8.
Booth wasn't thrilled with the idea of bringing Hodgins along but it helped keep him focused on the case. He had to admit at the moment he was having a hard time remembering all the facts on the case, something that wasn't hard for the squints he noticed.
Hodgins picked up on the fact it was best to stay quiet at the moment.
"When we get there you two stay in the car." Booth instructed. Brennan wanted to argue but was almost too exhausted to explore an argument.
Hodgins phone buzzed. Brennan and Booth looked back to see what news it might be as Hodgins read the text. The lack of a favorable expression on Hodgins' face suggested it was not news they wanted to hear.
"Sweets body temp is only up to 87. They are going to try and infuse the warming fluid thru his chest." Hodgins said in a somber tone.
Booth cleared his throat. "We're here."
They pulled a distance away where Booth rendezvoused with the small team that had assembled waiting for his orders.
"Sir it's pretty late in the evening, are you sure that he will be here?" One waiting agent asked.
"He'll be here. The investment firm opens in the morning but he knows he's being watched. He just doesn't know we're on to him." Booth explained. "Do a sweep of the area, see if you see any activity."
Booth went to don his bullet proof vest while the agents did a search of the area. One of the agents returned.
"No signs outside but it does appear that the door has been jimmied." The agent reported.
Booth didn't like the sound of that. Before the bodies had been displayed outside the buildings, why the change now.
"Any sign of the suspect?" Booth asked.
"Nothing so far sir."
"Get everyone together, we're going in." Booth said. He looked back at Brennan for a moment who smiled a sort of "good luck" grin as she watched him leave.
"Hodgins?" Brennan asked. "There was more to that message you didn't want to tell Booth wasn't there."
Hodgins cleared his throat but decided not to lie. "I didn't want to take his mind off the killer. Cam says if this doesn't work, and in the next hour then…"
"I see." Brennan said in a near whisper.
"All clear sir." An agent said as they quietly approached Mr. Sanders office.
Booth nodded and an agent opened the door. The office was dark, no suspect in sight. Booth noticed the office chair was facing away from them. As he approached he knew what he was going to find, he just didn't know the specifics until he approached it.
Another agent turned on the light to reveal Liz Sanders body in the chair. Her hands were tied with twine forcing her middle fingers to give the bird, presumably to her father. Her face with disfigured as he mouth was cut with a knife, leaving a creepy clown like smile on her face.
Booth nodded for the agents to take it from there.
"Do we call the Jeffersonian team?" An agent asked Booth.
"No. There's no bones here for them to work with, we know the victim." He answered solemnly. "Document it all thoroughly and send them copies. Actually, I'm going to send Dr. Hodgins up here. He might catch something."
He knew there was little the team could gain by taking the remains, but he thought Hodgins might dig out something they missed. Otherwise he wasn't going to pull them away from being where they really wanted to be, despite there was so little they could do there.
Booth explained what they had found in the office to Brennan & Hodgins.
"That was the right decision." Brennan said. "As long as we get copies of what they've found."
"I'll head up there." Hodgins said. "I'll you if I find something."
"What should we do now?" Brennan asked, growing tired as the 9 p.m. hour was setting in.
"Let's go and see how that procedure went for Sweets." Booth said getting in the car. Brennan struggled with the notion of telling Booth what additional information that Hodgins had told her. She decided to wait and see what might have changed once they got to the hospital. As they drove she found herself stressed over the multiple possibilities.
"Where is he?" Brennan asked as they stared in the empty room.
The many options ran thru Booth's mind, some of which were impossible, others that were undesirable.
"Guys." Cam said in a low tone. The duo turned to see her approaching. Her lack of despondency was encouraging.
"He's been moved to a room." Cam said holding her hands tightly together. It was though it was an extension of her holding herself together. "He's improving, but he's not out of the woods yet." Her tone was encouraging yet cautious.
Brennan and Booth nodded and followed Cam to a room nearby.
"What is his condition?" Breanna asked feeling the clinical side take over.
"It's still serious, but it's not critical anymore." Cam explained.
"But not stable." Booth clarified.
"One step at a time Seeley. I had my doubts an hour ago that Sweets was still going to be with us." Cam explained as they reached the room. Booth was surprised to learn that bit of information. He looked to Brennan who looked away.
They got to the room where Angela was sitting on one side of the bed and it was apparent that Cam had been sitting in the chair next to her since they had got to this room.
"I'm going to check something with the doctor." Cam said looking at Sweets for a moment before she left. Booth wondered what she saw.
Brennan sat down next to Angela who still looked weary.
"How is your arm?" Brennan asked Angela. She turned to look at it like she forgot it was there.
"It's fine." Angela answered in a short tone.
"Have you eaten anything?" Brennan asked.
"Thanks Sweetie, but I'm really not hungry." Angela said looking back at Sweets. She was silent for a moment before she continued. "I didn't think it was so bad, I mean, I should have known, I should have tried harder to get back."
"Angela, it's not your fault." Brennan said taking her hand. Angela felt tears prick at her eyes again though she was tired of crying. Booth wondered if the whole thing could have been avoided if he had listened, he would have kept them from going. The "what if's" were endless.
Dr. Clark and Cam came in but were quiet as though they did not want to alert anyone. They checked some vitals and the doctor looked at Sweets hands for a moment, most notably his right one. He nodded to Cam and left.
"Do we want to know what that was about?" Booth asked not wanting to be kept out of the dark.
Cam held a guilty expression like she didn't want to jump to anything yet.
"Cam, tell us." Angela petitioned. "Not knowing is the worst."
"I was concerned that Dr. Sweets was not getting enough fluid. So much is going into warm his body that I'm afraid he's not getting enough nourishment." Cam explained.
"What can they do for that?" Brennan asked.
"Right now the focus will remain on raising Dr. Sweets body temperature. I was perhaps jumping the gun, thinking too far ahead. I was also concerned that he has, or will continue to develop frostbite on his hands."
Their eyes immediately went to Sweets hands but they were under the warming blanket. Booth had noticed when they were examining them that they were discolored.
"What's wrong with his cheek?" Booth asked instead, motioning to Sweets while he stood at a distance near the door.
"Again an incident of frostbite. His cheek was resting on the ground whereas his chest was protected thru the clothing so it wasn't a direct contact." Cam explained. "His feet were also shielded by having shoes on though the dress shoes are not a great insulator. I suspecting he may develop a minor case of frostbite on his feet but the right arm, which he covered in snow to slow the bleeding, which was good so that he didn't bleed out, but it did also expose it to a great deal of ice leading to second degree frostbite."
"What does that all mean?" Angela asked. "He won't walk or use his hands again?"
"No no!" Cam interjected. "Initially Dr. Sweets will have temporary issues with mobility but at this stage he should regain use of his extremeties within a month's time. There was no damage to the deep tissue. He may have a permanent sensitivity to hot and cold in the future." Cam wanted to add a disclaimer of "if he lives thru this" but she refrained. They all looked at her expecting more.
"If he lives thru this, he will recover." She clarified. "His body temperature has to rise, slowly and steadily without risk of cardiac arrest. We wait."