A/N – Like so many others, I was inspired by Wannabe in the Weeds. And due to my need for angst and drama (which has thankfully been fuelled by all the great stories that have come since Monday) - I decided to do my own storyline from this episode. I hope you enjoy! Michelle
PS: This is only going to be a one shot, and I hope to have another chapter of my other story up soon!
The Woman behind the Wall
The paramedics had taken him away. His deep brown eyes had turned dull, and then had slowly shut as she begged him to hold on. And then they took him away. She could hear her friends; she could see their comforting glances. She could feel Angela and Cam leading her to the bathroom of the karaoke bar to wash her hands. To wash the blood away. As the water dripping from her hands returned back to its translucent color, she took a second to look in the mirror. The voices beside her seemed distant, and all she could see was a woman staring back at her. Someone she didn't recognize.
Next thing she knew, she was sitting down again, at a table far removed from where either body had fallen. Police were around asking questions, two officers talking to Hodgins and Zack. Cullen stood next to the body bag across the floor, speaking in a whisper, and shooting her an occasional glance. She could feel Angela's arm around her, trying to comfort her. Cam was standing slightly behind her with Sweets as they talked in muted tones. And she remained silent.
--
Hours past. People talked. She didn't. People moved. They moved her. After having no luck talking to her, they finally decided that perhaps the best thing was to let her go home and rest. Hodgins drove, with Angela and Brennan in the back seat, the whole time Angela whispering words of comfort to her best friend. Words she barely heard. 'He's in surgery…he might be fine…It's Booth sweetie…it's going to be okay…'. Jack kept glancing in the rearview mirror, watching the interaction, his face brimming with concern not only for Booth, but for his friend and colleague, knowing full well the severity of the consequences if her partner didn't make it.
She lay on her bed, her back to the door, in an oversized t-shirt and pyjama pants that Angela had put on for her. She heard their hushed voices in her living room, as Angela said goodnight to her lover, before hearing her footsteps come back towards her room. She felt the movement of the bed, and a hand grasp hers.
"Sweetie – I'm going to stay here with you tonight okay? If you need anything I'll be in the guest room. Jack promised he'd call as soon as they hear anything about Booth." Brennan could feel a few tears well up in her eyes, tears she knew her friend noticed immediately. Angela leaned over and wrapped her arms around her best friend. "It's going to be okay," Angela whispered. "Have faith in Booth". She saw her friend give a slight nod of acknowledgement – one of the few signs of life she had seen from her best friend since the ambulance had carried Booth way. She bade her friend goodnight, and Brennan heard the guest room door shut. And then there was silence.
--
Three A.M came swiftly, and the wall had remained unchanged. Sleep would bring her no comfort tonight. She had not heard a phone ring. She had not heard any sound from across the hall. She pulled her self up, her left side aching from having remained in the same position for hours. She strode barefoot down her hallway, stopping only for a moment to glance into the spare bedroom, where Angela slept peacefully.
He had left her. He had left her, and it was her own fault. The loneliness of it all was like a knife tearing through her pericardium. She had gained back her father, only to lose her partner. Her best friend. The only man who had ever really known who she was, as he had worked three years to tear down every wall she had placed up to protect herself. Because he had thought she was worth it. And she had begun to think all of his effort was worth it too. Until the blood. Until it was the bullet for her that killed him. She made her way towards the front door, grabbing the keys to whatever car had been left for Angela's use as hers had been left at the bar, making her way out into the frigid night. Forty-five minutes later, Angela woke up to a knock on the door.
--
There were only a few lights illuminating the platform she stood upon, as she carefully laid out John Doe number 546-0093. She shut down her mind, letting her hands drive the process that she knew, like an old habit. She knew how to manipulate the dead. She worked in her silence, in the dim light, placing each piece down in the correct place. She didn't even hear the footsteps coming behind her.
--
"Where the hell is she?" Angela asked again, the tears streaming down her face, as Jack put her arm around her. Hodgins, Zack and Sweets had arrived at the apartment themselves to inform her that after their long stakeout at the hospital, the doctor had informed them that Booth had made it through surgery and would likely recover within a few weeks. The three men had decided to come in person rather than call, leaving Cam to wait at the hospital pending any further news. Sweets, although feeling slightly like the outsider, had insisted to remain with the group, and come along to tell Dr. Brennan the news, especially after having seen her reaction following the shooting. After having evaluated their partnership for months, he knew that Brennan's emotional suffering was likely to be almost equivalent of Booth's physical trauma in such a situation.
"She's probably at the lab…" Hodgins said quietly, looking at Sweets, who nodded.
--
"Dr. Brennan?" He said quietly, not wanting to scare her. She ignored his voice, and continued working, her back to him, as he continued his approach up the stairs. "Dr. Brennan? It's me. Dr. Sweets." No response. He moved closer again, coming around the table to see her face. There were no tears. No trails of wetness, nor redness to her eyes. Her face was pale, her eyes downcast and dull. She moved her hands slowly, and with grace and purpose as she took each vertebra, one by one, and slowly formed the spine. He immediately noticed what looked like a little pink pig, and a smurf of some sort, sitting on the table as if watching the procedure.
"Bones?" Dr. Sweet said, attempting another approach. He witnessed her visibly flinch, glancing up at him before returning back to her work. "Dr. Brennan. We need to talk about this. I know you can hear me. Everyone is very worried about you." He watched her as she picked up the right scapula of the unidentified man and held it gently in her hands. Unlike the other pieces, Sweets noticed she didn't put it in its proper position, rhythmically, like she had the other bone fragments. Instead, she held on to it. He watched her curiously for a moment, questioning what his next move should be. That was until she took the bone and threw it to the floor. The brittle bone smashed to pieces, as she turned and vomited in the nearest bin. Sweets was immediately at her side, as she pushed aside the garbage can and sat on the lab floor, realizing the reason behind her reaction – the same bone where Booth had been shot. He went to the lab table and grabbed the two figurines, before making his way to sit next to her.
"What do these mean?" He asked softly, passing them to the doctor. She took them in her hands, holding them almost lovingly. It was in that moment that he understood. "Did Booth give those to you?" He could see the tears starting to form in her eyes, as she nodded slightly.
"Dr. Brennan. I think there's a lot we need to talk about here, but I think most important of all is you should know Booth made it through surgery. They think he's going to be okay." He could see the tears flowing non-stop now, slightly surprising for him to see his usually vivacious and head strong client unable to stem the flow of both her sorrow and relief. He carefully put his hand on top of hers. "We'll deal with the rest later okay. But you need to understand. Booth is okay." She nodded again slightly, as Dr. Sweets leaned back against the rails, breathing a sigh of relief.
--
She found herself again in her bed, only with dawn approaching. After Sweets had called her friends, he had escorted her home. Angela had immediately rushed her at the door. The exhaustion was beginning to set in, apparent on her face, as Angela left the three men in the living room helping her friend to bed for the second time, assuring her that once she had rested, they would go see Booth. Within seconds, fatigue had overwhelmed her, and she slipped into peaceful unconsciousness. Angela made her way back into the living room.
"She's asleep." Angela announced, breaking up the three from their conversation.
"Cam called." Hodgins informed his girlfriend quietly, "They think Booth is going to wake soon, and she's wondering what we should tell him about Brennan."
"We should be there." Angela said, as Hodgins nodded. Zack and Sweets decided to stay at Brennan's apartment in case she awoke.
--
Cam had decided to go home and get some rest, having spent the majority of the night in the uncomfortable hospital waiting room chair. Instead, Angela and Hodgins sat next to each other, next to Booth's bed, who was still sedated from the anaesthetic. His shoulder was clearly bandaged, but otherwise it looked like he was healing. It was going to be a long recovery; however, both Angela and Jack knew that the problems once Booth awoke were going to be beyond just physical healing.
Booth started to stir about a half hour later. After slowly awakening for a few moments, and taking a long sip of water to moisten his parched throat from this intubation, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse,
"Where's Bones?" Angela and Hodgins both looked at each other, Booth immediately picking up on it. "Where is she?" He said again, trying to move to sit up, pain shooting through his injured shoulder. Angela put her hand on his arm to try and calm him down.
"She's okay Booth. She's at home sleeping." They could hear Booth's sigh of relief as he leaned back again against the pillows, clearly in pain. He took a few deep breaths, before looking at the solemn couple.
"What aren't you telling me?" Angela looked to Hodgins for help, as he began to speak.
--
She stood at the doorway watching him sleep. She had finally awoken in the early afternoon, and in a few short words, had made her need to see Booth apparent. While Sweets could hear the distance in her voice, he knew that seeing Booth was exactly what she needed. And after having heard from Angela, he knew that it was likely going to be helpful, knowing that Booth was now aware of how Brennan had reacted. They had walked her up to his room, meeting Angela and Jack in the hallway. Deciding to give her some privacy, they all decided to return to their respective homes for some rest. Angela assured her best friend she would be back later than evening to pick her up. Brennan just nodded and watched them as they disappeared around the corner.
Now, she stood in his doorway and watched him sleep. She couldn't seem to bring herself to take a step forward. Had it been her, he would have been in there, holding her hand, refusing to leave. She froze as she noticed him starting to stir, and his eyes slowly open, adjusting to his surroundings. A few moments later, he noticed her presence in the door way, as she just stared at him, as if she was still deciding whether this was even real.
"Bones…" he said quietly. She just stared at him, refusing to move. "Bones…" he repeated. "It's okay…" He watched her carefully, as she slowly made her way towards the chair next to his bed. Booth reached over with his good hand and rested it on her cheek. She finally turned to look at him, the tears pooling again in her eyes.
"It's going to be okay…I'm here." He repeated again, his eyes capturing hers. She nodded as he wiped a tear away from her cheek, before moving his hand to grasp hers. Brennan moved to rest her head next to his, their hands still clasped. The words would come later. He would chastise her for letting herself slip if something ever happened to him; she would hesitate, and he would have to break down some of those walls again, assuring her that he wasn't just going to leave. She wouldn't believe him at first. Eventually they would go back to bickering. Eventually, their partnership would go back to normal, only with a greater sense of appreciation of the danger of what they do. But for now, she rested her head next to him. He held her hand in his. They both sat in silence, knowing that, in that moment, they had everything they needed.