Whew! For some reason, this chapter was a tough one to write, so thanks for being patient with me. Hope you enjoy!

~ Dee


"Booth, we need to talk."

His first instinct was to turn right back around and high tail it out of the room at those dreaded words. The thought of continuing their earlier discussion made him feel even more exhausted than he already was. This was not a subject matter that would get resolved anytime soon and it would more than likely end up in another argument and he did not have the energy for that right now. And he knew her. She was like a pit bull when it came to something she believed in so strongly and she was not going to back down. Under normal circumstances, he would go toe to toe with her, but she was already in the hospital with complications with her pregnancy. The thought of her getting upset again made him more worried than he already was.

Exhaling slowly, he sat back down on the edge of the bed beside her, rubbing his tired eyes with the palms of his hands. "Bones, I don't want to talk about this right now. It's just going to lead to us arguing and I am not going to put you or our baby at risk because we cannot agree on this. I can't do that. I won't."

Reaching for his hand, she realized the anger she had felt earlier had dissolved. Her talk with Angela had at least helped her to see things from his perspective, even if she didn't necessarily agree. "I promise, I won't get upset, Booth. I just want to talk."

"Can't we just wait until we know you and the baby aren't in any danger?" he begged.

"Just hear me out, okay?" Giving his hand a comforting squeeze, she settled back against the pillow behind her as she saw him reluctantly nod his head. "I understand that you feel it is too dangerous for me to be back in the field while I'm pregnant and I will admit that I am not as physically able of performing the duties associated with field work right now. However, I feel like I can still contribute when you are interviewing a witness or collecting evidence. But, I promise I will concede that if you believe there to be a threat, I will stay in the lab instead of accompanying you."

It was not totally what he wanted, but the fact that she was conceding anything surprised him. Though he still wasn't convinced she completely understood his side of this issue. "Bones, of course you can contribute to any case. That's not what I was trying to say. Believe me, I would be lost trying to solve a case without you. I just know you and when you are on a case you give everything you have and I love that about you. But you go full speed ahead without thinking of your own welfare first and that scares me. When you are in the lab, no problem, but in the field where there could be someone with a gun or any other kind of weapon, it's too dangerous." Hearing the edge in his voice, he quickly linked his fingers through hers, forcing it to soften. "Ever since we became partners, I have tried to give you space, even when it went against my gut. It has never been about not trusting you or not believing you could take care of yourself though. I do trust you and I know how strong you are." He hesitated, waiting for her to interject, but she remained silent with a look of concentration on her face as she absorbed his words. "But I still worry about you. I always have and I always will. I know that makes you feel smothered and I try to back off because I never want to push you away, but it's just who I am."

"Mr. Alpha Male," she whispered with a smirk.

"I know, I know," he grinned. "That drives you crazy. Maybe I was born with that instinct, who knows. I just know when I was a kid and my dad would be drinking, I saw how scared Jared would be. Something clicked inside of me and I knew I had to protect him. I have always just wanted to protect the people I love."

"I know I don't make it easy for you, Booth," she began, her lips curving into a slight smile. "I spent years compartmentalizing my feelings so that no one could ever hurt me the way my family did. I loved them and they left me, so I promised myself that I would never depend on anyone again. I never wanted to feel that kind of hurt again so I just started relying on myself. But then you happened." She paused to blink back the tears that she felt starting to sting her eyes. "And I still struggle with depending on you." When he started to protest, she pressed a finger to his lips. "I know I can count on you, Booth. There is no one I trust more than you, but like your protective nature is a part of who you are, my independence is a part of me. It's not what it once was and that is because of you, but it's still there and it rears up on occasion, which I know frustrates you."

Grinning, he leaned forward pressing his lips against hers, taking her by surprise. "Frustration is an understatement. No one has ever frustrated me as much as you do, but then again, I have never loved anyone as much as I love you either."

Framing his face with her hands, she stared into his eyes, holding him close. "That goes both ways, Booth."

"So we can agree that you will at least cut back on the field work and if things are too dangerous, you will listen to me and stay in the lab?" The moment he saw her brows furrow, he knew it was not going to be as simple as that.

"Only if you will agree to temper your overprotectiveness and trust me to know my own limitations," she countered, rubbing her index finger against the crease on his forehead. "See, right here. You worry too much as it is. These worry lines have no place on a face this handsome."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Bones," he whispered, leaning in for another kiss.

This is what she had missed the most in the three weeks he was gone. These simple moments just being with him when it felt like they were the only two people in the world. Never one to spend a weekend locked away unless it was for work, she was seriously thinking that this upcoming weekend was the perfect time to do just that. No cell phones, no television, no computers, no work. Just the two of them together making up for lost time.

Ending their kiss, she saw him start to lean back when a grimace suddenly crossed his face. "What is it?" she asked anxiously.

"Just a little sore," he groaned, pain evident in his voice. "You know that chair is not the most comfortable way to sleep."

Her eyes scanned the still pained expression on his face as her fingers reached to brush against his rib cage. He flinched as if she had shocked him and scooted back to escape her reach. "You injured your ribs during your undercover assignment, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me, Booth? Did you have the doctor examine those as well? Broken ribs can lead to breathing problems or pneumonia. You could have hemorrhaging…"

"Hold on, hold on." He saw the worry on her face and laid a hand on her knee to reassure her. "I promise, the doctor said just bruised, not broken. Now remember what you just told me about worrying? You need to take your own advice there, Bones."

"Of course I worry about you, Booth," she shook her head in confusion. "I love you and I don't want you to be hurt."

"And you don't see the double standard there?" he questioned with amusement on his face. "You can worry about me, but I'm not supposed to worry about you."

"I was just…I mean you are…" Stumbling over her words, she found she was unsure how to explain her feelings to him. "It's just different."

"And how is that?" he teased. "Are you going to quote some more anthropological facts about the alpha male again?"

"You," she began hesitantly, surprised by the sudden lump in her throat. "You are my family, Booth. You and our daughter are my family and if something took you away from me, I could not live through that. Not again. I did it once…those two weeks when I thought you were dead, when everyone told me you were dead." Wiping quickly at the tear that slipped unexpectedly down her face, she reached her other hand to grab his again, pressing it tightly. "I did not think I was going to make it then. I forced myself to work, to try to continue through the routine nature of each day, but it felt like I was suffocating. And although now I realize I loved you even back then, it is nothing like how much I love you now. I wouldn't make it through something like that again, Booth. I couldn't do it."

Speechless, he tried to get his tired mind to process her words. It was never that he doubted that she loved him, but he had often felt like their relationship wasn't on equal ground. He always thought maybe he needed her more than she did him. She was the strongest, most independent person he had ever known and he wasn't sure if she would ever let anyone in close enough to physically need them in her life. To hear her tell him otherwise made him happy and worried at the same time.

"Bones, you have your Dad and Russ too," he tried to soothe her. "Not to mention you have this little one here. If something happened to me…"

"Don't," her voice broke as she pleaded. "Please do not say that." She paused in an attempt to steady her emotions. "My dad and Russ, they walked out on me once. I don't know if I would ever be able to completely trust them again. And even now, they come in and out of my life at their convenience. I love my father and my brother, but I know I am not a priority for them. They could just as easily leave me again tomorrow."

"But I left you too, Bones," he confessed guiltily. Seeing her eyes squint in confusion, he felt even guiltier about that time in their lives. "After I returned from Afghanistan and with Hannah…I was just so hurt and angry. Being around you made it harder, so I kept my distance. It was selfish of me, I know, and I hate myself for how I was with you then."

"I admit I did not like being distant from you, but I understood why," she tried to reassure him. "I knew I had hurt you, but even then, you never left me. Maybe our relationship was different in some ways, but when I needed you, I knew I could count on you. Like that night on the street during the Eames case, you were there to push me out of the way of that car. The world had turned upside down for me, but you helped me put it back right again, just like you always do."

"I think you give me too much credit, Bones."

"I love you, Booth," she declared, her hand gently caressing his bruised face. "And you are the most important person in my life. I hope you never doubt that."

"Ditto, Bones," he whispered with a smile. "Ditto."

Turning his head to press a gentle kiss to the palm of her hand, he felt the emotional and physical exhaustion weighing heavily. She must have noticed the sudden droop of his eyes as she dropped her hand to his again and began to pull him up closer to her. Eyeing the tubes and wires around her, he pulled back, shaking his head.

"You're exhausted," she stated. "So you have two options. You can either go home to get some sleep or you can slide up here and lay down beside me." The defiant look that crossed his face told her that he had no intentions of leaving this room. She smiled as he gingerly slid himself up the bed, mindful to not disturb her IV or monitors. "Good choice."

As he eased his body beside her, she turned as much as her body would allow into his, resting her head against his shoulder. "I missed this." He sighed in contentment, kissing the crown of her head. "I'm thinking this weekend, we just stay in bed all day and shut out the rest of the world."

"Great minds do think alike," she replied dreamily, snuggling in closer to his warmth.

Both fell silent as their bodies relaxed and drifted toward sleep. Twenty minutes later, Angela found them in that exact position, sound asleep. She had been killing time in the gift shop and the cafeteria after calling to check on Michael, hoping to give Brennan and Booth time to work things out. From the look of them wrapped in each other's arms, her plan had obviously been successful. Easing the door closed again, she bumped into Sweets who had appeared behind her. She quickly pressed a finger to her lips telling him to be quiet while ushering him to the other end of the hallway to ensure they were out of earshot. "They're both asleep," she explained softly. "Which is a good thing because they were both about to keel over from exhaustion."

"How is Dr. Brennan?" Sweets asked anxiously. "Any news from the doctor on what is wrong?"

"Still waiting," she frowned. "After I left her and Booth in there earlier, I hunted down a nurse for some answers. Didn't do much good since they wouldn't or couldn't tell me anything new. Supposedly the doctor is coming sometime this afternoon."

"They are not going to be able to keep Dr. Brennan here for long, I hope they know that," he grimaced. "I'm surprised that she hasn't been demanding to go home before now."

"Well, I think a certain FBI agent has been keeping her mind occupied," she smiled. "She's just so happy to have Booth here, I don't think it has even crossed her mind about going home yet. Of course, that's not going to last long. By the way, thank you for going to get him. She was being pretty defiant last night and Booth is really the only one who can deal with her when she gets like that."

"She was scared, though I doubt that she would ever admit to that." Sweets had seen enough of Temperance Brennan through the years to know when she was hiding behind her real feelings. He had observed her on more than one occasion and quickly learned that Booth was the only one who could break through those walls she built. "As strange as it may sound, in some ways Booth helps Dr. Brennan to see things more logically."

"You mean Brennan, the queen of logic?" she scoffed.

He smiled at her reference. "Yes, Dr. Brennan is quite logical when it comes to science and tangible evidence that you can see and touch. But Booth helps her to see the logical, rational side of emotions and thoughts that are normal and commonplace to the rest of this. She in turn helps him see the scientific side of things when he would rather rely on faith alone. They really do balance each other out."

"Even when they are driving the rest of us crazy," Angela laughed as her eyes quickly diverted to the tall, lean man approaching from the end of the hallway. With a stethoscope thrown haphazardly around his neck and a metal chart in his hand, she quickly recognized him as Brennan's doctor from last night. Moving away from Sweets, she swiftly approached him with concern on her face. "Dr. Larsen," she sighed in relief. "Are those Brennan's test results? How is she? Are you going to release her?"

The doctor took a step back, surprised by the determined assertion of the woman standing in front of him. "Yes, Ms. Montenegro, I do have Dr. Brennan's test results, but I'm afraid I will need to share the information with her alone. Doctor-patient confidentiality, you understand."

"Oh, of course," her face flushed with embarrassment. "I understand. It's just that she's my best friend and I know she's not the best patient. She can be stubborn and uncooperative as I'm sure you know. You should have seen what it took to even get her to the hospital and…"

"Angela."

She stopped at the sound of Sweets' voice realizing she had been rambling to the doctor. "I'm sorry," she apologized, biting her lip to keep her tears at bay. "I'm just worried."

"It's okay," the doctor nodded in affirmation. "I promise you we will do our best to take care of Dr. Brennan and her baby. She's fortunate to have friends who care so much."

"Okay," Angela stepped aside to allow him to pass by. "Thank you. And just so you know they're sleeping right now. I didn't want you to startle them."

"Got it," he smiled as he walked past her to knock softly on the closed door.

Inside the room, Booth's sniper reflexes were on immediate alert when he heard muffled voices on the other side of the door. The moment the door began to crack open, his body jumped, immediately waking Brennan. "What?" she asked groggily. "What is it?"

Before he could respond, Dr. Larsen made his way into the room. "Sorry to wake you both, but I have Dr. Brennan's test results that I wanted to go over with you."

Booth swallowed hard as he felt the knot in his stomach tighten again. Sliding his feet to the floor, he moved back to the nearby chair, nervously squeezing her hand. Looking back at Brennan, he saw the worry in her eyes and he knew that she was feeling the same nervousness. They had yet to talk about the fear that was most prominent on their minds. When he felt her grip on his hand tighten further, he locked eyes with her, trying to reassure her that they could face whatever they were about to hear.

Flipping open the chart he held in his hands, the doctor moved closer to the end of the bed to give them the news they were waiting on. "We ran several tests and while overall your health is good, I do have some concerns."

Brennan let out a shuddered breath as Booth's gaze focused on the edge of her bed, where their hands were tangled together. Moving his thumb to softly stroke her palm, he tried to soothe her even when he felt like his heart was beating outs of his chest.

"We ran a blood panel and a urine test which indicated a small amount of protein. That along with several high blood pressure readings is indicative of preeclampsia." Seeing the terror that passed over their faces, he quickly continued. "But the good news is your blood pressure has stabilized and while it's not where I would like it to be, it is much improved over when you arrived last night."

"So what's next?" Booth's voice cracked. "What do we need to do to make sure they are both okay?"

"Both mother and baby are stable and vitals are strong," he reassured them. "I believe this to only be a very mild case so I do not feel we need to take any drastic measures. I'm prescribing an antihypertensive medication to lower your blood pressure and I want to see you for a follow up in my office in two weeks."

"Okay," Brennan nodded feeling like she could breathe again. "That's not so bad." Turning to Booth, she gave him a halfhearted smile. "We can deal with that, right?"

Booth was not as convinced as the doctor continued. "If you avoid stress and take the medication to get your blood pressure under control, along with bed rest, I have no doubt you can carry to term."

Hoping that would ease his worry, she sighed in relief. "See, Booth," she began before the doctor's words fully registered. "Wait. You said bed rest?"

"Yes." After having her for a patient the last two years, he had known this was going to end up being the difficult part of their conversation. "Yes, Dr. Brennan, I said bed rest. At least until your next appointment."

"Is that really necessary?" she protested. "What if I stayed off my feet and just worked in my office?"

"Bones, no…"

"No, Dr. Brennan," the doctor interrupted Booth. "I mean full bed rest, at home. There is no compromising on that. Your blood pressure is still elevated and if you want this to continue to be a healthy pregnancy, you will do just that. We can reevaluate in two weeks when you come in and if your blood pressure is back to normal and you show no further signs of complications, we can discuss a reduced work schedule."

Though she wanted to argue further, she finally surrendered, nodding tiredly as she looked to Booth who met her gaze evenly. She wouldn't risk the baby's health for anything, but one look in his dark, serious eyes and she knew that he would be playing strict, uncompromising warden for the rest of her pregnancy. His overprotectiveness had just shifted into the next gear. Letting out a shaky breath, she nodded again. "I understand."

"That's what I wanted to hear," he began. "I am going to send the nurse back in for one more check of your vitals and blood pressure and if nothing has changed, I'm going to send you home. I know you are not happy about the bed rest, but for your own well-being as well as your baby's, it's for the best."

"She'll do it," Booth finally spoke with a look of determination on his face. "I'll make sure she takes it easy."

"Good luck to you both," he smiled warmly. "If you have any questions or need anything, don't hesitate to call my office. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

They both watched him turn and leave, waiting for the other to be the first to speak. However, before the door could even close with the doctor's exit, Angela had it open again, marching in the room.

"So what is it? What did he say?" she demanded impatiently.

Booth looked at Brennan who was still silent and decided he would have to be the one to give the rundown of what had been said. "Mild case of preeclampsia." Angela gasped in shock as his shaky voice hesitated, fearing the worse. "But he seems to think with medication and rest, Bones and the baby will both be fine. We just have to keep her blood pressure down and make sure she stays off her feet for at least the next couple of weeks."

"Bed rest?" Angela quipped. "He put Brennan on bed rest?"

"Yes," Booth sighed in frustration, turned his gaze back to Brennan as his tone became stern. "And she's going to do it, right?"

"I said I would, didn't I?" she snapped. "I don't think it's completely necessary, but if Dr. Larsen thinks it's the best thing for our daughter, I'll do it."

Angela leaned in close, whispering to her in a firm, even tone. "And just so you're aware, I will be watching you like a hawk too, making sure that you follow doctor's orders to a tee. That means no funny business, sweetie. You got that?" She smiled sympathetically. "Besides, no one wants to deal with Booth if you're not taking care of yourself."

Brennan looked back to Booth who let out a long, trembling sigh, shaking his head. When his eyes met hers, she could feel the emotion rolling off of him as he spoke. "I know this is not what you wanted, but your health and our daughter's is the only thing that matters. If something happened to you on my watch, I would never forgive myself."

Tears filled her eyes at the intensity of his words. Opening her mouth to speak, she found that the words would not come. Swallowing hard, she started to try again when the nurse approached from behind Angela.

"Dr. Larsen wants me to do another quick check of your vitals and if things look good, I have your discharge papers ready to go."

Nodding silently, Brennan stuck her arm out for the blood pressure cuff and opened her mouth to receive the thermometer. The room fell quiet as the nurse continued to eye the monitors while waiting for the beep of the blood pressure monitor to check the reading. They all watched as she scribbled numbers down on the chart in her hands, waiting anxiously for the final results.

"Looks good," she assured them. "Your blood pressure is still elevated at 130 over 90, but Dr. Larsen said that was within the range for us to discharge you. I will go get your discharge papers as well as the prescription for the blood pressure medicine he prescribed. So just sit tight and I'll be right back to get that IV out for you and get you on your way."

Angela turned back to the two of them as the nurse made her exit and reached for Brennan's free hand giving it a gentle squeeze. "If you need anything at all sweetie, you know I'm just a phone call away."

"Thanks Angela." Brennan shook her head wearily. "I appreciate all that you did for me last night. I'll call you soon once we're all settled."

"I know I don't really need to say this, but take care of her, Booth," Angela said firmly.

Waiting for Angela to close the door behind her, Brennan turned back to Booth who still had that same look of worry on his face. "I can feel you worrying," she sighed tiredly. "I promise I will do exactly what the doctor says, Booth. I would never do anything to jeopardize our daughter."

Whispering gently, he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I know you won't. But just be patient with me because I'm going to worry until I know you are okay and she's here, safe and sound in my arms."

"She will be soon," she smiled as she pulled him back down for another kiss. "I promise."