Some Parker/Brennan sweetness for ya :)
Brennan takes a seat on the other couch and picks up the book she started reading days ago. She flips to the page she marked and looks over at Parker, who's staring at the TV but is clearly not watching it. She lowers the book onto her lap and clears her throat, swallowing and letting out a breath. She doesn't know how to broach the subject of last night, so she starts with the first thing that pops into her head. "Hey, Parker, would you like to help your father paint the nursery?"
Parker turns his head and looks at her. "You guys picked a color?"
She closes her book. "Not yet. We're actually nowhere close to a final decision; however when we do pick a color, your dad's going to need help painting the walls."
"Yeah, sure, I guess."
"Great." She pauses, and after another few minutes, she gets his attention again. "Would you like to talk about last night?"
He presses the mute button on the TV and just stares at the screen for a long minute before pushing himself up to a somewhat sitting up position and looking at her. "Are you going to tell my dad?"
"Not if you don't want me to." She pauses. "Did something happen?"
"I guess you could say that." He pauses and elaborates without being prompted. "I was excited for the party. I haven't really seen any of my friends since before the accident. I mean, Alex stopped by once and Nathan visited me, but he's not really a close friend or anything, you know?"
She nods.
"It was fun at first. I said hi to everyone and was having a good time, getting caught up on everything I missed, but then people started bringing up the accident. Some of the kids wanted to see my scars and kept saying how awesome they were, and some of the kids grilled me about my injuries and what happened and what exactly I remember." He shutters. "And then people were coming up to me and saying how sorry they were about my mom. All the kids were looking at me the whole time. I didn't know half those kids personally so all I saw was pity in their eyes."
She blinks.
He hesitates, but continues. "They watched me the whole time and I heard whispering. I knew exactly who and what they were talking about. It was horrible, Bones. Even Alex and my other close friends who were there kept looking at me with that look." He swallows and his eyes drift away from her.
She sighs.
He meets her eyes again, his are clouded with tears. "Is that really how it's gonna be from now on? Am I gonna have to deal with the looks, the whispers, the questions all the time?" He sits up slowly. "All I wanna do is move on. That's what I was trying to do last night. I missed my friends and I thought maybe hanging out with them would make me feel like none of this crap happened."
She nods, staying silent, allowing him to continue.
"I couldn't breathe. Even my friends were asking questions and wanting to see my 'battle wounds'. They meant well with saying they were sorry about my mom, I know that, but I don't see the point of saying sorry when someone dies. It's not like that's gonna bring them back or make it okay that they're gone. It's stupid. I just wanna move on, Bones." He sniffles. "I think about her constantly. I dream about her, I see her when I close my eyes at night, and I see her first thing in the morning. Every little thing reminds me of her. I don't need anyone else reminding me that she's gone."
She wipes away a few tears and rises off the couch. She puts her book down on the coffee table and walks over to him. She sits down and instinctively pulls him into a hug.
He wraps his arms around her and buries his face into the crook of her neck. He lets the tears flow freely, clinging to her closely.
She closes her eyes as they fill with tears. She can feel him shake against her chest and it only makes her chest tighten. She doesn't say a word. She just hugs him and allows him to cry for as long as he needs to.
He eventually separates from her and rubs his eyes. He sniffles and wipes his cheeks with his shirt. He blinks his vision clear and looks at her.
She doesn't really know what to say. She wipes away her own tears and they just sit there in silence for a while. Finally, she smiles. "Those kids will lose interest eventually, Parker. Speaking from experience, the whispers, the pitying looks, and the gossip will stop. I'm sure that by the time school starts up again in September, all of this will be a distant memory."
"What if it's not?"
She shrugs. "Then you tune it all out the best you can, you change the subject whenever it comes up, and you pick something else to focus on, such as your schoolwork, college applications, sports, friends, family, a combination of those, or something else entirely." She pauses. "I always focused on school and then later my work, that is until I met your father. I suggest you choose to focus on a combination of those options. It'll be less lonely."
He nods, the faintest smile gracing his lips.
She touches his knee and looks directly into his eyes. "You can't change how others will deal with all of this, but you can choose how you deal with the way they deal with it." She pauses. "Okay, that sounded better in my head, but I hope you know what I mean." She smiles, a soft chuckle escaping.
He nods again, staying silent, knowing she isn't finished yet.
"People are going to say what they want and they're going to stare for as long as they want, but you're a strong kid, Parker. You're a smart, strong kid, and if those kids at your school can't see past the accident, if they can't see past your physical and emotional scars, they're not worth your time." She smiles at him and touches his shoulder. "You have one year left and then you'll be going off to college, where no one will know who you are. No one will know what your life has been like for what would be the past couple of years unless you choose to tell them about it. You can start over, but you have to get through the next year and a half first."
He nods once again, letting her words sink in.
"I know you can get through it because I know the kinda kid you are and I've been there. I've endured the stares and the whispers on more than one occasion for more than one reason, but I survived. I dealt with it alone. You don't have to. You have me, your father, Christine, and soon, you'll have your baby brother." She touches his cheek gently, brushing her thumb across his tears, wiping them away.
He sighs. "You're a really good listener, Bones."
She smiles, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Do you feel better?"
He nods. "Yeah, a lot better."
"I'm glad I could help." She pauses. "And this is just between us, alright? I won't tell you dad any of this."
"Is that okay? I mean, aren't married people supposed to tell each other everything?"
"Yes, to an extent. Honesty is very important in relationships, but the idea that you must divulge every detail of your life to your mate is unnecessary and a little ridiculous. Some things are private and should remain as such." She pauses. "Our conversation doesn't directly affect your father; therefore I do not have to tell him what we talked about verbatim. I'll tell him we talked, but I won't tell him anything specific unless you want me to."
The front door opens, interrupting them, and then Booth walks in. "Bones?"
"Mommy?" Christine runs into the house behind her father.
"I'm in the living room."
Christine slows down and walks into the living room and over to the couch. "Hi, mommy."
Brennan smiles at her daughter. "Hi, Sweetheart. Did you have fun with Michael Vincent?"
Christine nods. "Course, mommy. What kinda question is that?"
Booth appears behind the little girl and glances at Brennan, then at his son, and again back at Brennan. Both of them appear to have been crying. "Everything okay?"
Brennan stands up and takes the bag from him. "Yes." She smiles at him and heads into the kitchen.
Booth shrugs.
Parker stands up, steadying himself with his cane and then following Brennan into the kitchen.
"Bub."
Parker turns his head. "Yeah, dad?"
"I got you a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake. Just like you wanted."
"Good. I'm starving."
Booth smiles. If the tears weren't evidence enough that a conversation and secrets had been shared between Brennan and Parker, the latter's 'I'm starving' proves it without a fraction of a doubt. He looks at Christine. "C'mon, princess. We better get in there before mom eats all the food."
"I heard that," Brennan calls from her post at the island counter.
Christine giggles. "Mommy has good hearing, daddy."
"I guess I'll just have to whisper next time." Booth hoists her in the air and tucks her under his arm.
"Daddy, put me down!"
Booth carries her into the kitchen and sets her back down again. He walks over to Brennan from behind, presses his lips against her cheek, and wraps his arms around her when she's least expecting it.
She blinks but leans into him.
"Thanks, Bones," he whispers in her ear.
She smiles. "You're welcome." She doesn't need to ask for clarification. She knows exactly what he's thanking her for.