Page 185 of This Blood that Bonds Us

I dropped the twins on the bed and collapsed onto the floor while Kimberly did the same with Aaron.

My entire body was shaking. The slow sense of safety and exhaustion nearly took me to the floor. I made myself get up, refusing to let go of the little energy I had left. I needed to make sure my brothers got blood and that everything was truly over.

“All of you get up till I know you’re okay. If you die now, I’m going to be so pissed.”

“We’re okay, Pres,” Luke said, sitting up slowly. He did that for me, I think. “Come here. Let me look at you.”

I froze at Luke’s eyes on me. He moved the blood-soaked hair from my eyes, inspecting me for any signs of damage. Everything else in the room blurred.

“Where are you hurt?” he asked.

I wanted to speak, but something was weighing me down. My chest was tight.

“Check his chest. Henderson got him in the chest,” Zach said, still lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

“Here, let me see.” Luke inspected my torn clothes. As I stared at him, everything came crashing down on me. He looked so different yet the same. His skin was warm.

We did it. It really was over.

“Pres, are you okay?” Luke shook me urgently.

How long was I staring?

“AmI? Are you?” I finally said, tears running down my face.

“Yeah. I’m okay.” He nodded. “Thanks to you. All three of you.”

“I waited for you to come home, and you didn’t. I thought . . . maybe you forgot about me.”

“I wanted to come, Pres. I tried. I promise I tried.”

He wrapped me in a hug that was oddly soft in comparison to the ones I remembered, but it was still good.

“I know. I just missed you so much, and I couldn’t tell you. It was terrible. So much stuff happened, and a lot of it sucked. And I wasn’t that good while you were gone. I’m sorry. I was really close to robbing a bank.”

It was like seeing him for the first time in months. All my memories after the blood in the church were foggy. I couldn’t remember if I’d told him how much I’d missed or if he even remembered.

Tears formed in my brother’s eyes.

“Don’t cry, Luke.”

“No, it’s a good cry.” He wiped his face, wearing a toothy smile. “I still can’t believe this is real. Is this really happening?”

“It’s real, dude.” I squeezed him harder.

I turned to Zach and punched his only good leg. “And you. Get up.”

He groaned and pulled himself up to his elbows, and I fell onto him. Hugging him and relishing it and not caring about the embarrassment of it all.

“Did you miss me a little?”

He rubbed my back, and his voice cracked. “Yeah, Pres, I did.”

“Are you mad I came?”

“No. You came at the perfect time.”

I tried to push back and remember. It was hazy, but I vaguely remembered Zach leaning over Luke covered in blood.