“And everything that happened a couple weeks ago?” I probed.

“I know your brother is out on bail, if that’s what you’re asking,” he grumbled. “He really left Willow in the mine when you were kids?”

“Yeah.” I beat back the anger that welled up every time I thought about it.

“And he set fire to the bunkhouse?”

“He did.”

Dad turned to face me. “And you took the blame.”

“My reasons seemed sound back then.” I looked away. We’d come a long way since I’d returned home, but this was still awkward as hell.

“I swear, you always cared too little about what other people thought, and Xander cared too much.” He shook his head. “There was a girl in the mine…”

“Rose,” I supplied.

“Right. She okay?”

“She is. Grounded, I believe, but physically fine. You saved her. We never could have found her without you.”

He grunted a reply that I couldn’t interpret.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for you,” I said softly, spitting it out before I lost whatever time I had with him.

His gaze jerked toward mine. “More what?”

Shit.

“The DNR,” I reminded him. “The judge denied us. Do you remember?”

His brow furrowed. “I remember Walt telling me the judge’s decision. But I know you did what you could. You opened the mine, for Christ’s sake. Took on Judge Bradley and won him over, from what I remember.”

“It wasn’t enough.” I shifted my weight and crossed my arms over my chest.

“Cam, you can’t control the choices other people make. You do the best you can, and then it’s out of your hands.”

My gaze drifted to Sullivan’s stone.

“And what happens when you make the wrong choice?” I arched my neck slightly to ease the tightening sensation in my throat. “What happens when you’re standing in the mine and you have to choose left or right in a split second with no way to justify your choice?”

“You went left and found the girl. Why are you beating yourself up? It worked out in the end.”

Willow chose left. I followed her.

“I made a decision just like that. Two men stepped forward, I pointed to the guy on the left, and Sullivan died.”

Dad sucked in a breath. “Camden…”

“I want you to know what happened that day, but not for the reasons you think. I’m starting to realize you can’t give me absolution, if that’s what you’re worried about. What I need you to know is that while I’m responsible for Sully’s death, I didn’t know it was his squad leader I chose.” I closed my eyes against the barrage of imagery in my head. Sullivan’s smile, his laugh, his eyes going vacant as he bled out. “I didn’t know.” My voice dropped to a whisper.