In Recognition of Their Service
Parker rolled over in bed, extended one arm to silence his alarm clock, opened one eye, and peered at the time. 6:30 a.m. On any other school holiday, he would have ignored the alarm and snuggled back into the warm covers for another two hours of sleep. But not today. He had to be up and ready to go when his dad came by to pick him up. Today was an important day they shared each year. Most school holidays were timed to occur on a Friday or Monday, but not this one. If it happened to fall mid-week, that's when schools were closed. The boy dressed quickly, made his bed (well, sort of ) and walked to the kitchen where his mom handed him a glass of orange juice.
"Your chocolate chip Eggos are ready, Parker," Rebecca smiled at him. "What time is your dad coming to get you?"
"He said he'd be here by 7:30, Mom. Once we finish at Arlington, we're going to see Pops."
"But that's 2 ½ hours away! You have school tomorrow, Parker."
"Yeah, Mom, I know. Dad said he wanted to make a special effort to include Pops this year. He's getting old and we can't be sure he'll be around next November."
Rebecca nodded. She hadn't always liked Pops back when she and Seeley were together. Booth's grand-father had hoped they'd marry, and was saddened by not seeing his first great-grandchild when Parker was born. But in the years since, she'd realized how much Pops had done for Booth and Jared, and come to admire the older man's dedication to the boys.
Parker stuffed the last bite of waffle into his mouth as the doorbell rang. He jumped to his feet and ran to the front door. Opening it, he snapped to attention and saluted. "Happy Veteran's Day, Dad!" he exclaimed, jumping into his father's arms.
Rebecca came around the corner. "Try to have him home by 7:30, Seeley. After your day together, he'll need time to unwind before bed," she requested. "Happy Vet's Day, by the way."
"Thanks, Bec. Yeah, I'll have him back fairly early. I plan to get to Willow River in time to treat Pops to an early lunch, then go to the National Cemetery, in time to leave Philly before dinner. We'll catch a bite on the drive back. If we're delayed for any reason, I could keep Parker overnight and get him to school in the morning. Maybe you could use a night off?"
"Please, Mom?" their son looked up at her earnestly. "I promise I'll go to bed on time for Dad!"
Rebecca frowned slightly, looking at the two Booth boys' matching grins, then smiled back in spite of her reservations. "Okay, you two. But Parker, I swear, if you fall asleep in class tomorrow, I'll scalp you both!"
"Thanks, Mom!" Parker crowed, hugging her.
"Thanks, Becs. Okay, bub, let's go," Booth said.
"Wait, Dad! I gotta put up our flag first!" Parker ran to his room and grabbed the flag off his bookshelf. He opened the front door and stuck the wooden staff into a bracket mounted at eye level.
"That's a nice idea, Becca," Booth told her.
"I wanted it so Parker could do it himself. Dad helped him put it up when he and Mom were here last Fourth of July after you dropped him off."
"Okay, sport, now we really need to get a move on!"
"Bye, Mom!"
oooooo
Booth drove into Arlington National Cemetery, parked and opened the back of his SUV. Parker rook out an armful of flags and stood on the curb until his father joined him. They visited each grave of Booth's friends, stuck a flag in the newly mowed grass, stepped back and stood silent, Parker's hand over his heart, Booth's hand raised to his temple in a salute. After paying respects to his buddies, he took his son's hand and walked back to the car. "No matter how many times I come here, I still miss these guys. I wish you could have met them," he said quietly.
Parker's chatter about school and sports filled the next two hours, and they arrived at the retirement center in record time. Running to the front entrance, Parker passed his great-grandfather with an apologetic grimace. "See you in a minute, Pops. I gotta go!"
The old man chuckled and hugged Booth. "That boy grows a foot every time you bring him to see me!" he chuckled. "How's Temperance?"
"She's hosting Max and her brother's family for a picnic if the warmer weather holds. Hayley has a check-up with her pulmonologist in DC tomorrow, so they're staying with her for a few days."
Parker returned to the community room and hugged his great-grandfather. "Don't we gotta get going, Dad?"
Philadelphia National Cemetery was a sea of fluttering miniature Old Glories. The three generations of Booth men drove to Joseph Booth's grave, placed a flag there, and saluted. Then back in the SUV, they drove to a much older section of the cemetery and repeated the process before Booth's great- grandfather's resting place.
"Were all my great great great grandfathers soldiers?" asked Parker.
"Nope, Son, not all, but a good many of our family have served this country," Hank answered. "We've got a long legacy you can be might proud of, Parker."
"What do you feel like eating, Pops?" Booth asked his grandfather.
"I could go for a good T-bone, Shrimp! Irma's a pretty good cook, but she's not your Gram, and her steaks are always a little too done for my taste," Hank declared.
"Pops, if you call Dad 'Shrimp,' maybe you should call me 'Plankton' or 'Diatom,' Parker remarked.
"What? Why? . . . . . On, Temperance and Max have been teaching you scientific stuff, haven't they, kiddo?" Hank laughed at Parker's amazed expression. "You didn't think I knew what those names meant, did you? Ha, we had science back when I was in school too, Parker. We studied species and phylla, too, you know!"
Booth drove to a nearby Applebee's, where the trio perused the Veteran's Day menu.
"This is real nice that the restaurant treats veterans to a free dinner," Hank observed. "They didn't do this kind of thing back when."
Parker stood up suddenly. "Dad, I gotta use the restroom. I'll be back in a sec."
Hank watched his great-grandson walk to the back of the restaurant and then turned to Booth. "You know, Shrimp, maybe if they had done this kind of thing for veterans years ago, your dad would still be alive, he wouldn't have become an alcoholic, and you and Jared wouldn't have gone through all that," he said quietly.
"Pops, a lot of things could have been better. I'm just grateful you and Grams were around to save us. I've never really thanked you properly for rescuing us. You've saved so many people during your life, in so many ways; as a soldier, as a cop, and as my real father. Without you, I wouldn't be alive," Booth said, choking up.
"I love you too, Shrimp. Here comes your boy, so shush up," Hank grasped his hand knowingly.
"Dad, can we get ice cream before Pops has to go back home?"
"Eat your dinner first, bub. Did you wash your hands?" Booth responded.
Parker looked at his father as if he was daft. "Of course I did, Dad! Ewww, that'd be gross not to!"
ooooooooo
Later that evening, after their drive back to DC, Brennan came over to watch 'Nemo' with the pair before Parker went to bed.
"Did you have a good day at the park with Haley and Emma, Dr. Bones?"
"Yes, Parker, we enjoyed ourselves. It was surprisingly warm for mid-November. The sunshine felt good."
"Hey, Dr. Bones, my Pops knows what plankton and diatoms are! I told him he ought to call me that, since he calls Dad 'Shrimp' but I was surprised he knew about them."
"Parker, the system of binomial nomenclature by which we classify animals and plants was devised by Carl Linnaeus in 1753," Brennan told him. "So of course your great-grandfather is aware of that. It has been taught in schools around the world for many decades."
"Okay, Eukaryota Paramecium," Booth interrupted. "It's time you got to bed, or your mom will kill us both!"
"Booth, that's not an accurate name," Brennan protested.
"Doesn't matter right now, Bones. We've gotta get this little Homo sapiens of mine to sleep!"
Clad in a Flyers t-shirt and Optimus Prime sleep pants, Parker came out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair with a towel. "Dad, I took my shower tonight so things'll go faster in the morning. Thanks for today, it was great to see Pops. I think he had a good time with us, too."
After a granola bar and milk Parker brushed his teeth. Booth pulled back the covers and his son clambered into bed. After prayers, stretching his arms up, he hugged his father's neck tightly and whispered, "I'm glad you're my father, you're brave and I love you. Thanks for protecting me."
Then he unexpectedly yelled "G'nite, Dr. Bones!" right in Booth's ear. Brennan answered from the living room, "Good night, Parker. I hope you sleep soundly."
"Geez, Parks, way to deafen a guy! Love you too, son." Booth hugged his son back, tucked the blankets around him and ruffled his hair. "Sleep tight, angels watch til morning light."
oooooooo
A/N: Thank you to all the veterans and current service members who have, and are protecting our freedom. As a part-time military wife, I've experienced solo parenting during one overseas deployment, and the families of soldiers, sailors, marines and fliers deserve our thanks as well. Many of them endure prolonged separations from loved ones repeatedly in the service of our country.