--
Bright and early the sunrise hit the camp. All was silent save for the soft chirping of the birds. Frank was the first to wake up and he poked his head out of the tent he'd shared with Jake that night. Other than waking up cold and alone, relatively, he accepted his punishment for the stunt they'd all pulled. Before he went home, he was going to have to give Christian some payback for roping him into this. He should have followed his first instinct and refused.
"Hey... watch it!" came the muffled reply from behind him. For whatever reason, Jake had slept across the entry to the tent. Frank had to step over him to get out.
"Sorry Jake. I'm going down and take a shower. Hopefully Shay and Frankie will be awake by then and we can explain things to them."
"Yeah, right. With what we did I highly doubt there would be any explanations that they'll accept. I think I heard Frankie say something about not wanting my head on a silver platter... but abject public humiliation would suffice." Jake growled. Without his Firecracker there by his side, he slept not one little bit and was in a cranky mood. If Frankie didn't let him make it up to her, he was going to have a rough day.
Frank chuckled as he wandered down to the shower stall and cold-water tank. Without ceremony, he stripped naked and slid into the shower. He at once knew what Katie referred to about not taking long. The water was ice cold and in tandem with the morning air, within minutes he was chilled to the bone - chilled enough that his teeth rattled and chattered.
He never even noticed the small glint of the camera as it whirred back and forth.
Far removed from the camp and hidden in a secluded spot of bushes, Frankie and Shay were trying their damnedest not to bust out laughing. They could hear his teeth chattering in the cold and the laptop was firing off some excellent quality screen caps.
"Oh my gawd!" Shay breathed out between giggles. I can't believe this. THIS one I get framed and put on my bedside table!" She pealed down into laughter again, resting her head on the grassy ground.
"Will you be quiet?!" Frankie laughed. She had the binoculars pressed to her eyes and was continually watching the camp for activity. "OK. Katie's up and about; damn she looks nervous. Maybe I was too quick to include her in this."
"You didn't have much choice. It was either include her or she goes to the boyz and clues them in." Shay's eyes were glued to the screen in front of her as it spit out image after image of Frank's posterior. "Damn that man's got an ass on him." she breathed slowly.
"Buck up Shay Donovan. No ogling the enemy, right? Heads up, here comes Ty. Aaaand Monica's right behind him. Looks like she's going to talk to him while he showers."
Shay's fingers flicked over the keys, saving the choicest caps to the hard drive for uploading later. She'd also have to get some email addresses for everyone else, but as she accessed the remote satellite uplink, her face took on a devilish gleam.
"Make me walk half a mile in the nude, wet and freezing to death, will you? Oh yeah bucko, payback's gonna be hell..."
--
After the guys had finished showering, Frankie and Shay carefully made their way back into the camp. Frankie snuck around and slid the laptop into her and Jake's tent, making sure to hide it and well from Jake's curious eyes. Both her and Shay were met with wide-eyed stares of curiosity as they both joined everyone at the fire circle.
"Good Morning!" they both chirped as they sat down together - AWAY from their husbands - and tucked into breakfast.
"I think it's time we hit the lake today for some practice on kayaking. I wanted to get you all used to the equipment where it's safe.
Shay looked up at Katie when she mentioned the kayaking. She had wanted to speak to Frank about that and waited until the group had finished breakfast.
While the men busied themselves picking up the campsite after breakfast, Shay pulled Frank into their tent.
"Look, Shay," he growled in exasperation, "I didn't sleep well last night and I'm not in the mood for any games."
"Look yourself, BigGuy. This is serious and I need your word that you won't breathe a word of this to anyone, especially Jake."
Frank looked intently into her eyes and nodded. "This better not be a prank, Donovan."
"Honest, Frank," she said, holding up her right hand. "It's Frankie. I don't want her to participate in the kayaking." She closed the distance between them and slid her arms around his waist.
"Why, baby? Is something wrong?"
She sighed loudly and rested her head against his chest. "Frankie's pregnant."
"Well, that's wonderful news," he responded and hugged her softly.
"I agree!"
She looked up quickly and he saw the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. "Is it because of Ariel?" She had come close to losing their daughter early in her pregnancy and apparently feared the same fate would befall Frankie.
Shay finally spoke after a few moments. "Tiger, she's only a month along and she's still recovering from the surgery she had to go through. Baby, I just don't want anything to happen to her."
Frank heard her voice catch in her throat and knew she was on the verge of tears. He pulled her close and gently stroked her hair. "Shhh...we'll talk to Frankie and convince her to sit this out. It'll be all right..."
"But you can't tell Jake, you have to promise me," she insisted stretching up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
"Why hasn't she told him yet? Jake will be thrilled to know he's going to have a child."
"Tiger, that's Frankie's business and don't you go giving her a hard time about it either," Shay insisted.
"Yes, Mrs. Donovan. You have my word on both counts," Frank promised and with his hand at the small of her back, ushered her out of the tent.
From across the campground, Frankie spotted Shay and Frank leave their tent and frowned. Shay looked terribly upset and she wondered what Frank had said to upset his wife. She tossed down the small armful of wood she had gathered and approached them.
"You okay, Donovan?" she asked looking at Shay, making it plain which Donovan she was speaking to.
"I...yes, why do you ask?" she replied with a slight smile.
"You look like you're about to lose it, girlfriend."
"She's worried about you, Frankie," Frank supplied.
"Whatever for? I'm fine. I've told you several times the doctor has given me a clean bill of health."
"Francesca....Shay told me about the baby."
"Shay! You promised me!" Frankie hissed. Her brow creased into an angry pucker.
"Whoa there, Frankie. Before you get your thong in a twist, I'll keep my mouth shut. No one will tell Jake, I swear. But with the problems you've had with the altitude and the pain you experienced with the archery...well, Shay...and I think it would be best if you sit out the kayaking." Frank took a breath and waited for Frankie to either see their position with calm calculated reasoning or haul off and beat the crap out of them.
"I have had some problems, but they're to be expected," Frankie admitted.
"And further problems could result in..." Shay trailed off and shook her head. She was too close to the problem; too close to tears. She squeezed Frank's hand and with eyes that pleaded Frankie to do as they asked, she walked away to try to compose herself before anyone noticed the trio and the seriousness of their conversation.
However, on the other side of the camp from where he'd been encouraging Cody, Jake did look up and see the trio... along with their unpleasant expressions. 'What the hell...' he thought. He'd been about to go over when he saw Shay depart from the gathering in near tears. Whatever it was, it centered around Frankie.
"What the hell was that all about?" Frankie demanded softly.
"Shay almost lost Ariel early in her pregnancy. She's worried with as much strain as your body has been under lately that you're taking too big of a risk with the baby. She only wants what's best for you."
"I...I didn't know," Frankie whispered and glanced over at Shay. Making eye contact, Frankie read the fear and concern in her eyes. "Okay, Frank. I'll back off. I'm not sure yet how to feel about a baby and being a mother...but I won't take any unnecessary chances."
"Thank you, Frankie." He smiled softly and nodded to Shay. He could see the relief wash over her face.
***********
Ah...a little peek into what the ladies ultimately have planned for revenge. Have you guessed their intensions? Stay tuned to see how the group encourages Cody to go after what he wants...