Just in time for Halloween, a gentle spooky tale. If you've read some of my other stories, you know that I think Booth is sensitive to spirits, in spite of Brennan thinking there's no such thing, and I wondered if any of his children might've inherited his gift. Slightly AU because it takes place in the future.
It was a normal Autumn Saturday morning at the Booth-Brennan household. After a relaxed pancake breakfast, the family was preparing to run their usual weekend errands.
As Brennan loaded the dishwasher, she glanced at Booth. "I'm going by the library before I pick up the dry cleaning and then I'm going to the farmer's market over on Springer. I can take the children with me if you'd rather go to the cemetery by yourself."
Booth shook his head as he selected an apple from the fruit basket on the counter. "Nah...I think Hank should go with me when I visit Teddy today…"
Brennan frowned slightly as she turned to face her husband. "Don't you think he's a little young to go out to Arlington with you?"
"You're the one who says we make too much of a mystery out of death in our society, right?" He sighed quietly as he cut a slice from his apple. "Anyway, I think Hank may still be a bit in the dark about Sister Helen's death, especially since we decided not to take him to her funeral."
"I still think that was the correct choice, Booth…"
"Yeah, me too. There's no way he could sit through that whole requiem mass without getting restless, especially since he's still a little guy." After taking a bite of his apple slice, he nodded pensively. "I mean, I know maybe he's too young to completely understand that she's not ever coming back, but he hasn't asked any questions about her death, either, which surprises me, as inquisitive as he is."
"Well, she was quite elderly…," Brennan said. "She was in her eighties, wasn't she? Maybe he realized her death is part of the natural order of life."
"Maybe…but I kinda doubt that. It wasn't like she was sickly, you know? She was 87, after all, but it seemed like she was still in fairly good health for someone her age, so it was still somewhat of a shock for everyone, right? I mean, she retired from teaching second grade at St. Veronica's School about twenty years ago, but from what Father Silvestri said, she still felt pretty good. She still enjoyed teaching Sunday School every week, and she was looking forward to helping with the Christmas pageant this year. I'm sure Hank probably thought Sister would be around forever."
"Still, at her advanced age, I suppose it shouldn't really be a surprise that she suddenly died in her sleep…"
"Yeah, that's probably true." Booth shrugged slightly. "Me and you know that maybe her passing wasn't that much of a surprise, but she'd been Hank's Sunday School teacher for the past two years, and she helped with his class during Vacation Bible School as well. Maybe it's no big deal, but I kinda thought he'd say something about missing her...and I also thought that maybe he'd be more...I don't know…curious, for lack of a better word…like maybe he'd ask more questions about what happened to her. I know that Father Silvestri visited the second grade Sunday School class to break the news to them about Sister Helen's passing, but…" He sighed again. "It's hard to put in words, I guess. I know Hank liked her a lot, but he hasn't shed a single tear for her, as far as I can tell, and he needs to know that it's okay if he feels sad about her passing, and if he wants to cry about it, that's okay, too."
"I see...so you want to see if you can get him to talk to you about Sister Helen." Smiling sweetly, Brennan gave her husband a kiss. "I think that's a good idea, Booth. You're a very good parent."
"Thanks, Bones. I try." He cut another slice from his apple. "You know, people grieve in different ways, and since Hank's only seven, he may not know exactly what he's feeling about Sister Helen's death. It may take him some time to process it…and he may want to discuss it with you, too. Sometimes kids are more comfortable talking to their moms about how they feel about stuff like that."
"I know….and I'll do my best to answer his questions based on your Church's mythology, should the need arise." Seeing Booth roll his eyes at the mention of 'mythology', Brennan caressed his cheek. "As you know, in the past I've had similar situations in my life, where I didn't understand what I was feeling or how I should process my emotions...but I've learned how to handle those occurrences more comfortably...thanks to you…"
"Aw, you know, Bones…I didn't really have a lot to do with it." He grinned as he pulled her close. "You're a quick learner...and you did a lot of that work on your own. I was just there for moral support."
Giggling, she raised an eyebrow at him. "If I want to give you a compliment, Booth, you should take it."
"Okay...okay…" He gave her a quick kiss before putting the leftover apple pieces in the composter. "We'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay…"
Booth grabbed his jacket before calling his son. "Hey, Hank...c'mon, you need to get ready to go, buddy. Me and you have stuff to do this morning…"
"Okay, Daddy!" A smiling Hank came trotting down the hall. "Are we gonna go to the hardware store? Can we go feed the ducks at the park? Can we get ice cream?"
"Whoa there, Tiger. I don't know if we can do all of that this morning...but I bet we can work in some ice cream somehow…"
"Yay!" Grinning happily, the little boy pulled on his jacket and grabbed his Phillies baseball cap. "Let's go!"
Oooooooooo
As the SUV sped along the highway, Hank chattered happily from the back seat. "When can I sit up front, Daddy? Where are we going? Look at that big black dog walking down the street! Are we gonna watch a football game this afternoon? Mommy said she was gonna check out the next Percy Jackson book for me while she's at the library. Do you like Percy Jackson books, Daddy? Mommy says it's based on Greek gods and stuff, but Jesus wasn't one of those gods, because He didn't throw lightning bolts, right? How come the leaves change color in the fall?"
"Wow...that's a lot of questions, and I don't know the answers to most of them, but I do know one thing." Booth smiled as he glanced at his son's reflection in the rearview mirror. "You need to be a lot bigger before you sit up here with me, but I bet if you keep eating your vegetables, it'll be pretty soon."
Hank grimaced at the idea. "Maybe...but I still think broccoli is yucky…"
"Maybe we can talk Mommy into adding some cheese sauce to the broccoli next time. That should help tame the bad taste, right?"
Hank thought over the suggestion. "I guess so…"
There was a lull in the conversation for a few minutes. Hank was quietly watching the scenery go by from the backseat when Booth cleared his throat.
"You know, Hank, I was sad when I heard that Sister Helen had passed away...and it's okay if you're sad about that, too. I know you liked her a lot."
"Well…" Shrugging slightly, Hank nodded as he stared out the window. "I was sad at first, but then she said it was okay for her to be dead, because she was happy about finally going to Heaven and seeing Jesus. Since she was so happy, I decided I prob'ly didn't need to be sad about it any more."
"I see." Confused by Hank's comment, Booth's brow furrowed. She taught Hank's class two Sundays ago...and then she died the following Tuesday night...so it's been several days since she passed away… "Well, I'm glad she's happy about being with Jesus...but when did she tell you that she was going to Heaven to see Him?"
"When she came to see me, Daddy."
"Oh?" Glancing into the rearview mirror, Booth couldn't hide his surprise. "And when exactly was that?"
Hank thought about the question for a few seconds. "I think maybe it was on the Thursday night after she died. I was sleeping in my bed, but then suddenly I woke up, and I saw that she was sitting in my room, smiling at me…so I said 'hi' and she said 'hello' back."
"Oh, I get it...you were dreaming…" Feeling somewhat relieved, Booth nodded in understanding. "That makes sense…"
Hank slowly shook his head. "I don't think it was a dream, Daddy, 'cause I could see her so plainly, and she could see me, too. We talked to each other, okay? Then Sister said she was surprised that I could see her. She said none of the other kids in my Sunday School class could see her when she checked on them…"
A shudder ran down Booth's spine. "I don't understand…I mean, that could still be a dream, okay?," he said quietly, even though, in reality, he had a very good idea about what had happened. Did he really see a nun's ghost? No way! "Why do you think you were awake, buddy?"
"Well, like I said…when I woke up, it was dark, but I could still see that Sister was sitting in that blue chair in the corner of my room, smiling at me like she usually did. She was wearing a long white dress instead of the black one she used to wear when she was alive, and she looked different, kinda like she was glowing all over and kinda like she see-through, like maybe she wasn't solid, and most of her wrinkles were gone, too, but I knew it was still her, so I sat up in bed and said hello, and she smiled and said hello back and then she said she hadn't meant to wake me up and that she was surprised I could see her, since nobody else from my class could when she visited them. She said she'd come to tell me goodbye, because she was going to Heaven to be with Jesus, and that she'd see me again in about eighty years. She wanted me to be sure and 'member everything I learned in her class about God and stuff. When I said I would, she waved goodbye and made the Sign of the Cross at me before she sort of...faded away...but I could tell by her smile that she was real happy, so I wasn't so sad about her dying any more."
"Um…weren't you a little bit scared, Hank? I mean, even if it was a dream, Sister Helen was already…dead…"
Hank groaned in exasperation. "Why would I be scared of Sister Helen? She never scared me when she was alive…and she looked so happy…"
"Well...I guess that makes sense...sort of…but I still think you were dreaming." Booth exhaled slowly as they arrived at their destination. That's all I need…for my kid to see ghosts. I wonder how I'll explain that to Bones. "I tell you what, Buddy...we'll talk about you seeing Sister Helen some more when we get home, but right now, I want to tell you why we're here."
"Okay." Hank released the buckle on his seat belt and let his father help him out of the car. "What is this place, Daddy?," he asked in hushed surprise. "It's really big!"
"This is called Arlington National Cemetery. Do you know what a cemetery is, Hank?"
"Uh huh. It's where we put people after they're dead, right?"
"Yeah, that's right." Nodding solemnly, Booth pointed out over the seemingly endless rows of white grave markers arrayed across the grassy fields. "The people who are buried here were members of the armed forces at one time or another." He patted Hank's shoulder. "Today we're gonna go see where a friend of mine is buried. Now…you need to take off your hat, okay? And you need to stay right next to me, and we're gonna be real quiet as we walk through there, because that's how we show respect for their service to our country."
Taking his cap in his hand, Hank nodded solemnly. "Okay, Daddy."
They walked through the maze of quiet lanes until they came to a spot near a large oak tree. Smiling sadly, Booth nodded. "Here we are." He hunkered down and read the inscription on the headstone. "He would've been 35 today." Glancing over his shoulder, he whispered to his son. "I'm gonna be busy here for a few minutes, but you need to stay where I can see you, okay, Buddy? This place is too big for you to be wandering off on your own…and be careful where you're walking, so you don't step on a grave. Why don't you just sit under the tree for a while, okay?"
"Okay…"
Sighing softly, Booth stood up and jammed his hands in his pockets. "I know it's been a while since I've been to see you, Teddy. I've been busy, but I haven't forgotten you, okay? I still think about you all the time, you know? And I still remember how you helped me get off that damn rust bucket they were gonna scuttle to make a reef. Bones still doesn't believe it was you, but me and you know better, right?" He chuckled quietly. "You probably think it's real funny that I married someone who's as stubborn as I am…but at least I finally got up the nerve to tell her how I felt, right?"
Lost in his musings as he talked to Teddy for a few minutes, Booth was startled back to reality when a bird suddenly flew out of the nearby tree, and he found himself alone. "Hank? Hank! Dammit, Hank! Where the hell are you?"
He exhaled slowly to quell his panic. Even if Hank had wandered off by himself in the vast cemetery, there'd be someone around who'd be able to help find him. If nothing else, he'll go back to the car…but that doesn't change the fact that I told him to stay where I could see him…
Offering a quick salute to Teddy, Booth jogged over to one of the roads that ran through the cemetery and was surprised to see Hank slowly walking in his direction. Puffing out a sigh of relief, Booth scowled slightly. "Where the hell have you been? I told you to stay close to me…"
"I'm sorry, Daddy, but I heard something over there." Hank pointed down the road winding away from them. "I guess they were having a funeral or something. I heard some guns go off, and then a man played a real sad song on his horn." The little boy chewed his lip slightly before continuing. "There were a lot of people there, too, and when I looked out over the lawn, there were a lot of people standing like this…" He squared his shoulders and raised his hand to his forehead.
"Oh, I get it. So the soldiers at the funeral service were saluting…"
"Not just them, Daddy." Shrugging slightly, Hank pointed at a row of headstones. "A lot of people were standing in rows behind those white things on the grass, and they were all saluting, too…but they looked more like Sister Helen than like the people who were at the funeral…you know, they were kind of glowing and kind of see-through…and they were all wearing different kinds of uniforms…"
Booth gasped in surprise. He'd often felt the presence of those who'd been laid to rest in Arlington, but he'd never actually seen any of them. "How many people did you see?"
"Lots! Like maybe hundreds! And when I looked back at the funeral, I saw an old man saluting back at them…and then he smiled and kinda disappeared like Sister did…he just sort of faded away…"
"They were offering respect to their brother in arms…welcoming the newcomer into their company.," Booth said quietly. "I suppose in a weird way that makes sense." He gave Hank a stern look. "But it doesn't change the fact that I told you not to wander off…"
"I know. I just wanted to see what was going on. I'm sorry." Studying his shoes, Hank sighed. "Anyway, that's what the man who found me said, too…that I should stay close to you in a big place like this. He said you need to keep a close eye on me…and then he asked me my name, and he said he was glad it wasn't Sebastian…"
Booth swallowed hard. "So this man…what did he look like?"
"He was a lot younger than you, Daddy. He was wearing a dark green coat and a funny black hat, and he had red hair. He said to tell you that he was glad you came to visit him today…and that I should tell you that Teddy says hello…"
"Jesus…" Running his hand over his eyes, Booth shook his head in disbelief. "That's all I need today…a hello from Teddy." Biting his lip, he groaned quietly. "That's who we came to see today, Hank. Teddy died a long time ago, and he's buried in that grave I was looking at, okay? He wasn't just some random guy who was helping you find me after you got lost…he was a friend of mine. You probably shouldn't have been able to see him…but I guess you did, right? I think you saw a ghost." Seeing Hank's shocked expression, he took his son's hand. "Okay, tell you what…even though you wandered off when you weren't supposed to, I guess there's no real harm done since you weren't too hard to find. That being said, next time you have to do what I say when we come out here or there'll be real trouble. Got it?"
Hank nodded slowly. "Uh huh."
"Good." Booth nodded as they walked towards the cemetery's front entrance. "So let's me and you see about getting a sandwich and some ice cream for lunch, okay? And then maybe we can figure out what to tell your mom about your adventures today."
"Why?," Hank asked innocently. "What do we need to figure out?"
"Well…I know you really saw what you saw, and you know you really saw what you saw, but your mom isn't gonna believe it, so…" Smiling, Booth tousled Hank's hair. "You know she doesn't believe in spirits and ghosts and stuff, right? So that makes explaining stuff like this kinda difficult…"
"Yeah, I know. That's why I didn't say anything to her about Sister Helen's visit. Mommy woulda thought I was weird."
"Listen, you can tell your mom anything, okay, Hank? She's gonna love you no matter what…but you're right…she probably won't understand if you said you saw a ghost. She'd try to come up with a logical explanation for what happened, even though there may not actually be one…"
Hank grunted as he fidgeted with his ball cap. "Well, just in case…maybe we should just keep what happened today between us…or would that be lying?"
"Well, it may actually kinda be a lie if we don't tell her everything…but it may be easier in the long run if you don't say anything about it at all, so even though lying is bad, maybe you should just keep quiet for now, and I'll think about what to tell her." At least I hope I can think about what to tell her. Maybe I should call Avalon. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Don't worry, Buddy. It'll be alright." Winking at Hank, Booth continued with a resolute nod. "Anyway, you can always tell me if you see something or someone you don't understand. I've seen some pretty weird things myself, including a ghost or two, and I might be able to help you figure out what's going on, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy." Hank grimaced as he rubbed his growling belly. "I'm hungry. I think I need two scoops of ice cream to go with my sandwich…"
"You got it, Buddy…but that means you'd better eat your broccoli tonight…"
"Okay…"
They were so involved in their lunch plans that they didn't hear the ghostly chuckle coming from the shadows of the large oak tree near Teddy's grave. "Thanks for coming to see me today, Sarge. I'm glad I could help out with finding your kid, and I'm really glad you didn't give him some stupid name like Sebastian. By the way…he saw me, too, you know? Plain as day…just like you did when you were stuck in that old Navy tub they were gonna sink. I guess maybe what they say is true…like father…like son…and you've got a fine son, Sarge. Maybe you can tell him about me some time, okay?" He waved at them as they walked away. "See you next time…and maybe you'll both get to see me, too…"
Thanks for reading. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Happy Halloween...
