11.

Hope I'm not posting too much. Just sort of on some sort of roll. Maybe honey wheat.

I still don't own any part of the Bones franchise, be it the femur, actors etc. I do however possess a strange sense of humor.

Hodgins may have found a clue in the grooves of Sweets' Converse. Sweets with his newfound painkiller addition has left rehab before B&B can come and pick him up, as in two days before. They wonder what he's been up to in those two days and offer to take him on some errands. In the meantime a gang member has followed Booth and now knows Sweets address and rounds up the others to finish what they started.

"So what have you been up to two days Sweets?" Booth called to the back seat. He thought Sweets seemed a little agitated.

"Oh, just hanging out, relaxing." Sweets said but it didn't seem entirely true. Booth noticed for someone taking it easy he sure seemed tired.

They pulled up at the drive thru pharmacy but Sweets insisted on going inside. Booth asked him how he was going to pay and Sweets realized the missing wallet.

"Eh, you can pay me back kid." Booth said pulling up to the drive thru.

Sweets slid to the side behind Booth so he could talk to the pharmacist but Booth didn't pull up far enough. Instead Booth gave the pharmacist Sweets' information which seemed to irk Sweets.

She returned momentarily and asked if he had any questions. Sweets quickly said no and seemed eager to end anything else she might say. Brennan noticed the agitation and eagerness for the prescription.

"It would be important to listen to the information the pharmacist is providing Sweets." Brennan suggested from the front seat but Sweets only shot her a descending look.

"Thank you both. It's the same prescription I had at the hospital and I'm fully aware of the symptoms." Sweets said to the pharmacist. "I'm tired and I'd just like to go home please."

"I thought you were sleeping all day." Booth asked only to be met with Sweets increasing irritation.

Sweets signed the form and Booth paid for it and they left.

"Where else do we need to go Sweets, maybe dinner? You look like you could use a little something to eat." Booth suggested but Sweets was busy opening the prescription and immediately taking one.

"Things okay there Sweets?" Booth asked having watched the doctor immediately ingest a few pills.

"Fine I have a pounding headache and people keep asking me questions." Sweets said his hands covering his face where the bruises had faded but the cut scar remained on his forehead.

Brennan looked at it and wondered if Sweets other injuries had fully healed, it seemed like too little time had gone by based on the extensive damage. Taking the moment to look over her shoulder while Sweets rubbed his eyes she strained to read the prescription label of the bottle sitting in Sweets lap.

"So dinner Sweets?" Booth persisted.

"Ugh." Sweets moaned. "No thanks."

"Dr. Sweets you really should eat something. I know that pain killers tend to make one nauseous but it really is advisable." Brennan said as Sweets gave up.

"Fine but can I just take something home. The car is making me sick."

Booth didn't want to see that happen, not in his car. Brennan however doubted that Sweets had anything to get sick with, not with pants two sizes too big.

Booth decided to order for Sweets, much to Sweets irritating and received a heaping bag full of food. He said it next to him like a plate of dynamite, the smell alone making him sick as they headed back to his place.

"So Sweets, if you're not busy, you thinking about coming back to work?" Booth asked.

Sweets thought of taking another pill because Booth's questions were wearing him out. He had no desire to tell them that he had no desire to go back to work. Instead he went along with it.

"Oh, soon, I guess. No reason not to."

Booth smiled. "Yeah, routine is good, you're needed you know."

Booth was attempting to appeal to Sweets nature of being needed and wanted. Besides, if he got Sweets back to work, he could keep an eye on him.

"Yeah, well maybe I can go in for a bit tomorrow." Sweets offered and Booth beamed. Brennan hesitated but they had arrived at Sweets place.

He insisted he could make it to his place by himself and took his dinner and pills with him. He smiled and bid them good night and welcomed the quiet of his place. Once the pair were out of sight Sweets discarded the meal in the nearest trash and popped open the pill container.

It was bright and early the next morning when Booth headed to Sweets office. He flung open the door in his usual fashion to find the psychologist sitting at his desk.

"Hey Sweets, how you feeling today?" Booth asked noting that Sweets seemed less agitated and more at ease this morning. He did notice the suit was too big which would have made Sweets look young but something about his expressions have him a hardened and weathered look that made him look older.

"I feel fine agent Booth." Sweets said still tapping away.

"Catching up on email?" Booth asked.

"Yeah, got lots to go thru." Sweets said hoping Booth would leave. In truth he was just hitting the delete button. He didn't care to read any of them and he still hadn't mastered the ability to type either.

"Okay, well we'll catch up later okay?" Booth said and Sweets smiled and nodded.

A couple of hours later Sweets was bored with his email and found a patient had come to see him. He hadn't planned on it but Sweets welcomed the agent in. He was suffering from some sort of PTSD Sweets guessed but quickly yawned while he was talking. Sweets knew it was Rude but he didn't care.

He felt a little bad though because the man was glad that Sweets was back to work and Sweets sort of remembered visiting with him before. He used to be dead on with those sorts of things but he dismissed the urge to recollect much more as he moved into a mechanical mode. He invited the man to sit down as he picked up a notepad.

Sweets began to say the things he would normally say and at the right times. He looked up and nodded and went back to his notepad. He yanked at his tie which he felt was suffocating him and tossed it aside. He wasn't used to wearing suits and it was pretty obvious as he pulled at it.

An hour eventually passed, Sweets able to gauge the time more closely on his desire to find another pill than the clock. The man thanked Sweets for his time though he seemed unpleased with the session, as though he hadn't gotten what he hoped.

"I'm sure glad you weren't dead like the said at first." The agent said standing near the door.

"Excuse me?" Sweets asked.

"Yeah, they released a statement saying you were dead." He said and left.

Sweets found that very interesting. But only for a moment until he lost interest.

"Hey Sweets!" Booth said reappearing at his door again. Sweets resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the agent's return visit but smiled and nodded again.

Booth sat on the armchair of Sweets seat and saw the notepad in it. He figured it was from an earlier session and Booth wondered why Sweets had the patient draw such a poor doodle. Being that it was sitting in Sweets chair though, he realized the uneven lines were probably drawn by Sweets.

"Let's go to lunch okay?" Booth said taking his mind off the doodle. "Bones and them are coming, they want to see you, and you know, ask about a case."

Sweets thought it over for a moment and knew that it was easier to say yes than argue. Sweets followed Booth out to the car and kept up the light conversation. Booth noticed that yesterday Sweets was irritable and today he seemed to give a crap less, about anything. He knew something was up with the kid and he doubted he was shrinking. He was eager to talk to Brennan and get her thoughts.

They pulled up to the curb and Booth got out. Sweets struggled with the door for a moment and then tripped when he went to get out. It resulted in Sweets knee slamming against the ground. Booth rushed over but Sweets only stood up and brushed any dirt off.

"Whoa! Sweets you okay?!" Booth asked. He was sure that Sweets had shattered his knee cap with that fall. Even passerby stopped concerned, everyone was worried, but Sweets.

"What? Huh, no big deal. Just tripped." Sweets said shutting the door.

The passersby seemed impressed that he would be fine after such a fall. Booth was now just widely concerned.

Sweets put on big smiles and greeted everyone as he entered. He offered hugs though Brennan caught Booth's gaze and they shared the same thought, this is an act. Sweets sat down between Cam and Angela and acted a bit goofier than usual. When he realized it was too much he scaled it back, as though he behavior was made to order. He smiled as he accepted back his keys and wallet and commented he would be happy not to hoof it to work anymore causing them to laugh. Booth wondered how Sweets did get to work this morning.

"Sweetie I hope you're ordering a big lunch because you are much too thin." Angela announced causing the group to stop and stare. Sweets could feel his neck getting hot with the tension. He would have pulled at his tie but he had discarded it at the office.

"It's just this crazy medication that they gave me." Sweets said passing it off with a wave. "I'm good though."

"The Nemubuteral that they prescribed is a very strong pain killer." Brennan warned and they all seemed to pause, knowing what it was.

"Wow, Sweetie, are you sure you're fine? I mean, that's some powerful.."

"I'm fine!" Sweets nearly shouted and then broke out his boy next door grin. "Sorry, didn't mean to shout. I'm fine and it's just hard when everyone is poking at me."

The effect worked and they quickly left Sweets alone. Brennan and Booth exchanged glances as they watched the interaction. You bet something is up -their eyes said to each other.

None of them hardly noticed how quiet Booth and Brennan were at the meal as the rest of them laughed and carried on. Sweets ate his entire huge plate of food much to Angela's delight. As the meal ended they recalled they had to go back to work, a new case coming in.

"Poor girl, fifteen found dead and buried under the bleachers at the football field." Angela lamented.

Booth noted that Sweets made no inquiry into the case, very unlike him. He excused himself to the restroom causing the trio to turn to Booth and Brennan.

"Okay, what's up, you two are way too quiet." Hodgins remarked.

"Don't you think that Sweets is acting a little strangely?" Brennan asked.

"Well sure but he's on some pretty heavy goofballs." Hodgins suggested defending him.

"There's something else isn't there Booth?" Brennan said looking at him.

"Today, I stopped in to see him twice, he didn't seem to care I was even there." Booth said. "We talked about the case and he didn't ask, I mean come on, Sweets always asks! But we got here and he tripped, I mean he slammed down on his knee but he acted like it was nothing."

"You're saying he fell but it was like he was feeling no pain? While hepped up a highly addictive pain killer?" Cam asked, her diagnosis evident in her question.

"Oh crap." Angela said voicing all their thoughts collectively though far from eloquently.

"Where is he anyway?" Hodgins asked.

Booth was now walking the line of concerned and pissed off as he headed to the bathroom. He watched as another guy came running out of the bathroom as though something unpleasant was going on. Before he could get the door open Sweets was walking out and upon seeing Booth offered him a big smile.

"Cut the crap Sweets, did you get sick?"

"What? No way." Sweets lied unconvincingly.

"Well you've been gone a while and for a guy who doesn't like he's eaten in weeks you ate enough to make up for it."

The two men locked eyes. Sweets almost seemed to enjoy lying to Booth knowing there really wasn't much Booth could do about it. Booth realized that Sweets was right, if Sweets walked out of their lives right now there was nothing he could do. But Sweets didn't realize how much they cared. And someone had to, because Sweets didn't seem to give a damn about anything.