The Brawler in the Bed
By Ralkana

Disclaimer -- Bones is owned by Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions, in association with 20th Century Fox Television, based on the novels by Kathy Reichs. I own none of it, but if someone wants to give me Agent Booth for Christmas, I think I could be persuaded.

Comments and feedback to Ralkana47@yahoo.com would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Timeline -- Takes place during The Woman in the Sand.

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Booth lay in bed, watching the bright lights out his hotel room window, trying not to moan in agony. His gaze flicked to the partially open door between his partner's room and his room, and he did his best to stifle the smile that came unbidden. Smiling hurt, but the wince that came with the smile hurt more, and he really didn't want to experience either.

He peered at the dresser in the darkness. Somewhere up there was the little bottle of 800 milligram ibuprofen he carried with him always, and two of those sounded excellent right now. He was pretty sure he had a few Vicodin tucked into his bag somewhere as well, courtesy of his adventure with Bones' refrigerator, but he wouldn't take any of those until he and Bones were safely home. He didn't really expect any trouble between now and then, but you could never tell with Bones, and he didn't want to be any more incapacitated than he already was.

Please, his inner voice mocked, You couldn't protect her from a kitten right now! As if in agreement, there came a particularly deep and vicious throb from the region of his kidney, and he bit his lip. Yeah, those ibuprofen were sounding better and better. The problem was, the dresser was approximately three million miles from the bed.

He glanced again at the open door. Bones had left it open, saying he should call her if he needed anything, and he'd been touched, as he knew how much she valued her privacy. It was a sweet gesture, but a useless one. He wasn't going to call her for this. The damn meds were right there.

Taking a deep breath -- even that hurt -- Booth swiftly sat up, but he couldn't completely stifle the cry of pain that slipped from his lips. There was a rustle from the room next door, and he bit back a curse.

"Booth?" Her voice was sleep-fogged and quiet, and he said nothing, panting quietly to get his breath back, hoping that if he was silent, she'd just go back to sleep.

No such luck. Then again, his luck always had sucked in this town.

"Booth?" she asked again, her voice closer this time as she came toward his room.

"I'm fine," he said, but even he could tell his voice was tight with the pain. "Go back to sleep, Bones."

She slipped into his room, flipping on a light, and he flinched from the sudden brightness, groaning at the movement. He tried not to notice how she brushed her hair back from her face, or the way the silk of her nightgown clung to her curves as she moved.

"Booth, are you okay?"

"Peachy," he replied.

"Do you need something?"

"Nope, got it all under control. Just resting a minute." His voice was nonchalant, and he tried for a smile, but its effect was negated by the fact that he was pale, clammy, and trembling.

She scowled at him, hands on her hips, and he tore his gaze away from the way it outlined her breasts in silk. He looked at the dresser, but unfortunately, it was still three million miles away. When he looked back at Bones, she was still glaring at him, and he sighed, giving up. Giving in.

"Somewhere in my bag on the dresser is a small bottle of ibuprofen. Can you please grab me a couple?"

She brought him the small bag, and he lifted his arm to take it from her, groaning and letting it fall back to the bed. "Can you just... it's in there somewhere. Don't worry, there's nothing in there that'll bite you."

She glanced from the bag to his arm to his face, her expression now one of alarm.

"Are you sure you okay? Should I call an ambulance?"

"No! No, I'm fine. Just a little stiff. He was pounding on me pretty damn hard, Bones."

She found the small pill bottle. "This one?"

When he nodded, she dropped his bag on the bed and disappeared into the bathroom, where he heard her fill a tumbler with water. Water was a nice touch -- he'd been planning to dry swallow the meds. If the dresser was three million miles away, the bathroom was in another dimension.

She brought him the glass of water and shook out a pill, handing them to him. He took them, groaning as he did so. Tossing back the pill and the water hurt, but he gritted his teeth, hoping some relief was on the way.

"One more," he groaned, and she peered at the bottle.

"You sure, Booth?"

"One isn't gonna put a dent in this, believe me, Bones. Two probably won't either, but a guy can hope, right?"

She handed him another pill, watching as he swallowed it down. She took the glass from him, setting it on the nightstand. Settling on the bed, she tucked her legs under her.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked him again, studying his face.

"Everything hurts," he told her, leaning back gingerly against the headboard. "Thank you for rescheduling our flight home 'til tomorrow."

"Well, I figured that flying so soon after that would cause you some discomfort."

He laughed, and then groaned. "I got news for you, Bones -- flying home next week would probably cause me some discomfort." He frowned. "Not sure why the pain's so intense, though. The fight didn't last that long, and it's not like it was my first brawl. And I exercise regularly."

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes as she thought about his question, and he bit back a smile. Squinting again. And at me this time.

"Even the most rigorous session of exercise is not the same as undisciplined hand-to-hand combat."

"Hey, it wasn't undisciplined! I -- " His words choked off in a wince as he shifted positions.

"Booth, are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine! It was a short fight, Bones, and hey, in case you don't remember, I kicked his ass."

When she raised an eyebrow, he pushed himself up on his elbows, ignoring the pain. "I knocked him out, Bones."

"Only because I told you exactly where to hit him."

His ego was pricked. "I was holding my own!" When she merely stared, he grinned. "He was kinda big, though, wasn't he?" he asked, but her smile wavered and vanished, and he frowned. "Bones?"

She looked away. "It's nothing."

"Bones..."

She looked up, her eyes filled with concern. "Are you sure you're okay, Booth?"

"Why, Dr. Brennan, I do believe you're worried," he teased, doing his best to hide how pleased he was at that fact.

Her eyes narrowed. "Since you seem to be fine now, I guess I'll go back to bed."

"Good," he grunted, hiding his disappointment. "Close the door, will you? I think I'm gonna watch some TV." Reaching for the remote, he stifled a groan.

She slid off the bed but didn't move. "You should try to get some sleep, Booth."

"'s gonna be a while before I fall asleep." He flipped on the TV just in time to hear some lab monkey say something about DNA results.

Bones let out a rather unladylike snort. "These shows are so preposterous."

"Come on, Bones, you don't watch any of these CSI type shows?"

"Why would I waste my time?"

"Because they're so much fun to mock! Come on," he said, patting the bed beside him. "We can mock together."

She rolled her eyes but sat beside him again. They watched for a few moments, trading barbs at the ridiculous science and the unbelievable procedure. She grew quiet, and when he looked over, she was leaning back against the headboard, her eyes closed, her breathing deep and even. Booth watched, smiling softly. He debated trying to find some covers for her, but there was no way he could get out of bed without waking her up, and the room was warm. Instead, he shut off the TV, setting the remote on the nightstand.

He ran his fingertips gently over her arm. "Thanks, Bones," he whispered. "I owe you one. Again."

Slowly, and carefully, he shifted onto his side, keeping his eyes trained on her. His gaze never wavered as his eyes began to flutter and finally shut.

One of hers slowly opened, taking in his now sleeping form. "You're welcome, Booth," she whispered back, gently sliding off the bed and padding towards her own room, leaving him to his slumber.