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Chapter 5
Before Bones could explain to him her plan, Hannah began to cry. He hovered above them as he watched his partner change a diaper – and he suddenly wished he had a camera, because this was the weirdest moment of his whole life. She was always so out of her element where children were concerned; so unBones. And here she was, apparently having survived days on her own with a fugitive Royal infant.
Her diaper-changing abilities were not one-hundred percent yet, but he could see in her face that where a baby was concerned, this was probably the most comfortable activity for Bones. It was simple, mundane, required very small emotional involvement and had almost no variables. He could almost see her tension leaving her body as she replaced the dirty diaper with a clean one.
Leave it to Bones to find one of the most disgusting tasks in the world calming.
He reached for the expensive-looking throw on the couch, throwing it on the floor between the couch and the table. He made the same motion with his arms that he'd done the night before. Bones was always a fast learner, because as soon as she was done fastening the onesie, she handed the now content baby to him. He deposited the child on the rug, and content with Hannah's sitting position and back support, he stepped away.
"Any toys?" he asked Bones, but her confused look gave him a negative answer at first. "You know, any child toys, like a truck or a bear, something to keep her busy while we finish working?"
"Oh!" Bones exclaimed, running to the bedroom and bringing out one of those bright yellow chewing toys for babies, with no discernible shape but rough edges to help with teething. She tossed it to him, like it was a flashlight or some piece of evidence, and he handed it to the alert baby that clutched to it with both hands, immediately jabbing it into her mouth.
"Good girl," he said as he watched the deep concentration of the child.
Bones stared at him for several seconds, and he figured she had no idea what positive reinforcement was, and he was not about to discuss the psychology of babies to her.
"Ok, she's entertained," he offered.
He watched as she studied the small environment he had created with just a throw and a teething ring, and he could tell she was analyzing it and categorizing it for future reference.
Booth finally interrupted her studious stance after three minutes. "So, what's the plan Bones?"
"She's just a baby, Booth. And now she's all alone in this world; everyone who has ever cared for her is dead," there was so much emotion in her voice. "For months my last thought before going to bed has been her safety. I didn't want to admit to myself that the reason why I was so concerned was beyond the fact that I know what she's going through."
"There's no shame in connecting to another human being, Bones," he tried to reassure her.
"I know that now, Booth - which is why I need you to help me get her back to the U.S. as my adoptive daughter," she blurted out, surprising him. "And I need you to do it without raising any red flags."