Sabbaticals - 29 days left
Brennan was excited for the Wednesday call because she knew that Booth would be holding up a piece of paper with a number under 30. Less than a month until they were scheduled to meet at the airport in Paris again, and it was starting to feel real. There was so much for Mary and Brennan to do to wrap up the year long expedition - it helped keep her mind off the countdown to the beginning of her life with Booth.
She had been lying on her bed waiting for his call, but it was now 15 minutes past their usual time. There had been a handful of times that one or the other missed the call, and theydecided that once it was 15 minutes late, that they would abandon the call for that night. There was always a good excuse for the person missing the call. It always had something to do with work. Sometimes one of them would get stuck out in the field for some reason. Booth occasionally had a mission outside the camp when they didn't get back until the following day. So neither of them worried when the call didn't happen. There was always an email the next day from the missing person, and they just had their usual call on the next Wednesday or Saturday.
The next morning, Brennan checked her email hoping to see one from Booth. She was disappointed that there was nothing from him, but she wasn't concerned. She expected that there would be something there when she returned to her quarters at the end of the day.
When she returned that evening, she was surprised to see nothing in her inbox from Booth. It was a little bit worrying, but it really could be anything. Maybe they were having issues with the wi-fi in the camp? She tried initiating a video call to him, but it wasn't answered. She sent him a short email just asking if everything was okay.
She walked outside to find Mary sitting in their usual spot next to the blazing fire pit, so she walked over and sat down in her chair. "I'm a little concerned about Booth. He didn't get on the call with me last night, and I haven't received an email from him today." Mary quizzed her about what types of things could keep him away from computer access, and they convinced each other that it was likely nothing to worry about. She poured Brennan a glass of wine and they relaxed and spent the evening talking about the checklist for the wind down of their camp.
Friday morning, Brennan awoke and immediately got up to check her inbox. When she saw that there was nothing from him, she felt like her body was deflating. She wracked her brain trying to think of what might be going on to keep him from contacting her. It was frustrating because she didn't have anyone she could contact to find out what was happening. It wasn't like working in an office where she could call the switchboard. Did a military camp even have a main telephone line? She couldn't imagine that there was a person sitting there just to answer a phone - if she could even find a number to call.
She thought about emailing one of his fellow soldiers. But that was impossible because she only knew the first names of the people he worked with. She even briefly considered contacting Rebecca to see if she had heard from him. But she quickly discarded that idea because she didn't want to worry her.
She went to the lab and decided to spend the day there to keep busy. She had her laptop with her and checked her inbox every few hours. Mary wandered in and out of the lab all day just to make sure her partner was coping with the uncertainty. When she finally convinced her to stop working for the day, she made her pick up a sandwich and take it out to their usual spot.
"Temperance, didn't you tell me that Booth submitted all the paperwork months ago to make you his emergency contact?" Brennan nodded but stayed silent. "Well then, if anything had happened to him, you would have been contacted." That made Brennan feel slightly better. "I hadn't really thought about that. But I have no idea how quickly the Army would move if something happened." Mary pointed out that it was less than 48 hours since the missed call. "It feels like more." Mary reached over and patted her hand. "I know it does, honey."
With the "less than 48 hours" going over and over in her head, she managed to get through the evening. But it didn't help her to sleep - for the second night in a row, she just managed a couple of hours. Getting up Saturday morning, she opened her laptop with dread, and just as she feared, nothing from him. She sent another email, hoping that it would eventually reach him, and headed into the lab to try to bury herself in work.
The Saturday calls were always very late - 1:30 AM for her. By the time it rolled around, she was getting frantic. There had been no email from him, so she wasn't optimistic that the call would happen. Since it was Saturday, it was her turn to initiate the call. She clicked on the green button and listened to it ring and ring. The longer the ringing went on, the more her despair increased. Several minutes later, she clicked to disconnect the call and slammed down the cover of the laptop.
For the first time since the missed call on Wednesday, the tears started. Every possible reason for his absence ran through her mind. He had been taken prisoner by the Taliban. He was missing in action. He was wounded and unconscious. He was dead. There was only one other explanation, and as painful as it was, it was one she would accept if it meant he was safe. Maybe something happened in the last week that made him decide they shouldn't be together. Or maybe that Hannah woman had returned and wooed him into her bed.
As devastating as it would be, at least it meant he was alive and safe in the world. She would rather lose him to another woman than to death. She kept telling herself that he would never leave her, but anything else was just too terrifying. As exhausted and heartbroken as she was, there was no sleep to be had that night.
She got up out of bed just after sunrise on Sunday morning. Walking into the canteen, she was relieved to see only two people sitting at the back, deep in discussion. She poured herself a cup of coffee, took it back outside, and headed for a small wooded area at the edge of the camp. There was a large, flat rock at the far edge of the woods that offered a place to sit and gaze over the valley below with the mountains in the distance. Brennan and Mary both loved this spot, and they often went there separately when they needed some alone time.
She thought about the fact that it was Sunday morning. If they were home, Booth would be going to mass and taking Parker if it was his weekend to have him. She thought about God, and how Booth had so much faith in him. She wondered if she, as a non-believer, trying to talk to him and ask him to protect Booth would be so blasphemous that it would backfire on him. But then she remembered all of the things he had told her about forgiveness. If there was a God, and she wasn't convinced there was, it surely couldn't hurt to ask him this favor? It wasn't for her. It was for Booth. The believer.
So she just sat and had a conversation with him. She didn't really know how people prayed, but a conversation felt right. Of course, the responses were all in her head, and she suspected it was all what she wanted to hear because it was coming from her brain. She simply asked him to watch over Booth. Told him how devastated Parker would be to lose his father. She made sure to make it clear that she wasn't asking for herself. She would be just as devastated as Parker, but she would accept it and try to live on. But this was all about protecting Booth and Parker - the two people on this earth who she loved so dearly.
She thought about Parker, sleeping right now in DC, oblivious to the drama unfolding on the other side of the world. He would be ready for the call at 11 AM his time, which would be midnight her time. As she sat there, she decided that she wouldn't initiate a call to him. She didn't think she would be able to hide her anxiety from the boy - and she didn't know what she could say to him anyway. His dad had told him that there might be times he couldn't call, and not to worry if he missed a call.
The weather was so perfect that morning that she had no interest in walking back to the camp. Her exhaustion finally overtook her, and she curled up on the rock with her face looking out over the vista. Within minutes she had fallen asleep and slept for about two hours. When she woke, it took her a few seconds to get her bearings. and then the whole reason for being there came flooding back. She looked up to the sky. "I don't know if you've been listening. But Booth has to be okay. Alive. Healthy. You know he wouldn't do well if he was badly injured and couldn't be the physical presence he has always been. Whatever it takes. I will take all of the pain right now if he is okay in the end."
"Who are you talking to?" Brennan looked back up the path to see Mary approaching. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Mary came around to the front of the rock and pulled herself up to sit next to Brennan. They sat there side by side looking out over the valley. "Try me?" Brennan sighed. "I was talking to God." Mary's eyebrows both went up. "Since when do you talk to God?" Brennan felt a little sheepish. "Since this morning? I was thinking about how it's Sunday morning and that Booth would be going to church if we were home. I'm desperate Mary. Even though I don't believe…he does. So what could it hurt? I just had a little conversation with him."
Mary put her hand over Brennan's. "I think that's nice. Did it bring you a little bit of peace?" Brennan thought about it. "Yes. I think it did. I just want him to be okay Mary. I would even accept it if something has happened and he's gone off me. As long as he's okay and will be able to return to Parker." Mary turned to her and pulled her into a hug. "Oh Temperance. That man loves you so much. I can't imagine he would do that to you. Just cut off contact with no warning? No. From everything you've told me, he's not that kind of man." Brennan leaned her head on Mary's shoulder. "But then, where is he?"
With Mary's help, she somehow got through the day. Just before midnight, she was sitting at her desk with her laptop open just in case the call came through. She wasn't surprised when there was no call, but she sat there with no desire to move to her bed. She knew she wouldn't sleep. She was sitting with her eyes closed when the unmistakable tone of an incoming call startled her. As she opened her eyes, she felt a spark of the joy that had been lost for the last week. But her heart dropped when she saw the screen. The call was coming from Rebecca. As her hand moved to accept the call, she hoped that it was actually Rebecca and not Parker.
"Hello Temperance. Do you have any idea why Seeley missed his call with Parker today? I told him I was sure it wasn't anything. Brent took him out for an ice cream so I could talk to you in private." Brennan was sure that Rebecca could see the strain on her face. "I don't know, Rebecca. He missed our call on Wednesday and I haven't been able to contact him. The last time I talked to him was last Sunday. I've been frantic for days now, and I just can't image where he is."
She could see the shock on Rebecca's face. "There's no one you can contact at the base to find out?" Brennan shook her head. "I just don't know how to reach anyone. Mary and I have been trying to figure out how to contact the base, but I don't know the full names of anyone he works with. The only thing I can hang on to is that I'm his emergency contact, and I haven't heard anything." Rebecca pursed her lips. "I wonder if he has any paperwork at his apartment that might give us some contact information? He left a key with me." Brennan could see her making up her mind. "I'm going to go over there and see if I can find anything. I'll also check with one of the partners in my law firm and see if they have any ideas about contacting the military. It might be difficult on a Sunday to get any answers, but I'm going to try."
"Oh Rebecca. Thank you. I feel so helpless sitting here in the middle of the jungle. I don't have the ability to make actual phone calls - just video calls through wi-fi. It really limits the way I can try to contact anyone." Rebecca nodded her understanding. "Please try not to worry too much Temperance. We'll get this figured out. I'm not going to say anything to Parker until we know something concrete." Brennan nodded. "I think that's best. Thank you Rebecca. Please call me or email me as soon as you know anything."
There was no sleeping that night. She checked her inbox every hour to see if Rebecca had anything. She did receive a couple of emails letting her know who Rebecca had reached, but no answers yet. Brennan was feeling slightly better knowing that some progress was being made.
They were SO close to their goal of starting their lives together. All their hopes and dreams couldn't be shattered this way. This was supposed to be a blip. It was supposed to be a blip.