Author's Note: I'm really sorry it's been so long between updates, but my mom has been in the hospital and recovering at home, so I haven't had any spare time to even think of doing any writing. Now that she's feeling better, I'm going to try to finish this fic and "Tough Decisions." I hope that a few of you are still with me. Let me know if you want another chapter. Thanks.

When Angela emerged from Booth's room, she saw Jack and Zack standing at the nurse's station and walked over to meet them. She was still smiling about the way Brennan had kissed Booth. It was amazing what momentous events could happen in the time it took for valet parking.

"How's Booth?" Jack asked. "I take it from the pleased smile on your face that there's not too much wrong with him."

"Actually, he's got a serious bullet wound in his side so they're keeping him in for a few more days, but other than that he's fine," Angela replied smugly. She thought of the last view she'd had of Booth and Brennan and grinned. "Better than fine, actually. We can visit him tomorrow."

"That doesn't make sense. How can he be 'better than fine' if he has a serious bullet wound?" Zack asked with a puzzled expression.

"The fact that Brennan's still in there with him with the door closed is a good sign, though," Jack said, grinning back at Angela. He put an arm around her waist and said, "What do you say we go out for dinner and celebrate?"

"Celebrate what?" Zack asked. "Booth will hopefully recover, but he's still suffering from a serious wound. That's not usually a reason to party."

"Let's just say that his personal life just took a huge turn for the better and leave it at that, shall we? I agree that we should go out and celebrate. Jack's buying. I'll go tell Bren," Angela laughed, thinking that all her attempts at meddling in friends' lives should work out so well. Maybe she had a future in couples' counseling like Sweets.

When Angela knocked on the door and stuck her head in again, Brennan didn't even look up from her chair beside the bed. She was holding Booth's hand very tightly in both of hers.

"Sweetie, we're going to Morton's to grab a bite to eat. Do you want us to bring you something?"

"No thanks, Ange," Brennan replied. "I'm not hungry."

"What time do you want us to come back for you, sweetie?" Angela asked.

"Don't bother coming back for me, Ange," Brennan answered. "I'll grab a cab back to my car. Goodnight"

"OK, sweetie, will do," Angela responded cheerfully. She looked at Booth. "You get well soon, G-Man. Remember, you've got more important things to do than spend all your time flat on your back in a hospital bed! You've still got to come up with a 'fall back plan!' In the meantime, take care of yourself. The rest of us will see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, thanks. Good night, Angela," Booth said absently, not even acknowledging the fact that Angela had referred to their earlier conversation about "The Kiss." Considering what had happened since then, the morning seemed like a very long time ago. Instead, he was staring at the top of Bones' head, trying to figure out if she was OK, and wishing he could hold her in his arms the way he always did when she was upset. Neither he nor Brennan noticed when Angela closed the door.

Angela breezed back down the hall and found Jack and Zack in the waiting area, watching the news on TV.

"Booth was all over the local news," Zack said.

"Yeah, they interviewed the guard, and he said Booth wouldn't have gotten shot if he hadn't tried to keep the guard from getting shot. Typical Booth," Jack said with a smile.

"And we wouldn't want him any other way," Angela said, smiling back. Then she grabbed Jack's arm and turned toward the exit.

"Well boys, don't just stand there," she cried with mock impatience. "We need to find a table at the best restaurant in town! Jack, start throwing your Cantilever weight around, because only the best will do. This is an historic night!"

After Angela left them alone again, Brennan looked up at Booth. He was beginning to look like he was having trouble staying awake, but he was obviously waiting for her to continue. He squeezed her hand and gave her an encouraging look, so she took a deep breath and tried again.

"What happened today has really made me think. I know this isn't the first time you've been seriously hurt, but this time it's different. To me anyway. It's like I feel a greater sense of urgency to take action that I didn't feel before."

She paused, trying to think of the right words, wishing she could be more like other people when it came to explaining how she felt. She decided it would be easier if she didn't look at Booth's face. She looked down at their entwined hands instead.

"I know this will seem like a non sequitur, but I had a professor once that I admired a lot. Not because he was an expert in his field, although he was, but because I thought that he was a wise man. He used to say you should try to go through life without having any regrets, especially for things you wish you had done but didn't have the courage to do, because once your time is up you don't get a second chance."

Booth was listening intently to what Bones was saying, but he didn't understand what she was trying to say. Usually, unless she was spouting a bunch of incomprehensible scientific jargon, he had no problem grasping whatever point she was trying to make, but not today. The painkillers must be slowing him down a little. He was happy just to be alive and able to lie here and watch her beautiful face as she spoke and remember what it had felt like when she kissed him. As for what she was saying, no doubt if it was something important, she'd remind him about it tomorrow. But just as his eyelids were dropping down over his eyes, the last part of what she said caught his attention. There was something that Bones hadn't had the courage to do and she had regrets.

Booth struggled to keep his eyes open. He wanted to know what she meant, but it would have to wait until tomorrow. He finally lost his battle with the drugs and fell asleep, unaware that Brennan hadn't finished. Brennan, determined to tell Booth everything, didn't notice and kept talking.

"I think that for a long time you and I have both wanted to try to have a closer relationship, but we haven't had the courage because we're afraid of losing what we have. I don't know how you feel about that right now, but when my time comes I don't want my last thought to be regret that I never tried to have something more with you."

When Booth didn't say anything, Brennan finally looked at him for a response, only to find that he was fast asleep.

"The least you could do is stay awake until I finished talking!" she thought, upset that now she would have to get up the courage to tell him all over again. But she couldn't really hold it against him. Even in sleep, there were lines of pain and exhaustion on his face that hadn't been there before. She looked at her watch and saw it was almost six. It seemed impossible that she had only gotten to the hospital an hour ago. She thought about getting something to eat, but didn't really feel hungry. She poured herself a cup of water from the carafe on Booth's bedside table, and decided to just sit by Booth's bed until he woke up or the hospital kicked her out, whichever came first. After more than an hour had passed, she began to feel stiff sitting in one position, and moved around trying to get comfortable. It was obvious that hospital chairs were not meant to be conducive to long term sitting. Finally, she grabbed an extra pillow from the other chair and put it on the edge of the bed. She placed her elbows under the pillow and leaned her head on it. She would just rest a little while waiting for Booth to wake up.

Several hours later, the first thing Booth became aware of was someone's breathing close by. He thought he recognized the scent of Bones' soap and breathed it in. He opened his eyes and there she was, smiling at him. He smiled back sleepily. It seemed that she hadn't been a dream after all. The unguarded expression on Booth's face brought moisture to Brennan's eyes. 'It's not his cocky smile, or his charm smile, or his amused smile,' she thought. It reminded her of Parker's smile at Christmas—warm and loving and filled with unalloyed happiness. She squeezed his hand gently.

"How do you feel? Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked, feeling awkward and not wanting to let the silence last too long. She was finding it more and more difficult not to give in to the emotional stress of the past few hours and give way to tears, but she didn't want to upset Booth. Booth was still too groggy to take in Brennan's shaky emotional state. He was just happy to see her at his side.

"Please tell me I'm not delirious with fever. No, wait, on second thought if this isn't real, I don't want to know," he said, still sounding very sleepy. "As for what you can do for me . . . you're doing it. But maybe in a day or two when I'm not as likely to leak blood all over the place, you can ask me that question again. Right now, I've got this annoying urge to go to sleep again, but I'm afraid to in case I stop dreaming. I think they gave me something."

"Painkillers," Bones said. "The nurse came in a few minutes ago and gave you some more pain medication. You're not exactly making sense, but you're definitely not dreaming..." She let go of his hand and allowed her fingers to rest lightly on his left leg as proof.

Booth's eyes had once again closed involuntarily due to the drugs, but he allowed himself to savor the feel of Brennan's touch. Unfortunately, at the moment the signals from his brain to his extremities didn't seem to be in working order. But one day in the not-too-distant future he would be able to respond to her touch the way that he wanted to. And the way he felt about her, he didn't think they'd make it out of bed for the foreseeable future. He hoped that Brennan had a lot of vacation saved up. Then again, he was almost positive that he was dreaming most of this, so he figured he'd just enjoy it while it lasted.

"Bones, I never thought I'd say this when I was in the same bedroom with you, but I don't think I can stay awake," Booth said, his speech slurred. "Promise me you'll be here when I wake up."

There was a brief pause during which Brennan had to swallow the lump in her throat. They were so very lucky that he was going to be waking up from now on.

"I promise I'll be here when you wake up," she repeated in a husky voice. "Always," she added in an almost inaudible whisper. She had never made a promise like that to anyone before, and she didn't think she had ever in her life made a promise that was more heartfelt. Booth was now fast asleep again, so Brennan found the switch on his call button, dimmed the lights, and settled back in her chair. For a little while, at least, she would be the one the watch over him. And as soon as he recovered, she'd offer to help him with his "fall back plan," whatever that was. She'd have to ask Angela. She smiled in anticipation. After all, strategic planning had always been one of her specialties.