Casual Affairs ➙ Booth

 prelude.

PRELUDE.
 the continuation of Maggie Kline 

     Air had left her lungs in a rush. It startled her, truthfully. It didn't hurt, but she dropped her gun on the concrete floor and it clattered, it alerted her partner who looked up; he was in the process of putting the suspect in handcuffs. Her hands went to her side, where a stray bullet had pierced her skin and entered her body. Her hands felt warm, and wet, and when Magnolia pulled her hands from her wound, she gasped. A warm, red, and sticky substance covered her fingers and it came almost instantly; the sticky substance was her own blood.

     Magnolia looked up to her partner, and her blood pressure began to drop- she felt lightheaded. She was going to faint; she knew it. Her partner shoved the handcuffed suspect to the ground, and muttered something that Magnolia didn't quite catch. He opened his phone and called someone, yelling into the microphone as he rushed to his partner's side.

     She fell to her knees, first. Her world moved in slow motion; one moment she was in a warehouse, and the next moment Seeley Booth filled her vision. Maggie gave him a loopy smile as he gently lowered her to the ground. One hand rested on her cheek, and his mouth moved, but Maggie couldn't hear anything he said. She heard the blood rushing in her ears and the sirens that belonged to first responders. She could hear her own cries as Seeley pressed his other hand to her would.

     "Maggie," Seeley muttered, and she looked at him with wide eyes, but he knew that she wasn't all there. "Mags, I need you to stay with me. Stay with me."

     Magnolia suddenly gasped, the wound in her side feeling like fire on her skin. A hand reached up to grab her partner's bicep, and she squeezed, her blood now coating his suit jacket. It was the least of Seeley's worries, truthfully.

     "A-Ah, it hurts." Magnolia whined, and she closed her eyes and turned her head away. She bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out again when Seeley pressed harder onto her wound.

     Seeley glanced over his shoulder at the suspect; he was still face down on the concrete floor. Then Seeley took a glance at the door, the sirens grew louder. He sucked in a breath; there was still hope. Lastly, he looked back down at his partner.

     "I know it hurts, Mags." He reassured her, his thumb gliding over her cheek bone. "Medical's almost here. I need you to stay awake until then, I need you to look at me." Booth gave a slight breath of relief when she glanced back at him, but his heart dropped when her eyes fluttered close. "No! Maggie! Come on! Stay with me, here!"

     Magnolia closed her eyes for a brief moment, the exhaustion of blood loss had taken over. To Maggie, herself, it felt like a blink, but in reality, it had actually been a couple of minutes. When she opened her eyes, more people had surrounded her. They barked orders at each other, and someone yelled at her partner to stay back. Really, Maggie just wanted her partner by her side, but she couldn't speak; it was too overwhelming.

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     Magnolia was considered to be lucky, and maybe she was. After a major surgery, Maggie was laid up in recovery and in good spirits once she fully woke. A nurse updated her- the bullet nicked minor blood vessels and a couple of muscles, but missed any major organs. A week in recovery, then she could go home and rest before she returned to fully duty in three months.

     That was hours ago, and Maggie spent a majority of her free time alone with the awful tv programs. The same nurse came in just before shift change, and she merely said that she was to check vitals and such. When the nurse arrived, Magnolia turned off the TV.

     "I'm surprised that you're boyfriend hasn't showed back up yet," the nurse commented.

     Maggie had taken a double-take at her nurse, and she sputtered out her response. "I- he's not my b-boyfriend," and she laughed nervously. "He's just my partner on the job."

     "I apologize," the woman sent a soft smile to Maggie, and she shrugged, "Could've had me fooled though, he was sitting here and praying. Probably would've stayed too if his phone had stopped ringing."

     Magnolia took her IV-free arm and rubbed at her forehead. Surely, she was a sight.

     "Yeah, we're just partners in the FBI." She admitted, "Our phones never stop ringing, unfortunately."

     Her nurse shrugged again, casually, as she continued her notes for the chart. "I'm not sure how you guys continue to get up again and again when you get shot like that. It's crazy."

    Maggie ran her hand through her now greasy hair, and she sighed softly. After a moment, her fingers fiddled with the ends of the tattered hospital blanket.

     "You know," Maggie started with a soft voice, and her eyes stared out the glass doors and watched the commotion outside her room. "I wouldn't trade my job for the world- I worked too hard to get there, and honestly, I can't wait to go back. I can't wait to catch more murderers."

     She glanced back at her nurse as the nurse finished her notes and placed them inside Magnolia Kline's chart. Her nurse muttered something in response, but it was hardly audible. She held small conversation with Maggie for a few moments, but they were interrupted and looked up at the sound of a knock.

     Seeley Booth was motioned inside by the nurse, and she made her escape, closing the door behind her. Seeley glanced over his shoulder at the click of the door, then looked back to Magnolia with a big smile.

     "It's good to see you awake, Mags."

a/n ➸ trashy chapter, and trashy banner, but it's okay! welcome to casual affairs, and we've met Maggie! enjoy 💕