4.

So I know we haven't seen much of the rest of the cast in the story. I sometimes feel like I'm trying to force them into the story or make it all about what a great "team" they are. This one I liked the idea of Sweets doing something on his own but since Booth works at the same place as he, so they will interact more. But I think the usual suspects may show up here in a bit…

Booth & Sweets are not seeing eye to eye on the outreach program when Booth pushes Sweets about falling behind on his work. Sweets thinks of Booth as yet another overbearing person in his life telling him what to do and hides his activity with the kid he's trying to help. Booth finds out from Agent Shaw that the gang is quite violent. Meanwhile the kid, Barry, has chosen the gang/family over Sweets' help. Barry, now Bid Dog, lures Sweets to meet him under the guise he is in trouble but quickly the situation changes to Sweets being beaten nearly to death.

Booth was drumming the steering wheel with his thump. He wanted to force a call, a thought, an action, anything. He looked at Sweets cell phone sitting his the passenger seat beside him. He had tossed there as soon as he got to the car but it was a poor replacement for Sweets himself.

Booth felt the tapping of his thumb against the spherical driving implement increase as time passed. It was sometime past eight, he had driven around for an hour. Sweets had left around six thirty meaning he had been unaccounted for around an hour. Booth didn't like when his people were unaccounted for- and for over an hour.

Booth's cell phone rang and he jumped for it.

"What, what have heard?" Booth asked seeing it was Agent Shaw that was calling.

"Nothing new sir. They are sending another car to the area but I'm getting resistance form the police department to get more help on scene."

"Why the hell is that?" Booth asked though he didn't intend to direct his anger towards Shaw.

"They only have so many for this time of night and they don't have a specific threat to know there is an issue. It's also a big area that the gang covers." Shaw explained. "I've tried to explain…"

"It's okay Shaw." Booth said. "I understand. Just call me if any of the officers find anything okay?"

Booth was getting another call.

"Hi Bones."

"Booth, did you find Sweets?" Brennan asked casually.

"No, nothing yet."

"Well I am reviewing the victim from the sewer and…"

"Bones, can we go over this later?" Booth was not able to concentrate on that case at the moment, his gut was reacting to something elsewhere.

"I don't understand, Dr. Sweets is a grown man…"

"Who left without his phone to help a kid who's involved with a very violent gang."

Brennan stopped sipping wine. "Oh, I guess I didn't realize that part. Do you think Sweets could be in some sort of serious trouble?" Brennan hadn't paid attention to all the details when Booth told her he wouldn't be home yet. Now she found herself greatly concerned.

"Yeah, I would say pretty serious trouble." Booth said and saw Shaw was calling him back. His gut sent him a memo that it wasn't with good news.

The lone light gave off a yellowish sort of color. A sliver of an eye opening allowed Sweets to see the light reflecting off the sidewalk cement. The surface felt like it was embedded with spikes upon which he was lying.

He wasn't sure how much time had gone by. He knew he had passed out for a little while, it was like when you had too much to drink, you eagerly and easily welcomed slumber only to wake later and feel terrible. Adrenaline now coursed through Sweets veins causing him to remain conscious as he tried to figure how much time had passes, where the gang had gone and more importantly, how to get out of here.

Movement was quickly placed in the questionable category as Sweets was barely able to move his fingers let alone his arm to even pry his eyes further open. As the world came into focus it was thrown back out as his head began to pound like a giant hammer was hitting it. He wasn't sure it was a hammer, but it looked like one of the guys had a baseball bat. He was fairly certain the words "Louisville Slugger" could be read on the bones of his ribs they had hit him so hard.

Sweets gasped for breath, his chest feeling like he was in a vice script that was tightened to the lowest setting. He pushed on the side of his hand to sit up but pain rocked thru his entire body not allowing for any lift. A realization came to Sweets thru the pain at that moment, there was no way he was going to make it.

Dying on a sidewalk because he had believed in some kid was not the way he wanted to go out. He could hear Booth reading about eulogy calling him an idiot and couldn't stand the thought. He convinced himself it wasn't as bad as it felt, he could do this and walk it off like a man.

His left leg was under him and didn't hurt near like the other one but neither seemed in the condition to move. He heard voices, it seemed like above but his head buzzed so loudly he couldn't tell quite where they were coming from, or who. His stomach turned at the thought they might be coming back. He coughed and felt his mouth fill with the taste of iron. He pushed the thoughts aside to see where the yellow light came to an end. He had to get to the darkness until he had a plan, just in case they were coming back.

The darkness was only a few feet away but the distance felt more like miles. With one hand Sweets dug his fingers in the cement to pull him. The other hand had immobile fingers so he left those alone and used the side of his hand. Every inch he pulled himself forward sent shock waves of pain thru this body. The ground under his broken chest screamed as it was pulled across what felt like hot coals.

His torso now in the dark Sweets had no option to pull himself forward anymore as he was at the side of the building. He took a breath and biting his lip not to scream he rolled to one side, crushing what was left of his bone structure. The motion made him sick and nauseous but the taste of iron filled his mouth before the vomit could rise completely.

Sweets tried to stay alert as he watched the strip of light for the return of his assailants from the safety of the darkness. The wouldn't be able to see him here, he told himself. The only issue was, neither could anyone else.

"Agent Booth, it's been almost two hours, they're cutting it back to one patrol vehicle."

Booth couldn't say that he could argue with them. He was starting to wonder if he was on a police chase.

"What?" Shaw was saying off the phone with Booth. Booth perked back up. "Where's the location. It's empty? Okay, stay on the line." She was returning to Booth's line. "Booth, they found Sweets car. It's intact, it's empty but it's at about 5th and Central."

Booth slammed on the gas.

Sweets could hear a sound, an echo. It made a loud sound. He listened for it because he couldn't see it. His eyes wouldn't open anymore. He felt like they wanted to but they felt heavy, big, puffy and stuck shut. He didn't like that he couldn't open them, he had to be alert he had to see. He tried to breathe steady as he tried to think of some way to get out of here but not being able to see was going to make it impossible. Just about as impossible as getting his body to move, it seemed stricken, stuck at the moment.

The sound came back, it was a drip and a hum. He felt dizzy and nauseous again and like something was biting at him but all over. He felt hot for the adrenaline rush but the biting sensation he recognized as the cold setting in.

Should have brought a jacket Sweets said to himself and realized the irony of that. The cell phone would have been a lot better because then he realized he could have told Booth that he was right and that he was sorry. The pain intensified to a point where thoughts became incoherent and in Sweets mind, irrelevant.

Booth found the officers near Sweets car and approached them.

"Have you searched the area?" Booth asked.

"We only got here a few minutes ago." The officer said turning off his flashlight. "We were checking out the car, nothing jumps out at me out it. I'm officer Bridges, this is Stalcup."

"I think we should fan out." Booth said looking around eagerly.

"Agent Booth, I don't know if you're familiar with this area but it's not the kind of place you separate and go on a stroll." Officer Stalcup announced.

"Okay, well what do you suggest?"

"Why did you say your friend was down here?" Officer Bridges asked as though needing a reason to continue the search.

Booth got the idea he was asking if it was for a hooker or something. "He was trying to help a kid."

The officer nodded like he had tried it once too. "Okay well I'm going to suggest we stay in our vehicles and search. Call me on the horn if you see something. We'll go east and west, you go north and south. Go slow and keep your lights on high."

Booth nodded at the sensible plan and quickly reentered his SUV. He knew if Sweets was on foot he wouldn't have gone far. He also recognized the fact that if Sweets had been down here for two hours and hadn't gone back to the car he was either talking to the kid or in a bad situation.

"He's talking to the kid. Sweets likes to talk, probably talking the poor kid's ear off." Booth said to himself as he searched with an eagle eye every nook and space on the street side.

"Yeah, talking, that's all, in a nice quiet place." Booth continued to say under his breath. He started to wonder, what if Sweets was inside some place, maybe the kid lived here. In a place with no lights on? Ugh. Hey there's a light. Both said to himself. A brief second of shiny light caught his attention. Booth stopped the slow moving vehicle and backed it up and went forward again to find what had caught his attention, the light reflected off the ground at something, a pool of blood.

Booth slammed on the break and threw the gear in park. He reached in his pocket for the flashlight and heard a sound, a shuffle of rubber against the cement.

"Sweets?" Booth said softly in case it wasn't. He didn't hear anything again and turned the flashlight on and instantly dropped it after it flashed over the figure on the ground facing him. Booth knew it was Sweets more by gut than by recognition. Booth ignored the light and sprinted forward.

Sweets could hear nothing but felt someone grab at his shoulder and he coiled back slamming into the brick building as though trying to get away.

"Sweets stop, it's me, it's Booth!" Booth tried not to shout and attract attention.

"Booth?" A whisper came from the dark as Sweets paused in his struggle to get away.

"Yeah, what the hell happened? No you know what? Let's get out of here." Booth said standing up. He had only seen Sweets for a brief second as the light flashed over him and knew the must have been knocked down or roughed up a little to be lying on the ground. Booth was so relieved to find Sweets that he hadn't thought much more of it.

Booth stood up and reached down to pull Sweets up with little thought so Booth did not hold a firm grasp on the injured psychologist. Sweets toppled back to the ground with a hard thump and a gasp of agony from Sweets.

"Sweets?" Booth asked again turning to see Sweets now lying back on the ground in the yellow light. Booth saw Sweets lying face down next to the pool of blood from earlier and Booth added up that things were far more serious than he had just considered. He leaned in forward again to touch Sweets shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Sweets said and Booth wondered what Sweets was sorry about it.

"No, Sweets, what are you talking about?" Booth said while rolling Sweets to face Booth so he could hear him better. Booth almost fell off the feet he was perched on when he saw Sweets in the light. His eyes were trapped shut and shrouded in red circles slowly turning to a hint of a bluish purple, his lip was cut open and bleeding, dried blood in the corner of his mouth and at his hairline, his cheek cut on one side, bruises forming on the other.

After taking in the mere appearance of Sweets' face, Sweets fell back, unable to hold himself up under his own weight. Booth grabbed Sweets' shoulders to catch him from falling out of instinct but the grasp on the broken man's shoulders caused Sweets to seethe in pain. Booth understood that the injuries went far deeper than he was grasping. Booth slowly lowered Sweets to the ground.

"I'll be right back Sweets." Booth said as calmly as he could. Sweets hands automatically reached out, an obvious fear emanating from him from his inability to see and Booth couldn't blame him.

"I promise Sweets, I'm just going to the car to call an ambulance okay. I can see you the whole time okay, you're not alone." Booth said each sentence slowly so he knew Sweets heard him. Sweets nodded and Booth stood up, surprisingly nervous to walk even those few feet back to the car. He grabbed his radio and called into the cop's radio number they had left him with. He wanted back up on the scene in case anyone else happened to show up.

"Stalcup, Bridges, this is Special Agent Booth. I need an ambulance, we have an agent down." Booth was careful not to say too much in case anyone might be listening in on the radio.

"Copy that Agent Booth. Your location?"

Booth looked up and found an address and relayed it.

"We are en route." And the line was dead.

Booth ran back around the car to Sweets who had rolled on his side and was coughing. Booth waited till he was done to roll him back and see the blood coming from Sweets mouth. Booth gently rolled Sweets on his back though Sweets resisted.

Booth pulled out his cell phone to call Brennan.

"Booth, did you find…"

"Bones I need your help." Booth said in a tone that drew in Brennan's attention and filled it with apprehension. "I've got an ambulance on the way but Sweets, he's coughing up blood, what do I do?"

Brennan felt her nerves shoot in every direction but she tried to compartmentalize and concentrate on the task at hand. "Does he have a cut in his mouth, on his lip that is causing it to run down his throat?" Brennan asked but she couldn't help but picture what Booth must be looking at for his voice to waver like it just had. There as a helplessness she hadn't heard in his voice until now.

"I don't know, it's dark, I can't see very well."

"He could have injuries to his internal organs, check for bruising on his torso."

Booth heard a car pull up and jumped until he saw it was the cops. They approached.

"Dear God." Bridges said with much seriousness in his voice while approaching. Stalcup stood standing guard at any possible reappearances of the gang.

"Booth, what's going on?" Brennan asked hearing the other man's tone.

"I'm checking Bones." Booth said trying to roll Sweets back on his back but he seemed to prefer his side. Officer Bridges knelt down to assist in helping Booth pull up Sweets shirt only to see his chest was covered in bruises and an uneven surface. Bridges went to touch Sweets side but Sweets jolted in pain, causing additional pain. Sweets never once cried out and they weren't sure if it was because he was too terrified or his voice was too gone.

"Yeah Bones, there's a lot of bruising." Booth said trying not to alarm her at what he had just seen.

"Hey, hey, heads up." Officer Stalcup said and everyone froze. "Okay, they turned. Are these guys on foot or in a car?"

"I dunno, Sweets?" Booth asked trying to get Sweets attention. "Where did they go, how did they get here?"

"Stupid, I know, I know." Sweets repeated.

"No forget about that, listen buddy, how did they get here, were they in a car?" Booth repeated but Sweets was fading fast.

"Where the hell is that ambulance?" Booth asked and Stalcup called in for an ETA.

"Ambulance is twenty minutes out." Stalcup said in disbelief.

"Twenty minutes?! Are you kidding me?" Booth shouted.

"They get a lot of business around here and they won't come in without a police escort. We're in a waiting queue." Bridges said in a tone that suggested he wasn't happy about the situation either.

Sweets breathing was becoming more labored and more disturbing.

"I'm not a doctor but that's not good is it?" Bridges asked.

"Booth," Brennan said still listening in. "If Sweets does have any internal bleeding you need to get him medical attention right away."

"Do you think we should move him though? This is bad." Bridges said looking down at the broken man before him. "I don't want to puncture a lung or something."

"Sweets, can you wait for the ambulance?" Booth asked as he saw Stalcup reach for his gun after hearing a noise in the distance.

"Sweets?" Booth asked again.

Sweets lips moved but Booth couldn't hear what he was saying. Booth reached for a pulse only to see the fingers on Sweets hands were poised in unnatural positions. Booth was consumed with rage and a sick feeling at the same time.

"We need to move him." Booth said and this time Bridges agreed.

"We're moving him. I'll call you back." Booth told Brennan and hung up.

Sounds of cars playing loud thumping music were down the street. They knew in any situation they would be out numbered should the gang reappear. Booth had to wonder just how brave that gang was with one of Sweets and he was guessing about 8 of them, based on what he knew about the gang.

"Let's put him in the back seat." Booth said opening the back passenger door. Stalcup stood at watch still while Booth returned and Bridges helped pick up Sweets. Every movement was an assault on Sweets who only cringed at the pain darting thru his tall frame.

Bridges got in the backseat of the car to maneuver Sweets in the best he could while Booth tried to hold steady Sweets legs. He noticed the left leg was twisted and twitched constantly. Booth knew that wasn't good as he went to shut the door but Sweets Converse stuck out too far. Bridges got out of the car from the opposite side and tried to pull Sweets closer but he was too tall lying flat. Booth grabbed Sweets leg to bend it causing Sweets to actually shout out in pain this time. Booth was racked with remorse for having caused it.

"Sorry Sweets." Booth said sheepishly but was glad they could now close the doors. Sweets buried his face in the seat, blood smearing as he did so. Bridges took a breath and closed the door as he looked down at the broken man.

Booth was jumping in the driver's seat as Bridges turned to him. "We'll escort to the hospital."

Booth nodded and they pulled away. Booth glanced back to the figure in the back, contorted and broken, too quiet. He wouldn't have blamed Sweets for crying out, shouting or plain old balling in pain- but he had barely made any sounds. Booth had a flash to a memory and a set of scars and wondered idly for a moment if Sweets had learned at too young of an age to be quiet when beaten.

"Yeah man what's up?" DJ-D said answering the phone and staring at Big Dog. "You took a walk where?" Big Dog's eyes grew with concern. "Yeah and what do you mean he ain't there no more?"