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It started with a bet.
Of course it did. Everything that Jake and Amy did in their lives usually stemmed from some sort of overly-competitive nonsense. However, today as he watched the green hills roll by as Amy drove them deeper into upstate New York, Jake was starting to think this may have been his most favorite one yet.
They had been watching an old survivor rerun when Jake declared he could easily survive in the woods with no provisions for longer than the contestant. Amy of course countered that by saying he would die instantly. Somehow, that devolved into Jake convincing Amy that a family camping trip was fully warranted.
They managed to finagle a weekend off, and after several days of Amy saying they shouldn’t go, they were finally on their way to a camping destination Jake had mapped out online. The deal was, Jake handled everything. Amy was willing to come camping (something she dreaded, she was not an outdoorsy gal) as long as she didn’t have to lift a finger.
Jake was happy to comply, he was going to bring his family to do things he’d never done as a kid. Mac was only four and he was already getting to experience stuff Jake had always dreamed of doing with his dad.
Amy’s doubt in his ability to properly orchestrate the trip was a little hurtful, but he understood her reluctance. She liked to be in a warm, safe bed. She liked toiletries and a comfy mattress and she did not enjoy roughing it.
“You know this is bear country.” Amy said as they pulled off the main road and began down a beaten, dirt path toward the location. In an effort to get as far from city life as possible, Jake had decided on an extremely secluded spot in the middle of the woods.
“Ames,” Jake rolled his eyes, “I could take a bear. I have a gun.” He gestured to the handgun holstered on his hip. He normally didn’t keep it on him when he was off-duty, but he felt it might come in handy if they encountered violent wildlife.
“Yes, the man who cried when a pigeon flew into a fan at work is gonna shoot a bear.” Amy scoffed with a shake of her head.
“Okay, that was one thing. It’s another if a bear is trying to eat my kid.” Jake poked her arm playfully, “I’ll let him eat you if you keep being rude though.”
Amy stuck her tongue out at him and looked back at the road, narrowing her eyes as she navigated them through the thick cover of trees. It really was beautiful; the smell of pines wafted in through the open windows, the air was crisp and cool, unlike the sticky and smoggy Brooklyn air. Mac was snoozing peacefully in his booster seat, head lolled to the side as the 3 hour drive had begun to bore him.
Before too long they’d pulled up the spot Jake marked on his phone. At first glance, it was pretty secluded, but Jake could still see a path to the dirt road, so he wasn’t too worried. Both of the adults exited the car and Mac stirred awake, rubbing sleep out of his eyes groggily.
“So what’s the plan, Bear Gryls?” Amy teased as she reached in and pulled Mac up into her arms. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, still coming out of his nap.
“We set up the tent.” Jake said matter-of-factly.
“We?” Amy demanded with a laugh, “Oh no sir. The deal was I don’t have to lift a finger.”
Jake looked at his wife with exasperation, “You’re not gonna help me set it up?”
Amy hiked Mac up a little higher on her hip and shook her head.
“Fine.” Jake shrugged, “I don’t need your help anyway.”
Amy and Mac sat in matching camping chairs, watching Jake pull the tent bag out of the trunk.
No problem, he thought, I can set this up by myself. I mean, the instructions say it’s a three person job, but I’m not most people. I’m a badass. No biggie.
He was wrong though, it was kind of a biggie.
After about twenty minutes of watching Jake struggle to get the tent together, Amy apparently took pity on him and asked, “Need some help?”
But now Jake’s pride was on the line. He held a hand out to stop her from getting up, shaking his head, “Oh you’d love that, wouldn’t you Santiago? Absolutely not! I don’t need any help!”
Amy rolled her eyes, and as Jake turned his back to resume his work, she leaned over and murmured something in Mac’s ear. The boy eagerly jumped out of his camping chair and shuffled over to Jake.
“Daddy?” He asked with inquisitive eyes, “I help?”
Jake looked over at his son and felt himself smiling in spite of his frustration. Amy had prepared Mac for the cold weather by dressing him in a pair of jeans, a gray t-shirt and a little red flannel with his charcoal windbreaker. A dark green beanie was pulled down over his ears, similar to the one Jake wore, and they both had a small wrangle of curls poking out at the nape of their necks. His little converse sneakers were already chuffed up with dirt.
“I would love help from you buddy.” Jake assured him and knelt down to hand him the instructions, which Jake had already read thirty times to no avail, “Can you please read me these?”
“Okay!” Mac did not know how to read, but he was certainly good at pretending. He spouted mostly nonsense as Jake focused harder than ever and managed to snap the poles into place at just the right time. The tent came together in another fifteen minutes with Mac dutifully spouting babble.
“Yay!” Amy clapped excitedly and stood from her chair to give Mac a high-five, “Great job bubba!”
Mac returned her high-five happily, then looked at Jake with a huge dimpled grin. Jake bent down to kiss his forehead proudly and said, “Thanks for all the help Mac!”
Once the tent was together, Amy seemed to relax a little, apparently realizing maybe Jake could handle this. She still didn’t seem particularly jazzed about being in the middle of the woods, but the stiffness in her shoulders settled and she smiled more. As the sun began drawing down behind the hills, Amy neglected her own stipulation of not lifting a finger and started reorganizing the tent, making the sleeping bags up more neatly and rearranging the toiletries.
Jake laughed to himself as he watched her, and he began toting out the tools to put together their portable camping grill. It was his most recent impulsive purchase and he had zero regrets. Mac was currently very focused on a muddy hole by an oak tree, and he had a fat, juicy worm between his fingers that he was examining with interest.
“Hey Mac?” Jake called to their son, glancing over at him as he dropped the worm back to the mud and looked up at his dad curiously.
“What?” Mac asked.
“Do you know what it means when your hand is the same size as your face?” Jake asked, fighting off laughter at his own plan. He dropped the cold burgers they’d been storing in the cooler down to the grill as Mac toddled over to get closer.
“What?” Mac asked again, looking down at his own hand curiously.
Jake held up his own hand in front of his face, the palm facing his eyes in example, and said, “It means you’re a worm.”
Mac frowned in confusion, lifting his palm up in front of his face the way Jake had. In a swift but gentle motion, Jake nudged Mac’s hand so he palmed his own face, leaving a smear of dirt on his forehead. The four-year old’s eyes widened as he realized he’d been duped.
“Now you have mud on your face just like a worm.” Jake grinned.
“You’re a worm!” Mac reached down with a giggle and scooped up a handful of dirt which he flung at Jake, who squealed obnoxiously and dodged it.
“Oh, you want a war?” He demanded, reaching for the ground to collect more dirt.
“Jake Peralta!” Amy’s stern voice alerted both boys, who looked at her with wide-eyes. She crossed her arms and shook her head, “Jake you have an unfair advantage, you’re too tall. Get on your knees. Mac, apuntar a su cabeza!”
“Si mama! Get on your knees!” Mac ordered Jake.
Jake threw his hands up in exasperation, “Ames, you’re gonna have to man the grill. I’ve been drafted into the worm wars.”
Amy took over at the grill as Jake fell to his knees dramatically and began chucking clods of dirt at his child. Mac let out a roaring laugh and did the same, scooping up the earth in his little hands and flinging it recklessly. Amy dodged flying dirt and laughed as she watched them wrestle and toss chunky ground at each other.
By the time the burgers were done both of the boys were scuffed up and covered in dirt patches. Amy made them rinse off thoroughly before they were allowed to plop down in camping chairs and dig in. The trio sat facing the sunset, Mac in his tiny chair in between his parents.
Tomorrow morning they had a hike planned up in the mountains and Jake was definitely going to be making smores both nights they were here.
After the remnants of dinner had been cleaned and packed up, Jake set about starting a fire while Amy brought Mac to the tent to get him in pajamas. A coldness was starting to descend on the campsite now as the sun disappeared behind the hills and darkness surrounded them. Jake had to admit it was a bit eerie, nothing but the sounds of crickets and wildlife in the distance when he was so used to the noisy city streets.
He thought about his own father as he gathered kindling for the fire. Jake had asked Roger probably about a thousand times to take him camping as a kid. Jake had always yearned for a more cookie-cutter childhood experience. While he spent most nights in a cramped city apartment with just his mom, making dinner for himself because she was working two jobs, most other boys got to go fishing and hiking and play catch with their dads.
He’d been angry about that for a long time, feeling like he missed out on so much. Not that he didn’t love his mom and appreciate everything she’d done for him, but sometimes it was isolating not having a father in his life.
Jake was over it and then some at this point. Becoming a father himself had been the catalyst he’d always needed to realize that while it sucked not having a dad, it wasn’t the only thing that defined him. He had the chance now to create a new childhood for someone else, a childhood where Mac could look back as an adult and never have to wonder why he wasn’t good enough. His own son would never doubt how much Jake loved him, he would never stay up late at night blaming himself for his parent’s divorce, he would never even have to worry about things like that.
Mac was lucky in that sense. His parents were soulmates, after all.
Amy and Mac returned, both dressed in warm flannel pajamas with their puffy jackets zipped up over top. Jake had to smile, even though it was only cold enough to necessitate a heavy sweatshirt for Jake, his wife and son were both always freezing, and were shivering even in their excessive layers as they returned to their chairs.
“How are my little pioneers doing?” Jake inquired as he squatted down beside the indented fire pit and dropped the first batch of kindling down.
“Getting more frostbitten by the second.” Amy pointed out, her teeth chattering with emphasis.
“Daddy’s got that taken care of.” Jake said with a smirk, and Amy rolled her eyes fondly.
Jake had a pretty easy time of getting the fire started, and soon enough Mac and Amy were both leaning into the warm heat beating off the flames. Jake and Mac picked out a couple of good sticks for the marshmallows, and Amy took her pocket knife to the ends to clean off any uneven bark.
The smiles and laughs on Amy and Mac’s faces were always incredible, but there was something so satisfying about them enjoying something that Jake had done for them. This whole thing was his idea, and while Amy had had her doubts, he could tell she was really having a good time. It made him indescribably happy that he was able to put those joyous expressions on his family’s faces.
Mac was covered in gooey marshmallow and chocolate in no time. He passed back and forth between his parents laps, listening to the conversations he couldn’t understand before eventually his eyelids began to droop. The warmth radiating off of the fire and Jake’s sturdy arms around him were the final straw, as Mac fell into a content sleep. Jake and Amy sat out by the fire for a bit longer before deciding to turn in, hoping to get some sleep before the hike tomorrow.
Amy gingerly took the sleeping Mac from Jake’s arms and brought him toward the tent to get him all tucked in his sleeping bag while Jake began putting out the fire and packing up all of the food items and trash. Soon enough they were all snuggled up in the tent.
Jake had stuffed himself into Amy’s sleeping bag, per her demand since she was freezing. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight against his body, doing a quick survey that all the tent doors and windows were zipped and Mac was safely curled up in his sleeping bag before he allowed his eyes to close.
“Hey, Jake?” Amy’s voice was quiet in the darkness. The sound of crickets outside and the occasional shuffle of grass almost overpowered her.
“Yes babe?” Jake murmured, eyes still closed as he buried his face in her hair.
“Sorry I said you couldn’t pull off a camping trip.” She replied softly, “I was wrong. I’m having a really good time, and I can tell Mac is too.” She looked up at Jake, who opened his eyes to meet her gaze, “You’re the best dad our son could ever hope for.”
Jake felt a small smile tug at his lips as he whispered, “I love you. You’re the best mom he could ever hope for.”
“I love you too. And it was really sexy watching you make that fire.” Amy purred.
Jake let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head, “Oh Santiago, you are truly twisted aren't you?”
“Would we be terrible parents if we snuck out and had sex in the woods right now?” Amy inquired, her voice only half-kidding.
“Terrible?” Jake mused, “No. Irresponsible and borderline actionable? Maybe.”
Amy sighed heavily, “Guess we’ll save it all up for Sunday night.”
“I always knew Sunday was the best day of the week.” Jake kissed her head sweetly and said, “Night Ames.”
“Night Jake.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Jake awoke from a restless sleep with a bit of a start.
He’d drifted off to the steady sound of Amy’s breaths and the chirping of animals outside; but when he awoke now he felt her absence instantly. Jake ran his hands over the now spacious sleeping bag, missing his wife’s body. It was still dark out, the only luminescence coming from the pale moon above.
Jake scrambled out of the sleeping bag and threw his sweatshirt on, squinting in the darkness to confirm that Mac was still fast asleep in his own sleeping bag. Jake unzipped the tent and noticed Amy’s shoes were missing from the pile outside the door.
“Ames?” Jake called into the darkness, trying not to wake Mac up, “Amy?”
His eyes squinted, peering into the black night. Without his glasses or contacts he could only make out vague shapes, tall towering trees and whistling grass in the wind. He paused for a moment, trying to listen for her reply. To his dismay, he heard nothing.
Now he was starting to get nervous. It wasn’t like Amy to just disappear into the night without letting him know, especially in a strange place. Not that she couldn’t take care of herself, but it was dark and unfamiliar.
Jake glanced back at the tent desperately, knowing he couldn’t exactly leave their son alone to go hunt her down. He zipped the tent door back up and turned the flashlight on his phone to high, stuffing his feet into his sneakers as he stepped a bit closer to the treeline, calling out, “Amy?!”
He waited a moment, then heard a rustling of leaves a few yards to the right. He whirled around, swallowing hard, “Amy?”
The darkness seemed to enclose around him as his worry began to grow. Amy was missing in the middle of the woods late at night (or early in the morning, it was all a blur of darkness) and he couldn’t leave Mac alone to go search for her. Just when Jake had decided to go back into the tent to grab Mac and head into the forest, he heard another noise to the right.
He started forward, keeping the tent in his peripherals as he approached the thick rows of pine trees. Jake startled and let out a surprised yelp as his flashlight shone on Amy’s face about ten feet back. She was huddled up in her thick jacket, the tip of her nose red from the cold as she chuffed back up a beaten path toward the edge of the trees.
“Amy Santiago!” Jake started toward her with relief, “What the hell are you doing in the middle of the woods alone?!”
“I had to pee!” she said back defensively.
Jake was about to rip her a new one for disappearing, when Amy let out a strangled, “Shit!” and toppled forward as her foot appeared to hit something in the darkness. Jake shot forward instantly, his view of the tent temporarily forgotten as he approached his prone wife.
“You alright babe?” Jake dropped to her side and grabbed her arms, pulling her up into a sitting position. He shone the flashlight over the small rock that she hadn’t seen, causing her to trip and eat shit.
“I’m fine.” she grumbled with annoyance, “Can’t see anything out here.”
“Missing the streetlights?” Jake mused with a smirk.
“Just help me up!”
Jake dutifully wrapped his arms around her torso and helped her to her feet. He released his grasp and Amy grimaced, stumbling forward. Jake’s arms shot out instantly and he steadied her, glancing down at her feet, which were stuffed clumsily into her unlaced boots.
“Are you hurt?” Jake asked worriedly.
“I’m fine.” Amy repeated with a shake of her head.
Jake released her again, but watched her carefully as she tried to take a step forward. Her ankle gave out again and she hissed in pain. Jake’s fingers curled around her arms as he held her up. She finally submitted and fell against his side.
“You hurt your ankle.” He conceded.
“I must’ve twisted it when I fell.” she muttered, “Stupid fuckin’ rock. Stupid woods.”
“So we’re blaming the woods for your lack of coordination now?” Jake teased lightly as he held on to her tight and started guiding her back toward the tent.
“I am plenty coordinated!” Amy snapped, “I’m a police sergeant!”
“Not rock-proof though.” Jake mused as they finally reached the tent and he bent over to unzip the door. Jake helped lower Amy to her butt on the floor of the tent, her feet hanging out over the door. He squatted down and looked at her seriously.
“Gonna take off your shoes and check out the ankle.” Jake warned her. Amy nodded.
Gently, Jake slid the boot off her good foot. Then he moved over to the injured one, his brows pulling up with sympathy as he tenderly began pulling the boot off. He glanced up at her face as he worked, his heart wrenching a bit at the scrunch of pain in her nose.
“Sorry babe.” He murmured quietly when the boot finally slipped off, and he caught her ankle with one hand to stabilize it.
“It only hurts a little.” Amy replied, though there was a definite strain in her voice.
Jake brought the flashlight closer to examine her foot, wincing in sympathy as his fingers gently probed the stiff flesh on her ankle. Amy inhaled sharply and he glanced up at her face, which was wrinkled up in a pained expression. The ankle looked a little swollen already, which wasn’t a good sign.
“Alright babe, we gotta get you out of here.” Jake shook his head, still cradling her foot in his hands,“I don’t like the look of this ankle.”
“No,” Amy argued, “It’s the middle of the night, Mac’s fast asleep. We have all our stuff in a tent. Plus the hike tomorrow-”
“Amy you are not hiking like this.” Jake cut her off, “You need x-rays and probably a brace. We’ll just take all the necessities and leave the tent. We passed a town like 15 miles back. I’m sure they have a hospital.”
“Jake, really I’m fine it’s just a twisted ankle.” Amy continued with a shake of her head, “We don’t need to disrupt the whole trip.”
“Amy-” Jake started to argue again, but she cut him off.
“I’ll just elevate it tonight and we’ll see how it is in the morning.” She insisted, “I’m not going to die from a twisted ankle babe. If it’s bad tomorrow we can go. I just wanna sleep now, okay?”
Jake didn’t like it, “Amy, I don’t think-”
Amy cut him off by taking his face in her hands and meeting his eyes, “Jake Peralta, I am fine. It’s just a twisted ankle. I want to get some sleep.”
Before he could reply, a muttered, “Mommy?” came from inside the tent. They both let out a breathless sigh, glancing inside as a groggy Mac tumbled toward them, rubbing bleary eyes with his small fists.
“What are you doing up baby?” Amy asked softly.
“It’s so cold.” A visible shudder ran through the boy’s body, though he was bundled up in winter pajamas and two sweatshirts with a few pairs of thick socks layered over his little feet.
“Why don’t you snuggle up in the sleeping bag with Daddy and I’ll take yours?” Amy offered, and Jake’s shoulders sagged as he realized they were definitely not getting her ankle checked out until the morning.
Mac nodded, looking up at Jake hopefully. Jake offered him a small, tired smile, “Okay bubba, let me get Mommy situated in her sleeping bag first.”
It took a bit of arranging, but Jake managed to get Amy somewhat comfortably in the sleeping bag with an extra pillow beneath her foot. She insisted she was comfortable, but she looked stiff and rigid on her back. Jake gave her a few ibuprofen from the first aid kid and stroked her hair worriedly for a moment.
“I’m fine babe.” She promised, “Go get to sleep. Mac looks about ready to collapse.”
“Wake me up if it starts hurting worse.” He ordered her, “I mean it Amy.”
“I will.” Amy nodded and gripped his hand lovingly for a moment, “Goodnight.”
“I love you.” Jake told her warmly.
“I love you.” She looked over to Mac, who was practically asleep on his feet, “Te amo Mac.”
“Love you mommy.”
Jake turned and smiled at their bleary-eyed son. He opened his arms wide and Mac shuffled forward, nestling against Jake’s chest. Jake pulled the cover of the sleeping bag up around them, arms wrapped around Mac, who was shivering with the cold. The boy buried his face in Jake’s chest, arms tucked up against his own body.
Jake rested his chin in Mac’s curly hair, eyes closing with contentment as he felt the boys chilled trembles begin to soothe. He ran his hands gently up and down Mac’s back rhythmically. It didn’t take long for Mac’s breathing to steady and his body to go completely limp, a sure sign that he was conked out.
“You okay Ames?” Jake murmured into the darkness. He received no reply other than her soft breathing, so he pulled Mac a little tighter against his chest, and tried to get some sleep.
Jake would’ve liked to awaken to the sound of birds chirping loudly, but his son tended to be louder than other noises.
“Daddy!”
The detective bolted upright at the urgency in Mac’s voice, wiping a hand across his bleary eyes and looking around. Sunlight streamed in through the thin roof of the tent, and the frigid morning air curled around him like a cloak.
Mac was standing at the foot of their sleeping bag, shivering in his layers, and Jake was immediately on alert when he saw Amy was absent from the tent.
“Mommy fell down!” Mac said frantically, gesturing at the open tent door.
Jake was on his feet in an instant, “Stay here!” he told their son, grabbing his shoes from outside and sliding them on quickly.
“Amy?!” Jake called, glancing around them at the expanse of trees. It was a little easier to see in the daylight, but he’d still neglected to grab his glasses in the hurry.
“Over here!”
Relief burst through his chest at the sound of her voice, and he followed it to their car. Jake rounded the corner and saw Amy on her ass beside the driver side door, keys in hand, her injured ankle bent at an unnatural angle.
“Amy what the hell?” Jake demanded as he crouched down next to her, looking worriedly at her foot. The swelling seemed to have gotten worse, and he could see the beginnings of a pretty nasty bruise crossing her skin.
“Mac needed his allergy medicine.” Amy gestured to the car, where his children's allergy medication was in the center console, “The pollen. I was so damn close and my leg gave out.”
“Why wouldn’t you wake me?!” Jake shook his head,rubbing a hand across his forehead, “Ames your ankle is fucked up.”
“It’s not that b-”
“Shut it Blackbeard!” Jake warned her sternly, “We’re going to the hospital. Come here.”
“Blackbeard?” Amy demanded with confusion as she allowed Jake to reach around her waist and hoist her up to her feet by the armpits.
“You know, the pirate?” Jake shook his head as he situated them so she was leaning against his side, moving around toward the passenger door, “Peg leg. You have one leg right now.”
Amy shook her head, “Not your best. Besides I don’t think blackbeard had a-”
Jake shut the passenger door on her with a thumbs up, chuckling slightly at her eye roll in response. He made it back to the tent, where Mac was standing worriedly beside the sleeping bag, brown-eyes wide with concern.
“Mommy okay?” he asked in a small voice.
“Mommy’s gonna be just fine bubba.” Jake promised, reaching down to pat the little guys curls affectionately, “She hurt her ankle though, so we’re gonna bring her to the doctor. They can wrap it up for her and make it all better.”
“Okay.” Mac nodded.
Jake instructed Mac to collect all of his bedding and bring it to the car. The boy was dutiful and obliged his father’s orders with ease, toddling across the campsite with his arms full of pillows and blankets. Amy watched from the passenger seat of the car, a proud expression on her face as Mac helped.
After about fifteen minutes, they’d managed to load everything back up in the car. Mac was strapped into his carseat with an applesauce pouch to tide him over until they could get some real breakfast, and Jake was pulling back out onto the dirt road they’d taken here. It was at least 45 minutes back to town, so they settled in for a bit of a drive.
The first half of the drive was quiet, just the low thrum of the radio and occasional chatter between Mac and either of his parents. The morning sun was brilliant, beautifully illuminating the mountains in the distance.
“Great hiking weather.” Amy mused as she watched the landscape blur by.
Jake glanced sideways at her, recognizing the guilty look in her eyes, “Hey, Amy-”
“I ruined the trip.” she cut him off, turning to meet his gaze sadly, “I’m so sorry.”
“Stop it.” Jake shook his head, “You didn’t ruin anything. I’m sorry that you got hurt. That wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t dragged you out here.”
Amy smiled a little, “No, I was having a lot of fun.”
“Yeah?” Jake offered her a grin in response, “But you hate camping.”
She shrugged, “I don’t hate it with you.”
“Aw Ames.” Jake chuckled bashfully, “That’s just the pain talking. It’s making you soft.”
“Maybe we can schedule a do-over trip next month?” Amy suggested.
“Yeah!” Mac cut in from the backseat excitedly, “Can we Daddy?!”
Jake glanced at Mac in the rearview mirror. He had applesauce strewn across his face and purple bags under his tired eyes, but there was also excitement and eagerness in his expression. He seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of camping again, and even cutting the trip short hadn’t dampened his joy.
Jake may not have been able to give him the full experience he’d hoped for, like he always wanted when he was a kid, but he realized they had something else. They didn’t need to do elaborate activities or make special trips. Just spending the time together was enough.
It sounded cheesy, sure, but it was a damn good feeling to know that your child could count on you to always be there and never felt like he was missing out.
“I think we can make that happen.” Jake agreed, laughing at the chorus of cheers from Mac and Amy. “We have to get Mom some better boots though.”
“I second that.” Amy nodded, glancing down with a wince at her swollen ankle.
“Does it hurt?” Mac asked Amy, concern creasing his forehead.
Amy smiled warmly at their son, “Just a little Mac, but you and Daddy are taking very good care of me.”
“Does it hurt like when you shot Daddy?” Mac asked nonchalantly.
Amy turned to face Jake, her eyes narrowing. He swallowed hard.
“Mommy didn’t realize we had already told Mac that story.” Amy said.
“It slipped out. And Daddy paid Mac five dollars not to repeat it!” Jake reminded their son.
Mac giggled, going back to his applesauce as if he hadn’t just earned his dad a night in the doghouse.
Jake glanced at Amy with a sheepish grin, “So, about that-”
“Zip it or I’ll shoot you in the other leg.” Amy warned, but there was a teasing note to her voice.
Jake quickly shut his mouth and let his eyes wander back to the road. They drove for a few quiet moments before he felt Amy’s hand slip into his, and squeeze tight. He gripped her fingers, a small smile lingering on his face.
By the time they reached the hospital, Jake and Amy had already planned their next camping trip. Amy promised she’d wake him if she needed to use the bathroom or do anything in the dark woods the next time they went, but Jake already knew that wouldn’t last. His wife was nothing if not consistently stubborn.
And damn it, he loved her.
The trio walked together into the ER bay, Amy leaning on Jake’s side, Mac trailing ahead of them making observations about the paintings hanging in the hospital hallway. The trip may not have gone quite how Jake planned, but he’d ended up exactly where he wanted to be. His wife in his arms, and their son laughing with joy.
All in all, it could have gone a lot worse.