Mid August. 10 months since THAT Wednesday (Part 2)
The next day, Rebecca dropped Parker off at school assuring him that he could go back to the hospital when school let out. When she got to his floor in the hospital, she found Jared dozing in a waiting room chair. He woke up as soon as she walked in the room and told her there had been no change in his condition overnight. She sat down next to him and asked if he could think of anyone else they should inform about his injuries. Jared thought for a moment and then said, "Cam!" He told Rebecca that she works at the Jeffersonian and has been a family friend most of his life. Rebecca was hesitant. "You know that Seeley and Temperance had a falling out last year?" Jared nodded. "Well, he hasn't spoken to her since the day they had the big blow up. I was thinking about this last night and ruminating over whether we should inform her. The fact that their whole friendship was destroyed and neither has attempted to repair it in almost a year has to mean something. Even Parker hasn't seen her in all that time and he's finally stopped asking about her. I don't know. I just don't know what he would want." Jared stood up and stared out the window. He turned back to Rebecca. "I think you might be right. But I think Cam should know. I'm going to call her and ask her not to say anything to anyone at the Jeffersonian."
An hour later, Cam walked into the waiting room and Jared walked over to give her a hug. She recognized Rebecca having seen her a time or two over the years and she asked about Seeley's condition. Jared took her in to see him and when they returned to the waiting room he asked her to try and talk to the doctor because she would understand so much more than they did. An hour later, she had consulted with his surgeon and sat down with them. "He's very seriously ill, and as the doctor told you, the first 48 hours are crucial. He had a lot of damage to his organs, but luckily they are all areas that should heal completely if handled by a competent surgeon, and he did have a very competent surgeon. One of the biggest concerns is infection, but once the 48 hours pass, the risk will decrease significantly. Now, the good news. They got him here and into surgery very quickly. With this type of gunshot wound, the patient often doesn't survive the trip to the hospital, so the quick response and the excellence of this trauma center really increased his chance of survival. And we are halfway through the 48 hours. That's huge. His survival chances increase by the hour. I'm feeling much better after talking to the surgeon." Jared and Rebecca both let out a deep breath. It sounded like the best news they had heard yet. The three of them then had a discussion about their reticence in informing Doctor Brennan about Booth's condition. Cam was undecided herself, but decided that it would be best for the time being to keep it from her - and the rest of the Jeffersonian staff. As she started to leave, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Jared. "Wait. Where is Hannah?" Jared and Rebecca exchanged a look. Cam looked from one to the other expectantly. "Guys?" Finally Jared responded. "They broke up last year during the holidays. As far as I know, she's back working in Afghanistan. I wouldn't know how to reach her if I tried. And even if I did, Seeley wouldn't thank me for it." Cam was shocked. How could that have happened so long ago and she's just finding out about it? And then she thought, 'This is just like a divorce. Brennan got the Jeffersonian and Booth got the FBI.' She shook her head, asked them to let her know when anything changed, and left the hospital. As she was driving back, a thought occurred to her. She dialed Agent O'Brien and asked if he had said anything to Doctor Brennan about Agent Booth's injuries. He said that he hadn't talked to her since it happened yesterday. She asked him to please keep it quiet when talking to the staff at the Jeffersonian. She assured him that she would keep him updated privately on Seeley's progress.
As the day progressed and there were no changes in his condition, Rebecca, Jared and Pops grew more confident. Cam had explained that in his condition, no news was good news. With every visit by the surgeon came the response that he was holding his own. Parker's grandmother brought him in after school and he was disappointed that his dad was still asleep, but assured his mom that it was good because it meant he was getting better.
Rebecca stayed the second night and her mom stayed at the house with Parker, and then took him to school in the morning. She was able to get a few hours of sleep on the lumpy sofa in the waiting room, and was happy to see Jared and Pops when they arrived mid morning. They were all cautiously optimistic because he was still stable and the doctors were going to try to bring him around that day. Shortly after noon, the surgeon peeked his head into the waiting room. "Are we ready to try and wake this guy up?" They all jumped from their seats and excitedly followed the surgeon and his assistant to Booth's room. He took several vital readings, removed the throat tube, and then pushed some buttons and adjusted the flow in a couple of IVs and turned to them. "Now we wait." He assured them it should only take a few minutes and as he waited, he continued to check readings and listened to several spots on his chest with his stethoscope. He stepped back and said he was starting to regain consciousness. About 30 seconds later his eyelids started to twitch, and the next thing they knew they were all staring into his big brown eyes. A huge sigh of relief spread through the room. The surgeon looked down at him. "Welcome back young man. You gave us quite a scare." Booth looked confused and started to mumble. "Wha…Where am I?" Over the next few minutes he learned of his brush with death and about the family keeping a vigil by his bedside. "Parker?" They assured him that Parker had been there to see him after school both days and that his grandmother would be bringing him there in a few hours. He remembered nothing after the initial confrontation with the suspect and the surgeon told him that it was normal and really for the best. Booth nodded remembering the time he was shot by Pam Nunan. He felt a flash in his brain. 'Bones!' His eyes scanned the room and then he quickly remembered why she wasn't there. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The surgeon noted the response and suggested that it might be a bit much to have them all crowded into the room. "Let's let him rest for a bit and then you can come in individually and sit with him." When they were in the hallway, the family members shared a group hug, thankful that he had come back to them. Rebecca called her mother so that she could share the news when she picked him up from school. A few hours later, Parker came racing down the hallway toward his room and Rebecca had to calm him down before going in so he wouldn't accidentally jostle him and cause pain from his wounds. It was a joyous reunion between father and son and Parker informed him that he knew he was going to be fine because he and his mom went to church and lit a candle for him. Booth looked up at Rebecca and raised his eyebrows. Rebecca answered with a smile and a shrug of her shoulders.
Several days later, he was released from the hospital and Jared, Pops, and Rebecca and Parker took turns staying with him for the next two weeks to help nurse him back to health.
