Forget Me Not

31

Chapter 31 – "Back to Basics" – DPOV

After getting everyone home, Meredith went to take a nap, Hannah went to do her homework, Sebastian was confined to a small square foot area of his bedroom and Ian was playing with Dani, and her Barbie dolls.

Needless to say, I spent a long time out on the front porch.

I sat in the wood porch swing that Meredith hounded me for weeks to help her put together, I finally got tired of hearing her nag and smashed my fingers three times before I finally got it done, I cursed and cussed and resented the damn thing... but then she came out and sat down in it, the smile on her face made every second of the torture worth it.

I looked out across the land that showed parts of our life that we'd accomplished. Things that we never thought we'd get done and somehow we managed to get it done. Why did life decide suddenly to give up on us now? If this was my Karma, why did it have to rain down on them too? Why can't I just have my own punishment and leave them out of it...

I sucked in a breath of fresh air as the sun started to set across the horizon. It was so peaceful, so beautiful. Meredith and I had fallen in love with this place upon first sight, we had to build everything up from scratch but in the end it was worth it.

And suddenly it clicked.

I stood up and waltzed back into my house and called out to everyone "Family meeting in the living room, five minutes!"

Heads peeked out of doors as they whispered to each other, wondering what was going on. Slowly they all came down the stairs and trickled into the living room.

"Seriously." Hannah scoffed as she sat down on the couch "we've never had a family meeting, why start now?"

"We've never needed one." I sighed "Everyone sit down."

They glanced at each other but did so. Meredith sat down gracefully interested on the chair next to where I was standing looking at everyone.

"Tonight after dinner you all are to do one thing and one thing only. Pack."

"Pack?" they all said at once.

"Are we going on a trip daddy!" Dani gasped "Oh yay!"

"We are going on a trip." I confirmed.

"Where?" Sebastian asked "What do we need to pack?"

"You will know when we get there." I answered "And pack for three days worth, that's all you get to know."

"I hope it's not Disneyland." Meredith mumbled beside me "Giant mouse's freak me out."

***

It was 4am when I finally stopped tossing and turning. Ever since moving into the guest bedroom I hadn't been able to sleep well, I didn't think it was all that uncomfortable, so much as it was missing something that I'd had for fifteen prior years.

I got up and went downstairs and started getting everything ready, I packed six packing backpacks, fully equipped with basic essentials to survive the wilderness and left them room enough for a small stack of clothes.

At a quarter to five I went upstairs, I started for the kids bedrooms but I stopped at the half open door to my former bedroom. I peered in and saw her sleeping, tossing and turning a little and mumbling as if she were having some sort of bad dream. My heart ached a little and I slipped inside, I walked quietly to her bedside and knelt next to the bed. I softly smoothed my hand over her cheek and she stopped moving but didn't wake up.

"I miss you." I whispered "I know I don't deserve to, but I do..I miss you. But mostly I just miss telling you that I love you, because I do Meredith, I love you so much. And I know that somewhere you are still in there, so if that's the case...please, find your way back to me."