Parker's sitting on the edge of the bed, holding onto his crutch once again, inhaling and exhaling, trying to build up the confidence to put his weight down on his legs. This makes his sixth attempt in four days. His eyebrows are furrowed, a thin layer of sweat has formed on almost every inch of his skin, and his jaw is clenched, teeth gritted. Enough is enough. He closes his eyes and starts the slow descent off the mattress, his hand winding tighter around the rung of the crutch. One foot, then the other. Again, his left foot touches down first. He wobbles, but recovers, rolling out his neck. Without even realizing it, he's got both his feet planted firmly on the tile now, his upper body straightened. He's standing.

Only Booth, Brennan, and Dr. Hunter are in the room this time. The adults exchange glances and share smiles, Booth stepping towards Parker. He rests his hands on his son's shoulders. "I'm so proud of you, bub. You did it. I knew you could."

Parker glances down at his feet, one bare, one encased in a boot. He's standing. He did it. He actually did it. He lifts his head and blinks. He looks back down at his feet again and swallows. He starts to shake, and a second later, he falls onto the edge of the mattress, dropping his crutch. He doesn't look anyone in the eye, especially not his dad.

Booth smiles and sits down beside his son, wiping away the tears that drip down the teenager's flush cheeks. "Way to go, Sport." He stands up, leaning over and placing a kiss on the top of Parker's head.

Parker scoots a little and leans back against the pillows, his legs stretched out in front of him again. He reaches for the full cup of water and throws it back. He struggles to pour himself another cup, the water spilling onto the tray and ultimately wetting the blanket underneath. He scrunches up the cup and throws it, grunting and closing his eyes tight.

Booth sighs and puts his hand on his son's knee. "Hey, buddy, look at me."

Parker does nothing to that affect, doesn't even flinch.

"Parker, please look at me."

Parker opens his eyes and turns his head, meeting his father's warm eyes. "What?"

Booth's lips slowly curve into a grin. "You were standing. For a whole two minutes, you were standing—on both feet. That's amazing, Parks. I'm really proud of you."

Parker's eyes brighten just a little and there's a faint smile on his face. "I was standing by myself. I did it," he boasts, but his expression quickly changes. "But only for two minutes," he mutters.

"You really don't see how amazing that is, do you, bub?" Booth pauses. "Two minutes might not seem like a lot, but you've been lying in a bed for eight weeks, unconscious for the first four. Your muscles have been out of use for two months, so standing up on both feet, supporting yourself, for any amount of time, is incredible. Two minutes is huge." He pulls off the wet blanket and dries up the water from the tray. He pours his son another cup of water and hands it to him.

Dr. Hunter steps forward. "Great job today, Parker. Do those exercises I showed you to strengthen your muscles and we'll get you walking in no time." She smiles and leaves the room.

"Ya hear that, Parks? You'll be walking in no time," Booth says with a smile and tosses the wet blanket aside, leaving himself a mental note to ask a nurse to bring by a new one.

Brennan bends down and picks up Parker's crushed cup and tosses it in the recycling bin. "That was quite impressive, Parker." She looks at Booth. "I'll be right back, Booth. I'm going to check on Christine and my dad, and let them know it's alright to return. Do you want something from the cafeteria?"

Booth shakes his head. "I'm good, Bones, but thanks."

"What about you, Parker?"

Parker looks at her and smiles. "I'd like a cherry ice pop, please."

"Ooh, that sounds good, but make mine orange, Bones."

Brennan laughs. "Alright." She smiles and leaves the room.

Booth sits down in the chair and switches on the TV. He momentarily stops flipping through the channels and looks at Parker. "Celebrate the little victories, buddy. Be proud of your progress. Everyone else is. I know your mom would be proud of you too. She was always proud of you."

Parker sighs, tears gathering in his eyes. He looks down at his hands, touching his hospital ID bracelet, and swallows. "It's not fair."

Booth shakes his head. "I know. Nothing is fair, bub. I'd trade places with you in a heartbeat."

Parker's eyes drift to the TV and he sighs. "Mom hated when I watched this show."

Booth turns his head and looks up at the TV. "Ha. Beavis and Butthead. Your mom used to get really pissed at me whenever I'd let you watch it."

"I caught her watching it once. I was in my room, doing homework, when I heard her laughing really hard. I got curious and pushed open her bedroom door. She was sitting up in bed, tears in her eyes, laughing hysterically. I stood there for a couple minutes, listening to the TV, and then ran back to my room. She never knew I was there."

Booth smiles and shifts so he's facing the TV fully. He turns up the volume and gives his son a sideways glance. He lets out a breath and relaxes.

The two Booth men spend the next ten minutes before Brennan returns with their ice pops, watching Beavis and Butthead just like old times. Suddenly, Parker's nine and the pair are sitting on the living room floor, in boxers and t-shirts, sharing a pizza together and laughing at the obscene animated show.

A/N: My goal is to have Parker come home sometime between the next chapter and chapter 30, and the subject of marriage will come up again soon in an unexpected and unintentional way with surprising results (I'll leave you to speculate what I mean)

thanks for the reviews...keep them coming!