Chapter Seven #3
Fallon did as she was asked, ignoring the chill penetrating her rain jacket.
The tremor in her hand made the beam unsteady, but Nora was absorbed in her examination.
Fallon caught sight of Nora’s firm breasts, hard nipples showing through her soaked sleepshirt.
She looked away as voices began coming nearer.
Nora sighed. “I think it’s okay. This is a hard-shell, waterproof case, and I don’t think it got damaged.”
“Good. Let’s see if we can get you both out of here.”
Once they stood clear of the tent, Fallon took off her raincoat and put it over Nora’s shoulders. “Are you always so chivalrous?” Nora asked, slipping her arms into the sleeves. Her whole body was starting to shake with the cold.
Fallon shrugged. “It’s a habit I can’t seem to break. Even when it works against me.”
Hannah’s voice reached them first as several lights bobbed toward them through the rain. “Oh my God. Where’s Nora? Is she all right?”
“I’m okay,” Nora called back.
Delores gave a cry as her flashlight illuminated first Nora and then her tent. “Oh, Nora. Your clothes and everything.”
“They’ll dry,” Jade said. “The main thing is that Nora’s okay.”
“For sure,” Kennedy agreed.
Another flash of lightning made everyone flinch. “Gwen and Tina have enough room to put you up for one night,” Jade said, motioning at the large pup tent on the other side of the kitchen. “Do you need to get anything else first?”
Nora shook her head, and the crew headed toward Gwen and Tina’s site.
“Hey!” Jade called loudly. “Gwen. Tina. Wake up.” When there was no response, Jade thumped her fist on the rain fly. Big drops flew everywhere as she called, “Wake up. We’ve got a problem.”
Shuffling noises came from inside, and Gwen’s voice murmured something indistinct. Then, Tina asked, “What?”
“Nora needs to crash with you, just for tonight.”
As the shuffling continued, Nora turned to Fallon, putting the camera case in her hands. “Would you keep this for me? Please?”
Her voice quavered seemingly from the cold, but Fallon understood what she meant. Gwen and Tina couldn’t be trusted around something so important. “Of course.”
The tent zipper moved, and Tina’s head poked out. “What’s going on?”
Jade explained what had happened. “Nora needs to stay with you for the rest of the night. We can get her new equipment from base camp tomorrow.”
Gwen’s voice came from inside. “We don’t have enough room.”
“What do you mean? You have the biggest tent here,” Kennedy said. Jade shook her head as she put her hand on Kenn’s arm.
“Well, our stuff is everywhere, and there’s no place for her,” Gwen insisted, her voice muffled.
“Sorry, Nora.” Tina’s head disappeared, and the flap zipped shut.
Nora took a step back, looking away from the group. “It’s fine. I’ll sleep in Fallon’s car.”
“No.” When Nora looked at her with a frown, Fallon added, “You won’t be able to dry off or get warm in there. It might be kinda close, but we’ll fit in my tent.”
“Listen, Nora. I can stay with Fallon,” Kennedy offered. “Just give me a second to grab my stuff, and you can sleep in mine.”
The rain picked up, and Jade directed the group to the kitchen area, the steady barrage of water on the tarp making conversation harder. “It’s your call, Nora. Whatever makes you most comfortable. But you need to decide before we’re all soaked.”
Nora wrapped her arms around herself before turning to Fallon. “You sure you don’t mind? I’m getting really cold, and I want to get out of this weather.”
“It’s fine,” Fallon said, resisting the urge to smile. “And thanks for the offer, Kenn.”
“We’ll sleep in an extra hour in the morning,” Jade said. “Everyone get dry and warm as fast as you can.”
Delores murmured, “Nice try, homie,” as she and Kennedy walked toward their tents.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Hannah said, giving Nora’s arm a squeeze.
Everyone dispersed, and Fallon and Nora quickly shook off as best they could before stepping into the vestibule.
“Stand here,” Fallon said, ducking into the bedroom.
After locating a fairly fresh towel and some long underwear, she returned, handing them to Nora.
“Lucky for you, I’ve still got one clean pair. ”
“I can’t take your last thermal layer,” Nora protested through chattering teeth.
“You can, and you will. We’re returning to base camp in two days,” Fallon said.
“Major laundry facilities there.” She stepped out of her wet boots, putting them on the far side of the vestibule.
“Dry off as best you can before you put them on. Then put the towel on the floor so you don’t get dirty crawling through. I’ll finish changing inside.”
Before Nora could protest further, Fallon unzipped her pants and hung them on the line. “Put whatever you want on there too. Just make sure nothing drips into our boots.”
She’d completely forgotten that she wasn’t wearing any underwear, but the sudden draft from below, combined with the stunned look on Nora’s face, brought her instant recall. “Oh my God…I…I was in a hurry when I heard you scream.” Was it possible to literally die of embarrassment?
A wry grin replaced Nora’s shocked expression. “Chivalrous to a fault yet again.” She extended the towel, and Fallon grabbed it, covering herself. Backing into the Velcro flap of the bedroom, she tossed it back out once she was all the way inside.
“See you in there.” Nora’s voice shook with laughter. Or maybe it was the cold. Fallon was so flushed, she actually felt warmer.