14.
Sweets is absent mindedly munching on a bottle of strong pain killers while reliving his beating via computer rendering. Booth attempts to confront the very strangely acting Sweets and realizes he's got a fairly serious addiction to the pills. Booth takes them from Sweets causing an unplanned intervention. Sweets slaps Cam and turns to run when Booth catches up with him and in trying to stop him, pulls him causing Sweets leg to fracture. Knowing that under normal circumstances this would not have caused this reaction, the team sidelines Sweets behavior and assess the injury only to find that his old injuries are very much still very painful and in the present, causing the need for the pain killers. Realizing their young friend has been in a great amount of pain and shouldn't have left the hospital they plan to take him back. On the way the gang spots Booth's SUV and intervenes, forcing him to stop where they demand Sweets. When Booth denies the request, Sweets lets himself out of the vehicle and the gang puts him in the trunk and drives away leaving Booth feeling helpless while a gun is pointed at himself and Brennan.
Booth watched as the vehicles drove away and felt his heart pound. He knew that as things stood they had lost a member of their team for good this time. Booth figured he could call in the car and see if HQ had a beat on it or anything else about the gang but he doubted they would take Sweets anywhere they had been before. Booth's gut wrenched as he knew the next time they saw Sweets he would be dead at a crime scene.
Booth was about to throw up when his cell rang, Cam calling, undoubtedly at the hospital wondering where they were. He almost didn't answer so he could call it in, he felt so uncharacteristically frozen and helpless. Even Brennan stood by in the same mode. Booth didn't look forward to briefly telling Cam what had happened.
"Finally Seeley how long does it take you to pick up!? We can't follow these guys forever!" Cam shouted in the phone. She could hear they were in a fast moving vehicle.
"What? Where are…"
"We were a distance behind you and saw the whole thing. We went around the block and picked up behind the Lincoln. We're following it now but we need some help here before we lose them!" Cam shouted in the phone.
"I won't lose them." Hodgins said with a determination that terrified Cam and Angela. Cam was half impressed with Hodgins driving and Angela was a bit turned out but they were both equally filled with terror as the super charged Mini Cooper took the next hairpin turn.
Booth in the meantime jumped in the car and Brennan followed his energy. He had Brennan call Cam so she could stay in touch with her and he called in back up. The SUV sped ahead in the direction Cam gave them.
Brennan tugged on her seat belt once to be sure it was on but she eagerly listened and relayed directions to Booth as they sped along the roads. The sun was setting giving everything that golden late afternoon light. If this went on too long however it would be night and their vision lost, easy to lose the car.
"Turn on 5th and Prospect!" Cam shouted and Brennan instantly relayed it to Booth who was trying to cut the route and get there. "There's a cop!" Cam shouted.
"Back up arrived." Brennan announced. Booth was glad but now they knew someone was on to them.
"This is officer Bridges and Stalcup. We are following the suspect in a Lincoln, black plate 77N DI3 is that correct?" Stalcup announced over the radio that Booth could hear thru HQ.
Brennan asked Cam who confirmed it was.
"Glad to see you again guys." Booth announced.
"With it were under better circumstances." Brides shouted. "We'll get him this time."
"Be aware that Sweets is in the trunk of that car." Booth warned them.
"Copy Agent Booth, we'll avoid contact with the rear of the vehicle." Stalcup announced and continued to relay information to other officers soon on the scene.
Booth was glad they weren't alone but he felt a jolt as something hit the back of the vehicle. He looked back to see the vehicle that had pulled up beside them behind him with Big-D driving
"Oh, don't play with me, kid. Not today." Booth said though he wished Brennan wasn't in the car with him. Booth maneuvered away from the car but it sped up as though to come beside them which Booth did not want - to have a side by side shoot out.
Booth sped up as the two cars raced down the parkway near side by side.
They were both nearing the location of the Mini Cooper driven by Hodgins following the Lincoln. A helicopter flew over and Booth was relieved to find more back up but he knew that this also meant the gang of criminals was going to become more desperate in their actions.
The car continued to creep up next to Booth's SUV and luckily the abandoned streets in the bad part of town were hardly occupied. Booth heard more sirens approach, one in particular and saw the Stalcup Bridges driven car ahead, just ahead of them was the Mini Cooper and Hodgins who refused to pull over with the support of Angela & Cam and the Lincoln.
The associate vehicle was almost upon Booth who knew he had to lose them.
"Hold tight." Booth instructed Brennan as Booth checked his seat belt then slammed on the breaks, sending the car flinging past them too fast to get any shots off. Before coming to a stop Booth floored the accelerator running down the other vehicle, slamming it so hard in the back it sent it off the road and into the front of a partially dilapidated brick building.
Booth watched in the rear view mirror as the cops behind him covered the crashed vehicle. A small sense of triumph came across his face. Of the 7 left that was two more down though he was probably going to have to answer for that. He was pretty sure Sweets would back up his state of mind in an evaluation, that is if he could get to Sweets in time.
Booth floored the accelerator once more and the trio of cars came into view. Brennan announced to Cam that they were there and Hodgins began to back off some. He had reserves that if they entered too residential of an area that the cops would have to back off by policy, and he wasn't letting Sweets out of his sight, he too knew if they lost him Sweets was going to be in a body bag (s).
Booth sped ahead, Stalcup and Bridges next to him now as they motioned ahead to the police barricade across the street ahead. Booth knew they would have every side street blocked off as well. He wondered where the rest of the cops were, he knew now. Stalcup & Bridges were forcing the Lincoln into their hands. Booth had grin at how brilliant it was. Only the Lincoln wasn't slowing down.
They were running out of blocks ahead and not slowing down any. The Lincoln began to swerve as it looked for a side street to turn on but saw they were all blocked. The police cruiser began to slow but Booth stayed with the Lincoln as it began to swerve worse, looking for an outlet that didn't exist.
Abruptly the Lincoln accelerated as though it were going to try and crash thru the line of police cruises blocking the road when the back seat and front seat passenger lunged for the wheel causing it to deviate too far and too fast to the right instantly sending the car to flip.
"Nooooo!" Brennan shouted from the passenger seat as Booth slammed to a stop as the car made a second flip before smashing on the side into the building on the right.
Booth pulled up behind the car as it lay stopped, Bridges and Stalcup with weapons drawn to those in the cab of the car. One was obviously dead with a snapped neck, the other lay screaming in the front seat as he was pinned in place and the driver, though dazed reached for the door.
"Don't think so bud." Stalcup said and he raised his hands.
Brennan was at the back of the truck eager to open it. Stalcup tried the trunk release but the trunk was stuck shut from being crushed against the building in the collision. Booth approached with a crowbar. Stalcup handcuffed the driver and told the other man screamed to be quiet, he shouldn't have caused the collision. The rest pretended not to hear incase asked for they quite agreed.
Booth tugged at the trunk lid, struggling to get it to open. He wanted in that trunk now and then again part of him didn't want to find an even more mangled Sweets in it, dead like the one in the back seat.
Something was pricking at his eyes but he ignored it as his heart pounded and he pulled at the metal that wouldn't budge. Brennan continued to look for a gap between the metal to try and help. Bridges now had a second crowbar and together the metal buckled under their strength allowing the lid to open.
Sweets lay in the trunk, unmoving. Booth and Bridges took a step back allowing Brennan to reach in just as the Mini Cooper arrived, its riders departing towards them.
"I've got a pulse!" Brennan shouted and the officers immediately motioned for an ambulance.
Booth breathed a single breath but not more as they were far from out of the woods. Cam rushed forward to help Brennan. Brennan ran her hands along Sweets neck as few would be more adept at detecting a broken neck than she.
"Is that gas?" The officer asked. There was a good possibility that the gas line had ruptured and the smallest charge could set the car aflame.
After what seemed an eternity to some and seconds to her she nodded to Cam suggesting they could move Sweets from the trunk. As soon as the nod came Booth stepped forward to help move the lean and broken man from the trunk.
They moved a distance away as the car was sprayed down with foam to keep it from igniting. The other man had been pulled from the car once the seat was moved and he sat holding his shattered shoulder. It was difficult to tell on Sweets what was an injury from the car accident, the gang beating, the malnutrition and pain killer addiction, and then Booth's broken leg.
Brennan continued to check bones, his possibly fractured tibia was now definitely broken. Sweets was much too quiet for all this pain and it worried them all, though no one said anything. Cam examined Sweets head which was cut with blood dripping. Sweets dark brown eyes flashed at her and she paused in her examination. His eyes were calm except for the redness infused in the areas that should have been white. Sweets face winced slightly as he cleared his throat.
"Dr. Sweets, please…" Cam urged but stopped. She couldn't hear what he had said and while it was best he didn't talk she couldn't help but see he was desperate to say something. She leaned in as the whir of the loud approaching ambulance was going to make it hard.
Sweets cleared his throat again. "Cam I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I hit you. I'm so sorry."
Cam put her fingers over Sweets lips. "I know Sweets, I know." Her voice failed her as she repeated it. The desperation in his eyes, not from pain but for forgiveness stung her body. A paramedic approached and Cam stepped aside though Brennan was still talking about injuries. Cam did her best to follow along and the two jumped in the ambulance as it quickly sped away.
"We should go now right?" Angela asked to Hodgins and Booth who were just standing there staring at the box on wheels as it sped away.
"Yeah, let's, uh let's go." Hodgins said but Booth stood firm. "Booth you coming?"
Booth still stared at the ambulance as it left. He wanted to be sure the lights didn't go off, the sign that they had lost their patient and therefore no reason for it be in a hurry. It disappeared from sight, still flashing and honking at last sight.
"No, you guys go. Call me when you know something. I have something to do." Booth's mouth was in a firm line. They knew he was pissed and the place he didn't need to be was cooped up in a waiting room. They nodded and left. Once they were gone Booth turned to the passenger who cuddled his broken arm awaiting another ambulance. As Booth walked to the man Bridges and Stalcup came closer in his wake.
"You." Booth said inches from the man.
"Hey, where's my ambulance?" He shouted. "This is discrimination."
Booth picked up the man and tossed him back against the wall. "It's hardly discrimination if I don't beat the crap out of you. Then it'd all be even wouldn't it?!" Booth hissed as he grabbed the broken shoulder and twisted it. The man cried in pain as Stalcup & Bridges stood behind Booth, an outer barrier or protection. The other cops looked up but having seen the man's handy work on the downed agent they were well aware of, they went back to their paper work.
"What the hell is wrong with you man?" The pained gang member shouted.
"Oh is this too much?" Booth asked twisting more. "Was that too much for Sweets when you beat him in what 8 to one?"
"Nine to one man, that little shit was there too."
"You admit it then?" Booth asked pushing in on the broken bone. He had to admit, he was feeling much better.
"Yeah so you'll stop."
Booth let off the pressure but kept his hand in place.
"You know what happened that night man, afterwards, you picked up the kid. DJ-D said the kid would fold so he said to take Barry out, so Tinker did it. The only one left was that dude but we couldn't get to him in the hospital, then he was gone, don't know where he was." The man was panting as he spoke. Booth knew Sweets was in rehab then.
"Then we found him again, followed him around a while until it was right, thought maybe he wasn't going to do nothing then he was at the FBI building with you. What's a doctor doing there besides snitchin?!."
"Yeah he works there dumbass." Booth added to the kid's confused look. Booth didn't feel like giving him a bio on Sweets so he motioned for him to continue.
"Tinker thought he could get him from you, didn't want to kill a fed, took the doc but then, well here we are."
Booth tried to decide why this one was so confessional all of a sudden.
"And why should I believe you?" Booth asked.
"Man, I didn't think you were gonna get us, you got us, it's time for one of us to make good on this deal."
"Where's the rest of them?" Booth's voice was deep and menacing.
"Man I don't…" The kid said as Booth's hand pressed in hard on the broken bone.
"Ah! Stop! 8th and Brooklyn, knock twice and tap once." The kid shouted and Booth let go.
The kid fell to the ground as Bridges called it in.
"What do you want to do?" Stalcup asked.
"Let's go." Booth said as Bridges smiled.
"We got a plan here Agent Booth?" Bridges asked as the quickly assembled team donned bullet proof vests including many agents who quickly volunteered for the job. Stalcup & Bridges were familiar with the area and allowed them to quietly slip thru the narrow buildings undetected.
"Simple. We get the bad guys."
Everyone nodded back as Booth knocked twice, tapped one and then busted down the door. In the commotion he didn't hear phone ring.