Going Camping
Hearing a knock on the door, Tommy quickly zipped up his bag and ran to answer it. He opened the door to see his mother waiting with Mrs. Rocca. Madison, Vida, Chip, and Xander were bouncing impatiently behind them.
"Mom?" Tommy said in surprise, not having expected to see her.
"Tommy!" she beamed, reaching out to hug him. "How are you—you cut your hair!"
"What?" he said. "Oh…"
He nervously reached up to run a hand through his newly-cut short hair.
"Yeah," he muttered. "Thought it was time for a change, and so did Jase and Hayley, so I cut it. It doesn't look bad, does it?"
"No, of course not!" Mrs. Oliver said, shaking her head. "You look so handsome!"
Tommy blushed. Mrs. Oliver ignored that and reached up to fuss with his hair.
"Mom!" Tommy exclaimed, trying to push her hand away. "What are you even doing here?"
"Are you saying I'm not allowed to come visit you?" she huffed, putting her hands on her hips.
Tommy groaned, shaking his head.
"I didn't say that," he protested. "I just meant—why don't you all come in?"
He stepped back to let everyone inside, shutting the door once they were all in.
"Jase! They're here!" he called toward the bedroom. "You guys got all your stuff?"
He looked at the kids with the question. All of them held up a bag in response. The four kids were there to go on a camping trip with Jason and Tommy for the weekend while their parents did some more repairs on the houses in Angel Grove. It had only been a couple of weeks since the Space Rangers' big battle had ended and things were still far from normal. So Tommy and Jason were helping get the kids out of the way for a little while. It was also a chance for Tommy to really get out of the apartment for the first time since the intervention.
"Hey," Jason grinned, walking out of his room with a bag slung over his shoulder. "Everyone ready for camping?"
"Yes!" the kids chorused, bouncing in place.
Laughing, Tommy turned to head back to his own room to make sure he had everything.
"And you packed everything you'll need, right?" Jason asked, tossing his bag over by the door. "Because I am not bringing you back for something."
"They should have," Mrs. Rocca said, looking at the kids. "We checked their bags before we left. And all of you brought your bags in, correct?"
All of the kids held up their bags again in answer. But Vida's bag slipped in her hand, nearly falling to the floor. Frowning, she looked at it in confusion.
"Aww…" she grumbled. "That's great…"
The strap she'd been holding it by had just snapped, leaving her with just one on the bag. Mrs. Rocca sighed.
"I told you that you needed a new backpack," she said, shaking her head.
"Alright, I'll get a new backpack," Vida muttered. "But what am I supposed to do now? I don't want to carry it with a broken strap…"
"If you come home with me, you're staying there," Mrs. Rocca answered. "So I suggest you make that bag work."
"But—" Vida started to protest.
"Hold on a second, V," Jason interrupted. "I think Tommy has an extra duffel bag in the closet."
With Vida trailing behind him, Jason walked over to the closet and opened the doors. He shifted around a few things as he tried to get a look behind the scanner—which they were still storing in the closet. Finding the bag he'd been looking for, he straightened up and turned around, holding up a small duffel bag.
"Here you go," he said. "I don't know if there's anything in there, but Tommy won't care if you use it. Just dump it out and get your stuff switched over."
"Thanks, big brother," Vida grinned, taking the bag from him.
Plopping down on the floor with it, Vida upended the bag and started to shake. Jason rolled his eyes and went to start moving all of their equipment to one pile over by the door so they could load the car. As Vida shook the bag, several things dropped onto the floor. There was an empty water bottle, a single sock, and an old granola bar. Giving it one last shake just to make sure, she dislodged a pill bottle that hit the floor with a clatter.
"What is that?" Mrs. Oliver asked, frowning as she reached down to pick it up.
Jason turned around to see what she was talking about.
"What is what?" he asked.
Mrs. Oliver didn't answer right away as she took a closer look at the bottle. Suddenly she gasped in outrage and spun to look at Jason. She held it out toward Jason, her eyes narrowed. He just stared at it in confusion.
"What?" he repeated as Mrs. Rocca took a look at the bottle.
After looking at the label, Mrs. Rocca turned to glare at Jason, too.
"Do you know what this is?" she asked.
"Aspirin?" Jason said, still confused.
Both mothers glared daggers at him.
"It is not aspirin!" Mrs. Oliver cried.
"Jason Scott," Mrs. Rocca scolded. "You told us you searched this apartment thoroughly."
"I did!" Jason protested, realizing now what Mrs. Oliver must be holding.
And he had searched the apartment thoroughly—just not for medication. Jason and several of the other rangers had searched the entire apartment for anything else that might affect Tommy's magic in the same way the morphers did.
"Obviously not well enough," Mrs. Rocca frowned.
But Mrs. Oliver had turned her attention to her own son.
"Tommy!" she shouted. "Get out here now!"
Tommy came bolting out of his room in a panic, thinking something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" he asked, looking around for the source of the problem.
But all he could see were the four kids grouped by Vida as she kept repacking, Jason being scolded by his mother for some unknown reason, and his own mother glaring at him with her hands on her hips.
"What is this?" Mrs. Oliver demanded. "It was in your bag."
Tommy frowned in confusion at the small bottle.
"Aspirin?" he said slowly, not sure what the problem was.
"This is not aspirin, Thomas," his mother snapped. "As I'm sure you know very well. Now what was this doing in the closet in that duffel bag?"
Glancing over at the bag Vida was packing, Tommy groaned as he suddenly realized what it was his mother had found. It also explained the lecture Jason was getting about responsibility. The bottle in Mrs. Oliver's hand was what was left of the pain medication from his accident a year ago. He had never finished the prescription or even refilled the bottle after leaving the hospital. Tommy had been in the hospital several weeks after the accident, but once he was out and away from the constant attention of doctors he had started carrying a couple of old morphers to speed up the healing process and help with the pain. So, after a week or so, he'd been able to stop taking the medication and had forgotten about it completely.
"That was the bag I took to physical therapy after I got out of the hospital," Tommy said quickly. "I probably left the medication in there months ago after one of my appointments."
"So you're trying to tell me you aren't hiding this?" she exclaimed.
"I'm not," Tommy retorted. "I had no idea it was still in there."
"Mmm hmm…" she said, pursing her lips as she crossed her arms.
Jason had finally managed to scoot away from his mother, who was now listening to Mrs. Oliver.
"It's true!" he exclaimed. "Mom, I barely remember anything after Christmas. Even the past couple of months since Jase and the—since Jase came to stay are fuzzy in places."
"But this was hidden where you had easy access to it," she snapped. "This is a problem, Thomas."
"Mrs. Oliver, he's telling the truth," Jason interrupted. "And he hasn't touched it. Look at the bottle."
"Jase is right," Tommy quickly agreed. "You can see the bottle is still at least half-full. If I had known it was there do you think there would be pills in it?"
Both mothers eyed their sons suspiciously. Tommy and Jason were both just hoping they'd take what Tommy had said and let it go.
"Alright," Mrs. Oliver consented after a moment. "But I'm still flushing these and then we're searching the rest of the apartment."
"Mom!" Tommy protested.
But she wasn't listening anymore. Mrs. Oliver stalked over to the bathroom and disappeared inside. A moment later they heard the toilet flush. Tommy and Jason exchanged frustrated looks. The cover plan Hayley had come up with had backfired on them.
"You don't have to search the apartment," Jason insisted as Mrs. Oliver walked back out. "Everything is completely under control. I promise."
"Everything is not under control," Mrs. Rocca snapped. "You were supposed to be responsible about this, Jason. That's why we all agreed to let you stay with Tommy instead of moving him home. Missing something that important is not responsible. Who knows what else you've missed? Or what could have happened to Tommy because you weren't paying attention?"
The four kids, all grouped by the closet now, were quietly watching the lecture Jason and Tommy were receiving now that Vida had shifted her stuff into new bag.
"Sorry, mom," Jason muttered, ducking his head.
"Both of you stay right where you are," Mrs. Oliver instructed, looking at the two young men. "I don't want either of you to move an inch."
Both of them sighed, but nodded. The mothers turned to start searching the living room, going through everything they could open, look under, or look inside. Once they were distracted, Tommy turned to Jason.
"Don't feel bad, Jase," he said quietly. "You're the reason I'm even still here. Our moms don't get that…"
"Yeah, I know," Jason muttered.
"Tommy, what is this?" Mrs. Oliver asked.
Both boys flinched as they turned to see what she was holding this time. Mrs. Oliver was holding up the lockbox, which Jason had stashed under the couch. She was trying to open it.
"It's my lockbox," Tommy said.
"Well, unlock it," she demanded, holding it out.
Jason and Tommy exchanged looks. All of Tommy's morphers were in there. So there was no way they were opening that.
"Umm… I can't," Tommy said, shaking his head.
"Why not?" she asked, frowning.
"Because Justin changed the com," he said. "And I don't know what it is."
"What?" Mrs. Oliver exclaimed.
Tommy shrugged.
"He was messing with it when he was here over Christmas break," Tommy explained. "He changed the combination, but forgot to tell me what it was before he left. Haven't been able to figure it out. Probably the answer to some complicated math equation that I'll never be able to figure out anyways."
His mother narrowed her eyes at him. Jason, the only one in the apartment who actually did know the combination, was trying not to look suspicious.
"Well, why don't you call him?" she asked, looking at Tommy.
"Because he's out for the weekend with his dad and doesn't have a cell phone yet," Tommy answered quickly. "I promise there's nothing bad in there."
"Then what is in here?" Mrs. Oliver demanded.
Tommy hesitated for a moment.
"Umm… Just the few little things I have from the orphanage," he said, shrugging. "I put them in there because I didn't want anything happening to them."
Mrs. Oliver softened, smiling at her son.
"Oh, alright," she sighed. "I suppose if you can't get into it then we'll leave it alone for now."
She set it down on the table as she turned to continue searching the living room. Once they were done searching there, the boys were ordered to sit on the couch while they continued on to the rest of the apartment. They even involved the kids in the search to make it go a little faster. While their mothers and the four kids were occupied, Tommy and Jason slouched on the couch in irritation.
"There's nothing else we need to worry about them finding, is there?" Jason muttered to Tommy.
Tommy shrugged.
"I only had the one bottle of pills," he answered. "And everything rang—well, you know what I'm talking about. All of that stuff is in the lockbox."
Xander had wandered past, pretending to search the apartment still.
"What about you?" Tommy continued once Xander was gone. "Where's your morpher?"
"In my pocket," Jason said. "I wasn't about to leave it laying around for one of the kids to find."
"Well, then I guess we just wait," Tommy sighed.
Jason nodded. For a moment, both of them lounged on the couch and listened to the sounds of the search. Then they heard the closet door open behind them.
"What's that thing?" they heard Madison asked.
Both of them bolted upright, looking at each other.
"The scanner!" they hissed together.
"How do we explain that?" Jason said as Mrs. Oliver came hurrying out of Tommy's room.
"It's Hayley's," Tommy muttered back. "And that's all they need to know."
And Mrs. Oliver did interrogate them about the scanner.
"Mom, it's Hayley's project," Tommy sighed. "She doesn't have room in her apartment, so we keep it here. We have no idea how to work the thing. It's in the closet because we were tired of tripping over it."
With no choice but to be satisfied with that answer, Mrs. Oliver went back to searching Tommy's room. When they were done searching the apartment, Mrs. Oliver and Mrs. Rocca released Tommy and Jason from their spots on the couch.
"We didn't find anything," Mrs. Oliver said.
"But you had better be more watchful, Jason," Mrs. Rocca added. "Or you're both going to be coming home."
"Got it, mom," Jason muttered.
"Jason, when are we leaving?" Vida asked impatiently, grabbing his arm and hanging on it. "I'm bored."
"We'll leave as soon as mom leaves," Jason said. "And after we load the cars."
"Alright, alright," Mrs. Rocca sighed. "We're leaving. The four of you behave yourselves for Tommy and Jason."
"We will," the kids chorused, grinning.
As Mrs. Oliver and Mrs. Rocca were saying goodbye, the door opened. Tommy and Jason both whipped around in surprise. It was Hayley. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder and a sleeping bag under her arm. Tommy immediately relaxed and went back to what he was doing, but Jason frowned.
"Hayley?" he said. "What are you doing here?"
"Going camping," she said. "Unless you've canceled the trip?"
"You're going?" Mrs. Oliver said in surprise.
Hayley smiled, nodding.
"That's wonderful!" she beamed. "I'm sure the girls will love having you there. It'll be so much better having you there as their chaperone instead of just the boys."
"And you can keep the boys in line," Mrs. Rocca added. "Do you know what we just found in that closet with your project?"
Hayley frowned, glancing at Tommy and Jason in confusion. They both shrugged, so she started playing along.
"Umm…I'm afraid not," she said.
"A bottle of Tommy's pills," Mrs. Oliver said. "Tommy claims he didn't know they were there, but you should keep an eye on him anyways."
Behind her, Tommy rolled his eyes. Hayley smirked, nodding.
"Oh, don't worry," she said. "I won't let either of them get away with anything."
Both mothers smiled. Finishing goodbyes, they left to let the group finish getting ready.
"Since when are you coming camping?" Jason asked, rounding on Hayley the moment the door shut behind the mothers.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Since the day you started planning the trip," she said. "Didn't Tommy tell you?"
Jason turned to look at Tommy in surprise.
"Whoops," Tommy said sheepishly, running a hand through this hair. "Guess I forgot to tell you that part, bro. Sorry…"
"Relax, Jason," she said. "I won't be in the way. Besides, it'll be better having a girl on the trip to sleep in a tent with your sisters."
"Fine," he muttered. "Let's go…"
Under Jason and Tommy's direction, everyone started to grab something to carry down to the cars.
"Wait a minute," Jason said. "You four—bathroom. We are not stopping on the way there."
"Jason," Vida protested.
"Uh uh," he said, shaking his head. "I know you, V. And Maddy. Bathroom."
Grumbling, all four kids took a turn in the bathroom. Satisfied that they weren't going to have to make any extra stops, everyone grabbed their designated items and they headed down to the cars. They unlocked Jason's car and then he realized he didn't have the keys for Tommy's.
"Aww…" he muttered. "I didn't get them out…"
Tommy snorted.
"Great job, Rex," he said. "Way to be on top of things. I don't suppose you grabbed my wallet either?"
"It's all locked up still," Jason growled.
Hayley rolled her eyes, reaching into her pocket.
"Here's your wallet, Tommy," she said. "But we don't need your keys. I'm driving."
Jason looked at her in surprise.
"How did you get that?" he asked.
"How do you think?" Hayley smirked. "You aren't the only one with access."
Jason glowered at her, but didn't argue.
"Everyone in," he said. "Who is riding where?"
"Tommy is riding with me," Hayley said, earning another glare from Jason.
"I want to ride with Tommy!" Madison immediately exclaimed.
Vida echoed her sister. So Madison and Vida ended up in the backseat of Hayley's car while Tommy rode in the front passenger seat. Jason took Chip and Xander with him. When they got to the campground, the first thing they did was unload the cars and double check to make sure they had everything they thought was necessary for the night. Each of the kids was carrying their own backpack and their sleeping bag. Tommy and Jason loaded up with their gear and most of the rest of the equipment. Hayley grabbed the first aid kit along with her own things and a third tent.
"Everyone have everything?" Jason asked, looking around.
With a chorus of affirmatives, he took the lead and headed off into the forest. He'd scouted out the site a few days before. It was a bit of a walk, but far enough from the road that they'd all be able to enjoy some peace and quiet and be able to relax and have fun. The four kids were excited as they started walking, bouncing ahead and looking around at everything. Jason let them go, so long as they stayed where he, Tommy, or Hayley could see them. None of them wanted to spend the afternoon searching for someone lost in the woods.
"There's a river!" Chip exclaimed a little while later. "Are we camping by the river?"
"Not quite," Jason chuckled, shaking his head. "Across the river and far enough away that no one is going to stumble into it in the middle of the night."
"But how do we get across?" Madison asked doubtfully, eying the river.
There was a short ravine leading down to the small river. The sides sloped fairly gently, however, making it an easier descent. Several logs and rocks had been strategically placed by previous campers in the area to make crossing easier as well.
"Right there," Jason said, nodding toward the makeshift bridge. "Just watch your step and you'll be fine. I tested it out and the whole thing is firmly in place."
Still looking at it nervously, Madison nodded.
"Why don't you go first, Jase?" Tommy suggested. "Show them the best places to step. We'll send the kids after you and then Hayley and I will follow behind."
"Fine with me," Jason agreed.
Leading the way down the slope, Jason carefully made his way across. Once the kids saw him crossing, they relaxed a little more. Vida was the first to follow her brother, followed closely by Chip and Xander. Madison moved a little more hesitantly, still nervous about crossing the water. She was only about halfway across when something splashed in the water, startling her. She jumped and lost her footing, slipping into the water and getting tangled in her backpack and sleeping bag.
"Maddy!" Jason cried.
But the other kids were still climbing onto shore on the other side, making it difficult for him to run to her. Tommy had already started moving though. Dropping all of his gear on shore, he bolted out onto the bridge after Madison. He half dove into the water after her, bracing himself against the makeshift bridge as he reached to pull her out of the water. Madison clung to him as he pulled her up and back onto the bridge. They sat on the log for a moment, both of them catching their breath.
"Maddy, are you alright?" Jason exclaimed, reaching them.
She nodded mutely, shaking. She was soaked from head to toe, having gone all the way under the water at one point. Reaching out his hands, Jason scooped her up and carried her the rest of the way across while Tommy tried to salvage a few of her things. She was still wearing her backpack, but had dropped her sleeping bag. Part of the bag had ripped open on a rock as well and some of her stuff had fallen out into the river. Tommy saved what he could without actually getting all the way in. Tossing her things on the far side by Jason and the kids, he headed back to get his own gear.
"Are you ok?" Hayley asked, helping him pick his stuff up.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Tommy said. "But that was a little close. Not a good way to start the weekend…"
She sighed, nodding in agreement. They joined Jason and the kids on the other side of the river. Madison had calmed down a little, though she was still shaking. She was also bleeding in a couple of places where she'd scraped against the rocks.
"Thanks, Falcon," Jason said, putting a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "I'm glad your reflexes haven't changed."
"So am I," Tommy agreed. "Too bad I couldn't move just a little faster…"
Jason gave him a look, but Tommy just shrugged, turning to Madison. She was getting her stuff back together as best she could to carry the rest of the way. Madison stood back up as Tommy walked over.
"You gonna be ok, Maddy?" Tommy asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"I'll be fine," she said quietly. "Thanks, Tommy…"
"Always," he smiled. "Now let's get to the campsite. Good thing you and Vida are the same size. You can wear something of hers until we dry your stuff out. And we'll break out the first aid kit to take care of some of those scrapes."
She nodded.
"Come on, sis," Vida said, putting an arm around Madison from the other side. "Let's get out of here."
The group started heading up the slope.
"So what is she going to sleep in tonight?" Hayley asked. "There's no way her sleeping bag is going to dry fast enough—even if we could hang it over a fire."
"There's an extra sleeping bag and some blankets in the back of Jason's car," Tommy said. "We weren't counting on needing them this fast…But I'll run back to get them as soon as we get the tents up."
Hayley sighed, nodding. They reached the site Jason had picked out without further incidents. Everyone dropped their stuff together as they looked around. Despite the warm day, Madison was shivering a little in the shade of the forest. Not wanting her to get sick, Jason dug in his bag and pulled out a sweatshirt.
"Here you go, kiddo," he said, handing it to her. "It'll be a little—well, a lot big, but it should keep you warm until we have somewhere for you to change."
She took the sweatshirt gratefully, pulling it on over her wet clothes. And it was huge on her small frame.
"I think you could fit two of me in here," she giggled, trying to get the sleeves to stay up so she could use her hands.
"We can try," Vida grinned.
Jason rolled his eyes.
"Later, you two," he said, though he still smiled. "Let's get the tents up."
Pulling the three tents out of the pile, Jason tossed one to Xander and Chip, one to Hayley, and kept the third.
"Everyone know how to set up their tent?" he asked. "Chip? Xander?"
"Duh," Xander answered. "It's the girls who are gonna need help, not us."
Vida turned to frown at him.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded, glaring.
"You're a girl," Xander said, rolling his eyes. "Girls aren't good at this kind of stuff."
"Oh, is that so?" Vida retorted. "So you think you can set up your tent faster than us?"
"Faster and better," Xander smirked.
"Not a chance," Vida snapped.
"Alright, enough," Jason intervened. "Let's not fight right now. Maddy and V, Hayley will help you with your tent and if any of you need any help, just ask Tommy or I."
Hayley crossed his arms.
"What about me?" she asked.
"What about you?" Jason said, looking at her.
"I know how to set up a tent the same as you," she retorted.
"Hayley, no offense," Jason said, shaking his head. "But I'm pretty sure Tommy and I have gone camping a lot more than you have. We'll have our tent up and ready to help before yours is completely done."
Her eyes narrowed. Behind Jason, Tommy was shaking his head. He knew Hayley didn't like being challenged—or the assumption that she couldn't do something as well because of her gender.
"You want to make a bet on that?" she asked Jason.
"On who gets their tent up first?" Jason said. "That wouldn't be fair."
"Then humor me," she said. "First one to get their tent up wins—you versus us."
She indicated Madison and Vida with herself.
"And, to make it a little more interesting," she smirked. "Loser has to go get all of the firewood for the night."
Jason scoffed.
"Easy bet," he said. "You're on."
Tommy sighed, running a hand through his hair. He didn't see this ending well. Madison and Vida were smiling eagerly, ready to try and beat their big brother in something. Chip and Xander, determined to be the first ones done, had already started pulling out their tents.
"Ready?" Hayley asked, looking at Jason.
"Let's go," he said.
Jason, Hayley, and the girls were quickly absorbed in putting up their tents. Shaking his head, Tommy turned to make the trek back to the cars for the other sleeping bag, grabbing Jason's keys from where they were hooked on his bag. He figured he may as well make the trip now while everyone else was dealing with the tents. That way they could get right down to enjoying themselves when he got back. A little while later, Jason stepped back from his tent with a grin. It was all set up and in record time. Turning around to tell Hayley he was done, he stopped in surprise. She was lounging on the ground in front of the girls' completed tent and his sisters were nowhere in sight. But from the laughing he heard, he guessed they were inside.
"But—how?" he sputtered.
Hayley snorted, smirking at him.
"First of all, I have been camping before," she said. "Second, your sisters are really good at following instructions when they have the chance to beat you. With the three of us working together we were finished in no time."
Jason glared at her.
"Oh, good, the tents are up," Tommy said, walking back into the campsite. "Well, two of three anyways…"
Turning to follow Tommy's gaze, Jason had to laugh. Xander and Chip were struggling with their tent. Pieces were scattered everywhere and what was standing looked like it was about to fall over.
"Well, apparently they need help," Jason said, starting to head over.
"Not so fast, Jason," Hayley said. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"What now?" he sighed.
"You have to go get the firewood," she smirked. "And the sooner the better—especially if you want to eat anytime soon. Like before it gets completely dark out."
It was getting later in the afternoon and it would start getting dark out soon.
"Fine," he muttered. "Tommy, let's go. We'll help the boys when we get back."
"Wait a minute," Tommy protested. "I was not part of this bet."
"He's right, Jason," Hayley said. "Tommy doesn't have to get firewood—just you."
"But you said—" Jason started to argue.
"I said it was you versus us," Hayley reminded him. "Just you. Not you and Tommy. He wasn't even here to help because he went to get Maddy a dry sleeping bag."
"Fine," Jason growled. "Tommy, help the boys with their tent."
Hayley laughed as Jason stalked off into the trees to get firewood. Tommy eyed the boys' tent reluctantly, shooting a glare at Xander while he wasn't looking. But after a moment he sighed and walked over to help.
"Alright, guys," he said. "Let's start from the beginning, because that is a tarp, not part of the tent…"
Taking the whole thing apart, Tommy started showing them step by step how to put the tent together. By the time Jason came back with a load of firewood, Tommy was handing over the mallet to Chip to pound the stakes into the ground.
"Just be careful of your—never mind," Tommy grimaced as Chip yelped in pain.
He had just hammered his thumb instead of the stake. Sighing, Tommy took the mallet back and shooed Chip away. Hayley motioned him over to take a look at his thumb. She had already taken care of Madison's scrapes once she had changed into dry clothes.
"Well, looks like you guys are having fun," Jason said, dropping the firewood next to where they were going to set up the fire.
"Oh sure," Tommy muttered, straightening up. "Loads."
"Chip, you're supposed to hit the stake, not yourself," Vida snickered, watching Hayley checking Chip's hand.
"Shut up, V," he snapped.
But she just laughed harder. Xander and Madison were snickering, too. The moment Hayley released Chip, he jumped up and went after Vida. Still laughing, she darted away. Chip chased her around for a moment and then she climbed up into a tree, heading for higher branches as quickly as she could with Chip following. Madison and Xander were cheering on the chase. Jason, Tommy, and Hayley, on the other hand, started working on dinner. They let the kids do as they wanted until Madison suddenly came running over.
"Jason!" she exclaimed, tugging on his shirt. "Chip needs help."
"What?" Jason said, frowning as he turned around.
He followed his sister as she pulled him over to the tree Vida and Chip had climbed. Looking up into the tree, Jason groaned. Chip was frozen in place, looking down with a look of complete terror on his face.
"He's afraid of heights, isn't he?" Jason sighed.
"Yep," Madison answered. "And he looked down."
"Alright…" Jason said. "Chip? Can you start backing down to me? I'll stay right under you the whole time."
Chip shook his head adamantly, still clinging to his branch. Vida was up higher than him, looking down as she waited for a clear path out of the tree. With Chip refusing to come down, Jason hoisted himself up and started climbing after him. Tommy and Hayley were watching now, too. Reaching Chip, it took Jason several minutes to coax the boy into transferring his grip from the tree to Jason.
"Not so tight!" Jason choked, reaching up to loosen Chip's arms around his neck. "If you strangle me we both fall."
He had gotten Chip on his back and was maneuvering to climb back down the tree. Chip loosened his grip around Jason's neck just slightly, but still held on tightly. Vida followed them down, making sure not to get too close so she didn't kick or step on Jason. Dropping down the last couple of feet, Jason backed away from the tree with Chip still clinging to his back.
"There you go, kid," he said. "No more trees, alright?"
"Ok…" Chip mumbled, starting to climb down.
Vida, almost to the ground, swung off the branch she was on and jumped to the ground on the other side of the tree from Jason. She landed on her feet, but stumbled and rolled through the underbrush right under the tree. Laughing, she stood up and started brushing herself off.
"V, don't move," Tommy said suddenly, stepping forward.
She froze, her eyes wide.
"There's something on me, isn't there?" she asked.
"Just hold still for a second," Tommy said, crouching down to look at the plants she had landed in. "Oh boy…"
"What?" she cried.
"V, that's poison oak," Tommy sighed as he straightened up. "And you just rolled right through it…"
Vida grimaced, looking down at herself. She was wearing shorts and a tank top, which meant she'd gotten the poison oak all over herself.
"Come on out," Tommy said, motioning to her. "Just don't touch anyone or anything. Hayley, can you take her down to the river to wash?"
"Of course," Hayley said. "Vida, wait right there. I'm going to get you a change of clothes and the lotion. You're going to want that soon…"
"Great," Tommy nodded. "I'll get the shovel."
"Shovel?" Jason said, raising an eyebrow. "What are you planning to do with a shovel?"
"I'm gonna dig up the poison oak and bury it," Tommy said, turning to head back to the cars again. "To make sure no one else walks through it in the middle of the night."
"Good idea," Jason said. "Guess I'll stay with these three."
A little while later, Tommy came hiking back with the shovel over his shoulder to take care of the poison oak. Jason was finishing up getting everything ready for roasting hot dogs and Hayley was already back with Vida, coating some of the spots that were already starting to itch with calamine lotion. Before sitting down with everyone else, Tommy dug up the poison oak and buried it so no one else would get in it. He also double checked the perimeter of their campsite to make sure there weren't any other patches. Finding one more, he took care of that too, being careful not to touch any of the plants himself.
"That should do it for now," he sighed, joining everyone else around the campfire. "How are you, V?"
"Itchy…" she mumbled, sitting on her hands. "I don't like poison oak…"
"No one does," Jason chuckled. "Next time you'll look before you leap."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she grumbled.
Tommy smiled, shaking his head. Turning away from the fire, he ducked into his tent to change.
"Alright," Jason said a while later, looking around. "Everyone full?"
A chorus of yes's went around the campfire.
"Then everyone put your dishes in the bins," he directed, standing up.
The kids started piling plates and everything else in the bins. Hayley started rearranging so the dishes weren't underneath the heavy cast iron pans. Once everything was collected, Jason reached down to pick up one of the two bins.
"Tommy, can you grab the other one?" he asked. "We need to wash these tonight. Tommy?"
Jason frowned, turning around. But Tommy was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Tommy?" Jason asked.
Hayley raised an eyebrow.
"In your tent," she said.
"When did he go in there?" Jason said in surprise.
"Jason, he never came back out after he went to change," Hayley said, shaking her head. "He fell asleep."
"What?" he exclaimed. "But—"
"Did you really not notice he wasn't out here for dinner?" she asked.
Jason glared at her as the kids snickered.
"I was a little preoccupied," he said shortly. "Keeping those four away from the fire and making sure no one poked an eye out with them waving roasting sticks around in the air like maniacs."
Hayley rolled her eyes.
"Well, he's sleeping and you aren't waking him up," she said.
"I need his help," Jason said. "I can't carry both tubs by myself."
"Too bad," she retorted.
"Hayley," Jason sighed.
"Jason, he hasn't left his apartment in nearly three months," she snapped, crossing her arms. "He's still recovering after months of not taking care of himself. With all the running around he did this afternoon—including hiking back to the car twice—he's tired. Let him sleep."
Jason sighed, but didn't argue.
"Fine," he said. "Xander, grab that other tub and follow me."
Xander opened his mouth to protest, but a glare from Jason silenced him. Grumbling, he grabbed the other tub and followed Jason away to the river. A few minutes later he came hurrying back alone. Hayley had pulled out s'mores supplies and started the girls and Chip on making some for everyone.
"Where's Jason?" Hayley frowned, glancing up at him as he walked up.
"Still washing dishes," Xander shrugged. "I was bored so I came back."
"You know you're going to have to go help him carry stuff back, right?" Madison said, looking at him as she roasted another marshmallow.
"Why do I have to do it?" he grumbled. "Those things are heavy…"
Sighing, he plopped into the closest chair.
"Don't sit—" Vida started to exclaim.
But it was too late because he'd already sat down, looking at her in confusion. Then his eyes flew open wide and he leapt up with a shout of pain. He had just sat down on a plate of fresh-made s'mores the other three kids had been making for everyone. Now the hot, sticky, melted mess was stuck on his pants.
"Smooth, Xander," Vida snorted as he jumped around shouting. "Now you have s'mores on your butt."
He didn't answer, still screaming that it was burning as he tried to get the sticky mess off. Hayley was on her feet, trying to get him to stand still. Then Tommy's tent flap flew open and he came stumbling out, looking for the source of the screaming. But he tripped over a bag that had been left to close to the tent entrance and stumbled forward, cracking his head on the nearby tree.
"Agh!" he cried, doubling over as he put a hand to his head.
Jason, having heard the screaming from where he was washing dishes, came running into the campsite.
"What is going on?" Jason exclaimed, looking around.
"Xander sat on the s'mores," Chip informed him. "And burnt his butt."
Jason took a deep breath as the kids snickered. Hayley had managed to get Xander to stop jumping around, but he was still standing there.
"Xander, go change your pants," Jason snapped. "Tommy, are you alright?"
Tommy was leaning on the tree now, still holding his head. He'd scraped his forehead up and it was bleeding now. Hayley sighed and walked over to take a look as Xander disappeared into his tent.
"No," Tommy grimaced, gingerly touching his forehead. "Oh, that's great—I'm bleeding…Hayley, did you pack aspirin?"
She was trying to take a look at his head, but he just pushed her hands away.
"Yes, but you can't have any until morning," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You might have a concussion."
"I do not have a concussion," he said.
Hayley rolled her eyes.
"And how would you know?" she said. "You are not a doctor."
"Because I've had them before," he grumbled. "Plenty of times. Hazard of being a—of learning new karate moves…"
He'd barely caught himself before saying something about the power rangers.
"When did you have a concussion, Tommy?" Madison asked. "We don't remember that."
Vida nodded in agreement. Tommy sighed, glancing over at Jason.
"High school," he answered. "But it was a few years ago."
"The last one we remember having a concussion was Rocky," Vida frowned.
Tommy shrugged.
"It wasn't bad enough to worry anyone," he said. "So no one really said anything. Hayley, aspirin?"
"You're still waiting until morning," she said firmly, crossing her arms.
"Fine," Tommy muttered. "Jase, good luck with the kids. I'm going back to bed…"
Jason glared at him, but Tommy just spun and ducked back into the tent. Hayley sighed and grabbed the first aid kit to go after him. Pausing outside the tent, she dug in it for a moment and then held out a small tube to Jason.
"What's that for?" he asked suspiciously.
She smirked, dropping it in his hand.
"It's burn cream," she said. "You get to go check on Xander."
"But why do I have to?" he immediately protested.
"Because you're the only one who can," she said. "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to check on him, your sisters certainly aren't doing it, Tommy needs first aid, too, and somehow I think Chip would just make it worse. So that leaves you."
The kids snickered as Jason sputtered in protest. Even Chip couldn't help but laugh as he tried to act insulted by Hayley's implication.
"Fine," Jason muttered. "But no one bother unpacking. We're going home in the morning."
"But big brother!" Vida protested.
"No arguing," Jason said as he spun to stalk away.
Hayley frowned as she watched him go.
"Jason, why are you limping?" she asked.
He sighed, pausing.
"Because when the kid started screaming I dropped the cast iron pot I was washing," he growled. "Right on my foot. Pretty sure I broke it."
Hayley raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are you still walking on it?" she asked.
"I don't have a choice," he snapped. "Gotta check on the kid and then go get the dishes. Unless you'd like to take over?"
"Just go take care of Xander," she retorted, shaking her head. "I'll get the dishes."
Nodding curtly, Jason continued limping toward the boys' tent.
"So, does this mean we can't have any more s'mores?" Vida asked mournfully.
"If you want one, make it quick," Hayley said. "And then it's time for bed."
"Thanks, Hayley!" the three kids chorused with wmiles.
As they scrambled to make themselves a s'more, Hayley ducked into Tommy's tent with the first aid kit.
"I got the door!" Vida shouted, racing to answer the knock.
She opened the door to see Mrs. Rocca and Mrs. Oliver waiting.
"Hi, mom! Hi, Mrs. Oliver!" Vida beamed. "Come in."
The two mothers stepped inside, looking at Vida in surprise. She was covered in pink lotion. But the sight of the apartment momentarily distracted them. All of the furniture in the apartment had been shoved against the walls out of the way and a tent had been set up in the middle of the room. There were also several sleeping bags on the ground around it.
"Mom!" Madison exclaimed, running over to hug her. "You're—achoo!"
She sneezed, tripping and barely keeping herself from falling down. Mrs. Rocca frowned as she looked at her daughters. Xander and Chip popped out of the tent, the former holding a small pillow in his hands. Jason, Hayley, and Tommy were relaxing in camping chairs they had set up in a circle and Jason had his foot propped up on a small stool.
"Tommy, why is there a tent in your apartment?" Mrs. Oliver asked, a little confused.
"And why is Vida pink?" added, looking expectantly at Jason.
"Long story," Jason grumbled. "But I'm never taking them camping again…"
The mothers exchanged confused looks.
"We camped here," Vida said, grinning. "And I don't like the pink, but it stops the itching a little."
"Itching?" Mrs. Rocca said, raising an eyebrow.
"And I have a cold," Madison inserted, sniffling a little. "I've been sneezing all—achoo!—all weekend…"
"That's cause you fell in the river," Chip snickered.
"Well, at least I didn't get stuck in a tree," Madison countered, frowning.
"Well, I didn't sit on the s'mores," Chip protested.
"Hey! It was an accident!" Xander exclaimed.
"Ok, ok," Hayley sighed, standing up to intervene. "As you can tell, we ran into a few—problems at the campground. So we decided to bring the kids back here to finish the weekend."
Tommy stood up to join the conversation.
"It worked out well enough," he said. "They still had fun."
"What happened to your head?" Mrs. Oliver exclaimed, reaching and gently touching his bandaged forehead.
"I ran into a tree…" he muttered, flinching at the touch.
His mother sighed, shaking her head.
"How?" she asked. "And what exactly happened out there?"
He hesitated for a moment, shooting a glare in Xander's direction as he tried to decide how to explain.
"Let me explain," Hayley said. "I'll start at the beginning. We got to the campground just fine…"
By the time Hayley was done explaining everything that had gone wrong that night out at the campground, the two mothers were looking at the group in shock.
"What did they say at the hospital?" Mrs. Rocca finally asked, looking at Jason.
He frowned.
"Nothing," he said. "We haven't gone anywhere since we got back here."
"You mean you haven't had that foot checked?" his mother exclaimed.
"No, it's fine," Jason said, shrugging. "Just need to rest it."
Mrs. Rocca took a deep breath.
"That's it," she said. "All of you get your things together and out to the car. Jason, you're coming, too."
"Wait, what?" he exclaimed, sitting upright. "Why?"
"Because your foot is probably broken and you need x-rays," she said. "Now move."
Groaning, Jason carefully stood up and started moving to get his shoes while his sisters and the boys started running around grabbing their stuff. Mrs. Rocca sighed and made Jason sit back down while she got his shoes for him.
"Tommy, get your shoes on, too," Mrs. Oliver said.
"Mom, I don't need to go to the E.R.," Tommy protested. "I don't have a concussion. Just ask Hayley."
"Come on, Falcon," Jason sighed. "No point in arguing, remember?"
"But I don't have a concussion this time!" Tommy said.
Mrs. Oliver frowned, studying Tommy closely. After a moment she sighed, relenting.
"Alright," she said. "You don't have to go. I can tell just by looking that you're fine…"
He grinned in relief as Jason sputtered in protest.
"Thanks, mom," Tommy said.
"That is so not fair," Jason grumbled.
"Come on, big brother," Vida said, bouncing toward the door with her bag. "Might as well get it over with."
He groaned, standing up again and carefully heading toward the door. Mrs. Rocca hovered worriedly next to him.
"How come I'm always with the two of you when I have to go to the E.R.?" he muttered. "It's always the two of you."
His sisters exchanged looks, shrugging.
"We don't know," they said.
Still grumbling, Jason headed out of the apartment followed closely by his mother. The kids went out after them with a chorus of goodbyes.
"Have the two of you eaten dinner yet?" Mrs. Oliver asked, looking at Tommy and Hayley.
They shook their heads and soon they were sitting down to eat with Mrs. Oliver while they waited for the others to bring Jason back from the E.R.