Chapter 38

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody sat there taking in what the news report had just said. If they were in fact going to be hit by a Noreaster, he needed to make sure they were prepared for it. So, Cody reached down and gently shook Bailey awake. She yawned and looked up at him. "Ready for bed now?"

Cody sighed. "No, afraid not. According to the news, we might get hit by a Noreaster overnight..."

Bailey was trying to shake the sleep out of her eyes. "What does that mean exactly?"

"We might be getting hit with several feet of snow..."

"So, what do we do?"

"First, we need to check to see how much food we have in the house. If we don't have enough to last us for at least a week, we are going to have to make a run to the store ASAP."

Bailey nodded and both got up to check their pantry, cabinets and refrigerator. After checking, both looked each other with grim expressions. Bailey sighed. "We need to make a run, don't we?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. Better to be safe than sorry. Lets change back into our warmer clothes and get this done as soon as possible."

Both quickly change clothes and bundle up to keep warm. They checked on Porkers and found him fast asleep. Before they headed out the back door, Cody paused and turned to Bailey.

"Think we should call Jo and Bill and see if they need us to pick up anything for them?"

Bailey just smiled at him. "That's a good idea...and very thoughtful."

Cody just shrugged and pulled out his phone and dialed. Finally, the call was answered and someone answered half asleep.

"Hello?"

"Jo, its Cody, I'm sorry to wake you. We just saw on the news that we might be getting hit by a Noreaster overnight. Bailey and I were about to make a run to the grocery store to stock up, and we were wondering if you two needed us to pick up anything for you..."

Cody could hear Jo chuckling. "We appreciate the call, Cody, but we did our regular shopping this afternoon anyways. But thanks for thinking of us..." She pauses. "And Bill says you two don't need to be sucking up..."

Cody laughs. "We'll try not too. Alright, well, lets all hope our midnight run is all for nothing..."

Cody finished the call, and he and Bailey headed out for the SUV. Immediately, the could both tell that it was bitterly cold outside. And as they got into the vehicle, they could see that flurries were starting to fall. Cody decided not to waste any more time and put the vehicle into drive. The streets of New Haven were eerily quiet, but then again, it was close to midnight on a Sunday. As the reached closer to the Wal-Mart, Cody spoke up.

"Bails?"

Bailey turned to Cody. "Yeah?"

"Remember what I told you about full contact grocery shopping?"

"Yeah..."

"I just want you to be prepared for what we might see..."

Bailey turned to him. "You think it might be that bad?"

"I don't know, I just think we should prepare for the worst."

"What do you suggest?"

"When we get in, we'll both grab a cart. You head immediately for dairy and get milk and eggs. I'll head for the bread and double back to the meat section. Once we get those essentials, we'll meet back up in aisle one and go from there..."

Bailey nods.

Cody smiled at her. "And if anyone gives you problems, deal with them like you did with Moose last Christmas..."

Bailey just laughs. "Alright..."

Cody pauses to think. "Actually, I just thought of a few other things we need that there might be a premium on. It may take me a few minutes to meet you there..."

Cody and Bailey pull into the parking lot, luck out and find a spot near the front. Before they get out, Cody asks if Bailey is ready and she nods. They both get out of the SUV, grab a cart a piece and begin their assault on Wallyworld.

Bailey immediately pushed her cart to the dairy section and made her way over to the milk coolers. Immediately, she opened it and grabbed the last two gallons of skim milk she saw. Turning back around, she saw people staring at her, but she quickly moved on to the egg section. She quickly grabbed two 18 packs of eggs to be on the safe side. Once she grabbed them, she took her time to make sure none were already broken.

She made her way back over to aisle one and waited for Cody. About ten minutes later, she saw him pushing his cart towards her. At first glance, Bailey couldn't figure out what all Cody had with him. Once their carts were side by side, Cody quickly moved the bread and meat he had picked up over to Bailey's cart. Then he turned to her to explain what else he had.

"Snow shovel, rock salt, and a propane heater just in case..."

Bailey nodded. "Good idea, Sweetie"

Cody smiled. "Well, a good scout is always prepared...Especially with Moseby as your troop leader..."

Bailey just shakes her head and laughs. "Come on, let's get everything we need and get out of here. Probably a good idea to get somethings we don't need electricity to cook."

For the next hour, Cody and Bailey traverse the aisles of Wal-Mart and get everything they think they will need. Before they checkout, the double check they have everything and proceed to check out. Getting back outside, they notice in just the hour they have been in the store, the weather has really began to pick up. The flurries are long gone, and a full on blizzard is in effect. Quickly, they load the bags into the back of the SUV . Once done, both got in the vehicle and turned it on and let the engine warm up some.

"Cody?"

"Yeah, Bails?"

"Have you ever driven in a blizzard before?"

Cody paused. "I can't say I have. What about you?"

Bailey shakes her head. "No..."

"Well, we'll just have to be extra careful then. We'll turn on the four wheel drive, so that should help. I need you to keep your eyes open too. Working together, we'll make it home in one piece."

Bailey nods. "Right."

And with that, Cody put the SUV in gear and begins to slowly pull through the parking lot. The snow is sticking to the ground, but that's not what he's worried about. With how cold it is outside, ice is his major concern. Making it back to the main road back towards campus, Cody never drives faster than 25 miles per hour. It may take longer to get home, but he has a better chance of controlling the vehicle if they do hit ice.

What normally is a ten minute drive for them took close to forty-minutes. But neither were complaining when they finally pulled in behind their apartment and put the SUV in park. Quickly, they unloaded the grocery bags and put everything away. When they finished, they noticed it was getting close to 2:30 in the morning. Both sighed realizing it was going to be a early morning for them. But, both at least knew that no matter what happened, they were prepared to weather the storm outside.

Before going to bed, both also set the alarms on their cell phones in case they did lose power over night. After that, both changed into flannel pajama bottoms and long sleeve tshirts. They both climbed into bed and cuddled closer together.

"Bails?"

"Yeah, Codykins?"

"Remember during the hurricane when I said I couldn't wait for our first blizzard together?"

"Uh huh..."

"Why didn't you tell me to keep my big mouth shut?"

Bailey begins to laugh. "Well, the hard part is out of the way. Now, if we do get snowed in, we'll be okay, and we can focus on other things then..."

"Yeah, like what?"

Bailey grinned at him. "Like ways to keep each other warm..."

Cody leaned in and kissed Bailey's neck and whispered in her ear. "I may have some ideas about how to do that..."

"I'll bet you do..." She sighs though. "As much as I'm enjoying this conversation, we have to be up in four hours..."

"I know..." Cody leans in for a proper kiss. "Goodnight, Sweetie...Love you..."

"Love you too, Codykins..."

And a mere four hours later, their alarms were going off. Both were still obviously tired when they got up, but both forced themselves to get moving. It was Bailey's turn to shower first, and as she was getting ready to head that way, Cody went and looked out the front window.

"Bails!"

Bailey came running into the living room in her robe. "What is it?"

"Look!"

Bailey looked where Cody was pointing and she had the same look of shock on her face that Cody did. Everything outside was completely white and deep snow was everywhere. And to make matters worse...It was still snowing.

To be Continued...