Irene's A/N: I apologize for yet another delay. May is always a busy month, but we really wanted to wrap up this second chapter of Storm as soon as possible. This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but no fear, chapter 42 is coming soon!
Off to the wilderness!
Chapter 41
The only sites taken are RV spots. They're the first tent campers to arrive, and Derek reveals joyfully that his favorite camping site—right by the water—is available.
"Let's set up the tent," Derek says with a wide smile.
"Um … okay," Meredith says, feeling uneasy.
"You've never set up a tent? Didn't you backpack through Europe?" Derek teases.
"We stayed at hostels," Meredith admits. "Hey, don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you're judging me," Meredith says.
"I'm not judging you," Derek insists. "Luckily, I've put together a tent many times by myself."
"Mmm." Meredith hums, unimpressed. She's doing her best to keep her cool, but his ego bothers her. Let it go, she tells herself, inhaling deeply through her nose and exhaling through her mouth—a breathing technique Dr. Wyatt had taught her to practice when she felt herself getting angry.
"Can I help?" Zola chimes in.
"Sure!" Derek exclaims.
All is going well, until Bailey decides the tent is a playmat for him. He walks over the tent just as they're getting ready to lift it. Meredith quickly reacts, and holds onto him as Derek does the rest. She's glad she has an excuse not to be part of the lifting process, because the last thing she wants is to be the reason the tent fails to be sturdy.
She keeps reminding herself that camping isn't a competition. Dr. Wyatt has told her that she's felt inferior to Derek since his presidential appointment, and she's right. For them to be a happy couple, she needs to move past this urge to compete with her husband. Dr. Wyatt says she needs to see him as her life partner, not her competition.
"Home sweet home," Derek declares as he steps away from the sturdy, put-together tent. "Now we can go look for firewood."
"Can't we just buy it?" Meredith asks.
"I suppose we could, but that's not as fun." Derek looks at Zola. "Do you want to help Mommy and Daddy look for firewood?"
"Yes!" Zola nods excitedly. "Like an Easter Egg Hunt?"
"You could say that, only we're looking for wood instead. I'll show you the type of wood we need. Come on, everyone. There's a hiking trail not far from here that always has plenty of wood, and since the campground isn't very busy today, I'm sure we'll find plenty." Derek grabs a bucket from the car. Meredith originally thought he'd brought the bucket to fill with water so they could wash their hands or do their dishes at the campsite.
Meredith follows her husband's lead. "I hope the trail isn't long, because I'm not sure Bailey's little legs will hold up long." She'd carry him, but he's getting too heavy to hold onto for long periods of time.
"I usually don't have to go far to find firewood," Derek says confidently. Bailey's reaching his arms out to Meredith for her to pick him up, and she obliges. She squats down to pick up her son, hoping Derek's right, and they won't have to go far.
Zola skips ahead with her dad, while Meredith walks behind them with Bailey. Insects swarm them. "Right there!" Derek stops, pointing to a stack of wood. "This will be perfect." He shows Zola, and gathers it into their bucket. "This should get us through the night," he says.
"Daddy, why are there so many bugs?" Zola asks, itching her skin.
"I think I forgot the bug spray. I knew there was something I missed. Oh, and sunscreen."
"What? You mean you forgot something that can stop these bugs from attacking me every three seconds? And you forgot sunscreen? We're going to need that this weekend. Skin cancer, hello! Where's the closest store? We have to get some." Meredith groans in disgust.
"Right now?" Derek asks. "I really wanted to get the fire started before dark."
"We're not staying out here with two kids and no bug spray. What if these insects have diseases? Come on, Derek. We're going to a store to get some. Now."
The closest Walmart is roughly six miles from their campsite. By the time they return to the campsite, the sky is dark, and the kids are fussy because they're tired and starving. Back home, they would already be getting ready for bed. Zola had already begged for Subway when they were at Walmart.
"I'll get the fire started, pronto. Meredith, you get the hotdogs ready," Derek says.
"I don't want dogs, Daddy. I want S'mores!" Zola cries.
"S'mores!" Bailey echoes his sister.
"You can't eat dessert first, sillies," Derek says to the kids. "And I thought we were having fruit pies for dessert?"
"No, S'mores for dessert!" Zola insists.
"S'mores! S'mores! S'mores!" Bailey chants.
"Okay, S'mores for dessert tonight. Fruit pies tomorrow?"
"Yes!" Zola agrees, and Bailey also echoes a yes.
"That alright with you, Mer?" Derek asks.
"Whatever the kids want is fine with me," Meredith says, though she doesn't look convinced.
Derek is worried she's not having a good time, even though the trip was her idea. He has to do better at involving her in this trip, so they can make a happy memory out of it. Oh, how they desperately need more happy memories, and Derek has yearned to take her and the kids camping for as long as he can remember.
Meredith was always so against spending time in the wilderness, so he was completely taken off guard when she suggested this camping trip as something they could do together. Bowling was one thing. It didn't involve getting dirty, which Meredith hates. Camping is certainly a test of how far they've come in recent weeks.
He starts the fire. Over at the picnic table, Meredith has started loading the roasters with hot dogs. Once the fire is in full force, Derek takes two—one with his two dogs, and the other for Zola and Bailey. Meredith roasts her dog on the other side of the pit. It's only a few moments after the hotdog hovers above the flame that it happens: The hotdog falls into the charcoal of the pit.
"Damnit," Meredith curses.
"Mommy, you lost your doggy!" Zola cries. "Oh no!"
"Forget it, I'll just eat a raw dog." She grabs a hotdog, met by confused looks from the kids. Derek is also concerned. "What? It's perfectly safe. Think of it like eating bologna. The hotdogs are pre-cooked. I used to eat them raw in college all the time."
"I want raw dog!" Zola says with wide eyes.
"Sweetie, no, yours is right here. Cooked," Derek says.
"But Mommy gets a raw dog, I want one too."
Derek frowns at Meredith, not pleased that she's done this in front of the kids. Now he has no choice but to let Zola eat a raw hotdog. Bailey, however, doesn't seem interested in what his mother and sister are eating, and eats the hotdog that Derek cuts up for him.
Meredith and Zola each eat a slippery raw dog, which makes Derek want to hurl. He eats his two cooked dogs and the one Zola refuses to eat.
"S'mores!" Zola says after she's finished hers.
"S'mores!" Bailey agrees, although he's only eaten half of his cut-up dog.
Meredith starts getting the marshmallows out. "You're going to have to roast the marshmallows, Derek. I apparently suck at roasting and don't want to lose the marshmallows in the pit."
Derek frowns, but agrees that he'll do the rest of the roasting for the sake of his wife's sanity. The kids get filled up on marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers, and he and Meredith eat a few too. After s'mores, the kids pass out in the tent, leaving no room for Derek's favorite part of camping: ghost stories. Probably a good thing, because the kids are still quite young, and it wouldn't be good for them to have nightmares while out in the wilderness away from the safety of their stuffed animals. The sounds of the wilderness can be nightmare-inducing as is, especially for young children. Maybe in a few years he can tell the kids the stories his dad told him when they went camping.
"I'm going to turn in, too," Meredith says, a big yawn following.
He's pretty tired too, so he agrees it's best. They need to get as rested as possible if they're going to make the best of tomorrow.
Nicole's A/N: The camping trip is not over. Stay tuned for more soon!