Chapter 22: CAMP SURPRISE

"Audrey," Dmitri whispered when the call connected. "Hey !" He softly said.
"Dmitri ?" Audrey instant got up in the middle of the night when she heard his voice. "Is everything ok ? How come you're calling at this late hour ?" she asked in a concerned tone, all her sleepiness vanishing from her eyes as numerous worst case scenarios ran through her mind.
"I just received the message of confirmation for my departure tomorrow for a medical volunteer camp in the interiors of the countryside," Dmitri informed.
Audrey took a breath of relief, relieved that Dmitri was safe before she jerked back. Dmitri was leaving ? No ! She was going to miss him so much.
"Which camp, Dmitri ?" Audrey asked. She was missing him already.
"It's a medical camp," Dmitri replied. "It is a camp where we, as doctors, offer cancer screening, pap-smears, skin consultations, dental check-ups, hearing tests and eye examinations– all for free to those in need," he explained.
"Oh !" exclaimed Audrey with all ears to what Dmitri was saying.
"We provide medicines, hearing aids and spectacles, and follow up tests are given at no cost to the patient," he elaborated as he explained all about the camp he was going to, to Audrey.
"Wow ! I really admire people who work at the grassroots level for the betterment of the world," Audrey admired, awe-struck at the work Dmitri and the other doctors did selflessly.
"Audrey, I've seen the hardships of life at a very tender age while at the orphanage. Therefore, I always make it a point to be part of such free camps, a couple of times in a year," Dmitri revealed.
"It's a kind gesture ! No doubt ! But when will you be back ?" Audrey asked.
"Love, I'll be away for a couple of weeks and we won't be able to talk or text much in those weeks because of our hectic schedules and poor network connections in rural areas," Dmitri gently said to soften the blow.
"Oh no !" Audrey thought before Dmitri's worried voice floated in.
"Will you be able to adjust with a doctor with such an erratic schedule and not have all the riches that you are used to, Audrey ?" Dmitri asked, although his voice betrayed his trepidation.
"I love you just the way you are, Dmitri. I love spending time with you and I promise that I'll never be a hindrance to your aspirations and career," Audrey replied, the mere assurance warming Dmitri"s heart. "I would rather spend my life in an open field with fireflies lighting our home and be with the man I love than have all the riches in the world, Dmitri," she added.
"Thank you, Audrey. You don"t know how much that means to me," Dmitri gratefully replied. "I hope you will wait for my return," he added.
"I will, but the scariest thing about distance is that I don"t know if you'll miss me or forget me," Audrey confessed her fears.
"It doesn"t matter where I am. I'm always yours !" Dmitri softly coaxed. "I am no photographer, but I can picture you and me together for life, darling. I'm excited to see where this ends up going." That elicited a giggle from Audrey but then she remembered.
"The limited communication when you'll be away is going to be tough for me, Dmitri," Audrey whined and almost got watery-eyed.
She knew that the "see you soons" were excruciating but then every time they reunited, she would get to jump back into his loving arms. Every heartbreaking goodbye wasn't anything compared to every heartwarming hello. Still it hurt. She would miss him a lot.
"Me too, love," Dmitri admitted. "But I will try to come back at the earliest," he consoled Audrey.
"And I"ll be waiting for you. Always." Audrey promised.
* * * * *
In the camp ...
"It has been really tough to organize the camp in this weather and remote place but we all braved through it. Thank you everyone, without you this won"t have been possible," Hazel complimented everyone.
"These communities desperately needed medical counseling and assistance," Dmitri said with a shake of his head as he wrapped up his medical kit after Hazel had sent everyone packing. "God knows how they survived so far. However, I can"t wait to go back home and to my Audrey !" He added as camp was about to end in a day. .
"Understandable. We have been away from the hospital for five weeks with such a large team of volunteers coming from across the borders. I am tired too but now, I've become so used to this calm life that I don't feel like going back to the city life," Hazel sighed as she revealed her innermost feelings except for adding away from heartbreaks and you, Dmitri".
"Carrying out minor surgeries, generating awareness and buzzing around for back to back consultations in these areas is a rewarding and soulful experience but I can"t dream of staying in this lovely place," Dmitri replied.
"Because of Audrey ?"
"Because of Audrey."
* * * * *
Later in the day ...
"Hello Doctor !" came Audrey"s lilting, succulent voice from the other side of the phone.
"Hey, Love !" Dmitri replied back with equal amount of love.
"How"s life ?" Audrey purred.
"Quite busy since an unbelievably long time but now, I am just counting hours to be with you by tomorrow evening," Dmitri just couldn"t rein the excitement in his voice. "My eyes get jealous of my heart, sometimes. Because you always remain close to my heart and far from my eyes," he added with mock displeasure.
"Oh really, doctor ?" Audrey flirted back. "Where are you right now ?" she asked.
"Ahh ! Where you are, is where I want to be," Dmitri answered flirtatiously.
"Then, turn around and be there with me !"
And Dmitri did turn around, not believing what he saw.
"Someone pinch me. I think I have gone crazy missing her that I am hallucinating about her now," he murmured and then yelled, "Oww !" after Hazel actually pinched him.
Hazel gave him an innocent smile as he hissed and frantically rubbed over his stinging spot while he glared at her.
"What in the Lord"s name is wrong with you, woman ?" He hissed.
"You got what you asked for and you are definitely not hallucinating. Turn around again and see," she replied and this time when Dmitri turned around, he took three huge but determined steps and engulfed his lady love in his embrace.
"God, I missed you so much," Dmitri chanted again and again. "I am so glad you came," the stressed out doctor murmured as he did not let go of Audrey for a long time. "But wait a minute ! How did you know where I was and how did you get here ?" he asked, still in a trance and unable to believe that Audrey was actually here. Disbelief warred with reality.
"No matter where I went in these five weeks, my heart always tried to claw back its way to you. You're its compass star. So I located you with the help of your friend, Dr. Hazel to surprise you," Audrey"s muffled voice came from Dmitri"s chest.
"I'm so delighted to see you. To be honest, every time I see you, I fall in love with you all over again," Dmitri murmured and hugged her closer to him, afraid that if he let her go she would disappear like smoke.
He still couldn"t believe it that she was actually here.
"I too missed you so much more than the miles between us," Audrey replied before Dmitri finally let go of her. "Thank you, Dr. Hazel," Audrey smiled at Hazel as the latter entered the room of the temporary clinic.
"You're welcome, Audrey ! Enjoy the scenic view of the countryside with Dmitri," Hazel smiled back.
"Let me just wind up everything here and we can go out for sightseeing after that. Hazel, you can also accompany us," Dmitri suggested.
"Oh yes, Dr. Hazel ! Why don"t you join us ?! We'll all have fun," Audrey invited.
"Thank you for the invitation but I don't want to be a killjoy ! You guys, go ahead and enjoy," Hazel joked.
"Are you sure, Hazel ? I can stay till all the camp formalities are complete," Dmitri offered.
"I'll do some packing for tomorrow and will complete the camp formalities here for you, Dmitri. You go and spend time with Audrey. She traveled all the way to specially meet you," Hazel pointed out. "There is nothing that I can"t do here," she added.
"Thanks, Hazel ! I owe you, girl !!" Dmitri called out as he left with Audrey. Hazel gave a small smile in return, willing her tears to go back and waved at them as the couple made its way away from the camp.
Dmitri reached for Audrey"s hands while driving as he couldn't still believe that it wasn't a dream but a beautiful reality.
"This secluded hamlet is steeped in an old-world charm where verdant meadows abut ancient stone cottages with steep pitched roofs ," Dmitri educated, pointing to the scenic beauty.
"It's mesmerizing," Audrey marveled.
"The raw, untamed beauty of this hamlet enjoys a gorgeous setting on the banks, between the pristine lake and a lush mountain that rises dramatically from the water"s edge," continued Dmitri as he stopped the car near the fields at sunset.
It was a huge field in the middle of nowhere that lit up with a wild amount of fireflies at night.
"You knew I liked seeing one or two fireflies ! But these crazy number of fireflies look dazzling and amazingly beautiful !!" Audrey excitedly said, complimenting the thoughtfulness of Dmitri. He remembered what she had told him and turned it into reality !
"Darling, you light up my life, so this isn't anything. Every time I crossed this place at dusk, I thought about you. I really thought about this paradise and your dream of a field lit by fireflies," Dmitri replied with a twinkle in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"I don"t need a paradise because I've found you. I don"t need dreams because I already have you with me now," Audrey whispered and earned a loving kiss on her temple.
Dmitri pulled out a huge blanket and pillows from the car. Then brought out some containers with snacks and other foods which he had made for himself in the morning before leaving for camp, which Audrey thought was cute.
After they ate, Dmitri turned the radio on in his car and turned it up so that they could hear it from where they stood.
He reached over and with one deft gesture stripped the peach ribbon from her hair, freeing it around her shoulders. "Will you dance or will you play?"
It seemed love was a friendship set to music and their hearts were dancing to its rhythm.
His hand smoothed the length of her hair as he gazed into her eyes, his expression tender and full of longing. It still wasn"t clear if she was dreaming this moment of life.
The aching anticipation for his kiss was suddenly too much. His lips descended to hers in a kiss so tender and carnal that she could not help responding.
Audrey felt the taste of him, it was wood smoke and ale and bright mountain"s mint, as alluring as it was seductive.
And that was it. All the self-control he"d exerted over the past weeks went like water crashing through a broken dam.
Her arms came up around his neck and he pulled her against him. His hands flattened against her back and she was up on the tips of her toes, kissing him as fiercely as he was kissing her now.
He clung to her more tightly, knotting his hands in her hair, trying to tell her, with the press of his mouth on hers, all the things he could never say out loud.
He wasn"t sure if nature rooted for this moment or if his mind tricked him into a perfect present, and for the first time since he"d known himself, he didn"t feel shy.
She could feel his warmth burning through his clothes and hers.
And she never wanted it to end. She felt feverishly alive, every nerve ending jangling as they watched the sky, enjoying the private moment.
She felt Dmitri's smile on her lips, and she buried her embarrassed pink face in his shirt.
"I wish we could stay like this forever," Audrey wishfully said while nestling against his side.
"Me too," he concurred softly in her ear.
They watched the stars shimmer above and it felt as though the whole sky was celebrating.
They stayed there, simply enjoying the feeling of being close. There was a stillness about them which nothing could disturb them. They were in their own universe. Just the two of them. Warm, soft and content.