Chapter 5: Brown Eyes
Booth sat in a chair next to the bed, watching Bones' chest fall and rise as the machine helped her breathe. Her right arm and both of her legs were all in casts. Her torso was too, to help heal her three broken ribs. Her face was covered in deep gashes and bruises. White bandages were wrapped around the upper portion of her head. A mark of crimson red was apparent on the bandages where blood from one of her head wounds had seeped through. But despite her of her injuries, to Booth, she still looked beautiful.
He picked up her left hand, which was lying by her side, and clasped it tightly between both of his. Twining his fingers with hers, he brought it to his lips. After kissing it fervently as if to wake her, he placed it back down but still kept his fingers entwined with hers. A glance at her fingers and he noticed a tan line on one of her fingers. A band of flesh that was lighter than the rest of the finger. The spot where she wore her engagement ring. Bile of self-disgust rose in his throat.
Breaking his gaze from her hand, he moved it over her body. When it landed on her stomach, his gut constricted. He quickly raised his stare to her face again.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered to her. She didn't answer. He tightened his grip on her hand. "Were you going to tell me at all?" Still no response.
When Parker was done with his rant, Booth turned to Angela. Her face was paler than before.
"What did Parker say?" he had asked Angela.
She paused before answering, "That he hates Cam."
He voice grew quieter but his anger was evident. "Angela…"
She looked back down at her lap. "That Brennan was pregnant."
His gulp was audible. "How long have you known?"
"A few days."
"When did she find out?"
Her reply was reluctant. "A few weeks ago."
Booth fell down lifelessly on a nearby chair. "Weeks," he murmured to himself. He placed his head in his hands.
Cam looked on uneasily. She didn't belong here. "I'll catch a cab back to the Jeffersonian. I'll be fine. Bye," she said quickly, before turning around and leaving the hospital as if someone was chasing her.
Everyone was quiet for several moments until Parker broke it. "Daddy?" he asked Booth timidly.
The FBI agent had forgotten that his son still there. He slowly raised his head and opened his arms. Without a word, his son went into his embrace.
"I'm sorry," came Parker's muffled apology against Booth's chest.
Booth set Parker away from him so he could look into the eyes that were identical to his own. "Why? What are you sorry for, Parker?"
The boy ducked his head. "I'm sorry for yelling at Cam. I'm sorry for not 'polgizing." Then with an angry look, he raised his head. "But I don't like her. I didn't want her here."
"I know, I know," was all Booth said before pulling Parker back into his hug.
Angela and Hodgins looked at the scene between father and son silently. Hodgins leant in and whispered something into Angela's ears to which she nodded slightly in reply. He rose and left without a word.
"I'm sorry," Angela whispered after several seconds.
Booth turned his head to look at Angela. He raised his eyebrow in inquiry.
"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."
Booth released a deep breath as he picked up his son and placed the boy on his lap. Parker turned his head into his father's neck and held onto Booth tight as if the agent would disappear. When they were both settled, Booth turned back to Angela.
"It wasn't your business to. She would've told me when she was ready." A pause before hesitantly asking, "Was she going to tell me…ever?"
Ange weakly raised her shoulder as a poor attempt at a shrug. "I don't know. I wanted her to tell you when I had first learned of it. But she was reluctant."
"Reluctant?"
"Yeah. Her feelings for you were unclear. I mean, she loved you, Booth. When you slept with Cam, you had really hurt her. She wasn't sure if she loved you or if she…hated you."
Booth's heart suffered a minor wound when he heard that she might've hated him. But he didn't hold it against Bones. After what he had done to her, her response was understandable. In fact, her response was generous. If it happened to him, there was no telling what he might've done. Bloodshed and alcohol came to mind.
Angela continued on, though a bit awkwardly. "Then she found out she was pregnant. She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to be a mother, but then she thought about the fact that it was your baby. Yours, Booth." With a lowering of her pitch, she added, "It was as if she wanted to keep a part of you with her. A part of the two of you. As a souvenir, I guess you could say."
Booth was speechless. Nothing came out of his mouth as he opened and closed it soundlessly. In fact, nothing registered in his brain. In a word, he became a statue.
When at last he found his voice, he asked hoarsely, "Did she make a decision?"
The artist nodded. "She decided to keep it."
A breath of relief was about to leave Booth when he suddenly remembered how the conversation even got started. The accident. Even though Bones had decided to keep his child, it did not survive. With a rueful smile to himself, he thought of the similarities between the child and the relationship between its parents. Both started off with a bright future ahead of them. Both were cherished by Bones. Both weren't fully appreciated by Booth; the relationship: Booth took his relationship with Bones for granted once he had her, the child: Booth had no knowledge of. Both were over.
No, both are not over. Not if I could help it, Booth thought to himself. It may be too late for the baby, but it's not too late for our relationship. I had already lost one, but I'll be damned before I lose the other.
Booth was snapped to the present when he felt vibrating against his side, which was soon followed by the ringing of his cell phone. Without breaking contact from Bones' hand, he used his other hand to reach around and pick up his phone. It was done with some difficulty.
After listening to it for a few minutes, he answered, "Yes, sir. I'll be there in twenty minutes." Booth was about to hang up when the next thing Cullen said captured his attention.
"Yes, sir, I'm with her right now."
Cullen's voice crackled through the phone. "In that case, take a few extra minutes. I won't expect you until 10:45."
Booth looked at the clock hanging on one wall of the hospital room. It read 9:57.
"I'll see you later, Booth." And with that his superior hung up the phone.
Booth spent the time, talking to Brennan about Parker's exploits. He talked about trivial things, wondering in his mind if anything he said was registering. But most of the time, he just sat there staring at her body.
He felt queasy looking at his Bones hooked up to machines. She was usually vibrant, but now with her lying in a sterile hospital bed, it was too much for him to handle. The steady beeping of her heartbeat was reminding of how close he came to losing her forever.
When it came close to when he needed to leave, he said to her form, "I'm not letting you go. Not now, not ever." He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Even if it means waiting years for you to wake up, I'm not leaving."
He planted a soft kiss on her lips, then one on her hand before leaving the room.
Angela had spent the last half an hour, standing outside the room, looking in. She didn't want to intrude on Booth's time with her best friend. She knew that she was peeking in on a private moment but she couldn't help it. She was worried about both of them.
Booth took the news of Brennan's condition hard, really hard. But he tried to mask his fear and worry and pass it off as something else, but everybody could see straight through it. That's why she worries about him. Angela wonders how much more Booth can handle before he breaks down.
After Rebecca had picked up Parker (she had actually asked about Brennan's and his own well being), he sat back down with Angela. Hodgins and Zack had left a while ago. Russ was on his way, still about an hour away.
After several moments of silence, he garnered all of his courage, turned to Angela and asked, "How bad is she?"
Booth could feel Angela tensed up. Her eyes welled up and fought to keep her voice from shaking. In a quiet voice, she asked back, "How badly do you want to know?"
He didn't like her choice of words. "Just tell me the truth." A pause, then, "How bad is she?"
Ange released a shaky breath. "Her right arm and both of her legs are broken. Three of her ribs are too. She also has several cuts and scrapes on her face. Because the car had hit on her side of the car, she got a major concussion from the impact."
Booth regarded Angela for a moment, then said quietly, "That's not all, is it? Something else is wrong."
She looked over at the agent.
"I need to know. Please, Angela," he pleaded.
Angela lost her battle against her emotions. "Her concussion is not something to take lightly, Booth. The doctor told me that her brain is pretty swelled over. She…" Angela trailed off. Her shoulders shook as she tried to stifle her loud sobs.
Booth gathered the woman close to him and hugged her to him. He squeezed her gently before setting her away and, looking her straight in the eyes, said, "Ange, I need to know."
When she was somewhat composed, Angela wiped her eyes and mumbled so low that Booth could barely hear her. "She entered a coma. Doctors don't know when she'll wake up."
That night was almost a month ago. Or to be exact, 28 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes ago. Since that moment, Booth had changed.
First he was stunned. He couldn't comprehend what he was told. When it finally cataloged in his brain, he turned angry. He was yelling at inanimate objects and kicking the chairs and hitting the walls with his fists. He threatened to kill the driver that made Brennan that way. Angela then ruined his fun when she told him that the driver died at the scene. His autopsy report showed that he was full of alcohol and drugs. The guy was a killing machine on wheels.
When anger passed, remorse set in. Booth was so deep in guilt. He felt that everything was his fault. If he hadn't slept with Cam, Brennan would've still been his partner. If she was still his partner, she would've been with him at the time of the accident. If she was with him, she wouldn't have been anywhere near that intersection. His one stupid mistake had set off a chain of events that could've been avoided if he went home with Brennan that night.
After days of not going to work and not going home, Booth finally accepted the situation. The next time Angela saw him, he was clean and shaven. But his eyes had lost the sparkle that usually resided there. His familiar air of authority and confidence weren't present. He looked like a lost man, living each day until he'd find his reason for living once again. In a way, he was.
Angela didn't tell Booth about Tempe's brush with death. She was legally dead for about fifteen minutes on the ER table as doctors tried to resuscitate her. Luckily, her heart started beating again. Telling Booth would serve no purpose. He was already suffering from his guilt. Telling him would push him even closer to the edge of the emotional and mental cliff he was on. He didn't need and couldn't take any more bad news.
Not wanting to be discovered, Angela quickly hid behind a fake plant when she saw Booth leaving the room. Luckily for her, he headed in the opposite direction. Breathing a sigh of relief, she moved from behind the plant.
When she walked into Brennan's room, she felt goose bumps appear up and down her arms. Even after a month, Ange couldn't get over the sight of her best friend in an inanimate state. Sitting down in the chair that Booth had previously occupied, she looked over her best friend's form.
Looking into Brennan's face, she whispered, "Wake up, Brennan. You need to wake up." No answer. A little bit louder, Angela said, "Bren, you need to wake up. I need you. Parker needs you. Booth needs you. Sweetie, you have to wake up."
She was walking through darkness. She couldn't find any source of light. There were no sounds. There was no smell. There was no any kind of feelings. There was nothing. Temperance felt a chill creep up her spine. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. She rubbed her arms in an attempt to ward off the cold.
Temperance kept on walking. Walking towards what? She wasn't even sure. All she knows is that she needed to keep walking. She needed to get out of the darkness and the cold. She needed to find a warm place, a place where she was safe.
"Temperance," a voice said. She looked around frantically, trying to find who spoke her name. She couldn't pinpoint the source.
"Temperance," it whispered again. This time a pair of warm brown eyes appeared in front of her. It was gentle and caring, not cold. She felt comforted by the sight of it.
She stepped towards the eyes, but they moved backwards. She tried again, and again it moved further out of her reach. For every step forward she took, the pair of eyes moved backwards. She ran towards them, but they seem to get further and further away. She kept running towards them as fast as she can, but she couldn't catch up.
She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. She was bent at her waist, her hands on her knees as she took deep breaths. When she was somewhat composed, she straightened up again only to find that the eyes were nowhere to be found.
She turned her head this way and that but there was no sight of it. The chill was beginning to return.
"Temperance."
She quickly looked around. When she had at last found them, the eyes were floating near an opening. An opening of what, she couldn't tell, but light was shining through. Intrigued, she walked towards it. She was glad to see that the eyes weren't moving away as she walked closer.
She stopped at the portal, looking in. Warmth and comfort floated out of the portal and surrounded her. She looked back towards the pair of eyes.
"Temperance." Then it disappeared through the portal. After hesitating for a brief moment, Temperance followed.
Her head was killing her. Her irises contracted to the size of needle points behind her closed eyelids. After squeezing her eyes shut for several moments, she bravely opened her eyes. The light blinded her. She groaned at the intensity of pain ringing in her head.
"Temperance?" she heard someone call. She moaned back weakly in response.
Then the next thing she knew, there was a scream. "Nurse! Nurse! She's waking up!"
Her eyes were pried open and a light was shone in her eyes. That only served to increase her headache. She tried to lift her arm to swat it away, but a shot of pain shot through her.
"Don't move," a strange voice said. She assumed it was the doctor. "Can you open your eyes, Temperance?" She tried and this time, she wasn't blinded. After adjusting her eyesight, she found that the room was dark. The light was off and the windows were drawn. Through the blinds, she could see the sun shining through.
She looked towards the source of the voice. A middle-aged man was standing at one side of her bed. He was balding and his figure told her that he could miss a few meals. His facial expression was one of gladness and surprise.
"You're in a hospital, Temperance. Do you remember how you got here?" Mindful of her headache, she gave a slight shake of her head.
"You were in a car accident. You suffered numerous injuries. You had both of your legs broken, along with your right arm. Not to mention three broken ribs. You also had a severe concussion. Because your concussion was so serious, you entered a coma. It's been a couple of months since your accident. About four months to be exact. Your friends and family were all so worried about whether or not you'll come out of it. Especially your fiancé."
When he stopped to take a breath during his winded explanation, Temperance's mind was spinning. Fiancé, she thought. But her train of thought was interrupted when the doctor began talking again. This time his facial expression wasn't jovial.
"I'm afraid the impact of the accident has left your body with some changes."
"What?" she croaked. Her throat was dry from lack of water and from anxiety. The doctor noticed this and poured a cup of water for her. After lifting it to her mouth and she had taken a couple of sips, he continued.
"During the accident, I'm afraid you had hit your head pretty hard. Unfortunately, the impact had affected your eyesight. When you woke up, the light in the room was blinding you. I had to turn the light off and close the blinds. Your eyes are now sensitive to light."
She blinked blankly at him. "How sensitive?"
"Not a lot. Just don't look directly into any sources of light. Wear sunglasses if you have to when your eyes begin to hurt. If the pain becomes too unbearable, come see me. We might have to do surgery to repair the problem."
She nodded dumbly. "Anything else?"
"Your arm and legs are still about a month away from completely healing. Because you were unconscious for several months and made no use of your legs, you have to go through rehab to relearn how to walk. It'll be several more months before you can walk without some kind of help. Your ribs are also a couple of months away from full recovery."
She nodded. When a second went by without his talking, she sensed that he wasn't finished.
"At the time of the accident, you were about one month pregnant. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that your baby didn't make it," he said awkwardly.
Her mind repeated that one word. Pregnant, pregnant, her mind kept playing.
He noticed her face and quickly changed the subject. "So do you feel up to having some visitors? Your friend was visiting you when she noticed that you were regaining consciousness. She nearly screamed the entire hospital to the ground," he chuckled.
Temperance gave a slight smile. Angela, she thought.
"It was only her when I walked into this room. I think that by now, everyone that you have ever known is outside waiting. I'll get them." He nodded his goodbye to her as he went to the door.
A second later, a figure ran into the room and stopped right beside Temperance's bedside. "Bren!"
Temperance smiled at her friend as the artist tried to give her a fierce hug without doing further damage. Brennan had a hard time keeping the smile off her face.
"How you feeling?" Ange asked when she had let go of the forensic anthropologist.
"Like I got hit by a car."
Angela rolled her eyes. "You had just woke up and already you are already making smart-ass comments."
"I don't see how my ass has anything to do with my intelligence."
"Oh, you're back!" Angela exclaimed as she rushed to give her friend another hug. She only relaxed her hold when she heard Temperance moan slightly from pain.
"I have several surprises for you. Wait here," Angela said before leaving the room. She came back seconds later with Zack and Hodgins behind her.
"Hey," she greeted softly.
"Dr. Brennan," Zack stammered. After months of taking over the work at the Jeffersonian, he was glad to see his mentor awake.
"Did you get your doctorate yet?" Temperance asked. She was unconscious for several months, missing a lot of things. She needed to catch up.
"No, I still have about six months left."
Temperance turned her attention to Hodgins who was looking at the machines suspiciously. "Hodgins?"
"Brennan, did you sign a release form?" He received three blank stares.
"What?"
"A release form. Because if you had signed any form, you should know that you are now in the system. The government is watching people through life-supporting machines, like this," he said pointing to a ventilator. "They are monitoring people through medicines approved by the FDA which---"
"Hodgins!" Angela yelled. He turned to her. "Would you shut up about your conspiracies! Brennan is awake for not even an hour yet and you're already rambling about theories."
"But—"
A look from her silenced him. Brennan was watching the exchange with interest. She caught Zack's eye and gave him a raised eyebrow. The grad student looked back blankly at her, not understanding what she meant.
Angela turned back to her friend. "Hold on, I'm not through with all of my surprises yet. Two more!" And with that she left the room again.
When she returned, Russ was with her. Her eyes widened. "Russ!" Temperance exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to do some sight-seeing," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm here to visit you, that's what. I've been here ever since I was informed that you were in the accident."
"It's been years and now—"
"And I'm staying here to take care of my little sister, whether you like it or not. The past four months had been hell on everyone. We were all worried about you." He came over and gave her a hug.
"But—"
"It's final, Tempe. My mind's made up." He spoke with the familiar tone that he used when they were little that meant no amount of arguing was going to change his mind. She sighed her resignation as she returned his hug.
"One more," Angela said as she left the room.
A man was trailing behind Angela when she entered the room for the final time. He was wearing a dark suit though it was rumpled as though he had slept in it. He was attractive, but the dark rings under his eyes made him seem gaunt. His hands were stuffed in his pant pockets, as if to keep them from fidgeting. Temperance was watching the man, who had yet to lift his head and look at her.
Angela gave the man a slight nudge with her shoulder. After taking a deep breath, he raised his head and impaled Temperance with his warm brown eyes. The sight of his eyes made Temperance's stomach feel weightless.
Booth was outside waiting for Angela to bring him into the room. First Hodgins and Zack went. Then Russ. When it was only him, he prayed that she wouldn't kick him out as soon as she saw him. When Angela came back out for him, he feet felt like cemented to the ground. After Angela had called his name the second time, he gathered enough strength and courage before following her into the room.
He was afraid to look at her. He was afraid to see the hatred, the pain in her eyes. So he kept his head down. That was until Angela nudged him with her shoulder. Before his mind could register the action, his head snapped up of its own accord and locked gaze with Temperance's.
"Temperance," he said. She said nothing.
The electricity floating between the two of them was almost tangible. The others in the room could swear that they saw actual sparks floating between the two. Inconspicuously, the others made their way to the door.
Hodgins, Zack, Russ, and Angela had almost made it out when Temperance spoke.
"Stop where you are." Slowly the others turned back to her. Temperance was still looking at Booth. The FBI agent was afraid that she'd kick him out.
"Angela, is this your last surprise?" The artist slowly nodded, not knowing where her friend was going with this.
Temperance broke contact with Booth's eyes and rubbed her face with the hand not in a cast. When she was done, she gave Booth a closer examination. When she was done, she slightly squinted her eyes as she stared at her lap, almost as if she was searching her brain for something.
When Temperance raised her head again, she turned to Angela. "This is my surprise?" Angela nodded again.
Temperance shook her head, unmindful of the hammering that was still inside her head.
Booth's heart fell. This is it, he thought. She is going to tell them to get me out of her room.
Temperance looked at Booth once more. After a moment of regarding him, she shook her head again and asked him with slightly squinting eyes, "I'm sorry, but...do I know you?"
Author's Note: Sorry it took me about two weeks to update but I had overtime all last week so I had no time to write more. This chapter didn't quite turned out the way I wanted it to, but it was pretty close. Anyways, what do you think? Continue with the story? Or just stop while I'm ahead? R&R!
Disclaimer: Not mine. If it was, Booth wouldn't have slept with Cam.