Brennan smiled as she laid her sleeping daughter in the bassinet in the living room, content that she had finally fallen asleep after an hour of coaxing and a lot of patience on her behalf. Stella was now three and a half weeks old, but had the personality and attitude of a grown woman as far as Brennan was concerned. When Stella didn't want to sleep, she fought it about as hard as anyone else would, crying and whimpering all the time. And reasoning with a three week old was about as easy as it was reasoning with someone who didn't speak the same language as yourself. But eventually, exhaustion won out and Stella fell asleep in her mother's arms. As soon as she laid her down, the phone began to rang as Brennan scrambled to answer it before it woke Stella. Grabbing it from the bar, she pushed the button to pick it up.
"Brennan," she said in a softer voice, peeking in to find Stella still asleep, much to her relief.
A familiar voice greeted her on the other end. "Heya Tempe."
"Hey Dad," she said, smiling a little as she sat down on the couch to have a conversation with her father.
"Did I catch you at a bad time?" he asked, voice hinting with some concern on the other end of the line.
"Oh no, I just laid Stella down for a nap," she replied, pulling her legs up to sit on the couch comfortably.
"I didn't wake her, did I?" Her father had been to see Stella once since she was born, giving her and Booth some space as new parents instead of hovering like most grandparents would. She loved that about her dad.
"No, actually she is still sound asleep," she said, chuckling a little. "I am fairly certain she is a heavy sleeper like her father." Booth hardly ever woke up for big thunderstorms or chaotic things like that, but he could hear a pin drop on the other side of the room if he was anxious or on alert. Years of military training had taught him that.
"Ah, well you were a very good sleeper yourself Tempe," her dad retorted, chuckling a little bit. "Your mother and I would put you down at night and you'd fall right to sleep. You were sleeping through the night by six weeks old."
Brennan laughed a little. "Well I don't think my daughter will follow that pattern," she said. "If anything, it'll be months before she sleeps through the night at all. She is awake every two hours as it is."
Max Keenan laughed on the other end. "Now that sounds like Russ," he said. "Your brother was a little hell raiser from the beginning. Never slept a wink the first week he was home from the hospital...or so it felt like."
"Russ has always been more of a troublemaker than me," she agreed, smiling quietly to herself as she thought of the brother she adored and worshipped growing up. Russ always made sure that people knew she was his little sister, even if she was shy and awkward in school.
"So, I was wondering if it might be alright if I came by a little later this afternoon?" her father asked.
"Of course," she said happily. "I know you've been wanting to see Stella and I would never deny her grandfather any time with his granddaughter. She should be awake in a couple hours if you'd like to come by. I'm still on maternity leave for another three weeks."
"That sounds perfect Tempe," her father agreed. "I'll be there in a few hours to see both of my favorite girls."
Brennan smiled and hung up the phone, putting it down on the couch before leaning over to check on Stella. Her daughter was fast asleep with her hands by her face, curled into little fists. She had slept like that since the day she was born, which was one of the sweetest things she had ever seen. It reminded her a little of Booth when he slept, at least in the sense that they both had the same calm, serene look on their faces when they were sleeping. Stella was the epitome of perfection in her mind, perfectly formed and blended of her genetics and Booth's. Nothing was more beautiful to her than her own child, even if it was a little bit biased.
A couple hours later, right on time, her father came knocking at the door. Brennan came to open it, embracing her father and smiling as she let him in. It was always nice to see the man now that he was back in her life and she had forgiven him for leaving her when she was fifteen. He was a con-man, but he was also her father and she couldn't help but love him. Max had never done anything but love his family and try to protect them, plus he loved his granddaughter. And she would never deny him the opportunity to get to know Stella.
"How are you doing Tempe?" he asked as he came in and sat down.
Brennan came and sat down by her father, smiling as she realized how wonderful this really was. "I'm doing really well Dad," she replied. "It's been almost a month since Stella was born, so I feel less sore. But still tired." The exhaustion of being a new mother wasn't lost on Brennan herself since Stella was still up every two to three hours.
"That'll pass though as she gets older," he said, chuckling a little. "Once she starts sleeping through the night, you'll wonder how you ever survived on so little sleep."
Brennan smiled and peeked into the bassinet before gently lifting her daughter out. Stella stirred only momentarily before settling back down in her arms. "She is a sound sleeper when she does sleep though," she said, looking down at her daughter.
"She is gorgeous," Max said, peering into the blanket at his grandchild. "Looks more and more like you every day I see her."
"Booth thinks so as well," she said proudly. "But I think she looks more like Mom than me. They have the same hands." Brennan remembered how gentle and loving her mother's hands had been when she was a child. Always guiding her and teaching her when she was young. They were the same hands that picked her up when she fell off her bike or treated her wounds when she would fall and get cuts on her knees.
"Your mother would be so proud of you Tempe." Max beamed at his daughter and granddaughter with love and adoration. "She always worried about you and wanted to make sure that you had the best opprotunities in life, just like we worried for Russ too. When you were in pre-school, she knew you would be a genius just by how developed your language skills were. She never doubted for one minute that you would make yourself into something."
Brennan smiled softly, thinking about how much she missed her mother now that she was a mom herself. She wished that she had been around to ask for advice about things for Stella. But in the end, she found confidence in knowing that her mom would have been proud of her. "I think Stella is going to be very intelligent as she grows older as well," she replied. "But I hope for her sake that she has better social skills, like her father, rather than mine."
Max scoffed. "Your social skills are perfectly fine. And even if she turns out more like you, who says that is bad? You're a wonderful person and more importantly, my daughter. That makes you beautiful and special."
"I just want the best for her," she said, looking to her father. "And I want her to make friends easier than I did."
"She will honey. And you'll see...when she's older, she will amaze us all."
"Would you like to hold her?" Brennan asked, motioning for her father to take the baby in her arms. "She won't wake if you pick her up since she's sound asleep."
Max nodded and gently lifted his granddaughter into his arms, staring at the most perfect being in the world. Stella slept happily in his arms. "Now this is something worth everything. You are the best little granddaughter a papa could ask for."
Brennan grinned and looked on lovingly at her father and daughter bonding. It was one of the most amazing experiences about becoming a mother that she had felt so far. The love was there, without question, and she didn't understand that. Nor did she question it. Years ago, she would have thought she'd wind up alone since she didn't believe in relationships or commitment. But now she and Booth were together, they had a daughter and Booth's son Parker, her brother and his family, her father, and everyone at the Jeffersonian that they worked with. Nothing felt more right or perfect than this.
A/N: SORRY for the long absence. I had to finish out a semester of school and then my laptop went down with a really bad virus! But here is another chapter. Please review to let me know what you think! More to come soon. xoxo
