His words weren’t much comfort. But his being there was. At least a little bit.
Finally, a doctor in pale blue scrubs came out of the swinging doors leading to the operating room. “Mrs. Mann?” he asked, scanning the waiting room.
My mom jumped up immediately. “Yes, that’s me,” she said. “I’m here. How is he?”
I was on my feet before I knew it, standing at Mom’s side. Sam appeared behind me a second later. Tanner stood up and grabbed my hand. Sydney just sat there, staring nervously.
The doctor glanced around at our little group. “Logan’s a very lucky young man,” he said. “He’s going to be fine.”
I didn’t think I’d ever felt so relieved in my entire life. My knees buckled a little, but Sam was there to catch me.
“He is?” Mom demanded, almost as if she didn’t believe it. “Are you sure?”
The doctor still looked concerned. “Yes,” he said slowly. “He suffered a concussion and several broken bones, but it appears his internal injuries are minimal, aside from the trauma to his liver. He should make a full recovery.”
“Oh, thank God,” Mom breathed. I could see tears glistening in her eyes as she turned to me and smiled. I could feel the tears in my own eyes too.
But the doctor didn’t look as happy as we did. “Mrs. Mann,” he said slowly. “It seems to me that we have a difficult situation here.”
“What?” my mom asked, sniffling a little.
He cleared his throat. “Your son’s blood alcohol level is quite high. I asked him some questions, as did the police, and it seems that this isn’t the first time he has gone overboard with drinking.”
“What?” My mom looked at the doctor blankly.
The doctor cleared his throat again. “I suspect he will have to deal with the legal ramifications of this incident. I need to strongly recommend that you get him into some sort of rehab program.”
“Rehab?” my mother whispered.
“He’s a minor, Mrs. Mann. This is extremely serious. He’s very lucky that no one besides himself was hurt.”
She looked down. “Today’s the anniversary of his father’s death,” she said. “I don’t know if he told you that.”
“Ah,” the doctor said. For the first time, he looked a bit sympathetic instead of judgmental. “I see. I’m sorry to hear that. Was it long ago?”
“A year ago today,” my mother whispered.
“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. “But this is a wake-up call, Mrs. Mann. Your son needs help.”
I could feel my face flaming. I’d known my brother drank. I hadn’t done anything to stop it. And he had almost gotten himself killed.
As if reading my mind, Sam leaned down and whispered softly in my ear, “Don’t you dare go blaming yourself, Lacey Mann. You are not responsible for Logan. He did this on his own.”
“But—” I started to whisper back.
“Not your fault,” Sam said in a tone that left no room for argument.
The doctor was saying something to my mom about how Logan was under anesthesia and was a little groggy but could talk to her if she wanted to go in. The rest of us would have to wait until visiting hours tomorrow.
“After you see him,” the doctor said, “the police will want to interview you. And I’d like to recommend a few rehab centers to you before Logan is released.”
“Okay,” she said in a small voice.
When the doctor disappeared, my mother crumpled to the floor. It was as if all her bones suddenly turned to jelly. “My God, my God, my God,” she was murmuring to herself. I bent down and wrapped my arms around her.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I’m sorry I didn’t do anything to stop him.”
“My God, Lacey,” she said. “It’s not your responsibility. When did it start being your responsibility?”
“But—”
“Lacey, you’re sixteen,” she said. “You’re not in charge of your brother’s actions. It’s my fault. I should have known.”
I tried to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault. But the words fell on deaf ears. Tanner hopped up from his chair and joined me and Mom on the floor. He put his arms around both of us, and the three of us sat there in a messy, crying heap.
“It’s not anyone’s fault,” he said. My mom and I both looked at him. Mom sniffled. “You can only do your best. And you can either get upset about the past, or just plan on doing things differently in the future. That’s what the Crocodile Hunter said, anyhow. In a show I used to watch.”
“Thanks, Tanner,” my mom said.
He shrugged and put his hands in his pocket. “Whatever.”
? ? ?
Sydney’s parents came to pick her up a little while later. To their credit, they didn’t say one word about the car. Mom decided to stay at the hospital overnight. Sam offered to drive me and Tanner home, and my mom gratefully accepted.
Sam walked us to the door, and after I unlocked it and watched Tanner disappear into the house, Sam pulled me into a long embrace on the doorstep.
“Lacey, I don’t know if this is the right time to say this,” he said, “but I’d really like it if maybe you’d come meet my dad sometime.”