A/N: The reponse to the last chapter was just... phenomenal. I can't thank you all enough. I hope you continue to enjoy this story as it unfolds.
Chapter 11
June 2nd, 2011
The group looked up as they came up the stairs to the lounge, and Angela smiled with soft relief, looking between them as though she could tell something had changed. But she didn't speak, just nodded to Brennan as they took the open spots on the couch next to Cam.
"You all okay?" Booth asked generally, glancing from face to face and settling on Sweets, who was still pale and looking withdrawn from the group.
A few nodded, and some of them murmured something akin to what Brennan would be expected to say in this sort of situation.
No one actually believed the "I'm fine" that seemed to echo around the circle.
Angela got up, and went to the espresso machine to make them coffee. No one really spoke, and Booth got the feeling that it wasn't just because they had joined the group and changed the dynamic. It was as if they'd already been silent long before he and Bones had arrived.
The artist handed each of them a cup and sat back in her seat, picking up her abandoned mug from where she'd left it on the end table and taking a long sip from it.
"Did they recover any of the evidence?" Brennan asked, breaking the silence.
Hodgins nodded. "Yeah, they got a couple of my slides and one of the vials of particulates that spilled when they ran for it after they realized the FBI had arrived. I'm not sure how useful they'll be, or if they're too contaminated for use... but I'll make do with what I can."
"None of the bones?"
"No, they got away with the skeleton," he reported dejectedly, sighing and leaning back heavily into the cushion behind him. Angela wound her fingers through his, and he smiled softly at her, his expression tense despite the gentle motion of his thumb stroking along the edge of her hand.
"Dr. Brennan," Sweets said, and she turned towards the psychologist with an expectantly raised eyebrow, waiting for the question she could feel him mulling over. When he finally asked, his voice was nearly strangled, and his complexion more pale than it had been even during the ordeal. "Why didn't they kill you?" he whispered.
She took a sharp breath, and Booth tensed beside her, watching the way her lips parted and then closed again almost immediately as they sought out an answer.
He didn't know why, himself, but he had already decided not to ask her until he was sure she was ready for that sort of conversation. They'd dropped enough heavy stuff on each other recently to last a life time. He hadn't thought more would be necessary, at least not in the same day. Clearly, Sweets saw merit in posing the question, though. Maybe it was based on a professional perception, but he had a feeling it was on more of the friend platitude. He was asking because he had been as worried as the rest of them. And he wanted answers, now, even though it wouldn't change anything. The answers just... seemed necessary. To clear even a little bit of the confusion that today had presented.
She glanced at Booth, her eyes wide and questioning, and he knew. He knew without even asking, and his gut clenched.
The conversation had been impossible to hear from his position, but he'd gotten the gist of it. He'd known that she was making her stand, and that it could only be because she didn't think she had any other chance. And then, when they'd tied her again, when she'd been pressed against that wall... he'd thought his world was about to be destroyed.
He'd have done anything, anything at all, to trade places with her. To save her from that bullet as the gun was cocked against the back of her head.
And she had said something, something that he hadn't been able to understand. But he'd heard the sob in her voice, the desperation, and he'd seen the look on the armed man's face—or at least, in what little of his face was visible with the mask—and he'd watched as he'd stepped back with a mixture of disbelief and gratitude washing through him.
He'd hardly dared to think it was true when that last gunman vanished after the others, leaving her there against the wall, alive.
There was only one thing she could have said that would have spared her life. And knowing it now... it washed everything out of him. Left him empty, unsure of how to feel. Should he be grateful that she had been spared because of the pregnancy? Or sick that if that hadn't been the case she would surely be dead now, with him having been forced to witness her murder?
Now, though, she was looking at him, waiting for his guidance. He knew the answer, but a lot of the people in this group had no clue. They were waiting for her to respond, and she was waiting to see if he was okay with telling them all.
He smiled at her, reaching down to take her hand in his and give it a squeeze.
She returned the smile, although it was with some hesitation, and then she bit her lip and looked around at the group. Angela was torn between her feelings about the implications and her pleasure over the pregnancy, and the war was visible on her face. But Hodgins was smiling softly, nodding to himself. Sweets, Cam, and Wendell were all watching Brennan expectantly, curiosity creasing their brows.
She met each of their gazes one by one, and then opened her mouth and ran her tongue nervously along her lower lip.
"I... I'm pregnant," she admitted, and he watched with her for the reactions.
Sweets' jaw just sort of fell open, but Cam's face broke into a huge smile, and her gaze cut back and forth between the two of them before she laughed.
"Congratulations. Both of you."
"Yeah, that's great news," Wendell agreed, nodding eagerly. "Congrats."
"Clearly, you both knew already," Cam added, looking pointedly at Angela and Hodgins, who both grinned unabashedly.
"Can't keep much from us," Hodgins pointed out. Angela gave him a look that made Booth chuckle.
"You mean me, I think," the artist corrected with a raised eyebrow.
"Ah, but you can't keep anything from me. So it applies."
She shook her head, but she was laughing.
"Congratulations," Sweets said belatedly, recovering from the shock. "I... had no clue you two were even... together."
"We, uh... weren't," Booth tossed in, grinning ruefully.
"Ah," Sweets said, looking uncomfortable.
"Is this going to... change things? With the FBI?" Brennan asked, her concern coming to the forefront. It had occurred to Booth as well, but he had decided not to bring it up.
The shrink swallowed. "I will have to report the change in your relationship, if you are... together, now. But," he added, as her alarm became more obvious, her fear tightening and her grip on his hand mirroring it, "I will recommend for mandatory couples therapy to be resumed, and that is all."
Brennan frowned, her confusion evident. "What... does that mean?"
"You'd let us work together?" Booth added, leaning forward.
"I see no reason not to. After all, I've been fairly adamant that at least one of you was in love with the other for quite some time now. And you've been working together just fine through your attraction to one another all these years. Obviously there will be changes, because you are in a relationship now—correct?" He waited for their nods, and then went on, "But we'll cover that in our sessions, and any of the problems it might lead to."
"These sessions... they would be temporary, right?" Booth queried, tilting his head to the side.
"We'll work it out later. After I've talked to Hacker."
"Well he shouldn't have a problem with inter-office relationships. He was never affected by that rule himself, and I will point out his hypocrisy if he feels the need to enforce it now."
Booth grinned at the fierce way she said it. Hacker wouldn't dare argue with that. She could be a force of nature when she wanted to be, and he felt warm pride swell up in him as he understood, just a little bit more, how strongly she felt about this. How much she wanted this. With him.
He gave her hand another squeeze, and she glanced towards him, her smile hesitant and nervous. As if she was wondering if she'd overstepped. But he grinned, and her expression slowly relaxed.
"So, what happens now?" Hodgins asked. "With the... case, I mean?"
"With all the evidence gone, we're going to use this incident as the bulk of our investigation," Booth explained. "Culver is coming by soon to talk to us, and we'll work out those details."
"Culver?" Brennan asked, raising an eyebrow.
He was reminded, suddenly, that she was out of the loop. As was the rest of the lab.
"Yesterday morning I met with Agent Culver from the narcotics division. He was supposed to meet Kaminski at the Founding Fathers, at 4:30."
"The note," Angela said, nodding in understanding.
"Right," Booth said, "And he was expecting some information from Kaminski relating to the clubs that Bones and I checked out."
"Except Kaminski was killed before they met," Cam filled in.
"Precisely."
"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Brennan asked, frowning. It didn't seem like she'd been listening to what anyone else had been saying—she'd gotten stuck on that one point just as he'd suspected she might.
"We were... working our separate areas yesterday," he said lightly, knowing that they didn't need to bring the issue up again, especially not in front of the others. Neither of them had made an effort to speak to each other the day before, and they were both aware of that.
She bit her lip and nodded, looking away.
He almost wanted to pull her away, back to her office, but he stayed where he was. They could talk all they wanted later, and get everything out. Now that they were on the same page, now that they had expressed how they felt and were finally, mercifully, together—a thought that brought the grin back to his face—any other obstacle seemed small.
She loved him. She'd told him so before he'd gotten the chance to tell her how he felt about her. Despite the wreck of a morning they had just endured, the walking-on-air feeling was still hovering in the back of his mind.
He wanted to kiss her again. Wanted to take her home with him so they could make love again. And this time, he'd show her just how powerful his feelings for her were. She would never be able to doubt his love for her again, not now that he'd told her and she'd told him.
God, she actually loved him.
He wanted to hear her say it again. And again, and again...
"We need to have a baby shower," was the first thing he heard when he zoned back into the conversation. It came from Angela, of course, who was bright-eyed, her face flush with excitement. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she planned out each aspect.
"I'm only about five weeks along," Brennan was protesting.
Clearly, that didn't dissuade Angela in the slightest. Even Cam was getting in on the excitement, listening eagerly as the artist began to go into detail.
"I've read that it's better to do it early, and I have to agree. We had mine too late—I was ready to take a nap before we even got started, and Jack complained for days about having to put together the new furniture by himself."
"Hey, it wasn't days..." he pointed out.
"It might as well have been. But seriously, Bren, we don't have to do it like... next week or something. We should just... set a date for it. It'll be fun, I promise."
But Bones had gone thoughtful now, and he could tell she wasn't listening. She swallowed sharply, apologizing to her friend and avoiding Booth's gaze as she tried to focus more as Angela went on about what games they could play, and how they should or shouldn't repeat certain things that they had tried at her shower.
He placed a hand carefully on her back, and she jumped and turned towards him. Her eyes held a thousand thoughts that he couldn't even begin to decipher, and he knew that they were going to have to address them. Soon.
They hadn't been talking enough about the pregnancy, and now he knew it was because she had been so wrapped up with her emotions regarding him, and her fears about creating a relationship. Now, all the things she'd been holding back seemed to be coming to the forefront, and she was having a hard time keeping it together.
He was starting to have some questions himself, honestly.
Like... where were they going to live? His apartment was equipped to hold him, Bones, and occasionally Parker. But the spare room where Parker slept on the weekends that he stayed wasn't nearly big enough to house a crib as well. Bones' apartment seemed more logical, because it was a lot more spacious, but at the same time he couldn't see moving in there. He had always more so pictured her moving into his apartment with him.
So what did that leave them with, then? Should they consider finding a new place?
Thankfully, Angela was cut off by Culver's arrival, and so was Booth's train of thought. Later, he promised himself. They'd talk about it when they were alone. Maybe tonight, when he asked her to come back to his place with him to stay the night. They could discuss everything over Thai food, and maybe for the first time spend an entire night focused on themselves without bringing up anything about work.
The agent came up the stairs, nodding to each of them in turn. Shaw was following behind, clearly having shown him where he could find the team, and she hovered on the top step as Culver moved forward, introducing himself and shaking Brennan's hand before reaching out to do so with the others as well.
"We don't have much," he told them truthfully after he'd settled into a chair, leaving Shaw to try and look occupied at the coffee machine. "I'd like Booth to come with me back to the office for the interrogation of the thug we pulled in. He's got his gunshot wound all cleaned up now, and he's ready for a grilling."
"I'm coming," Bones said, glancing back and forth between the two agents as if she expected an argument.
Culver smiled, giving Booth a knowing look. Booth just nodded to her in agreement. It was about time they got back into their partnership. They might be together, but that didn't mean that things should change too much at work. What they'd had before had been amazing. They needed to add to it—not alter it.
Working together for interrogations was a good first step.
"What about us?" Hodgins asked.
"Well, one of you should probably get back to your kid," Booth suggested, raising an eyebrow.
Hodgins grimaced. "He's got a point," he said, turning to his wife. "Your dad is watching him, and I'm not sure I want him having a more strong male influence on him than me."
She laughed. "Right. Maybe you should get back, then."
He opened his mouth, and then shut it again, looking at her helplessly. Booth understood why—the one day she came to the lab was the day when armed gunmen came in and tied everyone up. Of course he didn't want to be the one going back to the baby. He wanted her away from all of this just as much as Booth wanted Bones away from it.
Angela seemed to understand his hesitation as well, because she pushed herself up to her feet. He followed quickly, and she murmured something to him before the both of them headed for the steps. She waved to the group without any real explanation, and they headed towards her office.
The remainder of the team turned their attention back to Booth.
"Alright, someone can fill them in later. I think it would be best for now if—while Bones and I deal with this—the rest of you focus on making connections between the three bars and figuring out who stole that laptop. I guarantee you they were involved in this somehow, and in the murder."
Cam nodded her agreement, getting to her feet. Wendell and Sweets followed suit. The consensus was clear—it was time to get back to work.
Today had not been easy by far, but they were a tough team. They were getting through this, and they weren't going to let their attackers get the best of them. They were going to get justice, for Kaminski and for themselves.
Booth couldn't help but smile to himself. No one messed with his team and got away with it. No way.
Culver had his own car, so he and Bones got some time to themselves as they exited the elevator into the parking garage. Rather than bringing up the pregnancy, though, she brought up something he really didn't want to talk about.
"They were going to take me out here, with them," she murmured, walking close by his side, her eyes scanning the scattering of vehicles with a new focus in them.
"They didn't," he murmured reassuringly, reaching down to find her hand. It was smooth and tiny in his, and he squeezed her fingers gently.
She nodded, her teeth digging into her lower lip.
But she dropped it, and he was relieved.
It was bound to come up again, of course... but today had been rough enough already. And he didn't want her to think that she had to say anything about it, to him or anyone else. She should take this with whatever speed was necessary, without forcing herself to say things because she thought she was supposed to.
That had never been an issue with her before, though, he reminded himself. Maybe she just... wanted to tell him how she felt.
"I was scared," he admitted, remembering something he'd told her long ago. About how to share information with others. She'd given him something—he wanted to give something back.
She offered him a grateful look, her eyes swimming. "So was I," she said softly.
"I know."
They were silent up until they reached the SUV, but after he started the engine he knew what he wanted to say to her next.
"You should tell Angela, you know, if you're uncomfortable with having a baby shower. She'll understand."
"That's... not what the problem is."
He tipped his head to the side, waiting for an explanation. She took a long time coming up with one, but finally, as they were entering traffic, she spoke again.
"I find myself feeling rather overwhelmed."
"With the pregnancy?"
She nodded.
He thought for a moment, and then made a decision.
"I want you to stay the night with me. Tonight. We can talk about it, and everything else. I don't... I don't want to be away from you."
"Neither do I," she agreed, and then, miraculously, she flushed. His Bones, embarrassed. He couldn't help but grin. "I also... should go see my doctor. Soon."
"Why?" he demanded at once, his eyes widening. Was there something wrong? Had that bastard hurt her, and he hadn't seen it?
"It's nothing," she promised quickly, "After this morning, though... I just thought that it might be a good idea to check. Make sure everything was still moving along properly. I haven't... I haven't had any pregnancy symptoms, like Angela did. No morning sickness, no light-headedness..."
"Headaches?" he questioned, remembering Rebecca's pregnancy.
"A few. But not terrible, and not unusual for me after a long day at work. Although they are more persistent than my usual ones. And I have been experiencing some tenderness in my breasts."
Information he didn't need to know, but at least it seemed to reassure her, saying it out loud. She nodded to herself, staring out the window for a long moment.
"Anything else?" he asked, sensing that there was something she'd left off.
But she wasn't frowning or upset when she turned back to meet his gaze. She was actually smiling a little, tentatively. And then she said, "Well... there's also the chance that the... the baby's heartbeat might be audible at this point."
His face broke out in a huge grin. "We can hear his heartbeat?"
"Her," she corrected almost subconsciously. "And it's unsure at this point."
"Her?"
She opened her mouth, flushing again, this time a deep red. But he was smiling at her, a sort of awe coming over him. It was too soon to find out the actual gender of the baby. He knew that, and so did she.
"It is a... feeling that I have," she admitted, holding her head up as if daring him to tease her for it.
"Rebecca thought Parker would be a boy, you know," he said, still grinning.
She traced her lips with the tip of her tongue. "So you... take stock in that?"
"Hey, you know me. I go by my gut... and I trust yours. A little baby girl, huh? You and me, and a daughter..." he shook his head in amazement. "So, I guess we'll be buying all pink stuff, hmm?"
Her nose crinkled up. "I think we should go with an array of colors, rather than sticking to the stereotypical subset."
"Of course," he agreed. "So like... greens and purples?"
"That would be... acceptable. Angela will probably want to paint the baby room..." her voice trailed off again, her gaze turning to the window. They were nearly at the Hoover, and he knew they didn't have much time to talk. There was time tonight, obviously, but they were in the thick of it right now.
He had no idea how to address the topic, though. It seemed too soon, and too crazy after the day they were having, to mention the idea of getting a new place. Even discussing housing arrangements seemed absurd at this point.
He let it drop, and they were once again quiet as they pulled into his spot outside the building.
Culver met them at the door, and they followed him to the elevator and up to the floor that housed Booth's office and the interrogation rooms that they were both familiar with at this point. It was clear that Culver had made arrangements to accommodate for them. It would have been just as easy for him to set things up over at his unit, on a separate floor.
"Did you call for an appointment?" he asked her lowly while Culver was checking up on the recording equipment in the observation room.
"Yes, earlier. Before I gave my statement to Shaw I made a quick call. Dr. Lee said she would fit me in, considering the circumstances. There was a cancellation, and I caught her just before she filled it."
"Good," he said shortly, just as Culver came out to join them. He gave a brisk nod, and then opened the door to the interrogation room, ushering them in ahead of him. He stayed by the door as they claimed the seats at the table. It was an unspoken thing—he just seemed to understand that this was how they operated. Booth found himself grateful, once again, for how Culver operated. This would never have gone so smoothly with another agent.
The man on the other side of the table was large and well-muscled. One hand was in a sling, and the other was cuffed to the table. Brennan was tense, sitting down stiffly beside him. There was none of the attitude that she sometimes obtained in these situations. Today, she was silent.
He quickly took the lead.
"You have a name?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and raising an eyebrow questioningly.
The man didn't answer, his focus on Brennan. She stared back, her jaw set and her eyes blazing with something akin to fury. It was mixed with questions, though, and Booth wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Over here," Booth said, rapping his knuckles on the table and drawing the attention away from Bones. "Who do you work for?"
No response. But he wasn't expecting any different. The man blinked slowly, unaffected.
"Listen," Booth said, leaning forward. "Your buddies, the people you're working with? They know you're in here. They're out there somewhere, right now, thinking that you're spilling your guts. They'd be happier if you were like your friend. You know, the other unnamed gunman who got left behind. Only, he went out in a body bag."
Still no response. He turned back to Bones, though, tilting his head.
Booth made a sound in the back of his throat, and then pushed his chair out, loudly. He was tired, and he wasn't in the mood for this. He nodded to Culver, indicating that he could take over.
Bones started to stand as well, but she hesitated before pushing her chair in.
"Why didn't you kill me?" she asked the silent muscle-man, and Booth's eyes widened.
He regarded her for a moment, and then answered with a question, his voice a low rumble. "You actually pregnant?"
She set her jaw, considering her answer.
"Yes," she said at last.
He nodded thoughtfully, and then leaned back in his chair. "I would have," he said coolly. "Could have. Easily."
"But you didn't," she pointed out, leaning forward with her palms flat on the table.
He shrugged. "Most don't think we got morals. Any of us. But I don't kill kids."
"You kill women, though," she said.
He smirked, showing crooked teeth. "Chivalry's pretty dead, lady. When women can kill you... there's no reason not to kill women."
"But that doesn't apply to children," she reasoned.
"They told me you were smart," he said, nodding slowly.
She clenched her jaw, and Booth placed his hand carefully on her back.
The criminal raised an eyebrow to him. He knew the relationship. He could see it, and Booth regretted that instantly. The less this man knew about Bones, and about him, the better.
They moved to the door, leaving Culver to take whatever tactic he thought might work better—after all, he was the one who knew how to crack druggies better than murderers—and one last thing came from the man at the table.
"You're welcome!" he called.
The door shut, and Brennan shivered, closing her eyes and taking a steadying breath.
"Hey," Booth said softly, reaching forward to tilt her chin up with a gentle touch of his finger.
"We've got one of them," she said, her voice only trembling slightly. "That's... a good start."
"Yeah," he agreed carefully. "It's a good start, Bones. We'll get the others, too."
She nodded, but he couldn't tell if she actually believed him.
"How about you and me go get some lunch?" he suggested.
~BxBxBxBxBxB~
Lunch was a quiet affair, and they talked mostly about the case, only occasionally referencing personal things or the baby. At Brennan's reminder that her appointment was quickly approaching, though, they finished in a hurry and left a larger tip than usual.
Things were different, at the hospital, than they had been on the first visit. Now, he sat close by her side, holding her hand rested loosely in his and tracing his thumb along her soft skin in a slow pattern.
When Dr. Lee called them in, they both stood up eagerly, and Booth flushed as he gave her hand a squeeze, barely containing his grin. With her reassurances, he wasn't concerned that there might be something wrong—surely she would know if there was—and he was more excited about finding out more. And about possibly seeing some images or hearing the heartbeat.
Things were good, now. They would only get better from here, he was sure of it.
Dr. Lee smiled warmly as she gestured for them to take their separate seats—Brennan on the crinkled paper and Booth on the visitor chair, which squeaked loudly as he settled into it.
"I heard you two had a rough morning," the doctor commented, glancing pointedly between the both of them.
"You could say that," Brennan replied tentatively.
"Alright, we're just going to do a quick checkup," Dr. Lee assured them. "If you suffered no injuries, then I doubt there's anything wrong. But I want to make sure."
Brennan nodded, and cooperated as Lee motioned for her to lie down. Booth's leg bounced up and down, and he wanted to get up and hover. But he forced himself to sit still as the doctor first went through a list of questions.
Bones explained her concerns about the lack of symptoms, and Lee explained, smiling gently, that she was reacting differently to the pregnancy than others might. In other words, she was skipping the morning sickness that Angela had so wonderfully endured.
She was going to be so jealous when she found out. Hell, Rebecca would be, too.
Hm. Maybe he should tell Rebecca, at some point. They'd have to figure out a way to explain to Parker, after all.
Dr. Lee was getting out the equipment for the ultrasound, and she turned the monitor so Booth could see as well. Now, though, he got to his feet and came over to stand by Brennan's side. She hissed as the cool liquid landed on her stomach, but smiled a moment later, glancing at Booth before turning to the screen.
They both watched as an image came up.
It was unclear at first, just shapes moving on the screen, and then Lee pointed out a clear part in the center as the image focused and smoothed out.
Booth's gaze only left the image for one reason. A small sound came from Bones' throat, and it almost sounded like a whimper. But when his gaze sought out her face, he found she was staring, openmouthed, at the image. A disbelieving smile on her face and a sparkle in the corner of her eyes. He squeezed her hand, his focus now torn between the image and her face. They were both so beautiful.
"You can see the head here," Lee said, smiling warmly at them and pointing out the part of the image she was referring to. Brennan nodded, although Booth wasn't sure he could see it. He leaned closer; the difference was hard to see, but it was there. Barely.
It didn't matter, though. That was their child. Their daughter, according to Bones.
He smiled again, a warm chuckle forming in his throat. Bones turned towards him, finally breaking her eye contact with the monitor, and he bent down to press a soft kiss to her lips.
Lee beamed, clearly pleased that they were developing into what could be considered as proper parents. No doubt they'd probably concerned her somewhat before, with their odd situation and their uncertainty with one another.
"Now, see this?" she said, drawing their attention again. "You're in the late part of your fifth week, according to the date you gave me on your first appointment. And this..." she pointed again, and both Booth and Brennan leaned closer. "Is your baby's heartbeat."
This time, Booth saw exactly what he was supposed to. There was a tiny flicker on the monitor. Almost imperceptible, but very much there. If it was possible, his smile grew wider.
"Can we hear it?" he whispered reverently, his eyes never leaving the screen.
But she shook her head. "Not yet. We generally expect to be able to hear the heartbeat at around ten to twelve weeks. Sometimes later, depending on the pregnancy. We can try at your next scheduled appointment, in July."
Booth wasn't as disappointed as he had expected to be. He just couldn't seem to take his eyes off the flickering image on the monitor. The signs of life inside of Bones' womb. God, this was actually happening.
He was having a hard time grasping it.
"I'll make you a print-out of this," Dr. Lee was saying, gesturing the screen. She offered Bones a towel to clean off the fluid from her abdomen, and then stepped out of the room.
"She's beautiful," Booth whispered emphatically, reaching forward to brush a strand of hair out of Brennan's face.
"She is," she agreed, a dreamy smile on her face. She rested her head back, looking at him sideways, her eyes still sparkling brightly.
"And so are you," he said softly. Her gaze widened, and she bit her lip, her eyes filled with emotion.
"I love you," she whispered, and he felt a prick in his own eyes. Today had been a roller coaster. But it was all okay, if she just kept reminding him of that fact.
"I love you, too," he murmured back, leaning down to kiss her again.
Dr. Lee came back into the room, smiling knowingly at them and then handing Booth an envelope with the image inside. He fought the urge to open it, knowing that he'd have plenty of time to stare at it with her later.
She pushed herself upright again, slipping off the edge of the table to stand beside him.
"I'll see you both next month," the doctor told them, and then showed them out.
"I suppose we should get back to the lab," Booth said as they stepped out into the sunlight and made their way towards the SUV.
For the first time, she actually seemed truly regretful of that fact as she nodded reluctantly.
"They need us."
"You bet they do," he said proudly, nudging her shoulder with his before they split up to go around to their respective sides of the car. "Because we're the center, baby. And no one messes with us."
His grin only grew wider as her only response was, "If you are going to insist on calling me that... then you are going to be letting me drive from now on."
I know next to nothing about pregnancy, something I think I said previously. But I did quite a bit of online research in the hopes of making this as accurate as possible. So, if anything was horribly incorrect, please let me know. I can go back and edit it.
And as always, any and all feedback is greatly welcomed. Let me know what you thought!
