“She’s awake.”

The doctor’s words hit me like a leaden fist, heavy and bruising, and I stumbled back against the wall.

“What?” I asked.

“She’s awake,” he said again gently, smiling at me as if he understood. He looked around and then came into the waiting room where the nurse had asked me to wait. Camry was being examined when I came to check on her, so they hadn’t let me in. I’d been about to leave and go back to Piety’s side when the doctor appeared around the corner.

The worst sort of dread had flooded me, and I’d been prepared for the worst. And now he was telling me…

“She’s awake.”

I swallowed, the words foreign and strange in my mouth. “Are there…?”

She’d had to have another treatment in the ambulance, and they’d told me her heart was dangerously slow. I hadn’t understood any of the medical mumbo jumbo, save for that – dangerously slow.

“Are there complications?”

“I think, after a few days of observation, she’ll be fine. She’s very malnourished, which isn’t uncommon for addicts, so I’d like to keep her here and monitor her for a few days while we push fluids and try to stabilize her on that front.” He glanced around and then nodded to one of the chairs. “Why don’t we sit?”

I all but collapsed into the chair, the fear and adrenaline draining out of me, leaving me weak.

“Your sister…” He offered me a kind smile. “Camry has struggled with her addiction for some time, hasn’t she?”

“I don’t know if struggle is the right word. She’s had quite a bit of fun with it lately, seems like.” I felt bad saying it, but I was so tired of making excuses for her. I loved her, but she could have cost me something precious tonight – today. Fuck, I didn’t even know what time it was. Anger tried to take root in me once more, but I lashed it down.

Not now.

Just…not now.

“Well, I doubt we could call it fun. Your sister is…quite depressed.” The doctor settled back in the chair, studying me. “I understand you lost your parents young, and you had to raise her.”

I could already feel the defensiveness rising, but I struggled to keep it at bay.

“Yes. I know I wasn’t able to give her everything–”

“This isn’t your fault.” He shook his head. “Your sister was old enough to understand what she was doing when she first started using. I’ve talked with her to some degree. She said you talked to her growing up, about drugs, sex…you had to be brother and parent. That couldn’t have been easy.”

I could feel the blood staining my cheeks, but I didn’t look away. “Who else was going to?”

“And that’s just the thing. You did everything you could, and she made the choice. She chose. And you’ve tried to be there for her as much as you could. She even understands that. She’s…angry with herself more than anything, and that’s the root of much of her depression, more than likely.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you an ER doc or a shrink?”

He chuckled. “I started out in psych before I realized it was a lot easier to fix the body than the mind.” His eyes became intense. “I think she wants help. Every addict hits rock bottom, Kaleb. And every brother, sister, mother, father of an addict eventually hits a point when they don’t want to reach out anymore. This isn’t the time to walk away from her.”

Something tangled and twisted welled up in me. It was guilt, a feeling I knew too well. Throat tight and burning, I said, “Is it that obvious?”

“Well, I overheard the police talking. I can’t imagine how angry you must be – and rightfully so.” He inclined his head. “If you were to walk away from her now, you’d be completely entitled. Nobody could blame you at all.”

“I would.” I got up and moved to the door, staring out the block of glass toward her room. “I can do it…one more time.”

But that was it. If she messed up again…

“I think one more time is all she needs.”

* * *

A trim Asian woman was walking out of Camry’s room just as I approached the door.

She paused and met my eyes. “You must be Kaleb.”

“Ah, yeah.” I racked my brain, trying to figure out who she was, but I came up empty.

“I’m Liushi Testudo, a friend of Sam’s.” She smiled. “I’ve been trying to help him work on a way to keep you both stateside.”

“Oh.” A hard breath exploded out of me, and I shot a look at the room, where I could see Camry lying in her bed. She was curled up on her side, facing away from me. “What were you…ah…she needs an attorney, doesn’t she?”

Medical bills. Lawyer bills.

How was I going to handle all of this?

“Yes,” Liushi said gently. “She does. But that’s not the kind of lawyer I am. I was testing the waters, so to speak, on behalf of a friend at the district attorney’s office. Sam gave me a head’s up, and I called the DA and asked if he’d mind if I spoke with Camry. I had a feeling she might be willing.”

“And just what were you testing the waters for?” I had to fight not to throw in the word sharks.

She looked kind enough, but this was my baby sister. My fucked-up baby sister who could have gotten herself and Piety – and the baby – killed.

“To see if she’d be willing to make a deal with the DA and testify against Stefano Fuentas. I don’t think you realize just how hard the police here in Vegas have been trying to put him away.” She smiled again. “If she testifies, the DA will have enough of a case to put Stefano away for a very long time. Since there’s no physical bruises indicating that he hurt you and Piety, without Camry’s testimony that he tried to kill her by giving her an overdose, he could be out in less than a year, depending on the judge and jury. Camry might need some time to adjust, but she told me she’ll testify.” She rested a hand on my arm for a moment. “Be gentle with her…she’s fragile.”

I stared at the narrow back of my sister and wanted to laugh, wanted to punch something.

Fragile.

She looked damn fragile, alright.

I’d been trying to help her, take care of her for years, and look where that got me.

But I told myself – told the doctor – I’d give it one more try.

Thinking of my parents, I promised them too.

One more try.

Slowly, I entered the room. Camry flinched at the sound of my footsteps, quiet as they were.

“Hey.”

I stopped at the foot of the bed, feeling out of place and awkward. I hated it. When had the two of us gone from being family to near strangers?

It started before she’d left home.

I couldn’t put my finger on what changed, but something had, something indefinable and real and it made me sick.

“Camry.”

“What do you want?” she asked in a small, tired voice.

“What do I…?” I lashed down the anger that tried to come spiraling out. Not yet, I told myself. Not yet. Soon. Someday soon, I’d give into it, but not yet. “Camry, I was scared sick you wouldn’t wake up. What do you think I want? I wanted to make sure you were okay. I needed to see you.”

Finally, her eyes flicked my way through the heavy tangle of her hair.

It was dull and lank, and I remembered how it had once been her pride and joy. Was it the drugs? The malnutrition? I just didn’t know.

Somehow, the sight of her lying in the bed looking so broken managed to crack the hard shell of apathy and I went to my knees next to the bed.

Camry squeezed her eyes closed. “Why do you even want to be around me?”

“Because you’re my baby sister,” I said, brushing her hair back. “I love you.”

“Why? After everything I’ve done? After what could have happened?”

“Cam–”

Abruptly, she sat up, flinging my hand away. Color flooded into her cheeks, washing away some of the pallor. “You don’t get it! Stefano made it all seem like it would be a big joke, and I let him talk me into it, but in the end, it didn’t matter because he promised to give me money, and money meant drugs. Nothing else mattered. Not your cute girlfriend, not you. Not even…”

Her voice cracked.

“Not even the baby,” I finished for her.

“Yeah.” She lifted a fist to her mouth, gnawing on her reddened knuckles, worrying skin that was already sore and cracked. “Now I keep thinking about what might have happened, and I feel sick. But what’s worse…I’m coming down off a high, and it’s…”

She held out her hands and showed me how they were shaking. I took one of them in mine.

“And you’re scared.”

She nodded and tears pooled in her eyes. “I know in a while I’ll be in a state to where I’ll do anything to get a fix. So…yeah…why are you here, Kaleb? I’m a pathetic, weak mess.”

I sat down next to her and put an arm around her. “I guess that’s why I’m here. You’ve never outright admitted being weak and pathetic quite like that. I think that means you’re ready to reach out and ask for help. Let me be strong for you, Camry.”

* * *

I left her sleeping, moving as quickly as I could through the hospital to the floor where Piety was being held for overnight observation.

They had Camry on a suicide watch. I don’t know if it was something she’d said or done, or if it was typical because of the drug abuse, but she was on the far side of the hospital from Piety and I felt pulled in two, trying to take care and be there for them both.

Piety was lying on her side, a mirror of the way I’d found Camry, but instead of facing away and locking the world out, she was facing the door.

Waiting for me.

A smile curved her lips as I approached and the ragged, aching mess in my chest faded away.

Just like that.

I snagged a chair as I went to her side, dragged it with me as I walked, then dropped it by the head of the bed, so I could sit and stare at her face.

“I thought I might lose you,” I said bluntly. “I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

She reached up, cupping my face.

“I thought the same about you.” Then she tugged me closer.

I never needed encouragement to kiss her, so I went gladly.

But she didn’t kiss me.

She bit my lower lip – hard.

“If you ever stand in front of a man with a loaded weapon like that, I’ll hurt you,” she said, her fingers tangling in my hair as she held me close. “You understand?”

“I…yeah.” My lip throbbed. I didn’t care. “I understand completely.”

I bit her lower lip, not as hard, just a slow, light pressure of my teeth on the plump curve, tugging it out before releasing it all together. “And don’t you ever…hell. Don’t ever leave my sight again. Okay?”

She laughed weakly. “That might be hard. And awkward. Like now. I have to pee. You don’t need to come in.”

“I should inspect the loo, just to make sure.” I nuzzled her neck then sat back, watching as she eased upright.

A fist grabbed me by the throat, and I wanted to pull her into my arms, hold her while promising that nothing bad would ever happen to her again.

Instead, I helped her stand up and stood guard while she went to the toilet. When she came out, I caught her in my arms and tucked her head against my shoulder.

“Like this,” she mumbled.

“Hmmm?”

“I want to stay like this for a thousand years.”

I chuckled, rubbing my chin on top of her head. “We need to pause from time to time to eat.”

“Eat. Go to the bathroom…” She backed up and looked at me from under her lashes. “Ah…have a baby.”

I blinked, suddenly feeling nervous. “Um, yeah. You weren’t too certain the test was accurate, right? Might be too–”

“They’re running a blood test. We’ll know soon. The blood tests always hit the mark, Kaleb.” She reached up and cupped my cheek. “If you…I mean, neither of us were planning this, so I understand. But–”

“I want to be with you.” I cut her off and pressed my mouth to hers.

She sighed against my lips. “Kaleb?”

“It’s insane, and I know it doesn’t make sense, but I want to be with you. And if there’s a baby, then I want the baby.”

“Really?” She laughed, the sound bright and happy. “Oh, man. Yes. Me too. Yes.”

I went to kiss her – really kiss her.

But there was a knock at the door.

We turned as one.

A man in a white lab coat stood there, and he nodded at us. “I know it’s early yet, but you have some visitors, Ms. Van Allen. Their plane just landed.”

My stomach dropped out, and Piety stiffened.

“Your parents,” I murmured under my breath. “I’ll go–”

But it was too late.

Piety’s mother just barely beat her father through the door. She was, incongruously – at least I thought so – dressed in blue jeans and a blouse, her hair pulled back from her face. “Piety,” she said, her voice trembling.

I edged back, even as Piety tried to catch my eyes. Looking at the doctor, I nodded at him. “I’ll be in the waiting room.”

“Kaleb.” Silas Van Allan was standing in front of me, his hand outstretched.

I shook it. “Mr. Van Allen.”

He had dark circles under his eyes, and his gaze flicked past me to linger on his wife and daughter before re-focusing on me. “Kaleb, please. I owe you the deepest of apologies,” he said, his voice shaking for a moment before it firmed. “I misjudged you terribly, and I can never make up for that. You risked your own life to save my daughter. Please…will you…?”

He looked away.

Stunned, not sure how to handle this reversal of events, I reached out and took his hand.

He tightened his, eyes coming back to mine.

I waited for the cameraman to jump out and yell something like, Joke’s on you, mate!

But the only thing that happened was Silas jerking me up against him in one of those back-slapping hugs that left me feeling like he might have jarred a few teeth loose.

Then he let me go and went to his daughter, and I was caught up in an embrace from Amara, one that smelled of a soft perfume. Oddly, it reminded me of my own mother’s.

My throat went tight.

“Please forgive us,” she said, pulling back and staring at me solemnly. “We were unkind, but we’ve only ever wanted what’s best for her.”

“It’s…I understand.”

“I don’t see how.” She offered me a wobbly smile, then looked over at her daughter. “We would like to…make a gesture, if you would. We heard that your sister is willing to help putting that ugly man away for many years. We understand she need some rehab. Silas and I want to help. And we’ll do everything we can to make sure the two of you can stay in the US.”