The Other Bones

The Trip

Within an hour of the call about Booth, Stella and Mia were on the way to the airport in Austin. Abeline had decided to drive them along with August so they could check that they got there safely. Stella had packed her bag with incredible speed, considering usually it took her 3 days to pack for a weekend camping trip. Abeline made sure that Mia had everything she needed from her apartment in town and booked the flights from Austin to Washington D.C. They had an open return so Mia could stay as long as she needed to. Abeline had done everything knowing that Mia would be in no state to pack a bag or arrange tickets because she would be panicking about Agent Booth and the person who contacted her didn't give her much information on his condition.

As they pulled up to the airport drop-off section, Mia was already grabbing her bag and opening the door.

"Wait," Abeline yelled, stopping Mia before she exited the car. "Look after each other, please. I know it's hard, but she's 16, and you need someone there for you."

"Thanks, Abeline. I'll look after her," Mia replied with a smile before Stella replied to her grandmother too.

"I will Mawline, I promise I'll be sensible and look after her," Stella said, kissing her grandmother on the cheek and shouting, "Later stinker" at her younger brother sitting in the backseat.

They arrived about an hour before their flight to DC, so they quickly grabbed a Starbucks and sat by the gate. Stella didn't even complain about not being allowed to go around the airport shops. She knew that Mia wouldn't risk missing the flight for any reason. Mia hadn't even opened her book while they were sitting at the gate, which was unusual for her.

As soon as they announced boarding the plane, Mia pretty much ran to the check-in desk, leaving Stella to quickly grab her bag and run after her. They were some of the first people on the plane. Once they found their seats, Stella slid into the window seat, and Mia sat next to her but still did not relax. Her knee was bouncing the whole plane ride between Austin and Washington. Nothing would make her calm again until she saw Seeley. She knew the moment she could see him, touch him, and hear him again, everything would be okay. Stella had been transfixed by the scenery passing outside the window for most of the three-hour flight, but she was thinking about Mia and Seeley. In the past 6 years, Stella had rarely seen Agent Booth and Mia apart other than when he was away at work. She was pretty sure that Booth's wrist tattoo was Mia's name even if Stella's understanding of Chinese was basic.

"Do you love him?" Stella asked, watching her friend's expression carefully. Mia didn't answer, but the question stopped her knee bouncing almost immediately. "You know his tattoo is your name, right?" Stella asked, hoping it would get some form of reaction from Mia.

"It's Parker's name," Mia replied quietly.

"I'm not good at Chinese, but the one on his right wrist is Parker's name, but I'm pretty sure the one on his left wrist is your name," Stella explained.

"Really?" Mia asked. Stella simply nodded, still watching for a reaction to the previous statement. It seemed that the bombshell Stella had dropped on Mia was enough to send her deep in thought and stop her from shaking as much. Now, she was sitting nearly completely still for the first time since the call from the FBI came through.

As the plane began preparing to land, Mia finally spoke to Stella again.

"Yes," was all Mia said to Stella at the exact moment when the plane touched down on the tarmac.

"You're gonna tell him?" Stella asked, which resulted in Mia nodding, but the knee bouncing was back and more intense than ever. She had also started biting the skin around her nails.

"Let's go," Stella said as the doors to the aeroplane opened, collecting her bags along with Mia's bag. She carefully grasped Mia's hand and led her off the plane and into the airport building. Once they had passed through the airport, Stella quickly hailed a taxi and gave them the name of the hospital they needed to be at. Carefully, she pushed Mia into the backseat of the cab and then joined her. Stella was enjoying watching the scenery, but she could feel Mia getting more and more tense under her hand.

The cab ride didn't seem to take too long for Stella, but she knew that it would be driving Mia insane sitting there doing nothing. I'm just waiting for the cab to arrive at the hospital.