full recovery."

Booth about fainted with relief. He requested to see her.

It was another forty five minutes Booth sat in Recovery waiting for Debbie to wake up. He held her hand lightly. It was that hand that gave him the first sign that she was waking up. "Oh, God," she croaked. Her eyes went straight to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I promised."

"You don't have to. I know there's somewhere else you'd rather be."

"Right now, there's no where else in the world I'd rather be."

***

Booth arrived back home feeling encouraged. He entered his apartment. The kitchen and living room were both empty. "Bones?"

"In here!" She beckoned from his bedroom.

He found her sitting on the chest he kept at the end of his bed. Roughly he sat down across from her. "I made an appointment for the surgery."

Her eyes lit up.

"Day after tomorrow." He shook his head.

Brennan didn't say anything. The look in her eyes said it all. Booth scooted closer to her. Tenderly he pushed her hair behind her ear. "It's gonna be okay, Bones."

What happened next was a blur. Both of them lost control as their bodies took over. Their eyes locked. Brennan moved in before he did. He hesitated, his mouth open slightly as she came near. The same idea was on both of their minds, making Booth unsure. However the moment her lips hit his he melted. The reluctance he was feeling dissipated. It felt right.

Soon what started out as sweet and innocent rapidly turned into something more. The hunger they'd both been feeling for each other bubbled to the surface. Booth drew her lip into his mouth, enjoying the quiet sound of pleasure she made. He released only to kiss along the length of her neck.

She didn't let him do all the work. Already her fingers were working the buttons on his shirt. In record time she had them undone. All over his chest and back she ran her hands, taking in every inch of him.

Without missing a beat she removed her shirt, tossing it carelessly down onto the floor. Booth moved her back onto the bed behind them. While nibbling at her lips his fingers undid the hinge on her bra. She took it off and threw it near her shirt.

Down her body he kissed his way. He kept his hands at her sides, stroking her soft skin with his thumbs. When he kissed just below her navel she pulled him back up to her level. Brennan kissed him a few more times before letting him pull away to kiss the area in between her breasts. Back and forth he moved onto each one, paying close attention.

Moaning, she undid his pants and slid them off. It was her turn to move him onto his back. After removing the rest of her own clothing she climbed on top of him.

Before either of them truly realized what they were doing, they were making love.

That night Booth had the best sleep he'd had in a long time. At long last, he was able to sleep in the dark.