“It’s not working,” Liam said. He was on his couch. Tears ran down his face, and he held a gun, lax in his grip, pointed at the coffee table. “Why won’t it work?” Rocky hopped up onto Liam’s lap and Luke carefully took the gun from Liam’s hand.

“The magazine isn’t in all the way. Jesus Christ, Liam.” Luke quickly unloaded and took the gun apart and placed it on a side table.

“I took a few of these too,” Liam said and gestured to a mostly full prescription bottle sitting next to a half-empty bottle of whiskey on the coffee table.

Rocky barked softly and burrowed into Liam’s side. Liam wrapped his arms around the dog and cried into his fur.

“Call nine-one-one,” Luke said to me.

“I already did; they’ll be here any minute,” I whispered.

He nodded at me, then went to sit by Liam on the couch.

“She died, Luke. She made me normal again, and she’s gone. I have nothing left. No one. I wasn’t even there when it happened. She was all alone,” he sobbed, and Rocky licked the tears from his cheek.

His grandmother?

“Shit, Liam, she’s gone?” Luke asked, and tears filled his eyes too. He blinked a few times to stop them from falling, then wrapped his arm around Liam’s shoulder. “Elsie’s gone?” he asked again. Liam nodded, and my heart broke for them both. Elsie, Liam’s grandmother. Obviously, she meant a lot to Luke as well. “I can’t believe it. I saw her yesterday. She was looking so much better. I’m so sorry.”

“What did I do?” Liam looked up, at me then at Luke. “Luke, what did I do?”

“You’ll be okay, Liam. We’re going to take care of you,” I said.

He looked at me with an almost imperceptible nod. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to Luke. “I didn’t want to be alone. What did I do?” He shut his eyes and sagged into Luke, from grief, or from the pills he took, I couldn’t tell.

Rocky whined, then licked and nudged Liam’s face. He barked in his ear, forcing Liam’s eyes to open.

“You’re not alone, Liam. Don’t apologize, not to me. You’ve pulled me back from the edge before, brother. It’s my turn. Stay with me, Liam.” Luke shook him. Liam was struggling to focus.

“I didn’t know how to tell you. I—”

We all jumped when we heard the sirens out front. I rushed to the door to let them in, forgetting that the door was already opened from when Luke had kicked it in.