Another pretty long chapter. Enjoy :)

A week and a half later, Brennan's sitting on the living room couch, folding laundry and periodically glancing at Henry, who's now resting peacefully in his swing, his hands clutched around his blanket, snoring softly. He has a cold so he'll occasionally sniffle. His eyelids twitch as he sleeps, his brows sometimes furrowing. "I wonder what you're dreaming about, bud." She lets out a hushed chuckle and quickly reaches for her phone, which is set on a stack of magazines on the coffee table. She answers it immediately, trying not to rouse the sleeping, feverish newborn a few feet away. "Brennan." She nods. "Yes, I have time to talk Dr. Saroyan. Henry is asleep at the moment."

"I'm just calling on behalf of Angela."

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, of course, she's fine, Dr. Brennan."

"Then why couldn't she have called me herself?"

"She's a little preoccupied right now."

"I said I had time to talk, but I would appreciate it if you'd cut to the chase, Cam, because I'm getting a bit nervous."

"Angela's in labor. She wanted me to call you and tell you that."

"Angela's in labor?"

"Yes. Will you be coming to the hospital?"

"Have you called Booth?"

"No. Seeley's next on my list."

"Don't bother. I'll call him." Brennan shifts the phone, cradling it between her ear and her shoulder as she folds one of Parker's t-shirts. "How close is she to delivering?"

"Not close enough, according to her, but I heard the doctor say that she's six centimeters dilated."

"Thanks for calling me. I'll let Booth know what's going on."

"How are you feeling?"

Brennan sets a folded pair of basketball shorts on Parker's pile as she fights back a yawn. "I'm feeling okay. I am a bit fatigued and I'm still getting used to caring for a newborn again. This time, though, I have two other kids to also look after, so I'm a little overwhelmed, but Booth is an excellent father. He's very helpful; however sometimes he just gets in the way."

Cam laughs. "Making up for lost time, I guess." She pauses. "How is Little Henry?"

Brennan glances over at her son at the mention of his name and smiles. "He's perfect. He's a very easy-going newborn, though he's a bit cranky today, seeing as he has a cold. His fever is down, though, and he seems to be feeling a little better."

"I'm glad." There's a brief pause and then Cam's voice echoes through the phone once again. "I haven't seen him since he was born. I mean, besides the pictures Seeley has sent me. Henry is adorable."

"Thank you. I would have to agree." Brennan pauses, letting out a breath. "Well, I should go. I have to call Booth and finish folding the laundry."

"I'll let Angela know you got the message."

"Great. See you later." Brennan hangs up and immediately dials Booth's cell. She spends a few minutes on the phone with him, establishing that he'll be home in twenty minutes, and then disconnects the call. She sighs, looking at the basket of unfolded laundry beside her on the couch. She shrugs and gets back to work.

Booth arrives home a little after 2:30 and walks into the foyer, shutting the door softly. "Bones?" He pads into the living room, his footsteps quiet, and walks around the couch. He smiles and can't help but let out an amused chuckle when he sees his partner passed out, her head resting on their daughter's folded pile of laundry, her arm hanging over the side of the couch, one of Henry's hats, the one with the bear ears, clutched in her hand.

He picks up the laundry basket and sets it down on the floor, sitting in its place on the couch. He strokes Brennan's hair, his fingers tenderly caressing her skin. "Hey, Bones, wake up," he whispers. He gently nudges her and watches her eyes pop open and her body jerk away from his touch. "Whoa, it's just me."

Brennan sits up slowly and rubs her eyes, turning to face him. She offers him a sleepy smile and swallows.

"God, Bones, you look exhausted." He leans towards her and presses a kiss to her forehead, taking the baby's hat from her grasp and dropping it into the laundry basket.

She stands up quickly and disappears out into the hallway.

He looks at her, a little confused by her hasty exit, but just shrugs and waits for her to return to the living room.

She walks back in a few minutes later and smiles at him again. She's a little more awake now, her hairline showing remnants of the water she splashed onto her face. "Sorry. I had to go to the bathroom."

He shakes his head. "I was just a little confused. You sped out of here like your butt was on fire." He pauses. "Is Henry still feeling lousy?"

She nods. "He's been a little fussy, but his fever is gone now. He's upstairs in the nursery. I must have dozed off."

"I'll stay here with him. You go to the hospital."

"Booth, I'm sure you'd like to—."

"I would. They're our friends, but Angela's your best friend and I'm sure you promised her you'd be there and I know you want to be there for her. Go. I don't mind. I'll offer my congratulations and meet the little guy another time. When Henry's feeling better, we can all go over to their house for a visit."

"Thanks, Booth."

"No problem."

"I won't stay at the hospital too late." She sighs. "I just—I feel guilty."

"Why?" He asks, absentmindedly beginning to fold the remaining laundry.

"Our baby boy is sick and I feel guilty for leaving him here alone."

"First of all, he's not alone. I'm here and pretty soon, his big brother and sister will be here too. Second of all, he'll be fine, Bones. You've been with him all day for the past two and a half weeks. You deserve to get out of the house for a little while. You have nothing to feel guilty about, okay? Absolutely nothing."

She nods. "I'll call you later."

"Send me a picture."

"I'll try." She yawns. "I'm going to go take a quick shower and get dressed."

He smiles. "Will you be home for dinner?"

She shrugs. "Possibly. It depends on how fast Angela's labor progresses. If you and the kids are hungry, eat. You don't have to wait for me to get home."

"We'll save you some of whatever it is we decide to have for dinner."

"Okay." She pauses. "I'd ask you how work was, but I don't really have time. We'll talk later." She smiles and heads up the stairs.

He nods and then gives his full attention to the laundry he hadn't realized he was folding.

Brennan gets to the hospital at about 3:45. She makes her way to the maternity ward and heads into the family waiting room.

Cam looks up from the magazine she's currently perusing and offers the anthropologist a small smile. "Dr. Brennan, hello."

Brennan smiles back, "Hello, Dr. Saroyan."

"Where's Booth?"

"He's at home with Henry. Someone has to stay with the baby and he offered to stay since I promised Angela I'd be here for her. Henry's still sick, not to mention that he's less than a month old, so it's not wise for us to bring him to the hospital. While germs will certainly help build his immune system up, exposing him to the kinds of germs that accumulate in a hospital setting is not a good idea."

Cam nods.

Brennan takes a seat and makes herself as comfortable as she can. She hasn't been away from the baby since he was born, so she feels a bit strange, on top of the guilt she's experiencing. She's only been gone fifteen minutes, but she misses him greatly.

"Everything alright?"

Brennan blinks and turns her head quickly. "Hmm?" She nods. "Oh, yes, yes, everything is fine. I just—I miss Henry, that's all." She sighs.

"I was just in with Angela, but was kicked out when the doctor came in. I think she might be close to being ready to push."

Brennan nods. "Good." She settles in the chair and leans back, closing her eyes. Before she can stop herself, she drifts off to sleep, her head awkwardly and uncomfortably craned to the side and tilted backwards.

Brennan stirs and sits up. She groans as she rolls out her neck, and rubs her eyes with her knuckles. She looks around and finds herself alone in the waiting room. She glances down at her watch and realizes that three hours have gone by since she arrived. She turns her head when she hears the click-clacking of heels on the tile floor. She covers her mouth and yawns into her palm, clearing her throat and swallowing. "Any news?" Her voice is soft and raspy from sleep.

Cam smiles. "Oh, you're awake."

"Yes."

Cam hands her a ginger ale without asking if she wants it and sits down. "Yes. Everything went smoothly."

"The baby's here?" Brennan asks, surprised, and pops open her soda can.

"He was born a half hour ago. He's cute." Cam pauses. "I'm going to head home now. Dr. Sweets and his girlfriend just left and I've heard that Dr. Bray is on his way to the hospital now. He's driving down from New York."

"Alright." Brennan takes a sip and stands up. "I'm going to go check on Angela." She smiles halfheartedly and leaves the room, a little unsteady on her feet.

After finishing her drink and tossing the empty can into the recycling bin, Brennan knocks softly on the door and then opens it when she hears the faint 'come in'. She steps into the room and smiles at her best friend, lying in the bed, with the newborn in her arms. "Hey, Ange."

Angela looks up from her son's face and beams at Brennan. "Sweetie, hi. I didn't think you'd come."

"Why would you think that? I promised I'd be here and I never break my promises." Brennan walks over to the bed and sits down in the chair. "Where's Hodgins?"

"I told him to get lost. His stomach was growling and it was annoying. He's in the cafeteria. Plus, I wanted a muffin." Angela adjusts the newborn and tugs on the blanket a little.

Brennan stands up and steps a little closer to the bed. She looks down at her best friend's son and smiles. "Is he okay?"

Angela tilts her head and beams. "He's perfect, Bren, absolutely perfect."

"So he's not, he's not blind?"

Angela lets out a gush of air, her eyes filling with tears. "No." She brushes her fingertips against her son's forehead and cheek. "He just perfect."

"What's his name?"

"William Zachary."

Brennan blinks, her focus on the newborn unwavering. "Can I, would you mind if I held him?"

"No, I wouldn't mind, Sweetie." Angela lifts her son up and allows Brennan to take him into her arms. "Is Henry still sick?"

Brennan sits down in the chair and smiles down at the newborn. "Yes. His fever is gone, but he still has a runny nose and I think he may have a headache, as well. He doesn't like being sick. He's rather miserable. I'm just grateful that he's been able to sleep some."

"I know you promised you'd be here for me, but you really didn't have to come, Sweetie."

"I wanted to, Ange. You're my best friend and my sister, metaphorically speaking. Besides, I wanted to meet this little guy as soon as he popped out, though I know he didn't actually just pop out."

"I wish he had just popped out. That would have made things easier."

"Congratulations. He's very cute. He looks a lot like Michael Vincent." Brennan stands up and hands the baby back to his mother. "I should probably head home. If Henry is feeling better, Booth and I will stop by on Thursday after you've had some time to settle in at home."

"Give the little stud a kiss from his favorite Auntie."

Brennan laughs. "I will." She pauses. "I'm glad William's alright. I know you were anxious about that."

"Thanks, Bren, and we're glad too. We'd have loved him regardless, but it's a relief."

"Can you angle him a little? Booth wants me to send him a picture."

"Sure." Angela adjusts the position of the baby. "That good?"

Brennan nods. "Yes. Thank you." She pulls out her cell phone and touches the camera application on the home screen. She zooms in slightly and then snaps the photo just as William yawns. She quickly sends the photo to Booth and slips her phone back into her purse. "Get some rest."

"I heard you did."

Brennan smiles, letting out a laugh. "Henry was up all night with a fever, so I didn't get much sleep."

"Go home, cuddle with your sexy FBI special agent husband, and sleep, Sweetie."

"Angela," Brennan starts, but can't hide the smile on her face or deny how wonderful that actually sounds right about now. "Does Thursday work for you or would Friday be better?"

"Thursday is fine."

"We'll call before we come over obviously."

"Drive safely."

The door opens and Hodgins comes in with Michael Vincent by his side.

Michael looks up at Brennan and smiles. "Is C here with you, Dr. B?"

Brennan shakes her head. "No, it's just me."

"Oh." Michael pauses. "Did you meet Little Bro yet?"

Brennan smiles. "I did. He looks just like you."

Michael's blue eyes twinkle. "Dad says I get to hold him now."

Brennan roughs up the little boy's curls. "Be careful. He's not a toy."

"I know, Dr. B."

Brennan taps the boy on the nose and walks towards the door. "Congratulations, Hodgins."

"Say hey to your little man for me, Dr. B."

"I will." Brennan waves and leaves the room.

Brennan walks into the house around seven and is immediately met with silence and darkness. "Booth? Christine? Parker?" She pads down the hallway and into the kitchen. She sees a note on the counter and picks it up to read it. She smiles to herself and opens the refrigerator, finding the plate of grilled cheese covered in saran wrap that Booth mentioned in his note. She closes the microwave door and punches the start button. She turns her head when she hears footsteps and smiles. "Hey."

Booth smiles back. "Hey. Did you just get home?"

She nods, turning her head back to the microwave. "Yes." She pulls open the door and checks the temperature of the sandwich. Not satisfied, she shuts the door again and presses the start button, letting it go for another thirty seconds. "You look upset. Is everything okay?"

He shakes his head. "No."

"Is it Hank?"

"No, no, Pops is, no."

She hears the beep of the microwave, but moves closer to her partner, ignoring it. "What's wrong, then?"

"Jared called."

She nods. "By your tone and the look on your face, I assume this phone call didn't go so well?"

He shakes his head. "Not at all."

"What happened?"

"Eat your dinner, Bones. We'll talk later."

She nods. "Where are Parker and Christine?"

"Parker texted me earlier to tell me that he was heading over to Cody's house to finish up a project for one of their classes. He sent me another message five minutes ago to let me know he's on his way home now. And Christine is," Booth steps over to the windowsill by the sink and switches on the baby monitor, their daughter's voice echoing through the speaker as she sings her baby brother to sleep.

Brennan smiles.

"How's Angela doing?"

"Tired, but elated. I told her that we'd come by on Thursday if Henry's feeling better." She pauses. "Did you get the picture I sent you?"

He nods. "Yeah. He's healthy?"

She smiles. "William's perfect, according to Angela."

"William?"

"Yes, that's his name—William Zachary."

He gives her a kiss on the lips and smiles against them. "I can make you a fresh sandwich if you want."

She shakes her head. "That is highly unnecessary, Booth."

"I'll be in the living room watching TV."

"We'll talk after I finish eating?"

He nods. "Yeah." He heads into the living room and looks back over his shoulder, sighing at the concerned look on his wife's face.

She turns around and retrieves her grilled cheese sandwich from the microwave, setting it on the counter. She walks to the refrigerator again and grabs a bottled water from the top shelf and the small container of string beans. She heats the vegetables up and places some on her plate beside the sandwich. With one last look into the living room, she sits down at the island counter and eats her dinner.