March 2012

Tuesday night wasn't much easier than the previous night. She woke several times in pain and found it difficult to fall back asleep right away. During one of those wakeful times, a nurse came in to give her another dose of her pain medication. "How have you been sleeping tonight?" At Brennan's sigh, she placed her hand gently on her patient's shoulder as she turned to look at the clock on the wall behind her.

"Ah! 3AM. My mother had two knee replacements in the last year. She is in a group with other knee replacement patients - they call themselves 'warriors'. And they all spend some time in what they call the '3AM Club'. I suspect your injury will mimic what they experience."

Brennan looked at her with sad eyes. "How long will I keep having these sleepless nights?" The nurse patted her shoulder again. "It will get easier honey. This is just your second night after surgery. I suspect you will have trouble sleeping for the next few weeks, but it will start to get better. I would recommend that you just lean into it. If you can't sleep, pick up something to read until you start to feel sleepy again. You can take naps off and on during the day to catch up. Just relax and don't fight it and it will be easier. If you've always been a good sleeper, you will be again - this is only temporary."

Brennan nodded and felt a calmness inside. "3AM Club, eh?" The nurse let out a chuckle and gave her a thumbs up as she left the room.

She didn't have anything handy to read, so she put the head of her bed back down and closed her eyes. She realized that Booth hadn't awakened during the time she and the nurse were softly talking, and figured he must be catching up on the sleep he had missed in the days since the accident. As she lay there, she could hear his rhythmic breathing and it calmed her like nothing else could. That was the last thought she had until she woke to see the sun coming in through the window.

She looked to her left and saw Booth lying on his side staring at her. "Good morning sleepyhead. I only heard you awake a few times last night."

She smiled at him. "It wasn't too bad, but I'm getting used to it. I had a little conversation with the nurse in the middle of the night and she acknowledged that the waking up all night is normal. I felt better when she said that, even though it will be this way for a few weeks, it WILL get better. 'This too shall pass'. I have to keep remembering that."

Brennan had just finished her breakfast when Dr Banks walked in the room. A younger man entered behind him wheeling a wheelchair with a wooden board sitting across the seat. "Good morning Temperance! How are you feeling this morning?"

She told him that she was still having issues with sleeping through the night, and that her pain was being kept at a tolerable level. He reached her bedside and assured her that it would start getting better a little bit every day.

She was looking excitedly at the wheelchair. "I'm getting out of this bed today?" Dr Banks chuckled. "Well, just for a little while. This is Jerome - he's an in-house Physical Therapist. We're going to workshop the best technique to get you out of that bed and into the wheelchair."

Jerome stepped over to the bed and shook her hand. "Dr Banks originally was going to have Seeley here lift you into the chair, but he decided it wasn't a good idea due to his healing shoulder." He looked across the bed to Booth, who nodded in agreement. "So, we're going to see if you can navigate this transfer board."

But first, Dr Banks wanted to see how her incision was healing. He carefully peeled off the dressing and was pleased with what he saw. "You two want to see how many staples you have?" They were both surprised at the long row of tightly packed staples. As he reset the dressing, he said that he would be removing them when they saw him at the six-week mark.

They got her ready to leave the bed and Jerome explained the technique for using the slide board to get her into the wheelchair. The fact that she had good upper body strength was a big factor in her being able to handle the maneuver. The doctor and Jerome showed Seeley his part in the transfer - he needed to hold her right leg out straight until she was in the seat and they could raise the leg rests.

When they saw how smoothly the transfer went, they told him that he would be able to get her into and out of the wheelchair himself. But they insisted that the next couple of times, that he call a nurse or an aide into the room to make sure they didn't get in trouble. Once they had it down pat, he would be able to handle it on his own.

Brennan sat in the chair with a big smile on her face - she was so happy to have this little sliver of normalcy. Booth came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "You are beaming sweetheart. The first step on the road to healing." She brought her hands up to squeeze his and dropped a kiss on the back of his hand.

Dr Banks and Jerome stood smiling as they watched them. "Okay, let's get her out of this room for a bit. I think we'll go down to the waiting room at the end of the hall. It has a nice city view for her." They all thanked Jerome for his help, and Booth wheeled her down the hall following the doctor.

Booth was able to carefully maneuver her up to the round table. It was a little tricky because both legs stuck straight out in the leg rests. She asked the doc if her leg in the cast needed to be elevated. "It's not necessary, because you can bend that one, but if you're going to be sitting for awhile, it's best to elevate it to keep the swelling down." She nodded in understanding.

Booth pulled up a chair to sit right beside her. Dr Banks pulled a notebook out of his bag and tore off the top sheet, sliding it over to the couple. "Now, this is an estimate of the milestones that we can expect in your recovery. Based on how well you're healing, I may make some adjustments. I'll also be guided by the reports from your physical therapists.

This was the timeline written on the sheet of paper:

Apr 16 (5 weeks) 40 degree bend

Apr 23 (6 weeks) cast off - walking boot on

Apr 30 (7 weeks) 90 degree bend

May 7 (8 weeks) 25% weight - walk with walker

May 21 (10 weeks) 50% weight

Jun 4 (12 weeks) 100% weight

Jun 18 (14 weeks) move from walker to cane

"The first milestone will be at 5 weeks when I'll have the therapist adjust your brace from 0 to 40 degrees. A week later, I'll see you in my office and, if everything looks good, I'll remove the cast and give you a walking boot that can be removed when you sleep."

She smiled at that, but the doctor warned her. "Now, a walking boot doesn't mean you can walk. Most patients would be able to start slowly walking at that point, but in your case, it would have to hold 100% of your weight. The ankle will be too vulnerable, so I won't be able to let you put weight on it."

"Notice that a week later, your brace will be unlocked to go to 90 degrees bend. At that point Seeley would be able to lift and carry you without needing someone to support your leg. That will give you much more freedom. At 8 weeks you will be able to put 25% of your weight on the right leg. At that point you will be able to walk very short distances with a walker. Your PT will evaluate you and show you how to gauge the 25% and how much weight can go on the left leg. We probably won't want you taking more than a dozen or so steps without stopping to sit for a minute. Once you're at 50% weight, you will be able to walk all over the house in that walker. That will be a big day for you."

Brennan was slightly crestfallen at the number of weeks it would take before she was on her feet, but at least there was a plan. She was good with a plan. Booth, sitting beside her, could feel her letdown. He put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her to him. "We'll get through it Bones. Together." She looked at him, and the encouragement in his eyes calmed her. She nodded. "Together." He leaned over and kissed her on the temple before they turned back to Dr Banks.

Booth voiced the question that was most on his mind. "When would you expect her to move back home? We could hire 24 hour nursing care if it would get her home earlier."

Dr Banks looked at the timeline again. "I can't see it happening before 7 weeks. Nursing care isn't really an option. You would be paying professionals to sit somewhere in your home all day when the only reason you needed them would be to administer a bedpan 4-5 times per day. We could possibly get her home a little earlier if you wanted to handle the bedpan."

Brennan immediately shook her head. "No. I don't want to do that." Dr Banks chuckled. "I understand. I wouldn't let my wife do it either if I were in that situation. But at 7 weeks, Seeley, when she has that 90 degree bend, you would be able to carry her to the toilet. Of course, you would have to be able to be there 24/7 until she can walk there herself in the walker."

He told them that she would need to transfer to a rehab facility by the end of the week. They asked him for a recommendation, and he gave them the name of the one he considered the best in Washington. He said they would have to pay part of the cost because it was more expensive than what insurance would cover.

He got up to leave and squeezed her shoulder telling her to hang in there. She and Booth decided to stay in the room for a bit. He had his arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head into him. He spoke softly. "We'll get through this Bones. There is nothing we can't handle together."

About 10 minutes later, Max and Russ walked into the room. "There you are baby girl! Look at you, out of bed and everything!" They were so happy seeing her looking more like the daughter and sister they knew. The four of them sat around the table for the next hour talking about the recovery timeline and goings-on in the family. Russ told them a couple of stories about the trials and tribulations of raising pre-teen girls, and all three of them loved seeing the smile on Brennan's face as she felt herself fall back into the arms of her family.

Brennan started yawning, and Booth decided it was time to get her back to her room. He followed the doctor's directions and asked a nurse to supervise the transfer back to bed. Max and Russ were thrilled to see how easily she was able to use the transfer board to get from wheelchair to bed, with Booth protecting her leg. The nurse gave her the next dose of painkillers, and Max and Russ said their goodbyes. They told her they would see her again the next day.

She slept for the next couple of hours and Booth spent part of the time dozing in the chair in the corner. Rebecca called to say she was on her way to pick up Parker from school and asked if she could bring him by. Booth was excited to see his son and he knew Bones would be too. When Parker walked in the room, he ran over to the bed and jumped on her, throwing his arms around her neck.

Booth tried to grab him. "Hey, watch it buddy. She's still healing." Brennan had a big smile on her face as she hugged him. "He's fine Booth. I've missed you so much Parker." Parker pulled back to look in her face. "I've missed you too. Are you going to get better? Can you walk yet?"

Brennan smiled at him and brushed his curls away from his face. "I'm going to be fine Parker. It will take a little while, but I'll be fine. But it will be a few months before I can walk. My legs have to heal up first."

He examined the cast on one leg and the big, heavy brace on the other. He looked up at her. "That's so cool! You look like the Six Million Dollar Man!" That made everyone laugh, and Brennan explained the reasons for the devises on her right and left legs. "I am going to count on you to be my helper during my recovery." Parker was enthusiastic about that plan, but disappointed that there was nothing for him to do yet.

When Rebecca announced it was time to leave so Temperance could rest, there were hugs and kisses for both Brennan and Booth, and the room seemed quiet and empty after he was gone.

Brennan lay back and closed her eyes. "I got a text from Angela that she was coming by after work. I think I have an hour or so to take a little nap." He walked over and kissed her closed eyelids. "You rest up honey. I'll be here. And I'll leave you girls to yourselves while she's here. I think I'll run home and get a shower."

Her eyes were still closed, but she scrunched up her nose. "Good idea." He laughed. "I get no respect." He leaned down and dropped another kiss on her cheek before retiring to the chair and pulling out his laptop.

When Angela arrived, there were lots of tears shed by both women, and Booth was glad he had decided to leave. It was enough to deal with one crying woman, but two of them was enough to send him running for the hills.

He got his shower and shared a beer with the boys before returning to the hospital. After Angela left, Brennan talked about how good it was to see everyone, but how exhausted she was. They both slept really well that night, although Brennan had to chuckle when she woke up and saw that it was exactly 3:00. She had taken the nurse's suggestion and had reading material on the nightstand. It worked - by 3:30 her eyes were closing and she was able to fall back asleep.

On Thursday, she had the last visit from Max and Russ, as they were flying home that afternoon. Booth got her into the wheelchair again, and since it was a beautiful day, they all took her out walking on the hospital grounds. The fresh air was a balm for her soul (even though she didn't believe in souls). But it also tired her out - so the boys said their goodbyes and she went down for a long nap.

Friday was moving day to the rehab center. It was an unsettling day for both of them. They were excited that they were taking the next step, but it was going to upend their routine. Booth would no longer be able to stay with her overnight. They had a long discussion and eventually decided that Booth would go back to work part time. He would come after lunch and spend the afternoon and early evening with her before going back to sleep at the house.

It made sense for him to work part time because he would need to take a leave lasting several months once she came home and he was needed there 24 hours a day. He was going to bring her laptop to the facility, and she hoped to persuade Cam to let her do some work in the mornings. She could use the laptop to examine bones when the interns needed her. And she even hoped to do remote work on some of the remains in Limbo.

It took most of the day Friday to complete the discharge and arrange the transfer. She would need to be transferred to the rehab facility by ambulance, and Booth would follow in the car behind.

As they wheeled her through the halls, the place seemed cheery enough, but when she reached her room, it felt a little dark. The aides explained that after the sun went down, residents usually kept the lights dim, but she was welcome to turn the brightness up.

Booth could see the uncertainty on her face, and he took the remote control and bumped the brightness up a few degrees. He helped her get all settled in and sat with her until it was getting late. Neither of them wanted him to leave, but he knew he had to do it. He finally got up and took her hand in his. "I'm sorry honey, but if I don't leave now, I'll end up spending the night in that chair."

She looked at the chair and back to him. "Oh no Booth. That would be really bad for your back. You really need to finally sleep in a real bed." He leaned down and gave her a long kiss. "I love you Temperance. We'll get through this, but I'm counting the days until I get you back home." She caressed his face. "I love you too Booth."

He exited the room quickly so that she couldn't see the tears that he was able to hold until he was out the door. As he walked down the hall, the tears streaked down his face, and he wondered if he would get any sleep that night.

She had also held her tears, but after he was far enough down the hall that she could no longer hear his footsteps, her tears came out in great sobs. She tried to be as quiet as possible, because the last thing she wanted was a nurse or aide coming into the room to comfort her. She felt so, so alone. The days stretched out before her. She knew she needed to keep looking toward the future - for the time she would be back to full health. But this night, alone in this sterile room, she just couldn't see that far.