On Brennan's first break from her nightlong bedside vigil, Cam slipped into the Booth's dark, beeping ICU room.

His hand remained limp when she picked it up and firmly clasped it between hers; a striking resemblance to the intensity of his feelings compared to hers (oh irony), when she had asked him for more than she was allowed to have.

Her smile turned rueful—because yes, as usual, the good ones were either gay or taken—before her jaw tightened, remembering flashes of this dreadful evening.

Flash. Brennan performing. Flash. Booth bleeding. Flash. Brennan frantic.

Foregoing platitudes about his son's need for him, or her own, she found the courage to face her own music.

Taking a deep breath, she began to tell him what had been weighing on her mind, faux bravado masking the emotion that constricted her throat as she threatened him, "You better heed my words, Seeley, or I will kick your ass. You can't leave Brennan, you hear. Tonight, seeing the ever prim and professional Doctor Brennan on that stage, singing and dancing and jumping like a kid, it made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt."

"And my heart too…" she added a little breathlessly.

Swallowing thickly, Cam continued,. "Seeley, you never looked at me like that. Which is why…"

Sigh. This was the hardest part, but also the truest, and that won out.

"…You have to wake up and come back and not break her heart."

She squeezed his hands once more, as if it would further her message, and for one brief moment caught herself holding her breath to see if he magically opened his eyes suddenly. Of course he didn't. Silly.

Then she replaced his hand, with a satisfied nod that stemmed from the victory of kindness over pride, and slipped out again.

Note: You can just see SEETamara Taylor kicking ass with a scene like this, can't you? Such a fabulous actress with an amazingly expressive face, and I can't help but feel they really haven't been using her full potential.

Anyway, this stemmed from catching a flash of Cam in the background in 'Wannabe etc', doubled over in laughter at seeing Brennan on that stage; I thought her reaction was hilarious, but seeing as everyone EVERYONE noticed the pure, unadulterated adoration Booth displayed, it got me thinking that it might be a little painful for Cam as well, to be confronted with that. But Cam is a better woman than to sit and sulk.