The Empty Space Next to Me

Chapter 10

Her words snatch his voice away. Katherine is looking at him quietly, not having anything more to add.

Before he can say anything, the front door opens again and Eliza appears. She smiles.

"You didn't get lost, did you?" she asks from the porch. She holds on the railings to go down the stairs, walks up to them and gives him a hug.

"It's good to see you, Eliza," he says.

"When are you going to say that I look younger?" she teases.

"That was my very next sentence," he answers with a smile.

Eliza chuckles and pats his arm. He slips it under hers and after glancing at Katherine, walks the woman back inside the house.

An hour later, dinner is ready. Katherine has coincidentally cooked his favorite meal. When he glances at his plate and looks back at her with a pleasantly surprised look, he finds her smirking at him knowingly as she sits down.

The three of them chat away for most of the evening and it feels like being at home again.

The next day he has resumed his usual routine. After spending most of the morning painting the furniture in one of the bedrooms, he heads outside to finish the window frames. Riley is chasing squirrels like the formidable hunting hound she believes she is.

He is about to hit the nail when Riley runs right between his legs, making him strike sideways, resulting in the nail pierce through the thin skin between his thumb and forefinger. He lets out a groan and tells off Riley far gone, chasing away.

He removes the nail but his hand is already throbbing as the first red mark has already blemished the skin. Blood soon clogs up to the surface then begins to stream down. He grabs the towel hanging nearby and wraps it around the hand. He makes his way to the kitchen where he knows the first aid kit is kept.

Katherine walks in as he is looking into the drawers. Her facial features tense as she catches sight of the blood-stained towel.

"What happened?" she asks in a concerned voice.

"It's okay. I accidentally hit my hand with a nail."

She furrows her brows deeply. He pauses to look at her. "I know. Just don't laugh at me...just yet."

She walks behind the kitchen counter and steps in front of him. She unwraps the towel and takes a look. She opens the faucet and puts his hand under the running water. She then grabs one of the tea towels and wraps it around his hand again.

"Go and take a seat," she instructs.

He complies and goes to sit at the main table while she opens one of the cupboards. She comes a few seconds later and turns one of the chairs so she can sit right in front of him. She asks him to lay his arm on the table and she unwraps the towel.

She opens the kit, takes out wipes and antiseptic. She pours some and gently wipes it across the wound. Then, using a new wipe she gently pats the area around it.

"If it stings you can groan, you know?" she comments, eyes focused on the task.

"I was trying to impress you."

She smirks slightly. "Consider me impressed — I now know you are not a cry-baby."

It makes him chuckle. Somehow, it is a talent of hers to make him laugh while patching him up. He recalls the time she wrapped a bandage around his waist after he had cracked a rib on one of their unofficial missions during their two years in the run.

"You're not supposed to be laughing, Steve," Natasha warned as she was tied up the bandage. But he could not stop — she had made one of those sassy remarks of hers and it had triggered his laughter. As painful as it was.