Isabelle made it through the shift successfully managing to hide her stress throughout the day. Sweets had helped her day pass uneventfully and for that, she was grateful. Sweets kept her busy and working, dressing changes and the plan for discharge was starting to circulate. This mildly alarmed Isabelle more due to the fact that the doctors were looking at discharging him straight from ICU. But from what Isabelle had seen, the doctors were encouraging the idea of hiring help to care for Sweets when he left.

"Are you alright?" Sweets had asked as Isabelle had been gently cleaning and changing the dressing of his wound. She hadn't said all too much and Sweets had noticed. Isabelle nodded.

"I'm alright. Just a lot of work to go through today."
"Oh, I hope it's not all me. I can't be taking up all your time." He joked. Isabelle shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"You're my only patient, Sweets."
"I know. Just tryna - ow - lighten the mood." Isabelle pulled the swab away as he winced.

"Sorry. I did warn you it was going to hurt."
"That you did.... Jeez, I didn't realise it was going to hurt that much." Isabelle have him an apologetic look before continuing to clean and dry the wound, which was healing. It was still concerning how much it was weeping but Isabelle was please with how far it had come along.

Sweets continued to watch Isabelle while she worked, studying her face. He swore she had more frown lines than the last time he had seen her. Not like he stared her face a lot.

That was a lie. Her face was always so calm and kind, bright and cheerful. Always easy to bring to a smile and always so quick to make a joke. Sweets had been grateful that his friends had requested her as his primary nurse. She knew the ins and out of his care better than anyone. She had even cleaned him when there was no one else around to do it, which had caused him to blush furiously everytime. Yet she had remained calm and blush free, despite her pale pallor.  He had appreciated any and all privacy she provided him. For that, he was grateful.

"Alright, that should just about do it." She squinted as she careful wrote with her black pen on the bandage the time and date, her tongue sticking out a little as she did so, concentrating. This was something else Sweets had noticed. He knew she often fought the urge because he had seen Daisy and some of the other interns who worked with Brennan do it but with severe concentration came the lack of attention to other things.

"Thank you, Isabelle. I really appreciate it. I can't actually write that small... Wow how did you manage that." He managed to crack another smile from her, this one reaching her eyes as she tapped the pen to her chin.

"Years of practice of pretending to nurse baby dolls and writing on littl hospital bands." Sweets chuckled.

"I'm a little bigger than a baby doll." Isabelle raised her eye jokingly and squinted and took a step back and shrugged.

"I dunno, Sweets. I think I've seen baby dolls bigger than you." Sweets rolled his eyes so far back into his head, Isabelle swore he must've been able to see the back of his skull.

"Just press the bell if you need anything, alright?"
"Thank you." Isabelle rolled her trolley out that had her used bandage supplies and as soon as she was out the door, the stress began to take over again. Her face furrowed into a frown as she thought, barely paying attention where she was going, literally going on auto pilot. She almost crashed into Booth because of her lack of attention.

"Agent Booth! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." Booth chuckled and his partners, Brennan and Aubrey came into view behind him, deep in conversation about something that Aubrey appeared to be very animated about.

"It's alright. How's our boy?" Booth asked, smiling widely. Isabelle smiled back.

"He's doing well. I've just changed his dressings so I'm all done in there for a while if you would like to talk to him. How is your wife, Hannah?"
"She's... Finally taking it easy. She came home around two hours ago complaining about how tired she was.  And that her back was aching and started swearing very politely at me, which was weird..." Booth frowned. Isabelle laughed.

"Pregnancy does some weird things to people, trust me. She'll be right as rain in about eighteen years." Booth groaned.

"Don't say that."
"Okay, okay. I need to take this though so I'll leave you to see Sweets. Lemme know if you need anything." Booth nodded and thanked her before she moved off. Isabelle heard him say something to Aubrey that sounded a lot like shut up. Isabelle disappeared into the sluice room before she heard anything else.

*******

Mel watched Isabelle walk slightly ahead of her as they got into their flat. Her friend had barely said anything since they had gotten into the car and Mel was worried. Usually, getting Isabelle to shut up was the hard thing. Her bright face was closed off and Mel didn't like that she couldn't read her friend.

"Belle, what's going on?" Isabelle looked at Mel as she closed the front door, Mel putting the keys in the key dish as she waited for an answer.

"Nothing, it's fine." Isabelle started making coffee and Mel raised an eyebrow as she started pulling out her braid.

"Isabelle, you haven't said a word to me since we got in the car. You never not say anything. You never not have anything to say." Isabelle took a breath as she pored the hot water into the kettle.

"Munroe went to Valentine."
"As in Ross Valentine?" Isabelle nodded. "Why?"
"Because I broke his nose. And said some mean things."
"Girl, he said worse things. He deserved to have his nose punched." Isabelle shook her head.

"Ross came to warn me that I need to start looking for other work. Munroe went to the entire council and it's his word against mine."
"Ours. You know I will fight them, right?"
"I know, Mel. But he's a valued doctor and I'm lowly nurse who has only been here a short while. Ross said it's not looking good for me." Mel fumed silently, filtering the string of words she wasn't to let loose.

"Ross has my side of the story and as for as it goes, that's all they need. Munroe will fight me on this and he will fight hard. He hates me."
"He wants you back." Isabelle nodded. "And he won't get you back because its hard to get someone back when they are dead." Mel hissed.

"Mel-"
"I'm not going to do anything. Intentionally. I am however, going out for a while." Isabelle watched as Mel dashed down the hall to get changed and she sighed. She knew that Mel wasn't going to drink her coffee so she grabbed both cups and went down to her room, gently closing the door with her foot. Setting the mugs down on her bedside table, Isabelle grabbed her laptop and turned it on. She changed into shorts and a loose tee while it opened up.

Sitting down, she heard the front door close loudly as Mel left on whatever mission she had so chosen. Isabelle hadn't stopped her because she knew Mel wasn't going to do something stupid. She hoped.

Opening up Google, Isabelle typed into the search bar something she hoped wouldn't come to pass.

***********

Isabelle jolted awake as her phone rang. She wiped some drool off her face as she sat up and patted the bed,  looking for her ringing phone. Finding it, she answered it.

"Hello?" She asked, not quite awake.

"Isabelle? It's Mel. Did I wake you?"
"Sorta," Isabelle pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the number. Private number. She frowned. "Where are you calling from?" She heard shuffling and Mel sighed.

"Munroe got me arrested for merely sitting in my car." Isabelle woke up very quickly there.

"You've been arrested?"
"Look, the cops didn't want to arrest me because I wasn't actually breaking any laws. I was parked in the supermarket across from his house. I even went grocery shopping."
"What did you buy?" There was another pause.

"Eggs."
"And?" Mel sighed.

"And mustard, mayo and paprika. I was going to make deconstructed devilled eggs. On his car. But he didn't know that." Isabelle groaned.

"Mel!"
"Look, I'm not sorry I did it but I do need you to please come and get me outta here because there's a guy here eyeing me up and I swear that I will break his nose if you don't come soon." Isabelle pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Which station is it?"

******

Mel was very grateful to be out of that cell and in the passengers seat again. True to what she had said, the ingredients needed for devilled eggs were in the back seat, the mayo rolling loosely along the floor.

Isabelle had taken an Uber to get to the station and had walked in there, been handed Mel almost like the wanted her gone and they had both left, now driving home to the warmth and safety of their beds. Mel was grinning beside her, staring out the window, clearly happy with her decision to freak Munroe out. The cops  had freed her willingly, apparently arresting her for show. One of the cops was actually a friend of Mel's and stood by her when she had told him of what he had done to Isabelle.

"You have to be more careful." Isabelle said slowly. "My job is already on the line, I don't want yours to be as well." Mel looked at Isabelle who was focused on the road, her knuckles white as she gripped the wheel tightly.

"I'm not worried about my job, Belle. I'm worried about my friend." Mel stated. "My job is not as important as your safety. I can see you spiraling again."
"I'm not spi-"
"You are. And I'm going to do what I can to keep you safe. Because thats what best friends do." Isabelle gave her a half smile.

"Best friend?"
"Yeah girl. You're my best friend and you're stuck with me." Isabelle sighed. "I do it all outta love."
"I know." They drove in silence for a few moments before Mel's face lit up as she saw a sign.

"Should we get noodles?" Isabelle took the next exit without saying anything, smiling as Mel grinned widely.