He was nervous being escorted through the White House hallways. It was the first time he’d met up with Eli in the Oval Office since one of the initial welcome events. “I want to get your insight on recruiting tactics for the military,” Eli had told him. It had sounded innocent enough—but did Eli have ulterior motives? Did he know about what happened at the diabetes fundraiser?

“Sure,” Henry had told him hesitantly over the phone. “But why me? You were military, too. Don’t you have an entire brigade of seasoned military advisors at the ready?”

“Yeah. I do,” Eli said. “And they’re good people, as far as I can tell. But I still want your perspective. I trust you. You’re like my other brother. Perhaps the saner one,” he’d said. Henry could hear the smile in his voice.

How could he say no?

Henry was being led by a slender redhead in a crisp linen suit. She was a lot fairer than Ellie, and absolutely covered in freckles. Her eyelashes matched her strawberry-red hair, and she didn’t even bother to darken them with mascara. From across one of the foyers, Henry spotted Eli. He looked grim. The stress of the presidency had already started to stoop his shoulders. Eli motioned to them, and the redhead touched his arm. “This way,” she said.

“Eli,” Henry said as they approached. “I thought we were meeting in the office—”

“It’s Ellie,” Eli said. Two words put a stop to any formalities. “Thank you,” he said to the redhead, who turned and walked away brusquely.

“Is she okay?” Henry asked.

“Yes. Follow me,” Eli said, and he motioned Henry into a side room he’d never noticed before. Henry closed the door behind them. “Have a seat.” It was an intimate room with five plush leather chairs arranged in a circle. Each had their own little cocktail table. The walls were lined with leather-bound books. It was the kind of room where you knew the real conversations took place. The other rooms were just for show.

“Ellie passed out at a luncheon the White House sponsored this morning,” Eli said as he lowered into one of the chairs opposite Henry.

“Passed out?”

“The women at her table said she was acting a little strange. Gossipy, bored housewives,” he said.

“What happened?”

“The doctors say complications. From an ectopic pregnancy. She’s going into surgery right now.”

“Ec—pregnancy? What?” Henry started to panic. He didn’t know what that was, or what it meant, but he needed to know she was okay. That she was going to be okay.

“Ectopic,” Eli repeated slowly. “You know. When a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus. An… unviable pregnancy. But a pregnancy nonetheless.”

“My God,” Henry said. “We need—we need to go.”

“I know,” Eli said. “The car’s waiting outside. You didn’t answer your phone this morning.”

Henry reached for his pocket. It was empty, save for his money clip with a few cards and bills. “I forgot it.”

They climbed into the SUV, Eli in back for precautions. The driver was a humongous dark-skinned man with deep-set eyes. “We don’t need any extra attention,” he told Henry as he veered through traffic. There was no police escort or bells and whistles. For Eli, it was a rare time as they weaved through traffic anonymously.

“I swear,” Eli said suddenly from the back seat. “When I find out who did this, I’m going to fucking murder him. Last I heard, just two months ago, she was a virgin.”

Henry stiffened. “Eli,” he said, and he turned his head to look at him. The least he could do was meet his eyes. Still, Henry knew that he was being chickenshit confessing here. The seat between them served as protection, and knowing there was a three-hundred-pound ex-linebacker at the wheel certainly made him feel safeguarded. “It was me.”

“What do you mean it was you?” Eli asked absentmindedly.

“I got Ellie pregnant.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Eli said.

“I’m serious. It happened, we happened, in the cabin.”

Henry expected the driver to react. A glance, a twitch of the hand, something. But he acted like he was deaf. “Are you fucking with me?” Eli asked. His eyes begged Henry to say yes.

“No. I’m—I’m sorry, Eli. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean for—and I honestly didn’t know she was pregnant. We were careful—”

“Stop the car,” Eli said. His voice had taken on a hauntingly quiet quality Henry had never heard before. The driver eased the SUV over with a grace he shouldn’t have been capable of. Clearly, he was far from deaf. Just knew how to mind his own business. You could learn something from him.

“Get out,” Eli said. His fists were balled up so tight the knuckles had gone white.

Henry thought to argue, but the resolve in Eli’s eyes told him he’d better follow orders. “I’m sorry,” he said one last time as he unbuckled the belt.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, you motherfucking piece of shit,” Eli said. It was strange. He barely moved, his voice was even, but the rage that bubbled beneath the surface was palpable. “That’s Ellie we’re talking about. She’s in surgery because of you. She almost died, might still die, because of you.”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry.” It was all he could come up with, and he knew it wasn’t good enough.

“No, you’re not,” Eli said. “If you were sorry, it wouldn’t have happened. How many times did it happen, anyway?”

“It?”

“How many times,” Eli repeated slowly, “did you fuck my sister?”

Henry couldn’t bring himself to answer. He couldn’t even if he wanted to.

“So many times you can’t keep track?” Eli asked. “Is that it? You know, I wouldn’t accept an apology from you even if it was just one time. But I know you. I know you. It wasn’t just one time. You’re not sorry.”

“I am,” Henry whispered.

“Oh, I believe you’re sorry that she’s in surgery. I believe you’re sorry you got her pregnant. I don’t doubt that. Both of those are big inconveniences for you. But you’re not sorry about fucking her, are you?”

Eli did know him. Was he that transparent? He couldn’t answer anymore. No amount of apologies would amount to anything.

“Answer me,” Eli said. “You’re not sorry about fucking her, are you?”

Henry knew what he had to say, and what Eli needed to hear. “No,” he said.

“Get out of my fucking car,” Eli said.

Wordlessly, Henry stepped out of the SUV and shut the door.

Eli was furious with him, and rightfully so. He watched the nondescript vehicle as it pulled away. This is probably the last time you’ll see him.

Henry reached for his phone to call an Uber. Fuck, it’s at home. It took him twenty minutes to hail a cab on the busy three-lane street. No matter what Eli said, or what he thought, Henry was getting to that hospital. Let Eli do whatever he wanted then. But he had to get to Ellie.

“Not safe!” the cab driver called through his window. “Not safe to stop here!”

“It’s an emergency,” Henry said. He pulled at the car’s doors, but they were locked.

“Go to parking lot, there,” said the driver, and he pointed to a Walgreens lot one block away.

“What the hell? You won’t let me in here?”

The driver shook his head. “Cops everywhere. Ticket if I let you in here.”

Henry bolted toward the parking lot, his dress shoes pinching his feet with every step. Cars blared their horns when he ran across the lanes, far from any discernible crosswalk. “Watch where the fuck you’re going!” a driver yelled. Henry didn’t care. He wouldn’t have cared if a semitruck ran him down, except that he had to get to Ellie first. Please. Just let me get to her, and then anything can happen.

“You crazy, man.” The cab driver let out a giggle, exposing rows of crooked yellow teeth. “What you doing stranded on the road in them fancy clothes?”

“Bethesda,” Henry said, out of breath from the adrenaline.

“All okay?” the cab driver asked as he pulled the car onto the road.

“I don’t know,” Henry said.

“Aye, no worries,” the driver said. “Relax. Will be okay. Something wrong with you? Or someone there?”

“Somebody there.” Henry didn’t know why he was answering all of these questions, but it felt good. To talk to somebody who didn’t know him, had no reason to judge. He felt like a dam was about to burst in his chest.

“Is a girl, ya?”

“Yeah.”

“No worries,” he repeated. “Will all be okay. Ya?”

“I don’t know,” Henry said. He didn’t. How much had Eli really told him? Before he found out Henry was the one who destroyed his baby sister, he might have tried to protect him. Henry was aware of just how little he knew. He didn’t know Ellie was pregnant, didn’t know he loved her, didn’t know anything. All he knew was that he had to be there for Ellie. That was it.

But knowing that wasn’t going to be enough.