Page 60 of Mending Scars

“Kam, we’re home,” Kaiya announced as we walked inside. All the lights were off, leaving the room completely dark.

Kaiya flipped on the light to living room and called out to her brother again. “Kamden?”

Still no answer. A month or two ago, this would have been typical, but since Kamden stopped drinking, he was usually home, either watching TV or working on his computer.

Kaiya dropped her purse and gym bag on the coffee table, then went into the dining room and kitchen, turning the lights on in each room. When she came back into the living room, there was no denying the look of worry on her face.

“What’s wrong, baby?” I questioned as I scanned over her wide eyes and the tight line that had replaced her normal smile.

“There’s an empty bottle of Jack on the counter, plus a bunch of empty beer cans.”

Shit.

Kaiya whipped around and sped to Kamden’s room. Seconds later, her shriek pierced my ears. “Oh my God, Kamden!”

Rushing to Kamden’s side, I knelt beside his limp body on the floor. An almost empty bottle of Jack was next to him, along with a folded letter, envelope, and a handful of pictures scattered around the hardwood.

One photo caught my eye—Kamden and Kaleb back in high school with their arms draped over each other’s shoulders and wide smiles on their faces.

“What is it, Ky?” Ryker asked from behind me.

I jerked slightly, startled by his voice, but I didn’t respond. My fingers hovered over the letter and my eyes scanned the pictures. All of them were of Kaleb and Kamden, ranging from when they were toddlers to teenagers.

Where did he get these?

Snatching the letter off the ground, I unfolded it and started reading:

“Let these pictures be reminders of the horrible sin you committed. You’re a murderer and deserve to suffer for what you did.”

I stared at the paper in shock for several seconds before crumbling it into a ball with my fist. I threw it angrily across the room as tears streamed down my cheeks.

I grabbed the envelope and looked at the return address, even though I knew who the letter was from. My fucking mother.

There was no name, just a P.O. Box, but I knew it was her. No one else would be so heartless and have those pictures. Only her.

I dropped the envelope and focused back on my brother. A choked sob shuddered through my chest as I looked down at his face. “Please, God, no,” I whispered as I reached out my hand toward him. Shaking his shoulder, I pleaded, “Kam, wake up.” After several seconds, I shook more forcefully. “Wake up, Kamden!” I cried out desperately.

He was on his stomach, face down, and I couldn’t tell whether he was breathing or not. I tried to turn him over, but he was almost as big and bulky as Ryker, so it was like a chihuahua trying to flip over a pitbull.

Ryker was next to me in an instant, helping me turn Kamden over onto his back. His skin was pale and cold, and I feared for the worst.

Please be alive, please be alive, please be alive.

As I pressed my ear against his chest, a chill ran up my spine. An overwhelming case ofdéjàvu came over me—I was doing the same thing less than a year ago when Kaleb had come for me.

Tears blurred my vision as I waited to hear my brother’s heartbeat. I could vaguely hear Ryker talking on the phone, giving my address and describing the situation to whoever was on the line. “An ambulance is on its way.”

I didn’t reply, too focused on listening for Kam’s heart to say anything.It felt like hours had passed when I finally heard the weak thump. I closed my eyes and sighed in relief. “He’s alive.”

I stayed by Kamden’s side, holding his hand until the paramedics came. Ryker followed me in the ambulance to the hospital, and I had to be pried off of Kam when they took him back to work on him.

My eyes burned from the non-stop flow of tears as I sat in the emergency room waiting room. Ryker sat next to me and draped his arm around my shoulders, hugging me tightly to him and giving me the comfort I needed.

About an hour passed when a doctor walked into the waiting area. “Kaiya Marlow?”

I popped out of my seat. “That’s me. Is my brother okay?” I urgently asked.

The doctor scanned my face. “We had to pump his stomach because of the amount of alcohol he consumed. We’re replenishing his fluids, and he’s in recovery now. We want to keep him for observation for twenty-four hours, but you can see him now for a few minutes if you’d like.”

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