This chapter is a little less depressing...I think...Enjoy :)

Booth finally passed out at his son's bedside at around 6:30 in the morning. It's now almost nine and he's still asleep. His shoulders are slumped forward and his neck is tilted to the side. It doesn't look like a very comfortable position if you ask Brennan, who just left the room a couple minutes ago to make a phone call.

Brennan dials Angela's cell-phone number and shifts her weight onto her right hip. She buttons up her coat a little more and leans back against the exterior wall of the hospital, near the ER west entrance. She listens to the rings and closes her eyes, taking in the cool morning air as it brushes against her skin. She yawns and hears the click, then Angela's voice.

"Good morning, sweetie."

"Good morning, Angela. Thank you for watching Christine for us last night."

"How's everything there?"

"It doesn't look good. Rebecca's in the ICU. She became too unstable, so the surgeon had to seal off the exposed area. He has to wait until she stabilizes before he can take her back to finish the procedures—if she stabilizes."

"And Parker?"

"Parker's vitals are stable. He's got a few broken bones, but that's the least of his problems at the moment. Due to his head trauma, there was an elevation in his intracranial pressure, so Dr. Brooks surgically removed a portion of his skull to allow his brain to expand. She'll take him back to the operating room to replace the missing skull plate when and if his brain ceases to swell. The medication seems to be helping, though."

"Oh, wow. Ouch. Poor Baby Booth." Angela pauses. "How's Booth holding up?"

"Better than I expected he would, but he's not exactly himself right now. I'm worried about him. I've never seen him like this. It's probably because we've never been in a situation quite like this before, but still."

"When you were shot, he was a mess. I would imagine he's reacting similarly." Angela sighs. "I don't know what I'd do if I was in Booth's shoes. If Michael Vincent was hurt like that, I don't even want to think about it." Angela pauses. "How are you, sweetie? It can't be easy for you either. Parker's practically your son and someone you love is hurting beyond measure. Not to mention that if Rebecca doesn't make it, Parker will become your responsibility."

Brennan blinks and stays silent, her mind processing the last bit of what Angela just said.

"Sweetie? Honey, are you there? Bren, hello?"

Brennan shakes her head and swallows. "Sorry, Ange. I'm here."

"Do you need me to watch Christine again today? I don't mind. It'll give you and Booth one less thing to worry about."

"Thanks, Ange, but I'm going to ask my father to watch her for a couple days. I mean, just until Parker's condition stabilizes and there's a greater probability that he'll be okay. This is her big brother, not an unrecognizable corpse. I feel, and I believe Booth would agree with me, that it might be detrimental to her development if she sees Parker like this, though psychology isn't really my area of expertise."

"If Max doesn't work out, I don't mind watching her. Jack will do whatever I tell him to do, so it's no problem. Michael Vincent would love having his best friend sleepover for a couple days, I'm sure."

Brennan laughs. "I'm sure Christine wouldn't mind that arrangement either. She talks about Michael all the time."

"Just let me know, okay, sweetie? You're my best friend. I'd do anything for you."

Brennan nods. "I wish there was more I could do for Booth."

"Being there is enough, Bren."

"I'm not so sure."

"Trust me, Brennan, it means everything to him that you're there."

Brennan smiles. "I should go."

"Wait, Christine wants to say hi."

"Okay, put her on."

It's silent for a couple minutes while Angela hands the phone to a very excited five year-old. "Mommy, hi."

"Hi, honey. Is Angela making you breakfast?"

"Eggs and toast. I wants pancakes, but daddy's pancakes are the bestest. I only eats daddy's pancakes."

"I would have to agree with you. Daddy's pancakes are quite delicious." Brennan pauses. "How would you like to spend a few days with grandpa?"

"Nampa!"

"Yes. Your daddy and I will be away for a few days, so I'm going to call your grandpa and see if he'll watch you until we get back."

"I love Nampa!"

"I know you do, sweetheart." Brennan sighs. "I love you. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay, mommy. I love you soooo much." Christine kisses the phone, the sound echoing through.

Brennan closes her eyes and swallows. "Bye, Honey. Can you put Angela back on the phone, please?" She waits and then Angela answers. "I'll have my dad pick her up at your house tonight. You don't mind watching her all day, do you?"

"No, sweetie, I don't mind at all."

"Thank you, Ange."

"You just worry about the Booth boys."

Brennan smiles. "Bye."

"Keep me updated."

"I will." Brennan hangs up and immediately calls Max. She spends a few minutes on the phone, getting her father up-to-date and then heads back inside the hospital.

Booth's wide awake when Brennan returns. He's still sitting in that chair, holding Parker's hand, though, taking turns staring at the monitor and his son's face.

"Hey, Booth, I was going to go to the cafeteria and get some tea and maybe a muffin. You want anything?"

"I'm not hungry," he mumbles, squeezing Parker's hand.

She walks over to him and sits down on the armrest, leaning into him slightly. "This isn't healthy, Booth, sitting here, just staring at Parker." She pauses. "I called my dad and asked him to watch Christine, at least until Parker's condition is more stable."

Booth reaches his hand up and lightly brushes it against the gauze around Parker's head. "Do you think it's too tight? What if it's too tight?"

She just simply touches his shoulder, her finger skimming his neck. "I saw the nurse change his dressing myself, Booth. I made sure she didn't wrap it too tight."

"Parker likes fluffy pillows. I don't think these pillows are fluffy enough, Bones."

"Booth, Parker's unconscious. He's mentally incapable of telling just how fluffy or not fluffy his pillows are." She steps behind the chair and rests both her hands on his shoulders, kneading her thumbs into his muscles. "That chair didn't look very comfortable." She rolls out his neck and continues her massage. "How's that feel?"

He mumbles his satisfaction and takes his son's hand again. "He looks better today, don't you think, Bones?"

"He looks the same as he did a few hours ago, Booth."

Booth's shoulders drop lower and he swallows.

She takes another look and then nods. "No, no, I think he looks a little better today, actually," she corrects herself.

He smiles at Parker and brushes his thumb across his son's knuckles. "You hear that, buddy? You look better today, even Bones says so."

She continues to loosen up his tight muscles and knead out the knots. She hates lying and she's done a lot of that the last couple days, but in this moment, it doesn't matter. She made him smile and that's all that matters to her right now. She finally feels like Angela may be right, that her being here is making a difference, a big difference.