They had a routine and it was much needed to get everybody up and ready. It was apart of what Booth and Bones called their life now. The two woke early to get everyone else ready. Breakfast was started and the kids started to slowly head down stairs. Wendell first insisting to be held my Bones. Then Daisy already dressed in a tutu as bright pink as it got. Then Fisher made his way frowning and complaining about life in his glass half empty way he did. Clark grumbled but held Vasiri's hand as they strolled down the stairs.
Booth went up to wake Lance. He didn't know what to expect. He had never been in this situation before. He entered the room and saw the boy tangled in his sheets. Booth couldn't help but smile. He wasn't any different than any other boy but his adventures would be different. He sat on the bed and shock the boy. At first he curled up and whimpered, but than he sprung up. Lance looked around dazed his thick hair blocking his eyes before he swept it away. Lance tried putting distance between him and Booth but he started to fall off the bed. It was Booth who caught his wrist. Lance looked up at him skittish and afraid.
'Good Morning' Booth signed clumsily. Lance looked up at him confused but nodded. 'School' Booth signed again hopping it would be enough. Lance nodded and started to fumble out of bed.
"Bones I think Lance hated me."
"Why?"
"I don't know. He seems so jumpy around me."
"No that's not it. Booth he's a foster kid. A new environment must be scary for him" Bones said matter of factly finishing her yogurt and fruit. But Booth could feel that there was more to the story. He could feel it in his gut.
...
Lance came down the stair with bag looking tired. For Lance this was just another school he would be in for a while before the family cleaned their conscious and got rid of him. It happened everytime, things got to complicated and it was for the best. They always had excuses and Lance always ended up alone. He knew the tricks of surviving and knew that this was just another stop until he was free of the system.
'Lance are you ready for school?' Bones asked. Lance headed to the door.
"WAIT!" Booth yelled but Lance just kept walking. Booth had to physically go after the boy.
'I t-a-k-e you' Booth signed. Lance shook his head know and Booth started to argue.
"No Booth let him. We can talk when we get home" Bones nodded and grabbed Booth's arm.
...
Lance was at school and it didn't look any different than his others.
"Hey hun how can I help you?"
written: New student, Lance Sweets.
"Ok I see you're the little slow child aren't ya? I have your schedule right here and a map. You have a good day." She said slow and loudy from the way her mouth moved and Lance's anger flared but he kept it in check.
Lance walked away heading to his first period.
"Hello and you are?" Lance gave him the paper from the office. "Well nice to meet you Lance why don't you tell us something about yourself." Lance just went to his seat not making a sound. Some of the other kids were laughing, but he didn't pay to any attention to it at first. Then has he started for seat he was tripped. This riled Lance up and he glared at the other. The other boy smirked but didn't say anything. The boy was a big guy. He was definitely a big bones teen who used his size to was how Lance's day went. He would be bumped into accidentally or books shoved from his hands. It wasn't so bad Lance had been through a lot in his life so a few kids were nothing he couldn't handle. But that was the problem he was letting them ware at his patience.
Then the teacher was in his face and from the words he could read he heard retard and stupid and the other kids were laughing. But Lance turned his head down. He couldn't fight a teacher.
...
"Bones maybe we should get him a phone than we can communicate better until we have the basics of sign language down" Booth said as they drove to work. She was reading a book on sign language.
"I think that is a good idea. Is there any other reasons?"
"Well maybe just so we can get in touch, just to see how he is doing" Booth said.
"Ok that makes sense than"
That night Booth went into Lances room and gave him a small box. The boy opened the box to find a simple phone in front of him. He looked shocked and confused but instead of talking or even signing Booth texted him.
text: Booth:Thought this would be a good way to communicate until we were better at sign language
Lance: thanks
Booth: How was your day a school?
Lance: ok i have a lot of homework...
Booth: Ok text you when dinner is ready.
When Booth left Lance smiled. He felt reassured that they were trying and even a little loved.
...
That's what life was for the boy for the first weeks. School was a tender subject. He could read lips but it was a pain since he couldn't full understand when the teacher was moving or distracted by another subject. It left Lance with a headache and annoyed. The teachers were always yelling at him and keeping him after class or school. The boys in his class were getting worse. They would still his books and it was at the point where they had taken his clean clothes after gym.
But that wasn't the last straw. It was the next day before school started kids were standing around in a crowd, but he didn't expect anything until he got to his locker. In black spray paint the word RETARD was sprayed. And it was like someone had punched him in his face and stomach. It was brutal. He hadn't felt this abused since he was a kid. Lance tensed his jaw and walked over to the kid who he knew had done it.
Lance walked up to him and punched him. It was a shock which gave him an edge and with that he continued to through punched. They were quick hard jabs that left the larger boy unstable. He could feel the vibrations under his skin and with his adrenaline pumping he just kept throwing punching.
Then he was being pulled away by teachers. They were yelling at him and he was trying to keep up. Someone was always yelling at him or getting in his face. He couldn't fight them all. It was suffocating. He ran.
...
Lance ran. Lance ran away from the people. He couldn't stop and he didn't. He continued to sprint even after he had lost his breath. He ran until he was in the city of Washington D.C. There were dozens of people around. He screamed collapsing and it hit him like it did when he first tried to talk after the accident. He was deaf. He would never be able to here anyone. He screamed until his throat stopped rattling. Tears filled his eyes and his hands shook, but he jus hear nothing. It caused him to ache all over and fill sick. There was no ringing of the ears or popping. It was just silencing, something he had gotten us to but it was muffling sometimes like today. It felt like he was in darkness. Waking up and remembering the sounds of He was upset that this was his life. He was seen as a retard and it hurt. It was torture to not be able to talk to anyone and no one knowing how to sign. It was isolating and soul crushing, but he just held it in, until now. Lance was gasping for breath as he sat with the statue of Abraham Lincoln.
Lance sat there until the sun started to set and then he started to walk home. He was tired and sore. His knuckles bruising from the fight and the cut on his lip was throbbing. But of course has he walked home looking like a lost thug in the suburbs the police stopped him. They yelled from behind him to stop, but Lance didn't here a word.
"Kid what happened to you?" the cop asked.
Lance continued walking home. The cops drove by him and Lance flinched than started moving faster.
"Car 2278 we had a runaway please keep a look out. Its a boy the age of 14. Sending a picture your way" Radio said.
"Gary that's the kid"
This is the moment where all hell broke lose. The cops got out and Lance took off. It was his way of defending himself. He wasn't aware of what was going on or what to do. The cops though were professionals who did what they were trained to do. They tackled him and pinned him. Lance gasped and whimpered in pain. He tried to get the words out of his mouth but his brain wasn't understanding what was happening.
"Calm down or we will use force" the cop said.
Lance continued to struggle the grip on his body hardening and leaving him no room to move.
...
Booth and Bones drove home with all the kids. He felt the gnawing in his gut but didn't know what it was until and hour ago. Now him and Bones were driving to the police station where they were holding their son. They had received a call from the school saying their son had started a fight and ran off. This didn't sound like Lance but Booth and Bones didn't have anything to go off of so they rushed over. The principal made is clear it was Lance who started the fight and wouldn't be welcomed back. Booth went to the boys locker and saw the graffiti. He pushed until it hurt and found out his son was getting bullied by other boys. They were all the same saying it was Lance's fault and everyone had turned a blind eye. Some teachers even sneering.
"No offense but your disabled son should have never been allowed into normal class. He is always distracting my good kids."
Bones would never admit it but she was nervous and Booth gripped her hand tight understanding the feeling. The called the police and Booth asked a few favors but they had come through. A cop had found their kid. And the more their thought about it the more it fight.
...
"You can have him in cuffs. The kid is deaf you have to put him in something else." The cop said.
"Find get one of those secured chairs." Lance was thrown into the chair and restrained. His hands were free but his wrists were bound to the arms of the chair. The boy's heart was beating out of his chest and he couldn't breath. He kept trying to yell stop but his head was spinning and everything was happening to fast. Then he saw Booth and Bone. Lance wanted to cry he was so happy.
...
"Hey what the hell are you doing?" Booth snapped.
"He was fighting back. We needed to restrain him"
"No you get him out of that chair or I will make a call to the D.A and put you to under so much paper work you won't be working the streets until after you retire!"
Lance was shaking when we was released. His wristed were bruised and his breath ragged. Booth put a hand on his back and guided him out. Lance couldn't hold it he threw up and let a chocked sob out. Booth rubbed his back trying to relax the others tense muscles. Then he clung to Booth. The other was shocked but held him tight. Lance was shaking but after a few moments he loosened his grip. Booth made the other look at him and smiled then nudged him toward the car. Once in the car he huddled away from everyone else and Booth drove until they all fell asleep.
Booth and Bones slowly carried or woke all of the kids until only Lance was alone. "You watch the kids I'll wake him up."
Booth woke Lance and the boy looked rough. Booth didn't know what to say or what he could. "I'm sorry" Booth said and Lance just looked away, but Booth didn't say anything but nodded tying to stay calm. The F.B.I agent just pulled him into a tight hug, he kissed his forehead.
...
Lance went upstairs and Booth went to bed with Bones. Booth laid his head in Bones lap needing comfort and reassurance.
"He was so scared Bones and I couldn't do anything to stop it."
"I know Booth, but you are protecting him the best you can. And that makes him feel safe" She reassured.
"How do you know?"
"Because I feel safe and you saw you stand up to the other guy. That's what counts you went and stood up for him and he knows that. He can trust you."