The young doctors.

Poor little girl.

~(episode 20: The Graft in the Girl)~

Year: 2000

I was resting in hospital from what happened and I just felt numb. That changed slightly when Angie rushed in with my family.
"Hey guys. I didn't know you were in town." I told as I tried to give a smile only for it to not last.
"I rushed here as soon as I heard what happened. Why would you go in there Ash?" Angie asked as she gave me a hug.
"Because Mike was in there..... I.... I tried to...." I tried to tell only for my tears to fall and the memory being too much for me.
The bed dipped next to me and I was pulled into Peters arms as he tried to help comfort me and Angie sat on the other side and did the same.
"Honeybun it's going to be ok. I've also paid for all your medical expenses." Billy told as he gave my hand a squeeze.
"Thanks Billy."
"It's going to be ok kid. We are all here for you." Christopher told as my siblings who couldn't hugged me just held my hand that wasn't being held by Billy.
"How about once you complete University you come to Washington DC with me?" Angela suggested.
"But I'm joining the academy after uni and then moving to Pennsylvania where I hope to run my own private eye company."
"I would just feel safer knowing you were fine Ash. We all would." Angie told
"I know. I'll think about it."

Year: 2006 present day.

I walked down the halls of the hospital pushing the trolley full of flowers and prepared for my week off.
'This is going to be a terrible week.'

(Angie p.o.v)

I was waiting for a response from Ash since I knew what this week would be for her, as I walked down the hospital corridor with Booth and Brennan.
"Uh, Agent Booth?" I asked.
"Yes, Angela?"
"This is the pediatric cancer floor of the hospital." I told.
"Mm-hmm. Yeah."
"Right. Well, uh, what I'm about to show Deputy Director Cullen is kinda gruesome." I told pointing to my bag and Brennan looked up from the papers she was flipping through.
"Why are we meeting Cullen here?" She asked.
"Because he's the deputy director of the FBI and this is where he wants us to show it to him." He told making us both give him a look. "Ok, listen. About a month ago his daughter Amy was diagnosed with cancer. Meso..."
"Mesothelioma. Lung cancer." Brennan told cutting in.
"Exactly. So she's not doing so well, so it's a lot easier for us to come to him right now." He explained.
"Huh."
"Huh, what?" He asked looking towards Brennan.
"Nothing. It's just that's an extremely rare form of lung cancer-odd for someone Amy's age to contract." She explained making him stop walking and face her as he held out his hand.
"No, no, no. No probing, ok? Not to Cullen, not to his family." He told before dropping his voice. "This will take five minutes. We go in, do the show and tell relating to the case and then we're out of there. Is that clear?"
Of course, the two didn't realise Cullen had walked out of the room and witnessed what was happening.
'Ash would love this. Maybe I'll have time to find her and check up on her.'
"I think it's peculiar."
"No."
"But I..." she began only for him to cut in.
"No."
"You have to admit..." she began again but it wasn't Booth that cut in that time.
"Booth." Cullen told making them look over at him. "Dr. Brennan. How appropriate, you two bickering in an adolescent wing."
"Uh, sir, yes. Um, is it ok if we come in, sir?" Booth asked getting flustered, and Cullen turned to who I assumed was his daughter Amy, and it looked like she was drawing something.
"What do you think, sweetheart?"
"Booth's cool, most of the time." She told
"You heard the lady. You're cool." Cullen told making Booth smile.
"Mm-hmmm."
"Yeah, right." Brennan whispered fo me, causing to just shake my head as we walked in.

I was sitting next to Cullen with my laptop set up on the table so he could go over the evidence of the case we are working on.
"Are you sure it's all right for me to do this here?" I asked having to take a deep breath to calm myself.
"Nothing I haven't seen before." Amy admitted as she drew on the hospital bed reminding me of what happened seven years ago this week.
'Poor Ash.'
"Let's see what you got here, Angela." Cullen told before he began to look it over and Brennan talked about it.
"Note the estimated time of death is mid-June. Extreme humidity combined with insects and precipitation accelerated the rate of decomp." She told as the images appeared on the computer.
"So based on this the victim's body was not mutilated after death?" He asked.
"The effects were totally environmental."
"Murder doesn't fit the suspect's profile, sir." Booth added.
"Yeah. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature." I told before he gestured to the screen.
"I'd like to see this again."
"Knock yourself out, sir. Eighty-six times is our limit." Brennan told before me and her walked over towards Amy's bed.
"Can I see your drawings?" I asked making her nod, and I was instantly amazed with what I saw. "Wow. These are beautiful."
"Our artist in the making." Mrs. Cullen told.
"Right now I'm doing landscapes. I'm really into this French dude Rousseau. As well as Peter Monroe, though he mostly does portraits." She explained making me nod and a smile form on my face at the mention of Peter.
"Yeah. There's...uh...There's a lot of Rousseau in Paris. Have you ever been to the Louvre?" I asked as I flipped through her drawings.
"No, not yet. But it's on my list. Right after 'fall in love' and 'learn to drive'." She told and I noticed Cullen looked sad at hearing what she said.
"Well, you've got a great eye. And Peter Monroe is a great artist to look up to. He puts all his emotions into what he makes." I told.
"Thanks. I think what you do is pretty awesome too. I mean, computers are not for me, but I get it."
"Understandable. You know I once heard that Peter Monroe set a canvas on fire and then had to rush outside with it still on fire due to instantly regretting it." I told making her laugh.
"He does so many experimental pieces. But my favourite is the one of his sister Ashlyn Monroe, 'The flames of sadness from within; Ashley' I believe it's called, I always get confused since they call her Ashlyn in interviews due to it being a stage name. I also quite like  'Missing; Sabrina' but if I had to pick, I'd pick the one of his sister."
"I would as well." I told before pointing to the one she was making. "Can I see what you're working on?"
She gave a nodded and handed me her sketch pad and I began to look over what she has done.
"She's amazing." Brennan told.
"Mm-hmmm. Amy's been very brave this week. They're trying an experimental viral chemotherapy, and we're very optimistic." Cullen told.
"Since asbestos exposure is the primary way people contract mesothelioma...how do you think..." Brennan tried to ask making Booth clear his throat loudly to stop her. "How do you think Amy got it?"
"Oh, we don't know, Dr. Brennan. The first place we looked after she was diagnosed was all her previous schools, the house we lived in...nothing." He told.
"Has there been a history of illness?" She asked making Booth do it again.
"Hardly. Apart from breaking her leg snowboarding a year ago I can't remember the last time she was sick." Mrs. Cullen admitted.
"How bad was the break?"
"Compound fracture, left tibia."
"I was boarding with some friends and I...I hit a tree. Pretty dumb, huh?" Amy told.
'At least she's still got some humour in her.'
"And that required surgery?"
"A bone graft." Mrs. Cullen told before Booth stood up from the back and walked towards Brennan and began to try and usher her away.
"I hate to drag these lovely squints back to the lab, but, you see, we have another case." He told only for Brennan to try and get out of his grasp.
"No we don't."
"Oh, yes we do."
"Could I see Amy's graft X-ray?"
"Sir, I apologize." Booth told as Cullen stood up.
"Of course." He told grabbing the x-ray and handing it to Brennan. "If you think they'll tell us anything."
She held the x-ray up towards the light and looked at it to see what was going on.
I looked towards the door to see Ash on a trolley full of flowers and pushed the ground a bit to give her some more momentum. Of course Booth must have also see her due to giving me and Brennan a confused look.
"Did I just see Ashley?" He asked
"It's her week off." Brennan stated
"She's spending her week off here? At a hospital? Why?"
"No one knows. She doesn't act her usual self and just isolates. Not even Angela will tell us."
"She doesn't like talking about it. So I don't tell people, not even I know the full thing."
'But I know enough to know how bad she's feeling.'