Author's Note: Huge thanks go out again to those of you who reviewed the last chapter. I know things are kind of moving along slowly, but they'll pick up again soon. I really felt like that scene between them was important and I'm glad some of you loved it as well. Anyway, this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but once you read it I'm hoping you won't mind as much. If I promise to include BB conversation and a bit more length next time, will you forgive me?
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Angela asked as she slung Brennan's bag over her shoulder and carried it up the front porch stairs. She put the bag down and pulled her keys from her purse before sticking the right one in the lock. When she realized Brennan didn't answer, she turned her head. "Brennan?"
Brennan blinked and looked back at her best friend. While her trip to see Russ and the family had been an enjoyable one, she wasn't about to make them push back any plans of their own any longer than she had to. With a hug and a promise to come and visit again soon, Brennan headed back home with the assistance of Max who had come down to spend the majority of Sunday with the family. She knew she'd have to do something about getting around on her own eventually, but she was thankful Angela was allowing her to stay until she figured out different accommodations. "I believe it's what I need to do until something else can be arranged. Thank you for letting me stay."
Angela smiled as she unlocked the door. "Well, it wasn't a choice for me. You're my friend and I care a lot about you, I couldn't just let you hole yourself up in a hotel room somewhere. Of course, you do know you've got a wonderful home-"
"Ange," Brennan interjected. She smiled sadly and shook her head. "While I'm certain I would be welcome there, it's simply too soon."
"I understand." Angela replied before picking the bag up and opening the door. "Come on, let's get inside."
"This place is larger than I remember." Brennan spoke as they passed through the entryway. She stared momentarily at her own reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall, at the circles under her eyes. Angela had already gone ahead and was starting for the stairs, so she quickened her pace to catch up.
"Thanks, " Angela laughed. "It is pretty big, but Hodgins and I manage. It does get a little scary though when Hodgins decides to stay late at the lab working on one of his experiments. That's usually when I head to the studio and work on a piece. I usually have the door closed, but if I'm in there feel free to come and get me if you need anything."
Brennan nodded as she was led down the hall. When Angela stopped and turned, she waited until the door was opened to step inside.
"This is your room. I tried cleaning everything up, but I guess it's still a little messy. I store some of my old things in the closet. I don't know if any will fit you, but since all of your clothes are over at-" Angela paused, unsure of how to finish the sentence. Of course, it was her home, but saying that out loud when Brennan didn't yet feel comfortable with the idea of addressing it as such seemed a little indifferent. "Well, anyway, it's a perfect excuse to go shopping, right?"
"Ange, you don't have to do that. I'm perfectly capable of collecting my own clothing. However," Brennan replied as her hand grazed over a dark purple top that was sitting folded on the bed. She picked it up. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least try some of the items on."
Angela grinned and clapped her hands together. This she could handle, when Brennan was at least trying to be comfortable with the situation. "Perfect. Now, I've got a few calls to make. Some of my pieces are going to be in a show next week, and I'd like to make sure things are settled. Anything you need?"
Brennan folded the shirt again and placed in back in the bed. "No, I'm fine. If there's anything I need, I'm sure I can find a way." She waited until Angela left the room to sink into the comforter covering the bed. She turned her head to the side and found herself watching shadows as they moved on the wall. Everything was fine; she was free from the hospital and was back home. But she didn't remember ever feeling more restless and distant.
The exam room was colder than the last time she'd been in one, but Brennan sat quietly as Doctor Weston scribbled something down. She clasped her hands together and stared at the pictures on the wall; the ones showing a heart that was healthy and then one ravaged by heart disease or a perfectly fine lung and then one infected with cancer. They were supposed to be warning signs, but only served to make her feel all the more nervous.
"Have you been experiencing any significant pain since you left, Temperance?" Doctor Weston asked.
She shook her head in denial. "No, I can't say that I have. I have been experiencing slight discomfort when I walk for farther distances, but I do remember you telling me that was to be expected for some time."
Doctor Weston nodded before moving his stool closer. "Exactly. Now, I'd like to discuss the matter of your memory. It's my understanding you recently discovered a valuable piece of information in regards to your past?"
Brennan winced at the mention of it being her past. She knew just as well as anyone around them did it was part of her present as well. "You're referring to my marraige to Booth?"
"That is correct. Has it brought forward any conflicting experiences, anything you might remember now?" He asked, his pen poised carefully above his clipboard. His job was to make sure Brennan healed correctly, and it wasn't made any easier by the release of information earlier than he would have liked.
"Unfortunately, no. As of yet, but I do believe that fact could change." Brennan replied before bringing a hand to rub against her temple. She was getting a headache, something perfectly normal for someone who was stressed, which was something she already was even without the trouble of a doctor's appointment.
"What do you mean? It's important you keep a level of honesty with me Temperance, if I'm to help you achieve your full recovery." Doctor Weston replied. He wasn't trying to sound harsh, was hoping for the opposite actually.
Brennan crossed her arms, suddenly feeling defensive. "Of course honesty is important. I was just referring to the fact it's entirely possible that my knowing about certain details in my past could actually prove to help me remember everything else."
Doctor Weston slowly removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and rubbed against the lenses before putting them back on. "I'd like to stress the fact that at this point, all you have are basic facts. Without the actual details, we can't yet consider this progress. I'd like you to continue with your medication, and it's also my understanding that you'll be meeting with a-" He checked the piece of paper he'd been writing on. "Doctor Sweets, is that correct?"
"Yes," Brennan nodded in confirmation. She appreciated his honesty and his bold approach at making sure she understood where she was in her healing process. Even if he was more blunt than most people would prefer, Brennan found it was what worked best. "Could I ask you a question?"
"Of course, what is it?" He asked in reply.
She found herself staring at her hands, at the walls, at anything but him. "I understand the reasoning behind your request that everything was kept from me in an effort to ensure I progressed on my own. You were afraid something traumatic would occur if anything substantial were given."
He smiled, because even though she hadn't actually verbalized the question, he was pretty sure he knew what Brennan was asking. "Am I correct in assuming you're asking if the situation has changed now seeing as you've recently gained an important piece of information and nothing happened?"
Brennan shrugged a shoulder and smiled sadly. "I suppose you can't blame me for trying."
Doctor Weston stood and placed a hand against her shoulder. "You're doing well, Temperance. Don't think otherwise, because to do so simply wouldn't be the truth. Make sure you see the receptionist on your way out. She'll provide you with the options for your next appointment."
When Brennan left the building, she found Hodgins waiting for her rather than Angela. A bit confused by that fact, she frowned as she climbed in the car. "Where's Angela?"
Hodgins carefully backed out of the spot he parked before pulling out of the lot. "She needed to go see the building the art event is being held at. Something about angles and shadows, where she wants her pieces to be placed. Did everything go okay?"
Brennan nodded as she again found herself fumbling with the star pendant on her necklace. Now that she knew where it was from, she found herself unable to part with it. "Yes, everything went well. He says I should continue according to our plan. His plan actually, because if it was up to me I would be working at gaining whatever information I could and driving myself around." She said before casting him a sideways glance. "Sorry."
"Not a problem, I'd want to be driving myself, too." Hodgins replied as he pulled up to a red light. "He still doesn't think you should be driving yet?"
There was commotion going on in the middle of the next intersection. Several police cars and ambulances surrounded an overturned car and what looked like the remains of a pick-up truck. "He said I shouldn't yet, yes. While I'm healing according to plan, he doesn't feel it would yet be safe." Brennan replied, her eyes still glued to what was going on ahead of them. The truck was red, an older almost rust color due to age she assumed, and she could just make out the two passengers sitting inside. Glass was sprayed on the ground around them, and a police officer was directing the traffic through the crowded intersection. They reached him and he waved them on, but Brennan kept her eyes glued to the scene until they completely passed it, kept her eyes glued on it in the mirror until it was no longer visible.
"Looked like a bad one." Hodgins mused when he noticed what she'd been staring at. He looked over to see the pale expression on her face. Angela and Booth would both kill him if he let anything happen. "Doctor B?"
She swallowed hard and the smell of blood clogged her senses despite there being no open wounds around. Clear as day, or at the least dusk, she could see the truck racing toward them, toward the truck she wasn't actually in. "Booth, look out!"
Hodgins abruptly pulled into a nearby parking lot and was already planning on at least alerting someone, because if this was what he thought it was, he wasn't about to let her get hurt or try and work through it alone. "Doctor B? Brennan, are you all right?" He asked.
Her breathing had become a bit more quick and her cheeks were red. She blinked a few times before looking back at him. "Hodgins-"
He swallowed carefully, unsure of what was supposed to come next. "Was that-" He coughed and tried to keep his own composure. "Did you just remember something?"
"Panic." Brennan nodded. "The concern that I felt. Among other things, the color of that truck was almost the same as the one that...crashed into Booth's SUV." Her eyes widened at the realization, and a sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. "I have to talk to him."
