Bones?"
Booth stood up and leaned over her, looking into her blue eyes. He hadn't realized how much he had missed looking into her eyes. He put his palm against her cheek and leaned down to kiss her forehead in his spot.
"It's ok," Booth said. "It's ok. You're safe."
He could see the confusion behind her eyes. He could see the uncertainty. She looked from side to side before finally closing her eyes tightly. He knew she was trying to make sense of what was happening. He couldn't imagine how confused she must have been.
"Bones," he said again, barely above a whisper.
This time when he said her name, it wasn't a question. This time it was a statement. It was a statement that she was there with him. It felt good to say her name and know that she was actually hearing him. He couldn't stop staring at her and he couldn't stop the tear from rolling down his cheek. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to gather her in his arms and never let go, but he couldn't. Not only did her injuries prevent him from giving her the kind of hug he wanted, but he was afraid that she would be afraid of what the hug meant. He settled on resting his hand on her arm. It was a simply gesture, but it was enough.
"Booth," her voice was weak, but it was the best sound Booth had heard in a very long time.
"I'm here, Bones. I'm right here," he said quietly, squeezing her arm lightly.
She opened her eyes again. She tried to move, but felt restrained. Her body felt stiff. She looked at Booth, trying to focus on his eyes. She could see him. She could feel him touching her arm, but it was hard to focus on him.
"I…" she began before trailing off. She felt confused and she could feel pain from somewhere, but she didn't know where.
"Shh…" Booth soothed. "It's ok. You're ok."
It took Brennan nearly ten minutes before she spoke again. Booth could tell that she was fighting through pain and weariness and confusion. He simply stood there, giving her as much time as she needed. He silently prayed that she would be the same person he had known.
"What...what happened?" She finally asked.
"You're in the hospital," Booth said slowly. "Bones you've been unconscious for two days. We didn't know if you'd wake up...we didn't know if you'd make it. Do you know how good it is to hear your voice?"
"The sound of someone's voice can be rather comforting in times of emotional distress. There are studies that link..."
He couldn't help but laugh out loud. He saw her furrow her brow in confusion. She had no idea why he was laughing.
"I guess this means there wasn't any brain damage."
"What?"
"Never mind." He couldn't stop staring at her. Just hours earlier, he was worried that she would never wake up again and there she was, talking to him. "Bones, I…you don't know how long I've been waiting for you to open those beautiful eyes of yours."
He realized what he said as soon as he said it. Of course he had always thought she was beautiful, but he had never said it so easily before. He always said things like, 'you have good facial structure' or he relied on telling her she looked 'nice.' He had to remind himself that even though he was ready and willing to take their relationship to the next level, she had been unconscious and might not be so ready.
He was about to somehow cover up for what he had said when a nurse pushed aside the curtain around Brennan's bed. Totally ignoring Booth, she checked the monitors attached to Brennan.