Chapter Five
by Nelson
"Let's get you sitting up so you can eat," Colin said, returning with a plate of hamburgers and chips.
He moved Riley's props to the coffee table, getting Riley's foot elevated once again.
"And here's your drink," he said, placing it on a coaster on the end table. "I'll grab mine and be right back."
When he returned, Colin sat down beside Riley on the sofa. "How are we doing?"
"Good," Riley answered around a mouthful of burger. He was famished, he realized as he was presented with the juicy burger.
Silence filled the room aside from the voices coming from the TV as the two ate their meal without conversation. When Riley finished, Colin took their plates to the kitchen then situated Riley back to a reclined position, his foot elevated high on the pillows. Colin sat at the end of the sofa in the space left beyond Colin's foot.
"You ready to talk?" he asked, laying a hand on Riley's uninjured leg, the touch deceivingly calming in light of the impending discussion.
"I said I was sorry, Col. I know I screwed up, believe me, I know," he added with a glance toward his aching ankle.
"I checked out the trunk you found. It's not light by any means."
The implication was clear. "I know. I shouldn't have moved it."
"I'm glad we agree. What were you thinking?" Colin asked seriously. "You had to know it was dangerous to try to move that by yourself."
"I didn't think I'd fall. I thought I could handle it. I wouldn't have tried to move it if I thought I might get hurt."
"But you didn't think it through, did you?"
"Obviously," Riley said irritably.
He was sick of the whole thing. His ankle hurt and Colin was mad. The whole day was fucking waste, having spent the better part of it in the stinking ER. He wished he could start the day over and go with Colin to his parents' house then none of this would have happened. None of it.
"And from where I'm sitting," Colin said calmly, "that's a problem. You know better than to take risks like that, don't you?"
Yes, he did. And worse, it had crossed his mind before he had done it.
"Don't you?" Colin asked with a tap to Riley's knee.
The question hovered in the air, begging a response, and Colin's brow rose when one failed to come immediately. The two word question implied a positive response, and Riley struggled to confirm. He knew exactly where this was heading.
"Colin, don't. I already hurt myself. Isn't that enough?" Riley asked.
"It's a consequence, yes, but not my consequence."
"Come on, Colin," Riley said, imploringly. "Can't we forget about it?"
"No, we won't forget about it," Colin said sternly with finality. "You've been through a lot today, but we *are* going to deal with this. I'll leave it up to you as to whether that means we do it tonight or tomorrow morning."
Riley knew there was no dissuading him, no matter how much he might want to. Arguing with him would irritate Colin further, so Riley chose not to push it.
"What are you going to do?" Riley asked bravely, although he had a good idea before he asked the question.
"You know what I'm going to do," Colin said, rubbing a hand over Riley's shin.
That confirmed it as well as if Colin said outright what would happen. But then Riley *had* gotten hurt. Maybe Colin would relent and surprise him.
"Even though I hurt myself?" Riley asked as plaintively as he could.
"It's because you got hurt that I'm giving you the option to do it now or wait. So what's it going to be? Office tonight or tomorrow?"
Riley groaned to himself. He was already overstressed from the day and he knew Colin was leaving the "when" up to him because he recognized that fact. He wrangled with the decision; waiting meant waking up to it, but doing it that night meant dealing with one more stressful thing.
"I don't think I can handle anymore today," Riley said. "I don't want it hanging over me either, though."
"I know," Colin said. "I think you'd do better to wait, but if you want to get it over with tonight, we will."
Riley wanted it over with but at the same time, the idea of having to deal with being spanked right then seemed overwhelming on top of everything else.
"Wait, I guess," he said with a sigh.
"I think that's a wise choice," Colin replied. "Let's see what's coming on TV and forget about this for now."
Riley tried to pay attention as Colin scrolled through the guide, but he found himself glazing over. How had he gotten himself in such a mess! He hated being in trouble, hated having Colin disappointed in him. He hadn't been in trouble for months and now he was in it neck deep. Having it hang over him all evening was about as painful as the punishment would be. Almost. But he just couldn't deal with it that evening.
As much as Riley wanted to forget about his troubles, they ran as an undercurrent to everything else he tried to do or focus on. Colin didn't seem to give the situation a second thought, acting as if nothing in the world had happened, his only concern being Riley. He barely left Riley's side all evening, helping him to the bathroom when he needed it and making sure he was comfortable. With Colin taking care of him, Riley all but forgot the voice he heard earlier, convinced by bedtime it had been something on TV or a dream.
A final dose of Tylenol with Codeine before Riley went to sleep had the added benefit of giving him a sound, dreamless sleep, or at least sound enough that he couldn't remember his dreams.
He awoke sprawled on his side, his foot disobediently lying beside the pillows rather than propped on them where Colin left it. He rolled over to find Colin's side of the bed empty and it had been for some time judging from the coolness in the sheets when he ran a hand over the spot at his side. Nine o'clock according to the digital on the nightstand. No wonder he needed to pee; he had slept in and it had been a long time since he went before bed. He reached for the crutches and tried putting his injured ankle on the floor. The simple act awoke the pain that had subsided significantly overnight and Riley squeezed his eyes shut against it.
Too soon for that, he realized. The doc said no walking on it for a week, so he must have known what he was talking about. He waited for the pain to settle down to a dull throb then went to the bathroom, leaving the door cracked as had become his habit. Nothing like getting locked in and having nightmares about it to make a guy somewhat leery.
He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and he looked up quickly to see the door swinging open. The aged wood creaked against the hinges as it swung inward, slowly revealing the hallway beyond it. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until he saw Colin on the other side of the door and he released a relieved rush of air.
"Damn it, Colin. Scare the shit out of me, why don't you?" he complained as he shook his dick.
"Sorry, babe. I heard you up and wanted to check on you. How are you feeling this morning?"
"A lot better," Riley said. "I thought I might be able to walk on it until I tried."
"You had no business trying," Colin said.
The tone in his voice reminded Riley of their unfinished business and he wished he could recant his earlier wellness report.
"I didn't put my weight on it."
"Good. Need help getting downstairs?"
"I think I can handle it," Riley said, realizing the last time that thought crossed his mind, it ended him up in a heap at the bottom of the attic stairs.
"I'll help you anyway," Colin said.
Colin took each step painstakingly slow with Riley, a hand poised to take Riley's arm should he misstep.
"I have coffee ready. I thought I'd make some pancakes for breakfast later. Is that ok with you?" Colin asked, helping Riley to take his place on the sofa once again.
"Yeah, that's fine," Riley said.
Colin fluffed the pillows and situated Riley's foot on top of them. As he left for the kitchen, Riley was alone once again in the living room. It was going to be a long week, he thought miserably. His toes peeked from under the tightly bound Ace bandage, still showing signs of being slightly swollen. Riley sighed and shook his head. So stupid! What had he been thinking?
"Here you go," Colin said. He placed a mug of coffee on a coaster within reach and helped Riley sit up tall enough to drink it. "You got it?"
"Yeah, thanks," Riley replied.
Colin asked, "Did you sleep ok?"
"I did," he said, his stomach clenching in nervous apprehension. He knew Colin wouldn't wait long but at least he didn't whisk him away to the office as soon as his feet, or foot, hit the floor.
"You were out like a light."
"Guess it was the pain meds," Riley said. As soon as the words left his mouth, Riley kicked himself. The pain meds would have helped more than his foot last night had he not chosen to wait until morning.
"I guess so," Colin said. "Is there anything else we need to talk about before we deal with yesterday?"
There was nothing to talk about. Riley knew that. "No," he said quietly.
Colin stood up beside the sofa, his hand held out to Riley. "Let's go to the office then."
"Colin. Don't."
Colin merely stood his ground, his open palm inviting Riley to take his hand with no more reply than that.
Riley couldn't meet Colin's eye as he slipped his hand in Colin's. He stood on one foot, balancing his weight on Colin's shoulders while Colin helped him with the crutches. Riley took his time maneuvering to the office and Colin didn't rush him; he strolled along beside Riley, pacing himself as they walked. Colin closed the door behind them as soon as they crossed the threshold in an act of unneeded privacy with there being only the two of them in the house. Riley stayed where he was, unsure of what to do, while Colin closed the blinds then moved the chair away from the wall, setting it directly beside Riley.
Colin sat down and held out his hand for the crutches. "I'll take those for you."
"Colin, I said I was sorry," Riley debated, even as he handed off the crutches.
"I know you did," Colin replied, laying the crutches on the floor.
Riley transferred his balance from them to Colin's shoulder but only momentarily as Colin helped him over his lap, pushing him over far enough that the foot of his injured ankle was barely touching the floor. It put his face kissing-distance from the newly varnished hardwoods, and made him feel more off-balance than usual when in this position, but it also prevented him from putting any weight on his ankle.
Colin tugged Riley's pajama bottoms down along with his underwear, and Riley tensed as they clumped mid-thigh.
"You don't take risks, Riley," Colin said as his hand came down. "Not ever."
"I won't!" Riley promised sincerely, wincing with the swats commencing more quickly than he was prepared for. "It was a mistake!"
"One that shouldn't have happened. You should have waited for me," Colin lectured, unrelenting.
Riley squeezed his eyes shut against the smacks that were coming slow and steady, sending stinging fingers of heat crawling across his backside. His voice caught in his throat as he tried to come to terms with what was happening and wrap his mind around the pain in his backside.
As Colin continued to punish him, he found his voice. "Stop! I'm sorry, Colin!"
"You knew better, Riley. It could have been so much worse," Colin scolded.
There was no spot unpunished when Colin increased his speed, and Riley felt a bolt of panic as Colin's arm tightened around his waist. Being mounted to Colin's lap reaffirmed who was in control, and that it wouldn't be done until Colin determined it should be over.
Riley's cries rose in pitch with the tightening of his vocal cords, as he tried to hold back the tears without success. Succumbing to them, Riley himself go, sobbing while he twisted against Colin's hold futilely. Riley cried helplessly, wishing for it to be over, far beyond the point of asking coherently for Colin to stop.
All sounds of Riley's tears and Colin's smacks stopped in an instant as both Riley and Colin were startled by crash. Books whizzed across the room, their fluttering pages stopped short as they slapped against the hardwoods, silencing their fall with a bang as they struck the floor soundly. Books littered the floor in a semi-circle around Riley, strewn as though thrown from the broken shelf behind them rather than toppling from it.
"Ow!" Colin exclaimed, as he stopped what he was doing to grab the back of his head. Expecting to find blood, he examined his clean fingertips. "Are you ok?"
"No," Riley managed to say.
"Did you get hit, too?" Colin asked, rubbing his hand down Riley's back.
The Mona Lisa stared back at him from the cover of The Da Vinci Code lying just beneath his nose. It must have just missed him.
"No," Riley choked out.
"All right," Colin sighed. "We'll clean it up later."
With that brief reprieve, Colin resumed the spanking, the momentary distraction not enough to dissuade him from finishing what he set out to do.
Colin stopped suddenly once again, his hand resting against Riley's heated buttocks.
"Do you hear that?" Colin asked.
Between the ringing in his ears and the sounds of his own crying, it was all Riley could do to hear Colin, much less something extraneous elsewhere. His voice full of tears, Riley could only manage to continue bawling, unable to answer Colin's question if he wanted to.
Colin lifted Riley to sit in his lap, and he stroked Riley's hair while he regained his composure. As his sobs began to die away, Riley wiped his face and looked toward the ceiling as if he could see through to the second floor.
"What is that?" he asked.
"I don't know," Colin said. "I thought I heard it before."
It happened again, a sharp slamming sound coming from upstairs, firing like a shot and loud enough for them to hear it in the office with the door closed. Several seconds later, it happened again.
"I need to get you settled and see what's going on up there," Colin said.
"No!" Riley exclaimed. "Don't go up there alone."
"What's the matter?" Colin asked with concern. "I'm sure the wind has hold of something."
Riley shook his head. "Something's not right in this house."
"Riley, the house is fine," Colin said rationally. The slamming sound was loud enough to jar the structure and interrupted Colin's cogent thinking.
"See?" Riley said in alarm. "That's not the wind."
"Let's get you settled." Colin helped Riley get his pajamas back up and moved him to the sofa, another thud from upstairs making Riley jump.
"I'm sure it's the wind," Colin reiterated calmly.
"Did you open the hall window?" Riley asked, shifting onto his side.
Colin thought back. The day before had so much going on, he barely remembered the little details, but he was sure he hadn't opened the window. "No, I didn't."
"Neither did I," Riley said.
"I'll be back," he said, and disappeared through the door to the hallway despite Riley begging him not to.
Riley curled up on his side, feeling more alone now than when Colin left him to fix breakfast. Abandoned and nervous, Riley gave in to more tears and wished for Colin to return quickly.
Colin turned from the landing and immediately looked down the wide hallway. Just as he suspected, the window was open and the sheers were blowing with the incoming breeze that had the rocker swaying slightly as well. His heart almost stopped when the bathroom door slammed closed again.
"Damn door," Colin complained. That bathroom was going to be the death of them.
He pulled the window closed, and latched it, making sure no gusts of wind would catch the door anymore, then he opened the bathroom door again before going downstairs.
"Window was open," he told Riley as he came down. "I told you there was a logical explanation. What's the matter?" Colin's brow furrowed in concern as he evaluated what he saw. He stooped down in front of Riley and pushed the damp strands of his hair back.
"I didn't want you to go up there. Something's wrong here."
"It was the wind," Colin said soothingly.
"How does wind open *and* close a door?" Riley countered, his eyes still red-rimmed.
"I don't know," Colin admitted. "But that has to be it. It hasn't happened since I closed the window, now has it?"
"Not yet."
"And it won't."
Colin moved the pillows from under Riley's head, offering his lap for a cushion instead. He gently raked his fingers through Riley's hair, reconnecting and settling him not only from being punished but from the scare as well.
"How's the ankle?"
"It's not my ankle that's hurting right now," Riley said quietly. He curled up against Colin, the closeness to him making Riley feel better instantly.
"At least your mind is off your ankle for now."
Riley shifted his weight slightly, closing his eyes as Colin's fingers fed through his hair. "If you want me to say 'thanks', don't hold your breath."
Colin chuckled and said, "I don't expect a thank you."
"I still don't understand how that door opened and closed."
"It's ok, Riley. I checked it out. Everything's ok."
"It's weird, Colin," Riley said. "First we get trapped –"
"The door was stuck."
"Whatever. We couldn't get out, and it was like the door was being held closed or something," Riley said. "Then I heard a voice last night, not to mention how I fell. I didn't trip, Colin."
"You lost your balance."
"I did not! I had one step to go. It was like the steps disappeared. I'm having weird dreams some nights. This place… this place is strange."
"It's just an old house. You've been overstressed lately with all that we've been doing on top of work. That would cause the dreams, or could anyway. There are explanations for everything that's happened."
"What if there's more going on here, Colin?" Riley asked.
"There's not. Don't let your imagination run wild."
"What if it's not my imagination?" Riley asked anxiously.
"It is your imagination. You fell yesterday because you tried to move something heavy and you lost your footing." He put a finger to Riley's lips before he could protest once again, and continued, "Falls happen fast. I know you don't think you slipped, but you obviously did. Don't take unnecessary risks and things like that will be less likely to happen."
Riley flinched when Colin patted his butt to drive the message home, reminding him, as if he needed it, of why he was just punished.
"You were on pain meds last night, which likely explains the voice you heard, then you were stressed before, which caused the dreams. Don't spend time coming up with supernatural explanations when logical ones explain things just fine."
Riley said, "I didn't say supernatural. You did."
"You were implying it."
"So maybe I was," Riley admitted. "I just don't buy all your logical explanations."
"Well, until I see some ghostly apparition, I'm sticking to logic."
"What about the shelf? How did those books fly off like that?"
"I didn't check it yet, but clearly the shelf broke. We had too much weight on it for its age. That's all."
"Right," Riley said, unconvinced. "The shelf just broke."
Colin looked at Riley resolutely. "The shelf. Broke."
Riley wasn't so sure. As Colin continued to pet him soothingly, Riley began to relax, the house taking second place to the throbbing in his behind. He slipped off to sleep, his cheeks still moist from the ordeal.
A few minutes later he awoke to lips tenderly kissing his face. He opened his eyes and glanced up at Colin, who was still vigilant, right where Riley left him.
"You fell asleep," he said.
"Yeah. You woke me up," Riley said.
Confusion clouded Colin's face and he asked, "I did? Was the TV up too loud?"
"You kissed me," Riley said.
Colin grinned at him. "I don't know if I could bend over and kiss you with your head in my lap. I don't bend like I used to."
"You did," Riley said. "I felt you."
Colin stroked Riley's cheek. "You must have been dreaming. Now that you're awake, I think I'll go clean up the books in the floor and fix us some breakfast. I can see if that shelf is fixable after we eat. Will you be ok?"
"Yeah," Riley conceded.
As Colin left the room, Riley reached up and brushed his fingers over his cheek. He knew what he had felt. Tender lips had caressed his cheek as though kissing away the tears that had fallen earlier.
Something was in this house. Someone.
"Who are you?" Riley whispered to the empty room. He listened intently, craving an answer, but was met with nothing more than chatter from the television.
"Fine," the disgruntled man replied. "Kiss someone else next time if you can't show yourself."
Riley braced himself, hoping on some level that his comment would get a rise out of whoever shared their home.
"I'm losing it," Riley said to himself, shaking his head at his crazy thoughts.
There were no such things as ghosts. No question about that. The house was old and Riley had run into some bad luck to boot. Nothing more, nothing less.
Things would smooth out eventually.
