Page 6 of King of Kings

I watch them put my baby sister on the stretcher, and I put my hand up to my mouth. Is this really happening?

“Do you want to ride with us?” the paramedic asks as they push her from the room.

“Yes, of course,” I reply, grabbing my phone and following them out.

I try––with no luck––to call both of my brothers. I decide against calling my dad. I want to make sure Kins is okay and find out what happened before we drag him into all this. Chances are he would be more worried about appearances than Kinsley anyway.

The emergency room is chaotic. I don’t understand anything they’re doing. It feels like they’ve asked me a million questions that I don’t have answers to.

Do you know when she took it?

Do you know if it was an accident?

Do you know where she got Oxycontin?

Has she shown any signs of depression?

I’m overwhelmed and I can’t get a hold of either one of my brothers, not that I think they would be much help. I’m supposed to be the levelheaded one.

“Sir, Mr. Kingston.” A nurse comes into the small room they have us in.

“Yes, sorry,” I say.

“The doctor wants to keep her here. They would like to do a psych evaluation on her, just in case. You will be moved to a different floor, and she’ll be given her own room.”

The psych ward. An evaluation.

“Of course. Thank you,” I tell her.

A half hour later, they have us settled in a room upstairs. Kinsley is sleeping. She has been in and out since we arrived, not to mention things have been too crazy for me to have a chance to even speak to her.

I step out into the hallway to call Kai again. Kane’s phone keeps going straight to voicemail, so I’ve given up on him.

After another unsuccessful phone call, I head back into Kinsley’s room, pushing the door open and coming face to face with someone I never wanted to see again.

“Sophia?”

My heart plummets to my stomach. As if this night hasn’t been traumatic enough. Why wouldn’t the universe drop my first love into the hospital room?

Chapter 2

Sophia

“Sophia?”

A voice I’d know anywhere, because I still hear it in my dreams… Knox Kingston comes into view.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, his confusion turning to anger pretty quickly.

“I’m Kinsley’s nurse,” I tell him, watching his eyes widen in shock.

“When did you start working here?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“A few months ago,” I tell him.

His silence tells me everything I need to know. He’s still the same Knox, and he’s still pissed at me for what happened all those years ago.

“I’ll just leave you two alone. I was just checking in on her.”

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