Feeling defeated, Duncan managed to pivot on his foot and hop back to the bed. Since he was already up and knew he could make it across the room, he used the bed the same way he had earlier to make his way to the bathroom. It was a bit further than the window, but Duncan was determined to make it since his bladder was near bursting, and Pierce wouldn’t be home until the morning to help him.
Getting to the bathroom was a bit more difficult, but Duncan persevered and was able to do his business before slowly making his way back to the bed. By the time he was settled, his entire body was shaking from exhaustion, but he was proud of himself for being able to make his way around the room. Having that little bit of independence had renewed his spirits, and his mind began to churn with ideas. But they’d have to wait. Right now, he was too exhausted from his little field trip to try anything else. He decided to load a movie in the DVD player, and he munched on some of the snacks and drank the glass of cranberry juice Pierce had left for him while the movie played on the laptop. He got more than halfway done with it before the exhaustion overtook him and he drifted off to sleep again.
“Good afternoon, sleepyhead. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep all day,” Pierce mused from the doorway.
“I guess I was more tired than I thought. Whatever I had must’ve sucked my energy,” Duncan said through a yawn as he stretched his arms over his head.
“Between that and your ankle, I’m sure you needed all the rest you could get.”
“Maybe. But now that I’m awake, do you think we can go outside for a bit?”
Pierce worried his lip with his teeth. “Do you think that’s wise? The pollen count is high today, and I don’t want your allergies to bother you.”
Duncan sighed. “I think I’ll be fine. Please, Pierce? I need to get outside and soak up as much vitamin D as I can.”
“It’s still early. How about a shower before you have some breakfast?”
“That’d be great. I do feel grubby after sleeping so hard.”
“Come on, I’ll help you get to the bathroom.”
Halfway to the bathroom, Duncan asked, “While I’m in the shower, can you open the window again? It was nice to feel the breeze.”
“Sure, I’ll open it after you get in there.”
Pierce settled Duncan on the closed toilet while he adjusted the water and grabbed Duncan some fresh clothes and a towel. Duncan wasted no time with limping toward the shower and getting inside to bathe and wash his hair. When he was done, he made sure to drop the soiled clothes down the laundry shoot, and then yelled out the door to Pierce that he was finished.
“I thought you were going to open the window?” Duncan asked when he realized he didn’t feel a breeze.
“It wouldn’t budge. The humidity must have the pane swelled shut. It happens sometimes in old houses like this.”
That would explain why it wouldn’t open for Duncan the night before.
“Oh. Well, I guess I can feel the breeze when we go outside.”
“Let me make you something to eat, and then we’ll see how you’re feeling afterward, okay?”
“Pierce—”
“I just want to make sure you keep it down, and if you’re going outside, you need your strength to get down the stairs.”
He had a point, so Duncan relented. “I am hungry.”
“Does anything sound good to you?”
Duncan thought about it for a second. “You make delicious eggs.”
A smile lit up Pierce’s face at the compliment. “Eggs it is, then. How about some toast to go with it?”
“That sounds perfect. Thank you.”
Pierce gave Duncan another smile and a wink before leaving the room. Duncan settled back against the headboard and waited for his breakfast. He debated on telling Pierce about his trek around the room but decided against it. He didn’t want to upset Pierce, and he knew telling him he was up walking around the room would do so. Pierce had been adamant Duncan utilize him for anything he needed, and Duncan knew the argument that Pierce wasn’t home wouldn’t hold any merit. Not when Pierce would remind him of what happened the last time he tried walking with a crutch.
A few minutes later, Pierce returned with his tray laden down with cheesy scrambled eggs and some toast with strawberry jam spread on top. For some reason, Duncan couldn’t help but eye the toast warily, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Something was blocking a memory that was trying to form, and no matter how hard he tried to recall what it was, he couldn’t. The longer he sat there trying to force the memory, the more he prolonged going outside. So, Duncan wasted no more time, diving into the eggs before taking a couple bites of the toast. As he lifted his fork to take another bite of the eggs, he felt a slight tickle in his throat.
Clearing his throat, he took a sip of his cranberry juice before taking another bite of the eggs. As he chewed, he nearly choked as the tickle became more persistent, and a lump started to form in his throat. Trying to swallow down the bite of eggs, he gagged and started to cough violently when he started to choke.
“Pierce!” Duncan wheezed out and then noticed the red hives that were starting to form on his right arm.
His eyes grew wide when he looked over and saw identical markings on his left one. His throat started to swell even more, and he started to cough as the tickle became more insistent.
“Pierce!” The scream ended on a screech as Duncan forced it past the lump in his throat, and the word drove him into another coughing fit.
Duncan continue to cough and wheeze on the bed as he heard Pierce climbing the stairs. A few seconds later, Pierce appeared in the doorway.
“Oh my god. Don’t move,” Pierce ordered as he disappeared.
Duncan couldn’t say a word as he struggled to catch his breath. The lump was growing bigger and his hives were starting to itch and burn. Pierce returned moments later with a bottle in his hand.
“Here, I need to inject you with this.” Duncan eyed Pierce warily but couldn’t speak. “It’s an EpiPen. I got it for your allergies, so it should help you.”
Duncan could only nod and was grateful Duncan had it on hand. Duncan continued to cough and wheeze as Pierce tossed back the blankets and jabbed the needle into his thigh to administer the medicine. The swelling in his throat overtook any pain Duncan might’ve felt from the injection, and he willed the medicine to kick in soon.
It seemed to take hours rather than minutes, but soon, the medicine hit Duncan’s system, and he was able to feel the swelling in his throat start to subside. The annoying tickle started to dissipate, and soon he was left with a throat that felt raw and sore.
“Well, it looks like you’re allergic to strawberries,” Pierce said with a frown.
“I’d say so,” Duncan croaked. “How did you forget?”
Pierce shrugged. “I didn’t know. You never ate strawberries in front of me, but I figured you didn’t like them and never asked. I’m just glad we had this EpiPen here. Otherwise, it’s hard to tell how bad you would’ve gotten before we made it to the hospital.”
“I’m getting sleepy,” Duncan sighed.
“It’s probably the shock to your system wearing off.”
“Don’t want to sleep.”
Pierce reached out and cupped Duncan’s cheek, stroking the skin with his thumb. “Get some rest, Tiger. I’ll be up to check on you later.”
“Outside?” Duncan murmured through the drowsiness.
“Maybe tomorrow.”
Duncan was too drowsy to argue. As Pierce continued to stroke his cheek, he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
The light drizzle on the windshield made for a very long, boring night. The steady drops against the glass, mixed with the small confinements of the vehicle, created the perfect recipe for a cozy atmosphere. But Pierce didn’t need cozy. He had a job to do, and he was currently fighting off the urge to close his eyes for only a few moments. He was tired…so tired. But if he gave in, he might lose the target he�
�d been looking for all night, and his evening would have been wasted.
Instead, he popped the cap on one of the bottles of iced coffee he’d bought at the convenience store and chugged half the contents with a few gulps. The caffeine wasn’t doing much for his system, but at least moving around got his blood flowing. He only had a few more hours to go, and then he’d be home with Duncan.
He recalled how Duncan had looked before Pierce had left him to sleep. The hives covering his arms and the way his eyes looked, wide with fear, had left Pierce feeling scared and helpless. He knew instantly that Duncan was suffering from an allergic reaction and was grateful he had the foresight to buy an antihistamine.
Pierce had bought the medicine for Duncan’s flower allergy and was glad it was on hand for this reaction, instead. He had no idea Duncan was allergic to strawberries and felt terrible for being the cause of the reaction. It was during times like that, Pierce cursed his job and the lack of phone service at their house. He had no way of reaching his husband to make sure he was okay.
As soon as he had gone back downstairs, Pierce had moved the strawberry jam to another shelf, even though it messed up his organized system. But he couldn’t risk giving it to Duncan again. They might not be as lucky next time. A trip to the emergency room was not something Pierce wanted, so if he had to screw up his system by moving a jar of jam, then so be it. Pierce was just grateful he was home when Duncan needed him.
The rain began to pelt harder on the window, and Pierce had to flick on the wipers to keep his windshield clear. Damn precipitation. The rain was going to make his job harder, but Pierce couldn’t give up and go home. He wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, and that included some rain from Mother Nature. The harder the job, the bigger the reward.
Thunder rolled overhead, and a flash of lightning lit up the cab of Pierce’s SUV. He was in for a hell of a storm. It would only be a matter of time before the skies would open and dump gallons of rainwater over his car, but as long as Pierce was dry, he’d stay put. Storms brought out the animal instincts in people, and Pierce was poised to catch the person he was after in action. He’d just have to ride out the storm in the meantime.
Hours passed, the high winds rocking the SUV and the thunder cracking around him, shaking the car with each boom. The lightning provided a perfect show as the fiery light whipped across the sky. Anyone else would’ve been terrified, but Pierce felt soothed as he watched the electric show play out in the sky. During that time, he was finally able to catch what he’d been searching for. Finally, after hours of waiting, he was able to get what he’d come for, and he’d have a happy client by the time the sun rose.
Hopefully, Duncan was able to sleep during the storm and would be awake when Pierce got home. The rain had finally died down a bit during the early hours of the morning, but a light drizzle still fell from the clouds, as if someone had left a faucet dripping rather than shutting it off completely. The standing water splashed the outside the SUV as Pierce drove through the puddles, and the soggy ground made the dirt roads a bit harder to navigate—one of the downfalls of living so far out in the country.
The exorbitant amount of coffee Pierce had consumed had him pressing down harder on the accelerator, and the mud flew behind him, leaving a messy trail as he sped down the road. His car fishtailed as it slid on the slippery ground, but he gritted his teeth to straighten the vehicle as he sped forward. The last thing he needed was an accident because he was driving recklessly. Easing his foot off the accelerator, he allowed the vehicle to slow down a bit as he continued to drive down the muddy road. He knew he’d get home soon enough, he just had to be patient. Then he’d be able to check on Duncan and make sure he was okay after his allergic reaction.
When Pierce pulled up to the house, he nearly forgot to shut the vehicle off, and he almost tripped over his own feet as he ran into the house. Thankfully, there was a bathroom on the first floor, so Pierce stopped in there before running up the stairs—two at a time—to check on Duncan.
“You look much better,” Pierce said at the sight of his husband sitting up in bed.
“I feel it. The medicine you gave me helped. The hives are nearly gone.” Duncan held up his arms to show him.
“I think you should take a dose of an antihistamine just to be on the safe side.”
“Will that make me sleepy?” Pierce nodded. “I want to go outside, remember? How can we do that if I’m busy sleeping the day away?”
“Honey, I just got off work, so I need some rest, too. Besides, it’s raining right now. Let us get some rest, and then hopefully this afternoon we can go outside for a bit before I need to leave, okay?”
“How was work? Did the storms mess up anything at the factory?”
Pierce shook his head. “Nope. I didn’t even know it was storming until I heard thunder, so work was fine.”
“That’s good. They woke me up, so I was worried about you being gone during it.”
“You were worried about me?”
“Of course, I was. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Pierce only shrugged.
“I might not remember who you are, but we are married, so I worry about your well-being. One of these days, the memories will return, but until then I need to focus on the here and now, right?”
“Right. The here and now.”
“Exactly. And I guess right now I need to take some more medicine that’ll make me sleepy and hope the rain goes away so I can enjoy some fresh air.”
Pierce’s smile dropped a little at Duncan’s words. “Right. Let me, uh, let me go get that for you.”
As Pierce descended the steps to grab Duncan’s medication and breakfast, he couldn’t help but replay the words in his mind. Did Duncan even care about him as his husband, or was he just utilizing his presence until he was back on his feet? The question didn’t sit well with Pierce, and he had to push it to the back of his mind, rather than dwell on it.
He couldn’t allow the insecurities he had about Duncan and his memory continue to get to him, or he’d always question everything Duncan said. Like Duncan said, they had to focus on the here and now. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure how he’d handle it if Duncan decided Pierce wasn’t the man for him after all and wanted to leave him. That just wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.
After he made Duncan a quick breakfast of frozen waffles and his favorite juice, Pierce carried the tray upstairs and helped Duncan get showered and settled in the bed. He helped Duncan take his medication and then left him to go downstairs to get a nap himself, but he paused in the doorway before leaving.
“Hey Duncan?”
“Yeah?” Duncan asked around a bite of waffle.
“We were happy once. Very happy, actually. I just wanted to let you know that.”
Duncan gave him a small, sad smile. “I believe you, and the pictures showed me we were.”
“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming on?”
Duncan shrugged. “I just wish my memory would return so I can recall it for myself.”
“I wish it would too.”
Pierce gave Duncan a smile that matched his and then left the room so Duncan could eat his breakfast. After stopping in the kitchen for a quick bite to eat of his own, he went into the living room to make put the final touches on some paperwork. But as he settled on the couch to get some shut eye, he couldn’t stop the doubt from creeping in and making him wonder if Duncan really believed him.
Chapter Fourteen
“Would you like to share a dessert?” he asked Duncan as the waitress hovered by the table.
“Share?”
“Yeah. You know, we get one slice and split it in two,” he explained with a chuckle.
Duncan patted his stomach that was stuffed from lasagna, garlic bread, and the house salad. “I’m pretty full.”
“I am, too, but I thought sharing one would give us both something…sweet.”
Duncan refrained from making an innuendo since the waitress was still there. “A shared dessert sounds
great. Anything you have in mind?”
“How about the strawberry shortcake?”
Duncan’s face fell. “That sounds delicious, but I’m allergic to strawberries.”
“You are?”
“Yup. My throat swells, and I get covered in hives—such a sexy look on me.”
“Well we don’t want to end this amazing evening with a trip to the hospital, do we?”
“As fun as that sounds, I’d rather not.” Duncan loved hearing him call their date amazing, and he had to agree with him. Duncan was having a wonderful time.
“Then how about the chocolate crunch cake?”
“Perfect.”
The waitress wrote down their order and left to place it. “It’s always nice to have something sweet after eating a salty meal,” he mused.
Duncan wiggled his eyebrows. “We could’ve skipped the dessert, then, since I have something sweet for you.”
His date laughed. “That’ll come later. Much later.”
A warm feeling pooled in Duncan’s belly, and he had to cross his legs under the table. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Duncan blinked his eyes open and was surprised that they burned from unshed tears. It had been another memory in the form of a dream—a date he’d been on where his strawberry allergy had been explained. Only…he couldn’t see his date’s face in the dream, same as last time.
He glanced around and was disappointed to see it was dark—again. He’d slept the entire day away and missed his chance to go outside. This had happened every single day, and he was getting tired of it. He understood Pierce’s concern for his allergic reaction, but that had been days ago, so there was no longer any need for the antihistamine. Duncan decided when Pierce tried to give it to him tomorrow, he’d refuse the medication. The hives were gone, his throat no longer had a lingering tickle, and he was tired of sleeping all the time. He wanted to get up and move around so he didn’t lose muscle mass, and he was no longer going stir-crazy—he was stir-crazy.
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