First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful reviews and all the alerts and favorites. I appreciate them more than you will know. It's taken me a bit to update because I live in Northern Alabama and we have had a horrendous few days. I'd had it all written up and we just got power back a few days ago. As always, any reviews are greatly appreciated.
Brennan had decided that she was going to take some time off. To spend with the babies. Booth had been surprised when she had told him at first. Then, he worried about having to take on a new partner. So, he decided that, despite her trying to talk him out of it, he decided to take a year off of work.
When she'd asked him if he was sure, he looked at her and said, "I missed so much with Parker when he was a baby. I want to be here for the twins. Especially Jackson. I have a feeling that he's going to need some special attention."
She looked at him and asked, "What are you talking about Booth? We haven't treated them differently."
Booth looked at her and said, "Haven't we? We've been concentrating all of our efforts on Angela and her deafness. Jackson has sort of taken a back seat to her."
At her horrified expression, Booth took her hand and whispered, "It's okay Bones. We've had a lot to take in over the past few months. Learning how to make a relatively normal life for Angela has taken up a lot of our time."
Booth watched as tears started rolling down his wife's face. He gathered her in his arms and he felt her soft sobs. He kissed the top of her head and after a few seconds he heard her whisper, "I've ignored our son. I'm a terrible mother. I..."
Booth hugged her tightly and said, "No you haven't. If you had, his face wouldn't light up every time you walk into the room. He knows that you are his mommy and that you love him. There's nothing wrong with it Bones. We just need to keep everything in perspective."
Booth smiled when she leaned up and kissed him softly and whispered, "I'm so lucky to have you going through this with me. I couldn't do it on my own."
"Sure you could. You are a strong woman."
"Not strong enough for something like this. I..."
Booth silenced her with a kiss and she felt her fears melt away. Booth knew that they'd been given their daughter for a very special reason, but he had yet to know just how special she would be to them. To everyone in their family and their extended family.
They were both developing their own distinct personalities. Jackson was a lot like Booth. He had the same infectious smile that his father had. He looked like a miniature version of his father.
Angela on the other hand, looked a lot like their mother. She had the same brilliant blue eyes that her mom had. Whenever Booth would hold her would stare at his face and he could feel her studying him and even though Booth and Brennan knew that she couldn't hear them, it didn't stop them from talking to her.
They had started the babies at the Kendall parent infant program when the twins were barely two weeks old. They would attend that program two days a week for four hours a day. Then, when they turned two, they would move on to the next level of the program. All the while, they would be learning American Sign Language and eventually reading a writing English.
For now however, the main goal was to get Angela to the place where she could communicate with the people that were important in her world.
The first thing that they learned was that there was a big difference between the terms hearing impaired and deaf. Hearing impaired should only be used when the child or adult could hear sounds. The term deaf was appropriate when talking about children or adults that are completely deaf.
It bothered both the teachers and the deaf students when they were referred to as hearing impaired instead of deaf. It was almost a derogatory term to deaf people. Like there is something wrong with them not being able to hear. They learned that the hearing community had a bigger problem using the term deaf than the deaf community did.
Angela's teacher had told their class on the first day, "In the deaf community, the hearing population would be considered the abnormal ones. We don't try to force your children to talk. Because the reality of it is that most deaf children will never talk. At least not like we do. We will teach them to talk with their hands and their facial expressions. You and your children are going to learn a whole new way of living. You're embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. It's going to be a wonderful ride. I hope that you are as excited to be here. I'm excited to have you and your children in my class for the next two years."
For Bones, it was like a breath of fresh air. She always believed in calling things as she saw them. So, it was easier for her to accept the terms.
Booth had smiled at his wife after they walked out of the school that first day. Being surrounded by the parents of other deaf children, Booth had felt like they weren't quite so alone. He'd met one family that had adopted three deaf children. Including a baby that was the same age as the twins. They made plans to get together at the other couples house soon. They'd even invited them to bring Parker along.
Then, when the babies were almost four months old, the Booth family received the news that they had both suspected and feared. Angela was going to be completely deaf. They couldn't do the cochlear implants. The damage to both of her ear canals was just too severe.
The next time they went to the school after receiving the news, Brennan saw the parents of the other children. She walked over and sat Angela down in the middle of the children and she smiled at the way that he daughter interacted with the other babies.
Tammy asked, "Are you okay Temperance?"
Bones nodded and said, "We just got the news that we were expecting. Angela's tests came back. She's completely deaf. I am glad that we know now. Because we can concentrate on what's important. Helping her communicate with us and our family."
Booth and Brennan were walking up the steps to their house one night and Booth noticed that there was a very familiar car in the driveway. He smiled and woke his wife and said, "Ange and her family are here."
She sat up and looked outside the window and saw her best friend and her husband sitting in their car. She walked over to the car and the two women simply hugged each other tightly. Booth heard his wife's best friend ask, "Are you okay?"
He saw Bones nod and he motioned for Hodgins to grab Jackson's carrier. Walking into the kitchen, Booth asked, "Is Angela okay?"
Hodgins nodded and said, "She's pregnant and hormonal. I'm sure you remember that."
Booth laughed and nodded, "I do."
Before the men could say anything else, the women walked into the house. Booth laughed at the look on their faces. She looked at him and said, "Don't laugh at me Booth."
"I'm not laughing at you babe."
She gave him a look and he knew that she didn't believe him. He walked over to her and asked, "What's wrong Bones?"
"Nothing's wrong. Angela just told me something and I found it incredibly sweet."
"What?"
Booth watched as his normally composed wife sniffled and finally said, "She told me that everyone in the lab is going to start taking American Sign Language classes."
Booth looked at their friends and finally turned to Hodgins and asked, "Really?"
Hodgins nodded and said, "Yeah. We decided that we all need to learn to communicate with her. In her language. Angela and Cam have arranged for a teacher to come in two days a week."
Booth looked at Angela, "You're serious?"
Angela couldn't understand why he was finding it so hard to believe. Their daughter was part of the family and they all needed to be able to talk to her. In whatever form necessary. Angela finally said, "Completely serious."
Booth walked over and hugged his wife's best friend and said, "Thank you. Thank you both."
Angela and Hodgins nodded and Booth kissed his wife softly. He held her while he watched the other couple walk over to their children and they picked them up. Then, Angela turned to Booth and Brennan and said, "It's time for you and Bren to go out on a date."
Brennan looked at her and said, "We can't Ange. It's..."
Angela looked at her friend and said, "You can. We need to get in some practice for when our baby is born. You two haven't had a night out on the town since they were born."
Brennan looked at her friend and said, "We go out."
Angela shook her head and said, "Going out with the babies doesn't count. You and Booth need to go out together. Without the babies. As husband and wife and not as mommy and daddy."
Booth and Brennan looked at each other. Booth watched as his wife finally nodded and said, "Okay. But you have to promise to call us if anything happens. I..."
Angela smiled and said, "I will. Now go get ready you two while we settle in for a slumber party with these two."
Booth watched as Hodgins and Angela walked into their living room with the twins. They chattered away to them non-stop and Booth had to admit that he was definitely looking forward to going out with her tonight. Especially when he walked out of the bathroom and saw her standing in the doorway to their closet dressed in a knee length midnight blue dress. He walked behind her and whispered, "You look beautiful sweetheart."
She looked at him and whispered, "Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself Booth."
He leaned forward and kissed her and whispered, "We could always stay in here for the night."
"Angela would be knocking on the door every five minutes if we did that. Besides, I find that I am looking forward to going out with you tonight. I love our children, but..."
"But you want to feel like a wife again and not just a mommy."
At first she started to shake her head. However, she nodded and said, "I do. Does that make me a terrible person?"
Booth shook his head and said, "No. That makes you normal. A normal woman with normal needs."
"I feel selfish. Like I'm abandoning them."
He kissed her and then he whispered, "No sweetheart. We need to remember that while we are their mommy and daddy, we are Booth and Bones. Husband and wife."
She looked at him and he could tell that she was convinced. She finally nodded and said, "Okay. Let's go before I change my mind."
Booth smiled and opened the bedroom door for her. He called out to Hodgins and Angela, "We will be back later."
He heard them tell them to take their time as they were walking out the door. Booth smiled and headed with her out to their car. He climbed into the driver's side and turned to look at her. He whispered, "I love you. Tonight is going to be wonderful Bones."
He took her hand and started the car and headed to the restaurant for dinner...
