(The year is 2002.)
Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.
I don't own Bones.
Ooooooooooooooooo
The first weekend with Parker in the apartment seemed to go well enough. The 15 month old toddler had a cheerful disposition and the only time he fussed was when his diaper was dirty or when he was hungry. He loved for his father to hold him and to talk to him or to sit on the floor and play with him which caused Booth to love his child even more.
Until he had moved in with his grandfather, Booth's home life had been deplorable. His father had been an abusive drunk who seemed to take pleasure in beating his wife and sons. His life filled with despair, Booth had not known what real love and happiness were until his grandfather had rescued him and his brother from his sire. His mother had already been out of the picture by then having run away from her family. Booth tried to remember the good things his mother had done for him in the few short years he had known her, but they were so few and far between that sometimes he wasn't sure if they were real memories or wishful thinking.
He had made a vow before God that he would never be like his father. If he had the opportunity to have children he would never hit them or cause them pain. The destruction he had seen in his father's household would live with him forever and he knew that to go back to a situation like that would be a betrayal of all that he valued.
His grandfather had shown him what it was like to be a real man. Hank Booth had shown his grandsons that discipline was possible without corporal punishment. Hugs and kisses were freely given and respect was given no matter the age. Booth had blossomed under his grandfather's care and had grown to think of his grandfather as his father. He knew that Pops was a decent man and a wonderful role model. His greatest hope was to be the family man his grandfather was.
It was Saturday evening and Booth had barely seen Brennan all day. He had stayed in his bedroom with his son as much as possible while Brennan stayed in her bedroom and worked on her first book. There were forays into the kitchen to get juice bottles and snacks and the bathroom when needed, but Booth tried to be as quiet as he could be. Parker had been happy no matter where he was in the apartment and he loved the toys that Booth had scattered around the guest bedroom and on the bed. Much to Booth's surprise the boy's favorite toy was a small cheap yellow painted wooden car. The toddler squealed with delight when Booth raced the car around him as he sat on the bed and his father knelt in front of him. Parker slapped his hands on the mattress while he watched his father making car noises as the toy car careened around him. After a while, Booth had given the boy the car and watched as he rolled the small car up and down his legs babbling in toddler speech. To Booth's utter delight and pride, the boy would say 'Da Da' occasionally and try to give him whatever toy he was playing with. No sweeter word ever existed as far as Booth was concerned.
Lunch had been adventuresome. The boy dutifully ate some pieces of shredded broiled chicken and drank his milk, but while his father attempted to eat a sandwich the boy had slapped it from his father's hand and the sandwich had fallen on the table. Amused, Booth had laughed and just ate the components of the sandwich one a time while dodging his son's attempt to grab the pieces with a grasping hand. He had loved it and Booth hoped that he had many more lunches with Parker.
When it came time for dinner, Booth had placed Parker in a carrier and placed it on the floor near the doorway where he could keep an eye on the boy. While Parker napped, Booth had cooked dinner. He had wanted to surprise Brennan and made fettucine alfredo and a mixed green salad. When he was ready, he set the table, picked up the carrier and walked over to Brennan's bedroom. Knocking on the door, he waited for a few seconds, opened the door and stood in the open doorway. "Dinner is ready if you're hungry."
Surprised, Brennan saved the file she had open on her laptop, closed the lid and placed it on the bed next to her. "Really? Did you remember to order me a vegetarian pizza?"
Booth snorted. "Ha, I didn't order pizza. I cooked dinner. Come on." Glancing down at his son, he saw that the boy was awake and rubbing his eyes. "I guess, I'd better feed the little guy or he's going to start yelling soon. When he's hungry he's hungry."
Following Booth and Parker into the kitchen, Brennan appreciated the delicious aromas coming from the bowls on the table. "It's smells delicious."
"Thanks." Once he was in the kitchen he allowed Brennan to pass him and he placed the carrier holding his son in the doorway. "You fill up your plate and I'll get Parker's food ready." Once he was ready, he filled a plate with food and placed it on the table and retrieved his crying son from the carrier. "He's hungry." Sitting across from Brennan, he held Parker on his lap, his left arm around the child as he fed him spoonfuls of warm mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and some shreds of leftover broiled chicken.
While she ate, she watched Parker eat his food, sometimes grabbing the spoon and flipping it on to his father or the floor. Brennan found Booth's patience and good humor about the situation to be interesting. She knew that Booth could be a very impatient man, but apparently not when it came to his son. Parker appeared to be fascinated with his food, but once he was full he slapped the spoon away and watched it land on the floor. Laughing the boy clapped his hands. "Da Da." Laughing with his son, Booth set the child on the floor, cleaned up the mess on the floor and the table then picked up his son, walked over to the sink and washed the boy's hands and face as well as his own hands. He also managed to clean off some of the mash potatoes sticking to his shirt. "Wow, Tiger. I think you got more on you and me that you ate." Afterward he placed the child in the carrier and placed it on the top of the table next to the wall, sat down and picked up his fork. "Next time I'll serve myself after I feed him. My food is cold." Scooping up some pasta he began to eat. "Not bad even if do have to say so myself."
Brennan smiled. "It is very good. You are an excellent cook, Booth."
"Yeah, my grandmother let me help her when I was a kid and Pops taught me how to cook when I was older. He thought everyone should know how to cook." Booth touched Parker's right foot and jiggled it. "It's cheaper than eating out all the time."
"Not to mention you have a better chance of controlling your caloric intake." Parker squealed and she watched the toddler wave his hands. "He is a very cheerful child."
Booth had to agree. "Mostly . . . he was pretty cranky this afternoon and didn't want to take a nap, but after a while he couldn't keep his eyes open and he went to sleep. I think I probably over stimulated him . . . What are you going to do this evening?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps I'll read." Brennan had only been living with Booth for five weeks and she hated the idea of sleeping alone. "What are you going to do?"
"Well, Parker and me are going to watch a baseball game tonight." He sipped some of his beer and placed the bottle on the table. "Want to join us?"
She appreciated the offer, but didn't want to interfere with Booth's visit with his son. "I don't want to impose."
"Impose?" Booth placed his fork down. "Are you kidding me? Come on. You're not imposing. I'm asking you to join me and Parker for an evening of baseball, maybe some beer . . . Not Parker of course and some popcorn or something. Parker can enjoy some juice and maybe part of a juice popsicle. I've got some animal crackers if he's really fussy . . . It'll be fun. We can shout at the umpires, though we can't cuss. I don't want Parker's first words to be bad, Rebecca would just be pissed off and I don't need the headache. Right now, he can say Ma Ma, Da Da, car and bear. He has a toy bear at home that he likes."
Amused, Brennan laughed. "Parker is fifteen months old. I don't think he's ready to have a conversation yet."
"Well, it doesn't have to be a conversation. All he has to do is say a cuss word and I'm a dead man. I'm not taking any chances." The babbling coming from Parker caught Booths' attention. "See, he's trying to talk all the time. It won't be long."
Brennan sipped some of her beer and then responded. "I would love to join you for a night of frivolity. I don't know anything about baseball though."
"I'll teach you. It'll be fun." Booth could see she wanted to say yes. "We can sit on the bed and Parker can sit with us until he gets sleepy. Then I can put him in the crib and we could have the bed all to ourselves. Of course, no hanky panky. I don't want the boy to see that stuff."
Brennan tried not to laugh. Her boyfriend could be such a prude. "I'm assuming if the child is asleep he won't be watching us, but if you say no hanky panky then we will refrain . . . Hanky panky is sex isn't it?"
"Yeah, usually." Booth sighed. "I'm going to hate to sleep by myself again. I was real lonely last night. I missed your snoring."
Outraged, Brennan glared at her boyfriend. "Hey, I do not snore. You snore."
Chuckling, Booth reached across the table and grasped her hand. "I'm kidding, it's a joke. I missed you because I like having you in bed with me."
Mollified, Brennan smiled. "I was lonely last night too. Perhaps I can stay the night."
Booth glanced at Parker and nodded his head. "Hell, he'll be dead to the world. Let's plan on that."
Tired of being in the carrier, Parker started to cry and squirm. Standing, Booth picked him up and placed him on the floor. "Let me finish dinner and we can go play Sport."
Brennan finished her salad. "Since you made dinner, I will clean up and wash the dishes. You can entertain Parker."
"Thanks, Tempe." Booth reached for his bottle of beer and finished it off. "I'll see you in my room in a little while."
"The guest bedroom. You share a room with me, remember?" Brennan wanted to make that clear. Booth may consider the guest bedroom his, but she didn't. Her bedroom was his bedroom.
Ooooooooooooooooooo
Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.
