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It was supposed to be a day of fair weather. The forecast had promised that it would be cloudless and unseasonably warm. Perfect for what he had planned for a day of fun with the girls and Murtagh. Claire had been working hard and had been unusually tired this week. He wanted to give her a break, give the girls an outlet for their energy, and give Murtagh a chance to spend time with them all. Well, all of them minus Claire. They’d settled on an easy hike where the girls could walk on the level portions and could ride in their “backpacks” on the more strenuous lengths of trail. It was going to be invigorating.
“Mmm,” his wife mumbled from somewhere under their comforter.
“What’s that, Sassenach?” he inquired, looking about their room and making sure he had all the things he needed for the hike.
The blankets on their bed moved again and Claire’s voice emanated from within. “By the time you get out of the house, it will nearly be naptime.”
“The lasses can nap in the car or as we carry them. It doesna matter much to Murtagh or myself,” he went on, blissfully. It was going to be perfect.
“I hope you all have a lovely time,” she murmured, slowly emerging from under the covers and reaching an arm out to pull him down to her for a good morning kiss. “Did you pack lunches for yourselves? And snacks for the girls?” He groaned as she pulled back from their kiss to ask him.
“Aye, Sassenach. We’ve food aplenty.” He ducked back down for another kiss.
Claire turned her head and laughed musically as he bumped her cheek with his lips instead of her mouth. “Not rations for a search and rescue mission, Jamie,” she giggled again. “I mean goldfish crackers and applesauce pouches and such.”
“Aye,” this time he reached to pin her hands down above her head. She wriggled in a half-hearted attempt to free herself. “All is prepared. I just need my wife to see me off properly,” he smirked at her continued writhing deeper down under the covers.
He made sure they had a proper goodbye.
The drive itself had gone smoothly enough. Both Faith and Bree fell asleep for a least a little while as he and Murtagh talked with one another and caught up. It was when they were actually hiking that things slowly began to go south.
First of all, he’d forgotten that Faith didn’t hike. She reveled in nature.
“Da?” came a whisper from the level of his feet. “It’s an insect.” Faith scraped at the ground behind the bug with a twig, careful not to poke it while she motivated it to scoot along.
“Aye, lass. ‘Tis an insect.” He glanced at Murtagh who was tapping his foot in impatience. They were only parked, not even hiking yet, and already they were stalled.
“Is it a kind we can hold?” she whispered again and looked up at him with pleading eyes.
“Aye, lass,” he said once more. “Ye can touch and hold that sort. But then we’re going to start our hike.
As Faith cupped the bug on her palm, Bree scampered about, dropping crackers as she wandered by the trailhead. She’d already found a muddy spot and was gingerly stepping into it to see how far her little foot would sink.
Eventually the insect had been released into its natural habitat and the Frasers had gone on their way. The weather was as lovely as had been promised in the forecast. The hike itself was a very easy one that they were enjoying together. Well, he, Murtagh, and Faith were enjoying it. He couldn’t exactly explain when it had all begun to completely unravel but it was definitely not going well now.
Faith had shimmied up his leg and into his arms then back down more times than he could count. She loved both walking in nature and being nestled near her loved ones. Carrying her was never a chore since she was a tiny, waif-like child and she hung on like a baby monkey. Conversely, Brianna considered being carried to be a type of hostage situation where her freedom had been taken from her. She’d plodded along the whole while and was now beyond exhausted. She was muddy from the bottom up and covered in cracker crumbs from the top down and she was crying about how tired she was while simultaneously refusing to be carried.
“My canna go on!” she howled, plopping down on her bottom on the packed gravel with a crunching noise. Murtagh reached out to scoop the lass up and she shrieked like a banshee, scooting away from him in a crab-like motion. “My go on!” She scowled fiercely, stood, stomping on her tiny feet, and began to stagger down the trail, still crying.
Murtagh made a shrugging motion to Jamie who shrugged back. Faith was clinging to him, stuck like a limpet, so he hadn’t a clue why Bree was pitching a fit the way she was, other than the fact that she was two years old.
“What’s wrong wi’ the lass?” Murtagh mumbled.
Faith, ever helpful, supplied, “She couldn’t go on but now she can. It happens sometimes to toddlers,” she sagely added.
“Oh, aye?”
“Yes.”
The remainder of their hike continued much in the same manner with Brianna asserting her independence in ways that drove Jamie crazy but that Claire had called “developmentally appropriate” for her age. They may have been traits appropriate for her age but they weren’t ideal for a hike in the woods.
“Here, let me take her,” Claire extended her arms for a slumbering Brianna. Jamie carefully transferred their daughter into his wife’s arms. She cradled their youngest as if she was a tiny baby instead of a growing toddler. Bree’s face was dirty and tear streaked, her still baby-fat cheek pressed to Claire’s breast as she slowly rocked her baby.
Faith stood on the other side of the kitchen singing softly to herself and sorting her discoveries at the small table she and her sister often used. Twigs, clumps of mulch, small rocks and wilting flowers adorned the surface. In a small clear glass there was a bug who had ridden in on the nature samples and who was scheduled to be released into their back yard shortly.
“How was your day then?” Claire asked him softly, continuing her gentle soothing motions, pressing a kiss to Bree’s sweaty forehead.
“The hike was picturesque and conversation with Murtagh was nice. I dinna ken how much the lasses enjoyed themselves though.” The corner of his mouth quirked at that and there was a twinkle in his eyes.
“I liked it, Da.” Faith interjected, hearing him from across the room and coming to cling to his legs so he’d pick her up. “I love being with you and my Murtagh,” she smiled. “And Bree too,” she pursed her lips as if to indicate that wasn’t entirely true but she knew it should be.
Jamie bent to lift their oldest into his arms. “I loved being with our lasses but I didna like being wi’ out you, mo nighean donn,” he whispered into her curls as Faith snuggled between them.
“I like being all together most of all too, Mama.” Faith chipped in.
“Being together does make things better, doesn’t it?” Claire hummed happily. “Next time I’ll be happy to go along with you all.”
“Faith?” Jamie asked his daughter. “Have ye seen the pictures of when yer mam and I hiked wi’ you when ye were just a wee thing?”
“Come along, my loves.” Claire went to find the album they kept of their photos. A real album, not one online or on their phones. When Faith had been little she’d loved looking at pictures so much they’d begun to have them printed off.
“Mama?” Faith queried. “I think we’ll need a picture of all of us hiking next time!”