Heart in the words chapter 6 You're Perfect the Way You Are
You're Perfect the Way You Are
They had been working for a week and Michael had about a handful of words he could half way say. he had gotten apple down pat in three days. That's what it took every three days they moved on to a new letter and a set of words. Booth would review with him when he came home at night and he had his own chart that Michael earned stickers for.
It was Monday and Brennan and Michael had just sat down to work, something Michael looked forward to, when Brennan's phone rang. After listening to the call she closed her phone and looked at Michael. "Michael, we're going to have to work later, we need to get Parker." Michael lit up, Brennan smiled despite the circumstances Parker had got in a fight and was suspended. Since Rebecca was out of town on business Parker was staying with them and as a surprise they were going to take him out of school early on Friday and take both kids to a hockey game in Philadelphia, but now Brennan supposed that she'd be home with him while Booth and Michael went.
Brennan got to the school and saw Parker sitting in the office with an icepack on his face.
Brennan knelt down in front of him and carefully removed the ice and winced at the purple bruise forming around his eye, gently touching it. "Does it hurt?"
"Not much. Bones I-"
"We'll talk about it at home. Sit with your brother while I go talk to your principal."
Parker nodded and pulled Michael onto his lap, the three year old stared at the icepack. Fifteen minutes later Brennan pickled up Michael and put an arm around Parker and hugged him to her and left the school. The drive home was silent when they got home Brennan asked Michael to go play for a while she talked to Parker in his room.
Brennan sat on Parker's bed, "Why'd you get in a fight with Andrew?"
"Because he was making fun of the way Mikey talks, he heard him at the game on Saturday."Brennan put an arm around Parker. In the last week Michael had started to babble much like a toddler did when they first learned to speak with some fragments of words tossed in."I told him to stop, but he got worse, said it was ironic that a genius would have a retarded kid. I told him Mikey isn't retarded, he just can't talk. He hit me and I hit him back it was self defense."
"I understand, but you have to understand people are going to treat your brother differently because of the way he talks. Even if he learns to speak normally people still may treat him differently if he does have a learning disability."
"Why?"
"Well most of the time it's because people don't understand what is wrong and why Michael is the way he is. It's going to happen more the older Michael gets, you are just going to have to let it go. Except if someone gets physical with him, I don't think Michael is going to be one to defend himself."
"Am I in trouble?"
"Yes, in addition to your weeks suspension from school you will be helping me with Michael's speech therapy and I'm sure your father will take away your electronics usage. I got some of your assignments for the week since you were provoked and it was self defense. start on that and you can help me with Michael tomorrow, he'll be upset today because we're starting late."
"Sorry."
"It's fine, Michael needs to learn to adjust to changing routines. Do you need anything?"
"More ice." The icepack Parker had at school went back to the nurse before they left. Brennan nodded; kissing Parker's head Brennan got up and left the room. A few minutes later Michael ran into Parker's room with an icepack wrapped in a towel and stood on tiptoe to reach Parker and hand him the icepack.
"Thanks Mikey." The three year old nodded, "Lay?"
Parker grinned, "Not right now, we'll play after you work on your words with mommy and I do my history homework, okay?"
Michael nodded and left to find Brennan. An hour later Brennan stuck her head in Parker's doorway,
"Parker comes play memory with Michael while I go fix lunch."
"Okay, after lunch can I take Mikey outside to play on the swings?"
"For a little while, he needs a nap. Try to get him to say what is on the card, he may not be able to but he needs to try."
Parker nodded and headed to Brennan's office to do Michael's last speech activity for the day. Forty-five minutes later the boys were sitting at the table eating homemade pizza bagels. After ;lunch Parker took Michael outside for his twenty minutes on the swings, Booth and Brennan had purchased a huge swing set for Michael's second birthday, but so far Michael hadn't used anything other than the swings. While Michael was swinging Brennan called Booth and filled him in and asked that he go easy on Parker, after all his heart was in the right place.
That night before dinner Booth went into Parker's room, the boy looked up and Booth winced at the magnificent shiner he now sported."Does it hurt, Park?"
"Only if I touch it. How much more trouble am I in?"
"You're grounded for the next two weeks; you're going help Bones with Michael as much as he'll let you. No videogames, TV, Moves or computer in less it's for school and Bones supervises. I'm also taking your phone." The year before Booth Brennan and Rebecca decided to give Parker a cell phone for emergencies. He was allowed to call Booth, Brennan, and Rebecca's cell phones and their offices plus both houses and his best friend Jacob who had moved and it was cheaper to let him call on the cell phone. Also no one was allowed to call him on it other than the aforementioned people. "But mom is supposed to call me tonight and every night until she gets back after dinner." Booth smiled, he had already spoken to Rebecca about that. "Tell you what, Bones and I will keep he phone all day, but you can have it after dinner for your moms call then you have to give it back when you hang up."
"Okay. Does mom know?."
"Yes, but she understands and isn't going to add anything to your punishment. Wash your hands and 'help' Michael set the table, he's too short to reach the table and hold onto the plates."
Parker started to walk away, Booth put a hand on Parker's shoulder to stop him,"Bub, Bones and I aren't that mad you got in a fight. We're mad you got in the fight and got suspended, but we understand why you did it. But you can't hit people every time they say something against Michael. God knows every time Bones and I take him out and somebody points at him or whispers about him not taking and being three I want to deck them, but I don't I just walk away."
"I wanted to; I started to, but the teasing got worse he said I was messed up too because Mikey is retarded."
Booth held in his anger and pulled Parker to him,"Parker you and Michael are not messed up, both of you are perfect the way you are. You know that right?"
"Yep."
"I love you, Parker."
"I love you too, dad."
The rest of the night was spent together, after dinner Michael was a little confused because when Parker was over that meant movies after dinner. Michael got over it when Brennan got out the play-doh, something he wasn't allowed to play with without being supervised. Parker and Michael made animals and by bedtime a mass extinction occurred and the animals were flattened and put into their containers.
The next morning the four of them had breakfast and after Booth left for work Brennan filled Parker in on what they needed to do that day, if Michael would cooperate with them. After Michael had played for a few hours Brennan called him into her office, "Michael, Parker is going to work on your words with you today, okay?"
Michael shook his head and grabbed Brennan's hand, a sign that he wanted her and no one else would do. Brennan smiled, "I'll be helping you if you need it while I work on my book."
Michael shook his head harder this time."Okay, I'll help you with the new words and yesterdays, but can Parker help you with your worksheets and play a game at the end?"
Michael nodded, Brennan smiled and got out the flashcards and began the process. a half-hour later Parker took over and Michael sort of balked, but Brennan got him with the promise of playing Candyand instead of something 'educational ' that he could practice speech with when he was done. By Thursday Parker could do almost everything, but Brennan couldn't leave the room or work on her book. By Friday morning Booth had decided to unground Parker for the day so they could go to the hockey game for some family time.
A/N: this one is really long and I cut a lot out lol hope you liked it. Up next a Booth and Michael centric chapter and we're skipping a few months.