May 2012
They were both glad to have a busy weekend. After school on Friday, Rebecca brought Parker over for his weekend stay. She knew that it would be a few more weeks until Booth could leave the house, so she was happy to handle the drop offs and pick ups for a few more weeks.
Parker was bursting with energy when he ran into the house to give Brennan a big hug as she sat in her wheelchair. Rebecca told them that all he talked about during the drive over was how he was going to be Bones' #1 helper all weekend. "Of course you're going to be my #1 helper Parker. Your dad has been very busy helping me, so he could use a break." That was all Parker needed to hear, and he spent the evening making sure that Brennan had anything she needed.
The three of them spent a fun evening watching the Flyers in their playoff game, and when it was over, Booth followed him upstairs to tuck him into bed.
Saturday morning, Max and Russ pulled in just after 10AM. Max was thrilled to finally see his baby girl back home, and Booth got busy making everyone a big breakfast.
After breakfast, it was time for Brennan to practice her walking, so Max and Russ found seats in the living room to watch. Parker was excited to see his beloved Bones actually on her feet for the first time and he wanted to help. So Booth brought out the bench, and when he lifted her from the wheelchair onto the bench he put Parker in charge of the wheelchair.
"I want you to follow along next to her with the wheelchair. Be careful not to get close to her so you don't bump into her. When she has taken four steps, I'll have you bring the wheelchair behind her so she can sit back down."
Parker took his job very seriously and audibly counted the four steps. Max sat there watching, and when he saw her take her first step, there were tears in his eyes. Brennan didn't notice them because she had to put her full focus on every move that she made during the exercise.
When Booth told Parker to put the wheelchair behind her, she dropped back into it and let out a deep breath. For the first time, she looked up and around to the four men surrounding her and she smiled brightly. Max came over and threw his arms around her. "I'm so proud of you honey! I can't believe you are actually standing!"
She sat back in the wheelchair. "Well, I won't lie and say it feels natural or is easy. Keeping my full weight off my legs takes so much concentration, so four steps really wears me out. But, over the next week I'll be building up my stamina, and in another week I will truly begin walking. I can't wait."
Once the excitement was over, they spent a quiet day around the house just enjoying being together. Russ told them that Amy and the girls wanted to come, but they all decided it would be better to wait until Brennan was a little further in her recovery. Booth, Max, Russ, and Parker huddled together and decided that it would be a great day to have a barbecue. Booth and Brennan had decided on a joint Christmas present the previous year and had picked out a very fancy grill. It was still sitting unused on the patio out back, so the men decided it was the perfect occasion to christen it.
The four men sat around the kitchen counter making a grocery list and Brennan called over items to add to the list. Max, Russ, and Parker headed to the supermarket, armed with the list and Booth's credit card. Brennan wheeled herself into the kitchen and she and Booth did some preparation with what they had on hand. Brennan was able to wheel up to the dining room table and chop, mix…whatever she could do to help.
It was a beautiful day, so they decided to eat on the patio. They hadn't purchased any outside furniture yet, so the guys scrambled around the house and found chairs and tables to use for their impromptu barbecue. Booth wheeled Brennan to the back door and then picked her up to carry her outside. Parker and Russ took the wheelchair down the two steps and Brennan decided she would be more comfortable in the wheelchair than on a regular chair.
The guys took charge of the grill and took turns running to the kitchen to bring out the additional dishes that Booth and Brennan had prepared. It was a very informal meal and everyone got to pick what they wanted grilled. Booth sat eating his meal and looking around the patio. "I'm already thinking what outdoor pieces I think we'll want to get for this space. Maybe a couple of loveseats, a couple of armchairs, various tables, and a dining table and chairs to use for meals. We'll have to go on a shopping spree Bones."
She looked over at him and smiled. "Yes, it will be fun to furnish this space. And once I'm able to handle the stairs, we'll also need a few pieces for our upstairs terrace."
That evening, they all gathered around the dining room table and Parker brought out games for them to play. It was a raucous few hours, and Brennan just couldn't keep the grin off her face. Life was finally starting to feel normal again.
They brought up plans for Sunday. Max and Russ were planning to hit the road home around 3:00, so they needed to plan the day. Booth normally took Parker to mass, but they would have to skip it this week because he couldn't leave Brennan. "What would we all think about going out to brunch later in the morning?"
There was much discussion over where they could go that would be able to accommodate Brennan's wheelchair. Booth looked up some of the larger DC hotels and checked to see if they served Sunday brunch. He made a few phone calls to ask about accessibility and made a reservation at one of the nicer hotels in the district.
At 9:30 the next morning, Booth carried her down the porch steps and then all the way to the SUV, setting her onto the passenger seat. Parker took his role as helper very seriously and ran ahead of them to open the door, while Max and Russ carried the wheelchair down the steps. Booth stored it in the back and they headed downtown.
The hotel had a loading area in front, so Booth got her into the wheelchair and Russ drove the SUV to the parking garage across the street. Everyone gave rave reviews for the brunch choices. Booth wheeled Brennan over to see the offerings, and when they settled back at the table, she wrote down a list of what she wanted. Of course, her main helper for the weekend, Parker, took charge of filling her plate. He also went back several times to procure additional items for her.
Everyone was stuffed by the time they left, and when they parked the car back at home, Booth suggested they go for a walk in the park across the street. Max and Russ had not yet been in the park, and they were very impressed by what a hidden gem sat right across from the house.
After returning to the house, Brennan had her second walking exercise of the day, and everyone cheered each of the four steps she took with the walker. As she sat back down in the wheelchair, she was flushed from the effort, but buoyed by the love and encouragement from her family. "Next time you see me dad, I'll actually be walking." He came over and kissed her cheek. "I can't wait honey."
The next week was a blur of exercising and walking practice. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Michael worked with her, and he was encouraged enough to have her going eight steps by the end of the week. Booth did his best to keep her occupied as she anticipated the big step she would be taking the following week.
Unfortunately, it was a rainy week so he wasn't able to take her out to distract her. So they made a list of movies they both wanted to see, and they filled a lot of the hours that week watching movies from their list.
Booth knew the weekend was going to be interminable, so he arranged for Angela to come over on Saturday to keep her company. This time, they sat in the family room at the back of the house and he opened up the wall of windows so they had a nice breeze. He left them to themselves for most of the day while he puttered around the house, stopping in occasionally to sit and chat with them. Angela was now six months pregnant, so there was a lot of baby talk and getting the nursery ready talk. Cam was planning a baby shower in another month, so she was certain that Brennan would be able to attend. While they were talking, Brennan thought about the little gold peanut sitting next to her recliner in the living room, but she wasn't quite ready to share it with her friend.
Booth kept trying to come up with a plan to keep them busy on Sunday, and he finally hit on an idea. He drove them to a large store that specialized in outdoor furniture and wheeled her around the store. They discussed what they liked and didn't like, and by the time they left, they had pretty much settled on a set that they both loved. They left with a brochure listing everything in the product line, with measurements for every piece.
They already knew that they were going to hire someone to come out and refurbish the patio area. Then they would take measurements and plan out which pieces to order. They both felt a sense of accomplishment that they had decided on the style and general feel for what they needed.
That night, Booth did everything in his power to distract her from thinking about the next day. In fact, part of that distraction was to wear her out so she would fall asleep quickly. He did a very good job, and they were both sound asleep minutes after they laid back and their heads hit the pillows.
The next morning, Booth opened his eyes and saw that it was 6AM. He immediately knew the significance of the day and looked to his left to see if Brennan was still sleeping. She had, at some point, moved over to the hospital bed and was sitting up, wide awake, just staring straight ahead.
"Hey honey - how long have you been awake?" She was startled hearing his voice in the quiet of the morning and gave him a smile. "Oh, a couple of hours. I just couldn't sleep. I was worried I would wake you up, so I moved over here."
He crawled over to close the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. "Oh baby. You didn't need to worry about waking me. I'd much rather suffer insomnia with you than have you suffer on your own." She started to say, "Don't call…" and he laughingly hugged her face to his chest, smothering the rest of the sentence.
When he released her, she smiled up at him. "I wasn't suffering. I was happy to wake up so early because it means I am that much closer to my appointment with Michael." He hugged her and gave her a long kiss. "Well then. Let's get this day started!" He hopped out of bed and pulled her wheelchair over.
By 7:00, they were at the table having breakfast. She told him that she wanted something light so she wouldn't feel sluggish, so they had coffee and avocado toast. Michael was set to arrive at 10:00, and they were both on pins and needles.
They somehow got through the next three hours and when Michael walked into the living room, Brennan was sitting in her wheelchair with a big smile on her face. He had a matching smile. "Big day for you Temperance!"
He walked over and set his bag down. "I think you are going to do very well. All the practice we've had the last two weeks should pay off and I think you will be able to take those first steps with a lot of confidence."
Booth was standing off to the side holding the walker. Michael turned to him and then back to Brennan. "But, sorry to have to tell you, we're going to have to do your exercises first. We first need to warm up those muscles and get your body moving."
Although she was disappointed, her knowledge of physiology told her that he was correct. So she jumped right in to the daily exercises that she had become so accustomed to. Booth sat across from her and felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. At least she had her exercises to keep her occupied. He could only sit there and watch.
When she finished the last of her sets, Michael had her sit in her chair for a few minutes to rest. He walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge to pour her a glass of water from the pitcher he knew was always there.
She took a few sips and declared that she was ready. Booth came over with the walker and Michael took it from him. He demonstrated the technique that he wanted her to use. "I want you to stand up from the wheelchair - and I want you to try to do it without any help. I think you're strong enough to do it. As you stand up, grab the handles of the walker. But gently, because you don't want to tip it forward, or back, or to the side. That can be really easy to do."
He demonstrated how easy it could be to tip it. "Now, you will be standing with all of your weight on your legs - 50% on the right and 50% on the left. As you take a step forward, you will still need your arms to take some of your weight, because as you lift the left leg, you don't want the right one taking any more than 50%. The balance of that weight will be held by your arms."
She was nodding in understanding. "What about my left leg? Can I put more than 50% on that one?" He nodded. "Yes. I think we're at the point where that leg can take 100%. But I think you will want to continue to take the weight with your arms because it will be confusing to remember as you walk, which one can take the weight and which one cannot."
That made sense to her. "Okay! Enough talking and more doing!" Michael and Booth both laughed. "Okay Temperance. Here you go."
He set the walker in front of her, and she used both hands to press down on the wheelchair arms to lift herself off the seat. Her feet both hit the floor and she tentatively let go of her grip on the arms. She was standing. All on her own. She quickly realized that she didn't feel completely secure, so she put her hands on the handles of the walker and immediately felt the security return.
She looked up and saw Booth about ten feet directly in front of her. He had a look on his face that she couldn't quite decipher. It was mostly awe and wonder, but he also looked as if he might burst into tears at any moment. She was feeling the same, but she knew that she had to hold it together because she still needed to take those first steps. She looked over at Michael and he was wearing a big smile as he nodded to her.
She looked down at her feet and pushed her arms down on the handles of the walker as she moved her left foot forward. When it was safely on the ground, she followed with the right foot. She stopped and felt a surge of triumph through her body as she picked up the walker and moved it forward.
You could hear a pin drop in the house for the next minute as she continued her steps. After the third step she stopped counting, and when she moved the walker and reached Booth, she stepped forward with both feet, fell into Booth's arms and started bawling.
He held her tightly with the walker smashed between them and he was unable to hold back his tears. All he could think about was how hard she had worked to get to this day. He knew there was still a long way to go, but this was a huge step.
Michael stood off to the side watching this couple he had come to know so well in just a few short weeks. He was very happy for them both and was excited to help her complete the journey back to full health.
Once the couple had contained their emotions, Michael had her continue walking around the living room. She practiced turns, and he had her return several times to the wheelchair to practice backing up, and then sitting and standing. After about 30 minutes she started to stumble slightly, so Michael quickly grabbed her wheelchair and brought it behind her so she could sit.
"You've exhausted yourself Temperance. I know you want to do more, but you need some rest before you try again. For the next couple of days, make sure that Seeley is with you with the wheelchair at the ready if your stamina begins to flag."
As he packed up his supplies, he looked over to the couple who couldn't keep the smiles off their faces. "You know, another bonus is that you will now be able to go to the bathroom on your own. In fact, this will free up Seeley to leave the house occasionally."
Neither of them had even considered that, and realized it would be a huge change. "I don't think I would want to leave her for very long just yet. Maybe to run out to the store to pick up a few things? Or to run to a restaurant to pick up a carry out?"
They spent the rest of the day having her test her limits with resting periods in between. Every trip to the bathroom was a triumph for her. "I love you Booth, but I'm so glad I can now poop in private." That made them both laugh.
At dinner, he refused to open a bottle of wine to celebrate. "No alcohol for you missy! You've just started walking with a walker!" She pouted a little, but had to agree that it was prudent. He continued. "We'll play it by ear in the future, but I think we need to make sure there are no more accidents for awhile."
So instead of celebrating at dinner, they waited until bedtime for the real celebration. For the first time, she walked into the bedroom, and then to the bed, and sat down all on her own. She needed help lifting the bad leg up to the bed, but it was a small sacrifice after all of the wins that day. And for the next few hours, they made it a celebration to remember.