Bones Fanfiction-There's A Puddle (Chapter 3)
Booth had to flash his badge at no less than three nurses before he could get anyone to talk to him about his partner’s condition. Even then it took nearly fifteen minutes before a harried looking doctor rounded the corner and reluctantly approached the nurse’s station where Booth had set up camp.
“Agent Booth?” The doctor eyed him appraisingly, years of experience probably giving him a sixth sense when it came to knowing exactly which loved ones were most likely to give him trouble.
“That’s right,” Booth answered impatiently. Years of experience had given him a sixth sense of his own, and he could tell that this man was going to try to get rid of him. Not that that was even remotely a possibility. “I need to be updated on Temperance Brennan’s condition. She’s exhibiting some…odd…behavior.”
“I see,” The doctor nodded, and glanced down for a moment at the clipboard in his hands before meeting Booth’s gaze again. “I’m sorry, what exactly is your relationship to Ms. Brennan?”
“What?” Booth’s rose ever so slightly in pitch, and he had to resist the urge to loosen his tie a bit. “What do you mean by that?”
One of the doctor’s eyebrows raised slightly, the shadow of a smirk hidden behind a thick layer of exhaustion ghosting across his face. “You are a…relative…of Ms. Brennan?”
“Oh,” Booth suddenly felt extremely foolish. He didn’t have time at the moment for feeling embarrassed though. “No. She’s my partner.”
“I see,” He glanced down at his clipboard again, doing his best to ignore the way Booth was clearing his throat impatiently. “Well, Agent Booth, Ms. Brennan experienced a slight head trauma but she’s passed all her tests with flying colors. We don’t expect there to be any residual damage, in fact, other than some soreness around the point of impact, she should make a full recovery in the next 24 hours.”
Booth clenched his jaw and fought the urge to either punch the older man in the jaw or flash his badge again whichever was more likely to get the results he was after.
“I heard as much from her friends,” Booth answered, leaning forward past what was accepted as a personal boundary in polite company. “And I heard it again from her nurses. And now I’m hearing it all over again from you. But none of that explains why a brilliant scientist is suddenly acting like a lovesick teenager. So I’m not moving until someone can explain why that is and what exactly they’re going to do about it.”
“You’re obviously a man used to getting results, Agent Booth,” The doctor smiled patiently; seemingly immune to the intimidating glare Booth had been focusing on him. “But your people skills seem to be a little rusty in high stress situations.”
Booth started to protest, but the doctor silenced him with a raised hand and a shake of his head.
“I’m simply trying to get across the fact that we are on the same team here,” He explained. “Now, I stand by my assessment of Ms. Brennan’s prognosis. As for the out of character behavior you are describing, it is completely normal given a trauma like the one she sustained. I assure you that as the swelling in the area recedes she will recover full control over her ability to censor herself.”
“But…” Booth trailed off, losing his grip on his determined anger was creating room for all of his doubt and anxiety to come rushing back in. “What did you say your name was?”
The doctor smiled patiently again. “I don’t believe you gave me a chance to inform you that I am Dr. O’Connell.”
“Right, well Dr. O’Connell, are you sure…” Booth leaned forward even further as though afraid of being overheard, though by who he didn’t have a clear idea. “The thing is…she’s just spouting nonsense. Something is damaged besides her inhibition, Doc.”
“The chances of that are relatively small,” He countered, glancing down at his watch. “I’d say at any given moment there is a 5% chance that what she is saying comes from a place of confusion and a 95% chance that it is either normal speech or simply a stray thought that she would normally keep to herself. Ms. Brennan is free to go home although we’ll want her to come in for a follow up appointment in a few days. Now if you’ll excuse me Agent Booth, there are other patients I have to see to.”
And with that the doctor turned on his heel and hurried away, probably thinking Booth was going to try to stop him. His worries turned out to be unfounded, however; since Booth was too busy turning things over in his mind to care that the doctor was fleeing. He made his way back to his partner’s room with far more trepidation than he would have admitted out loud. What was waiting on the other side of that door was somehow more frightening than most of the life threatening situations he found himself in on a regular basis, not because he dreaded Bones loving him…but because he dreaded the moment she stopped.
Sucking in a shaky breath, Booth opened the door slowly only to be met with the expectant gaze of his partner.
“Hey Bones,” He practically whispered. “Sorry for running out of here earlier.”
“It’s perfectly fine, Booth,” She assured him, but her eyes looked suspiciously shiny and her voice had a slight tremble to it that felt like a punch to his stomach. “It was foolish of me to assume that you would share my feelings. My realization brought on a rush of endorphins and I misjudged the situation. It wasn’t fair to tell you the way I did not knowing if you felt the same way.”
Booth closed his eyes for a moment, fighting with everything he had in him not to rush to her side and kiss any confusion about his feelings out of her mind.
Instead he turned to Angela and Hodgins who were looking concerned and awkward hovering in the corner.
“They’re discharging her. I’ll take her home and keep an eye on her for the rest of the day, just in case. Could you guys let Cam know before you go?” His tone was clipped and he felt the impact of each word leaving him like the force to his arm after shooting his gun.
“Of course,” Hodgins nodded, his eyes darting quickly between the two partners. “I’m glad you’re ok, Dr. Brennan.”
“Feel better, Sweetie.” Angela added, looking torn about if she should leave her friend or not. “Call me if you need anything at all.”
She just nodded; her eyes were still firmly on Booth and now more than just a little shiny.
Booth waited until he heard the door close behind him and then another three seconds for good measure before he chanced looking back at the woman watching him. He crossed to the chair by her bedside and reached out hesitantly to take one of her hands in his.
“Bones, this isn’t about me rejecting you,” He informed her, trying to erase any doubt in her mind of that fact without taking advantage of her by confessing his true feelings when she was not in her right mind. “I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I’m worried about you.”
“That’s irrational, Booth,” She argued, trying to pull her hand away. “My doctor is an expert in his field and he’s assured me that I’m fine…”
“Yeah, I spoke to him,” Booth agreed, keeping her hand firmly in his. “But we’re not always rational when it comes to people we care about, Bones.”
She snapped her gaze back around to him, a hopefulness shining there that left him nearly breathless for a moment.
“How do you feel about me, Booth?” She asked the question bluntly, and it was so like her and unlike her at the same time that Booth felt both relieved and terrified at the same time.
He didn’t answer for a few moments, just battled internally between the urge to protect her from his imagined rejection and the urge to protect her from trapping herself in a situation she’d regret once she was back to herself.
“Bones, if you still want to ask me that in 24 hours than I’ll answer you, ok?” He answered finally, reaching up to brush her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “And if not then…well, that will be ok too. I’ll get a nurse so we can get you out of here, Bones.”
He got up to leave but the sound of a soft whisper behind him stopped him in his tracks.
“I will want to ask you, Booth. I will.”
“I hope so, Bones. I hope so.” He whispered to himself even softer, confident that she could not hear him anymore than she could hear the voice inside of him screaming that he should turn around and kiss her senseless or alternately run away screaming.
And without allowing himself to hesitate any further, Booth set off in search of a nurse.