A Booth Walks Across the Stage
Nope, no Bones owned here. However, some borrowing of characters from Razztaztic's Roots and Wings universe did occur in the fabrication of this story. I can't do any better than her Zach, so why try?
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On this soggy, humid Friday morning, the Booth household was a-buzz with activity. Booth hopped through the kitchen, seeking a refill of his coffee cup, wearing one sock and its mate already encased within a properly-polished FBI-approved black dress oxford. Brennan laughingly leaned over to kiss her husband, "Booth, where is your other shoe?"
"The dang shoelace broke, Bones, and I can't seem to find the spare set of laces I always keep in my sock drawer," Booth complained.
"That's because I had to give it to Zach for his dress shoes last week. He came home, as you know, to pick up his new suit from the tailor, and make sure his attire for this weekend was complete and organized before he took his finals this past week. One of his shoelaces was also broken, and we had to rectify that before he returned to school Sunday afternoon. However, the second shoelace should still be in your drawer, Booth. I told Zach to put it back where he found the set."
"Well, you know those kids, they never put anything back where it goes! He probably toted it off to Johns Hopkins!" Booth ranted.
"No, Booth, it's right here," Brennan soothed him "You buried it under these socks in your rooting around to find it. If you were more patient, you'd have found it more quickly. And why are you wearing your dress shoes this morning? Wouldn't your Vans be more comfortable for driving in the car?"
"Yes, I just put them on to polish them; it's easier to buff them when they're on my feet; it goes a lot faster…an old Army trick. We need to get a move on, Bones, or we'll be late to Christine's skeleton reconstruction exhibit. The traffic into Philly is gonna be wicked this weekend, as Sweets would say."
"I wish he could see her graduate, Booth, he'd be so proud."
"Oh, he can, Bones, he can. He's up there grinning right now. And don't start going on about how there is no afterlife, 'cause there is. Last one in the car's a rotten egg!"
"Booth, did you turn off the coffeemaker?"
Three hours later, Booth's SUV pulled into the parking garage of the Smilow Research Center. "It is so muggy, I think I could wring myself out, and water their flowers," he moaned.
As the elevator doors opened, Brennan strode eagerly down the hall toward the display room, Booth close behind her. As they entered, a variety of skeletons could be seen posed on their stands, as if awaiting their turns to walk down a runway, modeling no clothing at all. She spotted her daughter talking to a tall distinguished man she knew to be the anatomy department head.
"Mom, Dad, hi, glad you didn't drown on the drive up here. This is Dr. Huston." Christine hugged her parents and introduced her professor.
"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth, how good to see you again. Your daughter seems to have your knack for skull re-assembly; hers was the most precise reconstruction achieved this spring," Dr. Huston congratulated Brennan, shaking her hand warmly.
"Thank you, I think perhaps her father's puzzle solving instincts help her as well," Brennan smiled back.
"Well, something gave her the edge, along with her very hard work; she is carrying the departmental banner into the convocation this afternoon since she attained the highest GPA for all four years," the professor beamed. "You should both be extremely proud of Christine. She will make an excellent contribution to the world of science one of these days, whether she chooses to go into research or as a physician.
Booth smiled at his blushing daughter; he could recall seeing the same pink flushing her mother's face many times over the years. He enveloped her in a bear hug, which she returned with enthusiasm.
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After touring the bony exhibit, the proud parents escorted their daughter to lunch near campus. As they left the Brats and Brew restaurant, the skies opened and drenched the earth in a spring downpour. Both Brennan and her daughter removed their heels to run to the car Booth had pulled around to the curb for them. "Thank God for raincoats and umbrellas!" Christine gasped.
"Christine, honey, we can't complain about the rain. The nation's aquifers are dangerously low," Brennan chided her.
"I know, Mom, but it could have waited one day," Christine protested.
They returned to the Hyatt Hotel, where Parker and Zach were just checking in. "Gosh, it's raining hard!" Parker gasped, removing his very wet wind-breaker. "I could barely see the edge of the road, and we kept getting swamped by trucks passing us. The water was so deep the wake covered our windshield several times! Even with my wipers at full speed, I couldn't see a thing for several seconds. Seemed 'way longer though!"
"Hey, Dad; hi, Mom, glad you got here in one piece and didn't slide off the road into a ditch,' Zach smiled as he hugged his parents. "You know, actually, this weather is nothing compared to what Ruth and Riley had to put up with at their graduation last weekend. There was such a strong likelihood of tornadoes Friday night that they cancelled the stadium commencement speech at both OU and OSU completely. They only held the individual college convocation ceremonies on Saturday since they were indoors."
"Tornadoes in Ohio?" Parker asked, a confused look on his face.
"No, bro, in Oklahoma; don't you remember the Bronford twins in Christine's class? Ruthie majored in meteorology and Riley got his degree in physics. They want to work at the National Weather Center together."
"Zach, you forget I'm a good bit older than you two. I don't know all of Christine's classmates by heart like you do. Tornadoes? Those have got to be a scary thing to go through."
"Yes, Parker, they are rather daunting," Brennan remarked. "Your dad and I had a case some years back in which a storm chaser was murdered, and Angela analyzed tornado wind patterns from that spring to help us figure out how his remains were affected, and ultimately who killed him. He had a most unusual mobile home with scientific observation equipment on board, designed to withstand the crosswinds. We sat out a tornado in an underground storm cellar, and it was quite exciting. Your father's SUV was damaged by the flying debris. I left him with it when I drove back to Washington."
"Bones, don't remind me," Booth groaned. "Chrissy, honey, it's a wonder you made it to graduation. Your mom was hell-bent to experience a twister first-hand, even though Sweets and I tried to keep her in the lab. It's a miracle she wasn't blown through the storm like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz—"
"Booth, you were being entirely too over-protective back then. You know I would never have endangered our child!" Brennan protested.
"Okay, okay, you two," Christine broke in. "I've got to get back to my apartment and get my cap and gown on or we'll all be late to the convocation and I won't graduate after all my studying. I have to lead my college in the processional."
"Honey, they can't deny you your degree for missing a ceremonial ritual," her mother began.
"But we all want to see you walk across that stage anyway," beamed her father. " I'm already dressed except for changing my shoes. I've got them in the car. Why don't I take you back to your room and we'll meet up with the family a little later. Bones, keep these two rascals in line and we'll see you at the auditorium in an hour. You have the tickets?"
"Yes, Booth, here's yours so you can gain admittance," Brennan told him as he kissed her goodbye. "We will see you in an hour and a half, Christine. I'm so very proud of you." Brennan's eyes sparkled with tears as she embraced her daughter.
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"Wish Pops could have been here to see you graduate, and Sweets too, honey, but we know they're watching us, no matter what your mom thinks, huh?" said Booth quietly, as they drove across the campus.
"Yeah, Dad, I know. I'm just so glad you and Mom are here, and not off on one of her digs," his daughter replied, as their identical brown eyes met.
"Chrissy, honey, you know your mother wouldn't pass up your graduation to go dig up some dusty old bones; her archaeological sites will always be there when she's ready to go play in the dirt and sand. But she wouldn't miss this day for anything, and neither would I. I'm glad your brothers were both able to be here too."
"Yes, it makes a milestone day more special when all my family can help me celebrate. I just hope I don't trip over my high heels on the way down the main aisle of the auditorium. That would be mortifying and embarrassing. The banner I have to carry is so wide, I can't see where I'm going very well."
'Well, if you're really worried about stumbling, just wear flats. It's better to be safe than sorry. I've never understood why women's shoe fashions demanded such outlandish styles anyway. You'll look great no matter what's on your feet," her father declared fondly. "Okay, here we are, here take my big umbrella; you scoot upstairs and get your gear. I'll park the car and just wait here. Oh, and don't forget your tassel. Your Uncle Jared did, and he didn't have anything to flip to the other side of the mortarboard at the end."
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"Christine Angela Booth, a double major in zoology and biochemistry, with highest honors. Ms. Booth plans to pursue a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering at Duke University…."
Brennan grasped Booth's hand so hard his wedding band pressed uncomfortably into his adjacent fingers. "Oh, Booth, just look at her, our little girl…" she murmured.
"Yeah, Bones, we did good, huh?" he whispered back, fiercely blinking his eyes to block the tears that threatened to spill over.
"Boomm!" Just then, a huge clap of thunder sounded over the audience's applause. "Even the weather thinks Christine did great!" Booth chuckled.
A/N: This drabble was inspired by the extremely wet weather the graduates and friends experienced this past weekend when several family members completed their college studies amid heavy downpours and tornado predictions that only the Great Plains can produce.