It was early when Brennan resigned herself to spending another night on the mountain. No matter how she tried to shut off every part of her brain, the logical side calculated just how far she still had to go and how long it would take to get there. The emotional side just wanted to sit and cry for a while. She ignored them both.
Her arms burned from the repetitive motion of climbing the steep slope. She discovered she was resting more frequently now, as hunger and thirst began to slow down her reflexes.
In the last few minutes, she'd turned herself so she was facing uphill, her back against a tree. Brennan knew it would be good for her broken leg, now sitting above her on the hill. It appeared more swollen than yesterday, and she worried about permanent damage to nerves and vessels.
Above her, she saw the last ten feet of the climb and was finally forced to acknowledge that she wouldn't be able to climb it without help. She did cry a little then, accepting that if she was to get off this mountain alive, someone was going to have to find her. Her survival now depended on Booth.
And when he saved her - she refused to consider the alternative - then what? Would he walk away from Hannah for her? He wasn't the type. Would she fight Hannah for him? While Brennan was sure she could take her in a physical match-up, she wasn't sure she could compete with Hannah any other way.
Sighing heavily, Brennan realized she had more problems than she had answers.