Noah spent the first night tossing and turning. He found himself waking up and counting the bodies next to him tucked in their sleeping bags. One. Two. Three. Every time he woke, everyone was where they were supposed to be.
Noah didn't feel well rested when the light of dawn began to creep over the mountain peaks. The chilly air bit his cheeks, making him burrow deeper into his sleeping bag. The sound of his sleeping bag rustling woke the other men in the tent.
"Better get up guys. The fish bite best in the morning," Elliot's voice still sounded rough from sleep.
Noah wanted to climb deeper into his sleeping bag, but he really wanted to learn how to fish. With a yawn, he pushed his sleeping bag down, and shivered as he dug around for his boots. He really needed to pee. He remembered one of Elliot's rules, and as he shoved the first boot on his foot, he said, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Before Elliot could remind him, he added, "I know—I won't go far." Like he would dare. He wanted to make this trip, but there was still part of him terrified of the thickly wooded areas.
He shook off the fear and unzipped the tent. Eli groaned when Dickie threw a balled up pair of socks at his head. "What the hell?" He complained.
"Oh, don't be such a baby," Dickie teased.
Noah rolled his eyes and laughed as he zipped the tent shut. He turned and jogged toward the tree line. His breath came out in foggy puffs in the freezing mountain air. Elliot told him it would warm up once the sun got a little higher. Noah hoped he was right because the biting cold air would be miserable if it lasted all day.
He stepped behind a couple trees. He could hear Dickie and Eli squabbling. Dickie called Eli a baby, and Eli responded with the often-used 'dick wad' insult. That resulted in Elliot telling the pair to shut the hell up and watch their language around the kid.
He knew the older kids all loved each other a lot, but Noah noticed that there was often tension between Dickie and Eli. He wondered about it every now and again. Dickie could be a jerk to Eli, but he was always the best when he came over to hang out. He liked to pull little pranks on Noah, but it was always good-natured and funny. Big brother sort of stuff. Maybe it was nothing, but sometimes Noah could feel the conflict festering beneath the surface.
He finished peeing and zipped his pants up. He glanced down to make sure he wouldn't trip on a stray tree root, and something caught his eye. The turquoise bead seemed out of place on the forest floor. He got closer and realized that the single bead was attached to a leather braided bracelet.
He glanced around. There weren't any people around, and he knew they were the only overnight campers for the next few days, so he stuffed the bracelet into his coat pocket. It seemed silly, but he felt like some sort of lucky talisman. It probably fell off someone's wrist forever ago, and something about it made him feel compelled to keep it.
Elliot was standing near the fire they must have made while Noah peed. The warmth finally brought feeling back into his face. He stuck his fingers out towards the fire, hoping to thaw them out a little bit. He could feel Elliot's eyes on him, and he pretended not to notice. He knew he was worried, but besides the crappy nights sleep, Noah felt okay and a little excited for the rest of the day.
The smell of bacon lofted in their direction, and Noah noticed Dickie frying some bacon and scrambling eggs on the small camp stove. Eli picked at a piece of bacon, and he and Dickie were laughing, and it was like the morning bickering didn't even happen.
In a matter of minutes, Dickie brought a couple plates of food over. "Let's eat, then let's see if we can catch some fish." He grinned. His excitement added to Noah's, and he scarfed the food down quickly before grabbing his backpack and fishing pole.
-000-
Stabler Ladies Chat
K: Busy tonight? Thought we could surprise Olivia.
L: I'm free- whatcha have in mind?
K: I'm not sure. Dinner for sure. Maybe drinks?
M: I could do dinner, but I can't stay out late for drinks. Boys have the final tournament game tomorrow. Early. Because they hate me. Apparently.
K: Sunday morning? That's brutal.
M: Welcome to the joys of children's sports.
L: So dinner?
K: I'll check with Liv. Would you care if we do drinks after Mo?
M: Not at all. Then I won't feel like a party pooper.
…
M: Your line's supposed to be, "No, Mo, you could never be a party pooper."
L: I just don't want to use the word pooper in text. Feels weird.
K: Yeah, I'm not sure I've ever seen it typed out .
M: Ha. Ha. Make fun of the mom.
L: Sorry, it's just SO easy!
K: Oh, be nice.
L: I'm not being mean—she is a mom, so it makes sense that she would talk like one.
M: Not sure that makes me feel better.
K: Okay, changing the subject. I promise you aren't ruining anything. It will be fun to see you, even for just a little bit.
L: It's true. You know I love you, right?
M: Yeah, yeah. Love you guys too.
K: I'll let you know what Liv says.
-000-
Kathleen ——-Olivia
K: Silence killing you yet?
O: Not so much. I've been working all day.
K: Of course you have. *cough* workaholic *cough*
O: Can't say I haven't heard that before.
K: Is your case under control? Me, Mo, and Liz want to take you to dinner tonight.
O: Yeah, barring any crisis, I can get out of here by 6.
K: Cool. Let's plan for 6:30. I'll send you a pin.
O: Great. See you then.
-000-
By some miracle Olivia left the precinct in enough time to go home, change, and refresh her make-up. She was almost ready to leave when her phone chimed, indicating a FaceTime call. She spit her toothpaste into the sink and wiped her mouth before answering the video call.
Elliot's face illuminated the screen. She immediately smiled. And greeted him. "Hey! How are my mountain men?" Her voice held a lilting, teasing quality.
"Well, someone has something to show you." The phone jostled around until the video panned to Noah standing next to an ice chest.
"Mom!" He called, and her heart ached. It had only been one night, and she missed that contagious smile so much. Elliot walked the phone closer, and Noah opened an ice chest perched on the edge of the tailgate. "Check this out!" Elliot turned the phone away from Noah so Olivia could see the contents of the ice chest. To her surprise, the ice chest held some lake water and four large trout.
"Are those yours?" She asked in disbelief. Noah's natural inclination towards the outdoors continued to surprise her.
"Not all, but I got three of 'em." He was bubbling with excitement.
"Oh wow! Seriously? That's amazing, baby!"
Elliot must have passed the phone because Noah's face was suddenly centered on the screen. She tried not to laugh—or wince—at the state of his curls. She tried to send him with a satin pillowcase—there was no way she would send him with his expensive silk one—but he had sighed and rolled his eyes. Aparently, bringing a satin pillowcase on a camping trip made him look like a diva. It didn't matter that every man on the trip knew Noah used a silk pillowcase and why. But apparently a special pillowcase would be too high maintenance for camping. She eventually gave in and mentally prepared for the pending hair disaster. At home, they maintained a strict hair routine in order to keep his hair from becoming a matted, frizzy mess. It appeared all hair care had been tossed out the window, and he couldn't look happier.
"Yeah! Elliot caught the other one! Elliot said we cook the mover the fire tonight. It's gonna be so awesome!"
She chuckled at his overeagerness. "I'm glad you're having fun, baby."
"It's been the best," he said with his contagious smile. His eyes darted away from the phone, and she could hear a muffled voice in the background somewhere. "Gotta go, mom. Dickie's going to let me start the fire!"
With that, the phone jostled around until Elliot picked the phone up off the tailgate."Sorry," he apologized. "Dickie bought some walkie-talkies before we left. He and Noah are having way too much fun with those."
She could imagine the shenanigans they were pulling with the help of walkie-talkies. "He's doing okay though?"
"He's doing amazing. Like seriously, you would guess it by looking at him, but he might become a better outdoorsman than all of us."
"Oh boy." She loved that he found something he loved, but it was a difficult hobby to maintain in the city.
"But more seriously, he's doing good. He had a lot of nerves on the way up here, and he sounded pretty restless last night, but he worked through it and had a really great day." He scratched the day-old stubble on his cheek.
She should have made him bring a razor. His beard was fine once it grew out, but the scratchy in between stage irritated his fair Irish skin. She almost said something but thought the better of it. The man had been a goddamn marine. He didn't need his girlfriend obsessing over his sensitive skin.
Instead, she gave him an affectionate smile. "I'm really missing you guys."
His eyes softened as he gave her a look he only saved for her. "Same here. I feel like we spend a lot of time apart, but when I really think about it, I realize I don't usually go more than 24 hours without seeing you."
"Yeah." She shook her head. "Amanda pointed that out last night."
"You actually went out?" He couldn't sound more proud, and it made her laugh.
"Contrary to popular belief, I have a life beyond work and you."
"Uh huh," he said sarcastically.
"Oh hush," she scolded. "And I'm going out to dinner with your girls tonight. Two social engagements in a row."
He clapped his hands, and she rolled her eyes. He could be such an ass.
"Now here's the real question, did you stay away from the precinct today?" She opened her mouth but shut it, and that was all the answer he needed.
"Knew it," he jabbed goodnaturedly. More seriously, he added, "I'm glad you're getting out and spending some time on you."
She shrugged. "It was good to catch up with Amanda, and I'm sure your girls—well, Kathleen—have quite the night planned." She glanced at the time display in the corner of her phone. "Speaking of... I gotta get out of here if I'm going to meet them on time."
"Okay. Have fun, Liv." His eyes softened again. "Be safe."
"I will. Promise." She waited a bit before adding. "I love you."
He responded with the devotion that was so characteristic of him. "I love you too, baby."
She cut the connection and stood for a moment silently with her phone in her hand. After a moment, she remembered she wanted to wear a certain pair of earrings. She hurried into her her room. She wasn't kidding, if she didn't leave soon, she would be late. She found the earrings easily enough, but she decided to check the bathroom drawers to make sure Elliot had stuff to shave with when he got home. After three days he would be itching—literally— to shave, and she wanted to make sure he had what he needed. If not, she could easily stop at a bodega on her way home from dinner.
His drawers were always impeccably organized, and she easily located his razor that had ample replacement blades. His shaving gel was about half full, which should be enough for one solid shave when he got home. She went to shut the drawer, but it caught on something before completely closing. She realized she should probably grab her purse and get out the door, but it would take one second to get the drawer shut.
She reached back to make sure the drawer tracks were free of any obstructions. The right side was clean, but there was a tassel or something blocking the drawer track. She wondered why he'd have something like that in his bathroom drawer, but when she tugged, a small pouch-like bag dropped into her hand. Without a thought she opened the bag, thinking she would find some random cufflinks he forgot about, but instead she found a box. The memory of the last item he gifted her—a compass housed in a small, delicate box—made her heart stutter. It couldn't be what she thought it was. Could it?
With shaking fingers, she flipped the box open. Inside sat a vintage-style engagement ring.
There was no way she was making it to dinner on time.