I am truly sorry for making everyone wait for an update, especially after spoiling you all with updates three days in a row. I realize that it's been almost a month.
"Moving On" -The title of this one has several meanings. Booth and Brennan are moving on from what happened and taking the next step with their family by getting a big house. They are quite literally moving, but really it's even more than that. Booth told Brennan on the steps of the Hoover that he had to move on, and while that's been quite some time ago in their story, it is still significant in that they are moving on together.
Now, the part you've been so patiently waiting for...
Booth and Brennan made the most of their time while Brennan was in the hospital. The offer on the house had gone through and was accepted the same day. The house had been on the market for a while and the owner was about ready to reduce the asking price. Booth called around and made arrangements for painters to come in to paint the rooms in their new house so they would be ready. Brennan made calls to landscapers to get rid of some bushes that she'd hated upon seeing on the video tour of the house. She wanted something a little more colorful and inviting. She also arranged for movers so that they didn't have to do it themselves.
Being Saturday the 18th, they didn't have a lot of free time before Christmas, and they were anxious to get everything done before Christmas so that they could have some family over. They both agreed that the quickest way to get everything done would be to hire people to do it so they could get their Christmas shopping done, relax, and keep Brennan calm. It helped that they had done most of their Christmas shopping while visiting her brother.
One of the first things Booth had moved over to the new house was his car that was sitting in Hodgins' garage. He was so excited to finally have it in a place where he could go anytime he wanted. He'd had that luxury at Hodgins' place as well, but the inconvenience of the location did limit his car time.
On top of arranging for those things, Booth called a contractor to convert the bare basement into a habitable and enjoyable room for his obligatory man cave. They painted the cinder blocks in the team colors for the Philadelphia Flyers. A mini bar had been installed as well as an area with theater seating. It would also give him a place for all of his knick-knacks that they had been forced put into storage when he and Parker moved in with Bones.
As they were discharging Brennan late on Saturday, Booth received a call from Caroline Julian. She wanted Booth to go to the Hoover to go over his statement, as he still hadn't given it. He'd spent all of his time with Brennan and arranging for everything else that he just hadn't slowed down enough to do that, and if he was being honest, he really had no interest in talking about the day that he had to push his pregnant wife down to the ground to save her from getting shot to death or anything that came after that. It had been entirely too close for his comfort. They had come to the hospital to get Brennan's a few days ago, and being the weekend, Caroline was anxious to get his statement before Monday. She was trying to put together cases and she wanted to be ready to start chopping heads and severing limbs come Monday morning. Booth understood, and so he finally gave in and decided to just get it over with.
Booth called Angela away from the team of people, who were packing everything up so they wouldn't have to worry about it, at their apartment, to come take his wife home. He told Angela on the phone to, "take her straight home, do not stop by the lab, do not pass go, and do not collect two hundred dollars."
Booth was already gone when Angela showed up, and Brennan was nervous to be left alone with her friend. They had not been alone with each other since everyone had learned about the twins because it seemed like everyone was always visiting her at the same time and she was nervous about what her friend was going to say about them keeping the news from her and everyone else. Sure, they had planned on telling them about it, but they clearly hadn't gotten that far and it had taken an emergency to get the news out and she was certain that she'd hurt Angela by not telling her right away, especially since Angela was technically there at that appointment when she found out.
Angela walked in to a teary-eyed Brennan and her face contorted as she saw Angela enter her room and more tears fell.
"I'm sorry Angela. I didn't mean to keep it a secret."
Of course, Angela had gotten over that a few days ago, but Brennan's pregnant brain couldn't get rid of the guilt. Angela was just glad that her friends were okay after all they had been through that day.
"Sweetie, I don't know what you're talking about, but you need to calm down. If you don't they won't let you go home."
"I didn't tell you and I'm sorry. You were with me when I found out. You excused yourself to go to the bathroom when Doctor Matthews told me what he suspected and I didn't tell you. I didn't mean to hurt you by not saying anything. We just wanted something to ourselves for a bit and then we realized how selfish that was and we were going to tell everyone, but this all happened first and we didn't get a chance and now you're mad at meee." Brennan dissolved from her long-winded whine into a cry.
Angela couldn't even understand half of the words (were they even words?) coming from her best friends mouth, but she got the last part loud and clear.
"Sweetie, I am not mad at you for anything. There's no way I could ever be mad at you and stay mad enough for it to affect our friendship or us. Bren, look at me."
Brennan wiped furiously at her eyes to swipe the tears away, but then focused her teary gray eyes on Angela's dark brown eyes.
"I'm not mad. Look at this beautiful smiling face; do I look mad?"
Brennan shook her head no.
"But I'm horrible at reading people. You know that and just because you don't look mad… Ange, that does mean anything. Booth is very good at hiding his emotions."
"I'm not Booth, and I'm definitely not you. I don't compartmentalize. I am transparent. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. In fact, there might as well be a neon sign above my head telling people how I feel."
Brennan's crying had stopped. She was glad that she was getting ready to go home and that all of the monitors had been taken off of her earlier or she just knew that she would be asked to stay for further monitoring if she couldn't keep herself calm.
"Ange? Take me home please. I'm ready to be out of here. I'm sick of this bed, the smell, the sounds, the annoying brain-numbing beeping from the monitors that are thankfully finally off."
"Sure, let me get one of those hot young orderlies I passed on my way in here to wheel you out."
Angela came back with a middle-aged female nurse and Brennan had to laugh. "Angela, I believe your standards for what qualifies as hot have changed."
"Haha! Good one, Bren." Angela grabbed Brennan's things and what few arrangements of flowers Booth hadn't taken with him earlier.
B&B
On the drive back to the apartment, Brennan told Angela everything she wanted to know that she had yet to hear, personally, from the female half of the epic partnership.
Angela started talking about nurseries and getting things set up and setting up a baby shower and soon the words were just swirling around Angela's van and Brennan's head faster than she could absorb any of it.
"Ange! How about we just get through moving and Christmas first. Please?"
Hearing the desperation in Brennan's voice Angela nodded and quieted down a little.
"So how much has been packed?" Brennan asked. She had lived in that apartment for just about a decade now and she was sad to be leaving it. She was afraid that she'd walk in there and see her stuff all packed up and ready to go whether she was ready or not.
Of course, she knew she was ready to have a home with her husband and their sons, but this was more change. And Booth had once told her that pyramids were better at change than she was. She just had to keep reminding herself that this change was completely necessary in order to have everything she wants. There was no way that her expanding family could stay where they were. Not even if Parker lived with his mother could they stay where they were now, not with two more Booths on the way.
The more Brennan thought about the change, the more she realized that the anxiousness that she felt wasn't because of nerves it was because of anticipation. She very much looked forward to everything that came with the bigger house. She looked forward to having enough room to breathe when she needed to. She looked forward to having a den where she and Booth could bring home their work when they needed to. She looked forward to having a family room where everyone could gather and spend time together. She looked forward to having a big yard where the kids could grow up and play freely and swim in their pool, and maybe they would get a dog. She'd always wanted one. So she looked forward to that, too. She also looked forward to finally having enough room for all of her husband's vintage collectibles that had been stored away for months. She missed seeing them over at his old apartment. She looked forward to seeing them again and seeing the joy that the items seemed to bring Booth. She also looked forward to going out into their large garage to lounge around reading her scholarly journals while he worked on his car or hovering over him asking questions to the point of frustration for Booth and he'd get mad and of course due to her hormones, she'd cry and he'd feel bad, which she'd learned on a couple of occasions, would ultimately lead to greasy sweaty frantic make-up sex either up against the car or inside the car.
She looked forward to all of it.
"Bren, were you even listening?"
"What?"
"Hun, typically when you ask a question it is considered polite to listen to the answer, but judging by the look on your face, you don't even remember that you asked a question."
Brennan thought for a second. Damn. She really didn't remember her own question. "Of course I remember. Just answer the question again, please."
She figured that she could figure out what question she asked based on the answer.
And she would have been right, if Angela had a brain the size of a pea, which she most definitely did not.
"Uh huh, sure. What was it then?"
Damn.
"Ugh," Angela smirked at the frustrated sound that emanated from her friend. "I don't know what I asked. Please tell me?"
"You asked how much has been packed."
"Oh, well we're here already, so it's pointless to answer the question now. I'll see for myself in a few seconds."
Brennan walked into her home to see a few boxes stacked up against one of the walls that were void of shelves. Everything had been taken down from the shelves in her living room and packed away already. Only a few things remained.
Hodgins and Sweets were relaxing and taking a break on the couch.
"Hey, Doctor B," Hodgins greeted her. He stood and took some of the things from her hands and set them on a bare end table. "Come sit, and let the rest of us take care of everything."
"Well, is there anything that I can do? I don't want to just sit here while everyone works. That hardly seems fair."
"Nah, we've got it covered." He hugged her and rubbed his hands on the sides of her abdomen as he spoke. "You're only job is to sit there and take care of those babies. Please don't scare us like that again."
"Angela! You're husband is fawning over me. Could you do something, please?"
"He's just happy you're okay. Let him get it out of his system. I don't want him to turn it onto me later."
Sweets had excused himself to the kitchen when Hodgins ushered Brennan to the couch a few minutes before. When he returned, he presented a glass of water and a bowl of fruit to Brennan. She took the bowl and sat on the couch.
"I just thought that you might be thirsty or that you may not have eaten in a while. Lunch was a while ago."
"Thank you, Doctor Sweets." Brennan took a grape and popped it into her mouth. The ravenous noise of approval garnered a laugh from everyone. She looked up at the others in the room, "What?"
The typical response of "Nothing," came from the men while Angela rolled her eyes and said, "You're just so damn adorable, Bren."
"I am not." She ate a few more pieces of fruit in silence before growing self-conscious over the people watching her. "So, how much is left to do?"
"Parker and Rebecca have already packed Parker's room and are helping Cam pack up the big stuff in the kitchen right now. Wendell and Vincent packed up the hall closets and bathroom and are packing up the office now. We've already done the living room, well, mostly anyway, as you can see. All that is left is the linen closet, master bedroom, bathroom and closet, which we figured we would leave to you and Booth," said Hodgins, "even though I know at least two people in this room who wouldn't mind going through your personal things to snoop," he looked at Angela, "or to do some crazy psychoanalysis thing," he looked at Sweets.
"Hey, I'm here as a friend helping friends. The shrink cap isn't on today."
Yeah, right, Brennan thought to herself.
An almost awkward silence fell over them, but thankfully, it didn't last long before an excited Parker came barreling out of the kitchen and landed with a thud on the couch next to Brennan.
Everyone else in the room watched for a moment before taking it upon themselves to find something to start packing. Break time was over.
"Bones! I'm glad you're home." He gave her a big hug and didn't seem to want to let her go. "So, dad told me I'm going to have two brothers!"
"Yeah, Park. Are you okay with that?"
"What? Are you kidding?" He asked quickly. "Of course I'm okay with it. I'm going to teach them everything I know."
"Are you sure? Because it would be okay if it made you feel uneasy or upset. You don't need to be afraid to tell us how you really feel about it. I also know that you may be okay with it right now, but you might change your mind. That's okay, too. Just—"
"Bones!" The little boy smiled up at her and hugged her again. "I'm good, okay? I talked to dad. He told me the same thing you're saying now. He said that if at any time I don't like how I'm feeling that it was okay as long as I talk to you guys about how I feel. He said that they won't always be easy to live with. He said babies make a lot of noise; especially in the middle of the night and since there would be two of them it would get to be a lot to handle. I understand, Bones."
"Okay," she smiled down at him, knowing that he truly did understand. He was a brilliant boy, and had always demonstrated a more broad understanding of things than other kids his age.
"Where's dad?"
"At the Hoover. He's giving his statement about the things that happened this past week. He'll be home soon. He said he was going to bring home food from the diner for everyone."
Parker leaned further into Brennan. She let him have a piece of fruit from her bowl. "You're okay, right, Bones? I was mad that dad wouldn't take me to see you. He kept saying that you were fine, but they don't allow kids in the rooms where you were."
"They don't and I'm sorry. I'm sure he would have brought you to see me if they did. I'm fine, baby. I just need to take it easy from now on."
"Dad said that I'd have to do more chores now."
"Just a few extra. Nothing too big. I can't get stressed out. It isn't good for me or the babies right now. I'll still be able to do a few things. I'm not on strict bed rest at the moment."
"Do you think you will be?"
"Honestly, in all likelihood, I probably will be. Having twins is much more stressful on the body than just having one baby. We've got to do everything we can to keep them in the womb for as long as we can, Parker. If I get too stressed and go into early labor, their lungs may not be ready yet. If they are not ready yet, they could die."
"Oh. That sounds scary. Dad didn't tell me all of that. He just said that you needed to be careful and rest a lot."
"Am I telling you too much? I don't know how much he wanted you to know and how much he wanted to candy coat. Well, I can't really un-tell you."
"Bones, it's sugar-coat."
"Right."
"And I appreciate that you don't leave things out. I'm almost a man now."
"You're ten. You have quite a ways until you are a man."
"Nuh-uh. I've almost got armpit hair. See!" Parker pulled back the sleeve of his t-shirt and raised his arm.
To humor him, Brennan got closer and inspected. "Nope, don't see any. Oh, wait. Nope. It was just a shadow."
"Bones! I said almost."
"Well, you know in some cultures you would be considered a man already."
"That's so cool."
"You would think so, but really all that means is that those kids don't get to enjoy their childhood for as long as you do. They are considered men because they gain responsibilities to their people and families at a much younger age than you will."
"I didn't think of it like that. So, it's like they are forced to grow up before they are ready?"
"Exactly, and your dad does everything he can to keep you from having to grow up too early."
"I understand, but honestly, I don't think that I can grow up any faster than having to go through what I went through with Brent and with the shooting."
"You're right. That was a lot, and sometimes I don't think your dad gives you enough credit. I think you are much tougher than he thinks, but to him you're still his little boy. Sometimes, I still see you as that four year old little boy I met at Wong Fu's."
"I don't really remember that. I wish I did."
"That's okay. You were young, but I remember. Anyways, I don't know if I told you too much about the babies, but if I did and anything bothers you or if you have questions, please ask. We don't want you to be confused or scared."
"Okay. How many weeks are they now?"
"Actually, today marks the twenty-fourth week."
"How long until their lungs are developed?"
"It won't be for at least another ten weeks. Even then, they will still be slightly immature. The air sacs and branches that make up the lungs are already beginning to develop. The longer they stay in the womb, the more developed their lungs will be and they higher chance of survival they will have. So I have to do what I can to keep them in there for as long as possible. The goal is to make it to at least thirty-two weeks. Then, we'll take it one week at a time. Twins are almost always early."
Parker was still leaning into her side, and he put his hands up to her swollen belly to feel the movements of his siblings. "Hey, guys. It's me, Parker. Remember? Uh, probably not. Right, Bones?"
"I don't know. They might recognize your voice. Babies in the uterus do develop voice recognition. So, even though they don't understand, they know that your voice belongs to someone who is around a lot, who talks to them and who cares."
"Awesome. So, little buddies, our mom needs you to stay in there for a lot longer so that you can get big and strong and so that you can breathe…"
Parker kept talking, but Brennan didn't hear much past the point when Parker said, "our mom." He'd never called her "mom" before, and she knew that he was just doing that while talking to the babies, but part of her wished that he would do it again. She wouldn't push for it, but if it did happen again, she would be fine with it. She didn't want to take Rebecca's place in his life, and she knew that she never would. So she knew that if he ever did want to start calling her that, she would want to make sure that Rebecca was okay with it, too. For now, though, she was just going to savor the feeling because she wasn't sure he even realized what he had said.
After a bit, Parker had quit talking and was just sitting there next to his stepmom with his hands on her stomach.
"I'm tired of sitting here." She used her arm that was wrapped around him to squeeze him lightly to alert him that he needed to get up so that she could.
"Already?"
"Yes, I've just spent several days in bed. I want to move around a little bit. Let's find something easy for me to do. Help me up?"
Parker helped her stand.
"Okay. We haven't done the linen closet yet, or your room, or the bathroom, or your closet."
"Let's go with the linen closet. I'll get your dad to do most of the rest."
"Okay. I'll get the box."
Parker and Brennan had been putting blankets, sheets and towels in the large box for a few minutes when Booth arrived home.
"Babe, I'm home!"
Angela waltzed out of the kitchen, "Welcome home, honey!" she teased.
"Funny, Angela. Where's Bones?"
"She's here somewhere." She didn't want to be the one to tell him that his wife was up and doing work, no matter how light the amount of work was.
Booth started through the living room and headed toward his bedroom where he saw Bones and Parker in the hallway stuffing folded linen into the almost full box.
"Bones, what are you doing?"
"Helping."
"Okay, what are you supposed to be doing?"
"Taking it easy, and I am. This isn't hard. Everything is already folded, and all I have to do is take the stuff from the top shelves that Parker can't reach and hand it to him so that he can bend down and put it in the box. It isn't hard. I feel better moving around a little bit after sitting so still in that bed for so long."
Booth walked over behind her and wrapped his arms around her midsection. "Okay, love. Just listen to your body. If you feel tired don't feel bad for going to rest. No one will mind if you just lay there while everyone else works. They understand. And if you start getting a headache you really need to take it easy. Remember that Doctor Matthews said that is a symptom of high blood pressure."
"I know, but I'm fine right now. I'll sit back down after this is finished though."
"Good."
"I might have told Parker too much."
"About…" he led her on, because apparently she planned on leaving it at that.
"The situation with the babies and that if they came too early because I got too stressed they could die."
"No you didn't Bones; I'm fine," Parker spoke up after placing a small stack of towels into the box.
"I'm sure whatever you told him was fine, Bones." He kissed the back of her head in reassurance. "I trust you."
"That's good to know Booth, but aren't you mad that I didn't talk to you first about how much to tell him?"
He thought about it for a moment, "Nope. Look, Bones. If you thought something was important for him to know and it didn't involve telling him that God is a zombie, then it's probably fine."
"Even if it might have scared him a little bit?" She looked back behind her, sure that he would change his mind.
"Even if it was a little scary. He knows he can ask questions or talk about it with us, you told him that, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, stop worrying. You even have the subject of our conversation right here telling you that he's fine."
"The old Booth wouldn't be so sure."
"What do you mean the old Booth? I'm still me! I've always trusted your judgment, Bones." He detected the light joking she was trying to engage in to keep from worrying so much.
"Yeah, you have. So it's really okay?"
"For the umpteenth time, yes." He turned her in his arms and gave her a broad smile as he leaned closer.
"That's not a real number, Booth," She challenged.
Closer still.
"It's an expression, Bones."
Almost touching.
"Are you guys going to make out now? Because if so, I can go help mom in the kitchen."
Parker didn't get a response.
"Okay then, yeah… I'll just… Mom! Do you still need help?"
Oh, poor Parker. Haha! Love Brennan and Parker cuteness!
When we see them again, they'll be in their new house because the movers will have magically moved everything already and there will be some unpacking and maybe some fun ;) while unpacking.
Once again, I'm sorry for the delay, but things should be going much better now. I'll try to at the very least get one update out a week. School is winding down for us, but for me as the music teacher, that means putting together an end of the year program and herding preschoolers or bribing them with stickers and candy to get them to do what I want. Still, I'll try to stick to updating once a week, probably on the weekends.
XOXO,
CrayonClown
