Sorry about the delay. I had this chapter written a week ago, but then I decided I wanted to change it around a little. I couldn't find the time and then I changed my mind, so here it is...the family reunion. Enjoy...
Booth entered the gift shop and looked around, taking note of the assortment of flower arrangements, snacks, candy, balloons, mugs, candles, and plush toys it offered. Bypassing the flowers because Brennan's room was already full of them, he stopped in front of the collection of stuffed animals.
"Can I help you with anything, sir?" a chipper attendant asked, coming up beside him.
"Just looking," he replied casually, turning his head to look up at her.
When his father was distracted with the attendant, Ryder took the opportunity to reach out and knock over a ceramic bowl of mini slinkies. The bowl shattered upon impact, the loud crack scaring the toddler and causing him to erupt into tears. He twisted and buried his face into his dad's neck, clutching Booth's shirt in his fists.
Booth softly caressed his son's back and looked at the woman. "I'm sorry. I would help you clean that up, but—." He left it at that, assuming the attendant would understand his implication.
"That's okay. I have a little one myself. They can be quite a handful." She paused. "If you need any help, let me know. I'll be around." She walked off to grab a broom and dustpan from the back.
Ryder calmed down, knuckling his eyes, but still pressing firmly against his dad's chest.
"It's okay, Bub." Booth kissed him on the cheek and turned back to the stuffed animals. "Which one do you think we should get for mom?" He drew the baby's attention to the wall of toys and shifted on the seat.
Ryder pointed to a dark brown teddy bear and smiled. "Mama," he jabbered. He kept on babbling on and on incoherently, his arms extending and his brows furrowed as he tried futilely to grab the bear.
"Hold on, Buddy." Booth pushed his son's arms down and then adjusted the position of his wheelchair so he could easily pick the toy off the shelf. He handed it to Ryder, watching him immediately tug on its ear and then laugh. "Remember, RJ, that's for mom," he said, though the toddler wasn't paying attention. "I guess we should get one for you too." He tilted his head to look at his son, who was now chewing on the bear's nose. "Or we should get one for mom because it looks like that one is gonna be yours." He laughed and grabbed a similar bear, except this one had a red tie and 'I love you' was stitched on the bottom of its left foot.
"Did you find everything okay?" the attendant asked when Booth approached the registers.
Booth nodded, smiling up at the woman. "Yes, we did."
"The stuffed animals are very popular," she commented, ringing up the two teddy bears, though she scanned one twice because Ryder still had possession of the other and refused to let go of it. "He's adorable, looks just like you." She walked around the counter and handed him the bag and the change. "I hope your wife enjoys the teddy bear."
Booth nodded and left the store, not bothering to correct her for her assumption. "Let's go see how mom's feeling."
Ryder mumbled, "Mama," against his teddy bear's ear and leaned back into his dad's chest.
Booth kissed the back of his son's head. "We're going to see mom right now." He slipped the plastic bag over the arm of his wheelchair before heading straight for the elevator.
Brennan was sitting up in bed, reading a magazine one of the nurses brought her (without being asked), while she waited for Booth to return from the gift shop. The pain in her side was back to a dull, almost nonexistent ache thanks to the medication and she couldn't be more relieved.
She glanced up and lowered her magazine when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," she bellowed, her voice weak and raspy, but loud enough that whoever was outside would hear her.
Sure enough, the door handle jiggled and the door opened. Max hobbled inside on a pair of crutches, as a nurse, the same nurse responsible for Brennan's current reading material, held the door wide open for him. He nodded in thanks and paused in front of the now closed door. He looked hesitant, completely unsure if he was welcome. He blinked and let out a breath, smiling in relief at seeing his daughter awake and seemingly okay. "Oh, Tempe."
She looked at him, more like observed him, cataloging his external injuries and studying his outward appearance. "Hi, Dad. Booth said you would be coming by this afternoon."
He nodded, struggling to balance on his crutches. He made the decision to continue into the room, taking the seat already pushed up against the bed. "How are you feeling, Sweetheart?"
"I'm fine." She paused. "What's going on, Dad?"
"It's all in the past, Honey."
She shook her head. "Obviously not."
"It's taken care of. I promise."
"They're in jail, Dad. Please don't—just for once, can you leave it up to the justice system to punish the two men responsible for this? I don't need you to kill for me. I'm fine. Yes, I've been better, a lot better, but I'm okay. You nearly got yourself killed because you decided they were a threat and instead of telling the police, you went after them yourself."
He glanced down at his lap and then quickly back up to meet his daughter's eyes. "I'm sorry."
"I know you are, though I also know that your apology doesn't mean you'll listen to me. You haven't yet." She sighed. "Are you okay?"
He nodded. "I'm just a little banged up."
"Booth and I are getting married," she blurted out after a moment of silence.
He coughed, but smiled. "When was this decided?"
"Last week."
"I hope my cast will be off in time, so I can walk you down the aisle."
She tugged on the sheets. "We haven't discussed any specifics yet. Booth is determined to be walking by Christmas time, so I assume sometime after that is when the ceremony will be, that is if we have a ceremony."
He was about to say something, but the door opened and Booth came in, a sleeping Ryder curled up in his lap, the teddy bear still clutched in his little arms. "Bones, I gotta go."
She furrowed her brows.
"My PT appointment, remember?"
She nodded. "Oh, yes." She paused. "I told you I was fine."
Now it was Booth's turn to look confused.
"Two minutes after you left, a nurse came in asking if I was okay."
Booth gave her a sheepish grin. "You looked like you were in a lot of pain. I thought someone should know," he said, attempting to defrost her icy glare. "Look, I was worried, okay? I can't comfort you or take care of you the way I want to right now, so you're just gonna have to deal with me threatening nurses to come and check on you whether you want them in here or not." He turned to Max when he reached the side of the bed. "I can't take RJ to PT with me." He whispered, not wanting to wake the sleeping child up.
Max shifted and carefully scooped his grandson up, wincing slightly. He settled the baby in his arms and glanced down at the little boy, brushing his hand over his hair.
Booth was halfway to the door when he remembered the other teddy bear he purchased from the gift shop. He turned back around and headed for the bed. He took the bear out of the bag and handed it to Brennan. "Here, I got you this."
She took it from him graciously, but stared at it, a little warily. "Why did you get me a teddy bear?"
Booth shrugged. "You already have a whole florist shop in here and he was soft, you know, huggable. Plus, he's got a cool tie."
"He reminds me of you."
"Thanks, Bones," Booth grumbled.
"Honey, he looks exactly like, what was his name? Mr. Giggles?"
Booth smirked. "Mr. Giggles? Bones, who's Mr. Giggles?"
Her cheeks burned and she refused to make eye contact with him. She mumbled something that neither Max nor Booth understood.
"What was that?"
"I said, he was a teddy bear I had when I was younger. I used to take him with me everywhere."
"What happened to him?"
She glanced quickly to her father and then returned her gaze to Booth. "He was one of the first things I grabbed when the police showed up at the house and the only thing I unpacked at each home I was put in. I'd either hide him in my closet or under my bed. One of my foster brothers found him when I was at school. He tore off the bear's head and left arm and pulled all the stuffing out of him, leaving it all over my room." She paused. "I was irrationally upset about that. He was just a plush toy. He was falling apart anyway and his fur was matted."
Booth reached out and placed his hand on hers, giving it a squeeze. "Hey, he meant something to you, Bones. It was one of the only things you had left that reminded you of your parents, of your old life, it wasn't irrational." He paused. "But Mr. Giggles?" He laughed.
"I was four years old, Booth."
Booth looked at his watch and sighed. "I really have to go." He gave her hand another squeeze, said goodbye, and headed out the door.
Brennan turned her head, having forgotten momentarily that her father was in the room. She petted the bear's arm, feeling its soft fur, and nodded. "He does kind of look like Mr. Giggles, but then again, he was a very generic looking teddy bear. He didn't have a tie, though. I had forgotten all about him."
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that."
"I already forgave you, Dad. I understand why you had to leave. We've been over this already. There's no point in rehashing it."
"Booth's a good man."
"Yes, he's a very good man." She smiled, absently hugging the teddy bear to her chest.
"He takes care of you."
"Yes, though I tell him repeatedly that I can take care of myself. He doesn't listen." She paused. "He's an excellent father, as well."
Max glanced down at his grandson, softly snoring in his arms. He yawned and arched his back; the chair wasn't the most comfortable thing. He winched, his muscles tight, his body bruised.
"You should go home and get some rest, Dad."
"You know what, Honey, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea."
She pulled back the sheets and sat up more. She inched her legs towards the side of the bed and carefully maneuvered herself into a standing position, mindful of her IV stand and her injuries. Before her father could scold her for getting out of bed, like Booth had done when she first took it upon herself to stand on her own, she took Ryder from him and sat on the edge of the bed. Lying back down was more painful and difficult, due to the added obstacle of cradling a sleeping toddler, but she managed, settling back against her pillows and pulling the sheets up and around her waist. "Thanks for visiting. I'm glad you're okay."
Max stood up, hobbling around before his crutches were in place. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his daughter's cheek. "I'm glad you're okay, too. I don't think I could forgive myself if something worse had happened." He paused. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." She smiled. "Booth and I are having a party to announce our engagement, among other things, after I'm released from the hospital. You're invited, even though you already know." She paused. "I'll call you when I know the exact date and time."
"Okay."
"Goodbye, Dad."
He waved and with a promise to be at the party, he left, still a little unsteady on his crutches.
Brennan looked down at Ryder and brushed the pad of her thumb across the back of his hand. "It's just you and me, RJ," she whispered.
A few minutes later, the door flew open and Parker came running in. "Bones!"
"Parker," Rebecca scolded, appearing in the doorway slightly out of breath. She waved off a few nurses giving her evil glares and walked into the room farther.
Brennan smiled at the excited boy. "Hi, Parker." She lowered her voice. "You have to be quiet, Buddy. Your brother is sleeping."
Parker, for the first time, noticed Ryder in Brennan's arms. "Oh, oops, sorry. I didn't wake him up, did I?"
Brennan shook her head. "No."
He swiped his hand across his forehead. "Phew."
"Come give me a hug, Sweetie. I have to go back to work."
Parker reluctantly left Brennan's side and gave his mother a quick hug and squirmed when she kissed the top of his head. "Bye, Mom."
"I have something important to tell you later. We'll talk when I pick you up from Dr. Sweets' house, okay?"
"Why can't you just tell me now?"
"Because it's important and I have to go back to work."
He sighed and waved again before turning around and heading the short distance to the side of the bed.
Rebecca waved at Brennan and then left the room.
"When are you getting out of here, Bones?"
She shrugged. "Soon, I hope."
"Me too 'cause then we can go camping." He jumped up onto the chair and smiled. "I saw Grandpa Max. Did the same bad guys that hurt you, hurt him too?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"But they're in jail now, right?"
"Yes, they are. They can't hurt anyone else."
"Good." He looked around and sighed. "Where's my Dad?"
"He's at his physical therapy appointment. He'll be back in forty-five minutes."
"Oh." He paused. "What do you think my mom wants to talk to me about? The last time she said she wanted to talk to me about something important, she was telling me about one of her boyfriends."
She shrugged. "I don't know what she wants to talk to you about."
"I hope it's about something good. Maybe we're getting a puppy. She did promise me one." It was silent for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Do you need anything, Bones? 'Cause I can get if for you."
"I'm fine for now, Honey, but thank you for the offer." She caught a glimpse of the TV in the corner and smiled. "Would you like to watch some television?"
"Yeah." He reached for the remote attached to the bed by a wire and aimed it at the TV, turning it on.
A comfortable silence fell upon the room as they watched TV together and Ryder napped.
Later that afternoon, shortly after Booth returned from physical therapy, the four of them were standing in the hallway. Booth had his hand in Brennan's, while she balanced on unsteady legs, and Parker was in the middle of the long hallway, waiting for them. "C'mon, Bones," he cheered, getting stern looks from the nurses. "You're almost there," he said just as loud, choosing to ignore the nurses. He squeezed his little brother's hand, which he held tightly in his, as the toddler stood beside him. He knelt down and drew Ryder's attention back to him instead of on the rest of the activity in the corridor. "Hey, Rhino, can you clap for your mom?" He demonstrated and nodded when Ryder copied him. "Good."
Ryder continued to imitate his brother, a string of throaty giggles escaping his mouth. The second he spotted Brennan, however, he stopped clapping and set off towards her. "Mama, mama, mama," he repeated over and over, his arms outstretched as he reached her and grabbing hold of her right leg.
She pressed her palm flat against the wall when she felt herself loosing balance and squeezed Booth's hand, in attempt to steady herself. She, once again, gained a sense of balance and looked down.
"Parker, you're supposed to be making sure RJ doesn't run off."
The young boy shrugged. "Sorry." He trotted over to the adults and took his little brother's hand. "C'mon, Rhino, you have to stay over here with me."
Ryder protested, reaching out for Brennan again.
Booth looked up at Brennan and noticed how exhausted she looked. She was pale, breathing heavy, and her shoulders were slumped slightly. "We should get you back to your room, Bones. You need to lie down."
"I agree."
"No, Bones, don't argue with me—wait, what? You're agreeing with me? You're not going to protest? Try to convince me you're fine?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not." She was exhausted and as she looked down the hallway, calculating how far the trek to her room was from where she was currently standing, she felt even more tired. Her legs threatened to give out any minute, her body ached, and she could tell her blood pressure was low. She wasn't even sure she would make it to her room without passing out. Without a second thought, she sat down in Booth's lap and leaned back against him, her head resting against his.
"Bones, you okay?"
She nodded. "Yes," she whispered, her eyelids feeling heavy.
"C'mon, let's get you back to your room."
Parker grabbed Ryder's hand and kept pace with Brennan and his father.
Less than five minutes after Brennan was back in bed, she fell asleep, her chest rising and falling rapidly due to the overexertion.
Booth held her hand, even when it grew limp in his grasp, and turned his head to watch his boys playing with toy cars on the floor beside him, Ryder imitating Parker's animated sound effects. He smiled, thinking back to the conversation he had with Brennan earlier. He definitely wasn't ready for another child right now, but he could just picture Ryder and Parker being overly protective of their little sister.
Parker looked up and caught his Dad watching them. He shrugged and went back to driving the cars over Ryder's legs, causing the toddler to erupt in laughter.
There was a faint knock on the door and then it opened, Sweets strolling in.
Parker sighed, knowing why Sweets was here.
"I really appreciate this, Sweets."
Sweets waved Booth off. "You'd do the same for me, but I'm sending you my dry-cleaning bill."
Parker reluctantly stood and gathered his things. He gave his Dad a hug and shrugged his jacket on. "Tell Bones bye and that I love her, okay? Don't forget."
Booth smiled. "I won't, Bub."
Sweets picked up Ryder and carried him over to Booth, so he could say goodbye.
Booth kissed the baby's cheek and gave him a hug. "You'll only have to stay with Sweets for a few more days, RJ. We'll all be home soon." He decided not to mention Brennan by name, in fear that it would set the toddler off.
Sweets rested Ryder on his hip, keeping him facing forward and not at Brennan. He said goodbye and left the room.
Booth stared at the door long after it was closed. He already missed his boys and they hadn't even been gone thirty seconds. He turned back to Brennan and seeing her sleep, reminded him of how exhausted he, himself, was, so he shifted to get more comfortable and then shut his eyes.
Thanks for sticking with this story and I hope you liked this chapter...
Next up: A different kind of family reunion
