A/N: sorry for the delay. My second wrist surgery didn't go quite as smoothly as the first, but things are much better now.

The words I used in this story were sandcastle, rescue, and resign, and the holiday is the Coast Guard's birthday.

In case you're unfamiliar with the backstory I've concocted, Parker went to the Coast Guard Academy and then married a girl he met while he was living with Rebecca in England.

This story takes place about 6 years from the present time.

It'd been over a year since Parker and Meredith had married, and his parents had finally taken some time off from work to visit them in Florida. Booth and Brennan had already stayed a couple of days, enjoying the beach and the various attractions around Miami.

Today's agenda was different. Brennan had decided that Booth needed to spend some one-on-one time with Parker, so she and Meredith were going to visit the Frost Science Museum to see the Mummies of the World exhibit. Meredith wasn't as thrilled with the idea as Brennan was, but she also knew that Parker needed to spend some time alone with his father, and, being the good sport she usually was, she'd decided to go along with her stepmother-in-law's suggestion. They'd go out for a nice lunch and have a wonderful day together, because she adored Parker's mum, even if mummies weren't exactly her cup of tea.

After enjoying a relaxing round of golf, Parker had taken Booth to one of his favorite cafes for lunch. The Sandcastle Bar and Grill would probably never make the Michelin list of four star restaurants, but its old fashioned beach decor, straight from the sixties, had reminded Parker somewhat of DC's Royal Diner, so he figured his dad would feel right at home.

"We don't need to look at the menu." Parker grinned as he addressed the server who'd cheerfully greeted them. "We want two of the Captain's Specials, with extra fries, and…" He pointed to his father. "...he'll have a slice of apple pie, and I want a slice of key lime pie. Oh, and two tall glasses of iced tea."

"Okay, then." The server chuckled as she wrote down the order. "I guess you guys must be hungry, right? I'll get Frankie started on this right away."

As she left, Booth raised an eyebrow at his son. "No way! The cook here is named Frankie, too?"

Parker nodded as he stirred some sugar into his tea. "I know, right? It must be part of the 'Diner Code of Ethics' that fry cooks can only have certain names."

"Maybe so." Booth sighed happily as he leaned back in his chair and looked around the dining room. "You know, Hialeah seems like a pretty good place to live. It's still got some of that old school Miami vibe...almost like it's straight out of Miami Vice."

"Yeah, it's not bad. I mean, our apartment building isn't very modern, but Meredith thinks it's 'comfy', and since she spends most of her time there while I'm at sea, it's important that she's happy with it."

Nodding, Booth chuckled as he tapped his fingers on the table. "Trust me, buddy…making sure your wife is happy is always important, okay? Otherwise, you'll never hear the end of it…once she starts speaking to you again, that is…" Grinning at Parker's eyeroll, he paused as the server brought two heavily laden platters to their table. "Wow…get a load of that…"

The platters were piled high with crispy fried grouper filets, along with a variety of fried shellfish… shrimp, scallops, clams, and oysters…all layered over a bed of hand cut french fries. After placing the platters on the table, the waitress set down two large bowls of coleslaw and a basket full of hot hushpuppies along with a container of whipped butter and a bottle of honey. "And here's the catsup and tartar sauce. I'll bring the pie in a few minutes, okay?"

"Yeah…that's fine." As she went to check on another table, Parker pointed at his father's meal. "Dig in, Dad…"

"Man…" Booth shook his head in surprise as he surveyed the table. "This is what you call lunch around here?"

Parker laughed as he poured a puddle of catsup on his plate. "Well, normally Meredith and I come here for dinner and this is what I get…but she's cooking supper for us tonight…and let's just say we might be in for an adventure, okay? She said she's going to try out some sort of vegetarian dish for us…you know, in honor of Bones being here, so…"

"Say no more." Booth took a big bite of fish. "I know how those experiments can go, okay? I mean, it's nice that she wants to do something special for Bones…"

Parker gave his dad an exaggerated groan. "But why do us guys have to suffer in the meantime?"

They talked and joked around as they enjoyed their meal. After a few minutes, Booth reached for his glass of tea. "So…are you gonna tell me what's been bugging ya?"

Caught off guard, Parker's fork stopped halfway between his plate and his mouth. "How did you…" Grunting softly, he put his fork aside. Of course Dad knows…he always knows…I could never hide anything from him. "I'm fine, Dad…"

"No, you're not." Booth took a sip of his tea. "You're walking around with the weight of the world on your shoulders. So…let's hear it, okay? Whatever it is, I guess I can help you talk through it."

"Yeah, okay. I suppose it couldn't hurt, right?" Parker studied his plate before picking up a french fry. "So…have you ever encountered a situation that made you believe everything you thought about yourself was totally wrong?"

Booth shook his head as he pondered the question. "I don't know…maybe? Can you maybe give me an example?"

"Well…you see…it's like this, okay?" Parker sat quietly for a few seconds before beginning his story. "We'd just finished our rotation at sea, and the cutter was making for port. It was about six weeks ago, on August 4…the Coast Guard's birthday…and the crew was planning a big cookout to celebrate with our wives and families. We'd been at sea for a couple of weeks, so it seemed like a nice way to get everyone together and have some fun. We were all looking forward to it."

Booth nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense…"

"Anyway, we were almost home when an urgent rescue request came in. There'd been an boating accident with multiple casualties, and since we were closest to the coordinates, we were the first to respond to the SOS." Parker chewed his lip slightly before continuing. "When there's a bad accident like that, it's all hands on deck, you know? Every able-bodied seaman on board answers the call. I usually spend my time in NAVCOM, but my supervisor sent me up top to help out as needed." Clenching his fists, the younger man closed his eyes, hoping to block out the ugly memories, without much success. "When I got up on the deck and saw what had happened…Jesus…it was awful. Apparently a ski boat had been traveling at an excessive rate of speed, and then somehow it hydroplaned out of control, hitting the prow of one of those big boats that take large parties out deep sea fishing. The ski boat was in splinters, and the front of the fishing boat looked like it had exploded. It was already listing to one side and taking on water fast. We had to hurry with the rescue, or we'd lose more folks." Swallowing hard to control his tears, Parker's voice dropped to a whisper. "God…I've never seen so much blood in my whole life. There were bodies in the water…people were laying all over the deck of the fishing boat, screaming in agony…the captain of the fishing boat was in a panic, trying to find out what had happened to his crew members…I hope I never see anything like that ever again…"

Booth reached over to put his hand on Parker's arm. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that, buddy…"

"Well, you know…as members of the Coast Guard, we're trained to deal with boating accidents and on how to render first aid, and I thought I was ready for that kind of emergency, but instead…I just froze. I stood there on the deck of our cutter for what seemed like hours, rooted to the spot, and everything I thought I knew just flew out of my head. I was stunned…and I was no help at all. It was all I could do to keep from throwing up or crying out in terror. I felt like my knees were gonna buckle out from under me." Parker puffed out a sigh. "Finally, the guy next to me nudged me in the ribs and that brought me back to reality. Our cutter came alongside and we went aboard the fishing boat so we could render aid, do triage, and remove the passengers that were ambulatory. Another cutter soon joined us, so they worked on retrieving the casualties from the water. The two people on the ski boat…a father and his teenage son…were killed instantly, along with two crewmen on the fishing boat…and a lot of the wounded have life altering injuries, like loss of limbs and stuff like that."

"That's so sad…"

"What makes it worse is that we found out later that the guy driving the ski boat was intoxicated. He was well over the limit, and there's no way he should've been driving that boat! When I think that the accident could've been avoided…four people were killed because of his stupidity…it makes me sick." Parker brushed a tear from his cheek. "So now I don't know what to do, Dad. I wanted to make the Coast Guard my career, but now I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this kind of work. I don't know if I can handle another stressful emergency situation like that, and it makes me feel so worthless! Maybe it'd be better if I resign my commission and go to work for a cruise line instead…they're always looking for crew members…and I have experience in navigation…"

Booth quietly listened to his son, knowing that Parker had needed to purge himself of those horrible memories. "I'm sure you know that we'll support you in whatever choice you make, but…" He paused, waiting for his son to look him in the eyes. "...what happened to you…the feeling that you froze…you know that it didn't really affect the rescue operation, right? And not only that…I'm pretty sure you weren't the only guy on the deck that day who felt that way…like he was rooted to the spot. I bet a lot of your shipmates felt the exact same thing."

"But Dad…"

"Listen, buddy…" Booth took a sip from his glass. "You were in basically what amounts to a combat situation, okay? And I can tell you from personal experience…when you're confronted with that type of horror, you can't help it…you're gonna pause for a few seconds. It's what Bones calls a 'fight or flight' instinct. Everybody has it, alright? Your mind goes blank while your body tries to decide what the hell it wants to do."

Parker picked up a hushpuppy and took a big bite, chewing thoughtfully. "So you've experienced it, too? How did you get over it?"

"Yeah, I have…many times. I'm not sure you ever 'get over' it, but in time you kinda get used to it, since you know it's gonna happen, so you can kinda prepare yourself ahead of time. See, you'd never experienced something like that before, so you had no idea how you'd react…but you'll be more aware of it next time, so you can try to settle your nerves beforehand." Booth paused as the server brought the pie to the table. "Let me ask you this…did your CO say anything to you afterwards? Like did he make a point to correct you?"

"Not really, but he made a general announcement to the crew that there'd be counseling available if we felt like we needed it, given how bad the accident was."

Booth nodded. "Did you go?"

"No…"

"Well, seeing how much that incident has bothered you, you need to go. Trust me…you'll feel a lot better if you talk some more about it with someone who's trained to listen." Booth pushed his empty platter out of the way so he could start on his pie. "So what did Meredith have to say about what happened?"

"Um…" Parker nervously cleared his throat. "I didn't tell her…everything. I mean, of course she knew there was a bad accident and that my ship participated in the rescue, because the picnic was postponed, but I didn't tell her about me freezing up like that. I guess I was…too embarrassed to admit it…or something…"

"So she's probably been wondering what's been bugging you for all this time, just like I was." Booth leaned forward in his seat. "You need to talk to her about this stuff, okay?"

"We talk about a lot of stuff…we really do…but…I don't want her to think she's married to a wuss, okay? I mean, I panicked instead of doing my job…"

"As far as I can tell, Parker, you did your job, okay? I know it seemed like you were out of it for several minutes, but I imagine it was only for a few seconds…and then you participated helping the people on the fishing boat, right?" Booth nodded as he reached for his glass. "But anyway, that's not the point. You can't keep that kind of stuff from your wife, okay? You have to tell her the bad stuff along with the good." Seeing Parker's doubtful expression, he continued. "I bet she's seen a lot of bad stuff while she's been working as a nurse, right? Didn't you say that she had to pull some shifts in the ER when she was first hired? And she told you about how hard it was…"

"Yeah, but…"

"No 'buts' about it, buddy. Listen, no matter what job you have, you're gonna have a time when you aren't sure what's going on, so you panic a bit. I mean, imagine your very first day of teaching and thirty first graders show up, expecting you to help them learn how to read, okay? That'd make me scared shitless…"

Parker laughed in spite of the seriousness of their conversation. "Yeah…me, too…"

Booth sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know how you feel, okay? I didn't tell your mom a lot about what I went through while I was in the Army, because I didn't think she'd want to know…and the woman I was dating when I met Bones…her name was Tessa…I didn't tell her about the nasty body retrievals…or about me taking out the bad guys while I was working for the FBI, because it made me feel like she'd think I was a scary, trigger happy guy. That's how I knew Bones was different, okay? She listened to me when I told her how I felt about having to kill a guy, and she never judged me. She's always taken me just the way I am…and as far as I can tell, Meredith does the same thing for you, right? She puts up with all your shit because she loves you…and I bet there's nothing you could tell her that'll make her feel any different about you. It's amazing but true. We're both married to some pretty special women, okay? Trust me, though…if you hide stuff from her, even if you think it's for her own good, and she finds out, she'll wonder if she can really trust you, and then things will go downhill real fast. I think that's part of what happened to me and Tessa…she felt like she didn't really know me because I wasn't completely honest with her…" He pinched his lips together, sighing softly as he studied his nails. "And, unfortunately, there were times when I wasn't honest with Bones…about my gambling, you know? I was lucky that she forgave me for being such a stupid bastard." Looking up at Parker, he nodded resolutely. "I don't want you to have the same problems I had, so I'm gonna give you the benefit of my experience. Tell Meredith when things are getting you down, and let her support you through the tough times. Your relationship will be stronger if you two can go through the bad stuff together."

Reaching for his glass, Parker sat back in his chair and gazed out of the diner's picture window. "I guess I didn't realize how my problems might affect her…and, if I do decide to leave the Coast Guard, she'd want to know why, right? So I'd better get things out in the open now…"

Booth nodded. "Yep…"

"I'm curious, though…" Parker tried to suppress a grin as he eyed his father. "Are you one of those guys who tells his wife everything?"

"Oh, hell no!" Booth laughed out loud. "Sometimes it's much easier to avoid a conversation…like if your wife asks you if she looks fat in an outfit or if she asks you how you liked the new vegetarian recipe she tried out. Nothing good is gonna come out of telling her that kind of truth in a blunt way, buddy. You gotta try to worm your way out of the situation without actually spilling the beans."

"Good to know." Parker laughed as he scooped up the last bit of his pie. "So tonight if Meredith asks how we like her 'vegetarian surprise', you're gonna be the one who tells her the truth, right?"

"Hey, it might be good…"

"From a woman who took two years to learn how to make tea with a real tea bag? No way!" Seeing the server pass by, Parker stopped her and asked for their bill. As he pulled his credit card from his wallet, he smiled at Booth. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, buddy. Remember…me and Bones are always on your side, okay? And so is Meredith…"

"I know…and I appreciate that." Parker glanced at his watch. "We've still got a couple of hours to kill before dinner. Wanna go try our luck, fishing from the pier?"

"Sure…might as well."

As the men stood up, Booth patted Parker's shoulder. "No matter what you decide, I want you to know…I'm so proud of you, son."

"Yeah, well…I'm proud to be your son." Parker grinned as they walked toward the door. "Thanks for making me tell you about what was going on, Dad. I needed it."

"Any time, Parker…any time."

Thanks for reading. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it.

This series was supposed to end on the first day of Autumn but I'll probably continue adding to it as the mood strikes me.

Laura