It's been five days since the accident, and Rebecca's condition still hasn't improved much, but Parker was taken back to the operating room almost an hour ago. Now, Booth and Brennan are sitting on a bench outside the ER, getting some much needed fresh air. She felt it was necessary because Booth has been sitting in the same spot for days and she saw how agitated he was getting when they were sitting in the OR waiting room. She's holding his hand, their fingers weaved together, and she's resting her head on his shoulder.
"Daddy!" Christine comes barreling towards her parents and climbs right into Booth's lap, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and clinging to him. She tilts her head and showers his cheek with soft, warm kisses.
Booth holds her against his chest, giving her a bear hug.
Christine pushes at him and squirms. "Daddy, I can't breathe! You're sufferacating me."
He loosens his grip and lets out a breath. Tears well up in his eyes and spill over, dripping down his cheeks, without much warning. He squeezes her and buries his face in her neck. A couple minutes later, he drops his arms and looks at her, tilting her chin so he can look directly into her blue eyes, which are almost identical to her mother's.
Christine pats his cheeks and rubs noses with him. "Don't cry, Daddy."
He sucks back tears and sniffles. He brushes her bangs to the side and a small smile forms on his face. "Hi, princess." His voice is soft and raspy, barely audible.
Brennan stands up, pulling Max aside. "I don't recall asking you to bring her, dad. We talked about this." Her tone is somewhere between annoyed and grateful, but as she turns her head to glance at Christine and Booth, she smiles, looking back at Max.
Max nods and his smile fades. "I'll just take her home then, I guess."
Brennan shakes her head. "No, don't do that." She looks at Booth again and her smile grows wider. "I haven't seen that smile in days." She sighs. "Thank you," she whispers and walks over to the bench, sitting down again.
Christine crawls over Booth's legs and squeezes between him and Brennan, tilting her head and looking up at her mother. "Mommy?"
Brennan nods, twisting her body towards her daughter. "Yes, Honey?"
"What's wrong? Daddy's really, really, really sad."
Brennan pulls her daughter onto her lap and loops her arms around her waist to keep the five year-old from slipping off. She presses her lips against Christine's forehead and tugs on one of her pigtails. She lets out a breath and sighs. "Honey, you remember the phone call daddy got a few days ago?"
Christine nods.
"Well, Parker and Ms. Rebecca were in a car accident that night, and someone from this hospital called daddy to tell him." Brennan pauses and then continues, "Do you remember when Michael Vincent stole Mr. Carrots from you and ripped off his little pink arms and one of his legs?"
Christine scowls at the memory and nods.
"I had to sew his arms and leg back on and then he was okay again, remember that?"
Christine smiles. "Yeah! You saveded him."
Brennan nods. "The doctors are trying to save Parker and Ms. Rebecca, just like I saved Mr. Carrots."
Christine's eyes widened. "Parky's arm falled off?"
Brennan shakes her head. "Not exactly, sweetheart, but he's hurt. The doctors are doing everything they can to save him and Ms. Rebecca."
"They's got lots and lots of ouchies?"
Brennan nods and kisses her daughter on the cheek. "Yes, that's why daddy's sad."
Christine's eyes fill up with tears, the access cascading down her pale cheeks as she collapses into her mother's chest, turning her face into her mother's shirt. She sniffles and clutches Brennan's shirt sleeve.
Brennan wraps her arms around Christine and looks at Booth, trying to gauge his reaction.
Booth shakes his head and his lips curve into the faintest smile.
Christine pulls back and rubs her eyes. She runs her hand under her nose and sniffles.
Brennan takes out a to-go pack of tissues from her purse and pulls out two tissues. She puts them together and holds them up to Christine's nose. "Blow, please."
Christine closes her eyes and blows as hard as she can.
Brennan folds the tissues and holds them up to Christine's nose once more. "Again."
Christine blows harder and squirms when Brennan wipes the remainder of snot away. She swallows and looks at her mother. "Where's Parky now?"
"Parker's with the doctor right now, Honey. We won't be able to see him for a while yet. In the meantime, why don't you tell daddy all about your time with grandpa?"
Christine nods and switches laps. She smiles at Booth and pokes his chest a couple times. "Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?"
Booth kisses her on the temple and adjusts her, hooking his arm around her much the way Brennan did. "Yeah, princess?"
Brennan touches Booth's shoulder for a brief second and stands up. "I'm going to go get some coffee. You want anything?" She asks when he turns his head.
He shakes his head. "Nothing for me, but maybe some pretzels or a cookie and an apple juice for Christine." He looks at Christine. "You want a snack?"
Christine nods her head, enthusiastically, her tears drying against her cheeks. "Pretzels and apple juice."
Brennan clears her throat.
"Pleeeeeease," Christine adds with a grin.
"I'll be right back." Brennan disappears into the hospital and her father follows her after she motions him to do just that.
Booth shifts on the bench and listens to Christine as she begins to tell elaborate stories about her time at her "Gampa's" house. It's what he needs to keep himself from running through every possible worst-case scenario in his mind, which is precisely what he's been doing nonstop for the past five days.
I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I hope you liked it :)