He flexed his feet and was pleasantly surprised his ankle barely screamed and instead gave a loud whimper in protest. That was good. He could work with a whimper. Besides, it’d been a few days since he’d gotten up to walk around the room, and Duncan needed to try it again. Especially since he’d stayed off his ankle since the night he’d fallen, allowing it a few more days to heal. He decided he’d start with a trip to the bathroom.
Duncan tested putting weight on his ankle, and when his whimper turned into a muffled scream, he knew it wasn’t ready for weight-bearing. But when tried to limp on his tiptoes, he noted the pain was minimal. He tested his discovery by limping to the bathroom and was relieved he wasn’t feeling any pain by the time he reached it. When he was finished, he decided it was time to explore some of the house.
He reached the door and pulled it open, revealing the darkened hallway, and hovered in the doorway.
“Pierce,” he called out in a whisper-yell, since he wasn’t sure what time it was.
His phone was still on the bedside table, but he didn’t want to turn around and retrieve it to check the time. Instead, he waited for any signs that Pierce was still home. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous—this was his home, too—but he was. Maybe it was because he was up walking around against doctor’s orders and could risk reinjuring his ankle. Or maybe it was because he knew how angry Pierce would be if he found out what Duncan was doing. But Duncan was a grown man and could do whatever he pleased. Yet, he was relieved when, after a few minutes, Pierce didn’t appear. Duncan had plenty of time to explore the upstairs.
Taking a deep breath, he crossed over the threshold and grabbed onto the wall to use the structure as a crutch. He slid his hands along the surface, seeking out light switch, since the entire upstairs was encased in darkness. How in the hell did Pierce find his way around without a nightlight? Duncan definitely needed to rectify that. He couldn’t imagine how he was okay with it being so dark before.
His hand rubbed against the wall as he slowly limped across the upstairs, and by the time he’d taken a few steps, his eyes had started to adjust to the darkness. He could barely make out the closed doors that piqued his curiosity and the wooden railing that protected him from plunging over the side to the first floor. At the end of the hall, he saw where the floor took a ninety-degree turn with another short walkway that led to the stairs, and another closed door was on the other side. Duncan wondered what each closed door led to, and he couldn’t help but question why they had bought such a big house.
A few more steps and his hand finally brushed against a light switch. Duncan breathed a sigh of relief, and he wasted no time in flipping the switch up into the on position. The entire upstairs was bathed in soft light, and Duncan had to blink a few times to adjust.
He took in the hardwood floors, the stained, wooden doors, and the fact that the wooden walls were completely bare. There wasn’t a single window. No wonder the upstairs was so dark. Why weren’t there any windows? Even though Duncan had a hard time remembering things, he would bet anything he preferred a lot of light. This entire house just felt like something he would never want to live in. But maybe marriage had changed him.
Shaking his head ruefully, he limped down the hallway until he came to the first closed door. Grasping the knob, he slowly turned it until he could push the door open. He reached inside and felt around on the wall until his hand touched another switch, and after he flipped it on, he was surprised to see the room was entirely empty. Duncan recalled how Pierce had said the other rooms weren’t furnished, and the bare space proved it. Shutting off the light, Duncan closed the door and moved down the hall to another one. Pushing it open revealed the same thing. The only variation was a small window at the very back, but only the tiniest bit of moonlight was streaming through the glass.
Turning on the light, Duncan limped across the floor toward the window and peered out. A huge tree was the culprit blocking the moonlight, and Duncan pressed his hand against the glass, as if he were trying to touch the small beam of being cast by the moon. The glass was cool and refreshing against his skin, and the urge to feel the fresh air returned. Grasping the window, he tried to open it and groaned in frustration when it wouldn’t budge.
After trying a few more times, Duncan decided to continue his exploration of the upstairs rather than burn precious energy trying to open a window. Shutting off the light, he closed the bedroom door and made his way down to the end of the hall where another door waited for him. Turning on the light, he found a bathroom with a tiny window above the toilet. It was round and looked almost like a porthole on a ship. And it was extremely high, almost to where the wall met the ceiling.
Duncan looked around and noted there were no signs of the bathroom ever being used—no hand towel, soap, or even a roll of toilet paper—and when he crept closer, he looked inside the toilet and was shocked to see there was no water in the bowl. Duncan tried to think rationally. He used the bathroom in the bedroom, and Pierce most likely used one downstairs, but he still found it odd.
Rounding the walkway, he made his way to the remaining closed doors. One opened to a linen closet that contained one spare set of bedsheets and empty shelves. Closing that door, he went to the next and wasn’t surprised to find another smaller, empty room that easily could’ve been used for an office space. The last door was at the end of the hall on the other side of the stairs. It was a little narrower than the other ones, and Duncan wondered if it opened to an attic. But when he tried to turn the knob, the door was locked.
Duncan jiggled the doorknob in case it was stuck, but the door wouldn’t open. First, an unused bathroom, and now a locked door? The longer he stared at the locked door, the stronger his curiosity became. Giving the knob one last try, he exhaled loudly, loosening his grasp. Duncan bent at the waist to study the lock, and something deep inside spoke to him.
All you need is a knife. It’ll be easy. Just like when you used to pick the lock to your father’s study.
The voice was so loud in Duncan’s head, he couldn’t stifle the gasp that slipped past his lips, and when he closed his eyes, visions of a young boy trying to pop open a lock with a butter knife played in his mind. He could see the boy—himself—biting his lower lip as he wiggled the knife around until the lock popped, and Duncan’s eyes danced with mischief as he pushed open the door to step inside the forbidden room.
Duncan inhaled deeply as his nose was filled with the ghostly scent of pipe tobacco, and his fingers twitched as the boy in his vision trailed his own over the various books and paperwork that littered the desk before making the small globe on the corner spin on its axis. Then, the child walked over to a bookshelf and trailed his finger over the spines of the books that were placed in alphabetical order, and his head titled to the left as he reread the titles for probably the hundredth time.
All too soon, the vision ended. Duncan’s eyes flew open, and his entire body shook from the memory. He could still smell the hint of pipe tobacco and feel the spines of the books against his fingers, even though he hadn’t physically touched them. As he eyed the lock to the door, he knew how to get inside that room. He just had to get his hands on a butter knife.
Duncan turned around to head back to his room, but he stopped and hovered by the stairs. He looked down the steep slope and involuntarily lifted his leg to take the first step, but the twinge in his ankle stopped him. He wasn’t ready—not yet. Duncan had a feeling his ankle would be more tender than usual once he rested it, and he had to give it a few more days before he tried to tackle the stairs. A soft ray of sunlight was starting to shine through one of the downstairs windows, letting Duncan know it was morning, and he knew he needed to get back in bed before Pierce made it home.
The trek back to the room was a bit slower since his ankle was starting to hurt from the excess use, and he hated to admit it felt good to get off his feet and stretch out on the bed. By the time he shifted around to get comfortable and cover himself with the blanket, he heard the front do
or open and close. Duncan exhaled in relief, knowing he’d gotten back in bed just in the nick of time.
He laid there motionless and concentrated on breathing evenly as he heard Pierce moving around downstairs his footsteps sounded on the steps. Putting acting skills he didn’t know he possessed to use, Duncan stretched his arms over his head before making a show of rubbing his eyes, as if trying to scrub away the sleep.
Duncan noted how tired Pierce looked, and after he helped Duncan with the morning routine of a shower and getting tucked back into bed, Duncan put in his request for breakfast.
“Waffles sound really good again. I loved how you made them last time.”
Pierce smiled at Duncan’s compliment and offered to cook some sausage as well.
“That sounds perfect. Oh, but can you please put a knife on my plate? I made a mess trying to cut the waffles with my fork last time,” Duncan explained as he chuckled.
“Of course. I’ll be back shortly.”
Pierce left the room, and Duncan settled back against the pillows, wearing a ghost of a smile on his lips. After he’d eaten the waffles that’d been smothered with butter and syrup, and Pierce came to take the dirty dishes downstairs, Duncan held his breath as Pierce stared down at the tray.
“Everything okay?” Duncan asked when Pierce didn’t move.
Pierce shook his head, blinking rapidly. “Yeah. I must’ve zoned out there for a second. Guess everything is finally catching up to me, and I’m more tired than usual.”
“I’m not surprised. You need to go get some rest.”
“I will. Do you need anything else?”
Duncan shook his head. “No, thank you. Please go get some sleep. You look dead on your feet.”
Pierce gave Duncan a tired smile before he left the room, and only then did Duncan let out the breath he’d been holding. Thank goodness for Pierce’s exhaustion. He didn’t seem to notice the unused utensil missing from the tray that was now tucked under Duncan’s pillow.
Chapter Fifteen
“Isn’t my doctor’s appointment coming up?” Duncan asked Pierce.
Pierce paused from where he was rewrapping Duncan’s ankle with a fresh bandage. It looked a bit more swollen than it had the day before, and he wondered if maybe Duncan had banged it around in his sleep.
“Does your ankle hurt?” he asked, rather than answer Duncan’s question. “It seems more swollen than before.”
Duncan frowned. “No, it feels the same as it did yesterday.”
“Maybe you did something to it while you were asleep.”
Duncan shrugged. “It’s possible. My pain medication seems to knock me out, so I have no clue what I do in my sleep.”
“I don’t see you moving around when I check on you before I leave.”
“You check on me?” Duncan asked.
“Of course I do. Just in case you need anything before I leave for work.”
“That’s…that’s very sweet of you.”
“Why do you seem surprised?”
Duncan shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“I’m your husband, Duncan. I’m always here for anything you need, and checking on you is just something I do as part of that role.”
Duncan didn’t comment on Pierce’s response, and Pierce continued to wind the bandage around his ankle.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Duncan said after a few minutes of silence.
“What question is that?” Pierce asked as he finished up the task.
“When is my doctor’s appointment? Isn’t it coming up?”
“Oh. Yes, I forgot to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“When I was at work the other day, they called and left me a message. The doctor had a family emergency, so all his appointments had to be rescheduled for a few weeks out.”
“What kind of emergency?”
“They didn’t say. The nurse only left the message saying we need to reschedule. I haven’t had time to call yet and do so.”
“Why didn’t you tell me anything?”
“I’m sorry, Tiger. It slipped my mind.”
Duncan crossed his arms. “You have a knack for forgetting things. First, the fact my friends called you, and now this? Is there anything else you’ve failed to mention?”
Pierce’s cheeks turned red. “I’m sorry, Duncan. I’ve had a lot of things on my mind, and with all these extra hours at work, I’m exhausted. They only called me a few days ago. I wasn’t intentionally withholding information from you—especially something as important as an appointment with your doctor.”
Duncan uncrossed his arms and slumped his shoulders. “You’re right. I’m sorry for snapping at you. I guess I was just looking forward to going since it’d mean I’d finally be able to go into town. I’m tired of being cooped up here at home.”
It took Pierce a few seconds to get his emotions under control. He could understand why Duncan was so frustrated, but it wasn’t Pierce’s fault the weather was being uncooperative. It’d rained the last few days, leaving the grounds a soggy, muddy mess. Add in humidity when the rain subsided, and the air was hot and sticky. He was empathetic to Duncan’s frustrations, though, so if going outside would get Duncan to stop whining, then he’d take him out there.
“I’m sure you are, honey. But we’ll go soon. And in the meantime, we’re wasting perfectly good daylight by sitting up here and arguing. Let’s go outside for a while.”
Duncan lit up at the suggestion. “That sounds great.”
The trip downstairs took quite a bit of time, since Duncan couldn’t put much weight on his injured ankle. Duncan had to put most of his weight on Pierce, and while Pierce enjoyed the closeness it provided, it made climbing down the stairs very difficult.
“I need a new crutch for the next time we do this,” Duncan said through pants of breath.
“That would be a good idea.”
“Are we going out the front door since it’s closer?”
Pierce shook his head. “No, the back. The chairs will be soaked from the rain, but I can put out the lawn chairs we stowed in the shed.”
“We have a shed?”
“We do. But the only things in there are the chairs and a lawn mower.”
“We really don’t have much, do we?” Duncan looked the bare walls as they walked down the hallway toward the back door.
Passing through the kitchen, Pierce eyed Duncan as he glanced around the empty room and wondered what Duncan’s critical eye meant.
“We have each other and this beautiful home,” he reminded Duncan.
Duncan’s gaze softened. “It has a lot of potential. I wonder what furniture I had in mind before the accident happened.”
Pierce shrugged. “You hadn’t really talked much about it. We were working on our budget to see how much we could spend…” He trailed off, not wanting to voice what else he was thinking. How the doctor bills were going to eat into that budget, and they wouldn’t be able to buy anything for a while.
Pierce could feel Duncan’s body go tense against his, and he knew Duncan understood what he didn’t voice. But rather than say anything, Duncan only nodded and continued to glance around the empty house as they made their way toward the back door.
“If your allergies start bothering you, let me know and we’ll come back inside,” Pierce said as he unlocked the back door.
“I will. Hopefully they hold off so I can soak up as much vitamin D as I can.”
“Fingers crossed.”
Pierce took a second to revel in the feeling of Duncan’s body pressed firmly against his, and then he pulled the door open. Sunlight burst through the door and covered Pierce and Duncan in the heated rays. Duncan hummed contently, and Pierce could feel the excitement radiating off his body in waves.
“Let’s go,” Pierce said softly and urged Duncan to cross the threshold.
He left Duncan leaning against the side of the house as he walked toward the shed to retrieve the chairs. The lock required a digital code, and af
ter entering the combination, he popped the lock to open the door. The chairs were folded up against the wall, and he grabbed them both before exiting the shed and shutting the door behind him. He set the chairs beside each other but positioned them at an angle so the sun wouldn’t shine directly in their faces.
“Let’s get you off your feet,” Pierce said softly as he helped Duncan over to the chair.
After sitting down on his own seat, he watched as Duncan closed his eyes and tipped his head back so the sun could hit his face. Pierce longed to reach out and run his finger down the creamy, exposed skin of Duncan’s neck and across the collarbone that peeked out from beneath his shirt. But he didn’t have that right, not when Duncan couldn’t remember him, so he wrapped his fingers around the arm of the lawn chair, instead.
“I needed this,” Duncan said with a sigh.
“Needed what?” Pierce asked distractedly, his gaze still focused on Duncan’s neck.
“This.” Duncan waved his hands around to encompass the outside. His head was still tilted back and his eyes were closed, so Pierce didn’t have to avert his gaze. “The outside. The fresh air and sunshine. I needed it. I’d been locked inside way too long.”
“You make it sound like you were a prisoner in the house,” Pierce said curtly.
The left side of Duncan’s lip twitched. “Nah, prisoners get to see the outside more.”
“I didn’t realize you were so miserable.”
“I wasn’t miserable, Pierce. I was just cooped up inside. You get to leave here every day and breathe the fresh air and feel the sunshine. I hadn’t for days, and I was getting restless.”
Pierce thought about what he said. “I guess I can understand that. Losing your freedom to come and go as you please is probably frustrating.”
Sinister Shadows Page 9