The House on Hancock Hill (2 page)

“Yay for hypothermia,” I mumbled, and Henry grinned at me.

“But it will be black and blue.” That was Nurse Bryce. She fiddled with an IV over my left shoulder and I hoped she was giving me the good stuff.

“Not to mention the stitches.” Henry pointed at his chin.

“Great,” I said, easing back into the flat pillow. I was exhausted to the bone. “Just great. What happened to the car?”

“It’ll be towed in the morning, don’t you worry about it.” Henry gingerly patted my shoulder, probably worried I might break. “And I went back earlier to get all your things. They’re in my pickup if you need anything.”

“We’d like to keep you under observation for the rest of the night,” Dr. Donalds said. “To make sure you don’t have a concussion. By morning, you should be good to go.”

“Right.” My eyelids drooped.

“I’ll bring in your bag then,” I heard Henry say, but I was already drifting. I thought I mumbled something back. Something to do with the thickness of Henry’s lovely auburn curls, so I sure hoped I was already dreaming.

A
S
A
pastry chef, I was used to getting up at ungodly hours, but as 4:00 a.m. rolled around, I felt like something scraped from the bottom of my industrial mixer. When a new nurse stepped into my cubicle to take my vitals two hours later, I had all the energy and consistency of a deflated soufflé.

“Gnurgle,” I said, and the nurse snorted.

“Tell me about it.” He yawned. “I’m Caleb. I’ll be your waiter for the morning.” Caleb gave me a little salute and a wry smile. He was very beautiful. Skin the color of tempered chocolate, thick black dreadlocked hair tied back with a blue ribbon, long eyelashes framing cobalt eyes, and a lush, pretty mouth. “Open wide,” he ordered, holding up a thermometer. I wiggled my eyebrows, and Caleb laughed, low and filthy.

“Sorry, my friend, no fraternizing with the patients. Not until they’re discharged anyway.” I’d have replied to that if I hadn’t been holding a piece of plastic in place under my tongue. Caleb indicated my face. “Not that you don’t make a pretty picture. How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been on an all-night bender and come out broken,” I said when he pulled the thermometer out of my mouth. He looked at it, nodded, and then gave a little yearning sigh.

“Man, I can’t wait to get out of here and go on all-night benders.” Caleb stared at nothing, as if imagining a life of debauchery. “Where are you from?”

“Traverse City, here in Michigan.”

Caleb’s laugh was sweet and melodic. What a damn shame he looked a decade younger than me. Wrapping the blood pressure cuff around my right arm, he added, “Not exactly NYC.”

“Better than Hancock, where the highlight of the summer is the Sesquicentennial Parade.”

“Point,” he conceded. “How did you sleep? Are you still cold?”

I was a bit chilly but not as freezing as I’d been the night before. “I’m all right.” Gingerly, I twitched my nose. Ow. “My head hurts, though.”

Caleb made a sympathetic face. “And I’m sure it will for a while. They’ll send you off with a prescription for pain meds because your ribs are bruised, too.”

“Those haven’t really bothered me.”

Caleb smiled ruefully. “Wait until you get up.” Talking about getting up, I really needed to use the bathroom.

“Any chance of a shower?”

“You can freshen up at the sink. I’ll bring you some towels.” He put my travel bag on the foot of the bed and then hesitated. “Don’t startle when you see your face. It looks bad, but it’ll all go back to normal, all right?”

“All right….” Shit, how bad was it?

Caleb wasn’t lying—getting out of bed was torture. I managed to kick off the blankets and sit up by myself. Caleb helped me into a pink hospital gown and a pair of synthetic non-slip socks. When I stood, a wave of nausea drained me of all my strength, and Caleb put a steady hand on my arm. “Don’t look at the ground,” he said. “Eyes on me.”

“That’s not a hardship,” I told him, and to my surprise, he smiled shyly. Hancock was a tiny town; it was unlikely they’d see many openly gay guys passing through.

“Think you can make it?” The door he lifted his chin toward was maybe ten feet away. I nodded. “All right, I’m going to leave your IV in. We’ll wheel it along as we go.”

Together we shuffled to the door. The left side of my chest felt like it was on fire, and by the time we reached the bathroom, I was out of breath.

“Sit on this stool for a minute.” Caleb dragged a small round chair toward me, and I sank down. “You good? Not dizzy?” No, I was just out of breath. “I’ll be right back, then.” Caleb put the red alarm cord within reach and disappeared. It was less than a minute later that he returned with a bunch of towels and my toiletry bag. I spent that time staring at my face.

It startled me at first because I didn’t recognize the person staring back. My nose was taped, but the bandage had old blood on it. The flesh around my eyes was swollen, and it was currently that particularly angry pink that would no doubt turn into horrible black bruises. The skin beneath my brow was already turning blue. My puffy lower lip with the stitches underneath just added to the beaten-up look I was rocking. Knowing all the injuries were there made everything hurt even worse, so I looked away.

“I know,” Caleb said gently when he stepped back into the bathroom with the towels. “It’s only temporary, okay? If anyone asks, you had a nose job.” I snorted, which was a bad idea.

“Right,” I said miserably.

“Just put your gown back on when you’re done, you can get dressed after the doctor checks up on you. I’ll be right outside. Yell if you need me.” He put a hand on my shoulder, squeezed briefly, and disappeared through the door.

Even brushing my teeth turned into an ordeal. I had to put away my electric toothbrush because it hurt too much and reach for the old-fashioned spare one I always carried. Shaving was out of the question, but then I didn’t need to shave every day. Even at thirty-one years old, I hardly sprouted any more hair than I had when I was twenty. Unlike one handsome lifesaving lumberjack who’d looked particularly alluring with a late-night shadow on his jaw. During my mad, shivery, barely-conscious babble, I hadn’t exactly thanked Henry properly, so I hoped I’d see him again.

Deciding to forgo the sponge bath for a real shower in a hotel I hadn’t booked yet, I quickly tried to do something about my wayward hair, but my attempt was futile. It stuck up in dark brown tufts in all directions, and trying to flatten it only made it more unruly. Sighing, I stared at the mirror again. At least all the purple and black ought to bring out the green in my eyes.

As soon as I opened the bathroom door, Caleb hurried in. “How are you feeling?” My default answer would’ve been
fine
, but I was beat. Caleb needed no words; my face evidently spoke volumes. “Come on, back to bed. I’ll arrange some breakfast for you. What would you like?”

Eating was the last thing I wanted to do, but my stomach was probably queasier with hunger than anything else. “Just toast and coffee, or something.”

“Coming right up.” Caleb smiled at me, and there was a hint of warmth in his eyes that spelled trouble. If my face didn’t strike an uncanny resemblance to a collapsed fruitcake, I’d have thought he was flirting. I wanted to avoid that at all costs since I planned on getting out of here as soon as possible—both hospital and town. Not to mention he was far too young for me.

“Will the doctor be in soon?” I asked to distract him.

“Oh, yeah. Dr. Tiny… uh… Donalds won’t be in until the afternoon, but I can see who’s on call if you want.”

“That’d be great.” Off an embarrassed Caleb went. It made me laugh. Which made me hurt.

A
YOUNG
girl stepped into my cubicle, and I realized I’d been dozing again. “Good morning Mr. Wood,” she said and instantly turned puce. It wasn’t like the morning Wood joke was a new one. I managed not to laugh, but only because of my aching ribs. “I have your toast and coffee,” she sputtered. “And I added butter and jams because I didn’t know what you’d like.”

“That’s fine.” Gingerly, I lifted up on one elbow. “Thank you.” After putting the tray on my bedside table, she scuttled to the door. I called after her. “You wouldn’t happen to know when the doctor will be here, would you?”

“No, I don’t. Sorry.” She turned so fast, she nearly bumped into someone.

“Whoa,” a voice that was already far too familiar, said. Henry stepped inside, looking over his shoulder as the girl made a run for it. “Scaring the womenfolk? Might want to watch out, you’re the talk of the town already.”

“I’m sure that’s not hard.” Henry grinned at me, and I grinned back. “Ow.” I pressed a hand against my chin. It came away with a trickle of blood.

“Oh heck,” Henry said, stepping forward to pluck a napkin off my tray. “You all right?”

“Yeah.” I winced as he dabbed at my chin. “I guess I’ll have to watch what I do with my face for a while. Toast?”

Henry’s eyes flickered from my face to the plate, and he shook his head. “I already ate, but thank you.”

“Then grab some coffee at least. There’s enough here for a small army.”

“Someone likes you,” Henry teased, and I made a face, thinking of Caleb. There was an unused Styrofoam cup on a table against the wall, and he filled it with coffee.

“You’re here early,” I said, buttering my toast. “Or do you work at the hospital?”

“No, I—I don’t.” I got the impression he’d been about to say something else and had changed his mind. “Do you want any of that sugar?”

“No, help yourself.” Henry did just that, pouring so much sugar into his cup, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the little stirrer could stand up straight in it. Henry kept glancing at me while he sipped his coffee, the cup tiny in his enormous hands.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing and if you needed a ride somewhere later. I’ve got to go into work for a bit this morning, but I can pick you up around lunch, if you’re free to go by then.”

Speechless, I blinked at him. “You don’t have to do that.”

Henry shook his head. “You won’t get a taxi to wherever it is you’re going in this weather. And it’s no trouble, really.”

“No cabs?”

“It’s still snowing. They’ll be digging your car out once it stops, but from what I’ve seen, you won’t be driving that thing anywhere.” He drained his coffee. “So I can come back around lunch or give you my number. Just give me a call whenever you’re done here. Do you have a cell?”

“It’s, uh….” Feeling a little bewildered I reached for my jacket crumpled over the back of a chair, and forgot about my ribs. “Ah, fuck.”

“Easy. I got it.” Henry was on his feet and handing me the jacket. I dug around until I found my phone and tapped in the digits Henry spelled out.

“Try it before I go.” Somewhere from his back pocket, his phone chirped. I hung up. “Call me later,” Henry told me, face solemn, and I found myself nodding. His eyes were a very strange light brown, like the caramel in a Cadbury egg.

“Thanks,” I croaked, and a faint smile ghosted over his mouth, but it was gone before it could settle.

“No problem. You take care now, and I will see you later.” Henry was halfway out the room when he spun back. “Where is it you’re going?” he asked, head tilted to the side.

“Oh right, that reminds me. I need to book a hotel. I’ll be staying wherever’s closest to the Johnson farm.” A look of alarm crossed Henry’s face. “What is it?”

“None of the hotels are open this time of year.”

“What? Surely there’s got to be something—”

Henry shook his head once, lips pressed tightly together. “Why would there be? There are no tourists, and we’ve got no business people coming up here in winter, either. The Lodge opens for Christmas skiers, but that closed weeks ago.”

“But I can’t stay at the farm—it’s burned down!” My heart rate began to rise and my lungs gave that telltale twinge. I didn’t know if my rescue meds had been recovered from my rental car, so the panic started to bubble like acid.

“I know,” Henry quickly said, stepping into the room again like he could sense my distress.

I’d become pretty good at hiding it over the years, but I wasn’t going to deny I felt frazzled. Rationally, I knew I was in a hospital, and they’d have what I needed if it came to that. But anxiety was rarely rational.

Henry took another step and put his large paw on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll ask around. Someone will be able to open up a room for you.”

“That’s really too much to ask,” I managed but Henry smiled gently, and I calmed down.

“Not at all,” he told me. “It won’t take me ten minutes to call around. You rest and let me know when you’re ready to go. All right?”

“I don’t know what to say.” I was humbled before this genuine kindness from a complete stranger.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Henry murmured. A rush of warmth went through me, startling in its familiarity. Henry looked at me, seemingly waiting for something, but then he turned and was gone.

It took another two hours and then some for the doctor on call to come in, and as much as I wanted to spend the time thinking about Henry and why he insisted on treating me like we were old friends, the morning had wiped me out and I slept.

A
FORBIDDING
-
LOOKING
woman and Caleb stood staring down at me when I woke up. I glanced from one to the other.

“Well.” Clearing my throat, I sat up a little. “That’s not creepy at all.” Caleb grinned, but I noticed he made no sound, and his face folded into serious nurse mode as soon as the doctor put my file down.

“Are you tired, Mr. Wood? Because it’s nine thirty and you are still sleeping.” She looked young, but that could have been due to the severe bun at the back of her head straightening out all the wrinkles.

“I did go through the wringer last night,” I told her, annoyed. What, was I not allowed to sleep after nearly freezing to death and being poked and prodded at all hours of the night? Give me Dr. Tiny any day.

Caleb hurriedly stepped forward. “This is Dr. Rodriguez, and she’ll be checking you over to make sure you are ready to take your leave.”