He meant Luther, Neil realized. There were footsteps on the stairs again, too many sets to be just Kevin. It sounded like Kevin had brought an entire army with him, but maybe some of that pounding was just Neil's heartbeat in his ears. Neil looked over his shoulder as Kevin and Nicky came through the doorway.

Nicky only needed a second to see all the blood, and he rushed for the bed with a horrified, "Oh my God."

"Don't," Neil said, holding out a hand to ward him off.

Neil didn't know if Nicky heard him or if he just realized there was no room for him to fit on the bed with them. He stopped as close to the bed as he could and reached for Andrew's face with both hands. Andrew tried tilting back out of his reach, but he was too nauseous and unsteady to move fast enough. Nicky cradled Andrew's face in his hands.

"Andrew, what happened?" Nicky asked, frantic. "Are you okay? Jesus, there's so much blood. Are you—"

"Nicky," Andrew said, "I need to talk to your father. You have two seconds to get out of the way."

How Andrew saw Luther's arrival with Nicky in his way, Neil wasn't sure, but Luther was standing frozen only a couple feet inside the bedroom door. Nicky looked from Andrew to the wrecked sheets to the bleeding body on the floor. When he saw the state Drake was in, his expression crumpled. The noise he made didn't sound human. Neil felt it like poison in his veins, but Andrew only laughed.

"One," Andrew said.

"Nicky," Neil said. "Get down."

Nicky let go and sank to his knees beside the bed. It gave Andrew an unobstructed view of Luther over his head. Andrew already knew Luther was there, but he feigned surprise at the sight of the other man. The look that washed that away a second later was almost delighted. Neil might have believed it if not for the fierce grip Andrew still had on his brother's hair.

"Oh, Luther," Andrew said. "Oh, good. You made it. Saves me the trouble of going downstairs to find you. Hey, as long as you're here, do you want to explain what Drake is doing here? I can't wait to hear it. I hope it's good."

"What in God's—" Luther started, voice hoarse.

"Oh, no," Andrew interrupted him. "No. Don't ask what. You know better. You know better," he said again, with heat. Andrew tilted forward as far as he dared. He started to sway, but Neil caught his shoulder to keep him from falling. "Looks like I was right about him after all. Or do you still think this is all a big misunderstanding? Go on, tell me again how I'm too unbalanced to understand normal brotherly affection and love. Tell me this is natural."