"The Man in the Hospital" - Chapter 5
Title: The Man in the Hospital
Author: Shannon - shannyfish
Disclaimer: I do not own “Bones” or its characters, Fox does. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Pick up from the Season Four Finale - plain and simple.
Warning: Severe spoilers for “The End of the Beginning” - Season Four Finale episode! You have been warned!
Chapter 5 - “Day One”
Author’s Note: On my way home from Wyoming with limited internet access, so it’s a bit hard to write this without access to all my resource pages...
new music videos on BonesTube - profile name: shannyfish J If you would rather download directly then say so in the comment!
chapter 5 - “Shattered” by Trading Yesterday
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Mollepata, Peru
Brennan was ready...but there was one thing she had to do before leaving. She had to call Angela. This had been a last minute decision; one she hadn’t brought up to her friend before leaving. She didn’t want Angela to worry. She had promised to check in every day with her, but hadn’t brought a satellite phone. She was going to go somewhere where cell towers wouldn’t reach her.
The silence would be well received.
((Hello?))
“Hey, Ang,” Brennan said.
((Sweetie, how are you? Is it beautiful?))
“I’m okay and yes, it’s beautiful,” Brennan replied as she looked over towards the mountains. The grand Salkantay Mountain rising up to one side. That was where they’d be heading. It rose high and was capped with white snow.
((Look, I know you think you need to do this, but come home.))
“I’ll be home next week, Ang,” Brennan told her. “I’ve decided to hike a trail here.”
((Of course you have. But you know you’re missing human remains...facinating cases...all that jazz that you love. You know all the grad students miss you...even Daisy.))
“She’s not one of my grad students that should be at the Jeffersonian.”
((She was here for lunch with Sweets and the other students. She mentioned it. Anyways, Sweetie. We all miss you. Hodgins says that it’s not fair that he didn’t get to go with you, something about the hard core science element being off in the lab.))
“Doctor Clark Edison is supposed to be there in my absence.”
((He is Sweetie, but Hodgins insists it’s not the same. Plus, I miss you...dearly... Come home.))
“Next week, Ang. Look, I need to go. The guide is signaling I need to go.”
((At least tell me where you’re at.))
“Mollepata. We’re going to Machu Picchu. I’ll make sure that I get a message to you in seven days if I’m unable to call you, okay?”
((Alright, Sweetie. Take care of yourself. Be safe. Okay? You know I love you.))
“I love you too, Ang. And I’m always safe...”
((Have fun.))
“Bye Ang.”
*~*~*
Salkantay Alternate Trek - Day One
Brennan had tried to stay away from the other members of the hiking tour. From what she could gather, they were exactly what she thought they were. Business men and women who had too much money and thought going to the gym five days a week meant that they were in perfect shape. She didn’t want to talk to any of them. She didn’t have anything in common with any of them. She’d found talking to the porters in their native language far more engaging than any conversation she could have with one of the other trekkers.
She carried her own items, which had seemed odd that all the others would have the porters carry their luggage. It didn’t seem like they were going to get any type of a journey letting them do all the hard work.
The day’s journey was not difficult, though many of the others seemed to complain about how they weren’t as in shape as they had thought they were. Brennan just tried to ignore them, to try to think of it as only her trip. Like she was the only one there.
The villages they’d passed had been absolutely breathtaking. These places actually made her sad, sad of how developed the world had become. How much glass and metal was everywhere. Out there, it was mostly natural and what wasn’t had been forged long ago and made of raw materials from the land.
Izcuchaca was the first village they passed through. Though it was ancient, there had been upgrades made in the progress of tourism. Brennan never understood why people would want to be so pampered in their customary style when they could truly immerse themselves in the culture of where they were visiting. It made no sense to her. The village seemed like it was built to be one whole piece at the time of its birth, but now had other separate newer pieces. A train ran along the village in order to transport locals and tourists. A beautifully built bridge brought people in, splendid in its building origin. Pure nature seemed to stem from all around the bridge’s outside world.
She’d wished that Booth was there, she knew that even he’d appreciate it. He’d want to know how they’d been able to construct the bridge and its guarded entrance. Brennan smiled, but then found herself struggling to hold back her tears. She’d have gladly explained it to him too.
Brennan pulled out her digital camera, she’d been trying to keep up to date with pictures as they went along, documenting her trip. She knew that at the very least that Angela and Hodgins would be interested in them, especially Angela.
The second village they went through was Zurite, which appeared slightly more technologically moved along than Izcuchaca but not by much. Brennan had a feeling that it had to do with the treks and all of the tourists that went through. The houses were built from small brick-like stones that fit perfectly together with a wood braided roof.
Off to the side of the village, Brennan had found the terracing of the mountainside that still remained incredible. To think that all that time it had remained. And remnants of the original design could be still seen through the growth as it scaled the mountain to the summit. Like huge steps just carved into the mountain itself.
Ancahuasi was more of a farming community. The land there was flat and dirt lay as the ground all around the village. As they’d travelled through, Brennan had noticed the areas they used for farming were flourishing and that they had both alpaca and llama in the village. Farming wasn’t all that the village did, though; there was also a futbol area in which youths played in.
The guide announced that they were going to be stopping for the night at Markokasa, he announced first in Spanish and then in English. Brennan had picked it up in Spanish. She almost wished that the guides only spoke Spanish, so that it made the hikers communicate in the native tongue. Though, then she’d have to hear about them whine about not understanding the guide as well and she just didn’t want to add that to the complaints she was already hearing.
Markokasa was still some ways off; they’d pass through the ruins of Tarawasi first.
The ruins in Tarawasi were just as fantastic as the trip so far had been.
There were stone walls built up by the Incans along with an interesting wall set on top of the land that the stone wall terraced and set back. It was made of terra cotta colored rectangular stones and had doors that didn’t lead anywhere set apart a few feet. It was something to be seen. Brennan wondered if in the time of Inca Reign if they had housed guards or if they had possibly meant something else.
Were they meant to house something?
Were they there for sacrifice?
What were the doors there for?
Following the stone wall there was a settlement that had come into being behind it. It hadn’t been in the time of the Incas, but it was still ancient. It was all still so beautiful.
She stopped and just stared at it all.
Brennan wished she could share it with Booth.
He’d again think it was so cool that they’d be able to manage so much with so little technology.
They moved on away from the Tarawasi ruins and towards where they’d be camping for the night at Markokasa. The landscape around them was lush and green. So different from what she was used to in Washington D.C. and absolutely gorgeous.
And then the complaints started again.
“Can you believe how much walking there is? I thought this was paced!”
“We should have taken the bus tour.”
“We should have just gone straight to the end, forget the tour!”
Brennan tried to ignore it all, but found it hard. She bit her tongue. She wanted to tell them how ignorant they were being, but really didn’t want to be seen. It wasn’t that she didn’t think that she could handle the argument that would ensue, she was just trying to be invisible and thus far she’d succeeded.
Once at Markokasa, tents were already set up and dinner was already being cooked. Brennan had gotten something light to eat and then had returned to where she’d set up her sleeping bag under the stars. She curled up in the sleeping bag, pulled the top flap over her head and let the tears flow from her eyes. She sobbed quietly and eventually drifted off to sleep.
*~*~*
TBC...