Chapter 33 Death

"Christine, are you awake yet," asked Zach hesitantly from the doorway of her room.

"Wha-? Whatsa matter, Zach, you need somethin'?" muttered his sister sleepily.

"I think there's something wrong with Petey. He's not moving."

Christine took her brother's hand and walked with him downstairs and into the family room where the goldfish bowl sat on the window sill above the small desk where she studied and Zach colored.

"Hmmm, I think we better get Mom, maybe he's just practicing floating like we do in swim class, but Mom will know for sure what's going on," Christine decided.

The two children trudged back up the staircase and down the hall to their parents' room, where they knocked on the door.

"Come in," rumbled their drowsy father.

"Can Mommy come look at the fish? I think he might be sick," asked Zach. "I think he might be sick 'cause he's not moving,"

"Daddy, I told Zach he might be practicing his floating like we do in swim class….."

Booth gazed at his daughter, giving her a grateful nod for her insightful kindness to her little brother. "You guys go get your robes on and I'll come take a look. Let's let your mom sleep a little while."

"Zach, buddy, I'm sorry, but your fish friend Petey has died," Booth crouched down so he was at his son's eye level, and embraced the little boy whose eyes were filling with tears.

ooooooooooooooooo

Zach and Christine stood quietly watching their father dig a small hole at the edge of their backyard vegetable patch with his garden trowel.

"There, that should be deep enough for Petey," Booth said as he rose to his feet. "Go get the little guy."

"What should we put him in, Dad?" Christine asked quietly.

"I think your mom found a nice box for your goldfish, honey"

Brennan opened the back door and stepped out with a small white cardboard Macy's jewelry gift box in her hand. "Look what I have for Petey," she said softly, removing its lid to reveal the inside. "This box has a soft cotton cushion so your fish will be comfortable," she told the children, kissing the top of Zach's head and giving Christine a squeeze around her shoulder.

"That's the box we gave you your Mother's Day ring in Mommy," Christine said" "Don't you need it?"

"Christine, I'm wearing my ring, see. And if I need to take it off, it will be fine in my big jewelry box. I don't mind sharing this little box with your pet as his final resting place," she told the children.

"Come on outside, we'll have a little funeral for Petey." suggested Booth.

The four of them walked over to the edge of the garden. Christine carefully placed the box on the grass beside the small hole.

"Okay, kids, do you want to say something to Petey to tell him goodbye?" Booth asked.

"Petey, I'm sad that you're dead." Christine began. "I'm going to miss seeing your tail swish around as you swim in your bowl every day. Watching you helped me think when I was doing my math homework. You won't be lonely because Daddy already put Pokey my turtle and Ribbit, Parker's frog out here."

Brennan rolled her eyes and looked at her husband over the tops of their children's bowed heads with baffled but amused consternation in her eyes.

"A fish helping with homework?" Booth smiled a little and shook his head wryly at his wife. "You never know what'll come out of a kid's mouth," he thought to himself.

Zach let out a muffled sob. "Petey, you were the bestest goldfish in the whole world," he stammered. "I'm gonna miss you so much!"

"Daddy, can we say a prayer for him?"

"Dear God, please take care of Petey and give him a nice pond in fish heaven to swim in and fish friends to play with. Thank you for bringing Petey into our family for awhile to make us happy," Booth said solemnly.

He leaned over and slid the little box carefully down into the hole. Reaching for the trowel, he began scooping the dark rich dirt over the box to fill in the little grave.

Suddenly, Brennan turned and ran into the house, the screen door slamming behind her.

"Dad, where did Mom go?" Christine asked, mystified.

"Let's finish covering Petey," her father said. He handed the trowel to Christine and she imitated what she'd seen him do, shoving some earth into the hole. Then he placed the trowel in Zach's small hand, curled his around it, and helped him do the same. "Now, you guys can get your markers and some cardboard from under the cabinet, and make Petey a little marker," Booth said. "Your mom's a little emotional about Petey right now."

He led his children into the kitchen and settled them at the counter as he heard water running in the bathroom upstairs.

Booth quietly ascended the stairs, and frowned at the closed door to their bedroom, fairly certain he knew what had prompted her sudden departure.

He found her lying across their bed, crying into his pillow. "You okay there, Bones?"

"No, not at all! I'm feeling extremely sad. Oh, Booth, it reminds me of Ripley all over again. Poor little Zach! Poor Christine! I know it's irrational to mourn a dog or a gold fish or other non-sentient creature, but I can't help it. It wouldn't have bothered me before I met you, but now… especially since the children were born, I find myself illogically emotional when a cherished pet dies. And even though I believe your saying a prayer over its grave is a pointless exercise, I find it brings me comfort which I don't understand."

"Bones, Baby, you're a mother and when your children hurt, it hurts you. When you can't fix their pain or remove it, you hurt worse than they do," said Booth as he hugged her.

ooooooooooooooooo

A short time later, Booth and Brennan came downstairs, arm in arm, her head resting on his shoulder. Entering the kitchen, they found both children hard at work coloring a cardboard rectangle upon which
Christine had painstakingly written 'PETEY.'

"That would please your little fish, guys. It looks very nice."

"Mommy, are you okay?'

"Just very sad, Chrissy. Are you two okay?"

"We're both berry berry sad, Mommy," Zach spoke up.

"Very sad, honey, not berry. We're not talking about jelly. I think I'll reheat the vegetable lasagna from last night, and toast some French bread for lunch. Then we can watch '101 Dalmatians' together. How does that sound?" Brennan asked.

ooooooooooooooooo

As the family was finishing their meal, Zach looked up at Booth, his dark eyes serious and his forehead furrowed in thought.

"Daddy, why didn't we bury Pops in the back yard with Petey and Pokey and Ribbit?"