Temperance Brennan listened carefully as Dr Jarsic described his evaluation of Booth. When Booth finally awoke after four days in a coma she honestly thought it was over. She had barely moved from the chair across from his hospital bed for the first 16 hours after the surgery and onset of his comatose state. Finally Angela and Jack made her go home to shower, eat and perhaps sleep. Jack remained with strict instructions to call her the minute there was any change in his condition.

Over the next three days she settled into a pattern. Sitting in the mornings and early afternoons with Booth until Angela, Jack or Cam arrived to relieve her. She'd go home to sleep for a few hours then return in the evening; staying until the early morning hours then finally dragging herself home for a few short hours of sleep then started the pattern all over again.

She called Rebecca twice a day with little more than a word that there was no change in his condition. She agreed with Rebecca that bringing Parker around to see his father was unadvisable. On the third day Parker insisted he speak to Bones over the phone. He asked if his daddy was in pain. Stifling a cry with her hand before replying she assured his son that no, his father was most likely not experiencing any pain. Parker told her that he going to ask his mom to take him to church, so he could to light a candle and say a prayer for his daddy. Yes, he would like that very much, she replied torn between her own convictions and the greater need to reassure a frightened child. It was only after Parker's parting words as the call ended that she felt the tears she had restrained for days finally fall.

'Daddy doesn't like hospitals. I'm glad you're there cause when he wakes up he'll know not to be scared.'

But when he did wake with that distant, confused look, his was scared. It didn't matter that she was there to welcome him back because he had no idea who she was. Backing away from his bed she called to the night-shift nurse of the ICU to find the doctor on call. Returning to the room she found him once more asleep. It was explained to her that this was normal in coma patients after they recover. He would likely wake again in a few hours.

She slept more that night than she had in last five days. Her movements were slow and methodical in the morning as she showered and ate. There was no longer an urgency in her actions to return to the hospital just to see that vacant look once more in his eyes. That is until she received Dr Jursic's phone call. Not only was Booth awake but his memory was back. She was out the door before the call ended only half hearing the doctor's insistence that he speak to her before she went to see Booth.

Dr Jursic has gotten to know Dr Temperance Brennan over the past five days. He suspected most people interpreted her pragmatism for cool detachment. As the hours then days stretched on since Agent Booth's surgery he became more accustom to the forensic anthropologist even demeanor but he wondered how she would take his news.

"Coma patients, when they first awake, commonly experience a temporary post-traumatic amnesia. Agent Booth appears to have recovered and scored 100 on the Galveston scale. He has complete recall of his personal history, as well as past and current events at large. I reviewed with him the list of family members, co-workers and associates you provided and he correctly identified each individual and his relationship with them. The only indication of a possible problem are his memories directly associated with you Dr Brennan. I would rather not speculate on a diagnosis without a more thorough examination by a neuropyschologist but I suspect we are dealing with a form of dissociative fugue by proxy. He is positive that you are not just his work partner but you are also his wife."

Bones swallowed the dry lump that formed in her throat.

"What could have caused Booth to dissociate the nature of our relationship?"

"Dissociative fugue has been attributed to traumatic or highly stressful events. Dr Brennan, prior to the escalation of Agent Booth's symptoms was there a significant event or occurance that may have caused him great stress or trauma?"

For the first time in five days, Dr Jursic watched as a hairline crack appeared in Dr Brennan's veneer as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"We...that is I had decided to have child recently. I asked Booth to donate his sperm for insemination. I assured him that he would not be obligated to and financial or familial support of the child. He had agreed but changed his mind while he was hallucinating a cartoon baby during an interrogation. He told the hallucination that he didn't want me to go through with it if he wasn't involved with the rearing of the child. He told, 'If I'm the father, then I have to be the father.'"

"And it was immediately after this episode you brought him to the hospital?"

"Yes."

Dr Jursic leaned back and quietly watched the attractive woman seated before him.

"Agent Booth's chart lists that his has an eight year old son. Can you tell me about his relationship with the boy and his mother?"

"Parker. Rebecca, Parker's mother and Booth were in a relationship when she became pregnant. Booth is Catholic and has a very traditional, archaic attitude about relationships. He told me that at the time he asked Rebecca to marry him but she refused his proposal. He has expressed disappointment in not providing an orthodox familia construct in which to raise his son. But he works very hard to maintain his relationship with his son and congenial interaction with Rebecca."

"From what Agent Booth told me about his dream, your friends and co-workers were present but their roles and personalities were altered to conform with the environment his sub-conscious created, in this case a night club. This morning he is able to distinguish the difference between the dream-created persona and his real relationship with them. All that is but you. As you've said, if he was to father your child his expectations are that he would fulfill the traditional role of a father. The idea of not fulfilling this role caused a severe degree of stress, coupled with the stress and trauma of his surgery may have induced the dissociative state. His sub-conscious has attempted to relieve this stress by altering very specific aspects of his reality. I suspect that Agent Booth's sub-conscious desires created an ideal scenario in which to father a child with you."

"But, we..he, we've never... We are not involved in that way, we never even, ever." Another crack in the veneer.

"I understand Dr Brennan. You should know that it is quite possible that the next time Agent Booth wakes up his memory will correct itself. Our brains are remarkable in their ability to heal. But I believe the dissociation is so deeply rooted and integrated with his true memories that he will require therapy to extricate the dissociation. Until then, I feel it best for his recovery from the surgery that we minimize his stress by not questioning the dissociation."

"Are you suggesting that we encourage his delusion?"

"Not encourage it but refrain from questioning or altering it until we can determine a course of therapy."

"So what do you need me to do? Pretend to be his wife?"

"No. This Agent Booth's new reality. What I need you to do is allow him to be your guide through it."

Okay, so for the record I know nothing about neuropsychology. What is in this chapter is just what I could gleam from an afternoon surfing the web. But primarily it is complete POOMA (pulled out of my arse)

Next chapter, Dr Temperance Brennan, meet you husband...