The storm is coming but I don't mind
people are dying, I close my blinds

all that I know is I'm breathing now

I want to change the world
instead I sleep…
I want to believe in more than you and me

but all that I know is I'm breathing
all I can do is keep breathing
all we can do is keep breathing now…

Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michelson

Booth exhaled as he rubbed his thumb lightly over Brennan's hand. What if she never was able to respond to his touch again? He saw it in her eyes last night. She still loved him, she never stopped loving him. He released a puff of air, funny how this time it was him who was scared to give them a shot.

Though, she said she didn't want to resume their relationship last night. What did that mean? Was she scared, too scared of being hurt again? For a long time she was scared of hurting him, scared she would be the one to let him down.

Until, the one night she decided to take a leap of faith and jump ship with him. Neither realized that night how hard the water would feel when they hit it. Neither knew how the surface could turn to cement in an instant, and now they were both forever marked from the blow.

"Bones, you have to wake up. If not for me for Ashley, because I don't know how she would take it if anything else happened to someone else she loved. We love you Bones, please wake up." Booth whispered to her as he rubbed her hand with his thumb.

Brennan watched as the sun kissed the sea. She looked behind her thinking she heard someone, but there was no one there. It was only the wind. So, she decided to take a walk down the shore line, alone. She hadn't been alone in a while, not this type of alone. She knew she usually had someone walking with her but she didn't remember who that person was and it seemed whoever it was had got swept out to sea, she wasn't sure.

Though, the storm seemed to be dying down, the surf not as angry. The wet sand felt good between her bare toes as she walked.

Hodgins walked up to the ICU front desk asking for Brennan's room. "Room 304." Said Jessica and Hodgins nodded and walked the corridor to her room.

Booth looked up as the automatic doors to Brennan's room opened. "Oh, man Booth…" Hodgins exhaled, his voice somber as Booth stood and he embraced the other man. "What? What happened?" asked Hodgins.

"We were talking at Jeffersonian, it was late and we hit a wall more or less. She said she was going to finish up in bone storage, so I went back to her place and waited for her to get back." Booth explained.

"What did the doc say?" Hodgins asked.

"He said since she has been unconscious for over six hours, she is now in a coma. She has a TBI to her cerebral cortex. It controls the grey matter that covers the brain. It controls a lot of important stuff, that's pretty much what I got out of Dr. Hendrickson's babble." Said Booth

Hodgins ran a hand over his face. "Sensory input, perception of the world around one, and all the neurological functions, from simple reflexes to complex thinking." Hodgins rattled off to Booth.

"Yeah, that important stuff." Said Booth and Hodgins nodded.

"How's Angela? How did the sleep over go? Did the girls have fun?" Booth asked but all Hodgins could hear was Ashley's screams still ringing in his ears as he walked out of the door this morning.

"Ange is worried and the girls had fun last night. They watched the movie The Fox and The Hound and Sleeping Beauty last night." Hodgins said.

"Let me guess Ash chose Sleeping Beauty?" Booth asked

Hodgins smiled, "You know my princess wants a puppy so bad for her birthday. I think she will settle for that pup Copper being her prince." Hodgins said

"Don't worry Hodgins, I'm sure Piper will have plenty of ole' hound dogs chasing her in no time." Booth smiled at Hodgins who didn't find it funny.

"The only thing they will be chasing is their own tails. In no time Ash is going to be a pretty not so little princess too. You will be fighting the boys off soon too, I wouldn't push it Booth." Hodgins said and Booth frowned as his eyes fell on Brennan. He didn't want to fight anymore battles alone.

Hodgins eyes followed his buddies, "Hey… Dr. B is a fighter. She will be just fine."

Booth looked up to him, "You really believe that?"

"She has to be, the girls know of the accident and Ash was pretty upset." Hodgins said, "We didn't mean to tell them. Piper overheard me say she was in the hospital and she asked if Brennan was in the hospital like Auntie Han and needed surgery like Ash."

Booth held his head in his hands, "How is she?" Booth asked looking up with tired red rimmed eyes.

"Angela has her, just worry about Bren." Hodgins said Booth nodded yes. Hodgins patted Booth's shoulder and walked out of the room, "I'm going to go call Ange."

Booth nodded at Hodgins in acknowledgment. Then looked back to Bones and exhaled deeply. "Bones…come on Bones…please, I need you."

Brennan looked behind her as she walked down the shore line, she thought she heard someone. Though, there was nothing, no one calling her name; only the surf crashing onto the shore with all of its anger and resentment. Even though the wind was whipping around her and the surf was pounding harder against the shore. She stopped walking, checking –maybe it was just the wind calling her name, but what if it wasn't? A wave had soaked her arm wet with salty water. She stood confused looking around her.

Booth took her by the hand and held it biting his lip, his voice cracked. "Bones, I have to tell you this…it's something we both know. Something I should have told you when we went for a walk around the Jeffersonian." Booth sighed and laid his head on her arm, soaking her skin with his tears. "I saw the sun Bones and I just need to tell you how I felt Bones...how I feel." Booth exhaled

Brennan noticed the surf was calming, the wind easing, and the rain was merely a sprinkle now. She stopped walking and turned back around the way she had come. The sun was peeking through the clouds and she held her soaked hand up to her forehead and looked in the direction she thought someone was calling her.

Now she faced the horizon, to her right was a soft beckoning breeze and she swore it called her name. She looked to her left and let her hand fall to her side, it was shaded with clouds. Though, the breeze was stronger and not only pulled but pushed her in that direction. It held more force and she found the storm enticing, almost tempting.

She looked back to her right holding her hand up to her forehead to see past the sun and felt the light breeze that beckoned to her. It was filled with warmth, but the breeze was barely present only slightly pulling her in that direction. Besides, there was no one there and she needed to find someone. She stood at a standstill contemplating. Right or left?

Booth inhaled nervous, "I…Bones I love-"

Booth lifted his head from Brennan's tear stained arm as the automatic doors to her room made a 'swoosh' sound and opened for Hodgins. He looked to Hodgins then glanced back to Bones and up at Hodgins again.

Hodgins frowned at his red eyed friend."Hey, I..." He got the feeling her had interrupted a moment, but was unsure of what that moment was. His voice was softer now as he continued to speak, "...I spoke to Ange she said she would stop by to see Dr. B this afternoon and bring the girls. I said we could watch them in the cafeteria while she visits her." Hodgins said.

"Yeah…yeah, sounds good." Booth said and Hodgins backed out of the room. Booth looked at Brennan and sighed. "Just come back to us Bones." Booth said, still a bit unsure how to go about this just yet. He just needed her to wake up damn it! Needed her to come back to him!

Though, Brennan's arm was now dry, no more salty water soaked it. She figured the surf was in fact dying down and so she had pressed on, away from what she once thought was a voice. She felt silly for even thinking that a person was in fact behind her, when there was no one but the wind.

Why would anyone call her Bones anyway? She nodded her head back and forth at the absurd name and walked along the shore line inhaling and exhaling the salty air. As she walked away from the light warm breeze and heeded the call of the storm. She never noticed the bottle that had washed up in the surf lying behind her.