THE LIFE OF EMILY ERIN - K+ - Family, Angst - 4th of the series-Meegs

fab:

Cliffie????? WTF????
Hold on Booth, the doctor is coming....
Poor Em...quick MDawg...make it better..

great chapter, I like the Doctor being straight with Bren...
and good on you for all the research woman

hugs
fab

meegs:

I'm back! I'm back! Okay, on with the next one. And thanks so much for waiting so patiently!
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CHAPTER 13

They stood to one side of Emily’s bed, each of their faces swollen with tears and their eyes encircled with dark rings. As for the patient, she was sound asleep, having undergone the bone marrow aspiration as well as treatment for her seizure. It was somewhere around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, although neither Booth nor Brennan could be sure at this point. Angela had come to pick Parker up. She would be taking him to football tryouts and he would be spending the night with the Hodgins family.

“The leukemia is mimicking a tumor in the anterior falx. We need to begin treatment immediately, but first, her spleen must be removed. I’ve booked an OR. We’ll be ready to go in less than 10 minutes. I will be right back,” Dr. Caldwell explained quickly to both Booth and Brennan before swooping out of the room.

“What does that mean?” Booth asked his wife, his hands on his hips and his eyes filled with fear.

Brennan sighed. “It’s like a tumor, but not. The leukemia is making the brain think that it has a tumor and it is reacting accordingly,” she explained, scientifically and once again jumping into doctor mode.

Booth just stared at her in disbelief. “Yeah, but what does that mean?!” he bellowed as he threw his right hand in the air. His knuckles had begun turning purple from the blow to the wall.

Brennan’s eyes went wide for a second as she leaned her head back. And in that instant, she caught sight of Booth’s hand.

“What did you do to your hand?” she asked forcefully as she leaned in to examine it.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” he replied as he pulled his hand away before she could get to it.

“What did you do, punch a wall?” Brennan asked as she reached forward again and got hold of the battered hand.

Booth glared at her for a few moments.

“That certainly isn’t constructive,” she offered. “You need ice.”

“I’ll be fine. What about Emily? What does all of this mean?” he replied, jerking his hand away again and returning to the present.

Brennan sighed, deciding that arguing with her husband over his way of dealing with the anguish was not going to help anything.

“Her brain is overreacting to the foreign cells that are attacking it,” she explained in laymen’s terms.

“Does that mean she’s getting sicker?” Booth asked, shifting from one foot to the other as he stared into his wife’s eyes.

“No, it just means that…it’s worse than they originally thought. It’s more complicated now,” Brennan explained, her voice beginning to quiver ever so slightly. She remained in doctor mode, but was teetering on the edge between doctor and scared mother.

“Why couldn’t they have figured that out already? Huh? They’re doctors, they heal people, dammit!” Booth exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air and swiped one across his face.

“It doesn’t mean that she won’t get better. They just need to get her spleen removed and start treatment. We can’t panic, she needs us. This doesn’t mean we’re going to lose her, Booth,” Brennan replied, attempting to look him straight in the eyes as he shifted his weight nervously.

“Then what in the hell does it mean?!” he barked at her, his jaw clenched tightly and the muscle in his temple jumping.

“It means she needs treatment…and fast. It means that she will need more chemo more often. It means that her brain isn’t functioning properly. It means that she’ll probably develop more neurological symptoms like slurring of speech and tremors unless they can treat it properly. It means she is sick…so sick that she will probably need a bone marrow transplant to save her!” Brennan spat in a stream of consciousness, her eyes drowning.

Booth froze in his place as he watched her slowly lose control of her emotions. His heart broke once more for the woman he loved…and for the daughter they adored.

As he stepped forward to wrap her up, Dr. Caldwell reappeared.

“We’re all set. We’ve got to get her in there now. It shouldn’t take longer than an hour,” Dr. Caldwell explained as a male and female nurse began to wheel Emily out of the room. “She’ll be in recovery for an hour and you can see her there.”

Booth nodded as he pulled a still crying Brennan to his side. He bent down and kissed Emily on the forehead.

“Be strong, pumpkin,” he whispered in her ear.

Brennan turned to Emily, tears streaming. She bent down and placed a hand on her forehead, brushing her curls away.

“We love you, baby. Mommy and Daddy are right here,” Brennan cried.

Dr. Caldwell looked a thought at Booth and he gave Brennan a gentle squeeze in response. She kissed Emily on the forehead and brushed her cheek before standing upright again. She dropped her head to his shoulder as the team left with Emily. He grasped onto her with his right arm as she sobbed and sunk deeper into his chest.

“She’s just a little girl…she’s OUR baby, our Emily,” Brennan sputtered into Booth’s chest, her eyes squeezing shut and tears spilling out.

He wrapped both arms around her and squeezed as tightly as he could.

“I know…I know,” was all he could say.

“I’m scared, Booth…I’m so scared,” Brennan cried as she released her grip on him. She pulled at his t-shirt, her fingers curled into claws. The tears overflowed as the kaleidoscopes of her eyes danced frantically across his face.

“I know…I am too,” Booth replied, a tear escaping his left eye. He placed both hands on her cheeks and rubbed her temples gently.

A few moments passed and she fell into his arms as a second wave of sobs overtook her body. This time, instead of holding her up, he let the two of them fall to the ground. Neither of them felt the sting of the floor beneath their knees. All they felt was each other’s hearts breaking into a million pieces…and they feared that the pieces could never be put back together again.
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More soon!

libster:

oh thats sad hope everything works out and she get to go horse riding. poor emily. what happens if you dont have a spleen

meegs:

The spleen helps your immune system fight off bacteria and infection. Without one, you are at a higher risk for infection and the results can be far worse than if your spleen was still there. Simple infections can lead to major complications and even death. That's why you take antibiotics in higher doses, to help fight off infection.

libster:

oh so will emily be ok without a spleen how dumb are my questions ha ha

tozika:

You can live without a spleen and it's not even this bad if you don't have it anymore.

Can't wait for the next chapter.....it's so sad to read about them like this.....

temperance rose:

*cries* m...m..more!!

fab:

jesus christ mdawg, you're ripping my heart out here...
you live in hollywood...i heard it was a cheery town....what is with all the gloom and doom?

Its fabulous of course, just sad.

more please
fab

meegs:

Thanks, ladies! I know, I know, it's angstville. It's gonna be that way for a while, but there are some breaks for you all, I promise! Anywho, on we go:
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CHAPTER 14

Brennan’s breathing had finally calmed. Her head lay on Booth’s left shoulder, his head tilted slightly to rest on hers as he stroked her hair. They were still sitting on the floor, both leaning against the couch in Emily’s room. Booth’s legs lay out in front of him while Brennan’s were bent and were resting on top of his thighs. She brought her left hand to her face and wiped her cheek. How long had it been? Neither one of them knew. They sat…listening to each other’s breathing and silently asking the other for strength.

Brennan closed her eyes and drew in a long, deep breath. As she let it out, Booth kissed the top of her head.

“She’s in recovery. The surgery went well,” Dr. Caldwell appeared in the doorway.

Booth and Brennan got to their feet, Booth slightly embarrassed and Brennan not caring in the least.

“Do you have any test results in yet?” Brennan inquired.

“I’m going to go check right now,” Dr. Caldwell replied.

“Can we see her?” Booth asked.

“Of course,” Dr. Caldwell replied with a soft smile. “She won’t be awake for another half hour or so. She’s had a lot of anesthesia today, so she’ll need to take it easy.”

With that, she was gone. Booth and Brennan looked to each other and made their way to the recovery room.

Emily’s face looked swollen to Brennan. The first thing she did was brush her cheek, as though Mommy’s touch would make everything better…oh, if only. She pulled up a chair and Booth followed suit. Taking Emily’s left hand in hers, Brennan squeezed gently and bowed her head. Tears streamed easily as Brennan formed the words in her head. And then she held her daughter’s hand between both of hers, raising it as she closed her eyes and spoke aloud:

“Dear God…I know…I know I’ve never believed. B-but that doesn’t matter right now. Please…please…heal our baby,” Brennan pleaded, the wide rivers of her eyes overflowing. Booth watched and listened intently and then he leaned his head in and placed his hands on top of his wife’s and his daughter’s. And he too closed his eyes.

They sat in silence for a long while. Brennan hoped for a miracle. Even though she knew it was scientifically impossible, she didn’t care. She was desperate and she wanted God to heal Emily right here, right now. Science didn’t matter. Tests didn’t matter. All that mattered was their Emily’s health and happiness.

A soft clearing of a throat interrupted the family prayer. Booth and Brennan both looked to the doorway to see Russ leaning against the doorframe.

Brennan sprang to her feet and threw her arms around her brother.

“Angela called me,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Brennan replied, pulling away as another pair of tears spilled onto her cheeks. “But what about Haley?” she added.

“She’s out of the hospital and breathing on her own again. Amy demanded that I come. Her sister is helping her out,” Russ explained.

“Emily will love to see you,” Brennan told him.

Russ rubbed her shoulder. “I am so sorry, Tempe. What do the doctors say?” he asked.

“She needs aggressive treatment. They haven’t said it, but I think she’ll need a bone marrow or a stem cell transplant,” Brennan replied as she wiped her cheeks.

“Do you think one of us could be a match?” Russ asked.

“It’s possible. We need to wait for these test results before we start talking about that,” Brennan replied.

On cue, Dr. Caldwell reappeared in the doorway, clipboard in hand.

“A new face,” she said upon seeing Russ.

“Russ Brennan. I’m Emily’s uncle,” he replied and shook her hand.

“Michelle Caldwell,” she replied and quickly turned to Brennan and Booth. “Results are in. Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL.”

Faces were blank. Brennan had been studying up, but she hadn’t yet heard of this type of leukemia.

“What is that?” Booth asked.

“It is rather rare in children with leukemia and even rarer in a child of Emily’s age. Normally, it is seen in adolescents. But Emily fits this subtype and we need to begin treatment immediately. The first 48 hours of treatment are critical,” Dr. Caldwell explained.

“Oh God,” Russ said as he looked away from the doctor and over at Emily.

“This changes the prognosis, doesn’t it?” Brennan asked, hoping that Dr. Caldwell would say no…but she knew.

“It’s more complicated now, but it just means that the treatment is adjusted accordingly. I was going to wait until morning before starting her induction therapy. With the splenectomy, her immune system is weak, but we need to begin as soon as she comes out of recovery,” Dr. Caldwell replied. “I am going to start her on high powered antibiotics immediately,” she added after seeing the pained looks on the faces standing before her.

Brennan looked over at Emily and her heart wrenched.

“How long will induction take?” Brennan inquired.

“With lower risk ALL, it takes nearly a month. But with Ph1, the drugs are in higher doses, so it will take approximately 12 days. If she goes into remission, then we will assess her status for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant,” Dr. Caldwell continued.

Russ and Booth both looked to Brennan. She was right. Somehow, she just knew that that’s what it would take. Booth stepped towards Brennan and took her hand.

“Aggressive treatment and fast,” Brennan voiced her one coherent thought.

“Exactly,” Dr. Caldwell replied.

“When will she be awake?” Booth asked.

“She should be waking up soon,” Dr. Caldwell replied. “I’ll see you back in her room to begin induction,” she added before pausing a moment and then disappearing into the hallway.

Booth began pacing the small recovery room, his eyes darting between his daughter, his wife, and his brother-in-law.

“Tempe, I didn’t know it was this bad,” Russ said, looking his sister straight in the eyes.

“Neither did we,” Booth said as he paced.

Brennan sighed. “If they can destroy the cancer cells quickly, then her risk will go down and her prognosis will improve. Unfortunately, the cancer is attacking her CNS,” Brennan replied, looking between her husband and brother.

“What’s a CNS?” Russ asked.

“Central nervous system. Brain and spinal cord mainly,” Brennan explained, switching back to doctor mode.

“That’s why she had the seizures?” Russ asked.

“Yes,” Brennan replied.

“Jesus, Tempe,” Russ said as he sighed, his hands on his hips.

Silence fell over them for a few seconds until…

“Daddy? Mommy?” Emily whispered. Her eyes fluttered open and Booth and Brennan were by her side in a millisecond.

“Look who’s awake. Hi there, pumpkin,” Booth said, smiling genuinely at his ailing daughter as he kissed her on the forehead.

“Hi, baby. You made it through the test and everything is just fine,” Brennan explained, intentionally leaving out the surgery. “And look, Uncle Russ is here,” Brennan added, smiling as she turned to her brother.

“Unca Wuss?” Emily questioned as her eyes attempted to focus on him.

“Hey there, princess,” he said, leaning down to tap her gently on the nose.

She blinked a few more times before speaking again. “Daddy? Where’s my popsica?” she asked.

Booth and Brennan smiled. Her memory hadn’t been affected, that was for sure. Daddy had promise her popsicles and pudding and that’s what she was going to get.

“What flavor do you want?” Booth asked.

“Gwape, pwease,” Emily replied, her voice raspy.

“1 gwape popsicle coming right up,” Booth said, smiling down at her as he stood upright and left the room on a mission to find his daughter the best grape popsicle Johns Hopkins had to offer.
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Alrighty, more to come soon! Keep those reviews comin'!

fab:

great chapter and OMG...the poor kid...
I really like the doctor though, she personable.
Glad Russ showed up too.

hugs mdawg
fab

tozika:

Philadelphia chromosome-positive.....wow that's really bad....we talked about it in biology....
Maybe the visit of her uncle Russ, will let her forget for a little while.....she's still so young and I feel really sorry for her....

temperance rose:

GAH! Poor Emily! *Waits by Emily's bed for next chapter*

Thank ya ladies! You all are awesome! Hope you are still enjoying 'cuz I think this might be a long one. On we go!
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CHAPTER 16

A swishing sound stirred Brennan from her dream. Swish. Swish. Brennan’s eyes fluttered open and she squinted at the sun streaming in through the window. Swish. For a few moments, she had no idea where she was and the swishing wasn’t helping her figure it out. She shifted from her stomach to her right side and forced her eyes open. Swish. Then it all came back to her. She shot up on the cot and checked her watch. 10:43. She had slept for 4 hours. Swish. Swish.

“Mommy, you’re up,” Emily said from her bed.

Brennan’s gaze darted to her daughter, who was sitting upright on the bed, holding something in her hands.

“What do you have there, baby?” Brennan inquired as she rose from the cot and walked to the bed.

“It’s a cool gwitter water thing that Davey got me,” Emily explained. “It sounds like the ocean, can you hear it?” she asked, raising the plastic water globe filled with pink, purple, blue, and silver glitter.

Brennan took hold of it and shook it. Swish. Swish. The colors fluttered and the swishing did indeed sound a bit like the ocean. It was soothing.

“That is cool,” Brennan said as she handed her daughter the globe. “Where is Davey?” she added, suddenly realizing that she and Emily were the only two in the room.

“They went to get bweckfast. And Daddy is talking to Michelle,” Emily explained as she shook the globe. Swish. Swish. “Daddy told me not to wake you up.”

Brennan smiled at the thoughtfulness of her daughter.

“Well, thank you. How do you feel, baby?” Brennan asked as she sat on the edge of Emily’s bed, reaching her arm forward to rub Emily’s cheek.

“Kinda icky, but Davey made me feel better,” Emily replied, her eyes gazing up at her mother.

“Does your tummy hurt? Do you feel sick?” Brennan asked.

“A little bit. That’s why Aunt Angewa is getting me pancakes,” Emily replied as a smile broke out across her pale face.

Brennan smiled back. “We love Aunt Angela, don’t we?” she said.

Emily nodded. “Yes, we do,” she replied, smiling again.

Brennan was about to ask Emily if she was ready for her treatment, but a wave of nausea hit her smack in the stomach and she had to run to make it to the toilet.

“Mommy?!” Emily squealed.

Brennan heard her daughter, but she couldn’t respond…she was too busy throwing up.

At that moment, Angela, Davey, and Parker appeared with two trays filled with food.

“Aunt Angewa, Mommy’s sick!” Emily cried and pointed to the bathroom.

Angela set the tray on the table. “Davey, go over by Emily, okay honey?” Angela instructed her son.

He did as he was told while Parker went to set his tray on the table.

“Mom?” he said, trying to see into the bathroom.

Angela walked through the door to see Brennan flushing the toilet.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” Angela asked as she reached for paper towels. She turned the faucet on and ran them under cold water.

“I think I have a stomach bug. I threw up earlier this morning,” Brennan replied as she stood and took the towels from Angela. “Thanks,” she said, wiping her mouth and then her face.

“Are you sure?” Angela asked, concern clearly evident on her face.

“I shouldn’t be around Emily right now if I’m contagious,” Brennan said.

“Mommy?” Emily’s voice echoed.

“I’m okay, baby,” Brennan said as she and Angela reentered the room.

“Are you sick, Mommy?” Emily asked.

“I think so. Baby, I’m going to go find Daddy and Michelle and see if I can get some medicine. I don’t want to get you sick,” Brennan explained to her daughter.

“Okay, but tell Michelle to give you big medicine like I’m getting ‘cause it’ll make you better fast,” Emily instructed her mother, nodding her head.

Brennan couldn’t help but smile. “I will, I promise. I’ll be back,” Brennan replied.

“Mom, you AND Emily can’t be sick,” Parker blurted without thinking.

“The doctas are making me betta and they’ll make Mommy betta too,” Emily replied, frowning at Parker.

“That’s right. Listen to your sister. I’ll be fine,” Brennan replied as she stepped over to Parker and placed her left hand on his right shoulder.

He looked at her, but wasn’t convinced and she could tell.

“I’m fine. You stay with Em and Angela, okay?” Brennan said as she squeezed his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. Just…feel better,” Parker replied, attempting to smile.

“I will,” she said, smiling, before turning to Angela. “Thank you, Ang.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Angela said with a smirk.

Brennan left the room as quickly as she could. She didn’t want Emily to be exposed to her for another second. She found her way to the waiting room, thinking that Booth and Dr. Caldwell would be there. She was right. They were sitting at a corner table.

Booth saw her coming and smiled as he stood from his seat.

“What’s the latest?” Brennan asked as she reached the table.

“Things are going well so far. The treatment is working. Removing the spleen was a major factor,” Dr. Caldwell explained as she stood as well.

“I think I might have the stomach flu, so I don’t think I should be around her right now,” Brennan revealed.

“Did you throw up again?” Booth asked.

Brennan nodded. “Her immune system is weak, she can’t deal with fighting off the stomach flu,” she replied.

“That’s probably best, but we can run some tests to make sure it is just the stomach flu,” Dr. Caldwell suggested. “If it isn’t contagious, there’s no reason you should be separated from her.”

Brennan’s first reaction was to say no. She didn’t want to be “tested,” her daughter was the sick one. But for some reason, she found herself saying yes.

“What else could it be?” Booth asked, glancing in Dr. Caldwell’s direction.

“Nothing serious probably, but I know your wife wouldn’t want to be away from Emily if she didn’t have to. Am I right, Dr. Brennan?” Dr. Caldwell asked, smiling.

Brennan returned the smile. “Exactly,” she replied.

“Meet me in my office in 10 minutes,” Dr. Caldwell said before leaving the parents to themselves.

“I thought you said it was from not eating?” Booth inquired.

“Well, apparently I was wrong,” Brennan replied.

They stood in silence for a few moments, both looking at each other with concern.

“I’m glad you slept,” Booth said finally.

“I can’t believe I actually did,” Brennan replied.

Booth smiled softly. “I just hope you don’t throw up again,” he said as he reached for her hand.

“Yeah well, I’m fine. Emily has treatment in an hour. If I can’t be there-“ she began.

“She’ll be fine. You need to take care of yourself,” Booth interrupted as he pulled her towards him. “Go talk to Dr. Caldwell and I’ll see you in a bit,” he added as he bent his head and kissed her softly on the lips.

She reciprocated and after a couple of seconds, she pulled back.

“I shouldn’t contaminate you either,” she said with a sigh.

Booth reluctantly agreed and she left the room. He watched her go, hoping that her ailment wasn’t as serious as their daughter’s.
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Let me know that you all are still out there! More soon!

cheese:

awesome updates!!! I hope you make it all better soonish!

fab:

awesome chapter...and oh god...
she's pregnant? gotta be...
more drama from the drama mama mdawg


hugs woman
fab

tozika:

Is she really pregnant?
It looks like a possibility, but that would be a very bad moment to be pregnant.....with Emily in the hospital and no idea what's gonna happen with her....
But maybe it could make them happy for a while....

But we don't even know yet if she is really pregnant....

Keep going I want to know what will happen next!

OMG!!! I can't believe this! I left out a chapter!!! I do not believe that has ever happened! I was looking at it and going "What?" And then it dawned on me...Chapter 15. Sheesh. It's nothing too important, but I think you'll enjoy the B&Bness...so, here you are, the missing chapter:
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CHAPTER 15

The next 36 hours were perhaps the most draining 36 hours of Temperance Brennan’s life. In the past, she had been kidnapped (multiple times), shot at, nearly blown up, and buried alive and not one of those instances measured up to the anxiety she was feeling right now at this very minute…NOT ONE. Because at least she had had some sort of control over those situations. Right now, she had absolutely NO control and Temperance Brennan was not used to that…and it was beginning to drive her mad.

Apparently, her stomach was in agreement because as she sat in a chair close to Emily’s bed, a wave of nausea overcame her. A few seconds passed and she shot up from the chair, jogged the 10 feet to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.

Booth’s eyes jumped from his book to his wife and he met her in the bathroom after hearing the heaving subside.

“Are you okay?” he whispered as he squeezed her shoulder.

Brennan turned on the faucet, cupped her hands under the water, and splashed her face.

“I-I just felt sick. I’m fine. It’s probably from not eating,” she whispered in response. She grabbed a paper towel and patted her face dry, gazing at herself in the mirror…the red eyes, the dark circles.

“You have got to sleep. I took a 2 hour nap today; I’ll stay awake with her. Please, babe…please sleep,” Booth pleaded as he swiveled her to face him, his hands planted firmly on her shoulders.

“I can’t. Even if I try, I won’t be able to,” she replied as she sighed.

“Temperance. Do it for me,” he replied, staring her straight in the eyes.

Brennan considered this for a moment. She had only slept approximately 45 minutes over the past 48 hours and it was starting to take its toll. Now she was throwing up from God knows what and she finally decided that it was worth a shot.

“Fine. But I can’t guarantee anything,” she said as she folded her arms across her chest.

Booth smiled softly as they returned to the room. He walked to the cot where Parker was sleeping and shook him gently, whispering something that Brennan did not hear. Parker dragged himself over to the couch and flopped down on it. Booth brought the extra blanket and pillow over to him and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out again. Parker had always been a deep sleeper and this was no exception.

“You didn’t have to make him move,” Brennan whispered as she slipped her shoes off.

“You know he won’t even remember,” Booth replied as he fixed the sheets of the cot so Brennan could get in.

Brennan looked over at Emily, who lay on her back with her mouth half open.

“I hope she doesn’t lose her hair,” Brennan said suddenly.

Booth watched her gaze at their daughter.

The treatment had been successful so far and the cancer cells were being affected, but there was still a long road ahead. 11 more days and they would get an updated prognosis.

“If she does, she’ll still be just as beautiful,” Booth replied, stepping forward to take Brennan’s hand.

She grasped his hand as he led her to the cot.

“Bed,” he said, his eyebrows raised. He patted the cot as he sat on the edge of it.

She followed his instructions, although she didn’t see how she could possibly sleep. She got under the covers and Booth pulled them up and tucked her in just as he did with Emily on a nightly basis.

“Angela will be here in a couple of hours and Russ will be back tonight,” Brennan informed Booth, even though he already knew.

“I was there when Russ told you and when you talked to Angela. See, you need sleep,” Booth said as he moved to get up from the cot.

Her hand stopped him. “Get in bed with me?” she asked, her eyes glistening.

He smiled softly. “Of course,” he replied and squeezed her hand before bending down to take off his shoes.

He walked to the other side of the cot and slipped under the covers. She rotated to face him. He reached his right arm around her midsection and his fingers traced lightly down her back. She placed her left hand on his face and softly stroked his cheek. Their gaze locked onto one another’s.

“I’ve missed this,” she whispered.

“Me too,” he replied as he brushed her hair away from her face.

“She’s starting to get tired,” Brennan said, her eyes drooping ever so slightly.

Booth looked puzzled. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“She was exhausted after the chemo today. It’s starting to affect her,” Brennan replied. “She said ‘scrool’ today instead of ‘school.’ She’s slurring,” Brennan added.

“I know, I noticed too,” Booth replied, returning his hand to her back.

“I told Dr. Caldwell. She says the slurring should disappear in a few days if the treatment is working. We need to-“

Booth’s lips cut her off. Surprised, but grateful, she sunk into the kiss. He was warm and his lips were rough.

He pulled away after a few moments.

“She’s sleeping and she’s fine right now. YOU need to sleep. Okay?” Booth said softly to her.

She attempted to protest for the length of a millisecond and then thought better of it. He was right. Emily was fine at this moment and she had to remind herself to live in the moment. And also at this moment, she was exhausted. Her eyes drooped and her hand lay still on Booth’s neck.

“Okay,” she said, sighing as she closed her eyes.

Booth continued to scratch her back as he pressed his lips to the tip of her nose and then to her forehead. When he pulled his head back to look at her, she was asleep.

His fingers returned to their dance across her back and she blew air into his face. He smiled ever so softly and he said a silent prayer of thanks.
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Read this one and then read Chapter 16 over again and then I will post 17. Geesh, I feel like an idiot! Do you all still love me?

libster:

yeah love you long time. you havent posted 16 right cos i jus read15

tozika:

It was no problem....when I read 16 I only thought for a moment, why is she sleeping but I think I wouldn't even have recognized that a chapter was missing.
Although I liked chapter 15 it wasn't soo important to understand what's going on....
and of course we still love you!

cheesebk:

aaaaaah.... okay, now I understand al this

please update soon, meegs.... I love this story, though it is so sad so far

libster:

ha ha i get it now

fab:

and of course we still love you....
actually, I didn't realize you skippped..my bad
but the BB love was totally sweet...

more please
fab

meegs:

Alrighty, here is the next chap. And I promise it's the RIGHT one.
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CHAPTER 17

“If you had the stomach flu, you would be throwing up as we speak. You have only vomited twice, correct?” Dr. Caldwell asked Brennan, who was sitting on an exam bed.

“Yes, twice. Around 7:30 and then again around 10:45. Maybe it’s just exhaustion,” Brennan replied as she ran a hand through her hair.

“Well, that could be true, but if you’ll pee in a cup for me and let me check you out, I’ll at least feel better about things,” Dr. Caldwell replied.

“Yeah, okay,” Brennan agreed. She didn’t quite know why she was allowing this. Perhaps it had something to do with the nagging in the back of her mind.
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“Can you run it again?” Brennan asked Dr. Caldwell as she bit her bottom lip.

“I already ran it twice. You know how the test works, it’s 99% accurate,” Dr. Caldwell replied, a small smile forming on her face.

Brennan didn’t speak for at least 10 seconds. “Well, thank you. Will you be in for Emily soon?” Brennan inquired.

“In about 20 minutes. The nurse should have given her her meds already, so she’ll be set,” Dr. Caldwell replied.

Brennan sighed. “What’s one more thing to think about, right?” she said, half smiling at Dr. Caldwell.

Dr. Caldwell returned the smile. “You have a good team on your side, Dr. Brennan. And I am including myself as a member,” she replied.

Brennan nodded slightly. “Thank you,” she replied as she turned for the door. As she was about to walk out, she stopped and turned back to the doctor. “Emily really likes you. She’s not usually very trusting to strangers. That tells me a lot. Do you have children?” Brennan said.

Dr. Caldwell’s smile faded slightly. “No, no I don’t. I had a husband and a Schnauzer up until a year ago. He took the house and Rufus with him in one sweep,” she paused, and then, “slick bastard.” The grin was back.

Brennan smiled and stifled a laugh. “Our dog’s name is Rufus, too,” she said.

“No kidding? I bet Emily misses him. You could bring him in one day. We allow pet visits,” Dr. Caldwell replied.

“Great. We just might do that,” Brennan said, smiling as another thought formed in her head. “Dr. Caldwell. Do you think Emily will need a stem cell transplant?” Brennan asked outright. It had been on her mind and she finally spat out the question.

Dr. Caldwell didn’t hesitate. She knew Brennan wanted directness.

“Yes, I believe she will. I usually don’t say anything until 72 hours into treatment, but in Emily’s case, it’s quite clear,” Dr. Caldwell replied, looking Brennan straight in the eyes.

“Then we should all get tested,” Brennan said, shifting her jaw as the confession from the oncologist sunk in.

“Just let me know when you would like to get started and I will set up the appointments,” Dr. Caldwell replied.

“As soon as possible,” Brennan said.

“I’ll check with the lab for availability. Do you know how many people will want to get tested?” Dr. Caldwell inquired.

“Definitely myself and my husband. I don’t know if we should subject our son to it, though,” Brennan replied.

“That’s your call. It is for the most part, painless. Testing has improved a great deal over the past few years,” Dr. Caldwell explained.

“Thank you for your…straightforwardness, Dr. Caldwell. I appreciate it,” Brennan told the doctor.

“Of course. I’ll see you in Emily’s room soon,” she replied.

Brennan smiled in response and left the office. She caught the elevator as it was closing and punched the “4” button, slumping back into the corner. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, trying to calm herself. She had so many emotions flying through her that she didn’t know what to do. She should be happy. She WOULD be happy if the circumstances were different…if they were normal. How was she going to tell everyone? How were they going to deal with this now? She exhaled loudly as all of the emotions washed over her again. The elevator stopped at the 6th floor and the only other person aboard shuffled off and Brennan was left alone. She closed her eyes again and thought of their Emily. She could tell that she was starting to get tired from the chemo already…and she knew it would only get worse. At least the induction phase only lasted 12 days. And then there would be the transplant. Dr. Caldwell had confirmed what Brennan already knew. Had she not gotten some sleep, Brennan might have collapsed under the stress of it all. Instead, she got off on the 4th floor, grabbed a cup of coffee from the waiting room and headed for room 427, ready for what she was going to have to tell them.
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Do you know what she is going to say? Huh? Do ya? Review and comment and I'll have more for you soon!

tozika:

I'm not sure about what she is going to tell them.....but I think fab could be right.....she could be pregnant again.....

fab:

I loved it so....and poor Bren...
but she does have an excellent support team
;-)

No Booth in this chapter.....
**fab puts on sad face**

more soon please
fab