“How long am I taking off?”
“Four weeks.”
“Yeah…I think I can probably arrange that. I’ll just have to farm some stuff out.”
“Me too,” she said. “Oh, and I also talked to Austin. He insists we stay with him for at least part of the trip.”
“I’m good with that. But, are you really sure you want me hanging out in pubs with your brother?” I gibed.
She shook her head and snorted. “Like it matters. I can drink the both of you under the table and you know it.”
“You have a point.”
“Of course I do.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling relieved that we’d managed to veer off the morbid path I’d inadvertently started us down. “So I guess if we’re staying here for a bit, we can just call this a pre-vacation warm-up.”
Felicity leaned to one side in order to look around and past me. “Aye, well there’s a refrigerator behind you. If we’re going to pretend, then I’m thinking some Guinness is in order. And maybe a bottle of Black Bush, and a few other things as well.”
“We can do that,” I said then drained my cup and turned toward the coffeemaker. “Need some more?” I asked as I took the small carafe in hand and glanced back at her over my shoulder.
“Is there any more sugar?”
I twisted my head back around and looked on the tray where the glasses and mugs were arranged but came up empty.
Looking back at her, I shook my head. “Afraid not.”
“We’ll have to fix that too,” she announced as she held her cup toward me. “Just a little then.”
I slowly added some of the hot java to her mug and then emptied the remaining contents of the carafe into my own. Once I’d placed the vessel back onto the base and switched it off, we continued to stand in the kitchenette-like alcove. An awkward quiet welled up between us to fill the room. The vacation talk had apparently played itself out, and that didn’t bode well for keeping the subject off last night’s events.
I wasn’t absolutely certain what my wife was thinking about, but I had a good idea. And I was crystal clear on what was occupying my own brain. Unfortunately, it was a sure bet we were both back on the same page, which is exactly where I didn’t want to be. The problem was, I couldn’t think of anything else to say that wouldn’t just be another obviously heavy-handed attempt at a verbal diversion.
Felicity cleared her throat then took a sip of her coffee, all the while keeping her jade green eyes fixed firmly on my face over the rim of the cup. A few seconds stretched into several and then eventually folded themselves into a minute plus. Finally, she spoke.
“How’s your head?” she asked.
Apparently, my assumption was correct, and we were going back to square one. She was just going to take a different approach.
I looked at her and shrugged. “Fine.”
“No headache?”
“Nope.”
“And nothing else either?”
I kept my mouth shut and simply shook my head.
She regarded me quietly for a moment, waiting for me to expand on the answer. When I didn’t, she pressed forward. “So first you changed the subject, now you’re playing mute,” she began. “Would you mind telling me what we are going to do with this gorilla in the corner? Do we just keep ignoring it then?”
“I take it you mean the voices…” I grumbled. “Or, lack thereof, I guess.”
She huffed out an exasperated breath. “Aye, Rowan, for a start. Although we both know there’s more you’re not saying.”
I exhaled heavily myself and then turned up my mug and drained what was left of my now lukewarm coffee. After setting the empty cup aside, I shrugged and said, “I don’t think we’ve really ignored it. We just haven’t fed it, so to speak.”
“Cac capaill,” she spat. “Be honest, Row… You’re avoiding it like the damn plague and you know it.”
I shrugged. “Okay, maybe a little.”
“A little?” she yelped.
“All right… Fine… More than a little,” I admitted as I pushed off from the counter and walked out into the bedroom area. I knew I couldn’t escape, but I didn’t want to fight with her, and that’s probably where this was heading.
She was right behind me. “And you call me stubborn,” she snapped. “What’s going on? Why are you avoiding this?”
“Because I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, I think maybe it’s time you did.”
“What for?”
“Because, obviously it’s bothering you.”
I turned around and looked at her. “Well hell yes, it’s bothering me. Is it not supposed to?”
She stared back and chewed her lower lip for a moment then shrugged and said, “And?”
“And what?” I asked.
She bobbed her head and pressed, “What else then?”
“And it bothers me. What more do you want me to say?”
“Tell me what you’re hiding.”
“Nothing.”
“I know better.”
“Well, it’s not something for you to worry about,” I told her.
“Cac capaill. No. I’m not letting you do this. I want you to tell me,” she demanded.
“Not happening.”
“All right then, if you won’t tell me what you’re hiding, then tell me why not hearing the voices bothers you so much.”
“Because I’m sick of being screwed with by Miranda.”
“What else?”
“What do you mean, what else?”
“I mean that’s not all. What else?”
“Come on, Felicity,” I barked. “I’m pretty sure you already know the answer to that.”
“Aye, I do. But you need to say it.”
I shook my head at her. “What the hell for?
“So that you can face it.”
“Good Gods, honey… Have you been taking psychiatrist lessons from Helen or something?”
“Would you rather talk to her about this? I’m sure she would fit you in today.”
“I’m not in a hurry to talk to anyone about it,” I snapped and then announced, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take a shower.”
I made a move to step past her in my bid to seek temporary refuge in the bathroom. However, my wife wasn’t going to allow that to happen. She mirrored my movement and placed her hand against my chest to stop me.
“You aren’t walking away from me, Rowan,” she said.
“I’m not talking about this anymore,” I replied, my voice tense.
I began to move again, but she still wouldn’t give up. However, instead of simply continuing the argument, she let out a low shriek then launched herself forward and pushed me. Caught completely off-guard, I tried in vain to retreat as her palms struck hard against my chest, but there was no place for me to go. The bed was immediately behind me, and between my clumsy footing and the force she applied, I stumbled. I attempted to sidestep in order to regain my balance, but Felicity angled in and hooked her leg behind mine while continuing to drive forward. I collapsed backward onto the bed, with her on top of me.
