One Day at a Time - (Season One)

Chapter Twenty: Packing Up

Lukas was very clingy when he finally woke up.

Not that Marty could really blame him. She didn't want to let Lukas out of her sight.

The bad feeling from last night had only intensified after the soldiers came and tried to detain her... and actually took Nick to an unknown facility in God-only-knows-where. Whatever was happening out there beyond the fence that was making all of the military men and women patrolling the neighborhood look so antsy was not a good thing.

One thing, however, was true, and that was that Marty was truly grateful that she'd never fully unpacked her car. After their morning shower, Marty instructed Lukas to pick up all his toys and get ready to bring them back to the SUV. She wasn't going to be leaving things lying around anymore.

Marty worked in the same efficient manner she always had as she packed the small number of clothes they had hanging around the house into their duffle bags and dumped them into her trunk. With Nick temporarily taken, because despite all of the qualms he had with his mother Madison would never actually give up on her son, Marty decided to revamp his bag too. The bag they'd packed in her trunk had a few essentials, but enough to really supplement an entire wardrobe. She stuffed his underwear, socks, two Capri shorts, his swim trunks, flip flops, boots, some of his blue jeans, ten shirts, raincoat, and two of his sweaters into a camping bag. This time, Lukas joined her on the trip to the car as the siblings loaded their goods into the vehicle.

"What are you doing?" Chris asked suspiciously as he appeared from inside of the house; he was clutching onto his ever-present camcorder.

Marty stared at the younger teen consideringly, "Preparing. Just in case we have to bug out." she admitted, "Your dad and, well, Madison are not going to take this lying down. And the soldiers, they've been acting different... Just really weird, you know." And they had, patrols had increased even though they claimed that they had cleared the area of infected six miles all around the camp. "And I just don't want to be caught unaware. Not anymore."

Lukas tugged on Marty's hoodie, "Are we getting Nicky?"

"Soon." Marty promised her brother, pushing his locks out of his face gently, "Let's get everything ready first."

"I'm going for a walk," Chris mumbled as he passed by them and went down the street without looking back.

He was struggling. Even if Marty hadn't been a partial witness to the meltdown he had this morning, it would have been obvious to her. His mother had all but abandoned him last night. Marty only shrugged, if Chris needed to take a walk--then that's what he needs to do. She watched him for another moment before leading Lukas back inside... where Madison was now standing in the kitchen with a conflicted expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Marty asked hesitantly.

The blonde's head snapped to look at her, "Saw you packing up the car." the woman pointed out instead.

"Yeah." Marty nodded, "Something's not right, I figured it'd be safer to get all of our things together in case we have to leave." an understanding look flashed through the older woman's eyes, "After- last night, I just, I mean I didn't feel very safe before, but now..."

"I get it." Madison nodded, rubbing her face nervously before looking back at her, "It's not a bad idea." she admitted, "Do you mind helping me get some things into the cars?"

"It'd be my pleasure." she agreed. At this point, Marty would do anything to keep her mind off Nick... and to get the entire group moving out of the 'refugee camp' faster. The former counselor quickly led Marty into her bedroom where the woman's camping gear was still in a pile on the floor.