Hello everybody. So glad you liked the last chapter, the conversation with Parker. Thank you for reading and reviewing, you are the best!

Coming home…

Chapter 18

The time until my next doctor's appointment went by pretty fast. Booth spent most of his time with me, since Cullen had put him on leave for some time after his half year long assignment and he didn't have to work. I had no objections whatsoever to that solution. Booth catered to my every wish and we had so many things to catch up to, so many things to talk about. We needed to get…. reacquainted with each other. Needed to get used to living with each other before the baby was born.

All in all we spent most of the time pretty harmonic with occasional bickering and one small argument about the furniture for the nursery. In the end, we settled on a pale yellow for the walls and wooden furniture with pale yellow and orange. Angela had surprised us with the offer to paint something for the baby on the wall and had made several drawings for us to choose from. The different sketches all looked great and we had a hard time deciding. But one thing was settled easily enough: The very first sketch we discarded was a clown. I had to laugh when I saw Booth cringe.

"No clowns." We said in unison. And after some consideration, we finally we agreed on a big teddy bear holding an orange balloon.

Angela was delighted with our choice and now we only had to wait for the furniture to arrive. My best friend wanted to make sure the colours she was going to use were exactly matching the furniture.

The things were scheduled to arrive in two weeks… seven months into my pregnancy. Angela kept talking about a baby shower, but that kind of tradition seemed odd to me. I had enough money to buy everything we were going to need for the child. Angela kept on nagging… but so fare she did not manage to wear my resistance down.

The argument kept me busy, at least. Just like talking about furnishing the nursery and Parker's new room and organising some things had kept Booth and me occupied enough, even though I was still on bed rest. And I had been grateful for the distraction… if not for Booth, my father and Angela the bed rest would have been unbearably boring.

And now I was leaving my apartment for the very first time since I had come back form hospital after the premature contractions had occurred two weeks ago. Seeley was walking beside me towards his car, his arm slung around my waist, intent on supporting me, maybe even carrying me, in case I needed it. I still had problems with low blood pressure and he was not going to take any chances, that much he had made clear before we had left the apartment. And though I was too proud to admit it, it felt good and secure to have his arm around me like that. I welcomed the contact…after all this was the first appointment with him, the very first time we would finally be able to look at the movements of our child on screen together.

During the drive to my gynaecologist we barely spoke, just exchanged looks from time to time. We both were nervous, although I had been feeling good these past few days. There was no sign anything might be wrong with our child, but maybe it is instinctive to feel anxious after the shock of the contractions two weeks ago.

I was biting my bottom lip, when Booth reached over and touched my hand. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine." I heard the small tremor in his voice and knew he was saying the words because he needed to hear them himself as much as I did.

"I can't help being nervous." I said honestly and he squeezed my hand gently. "I know." He answered in a low voice and shot me another look. "I can't wait to hear the baby's heartbeat." He said and I had to smile. I had heard the heartbeat before, but it still was a stunning experience… and I couldn't wait to see his reaction.

Soon we were admitted to my gynaecologist after waiting for only a few minutes in the waiting room.

Dr. Miller smiled at us, extending her hand. "You must be the father. So glad you are here today."

Booth shook her hand. "Yeah, I'm pretty happy I can be here, too." I heard the strain in his voice and knew he was remembering that he never had had the chance to come to an ultrasound when Rebecca had been pregnant with Parker.

"I understand your absence had been work-related?" Miller asked, making conversation with him while she motioned for me to lie down.

"Yes. I'm a federal agent and I was on an assignment." Booth answered, "But nothing could get me to leave again." His voice was sincere and I heard the unspoken promise in his words. He wasn't going to leave me again. I swallowed hard as he just reached over to squeeze my hand gently.

"Well, that's good to hear." Dr. Miller commented, then concentrated on me. "How are you feeling, Dr. Brennan. Any problems?"

I shook my head. "Not really. My blood pressure is a little low I think, but other than that I'm feeling fine. Except that I constantly need to go to the bathroom."

My gynaecologist smiled understandingly. "Yes, some women suffer from that, especially in the last weeks of the pregnancy. You're starting a bit early."

"Lucky me." I commented dryly and Booth snorted.

"But it's nothing to be concerned about. The blood pressure should stabilize itself too." Dr. Miller said with a smile in her voice. "No pain, bleeding?"

I shook my head. "I would have called." I said, frowning a little.

"Just asking." She took in a deep breath. "Well, then I think it is time to have a look at your child now." I nodded and tugged up the hem of my shirt, exposing my pregnant belly.

As so often before, she smoothed the lubricant over my skin, but this time it was not Angela busily chattering beside me, but a silent Booth holding my hand. And his breath. He watched every step of the procedure, his eyes fixed on my abdomen until finally a picture appeared on the screen.

And after a few adjustments and a bit of squinting, we were able to make out a distinct, small human figure. Booth's hand gripped mine a little tighter and I heard his sharp intake of breath as the baby moved a little.

It was a somehow odd for me to both feel the fluttering sensation of the foetal movement and see it happen on screen at the same time, but it was not unpleasant. Fascinated I watched the movement, comparing what I was seeing to what I was feeling.

The unmistakeable sound of the ultrasound picking up the heartbeat of the unborn baby filled the room. I glanced at the man beside me, saw how he stared at the screen in awe, his eyes full of emotion and unshed tears.

"Looks fine." Dr. Miller commented absently, studying the picture on screen. Then, with a short side glance to Booth, she started to explain a bit about the position of the baby, the movements and so on, but I was not sure if he was listening. He stared at the screen, transfixed as if he had never set eyes on anything that beautiful ever before.

"It's fascinating, isn't it?" Dr. Miller said after a while, clearly prolonging the examination for Booth's benefit. "Yeah." He croaked.

"Heart rate is fine." Dr. Miller said. "Weight and size are average."

Booth blinked and tore his gaze from the screen, looking at me. "Our baby." He just murmured and I had to drag in a deep breath. "Yes. Our baby." I simply said and he smiled down at me, his gentle, slow smile, not the charm smile he used when he was making jokes. It was a loving smile.

"Thank you." He whispered… and I knew he was thanking me for more than one thing in this very moment: He thanked me for not choosing abortion, for giving this child and us a chance. And for wanting him to be there, for letting him experience the ultra sound examination. We just stared at each other, perfectly understanding what the other was thinking without the need to say a word.

"Well, I think we're finished now. You want to take a picture with you, I assume?" Dr. Miller's voice interrupted the moment and we both nodded.

"Good." The physician reached for paper towels, presumably to wipe off the gel from my stomach, but Booth held out his hand and she placed them in his palm with a small and understanding smile. She rose and went to her desk, maybe to print the picture she had mentioned earlier.

Gently, slowly and thoroughly Seeley wiped off the lubricant from my skin, his eyes holding mine during the process.

And I had to admit to myself that Seeley Booth managed to transform even a simple thing like that into a sensual experience. For a moment I held my breath as I felt the baby move under his touch.

He felt it and froze, then his gaze turned so serious it almost frightened me for a moment.

"I love you." He whispered and in that very moment a feeling of rightness settled over me…

It might be irrational, not scientifically measurable, something I wouldn't have believed in before I had met him….but he was my home. My other half. And to hell with science. Not that I believed in hell.

My eyes filled with tears as I gave back. "I love you too." He leant down and kissed me gently.

The rest of the appointment went by in a blur.

I was not on bed rest anymore and allowed to work, although only a few hours per day and no strenuous activities, Dr. Miller said with a stern look and I just nodded.

Nothing else mattered beside the fact that the baby was healthy. And Booth was there with me.

Soooooo, what to you say, did you like it? reviews would be awesome.