Missing scene from "The Party in the Pants". Because aside from the end of season 6, this episode in my opinion had the most holes in it, from a timeline perspective and character development perspective. Seriously, Booth finally admits that something is wrong, to Sweets no less, and they just ignore it?
Sweets and Booth exited the elevator and headed towards the break room, discussing the latest case developments, which weren't promising. Booth grabbed his Steelers mug and filled it.
"How about you? How are you doing?" Sweets asked.
"Sweets.." Booth sighed as he looked at his coffee cop
"I'm asking as a friend, not a shrink" Sweets interrupted.
Booth looked around uncomfortably before meeting the psychologists gaze. "I'm not doing too good." He admitted reluctantly.
"I saw Charlie make that pot earlier. You know coffee making is not one of his talents. The case is stalled, let's go get some fresh air and better brew at the cart. I'm buying."
Sweets could see him weighing his options. Finally he dumped the coffee, rinsed the mug and said "Ok".
They headed out in silence. Booth grabbed a table while Sweets went to get their drinks. While waiting in line, Sweets focused his shrinky brain on the agent, noting the hunched shoulders, tight jaw, leg shaking and constant fidgeting with his lighter. Booth was clearly at war with himself - unable to continue pretending that everything was fine but uncomfortable with the thought of actually talking about the problem. Sweets sighed to himself. Dr. Brennan may be the Queen of walls in her personal life, but over the years he had learned that Booth was a worthy king. The agent just had developed better camouflauge on his barriers.
He set the cups down and grabbed the chair opposite Booth. Deciding a direct approach was best he asked, "So, what's going on with you and your mom?"
Booth relayed the conversations at the playground and his office. "All these years I gave her a pass, you know, figuring she couldn't handle a family. Now I find out she just couldn't handle OUR family. I suppose I can't really blame her for that given our family, but..." his voice trailed off.
"Can I ask why you gave her a pass in the first place? That seems to be a pretty big deal, and I'm curious as to your reasons."
Booth thought for a moment. "Because when she left he had never hit Jared, and the only times Dad hit me was when I tried to stop him from hitting her. He'd never started with me, and as soon as I'd get in the way he'd get all apologetic until the next time he got drunk. I guessed from her point of view if she wasn't there for him to start with I'd be ok. And after that last night, she really couldn't stay anymore."
"The last night?"
"He threw her down the stairs. I was coming up them to try and stop it, so when she fell she took me with her. I ended up with a broken arm and some bruised ribs. She broke her hip and had to have surgery. My aunt Ruth took us to visit her in the hospital a few times. I brought her my Philly Phanatic to keep her company." He gave a bitter laugh. "Nine year olds are pretty limited in their resources, and their problem solving techniques. The day she was supposed to come home we went to pick her up and she was gone. We moved soon after that because of curious social workers. I remember telling Jared that she probably didn't know where we were anymore, so that's why she couldn't come back. "
"How long were you with your dad after she left?"
"Almost 3 years. For the first 6 months it was ok. Dad still drank, but not to excess. And I got pretty good at reading the signs on when we should make ourselves scarce. Then one night all hell broke loose again." Booth closed his eyes and gave a small shudder. "After that dam broke, it seemed to be easier for Dad to get started. A few weeks after my tweflth birthday he...well let's just say it was bad. The next morning he was gone but Pops was there. Pops told us to pack a suitcase with the essentials, we were going to live with him and Grams. He'd come back for the rest of our stuff later."
"You said earlier it had been 24 years since you'd seen your mom. So, you saw her at some point after she left your dad?"
"She'd stop by a couple of times a year after we went to live with Pops. She always was travelling so she'd say that it was best if we stayed where we were. She came to my high school graduation, said I had turned out well, gave me a hug, and walked out the door. I figured I was 18, and I didn't need a mom anymore. That was the last time I saw her till she showed up in my office."
After a few seconds he let out a breath and looked at Sweets "So, what's the professional opinion? Am I the biggest chump east of the Mississippi?"
"Friend, not shrink, here remember? But the opinon both professional and personal is you're not an chump. You were a kid trying to make sense out of a horrible situation. You figured out a way to cope with that and move on with your life. Now she comes back and you're being forced to examine her decisions and the consequences of them again. This time, you have the added perspective of being a parent. I'm guessing that you are angry at her for leaving you and Jared with your dad, knowing what he was capable of, because you can't imagine not doing everything in your power to protect Parker or Christine. However, since you know why she left, you are angry at yourself for being angry with her. Throw in that when you get angry you worry about losing control and acting like your father and you have a trifecta of misery. Am I close?"
"Nailed it. " Booth let out a long breath. "So now that we've agreed on the problem, what's the solution?"
"The thing you have to decide is what to do with that anger. You can hold onto it or you can decide to let it go. Forgive your mom, but more importantly forgive yourself."
Booth chuckled at that. "Bones talked about forgiveness too. You know, I'm starting to think that anthropology and psychology are not that different."
"Well, if you can manage to forgive, it's always better for your own outlook. But, it's worth pointing out that if you do forgive your mom, you can still decide to not see her again. You let go of the anger towards someone who hurts you, without giving them the opportunity to hurt you again. It will be up to you to decide what kind of relationship, if any, you want to have with your mom."
Booth nodded and contemplated his coffee cup once more. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, Booth busy thinking, Sweets checking the agents body language. He seemed to be less tense now, which made they psychologist feel better.
Booth finished his coffee, stood and placed on hand on Sweets shoulder. "Thanks. I think I need to take a walk and think things through ok?"
"Sure, take your time, and if you need to talk some more, you know where to find me."
As Booth was leaving, Sweets had a horrifying thought. "Hey Booth," he called to the agents back. When he turned around "You're not going to tell Dr. Brennan that psychology and anthropology agreed on a solution are you?"
"I'm screwed up Sweets, not stupid. Thanks for the coffee."