Camping In The Woods
Part 2
Steve and Jesse lay stretched out side by side, staring up at the clear night sky. "Wow, Steve," Jesse spoke with awe, "have you ever seen so many stars like that?"
"Yes, Jesse," Steve responded, "you forget that I do this quite a lot". He looked at his friend, whose eyes were wide with wonder, and smiled.
"I wish I could do this more often," Jesse said slowly.
"Well, if you want, I could take you along again," Steve offered.
The younger man looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding? I'd love to come again!" he exclaimed.
Steve's smile broadened. His young friend's enthusiasm never ceased to amaze him. "It's getting late, Jess, what you say we turn in?" he asked.
Instead of answering, Jesse let out a jaw-cracking yawn. Steve chuckled, "I'll take that as a yes". The younger man looked about to formulate some sort of retort, then decided against it.
The two of them crawled into their sleeping bags and were soon fast asleep.
The following morning, Steve was awoken by a crash and a simultaneous cry which he instantly recognized as Jesse's. With a groan that was mostly borne of annoyance, Steve hauled himself out of the tent into the half-light of early morning.
"Jesse?" he called hesitantly.
"Over here," came the weak reply.
Steve felt concern blooming in his chest as he followed his friend's voice. "Jess?" he asked when he reached a small ledge that was scattered with recently broken branches. The source of the crash, he assumed.
"Down here, Steve," Jesse called up from where he was lying, four foot down, having slipped from the ledge. Around him more splintered branches lay, evidence of his attempt to prevent his inevitable fall.
"Are you OK?" Steve asked as he clambered down to assess his friend's condition.
Jesse eased himself into a sitting position, carefully testing and experimenting with movement. "I'm alright, Steve," he assured the concerned man.
"Just more bruises, hey?" Steve said callously.
"Yeah, something like that," Jesse winced as he gently lifted himself to his feet. The detective walked to his side and supported him as he hobbled up the slope back to their tent.
"Anything broken, do you think?" Steve asked once he had seated Jesse on the grass where they had lain the night before.
"No," Jesse told him, "just winded myself a bit". He knew how to read people and he could see that the older man wasn't entirely convinced. "I'm OK, Steve, really," he pressed.
"Alright, just…take it easy, Jess," Steve said as he collected a water flask from their tent and handed it to the other man. Jesse drank gratefully, sating his thirst.
He must have dozed off, for the next thing he knew he was jerking awake. "You drifted off on me there. You sure you don't have a concussion or something?" Steve scrutinized the figure in front of him closely.
Jesse rolled his eyes. "Yes, Steve. Who's the doctor here, anyway?" he asked with mild annoyance.
"Alright, Jess," Steve said at last, "what were you doing anyway?"
Now the younger man had the grace to look a bit sheepish. "Well…uh…you see I…uh…was just curious. I went to have a look around," he admitted.
"Ah," the amusement was evident in his voice. There was a contented pause between them, before Steve decided to change the subject. "So, you up for some breakfast?" he asked.
"Am I ever!" was his ecstatic response.
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Author's Note: second chapter, yey! Hope your enjoying this story so far, keep reviewing and bye for now!!
