Page 58 of My Family

I wait until he's all done. I'm so wound up I'm physically shaking.

And then it happens. Tyler steps into the hallway where I’m waiting, and we see each other face-to-face. Brothers. After four years apart.

Tyler doesn't say anything. I want to say something, anything, but I don't trust my voice not to break. For a moment, it's just the sound of the AC and Tyler's breathing. He keeps his head down, and I'm grateful, because I can't bear the idea of him seeing the panic in my own face.

"I'm not gonna freak out," I say. "But if you want to talk, I'm here. No bullshit."

He barks a laugh, but it's got no humor. "You say that like you're not about to give me the world's biggest lecture."

"Not a lecture," I say, trying to keep it steady. "Just… a check-in."

He shrugs. "Fine. You want the story? I'll give you the unabridged version."

I brace.

"You want to know how bad it got?" he says. "I died, Ethan. I was gone for two minutes. The paramedics said my lips were blue. I had a tube down my throat and I didn't know where I was or who the fuck I was talking to."

There's a familiar taste in the back of my throat.

He looks at me. "You think this place is gonna fix me?"

"No," I say. "But it's not prison. And maybe it gives us time to figure out what's next. And I'm here."

He laughs again, and this time it's almost a sob. "Yeah. Time. I got all the time in the world now, don't I?"

I don't know what to say, so I just hold his gaze. I refuse to look away.

He breaks first, looking down at his hands. "Sorry," he mumbles, softer. "I know you didn't ask for this."

I want to tell him I'd do anything, take anything, be anything, if it meant not losing him. Instead, I say, "We're family. That's what we do."

He nods but doesn't look up. His hair falls in his face.

Then I shock even myself. I do something I never do, only with Liam, and I'd never have done it before him: I wrap my arms around him. He goes stiff instantly, fight or flight, always, but I hold him there. For a second I think he'll swing on me, or push me off, but he just stays, rigid as steel, until I feel the tremor run through his shoulders. He doesn't cry. I don't either.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you," I murmur. "Please forgive me."

He mutters, "Dude, get off, what the fuck. You gone soft?"

But he doesn't move, and I don't either. When I finally let go, he wipes at his nose like he's wiping sweat, then glares at the motivational poster on the wall like it personally insulted him.

"Dumbass," he says, but quieter now.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room," I tell him. We start walking down the hallway. We're silent at first, then he starts to make conversation, which is definitely progress.

"Are they freaks? The guys here."

I chuckle.

"Some of them," I admit. "Not the scary kind. Everyone's just a little fucked up in their own way."

He huffs, not quite a laugh. "Yeah, that's why Aunt said it was perfect for me."

I chuckle again, and he keeps talking.

"You got friends here? Or is everyone just scared of you, like at home?"

"Both, sometimes." I smile, and to my surprise he almost matches it. I'm way taller than him. He's almost the same height as Liam. "But… yeah. I've got a crew."