Brennan steps outside the hospital and sits down on the bench. She pulls out her cell phone and dials Angela's number. She lets out a breath before holding the device to her ear and nibbles on her bottom lip as she listens to the rings.

After six rings, Angela answers. "Sweetie, hi."

"Hi, Ange. I'm just calling to let you know that Parker's out of surgery."

"How'd it go? Is his skull in one piece again?"

Brennan nods. "Yes. His vitals are stable, but he's still intubated. Dr. Brooks hopes to disconnect the ventilator and extubate him by Wednesday, but that all depends on his condition."

"How's Booth doing? Any better?"

"Christine's helping. I think it's comforting for him to have her here."

"I'm sure it is comforting, but don't underestimate your being there, Bren. That's a comfort too."

Brennan nods. "I believe you, Ange."

"Any news on Rebecca?"

Brennan sighs. "She didn't make it. The stress of her injuries, the attempt to rectify them, as well as the extensive blood loss, was too much for her heart. She went into cardiac arrest and they tried to revive her, but there effort wasn't enough."

"Oh. How'd Booth take the news?"

"I'm not sure, actually. I think he's so focused on Parker at the moment that it hasn't fully set in yet."

"That makes sense. I myself can't believe Rebecca didn't make it."

"Dr. Franks made it apparent that the odds of her surviving were minimal at best, but there was still a small chance." She pauses. "I'm going to talk to Rebecca's brother about funeral arrangements and see if there's anything I can do. Maybe hold a second service after Parker gets released from the hospital, so he can—what's the phrase I'm looking?"

"So he can get closure?"

"Yes, yes, that's it."

"That's sweet of you, Bren. It's a great idea. He can say goodbye, something he didn't get to do."

"I'm just trying to help."

"And you're doing a wonderful job, Honey."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Brennan shifts on the wooden slats and brushes her fingers across her cheeks, wiping away tears. "I should go. Let everyone else know what's going on."

"I'm sorry about Rebecca. I liked her."

"I did too. I thought it would be awkward and uncomfortable, you know, because she was Booth's ex and the mother of his son, but it never was."

"Give Booth my sympathies and let him know all of us here are hoping Parker gets better soon."

"I'll pass on the messages. Bye, Angela."

"Bye, Brennan."

Brennan hangs up the phone and lets it fall into her lap. She leans back against the bench and closes her eyes.

"Is this seat taken?"

She opens her eyes and turns her head towards the direction of the male voice. "Excuse me?"

"Is this seat taken?"

She blinks away tears, and as her vision clears, she soon realizes that the owner of the male voice is Tyler, Rebecca's older brother. She shakes her head and motions to her left.

Tyler sits down beside her and looks at her.

She hesitates and then says, "I'm sorry for your loss."

He clears his throat and swallows. "Rebecca and I weren't close. We haven't been close for a while now. I'm even sure anyone who knew her actually knew she had a brother, but it's still hard, so thank you." He pauses. "How's Parker?"

"He's stable. I don't know much more than that, though."

"That's enough." He smiles.

"Oh, I want to talk to you about your plans for Rebecca's funeral. Is it too soon to talk about that?"

He shakes his head and zips up his coat more. "I've already started to make arrangements, so my answer is, no, it's not too soon."

She lets out a breath. "Okay." She pauses. "I don't know what you have in mind, but I think it would be a good idea to have a second small memorial type service after Parker gets released from the hospital. I can arrange that."

He lets out a soft chuckle. "I'm sure you have other more important things to worry about, Temperance."

"This is important. It's for Parker."

"I know it's important. I wasn't saying that. I just meant that you have other things to worry about besides arranging a service for Rebecca. I can take care of everything."

She shakes her head. "I insist."

He runs his fingers through his dirty blonde hair and smiles. "Well, if you insist, then okay, sure, that sounds like a great idea."

"How are your finances?"

He blinks. "I don't think that's any of your business, but I do fine. If you're asking because of the high cost of a funeral these days, then, I can afford it."

"If you need any help, financially speaking, just let me know."

"Thanks, I appreciate it, but really, I'm fine."

Brennan nods. "Very well." She stands up and looks down at him. "I should get back inside, but again, I'm sorry for your loss."

Tyler stands up and smiles. "Thanks, Temperance."

"I believe the culturally accepted custom for these types of situations is to give flowers. I don't have flowers at the moment, so have this," she says and gives him a hug, albeit a very awkward hug but a hug nonetheless. She drops her arms and steps back.

He coughs, a little taken aback by her gesture, and then watches her disappear through the automatic doors of the bustling ER.

Thanks for the reviews/alerts/favorites. It gives me motivation to keep writing.