Chapter Text
“Hey guys, dinner’s ready!” Alex called out from where he stood next to the grill at the corner of the campsite.
The others walked over, grabbing paper plates from the bag Lim had. Claire talked with Shaun, discussing a surgery. Each of them got a hot dog from the grill, and joked for a few minutes about how burnt they were.
“Okay, that grill is like a million years old, besides, I’d like to see any of you do better.” Alex argued.
The group of them sat on the tree logs around the fire camping style while Morgan tried to light it.
“See? Camping stuff is not easy. I can’t even get the fire started.” Park added on. Morgan stood back and threw a match into the fire pit, and it burst into flame, causing the others to jump back.
“WHAT THE HELL MORGAN!” Claire exclaimed, eyes wide. The blonde doctor just grinned, kicking the bottle of lighter fluid out of view. The original flame that Morgan started died out a little, but lit the wood.
“I lit it didn’t I?” She asked, eyes watering from the smoke.
“S’more time!” Dr Lim exclaimed, dropping a plastic bag full of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.
Too tired to even react anymore to their own disbelief of this situation, all four of them leaned forward to grab the stuff from inside. Morgan shoved a marshmallow on a stick she found after prepping the graham crackers and chocolate.
“You see, the trick is to hold it just above the flames for about 10 minutes to get it nice and golden.” Morgan explained, before holding hers up next to Shaun's, who was using the same method.
Claire chuckled quietly, of course Morgan would be the person to wait ages for the perfect s’more. She stuck her own two marshmallows on a stick, and stuck them straight at the bottom of the pile, letting the flames lick it until it caught fire. When it did start flaming she held it for a few seconds, letting it turn black, before sticking it between the graham crackers.
She licked her finger where the marshmallow got on it, and looked back up at the group. Morgan was staring at her, trying not to laugh.
“What?” Claire asked, trying to contain a laugh herself. She took a bite of the S’more, getting marshmallow all around her mouth. Morgan laughed quietly before finishing making her own.
“Hey, how about we play a game? Who can eat the most s’mores?” Alex joked, shaking the marshmallow bag competitively.
“Really?” Morgan asked, raising one eyebrow before seeing that Claire was reaching forwards to grab another marshmallow.
“I’m just having a second, not participating in his contest!” Claire exclaimed, drawing a laugh from the rest of them.
They joked around for a while before deciding to change into pajamas. Dr. Lim changed in the tent first, and Morgan and Claire chatted while waiting. When the head of surgery finished, both Claire and Morgan stepped back to allow the other to go first.
“You first.” they both said at the same time. None of them made a move to enter the tent, and Morgan spoke again.
“Please, this is awkward, just go.” She begged Claire, who still made no effort to go in first. “Fine, I'll go.” Morgan glared at Claire playfully before stepping in and pulling the door flap shut. Claire shifted her weight back and forth from her heels to the balls of her feet.
Morgan stepped out in a pair of sweatpants and tank top, pulling a sweatshirt over her head.
Claire stepped in once the other doctor was out, and changed quickly into her pajamas. When she finished she headed back over to the firepit where the rest of the doctors were sitting. She sat on the log next to her fellow resident, pulling her legs up to cross them.
“You guys wanna play a game?” Claire suggested, disrupting the silence that had settled over them. When no one answered, she spoke again suggesting a few. “Would you rather? I don’t know, can we just do something?”
“Would you rather sounds fun.” Dr. Lim replied, looking back at Claire to start the game.
“Okay so, would you rather… not be able to speak or not be able to read?” Claire asked, looking at Shaun next to her to answer first. He thought for a second before answering.
“I… am not sure. If I could not read I wouldn’t be able to read patient charts or books. If I couldn’t speak I wouldn’t be able to communicate with patients, or Lea, but I already don’t have very good communication skills. Definitely speak.” Claire nodded in approval at his answer, before turning to Morgan.
“I don't know, it's a hard question. How about we play something else?” The blonde doctor responded.
“How about… truth or dare?” Alex responded. Lim chuckled at his choice of game before standing.
“I am going to go get some sleep, I didn’t get to bed until way too late last night. See you all tomorrow.” Lim headed over to the tent where the girls were sleeping and headed inside. They waited until she was inside to start their game, Alex asking first.
“Claire, truth or dare?” Claire hesitated for a second before answering.
“I feel like a dare could get me killed, but then again, an Alex Park truth question sounds boring. So dare I guess.” She decided.
“Okay, this should be fun.” Alex grinned, thinking. “Let Shaun and Morgan use your phone for 3 minutes.” Claire raised her eyebrows at this.
“Fine.” She gave in and handed the phone to Morgan next to her, who was joined shortly by Shaun.
“Smile Shaun.” Claire heard Morgan say and turned, seeing Morgan taking a bunch of goofy selfies of the two of them. Then she turned the phone so Alex and Claire were in the pictures too, and Claire rolled her eyes before smiling.
A few minutes later she had her phone back and was shoving it in her pocket.
“You guys had three minutes, to do literally anything, and you used up my phone storage by taking photos the entire time.” Claire said dryly, raising her eyebrows at Shaun and Morgan. Shaun shrugged.
“Can I give someone one?” Claire asked, and they all nodded. “Okay, Alex, which one?”
“Hm, truth.” He responded and Claire rolled her eyes jokingly.
“Coward.” Alex stuck his tongue out at Claire. “Anyways, what’s the most embarrassing music on your top played?” She settled on a question.
Alex was quiet for a minute, considering his answer. Then Morgan cut in.
“He’s trying to figure out how to get out of saying he is a total Parrot-head. Well technically a fake parrot head but then a real one. Not the point. The amount of times this man has played Margaritaville on his phone? Embarrassing.” They all laughed at this, even Park, though he threw a marshmallow at Morgan first.
“Okay Shaun, since Morgan SO KINDLY interrupted, you’ll give her one now.” Shaun nodded at this, and Morgan chose Truth.
“Have you ever liked anyone on this camping trip?” He asked, and Morgan’s eyebrows raised. The blonde doctor made eye contact with Alex Park, who looked thoroughly amused. He knew how she felt about Claire, and LOVED teasing her about it.
Claire watched as the two of them looked right at each other, and shoved down the jealousy worming into her stomach. She supposed it made sense, with their competitiveness and all of that, but still, a small part of her maybe thought…
Nothing.
Morgan never answered Shaun’s question.
“How about we switch to something else? Let’s just play Mafia or something… nevermind not enough people. Y’know we could just talk like ordinary people.” she suggested, trying to change the subject.
“True. But what’s the fun in that?” Alex responded. Morgan looked over at him, eyebrow raising.
“I don’t know, there are some interesting topics. What’s going on with you and Mia?” She questioned, earning a scowl from Alex before he answered.
“I told you. We’ve been seeing each other a little more before I move out there. I just want to get a job there before I leave St. Bonaventure. What can I say, I’m gonna miss you guys.” Alex smiled cheesily at them before adding on. “I know Shaun and Lea are finally a thing, anything going on for you two?” He looked up at Morgan and Claire.
“I for one have not dated in a while, been too busy I guess.” Morgan responded. Claire felt a wave of relief pass through her, and then confusion. Why did she care? When she looked back up she realized with a start that everyone was looking at her.
“Oh umm I guess not I mean with the residency I’ve just been busy and when I am at home it’s nice to have some time to myself. It can get a little lonely though I guess.” She said, shrugging.
“I shoulda known better asking a bunch of surgeons about personal lives. There’s no time for one.” Alex joked darkly. The others laughed quietly, all looking into the fire. They sat there for a few minutes, not doing anything.
“Life goes by way too fast once things get good, huh.” Morgan spoke, eyes not leaving the flames. “When you find somewhere you fit it, or meet someone, then the clock seems to start ticking. Now Park is moving. In a few years I’ll have to leave surgery. Even when life is good, you know that it’ll have to end.” The rest of them nodded, still watching the fire.
“I guess that’s just how it works. You get somewhere in life, accomplish things, and then the floor falls from under you. You just have to get back up, and keep trying. When things don’t work out you kind of have to look at the bigger picture. Is the goal becoming an amazing surgeon, or doing something to help people? To make a difference in other people's lives?” Claire responded, the last sentences directed at Morgan.
“Do we have St. Claire back?” Morgan teased, but when Claire looked at her to glare she saw the appreciation in Morgan’s gaze for her words. The others laughed, and Claire’s glare melted into a smile at the blonde doctor.
“Dr. Park, when you move, are you going to continue a residency at another hospital?” Shaun asked the other doctor, pulling a sweatshirt over his head. It had gotten colder, and Claire drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself as Park talked about his plan. Morgan got up for a second, and walked in the direction of the tent. She walked back out holding a blanket and dropped it over the shorter surgeon’s shoulders. Claire smiled gratefully and pulled it around herself.
“If you freeze, I’m stuck with just Lim to fight off any bears or murderers tonight.” Morgan justified her action, characteristically masking true reasoning with dry humor.
“There are several subspecies of bears in California, though I believe the most territorial kinds have gone extinct here over the past few decades.” Shaun added on. Somehow they managed to get into a conversation about bears, Park horrifying them with a bear story from another camping trip he had been on. They eventually switched topics, but spoke for about an hour. By the time Claire checked her watch again it was 9:30.
“Well, I have no idea what Lim is going to have us do tomorrow, so I’m gonna get some sleep.” Alex stood, stretching his arms in front of him as he did. Shaun followed shortly after.
“Wow I just got weirdly tired.” Morgan spoke, still sitting on the tree log. Claire nodded in agreement before Morgan added on. “Help me put out the fire?” The two of them stood up, Claire passing the bucket of water they had got from the lake up to Morgan.
She took the bucket by its handle, pouring it on the flames. The fire went out, and Claire scattered some dirt on it from the ground. The two of them stumbled over to the tent, trying not to trip over anything in the pitch black darkness.
They struggled to find the zipper before climbing into the ten, shutting the flap behind them. The two of them got into sleeping bags quietly, trying not to disturb Dr. Lim.
Claire laid on her back, a root under the tent bottom digging into her back. She sighed, and deciding that it would be way worse to bother the head of surgery, scooted her sleeping back slightly closer to where Morgan’s was, just leaving about a foot between the two of them.
Morgan looked over to her, confusion plain in her eyes.
“Sorry, there was a tree root right under the tent over there.” Claire responded to her gaze. “Sorry, I can move back over, I just didn’t wanna disturb Lim.”
“It’s all good.” Morgan whispered back.
“It’s weird, I was super tired out there, but now that I’m trying to sleep I can't.” Claire spoke, fiddling with the zipper of the sleeping bag.
“I know, I think I’m going to read. Ugh nevermind all I have is a medical journal. You got anything interesting?” asked, leaning forwards to grab the flashlight in the corner.
“I have the first Harry Potter. I just found my copy from when I was a kid.” Claire grabbed the book from her bag, offering it to Morgan. The other doctor grinned, taking the book and opening to the front cover.
“Very St. Claire-like.” Claire glared at Morgan before she added on. “Hey, scoot over, we can both read it.” The shorter doctor shuffled over in her sleeping back, leaning back and propping herself up on her elbow. Claire grabbed the flashlight and held it over the book as Morgan flipped to the front page.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” Claire spoke softly, reciting the first line of the book. Morgan laughed quietly before looking down at the book to read.
Claire leaned against the other doctor, resting her head on Morgan’s shoulder to read it, not unlike after the sea lions when the other doctor fell asleep on her. In a few minutes, Morgan felt Claire’s breathing slow, and when she glanced over she saw her eyes closed.
Morgan smiled softly at the sight of the other doctor sleeping before gently lifting her head and resting it on her pillow. Then she shut the flashlight and put it and the book down. She lied down, and feeling Claire’s warm weight still against her side, let her own eyes shut.
---
Claire’s eyes blinked open, and she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position on her hands.
She was lying in her sleeping bag, legs bent so she was curled up inside it. Claire’s eyes darted around the small tent, seeing Lim on one side still asleep.
She turned to where Morgan slept, but was surprised to see that the blonde doctor was gone. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she quietly stood and stepped out of the tent to attempt to find the other doctor. She shoved her feet into the flip flops she left next to the tent before walking in direction of the water.
Judging by the sky, it looked like the sun had just risen, and it couldn’t be any later than 6:30. She made her way through the woods to where the lake was, a small idea of where she would find her friend flashing through her mind.
When she got to the beach, she didn’t walk any further forward, but instead turned and headed up the thin path leading off from the side. She saw Morgan sitting at the edge of the rock, and purposely walked a little louder so the other doctor wouldn’t be taken by surprise.
“Hey.” Morgan spoke quietly, not moving her eyes from the view in front of her.
“Hey- what are you doing? Sorry, I was worried when I woke up and you were gone. Especially with Park talking about bears the whole night.” Claire sat at the edge of the rock, looking down at the water. It was about 10 feet up from the water and just far enough that Claire would have to be bullied into jumping off it.
“I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. I didn’t want to bother anyone and remembered seeing this spot yesterday. The sunrise was beautiful, you just missed it.” Morgan responded, turning to look at the doctor next to her.
Claire felt her face go a little red, realizing she was still just in a t-shirt and old shorts. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, trying to at least make her hair look like she hadn’t just woken up.
Morgan looked back out at the water, and Claire did the same. Morgan waited a second before opening her mouth to speak again.
“So, were you worried about me again? And yet you insist you are not a soft touch...” Claire scowled, shoving Morgan playfully.
The taller doctor laughed, pushing her back. Claire opened her mouth to laugh before she felt her feet slip a little, and her eyes widened. She slid down the rock, scrambling for a purchase but finding nothing. Morgan’s eyes widened, and she reached out to grab Claire’s hand.
Instead of stopping her from falling, the act just caused Morgan to be dragged down with her. They hit the water, and it was a second before the two of them resurfaced.
Both of their eyes were wide with shock before they started laughing.
“You are so annoying!” Claire yelled at Morgan, trying to stop from laughing as she coughed. In a few seconds they both stopped and Claire realized how close they still were. Claire forgot about the fall, or how her clothes were dragging her down as she treaded, and was now completely focused on Morgan’s eyes.
How they both seemed to be looking into each other, and how the splashing from them keeping afloat faded away.
Morgan looked into Claire’s eyes, seeing a mix of emotions including confusion, maybe even fear, but mostly just something Morgan couldn’t place.
They had drifted a little closer to the shore and Morgan was able to reach the ground if she kept on her tiptoes.
The silence seemed to last an eternity, but it was really just a few seconds of quiet before the two of them crashed into each other, Claire pressing her lips against Morgan’s.
The shorter doctor wrapped her legs around Morgan’s waist to keep afloat, and wrapped her arms around her neck to pull her closer. The kiss was desperate, too long waited for. The two of them were struggling to catch their breath when they broke apart, staring into each other's eyes. A small smile spread across Morgan’s face, and Claire followed.
“I’m sorry.” Morgan spoke, her voice soft. Claire’s eyebrows furrowed, confusion plain in her eyes. “For pushing you in.” Morgan clarified, her smile turning to a grin. Claire laughed, before replying.
“I’m sorry I dragged you down with me.” She apologized as well. “But, Morgan?” She asked. The blonde doctor’s eyes shone with concern, worried for what Claire would say next, obviously expecting some sort of rejection.
“Was that just a one time thing? I don't know if it just happened, or was one of those things where we’ll just go back and pretend like nothing ever happened, and I need to know because I don’t want that to be true.” Morgan’s eyes softened at Claire’s words.
“It was real for me.” Morgan replied, voice conveying emotion that she had wanted to express since just weeks after she met the other doctor.
They were in waters now shallow enough for the both of them to stand, and Claire got her feet on the ground before letting go with her arms and grabbing Morgan’s hands. Claire smiled at her words, looking up at Morgan from where she stood 6 inches shorter.
She tilted her head up again, leaning in for a kiss that Morgan was more than happy to give. This time it was gentler, softer. When they pulled apart they both smiled, leaning their foreheads against each other’s for a minute.
“The others will probably be up soon, huh.” Claire spoke softly, eyes still closed.
“Yeah, we should probably head back.” They walked out of the water, Claire desperately trying to squeeze the water out of her shirt. She realized she was making no progress and stopped trying.
The two of them made their way back to the campsite, walking in silence. However the quiet seemed to say a lot more than anything they could have said would have. And when Claire reached to her side and slid her fingers around Morgan’s, she squeezed them back.
---
The five of them stepped onto the bus, throwing most of their belongings in the back again before plopping down in their seats. Morgan sat in the seat across from Claire’s again, looking out the window at the parking lot between the highway and forest. The sun was setting, and they would probably be back after 12.
“Well, that was fun wasn’t it?” Lim asked, turning to face all of them.
“I just don’t get why we are leaving so late.” Murphy responded.
“I don’t know, I had a great time.” Morgan said, glancing over at Claire warmly. She was rewarded with a smile from the other doctor, one of Claire’s sweet, innocent smiles that never failed to do things to her heart.
“Why did you two kiss?” Shaun asked, his words directed at Morgan and Claire. Claire’s eyes widened as he stated almost word for word her thoughts from before. Morgan blinked in shock, and her mouth fell open as if she was going to say something then didn't.
“I’m sorry, what?” Park asked, looking at Morgan, then Claire, then back at Morgan. Lim chuckled again in the background, and Morgan shot a glare in her direction. Claire continued to stare at the ground, eyes wide and face flushed.
Morgan, on the other hand, let a small grin spread across her face and continued to look out the window. Shaun had obviously caught on, and a small part of Morgan was relieved. Almost like if someone knew, it made it more real.
“So, why is no one saying anything?” Alex asked. “I mean am I the only one who didn’t see all of this? And is Breznick finally a thing or what?”
“I’m sorry, what?” Claire asked, embarrassment quickly replaced with confusion.
“Browne, Reznick, Breznick.” the doctor clarified, grinning. “Personally I was voting for Clairgan but Lim thought the last names would be more appropriate.”
Both girls looked to where Lim was sitting, their wide eyes being met with Lim’s, who just raised her eyebrows once and looked down at her book.
“You owe me 50 bucks, Park.” Lim grinned, causing another surprised look from both Claire and Morgan. Morgan looked over at Claire, and seeing the embarrassed look on her face, Morgan felt her own face fall. Claire noticed, and scooted from her seat over to the one next to her. She squirmed her way under Morgan’s arm, leaning against her.
“Awww…” Park said, and Morgan chucked her water bottle at him with the arm that wasn’t around Claire. The shorter doctor grinned, shoulders shaking slightly in laughter, and Morgan felt a smile of her own spread across her cheeks.
---
When they reentered San Diego a few hours later, Shaun was the only one awake. Dr. Park had his feet on the seat, hands behind his head.
Dr. Lim’s head had drooped over, book still in hands.
And Claire was asleep with her head on Morgan’s shoulder, still leaning on her. Morgan’s head was resting on top of Claire's with her arm still around the smaller doctor.
None of them knew what would happen years, even days ahead of them. But everything was going to be okay.