Brennan sipped at her coffee slowly, savoring the fresh brew. She was up again last night with Eli, though this time, she opted to bring the little boy out into the living room and crash on the couch. She barely slept, even after Eli settled down.
Closing her eyes, she breathed in and exhaled, bringing the mug to her lips once more.
"There you are."
She jumped, dropping the mug on the floor. The ceramic mug shattered, splashing steaming hot coffee against her exposed legs. She gasped, muttering as she turned around. "Booth!"
Booth frowned. "Didn't mean to scare ya, Bones. The boys are eating breakfast. Christine's complaining of a stomach ache, so she's still in bed." He bent down to help pick up the larger shards. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, slapping his hands away. "Yes."
"You want some more coffee?"
She shook her head, tossing the broken mug pieces in the trash can. "I'm going to take a shower." As she passed him, he reached out and grabbed her arm. She spun back to face him and stared at him.
He loosened his grip and gently caressed her forearm with his thumb. "Maybe Russ knows something. You should call him," he suggested.
She shrugged. "I'm going to check on Christine and then I'm going to take a shower." Without waiting for a reply, she left him in the atrium and headed for their daughter's bedroom.
Brennan wasn't sure if Booth tipped him off or if it was just a coincidence, but around 10:30 while Booth was at church, Russ called. She was tempted to let the answering machine pick it up, but she answered on the fourth ring. "Hello," she greeted. "Is something the matter? Are the girls okay? Is it Amy?"
Russ chuckled. "Tempe, relax. Everyone is great."
She sighed, nodding. "Is this a social call, then? Or are you calling to check up on me? Because I am fine, Russ. It has been months."
"Booth—."
She rolled her eyes. "Should not have called you," she finished, getting the answer to her earlier enquiry.
"But why did he call me? He didn't say anything, just that I should give you a call."
She shifted on the couch and switched the phone to her other ear. "When you and dad were on the run together, did he, did he talk about anything?"
"Yeah, we talked. C'mon, Tempe, what do you really want to know? Did we talk about you? Is that what you mean?"
"Never mind. It was nice talking to you and if Booth calls you again, don't listen to him."
"Hey, wait! Don't hang up. Seriously, what's going on?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
"I'm not buying it, Tempe. Booth was concerned enough to ask me to call you. It must be important or he wouldn't have risked getting his ass kicked by you."
She groaned. "Do you remember Bunsen?"
"As in Dr. Robert Bunsen? No, never met the guy, but I hear he's a pretty important dude. He invented some torch like thing, right?" He laughed. "How could I forget that stupid dog? I had a huge bruise on my shin for a week after I cut off its ear. And I'm sure I would have gotten it a lot worse if Mom didn't pull you away."
She nodded. "I wanted to cut off your ear, but Mom wouldn't let me." She paused. "Did Dad ever mention it? When you and him were on the run, did he say—do you know what happened to it?"
"Nope. I don't know what happened to it after you stopped being so obsessed with it. Did you find it at Dad's place? I don't remember seeing it there when we were sorting through his stuff. I always thought they gave it away to Goodwill or something."
"Okay. Thanks. Goodbye."
"Wait. Tempe, what's going on?"
She shook her head. Booth had been wrong; Russ didn't know anything and this conversation was pointless. "Nothing. Tell the girls and Amy I say hello. I plan to come visit soon. With the Jeffersonian still under construction and my classes suspended for the summer, I have some free time. If Booth is not able to take time off, I will come myself. Perhaps I will bring Christine with me. She has been asking me when she can see her cousins again ever since Dad's funeral."
"Tempe—."
"It won't be this week. Eli is here until Monday, at least, and Booth's boss will require more than a few days' notice for a vacation request. Are you planning any trips? I want to make sure you are available the days we will be visiting."
"Tempe—."
"I have to go," she rushed out, hearing cries from one of the back bedrooms. Knowing Hank was with Booth and Christine was sleeping on the couch beside her, that could only mean it was Eli who was the source of the screams.
"Who's Eli?"
"Russ, I need to go. I will talk to you later. Please let me know when would be the best time to come visit you and the girls." She hung up without waiting for any sort of reply from her brother and dropped the phone onto the couch as she stood up.
Christine stirred, groaning. She didn't fully awake and was back asleep in seconds.
Brennan adjusted the blanket around the little girl and left to find out what was wrong with Eli.
Brennan entered the darkened bedroom and found Eli sitting up on his makeshift bed. She switched on the lamp and knelt on the floor beside the small boy. He was pale and his blue eyes were nearly clear as he stared at her. "Eli?" She placed her hand on his arm to try to get his attention.
Eli blinked, shifting positions.
She looked over his shoulder and noticed the wet spot on the sheets. She sighed and stood up. "We need to clean you up, Sweetheart," she said. She held out her hand, but wasn't too surprised when he didn't take it. "It's okay." She left him sitting there for a moment while she went over to his backpack. As she dug through it for a change of clothes, she stopped when she heard a crinkling sound. Feeling paper beneath her fingertips, she pulled it out and looked at the blank, half sheet of loose-leaf. She turned it over, revealing a phone number. She blinked. The number was unfamiliar, but the messy scrawl was unmistakable. She dropped the note and looked at Eli for a long moment. Shaking her head, she reached for the paper again and stared at the number…at her father's handwriting.