Chapter 35 Gift
Brennan awoke to the sound of muffled giggles outside the bedroom door. She nudged Booth gently.
"Booth, wake up and get your boxers on; the children are coming down the hall and they'll be in here in a minute. We'll be lucky if they remember to knock first."
Booth quickly extended a hand out of the covers and felt around on the floor next to the bed for the boxers he'd discarded last night when he and Bones had gotten busy 'crocheting' before going to sleep. He lifted his hips, scrambled to get his legs into the appropriate holes, and tugged the garment up over his torso.
"There, all decent," he muttered sleepily. "What hair-brained scheme you suppose they're up to out there?"
The bedroom door latch unsnapped and two tousled heads edged around the door frame, bright little eyes peering into their parents' room.
"You spose they're awake yet?" Zach asked.
"Shhh! As loud as you're talking, of course, they probably are by now, silly," Christine answered.
"G'morning, kids, what are you doing?" Brennan asked.
"We made you breakfast!" Christine informed her proudly. She was carrying a tray with two plastic bowls and spoons, a box of Fruity O's, a package of Kashi Organic Pumpkin Seed Quinoa Clusters, and two plastic covered sippy cups of milk. Zach clutched a plastic Flyer's stadium cup holding six yellow tissue paper flowers twisted into green pipe cleaner stems in one hand, and a slightly wrinkled hand-drawn card in the other.
Christine carefully placed the tray in her mother's lap as Brennan reached to steady it. Zach unceremoniously handed his father the stadium cup, which promptly fell over. Booth placed it on the night stand. The two kids clambered up onto their parents' bed, crawled between them under the covers, and handed them the computer paper card.
"What's the special occasion? It isn't Mother's Day or Father's Day," Booth asked them, smiling.
"It's Parents' Day!" the children chimed in unison. "Read the card!"
"Parents' Day? Never heard of it…" Brennan frowned slightly. "I thought I was aware of every official American holiday on the calendar, both present and historical."
"My teacher said that our parents work really hard to take care of their kids, and we ought to thank them. She said, if we wanted, we could celebrate a special Parents' Day this weekend. It's something she made up. But she said any day is a good day to thank the people you love and who love you," Christine informed her mother seriously.
"I think Mrs. Atkins is a very smart lady! Her unofficial holiday is an excellent idea," Brennan declared. "Why don't you two climb out of our bed, and let your dad and me get our robes on, and we'll take this tray to the kitchen and we'll all eat together?"
"No, Mommy, we already ate, this is just for you and Daddy," Christine told her happily.
"Bones, getting served breakfast in bed is a very special thing," Booth smiled at his wife with a wink. "We're very lucky to have two thoughtful children who love us enough to get up early and fix this feast! You guys want to go watch cartoons as a treat while your mom and I eat?"
Zach and Christine climbed off the bed and scampered happily downstairs to turn on 'Scooby Doo.'
Oooooooo
And so it was that Brennan and Booth sat up in bed, stuffed the pillows behind their backs, and ate their breakfast out of plastic bowls and sippy cups.
"There's not enough milk in these cups to cover the cereal and give us something to drink too, Booth."
"I know, Bones, we'll just have to get the coffee started when we're done here, and then fix an early lunch so we don't starve to death. But you gotta admit, this is a pretty nice idea to teach children gratitude, and they tried so hard. Look at these paper flowers. How long do you suppose Christine worked on these?"
"Bones, baby, why are you crying?"
"They're just so sweet. And to think, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have any of this, Booth," she waved her hand toward the door, and stopped, unable to speak.
Booth leaned over and hugged her tightly. "Hey, you're the one who gave me two more great kids. I love you too."