"Come on, let's go." Carrie jogged down the stairs where her husband and daughters were waiting.
"where are we going?" Hadley asked for the third time that day. Carrie had told them all to go pack a bag with clothes for tonight and tomorrow. None of them had a clue where they were going.
"Let's go." Carrie smiled, not answering her question. She'd met with Dr. Montgomery yesterday and her surgery was scheduled for Wednesday, just two days away. Everyone had been especially gloomy and upset since the news, which was to be expected but not at all what Carrie wanted. She wanted her last few days to be special. She wanted them to be happy.
She'd decided to take them to the cabin for the night. They could kayak, swim, hike, and have a bonfire for their last memory as a family of four. They rarely got up to the cabin anymore with their busy schedules, but it had remained one of Carrie's favorite places.
"We're going to the cabin for the night. We're getting away from Nashville and all this mess. We're going to forget about Wednesday, forget about the tumor, forget about everything. No tears, no sadness. We're just going to have fun. Got it?" Carrie spoke as she drove down the almost empty road.
Nobody answered, both girls just nodded their heads lightly.
Carrie looked over at her husband and smiled. He smiled back and put his hand on her thigh.
"Good idea." He mouthed quietly so the girls wouldn't hear.
The rest of the trip was pretty quiet. The sound of the radio playing filled the silence. Hadley and Addie sat in the back on their phones while Carrie and Mike talked occasionally.
When Carrie pulled in to the cabin, everyone grabbed their bags and hopped out.
"Phones." Carrie put her hand out in front of the girls.
Hadley opened her mouth to protest, but didn't. They both handed them over willingly and walked inside. Carrie wanted a distraction free night, just the four of them.
Everyone changed into their bathing suits and headed down to the dock.
"Last one in loses!" Hadley shouted, running down to the end of the dock and jumping in.
Carrie, Mike, and Addie followed, all cannon balling into the lake.
"wow I forgot how good this water feels." Hadley dove down and came back up, throwing her arms up.
"Me too, we haven't been up here in ages." Carrie smiled.
"Anybody else want a float?" Addie climbed up the ladder and walked over to the bin of stuff.
"I want a noodle!" Carrie shouted at her daughter.
"Me too please." Mike added.
"Hadley?" Addie threw her parents noodles and grabbed herself a raft.
"The purple float." Hadley pointed towards the inflatable chair. Addie threw it at her and hopped back in.
"This is so much better than school." Addie laughed, laying out on her raft and sighing contently. Carrie and Mike had talked with the girls teachers and agreed they needed to be with Carrie her last few days instead of school. They could go back when they were ready.
"Don't get used to it." Mike laughed. "You have to go back eventually."
"Yeah yeah whatever." Addie laughed, rolling her eyes.
"Water fight!" Hadley shouted, splashing her parents who both sat peacefully on their noodles.
"Ahh!" They screamed, covering their faces as both the girls ganged up on them and started slashing them.
"You're on!" Mike shouted, sending a splash their way even bigger than both girl's combined.
They pulled the raft up, holding it to protect themselves from their parents.
"Cheater!" Carrie screamed, diving under to come up behind them, splashing them as hard as she could.
Mike grabbed the raft out of their hands and threw it behind him, leaving them wide open.
The whole family began splashing each other like crazy, laughing so hard they were crying and fighting stay afloat.
"Truce, truce, I'm gonna drown." Carrie laughed, grabbing her noodle to keep her afloat.
"I gotcha babe." Mike wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her afloat, bringing her closer to the shore where everyone could stand.
"I'm out of breath." Addie breathed heavily, regaining her breath and strength as she stood in the water.
"Me too, I'm crying." Hadley laughed. She wiped her face off and took a deep breath. "That was fun."
"I love you guys so much."
"Mom, don't." Hadley said, giving her a look. "No tears."
"You're right, sorry sorry. I'll stop." She laughed, wiping her face off. "I'm good."
"I need some water or something, my mouth tastes like the lake." Addie walked towards the shore, everyone else following.
"That's why you close your mouth Addie." Mike joked.
"I was laughing too hard!" She protested, throwing her hands up.
They all went back up to the cabin to have a snack and water break and then spent the afternoon down at the water kayaking, laying out, and messing around.
Mike grilled burgers for dinner and they ate dinner around the bonfire and then cooked s'mores.
"Awe dang it I burnt it!" Addie pouted, pulling her black marshmallow out of the fire.
"Give it to me, that's perfect!" Hadley reached for it, pulling the marshmallow off Addie's stick and popping it in her mouth. "Yummm"
"Yuck." Addie made a disgusted face. "I don't know how you eat it like that."
"Are you sure you weren't adopted?" Mike laughed, fixing a s'more with his black roasted marshmallow. Carrie, Mike, and Hadley all loved their marshmallows black and burnt, while Addie refused to eat it if it got more than lightly brown.
"Shut up." She pouted. "It's gross that way!"
"I didn't like them black till I met your father, I used to like them brown like you, it's okay." Carrie smiled at her youngest.
The family of four sat in silence, enjoying the peace and serenity of the wilderness. Music played softly in the background, adding on to the calm atmosphere.
This was just what Carrie needed, what they all needed. If only she could freeze this moment forever and never let it end.
After Wednesday, they'd never be able to do this again.
