DRINKING BUDDIES

CHAPTER ONE

The doorbell rang insistently jarring Special Agent Seeley Booth out of a sound sleep, face down on his couch.

"Ouch." He rubbed his aching neck and cheek. Instead of a pillow, he'd fallen asleep on a hardback copy of his partner's, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, latest forensic thriller, "Bagged Bones". The book fell to the floor with a thud when Booth rolled off the couch and stumbled to his feet.

"Hold on," he yelled as the doorbell rang again. He swung the door open to the sight of Doctor Brennan forcefully shoving past him into his front hall. He caught a glimpse of tears running down her red face as she brushed past. The annoyance coursing through him, born of being rudely awoken in the middle of the night, evaporated instantly. He'd known this woman for four years through all sorts of personal and professional circumstances and he could count the number of times he'd seen her cry, really break down and weep, on one hand. Instinct took over and his hand shot and latched onto her shoulder, stopping her forward motion.

"What's wrong, Bones?" He turned her to face him, holding her shoulders squarely with both hands. She looked terrible; Booth could easily see that she was way past tipsy. Her hands came up to steady herself on his chest. They were streaked with blood that she had apparently tried to wipe off. Her chin trembled as she tried to talk.

"Angela's been in a bar fight," she managed to say. "She was taken by ambulance."

Booth took a closer look at his partner. A livid slash marked one side of her face and the left leg of her jeans was torn and bloody. He frowned as fear flooded his veins.

"Where? Were you with her? What happened?" He looked her up and down for injuries.

"St. Andrews. Yes. We were at George's Grill," she said, naming a bar walking distance from Booth's apartment. That explained how she'd ended up at his door. Seeing her nearly incoherent, he shuddered to think of his vulnerable partner finding her way through the darkened alley to his door in her condition; his hands tightened possessively on her shoulders.

"We had a few drinks. I don't know how it started, but I think Angela got in between two guys who were fighting and one of them stabbed her."

"You think?"

"I don't really remember what happened," she admitted. Tears began anew.

"Is she hurt badly?" Booth was wide awake now and running around his tiny living room, pulling on his socks and shoes and looking for his black leather jacket.

"I don't know. Can you drive me to Saint Andrews?"

"Of course. Come on."

They ran down the back steps to the alley where Booth's black SUV was parked. Booth was halfway into the driver's seat when he happened to look over at Brennan. Stumbling across the gravel lot favoring the leg that was ripped and bleeding, she hadn't been able to keep up with her sober partner. It finally got through to Booth that she was very drunk and hurt. He was at her side in a few seconds holding her upright.

"Whoa, Bones," he soothed, just managing to hold on and keep her from hurting herself further as she slipped to her knees. Two hoarse coughs were all the warning he got. She retched while Booth struggled to hold her hair out of the way. Exhausted, she collapsed against him. He fumbled through his coat pockets for a handkerchief. Finding one crumpled yet clean, he handed it to her.

"Just leave me alone; go away," she begged him, crying from embarrassment while she dabbed at her mouth.

"I don't think so," Booth answered firmly, still holding onto her arms and supporting her back so she wouldn't slump to the ground.

"I've got to go see Angela," she insisted. But her eyes were closed and puffy and her words sounded muffled.

"I'll call St. Andrews' hospital right now." Booth pulled out his cell, dialed the operator and asked to be connected. After a very short conversation, he hung up.

"They won't give me any information over the phone."

"I have to go," Brennan pleaded, still slumped against her partner's side.

"Look, Bones, you're in no shape to go anywhere. I'll call Hodgins and send him, okay? He can call us as soon as learns anything about Angela's condition."

Not waiting for her approval, Booth was back on the phone, this time with Jack Hodgins, telling him what had happened. When Booth hung up, he pocketed his cell and gently pulled Bones to her feet. She groaned and held one hand to her head.

"He's going to the hospital, and you're coming back inside with me. Can you walk?"

"Yes, I can walk," she answered in an outraged tone. Nevertheless, she swayed and fell against Booth at the first attempted step. He caught her easily, having anticipated her lack of strength, and supported her with one strong arm anchored around her waist with the other holding her opposite shoulder. Step by step, they retraced their path up the back stairway. Their progress was slow but eventually Brennan was safely deposited back on Booth's couch, where she curled into a ball with her face tucked into the cushions. Booth slid down to sit on the floor beside her, rubbing her shoulders and back. He felt miserable; helpless.

"Bones?" He asked. She didn't answer. Leaning up so he could see her face he discovered she'd fallen asleep, or maybe she was actually unconscious. He'd have to wait for answers until she was up to giving them, he realized. With a sigh he leaned against the couch and laid his head against the arm rest. There was no use going back to bed at this point; he would only have to get up for work in a few hours and Hodgins would be calling with more information soon anyway. Booth tried to remember a time when he'd seen his smart, serious partner so wasted and drew a blank. He was completely at a loss; Bones just didn't get herself into situations like this. At least that's what he'd always believed. Perhaps he didn't know her as well as he thought. Troubled thoughts chased around his mind as he dozed off.

The ringing of his cell phone woke him again. The house was still dark telling Booth the hour was way earlier than his usual reveille. Shaking his head to clear it, he flipped open his phone.

"Booth."

"Booth, it's Jack Hodgins. I'm over at the hospital."

"Did you find Angela?" Booth asked, slipping around the corner into the kitchen so as not to wake Bones just yet.

"She's in surgery," he said in a strangled tone. "The nurse on call says she lost a lot of blood. She's critical. How's Dr. Brennan?"

"Bones is going to be okay. What do you need from me, Jack?" Booth's heart ached for his friend.

"Call Cam for me, would you? Tell her what happened. Tell her I won't be in today; I'm staying here with Angela."

"I understand. I'll call Cam. Bones and I will be over to the hospital as soon as she feels up to it."

"What happened to Dr. Brennan?" Hodgins asked again. Booth was amazed at Jack's concern for Bones in the face of the crisis with Angela. It was a poignant reminder of how interconnected all of them were.

"She has a few superficial injuries and she had a lot of alcohol in her system when she showed up at my place last night. She's still out of it, but I'm taking care of her. We'll see you soon, okay, man?"

"Sure. Thanks." Hodgins hung up first, leaving Booth staring at his phone worrying about both Angela and Jack. If anything happened to Angela, Booth knew it would devastate Hodgins. And Bones.

"Booth."

He dropped the phone on the counter and hurried back to the living room to find Brennan sitting up, holding her head in her hands. The dawn glow was beginning to fill the room. She looked soft and frail in the gold light filtering in through the window over the couch. Booth sat down beside her.

"How are you doing?"

"Hurts," she murmured into her hands.

"What… your head? Your leg? What else? Can you tell me what happened?"

"Angela and I met these two guys a few weeks ago. Speed dating. We met them at George's last night for drinks; that's where Angela and I always go."

"You do?" Booth frowned in confusion. He'd always spent a lot of time with Brennan after hours; he couldn't figure out how she managed to spend so much time out with Angela too.

"Look, Booth, all I care about right now is Angela. I want to go see her. Please, Booth."

He nodded. "You're right. I'll take you by your place to get cleaned up and changed and then we'll go over to the hospital. Hodgins is with her, you know."

"Good. That's good. I can't believe this is happening," she whispered. Bones got up and walked to the door where Booth met her with his car keys in hand. Neither spoke until they arrived at St. Andrews.

To be continued…