Picnic
Chapter One
"No! No-no-no – NO!"
Jaime sighed and prepared herself for the battle ahead. The fact that her adversary was giggling didn't lessen the impending challenge. "You like picnics, Sweetie," she reminded her daughter. "Let's put your sweater on now, so we can go."
"No!" Jenna stood still as Jaime held out the sweater, then ducked under her arm and took off running.
"Baby Alert!" Jaime called out to Steve, who was in the kitchen. "She's headed your way!" Steve stepped into the hall and cut Jenna off at the pass, lifting her off her feet and returning her to her mother.
"No!" Jenna repeated, shaking her head for emphasis, even as Jaime slipped her arms into the sleeves.
"She's definitely her mother's daughter," Steve said, laughing. "C'mon, Bug – time to get in the car."
Jaime turned so Jenna couldn't see, then stuck her tongue out at her husband. "Tell you what," she suggested, "you get Jenna into her car seat and I'll take care of the lemonade."
"Doll!" Jenna demanded, reaching for her favorite doll as Steve picked her up. Jaime bent down and grabbed it, blinking away the dizziness before Steve could notice. She headed off to the kitchen as Steve carried their daughter outside.
Jaime sighed wearily as she began bionically squeezing her way through the pile of lemons. She was glad the baby was outside, so she could use the faster method. Jaime and Steve had vowed, before Jenna was even born, that she would never see them use bionics (or even hear the word mentioned) unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Well, this is necessary," Jaime told herself. "Besides, nobody's looking." She poured the lemonade into the big thermos jug and sat down to rest for a moment before picking up the big basket of food and re-joining her family. There was really no reason for her to feel so tired, and she made a mental note to call Rudy if she was still not feeling right when they got home.
"I talked to Oscar this morning," Steve remarked as he drove.
"Okka!" Jenna parroted from the backseat.
"How is he adjusting? Has he made a decision yet?" Jaime asked, carefully phrasing her question to leave out any mention of Oscar's legs. He had been tuned up to full bionic strength several months earlier, and although it had been his desire at the time of his surgery to keep them at a much lower level, he still had not asked Rudy to tune them back down.
"He sounds OK," Steve told her, "but with Oscar, it's hard to tell. Maybe he finally realizes there are advantages to being...that way."
"Or maybe he's just refusing to deal with the issue at all," Jaime guessed. "I should go and see him. Without the Munchkin, of course, so we can really talk."
"We offered our support – more than once," Steve countered. "I don't think we should push it."
"Steve, the last thing either of us wanted to do in the beginning was talk about how it all made us feel. At least you and I had each other to lean on. I just...worry about him, that's all."
"I do, too," Steve admitted, pulling into the park. "But we're on a picnic now, so no more worries for the duration. We'll call him tomorrow, OK?" He smiled at his wife and kissed her as he opened her car door and helped her to step out.
It was a gorgeous day – cloudless, with the sun so bright that it gave everything an almost surreal tone. Jenna took off for the park as soon as her feet touched the ground, and Steve laughed. "I swear that girl never did learn to walk; she just got up on her feet one day and ran!" Together, with picnic supplies in hand, they took off after their daughter.
Jaime spread out the big, plaid blanket and sank down onto its softness. Jenna bubbled with joy as she picked a chubby fistful of daisies and brought them to her mother. "Thank you, Sweetie!" Jaime exclaimed. "They're beautiful." She patted the space beside her on the blanket. "Time to eat now."
"No!" Jenna giggled. This time, Steve was prepared, and looped a gentle arm around her, easing her onto the blanket.
He eyed Jaime curiously as they ate. Normally, she would've been frolicking through the grass with Jenna, but today she seemed quiet – almost subdued. "Are you still worried about Oscar?" he asked gently.
Jaime shook her head and nibbled at her sandwich. "I'm sure you're right; he'll be fine. If not, he's got both of us." She set the sandwich down and stared off into the distance, still feeling a little light-headed.
"Sweetheart...?" Steve probed. "Do you feel ok? You look a little pale..."
"What? Oh...I'm just tired, I guess."
Steve raised an eyebrow at her, about to question her further, but he was interrupted by Jenna's cheerful chortle. She'd finished her own lunch (Steve thanked Heaven for finger foods!) and was waiting expectantly. She knew that picnics always came with a special dessert.
"I know what you want," Jaime cooed. Turning to Steve, she whispered, "I've got a feeling I might regret this." Grinning broadly, she removed a small container from the basket and, with a huge flourish, handed their daughter a chocolate cupcake. "I've got plenty of wet wipes," she told Steve.
Steve chuckled and reached for a cupcake of his own. "Call Rudy if you're not any better tonight?" he asked casually, not really expecting Jaime to fall for such an obvious trick.
"I will – I promise," she answered, realizing too late that she'd just taken his bait. "But I'm sure he'll just tell me to get more rest – or something."
Once they had cleaned the frosting from Jenna's face and hands, Steve strapped her into a baby swing and pushed her tirelessly as Jenna sparkled with happiness. Jaime, watching from the blanket, sparkled, too, and her laughter was music to her worried husband's ears. She slowly began packing everything back into the basket and then played a bit herself, bouncing on one of the tiny rocking horses to Jenna and Steve's great amusement.
Their light, happy mood lasted all the way back to the car. Steve strapped the baby into her seat and turned to embrace his wife, who suddenly wobbled strangely and then collapsed into his arms.