May 2012
His head leaned down and he kissed the top of her shoulder. "Let's get you inside." She nodded silently and he pulled back to exit the vehicle. He got the wheelchair out of the back and came to the passenger side, skillfully picking her up and depositing her gently into the chair.
When he got to the base of the porch steps, he swooped her up and carried her up the steps. "It's so nice to have such a big, strong man to carry me Booth. It's kind of sexy, to be honest." He laughed and then his voice became very sultry. "I'll show you sexy tonight." That made her giggle, and she still had a big smile on her face when he set her down on the padded wooden porch bench.
After walking down to retrieve the wheelchair, he unlocked the front door and wheeled the chair into the foyer. As he carried her through the doorway, he mused. "You know, I never did carry you across the threshold when we moved in." She scoffed. "I think that particular tradition is for newly married couples Booth." He stopped and nuzzled her just below her ear. "It feels like we're married." She looked at him with a soft smile and he took the last few steps to set her down in the wheelchair.
He wheeled her through the entry hall and stopped when they reached the kitchen/living room area. "Oh Booth. It looks so wonderful. It feels like I've been gone so long." He kneeled down next to the chair and put his arm over her shoulders. "It's been almost two months, sweetheart. It's so good to have you back."
She noticed vases full of flowers on the kitchen table, the kitchen counter, and a side table in the living room and looked over at him. "You bought those flowers for me?" He kissed her temple. "Of course I did. You deserve a houseful of flowers." She chuckled and looked down at the bouquet of daffodils still in her lap. "Maybe you should also get these into water."
Booth got the daffodils into a vase and set it on the table next to the lounge chair in the living room where she would be spending a lot of time. He took her for a little tour. "Notice that I moved two of the dining chairs over to the corner, to make room for you to wheel up to the table for meals. He showed her the recliner that was situated so that she could watch tv. "We can sit and watch your 90 Day Fiancé episodes together." That made her giggle.
He took her into the guest bedroom so that she could see how he had set it up. The hospital bed was right up against the queen sized bed and he had adjusted the height so there was a smooth transition between the two beds. The safety rail on the side next to the bed had been dropped, but was up and in place on the other side.
"I figured you could move back and forth between the two beds, depending on how comfortable your leg felt." She looked up at him. "It's perfect Booth. I hope I'll be able to sleep with you, but it's good to have that option when I need it."
She decided that she needed to get into the recliner and elevate her legs for awhile. Once he had her settled and comfortable, he brought her an iced tea and some veggies to munch on. "I'm going to bring your stuff in from the car. Be right back."
When he walked in after the second trip, he saw that she was finishing up a phone call. "That was Kristi, the OT. She's on her way and will be here in about 20 minutes."
Booth came over and sat down on the end of the sofa, right next to her. "Booth. I found this on the side table. Does it represent what I think it does?" She held up a small gold item about 1 1/2 inches in length. Booth nodded. "It's a gold peanut. I found it online, and I thought it would be a nice reminder of our little peanut. I thought it might bring us some comfort while we wait until we're ready to try again."
Brennan had a sad smile. "I do want to try again. But I need to wait until I'm completely healed. I can't imagine getting used to a pregnancy changing my body while I'm still unsteady on my feet. Are you okay with that?" He stood up so he could lean over her. He placed his hands on either side of her face, kissed her, and then leaned his forehead against hers. "I'm more than okay with that. We'll wait as long as you need to."
She looked past him to the dining room table where he had placed her tote bag. "Can you go get Jasper? I put him in the zippered pocket in the tote bag." He brought it over to her and she placed the small metal pig on the table next to the peanut. "I think this is a good spot for both of them while I'm recovering."
Kristi arrived soon after. She was a pretty blonde woman around the same age as Brennan. She explained to them that an Occupational Therapist helps a recovering patient to move around safely in their environment and learn to manage daily tasks.
Booth lifted Brennan from the recliner to the wheelchair and they followed Kristi around the house. She was impressed with how Booth had set up the different areas for her - removing the chairs to allow her to sit at the dining room table, the recliner in a good spot by the wall so that she could see what was happening in the open area of the house as well as watch tv.
But she was most impressed by how he had set up the two beds together in the guest room. "I like the way it's set up so you can easily slide over to the hospital bed when you feel the need to have your legs elevated. One thing I can recommend that might help you spend longer periods of time in the regular bed would be to purchase a leg elevation pillow."
She pulled out her iPad and showed them the pillow on Amazon. They all agreed that it would be helpful to have. "There's another good use for this pillow. Instead of always sitting in the recliner, this would allow you to spend time on the sofa. Seeley could pull the ottoman over for you, place this pillow on top, and you would have even more elevation that you get in the recliner."
Their last stop was in the bathroom, where Seeley explained how he lifted her onto the toilet from the wheelchair. And how she was wearing long skirts and going commando since there was no easy way to remove her underwear. Kristi thought that was the best solution. They talked about how things might change the following week when she would be able to stand, but still would not be able to put all of her weight on the legs. They decided that Michael, the PT, would be the best person to lead her through the next couple of weeks until she could have 50% weight on each leg. "That will be a huge change for you Temperance. It will be like you've been set free. I suspect that you will want to push forward and try to get ahead of schedule. But you need to have patience."
She heard Booth snort behind her. She turned to look at him. "Patience isn't her strong suit?" Brennan jumped in. "Hey! I'm right here. I can be patient when it's important." Kristi smiled at her. "Well, I know that you are very knowledgeable about human anatomy - and especially the bones in the body. Just remember that putting too much pressure on that ankle could cause the bones to break again. And putting too much weight on the other leg before your doctor advises could affect the stability of the new tendon. You wouldn't want to start all over with additional surgery and recovery from either of those injuries."
She put her hand on Kristi's arm. "Thank you for reminding me of the consequences Kristi. I will remind myself every time I think maybe I can do something that I haven't been cleared for. I know I'm a headstrong person, but I understand better than most what a fragile state I'm in at the moment." She looked up at Booth standing behind her wheelchair. "Booth - you're going to have to remind me when I get frustrated and forget."
He brought both arms down to hug her from behind while he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Don't worry Bones - I'll keep you in line." Brennan rolled her eyes at Kristi, who let out a laugh.
They turned to the shower, and she was pleased that Booth had purchased a shower chair. She gave them suggestions on a couple of other purchases they could make that would hold her shampoo, soap, and other items to have them in reach of the chair. That included an item to hang the handheld shower head. "After lifting her from the wheelchair to the shower chair, she will be able to handle everything herself until she needs you to lift her back into the wheelchair. It will give her back some of the autonomy that she's lost recently."
Brennan loved hearing that and said that they would go online and purchase all of her suggestions right away. Kristi did have a warning for Booth. "Realize that lifting her out of the shower won't be as easy as any of the other times you've been lifting her. She will be wet, so therefore slippery. And the floor of the shower will be wet, and therefore slippery. So be very careful - she doesn't need you injuring yourself."
Booth nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe I should get one of those rubber mats for the shower floor?" Kristi thought for a few seconds. "Yes, that would be helpful. But really - just laying a dry towel on the wet shower floor also works. A lot of my patients do that very successfully."
She told them that it would be best to have Booth lift her onto the shower chair until she had the go ahead for 50% weight on each leg. "Trying to get over the lip of the shower with the walker before then would be too dangerous. When you get the 50-50 okay, Michael will take you through all of the strategies for daily living. But anytime you have questions, just call me. I'll leave my business card. In fact, the first time you take a shower using the walker, I would be happy to come out and assist you to make sure you can get into and out of the shower safely."
Booth wheeled her back to the living room and they all sat down while Kristi reviewed everything they had discussed. She left them with a list of the suggestions, as well as an aluminum grabber. "You may not think you will ever need this, but trust me. It can really come in handy." Booth looked over at Brennan and smiled while he muttered. "Granny." She stuck her tongue out at him.
As she got up to leave, they both thanked her profusely. "I think you two will be just fine. I'm very impressed with how much thought Seeley has put into setting up the house to keep you comfortable. Now, just make sure you adhere to Michael's plan and you will be on your feet before you know it."
After Kristi left, Brennan decided that she needed a nap. "This has been a lot of activity in one day Booth. I need to start building up my stamina." Booth walked over to the wheelchair and dropped a kiss on top of her head as he squeezed her shoulder. "You do look wiped out. Let's get you into the hospital bed and make you comfortable. While you're sleeping, I'll start on dinner."
He lifted her onto the bed and pulled over the thick, super soft blanket that she loved. He tucked it all around her and used the remote to raise the foot of the bed to make her legs comfortable. He leaned down and gave her a long, sweet kiss. "Have a good sleep. Let me know if you need anything. If I don't hear you, call my cell phone." He winked at her as he was walking backward out of the room.
The nap gave her just the rejuvenation she needed, and when Booth wheeled her to the kitchen, she realized she was starving. He had the table all set with their nicest dinnerware and crystal - with the bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece. He had made a salad with all of her favorite ingredients, and eggplant parmigiana - one of their favorite vegetarian meals that he enjoyed just as much as she did.
They each had a crystal goblet filled with ice water, and another containing the wine he had chosen for the meal. "This looks wonderful Booth! I haven't had a meal like this since before the accident. And I'm so glad I was able to stop all of the pain meds a few weeks ago. Now I can have a glass of wine."
They both enjoyed the dinner and then he suggested they watch some tv. "I've recorded several episodes of your favorite new show - just waiting for you to watch."
After he wheeled her over to the living room area, she asked if she could sit on the sofa instead of the recliner. "I want to cuddle with you Booth. We've been apart for far too long." He readily agreed and pulled the ottoman over. He was able to set her legs on top of several pillows he had placed on the ottoman to give her the proper elevation, and then sat down putting his arm around her and pulling them close together.
They watched a couple of episodes of the show and laughed at many of the antics of the couples trying to blend their disparate cultures together. They had watched several episodes together at the rehab center and were by now well acquainted with the various couples highlighted on the show. It was fun for them to bicker about what they thought would happen next and see who predicted correctly. Booth couldn't believe his scientist girlfriend had become hooked on reality television. Brennan couldn't believe she had gotten hooked on this show - but consoled herself with the fact that she needed something to distract herself while bedridden for so many weeks.
While they watched, they were snuggled up on the sofa together, but at one point Booth wanted more. So he reached over, picked her up, and deposited her in his lap. It was a position that they both enjoyed - her tush in his lap and her legs draped across his leg. It gave them the perfect angle to have long make-out sessions - and most of the time they led to an extensive round of lovemaking.
It was no different this night. He had been holding himself in check all afternoon and evening because he wanted to make her comfortable on her first day home. But he couldn't hold out any longer. And he quickly realized she couldn't either.
"Make love to me Booth." She didn't need to ask a second time, and he gently stood up cradling her in his arms. He took her to the bedroom, laid her on the big bed, and began to gently remove her walking boot and brace. He stepped back and quickly removed his clothing while she pulled her dress up and over her head.
He knelt on the bed and gently moved her legs apart so he could kneel between them. The entire time, he was cognizant of the conversation with the surgeon about starting slowly and gently.
As he gazed down at her beautiful naked body, he gave thanks for the second chance he had been given to make love to this amazing woman who owned his heart. He slowly lowered his body down to hers until their lips were inches apart. "Are you good?" She gave a slight nod and smiled. "I'm more than good Booth. My whole body is buzzing in anticipation."
She saw the smile on his lips just as they met hers in a long slow passionate kiss. His tongue ran across her lips and they instantly opened to pull him into her. Their tongues danced around together as if they were in a slow, sensuous tango. His body started to feel boneless and settled down onto hers as if they were trying to merge their bodies into one.
His lips finally left hers and began a slow journey down her throat to her chest as both of her hands held his head, her fingers running through his hair. When he reached her breast, he pulled the erect nipple into his mouth and she let out a loud moan. "Oh God Booth. I've missed this so much."
He looked up her body to her face and smiled as he moved to the other nipple. "I've missed these so much." He attacked the second nipple with his mouth and tongue, while massaging the first one with his fingers. Her laughter turned into another, louder moan.
When he started to move his lips down toward her belly, she used her hands to pull his head up. "Please Booth. There's plenty of time for long bouts of foreplay. We've waited too long. I'm more than ready."
He pushed his hands into the mattress and raised his body up. "Oh, I've been ready for days Bones. I've had a continuous erection since the day I knew you would be home soon."
She laughed as he levered himself up so he was looking down to her face. "Well, then prove it to me big guy."
He came down on her again and resumed the tongue tangling kiss they had begun moments before. After a minute or so he raised his head. "Are you still okay? You'll let me know if I put any pressure on your legs?" She nodded her assent and he reached down to move his rock hard erection to her entrance.
As he began to enter her, she let out a long sigh. He buried his face into her neck and felt like his body might burst into flames with the sensations running through his body and the emotions running through his mind.
He had to hold his instincts in check, and very slowly continued the journey as deep as possible into her body. When he was buried to the hilt, he stopped and just let the feelings wash over both of them. She started panting and found that she couldn't form words. It was all too overwhelming. The one thought that ran through both of their minds was that it was reminiscent of their first time together. Like finally taking a breath after holding it in for a very long time.
He eventually found that he could no longer be still, and began to withdraw, only to slowly push all the way back in. He set up a slow rhythm and raised his head to look at her. "You okay?" Her eyes were closed and she couldn't speak, but he saw the imperceptible nod of her head. Her hands came up and she pulled his head back down to the crook of her neck.
As he was starting to feel like he might lose control, he began to feel the signs he knew well - that she was about to unravel. Her panting was getting stronger and louder - and then he felt her fall over the cliff. Her body stiffened and he felt her vagina begin to pulse uncontrollably. That was all that was necessary to send him off and he shouted her name as his body instinctively pushed far into her to explode.
It took them both several minutes to pull themselves together. He had dropped all of his weight onto her and started to move to relieve her of the pressure. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back down. "No Booth. Don't leave. You're fine. My legs are good." He felt relief and settled back down, still inside of her.
"I want to feel you inside me. I'm not ready to let you go." He smiled and kissed her sweetly. "I'm not going anywhere Temperance. We can do this again and again, anytime we want. It's kinda great, eh?" That made her chuckle. "I sometimes think back to a few years ago when I never imagined that we would ever be together. It IS pretty great."
They both had the best sleep they had had in months. Halfway through the night, Booth woke up to feel her moving away from him. "Go back to sleep Booth. I'm just going to scoot over to the hospital bed so I can elevate my legs."
He had set up the two beds together so that she could easily move from one to the other, but he wanted to help her, so he put his arms under her and lifted her to the middle of the smaller bed. She hit the button on the remote to raise the legs and he kissed her forehead before settling back on the larger bed. He rolled over on his side and positioned himself right at the edge so he could drape his arm across her waist. If they had to be in two separate beds, he wanted to be able to keep the physical contact.
They were both overjoyed the next morning to wake up next to each other, but there wasn't time to dawdle since Michael was scheduled for her first PT appointment that morning.
After assisting her in the bathroom with a sponge bath, he helped her get dressed and wheeled her into the living room so she could watch the morning news shows. He left her there while he ran upstairs and took a quick shower.
They had a quick, simple breakfast of cereal and fresh fruit, and he had time to clean up the kitchen before Michael arrived.
Michael was a lanky man in his 40s and they pretty quickly realized that he was well qualified to handle her complicated recovery. Brennan was the third patient he had worked with after patellar tendon surgery, but the complication of the healing ankle had him doing some research prior to this first session.
He went over the exercises she had been doing in the rehab facility, and gave her a list of the ones he wanted her to continue. He then worked with her on some new ones that the surgeon had approved. "The exercises you've been doing are mostly isometric, but now the surgeon says you're ready to push into strengthening your legs - especially the quad on the right leg. But we have to take it slowly and gradually build the intensity."
The three of them went over the way they were handling her movements. Either using the transfer board or Booth picking her up to get into bed. Booth picking her up to set her on the toilet and into the recliner.
"When I'm back on Monday we will attempt to get you on your feet for the first time. This will be a technique called 'toe touch'. This is when you can put 25% of your weight on your right leg. Normally, the other 75% would be on the good leg, but, unfortunately, you don't currently have a 'good' leg."
Booth and Brennan both looked confused about what that meant. "I've looked over the surgeon's recommendations. He doesn't feel comfortable with you putting 75% on that healing ankle quite yet. So, for the next two weeks, we will have to take this slowly and carefully. I only want you taking a few steps at a time using the walker. We'll practice taking these couple of steps to move from the bed to the wheelchair. To go from the wheelchair to the toilet. From the wheelchair to the recliner. You can put that 75% weight on the left ankle for the fraction of a second while you reposition the walker, but then put the majority of your weight on your arms as you push down on the grips on the walker. We'll work that all out next week. We might not be able to do too much on Monday, because you haven't been on your feet for eight weeks now. But I'll get you used to it, and we'll do what we can."
Michael could see that they were a little crestfallen hearing about the limitations she would be dealing with. He leaned over and placed his hand on Brennan's arm. "If you follow my directions, I can pretty much guarantee that I will have you on your feet and walking all over the house two weeks from Monday."
That got a smile from her. "Okay. I will let you lead the way. I've been bedridden for two months now, so I guess I can accept these limitations for another two weeks. I'm just so thrilled that my bedpan days are done!"
Michael chuckled at that. "Once we get you walking with the walker, not only no bedpans, but you will be able to use the toilet with no help whatsoever." She smiled at Booth. "Thank goodness. It will be good to finally have some privacy while I defecate." Booth shook his head and Michael laughed.
After he was gone, Booth sat down across from her wheelchair and took her hands in his. "Two more weeks and you'll be walking Bones. This is big sweetheart. You're home, we've resumed our lovemaking, and you'll soon be on your feet and walking."
They were both smiling as they leaned toward each other and shared a sweet kiss.