Chapter 9- Going through the book and photos

AN: Again I apologize for the long wait between chapters, I will not promise you that I will post more often or frequently. Nor will I offer you an excuse for why this has not been posted. I will however say that I am so so sorry for the long wait and that if there are any of you left, well you guys are just amazing. So I hope you enjoy

~KJ

Booth

Booth returned to his tiny hotel room and sank down onto the tiny uncomfortable couch with the bag of memories beside him. He was unsure whether or not he was prepared to go through them, he knew this was going to hurt. He regretted not being able to be there all the time for Parker and now he had not been there for Celia. What was worse was that missing all of Celia's moments were his fault and his fault only, it wasn't like with Parker where he had limited access.

Sighing Booth picked up the first packet of pictures, these were ones of Brennan and the squints as she was pregnant. He had to chuckle looking at the one's of the baby shower knowing how Brennan probably hated the whole thing judging by the look on her face. He continued flipping through the packet fascinated seeing the growth of the baby bump from almost visible to full term.

Next he picked up the packet that held all the pictures from when she was born and the following months, the ache in his heart intensified as he saw how happy everyone was in the pictures were and how everyone was there except for him.

As he reached for the next packet of pictures he found a letter that Brennan attached to the top:

These pictures are from shortly after Celia turned 7 months. She was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She had to undergo the standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation. She officially entered remission when she was 2 years and 3 months old and has remained since.

Booth was...well he didn't know how to describe it. He was shocked, flabbergasted (AN: don't you just love that word), angry and sad. That was his little girl, his daughter and he hadn't been there for her, he fault like he was the worst father alive. He slowly flipped through the packet, watching as the changes affected her little body, how the little bit of hair that she did have slowly fell out, and she became skinnier and skinnier. He saw that her first birthday had to be celebrated in the hospital and Christmas too. At one point he had to put down the pictures as his eyes became too blurry to be able to make out her sweet little face in the pictures anymore. Once he was able to look at the pictures again he finished the stack and moved onto the fourth and final one, the one that would take him from when she reached remission until now.

After Booth finished flipping through every single photo, he picked up Celia's baby book.. He opened the book to the first page that held ultrasound photos and tried to figure out what exactly he was looking at. After awhile he was able to make out her little face and her hands curled up in little fists. After staring at it for a few minutes longer he flipped the page and say Brennan's neat writing filling in the lines.

Name: Celia Christine Booth Brennan

Born: October 9th , 2007

Weight: 8 lbs 7 ounces

Length: 21 inches

Booth continued flipping though the book learning everything about his baby girl that he possibly could from the tiny book. Her first word ("sho"~shoe), the first time she sat up, and the first time she walked, he spent over an hour pouring over the book unable to get enough of his little girl.

When Booth finally put down the book he couldn't quit smiling, nor could he ignore the pang of guilt in his heart for missing so much. He resolved right then and there that he would not miss another minute of his daughter's life if he could help it.