I was going to wait and upload this once I had a few chapters done and stock piled, but I got a lot of reviews and requests to upload soon, so here ya go!
Chapter Three: Three Day Weekend
Three days.
Three days of freedom after more than a week straight of work and Sam could not be happier; this was the longest stretch he'd worked, without a break, since he joined the SRU and it had definitely taken its toll on him. His stress was at an all-time high, his mind and body felt sluggish, and his pregnant wife (who got up at least twice a night to use the restroom) was sleeping better than he was. Sam needed to rest and regroup and the best way he knew how to do that was to spend time with the love of his life.
Lindsay had her first graders to keep her busy during the week, and anything beat a deployment overseas, but the weekends when Sam worked were always a little more difficult to deal with. She was looking forward to their weekend together and her kiddos were looking forward to 'Mr. Sam' coming to help on their field trip.
Friday was the first day of Sam's three-day weekend and it was also the day of Lindsay's class field trip. Despite others finding it daunting or considering it awful, Sam was actually looking forward to spending his day with his wife, a few other parents, and eighteen first graders at the zoo. During their lunch break, once the kids had finished eating, they ran around the picnic area, laughing, screaming and chasing Sam around.
Lindsay was under the pavilion, monitoring the remaining kids still eating, but from her position she was still able to see Sam and the other kids running around and playing. It brought a smile to her face and she lovingly cradled her baby bump for a minute.
One of the chaperoning mothers saw her and came over. "Tommy was so excited when he told me 'Mr. Sam' was going to be a 'saperoni' on the field trip and now I see why; the kids absolutely love him. He's going to make an amazing father. Your little one is very lucky."
Lindsay flashed her a smile. "Thank you. We both are."
After lunch was finished, the kids were rounded up and they finished their zoo trip with an animal show before getting on the bus and heading back to the school. Once there, Sam read the kids a story to calm them down (and get them out of 'field trip mode') before saying goodbye to them and Lindsay and leaving.
When Lindsay arrived home a few hours later, she found that Sam had her favorite road trip snacks ready and packed their suitcase for a surprise weekend getaway. Sam wouldn't tell her where they were going, and Lindsay knew trying to force it out of him was useless, so she resigned herself to writing lesson plans in the car while Sam drove to their mystery destination.
Two hours later, thanks to rush hour traffic, Sam pulled into the parking lot of their destination. Turning the car off, Sam turned and found his wife asleep in the passenger seat.
He gently shook her arm. "Linds? We're here."
Lindsay blinked awake and found herself sitting in a hotel parking lot. As she became more awake, she heard the sound of rushing water and upon further inspection, she found the source.
"Niagara Falls?!" She asked excitedly.
Sam laughed at the happy look on her face. "I knew you wanted to go and it's really a shame that we live so close and haven't been down here yet. I figured it'd make a nice little weekend getaway."
"I love you," Lindsay said sweetly. "This is amazing!"
"I'm glad you like it. Now, we should probably get inside and get checked in because we have dinner reservations at the hotel's restaurant in about 45 minutes."
Lindsay's eyes and smile grew bigger, clearly excited by the new information. Sam had to laugh. Ever since his wife had gotten pregnant, her appetite had grown to rival his own. Granted she was eating for two, but every time Sam saw how excited she got about food he couldn't help but laugh.
The two got out of the car and Sam grabbed their bag. They checked in, got to their room and freshened up a little bit before they headed down to the hotel restaurant for a five-star dining experience.
Once dinner (and dessert because this was their special weekend) was finished, Sam and Lindsay walked around the hotel grounds before settling back into their room for the night.
One day into their three-day weekend and it was already shaping up to be one to remember.
Day two started a little differently than most of Sam's mornings. Whether he worked or not, he typically woke up early to go on a long run and then hit the gym. At first Sam blamed his military training and being raised by a General but since joining the SRU, his off-duty workouts were his most effective stress reliever. However, on this Saturday, he allowed himself to sleep in.
Even though he slept in, Sam was still awake before Lindsay. He showered, changed and prepared for the day while Lindsay got in a few more minutes of sleep. Once she woke up, she hopped in the shower while Sam ordered them breakfast from room service.
An hour later, Sam and Lindsay were fed and dressed and heading down to the hotel's spa. Sam had booked the 'Romantic Retreat' package which included a Swedish couples massage, mud back treatment, hot stone foot massage, a hydrotherapy bubble bath, chocolate covered strawberries and champagne (or sparkling water for Lindsay).
After they were done, Lindsay got a mani/pedi while Sam got a haircut.
Once they were all finished, and thoroughly relaxed, they went to a nearby shopping center to walk around, have lunch and window shop, though they did go in to a few of the baby stores and pick out a few things.
Their day ended with a nice dinner at a nearby steak house and a sunset boat tour of Niagara Falls, complete with watching fireworks from the boat once the sun completely set.
Back in their hotel room, Sam and Lindsay got ready for bed. They ordered some light snacks from room service and settled in with a movie for the night.
The last day of their wonderful three-day weekend was the most boring of the three. It started with Sam and Lindsay packing up, checking out of their hotel and making the drive back to Toronto., stopping for lunch along the way.
Once home, Sam unpacked the car while Lindsay got a load of laundry started. She finished her lesson plans for the coming few weeks while the laundry finished and Sam had a much needed workout in at the gym in their apartment complex.
Two hours later, Sam was back (and showered) from his workout and Lindsay had the laundry and her lesson plans finished. They were both ready to start preparing dinner, but quickly remembered they left little to no food in the fridge due to their weekend away. Tired of eating out, and in desperate need of a good home cooked meal, Sam and Lindsay headed to the grocery store.
Despite being hungry, Sam and Lindsay leisurely walked up and down the aisles, picking up what they needed for the night's dinner and for the rest of the week's meals. Sam waited at the end of the aisle, out of the way, while Lindsay went down a crowded aisle to pick up a few things. Watching his wife find someone she knew and start a conversation with them, Sam knew it'd be a while before his social butterfly of a wife returned to him so he pulled out his phone and scrolled through some emails.
Despite being focused on his phone, Sam's ever-present 'super soldier' senses were still on high alert. However, he was still surprised when he heard a familiar but unexpected voice beside him.
"Sam?"
