"I'm walking on air close to you, through a long long hall with a broken light and I, I need to know, I need to know if you're still alive."

Long Hallway with a Broken Light

Thriving Ivory

"I want my Mommy!" Ashley cried while tears streamed down her face Angela look into her glossy blue's and chew her bottom lip. Booth smoothed Ashley's hair as she cried for Hannah screaming to Angela and him that her tummy hurt once more.

Angela was standing and Booth look up to her and he saw it in her eyes. Saw the one thing he didn't want to see, fear. He didn't need her to be scared now too, where was Bones? Why was she taking so long? Bones wouldn't be scared she didn't get scared of facts. Angela and he held each others gaze a moment unspoken thoughts float through the air, making silence eerily loud.

"Daddy! My tummy hurts! I think I'm going to-" Angela grabbed the bed pan and held it up to the little girl. Booth lifted up Ash's shirt where the child reiterated where it hurt.

"Angela" Booth

Angela looked toward Ashley's abdomen. "Oh My God." Booth look to Angela and she stare back a blank look of shock.

"I know Ash, the doctors will make it better just hang in there baby."

"I want Mommy, Auntie." Her big tired blues look to Angela and Booth shut his eyes for a moment.

Sick of waiting for Dr. Richards Brennan took Ashley's charts and ran down the corridors towards the OR Dr. Richards was supposed to be in as fast as she could. She banged on the door and two nurses came and took hold of her.

"Let Go OF ME! My God daughter needs surgery and has yet to be diagnosed by anyone. She has to what looks to be a perforation of the intestine. I saw the air in her abdominal cavity show up on her x-ray myself." The two nurses look to one another and the OR door opens for an intern. Brennan doesn't hesitate at her chance but bursts right in and everyone looks up. "Who is Doctor Richards?" Intern's heads turn and look at the man.

"Are you Doctor Richards? Are these your Interns?"

"Who is this woman? She is interrupting my surgery." Richards

"I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan, Ashley Booth's Godmother. I took the liberty of looking over Ashley's x-rays myself because you didn't know how to either that or you are inept."

"Excuse me, what are you talking about?"

" The x-rays you took of her abdomen show air in the abdominal cavity, suggesting a perforation. She needs a CT scan and by the way her white blood cell (WBC) count is higher than normal."

"Dr. Richards, my Goddaughter needs a CT scan and surgery now she is in severe pain! Dr. Richards I believe your job is to help those in pain."

"Yes, yes."

"Well do something about it! The interns have other doctors to watch over them you have a patient that needs you now! Ashley has most likely suffered a gastrointestinal perforation."

"I will be right out, one moment Ms. Brenn-"

"I will wait right here until you walk, no until you run with me down the corridor to tell her father you made a mistake diagnosing his little girl. A little girl that needs immediate surgery. Therefore she came to a hospital and found incompetent doctors and anything but immediate care."

Dr. Richards quickly take his gloves off and wash his hands as he and Brennan walk out of the OR she looked at him and both sprint for room 312.

Ashley was screaming "Auntie! My tummy hurt! I want mommy!" Richards and Bones entered the room slowing to a halt and Booth looked up. He didn't ask Dr. Richards what was wrong, he didn't say a word just looked into her eyes and that's when he knew.

Some nurses came in and started wheeling Ashley down the corridor. "DADDY! AUNTIE!" Booth was at Ashley's side in a second as Dr. Richards said something about a gastrointestinal perforation and that she needed immediate surgery. "It hurts Daddy. I want Mommy." Ashley whimpers and Booth looks as if he is going to break.

"I know baby, Auntie Tempe found Dr. Richards and he is going to make it all better."

"Sir, this is as far as you can go. We have to take her now." Booth kissed Ash and said he would see her in a little bit. She cranes her neck to see him as they wheel her into an OR. The 'swoosh' of the doors close behind Ashley and all of the nurses that surrounded her. He leans against the wall and sink down to the ground in the lone corridor. Booth sits holding his arms around his legs while leaning his head on his knees. Then he cries.

Angela stood outside the door of what was Ash's room biting her lip at the scene of Booth sinking to his knees and Ashley being wheeled away took place. Bren observe as well sad, yet glad she was able to see the air pocket in the abdominal cavity on her x – rays. Brennan inhale and walk down the corridor to Booth. He doesn't look up at her or acknowledge her existence so she runs a hand through his hair. She is surprised when he gets to his knees and wraps his arms around Brennan's midsection.

Angela watches as Booth clings to Bren burying his head in her stomach and she runs her hands through his hair. This wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. She worked with death, but to lose a friend to lose Hannah or Ashley? No, it was unacceptable. How were they going to tell Ashley of her mother? She would need to know eventually.

She looks at Booth and Brennan again. He clings to her as they stand to the side of the corridor, people and hospital night life still roam the corridors but they stood still. She was glad Bren came back to help ease the pain. If anyone could give Booth hope it was Brennan.

"Bones?" He speaks into her stomach.

"Hhmm?"

"Thank you."

"Of course Booth." She says to the air above his head.

"Bones?"

"Yes Booth?"

"What are they going to do to her?"

Angela watches for the first time as Booth picks his head up to look at Bren and she smiles knowing that they will all get through this. It may be a long road, but they would make it everyone would come together.

"They are going to remove a small part of her intestine Booth, it's severely infected. Treatment usually involves surgery to repair the hole (perforation). A temporary colostomy or ileostomy may be needed as well. Complications include bleeding, infection called sepis, and Intra-abdominal abscess."

"In rare cases, antibiotics alone can be used to treat patients whose perforations have closed. This can be confirmed by a physical exam, blood tests, CT scan, and x-rays. The surgery is usually successful, but depends on the severity of the perforation and the length of time to treatment."

He is still on his knees looking up at her. "Was I too late? How severe is Ashley's?" Standing Brennan looks sadly down at him and gently guides his head back to her stomach as a pillow.

She heard the whisper his tone a bit more stern as his head lay on her stomach "How bad is she Bones?"