Author's Note: This chapter has been partially done for several weeks now and I apologize for not getting it up any sooner. I've been having problems with the site, not to mention a particularly horrible case of writer's block and a semester that is proving to be a lot more fast paced than I had anticipated.
Anyway, I should be back to the chapter every week or at the least week and a half now. I hope you enjoy and please, if you could, reviews are like candy. Only a bit more healthy for you.
It was the following morning before anyone other than her doctor or a nurse stopped by for a visit. Brennan, content in simply reading the latest issue from her favorite forensic journal that Angela had been kind enough to bring her, heard the door open. A smile formed on her face, thinking of who it had to be, and she reached for a pencil to mark the place she was in reading an article. "Just a min-" She looked up from marking her place, and she froze. "Dad?"
Max stood, his face looking equally surprised, at the foot of her bed. It only took him a second to process the situation, but just as quickly, he enveloped his daughter in a hug. "Tempe, sweetheart...I had no idea." A grin spread across his face as he pulled back to look at her. "Look at you, it's just-"
"What's going on?" Brennan asked. She frowned and set the journal aside.
"I could ask the same question. Booth...he never called, he hasn't said anything." Max replied, the realization that no, his son in law had not called and updated him in regards to Tempe's status, caused him to feel a little more than upset. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm making progress, I suppose." Brennan replied, her head still spinning from the events the had occurred since her father had come in the room. "I don't understand, Dad. How can you be here?"
Max looked around the room and to the single sunflower he held in his hand and shrugged. "I've been down helping Russ and Amy settle in with their new little one for about about six weeks now, but I would've thought-" Max paused, the confusion in Brennan's eyes telling him that wasn't exactly what she meant. "Sweetheart, are you sure you're alright?"
Brennan nodded as reality slowly dawned on her. "So you've had your trial, and obviously you've been released." She said, more to herself than to him. "This is the kind of thing I should remember."
"You don't remember?" Max asked. Suddenly, some of her behavior made sense. Still, the notion that something so important as bringing up the fact Brennan woke up hadn't been relayed to him...he was finding it difficult to comprehend. "I was supposed to be here the day they tested you, the day they wanted to see if you were gonna make it. But Amy started having trouble with the baby, and Russ' boss was being ridiculous and wouldn't let him leave. So, I had to take care of her. But Booth should've called me."
"Why would Booth call you?" Brennan asked.
"You don't-" Max began, his mouth hanging open. "Oh."
"He was my emergency contact, so I suppose he should have. But until now, I was unaware of the fact you were back in society." Brennan replied. Her world had been thrown on its axis, and she wasn't quite sure how to react. Of course she was happy to see him, but wasn't this the sort of thing that she should have known? She stared down at her hands and concentrated, hard, on the past that was still murky in her mind. As far as she was aware, her last memories of Max were of sitting with him in the visiting room in the prison. The private one, that Booth had been so kind as to suggest she be allowed to use.
Max was quiet for a moment, unsure of what else to say next. It was clear that she at least had some form of memory loss, but how much was unclear. He studied the woman sitting up in the hospital bed before him, watching as she stared at something that was clearly not in the room. More than anything, he felt a sudden pang of sadness, because he knew what it was like to lose something important to him. Granted, he got it back after losing it voluntarily, but it was a loss he mourned every day. He sat in the chair next to her bed and held her hand, and did the only thing he knew how. Telling stories of Russ and Amy and the girls, not to mention their new baby daughter, Max watched as his daughter's mood visibly brightened. It wasn't a dramatic change, but one large enough to make him feel as if progress had been made. Eventually though, he knew he had to leave.
"Will you be back?" Brennan asked, oblivious to how vulnerable she sounded. If she were to be honest, the hour Max was there had been one of the most enjoyable she had in a long while.
Max turned and smiled just as he reached the door. "Yeah, I'll be back." He said, giving her a smile he hoped looked reassuring. It wasn't until he was down the hall and pressing the button for the elevator that he made the call.
Across town, the squints were working hard on their latest case. The victim had been identified as Jennifer Wright, a med school student who had been in town for a conference. She was a representative from her school in Boston, and had planned on flying home just a few short days after being killed. While the victim was determined, what seemed to be missing was specific cause of death.
"She was definitely killed due to the injury on her skull, but the murder weapon has yet to be identified." Zack murmured, face turned down as he examined the injuries the skull had endured. "The victim has fractures here and here-" He indicated several spots. "But they are not consistent with anything I have tried matching it with."
"Then obviously, there's more work to be done." Booth mused. "But for now we know who she is and what she does, and as soon as we're able to get in touch with her family, I'll need to speak with them. Maybe they can give us a clearer picture."
"But you've already spoken with her roommate, the one she was staying with while she was here. She said Jennifer didn't have contact with her mother or her father after graduating from high school." Angela stated. She knew Booth was stressed as it was, and hated to put anything else on his shoulders, but also wanted the case to be solved as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Booth sighed and poised a hand on his hip. He looked from the remains Zack was examining to Angela, and was about to speak when his cell phone rang. "Booth," He answered, not bothering to check the caller I.D. He turned away from the group to take the call, wanting at least some semblance of privacy.
"Tell me you're not knee deep in an investigation right now." The voice sounded angrily from the other end of the line.
Two things happened at once; Booth realized who was speaking, and simultaneously that said man probably had every right to be angry at him. "Well, actually Max, I'm waiting on a call back from the family of our victim, so I'm kind of-"
"Good." Max replied, his voice sounding stern. "Then I suppose you'll have time to meet me at that diner you two always used to frequent?"
He could have refused. He could have come up with some excuse as for why he couldn't go, but there was no way he truly wanted to do that. Plus, it didn't help matters that the man he was talking to was Max Keenan, someone who could certainly find him if he needed or wanted to. "Sure, Max. I'll be there in about twenty."
Max heard the dread in Booth's voice, and for just a moment he felt a little sorry for scaring him just as much as he was. "Good, I'll see you there."
Booth shut his phone and turned back to find Angela and Cam studying him. Zack was still working on the remains, and while Hodgins shot him a glance, he knew it was something he'd be better off staying out of. "I'll be back. I'm gonna check and see what other results the FBI Techs have while I'm out. I'll just-"
"Booth?" Angela called, walking with him as he left the platform. "He's her father, so...yeah, maybe he's a little angry. Just don't dig yourself in deeper, okay?"
He smiled and shook his head. "That's real reassuring, Ange."
"No, sweetie...I just meant-" She paused, trying to think of the best way to phrase it. Truthfully, she hadn't really intended to overhear his conversation, but the moment she did, Angela knew what it was about. Impulsively, she pulled him in for a hug. "Just keep it up, Booth. You're doing everything you can. Never forget that."
Though he didn't want to seem presumptuous, when Booth arrived he didn't find Max, so he decided to simply settle for a cup of coffee and wait for him to arrive.
He didn't have to wait very long. Shortly after he got there, Max sat himself comfortably across from him. A waitress came to take their orders, and he waited for her to leave before speaking. "Afternoon, Booth."
"Afternoon." Booth nodded. He blew on his coffee to cool the temperature, and closed his eyes before breathing in deep. While he wanted to explain so many things, the words simply weren't there.
"I had a lovely visit with Tempe earlier." Max informed him. He studied the younger man's movements for a moment and watched as he clearly seemed a little nervous. "I'd just like to know one thing."
"What's that?" Booth asked before setting his mug down on the table. Bringing his eyes up to lock with Max's, he was a bit surprised to not find anger written in them.
"You're busy, I get that. You've got the lab, not to mention whatever desk work that needs done for the Bureau. And of course there's Parker, and visits to see Tempe. Still, out of all of that time, you couldn't find one moment to call me and tell me she'd woken up?" Max asked, this time him being the one who sounded a bit vulnerable.
Booth settled his hands against the table. Mentally, he recalled the last few weeks, thinking of everything that happened. "I tried. Several times. Once, the line was busy, and when I tried the next day...no one answered. With your cell, the same exact thing. You think I didn't want you to know? You think the thought didn't cross my mind? Of course it did, Max. I know how much you love her, but..." Booth paused, frustration seeping through his every pore. He glanced around to see a few other patrons staring at them after his outburst. "Sorry. It's just-"
"It's a lot, I know." Max replied. While he still harbored a little anger and frustration himself, he felt a little better knowing Booth had at least tried to contact him. He remembered a time days before when he'd had trouble with his phone; it was constantly shutting itself off and dropping calls, and apparently there were other problems as well. Glad that the original reason for their meeting had been met, he took a moment to study the man sitting across from him. The normally jovial, sarcastic and joking man looked tired and depressed, and if he was honest, he spotted just a hint of gray in his hair. Not much mind you, but physical proof of what Brennan's recovery was doing to him. "She doesn't remember that you're married."
It was a statement, not a question, so Booth simply nodded.
"What do you plan to do about it?" Max asked in return.
Booth shrugged, already feeling tired of that question because he'd been asking himself the same exact thing ever since he found out. "For now, her doctor doesn't want anymore stress on her remembering than is necessary. He says it's entirely possible for Bones to remember everything she's lost on her own. She's on medication to help reduce the swelling of the vessels in her brain, and she's...considering alternative methods as well." Booth thought of Sweets and of just how much Brennan used to detest psychology. Still, he supposed anything was worth the try.
"So, basically, you're just gonna let things happen naturally?" Max asked him. Raising an eyebrow, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised. Sure, he knew Booth was a patient man, but how much longer was he planning to wait?
Booth sighed and ran a hand through his hair before returning his gaze to his hands. He picked at a napkin, tearing it a the edges, and offered a shrug as his reply. "What else am I supposed to do?"
The waitress came and carefully set their plates in front of them. "Is there anything else I can get you?" She asked.
"No, we're good here, thanks." Max replied, waiting until she walked away to turn his attention back to Booth. "What do you mean 'what else can you do'?"
Booth reached for the ketchup bottle and watched as some poured out on his plate. "I meant exactly what I said, Max. Believe me, I'd love to fill her in on everything. But this is her battle to fight, and she's determined to win."
Max nodded. "And if she doesn't?" He asked. It was a question he hated to ask, but something compelled him to voice that particular thing. "What if that part of her memory never recovers?"
A knife dropped loudly against Booth's plate, and for a moment, he didn't do anything but breathe. He balled his hands into fists, but quickly released them. Focusing on the traffic outside the window, Booth willed himself to calm down. It wasn't the question so much that bothered him, because it was one that had been asked a few times before. What bothered him most was the idea that with every day that passed, it was one more taken away from what could be their life together. While he wasn't exactly staring at the calendar every day, it occurred to him that their anniversary would be two months from yesterday. Two months. Brennan might have been making progress, but he doubted there would be a full recovery by then. "I don't know."
The answer was muttered quietly, but Max heard it clearly. Booth was trying, that much he knew. There was a line though, a point at which some people simply called it quits and stopped while others kept going forward. Booth was usually the one who went beyond the line, at least in the time he knew him. But times had changed, and with what was going on with Brennan, Max knew it would be hard for anyone to keep up appearances.
Booth ate a fry and wiped at his mouth with a napkin. "I'll figure it out," He said. "And...I'm sorry. For not trying harder to let you know."
A smile graced his face before Max nodded. "I get it. I wish you could have, but I see it now. You don't exactly have the luxury of time now either."
"You know, I hate to ask you this because I don't exactly deserve it...but could you tell Russ to try and not get too mad about it? I'm sure he's got things to be worried about, but I know he loves Bones and I just thought-"
"I'll do what I can."Max assured him with the slightest hint of a laugh. "You might want to consider making a trip to visit soon though, maybe when you've got Parker. I know Emma and Haley have been asking about him."
Booth nodded in reply. "Yeah, of course. Listen, I've gotta check up on some things for this case we're working on. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. You're busy, I understand." Max replied. He watched a wave of something kin to relief cross Booth's face.
Booth pulled money from his wallet to pay for his meal before slipping the wallet back into his pocket. Standing up from his chair, he nodded. "Yeah, I am. I'm sorry, Max. I really do mean that."
"How ya doin', Bones?" Booth opened the door to her hospital room and quickly shut it. The grin he wore on his face quickly spread. "I had to sneak it by the nurses' station, but it's here."
Brennan watched as Booth held up a take-out bag. "You brought food?"
"Of course I did. Other than the pudding, the food here really isn't that great. Trust me, I know." Booth said as he laughed and took out the boxes from the bag, setting them on the table at the foot of her bed.
"My father stopped by today." Brennan said as he handed her a carton. She watched as Booth paused for a moment, apparently taken back by her comment.
"Yeah, I know." Booth replied. "He kinda came to see me, too."
Brennan watched as Booth sunk comfortably into the chair beside her bed, and thought of the man who occupied it just hours before. She couldn't help but think of what Max had said and of the way he'd acted. "He seemed a bit surprised to find I was awake. While I realize that's partially my fault. With the amount of time that has passed, it was wrong of me to assume everything else would remain the same as it was before the accident."
Booth's head perked up at the mention of the accident. It wasn't his favorite thing to remember, not to mention talk about, but for just a second, a shameless flicker of hope flared up within at her even mentioning it. He wanted her to say something, to mention a detail. Waiting for a few seconds didn't bring any results, and he felt a little guilty at wanting the recovery to happen that quickly. Brennan needed the time, who was he to try and rush her? "Don't blame yourself, Bones. You've kind of had more important things to do. You know, like recovering so you can get out of here?"
Brennan smiled and took a moment to study the man before her as he was eating. Her partner, at least formerly, and one of her closest friends. "As if you don't have something more important to be doing right now, Booth? I understand you enjoy spending time with me, but surely you have some other form of plans with family or perhaps one of the other agents."
"What are you talking about?" Booth asked, and he had to fight back the urge to laugh. Not because what she said was funny, but because if she knew just how much he looked forward to the time he spent with her it would probably be considered a cause for concern.
"I was simply saying I'm sure you have better ways to spend your time than smuggling in take-out food. Not that I mind, because it's delicious." Brennan replied. She was quiet for a moment as she took a bite. "You hate hospitals."
"Yeah, but you're worth it, Bones." Booth said as he grabbed another morsel with his chopsticks.
Brennan smiled and shook her head. Despite the reality that nothing could possibly remain the exactly same thing it had always been, she found it funny how little had changed between her and Booth over the years. "While I can't be one hundred percent certain, I'm fairly sure your wife couldn't be that happy about you spending an overly abundant amount of time with me. I may be in the hospital now, but once I'm out, it's going to take a bit more explaining on your part."
General Tso's Chicken was spicy on its own, but that wasn't why it suddenly burned on the way down. He set his chopsticks in the take-out carton before placing it on the stand by Brennan's bed. Clasping his hands together, he rested his arms on his legs before letting out a slow breath. Somehow, he knew it was coming.
"Booth? Are you alright?" Brennan asked, alarm filling her at his sudden silence.
He thought back to his conversation with Max in the diner. Thinking of how surprised Max had seemed at his apparent avoidance in regards to telling Brennan, he knew it was an opportunity, though he wasn't certain of how good it could be considered. Booth looked back at her, and was not surprised to see concern flooding the blue eyes he'd grown to adore. Suddenly, the words were there, and he knew he had to say them. "Listen, Bones, about that...there's...there's sort of something I need to tell you. It's something I've wanted to say for a while, but-"
"We come bearing cookies. Bren, I'm telling you they're the most-" Angela spun around to face the two people already in the room. Hodgins stepped in beside her and they exchanged a look, both thinking the same thing. The tension in Booth's posture was evidence enough that they'd clearly interrupted something. She elbowed Hodgins in the side while holding the cookie box. "Should we come back later?"
