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"He's going to go into a rage," Jackson noted as we approached the lake house. "Fuck, it looks terrible here."
Evrin hadn't kept up with the land at all. The grass had grown into full blond thigh-high weeds. The building was coated in a green layer of moss and there was a plethora of empty bottles and cans everywhere.
"Shit," Amos cursed, parking and turning off the car before bursting out the door and rushing inside. We followed a bit more sedate, not ready to face whatever man we'd find inside.
The stench hit us first. Booze and smoke had permeated every soft surface around, coating them in a thick tar that made my stomach churn. Trash littered every surface imaginable and dishes were molding in the sink.
"Fuck this is bad," I said, my chest tightening with nerves, picking up even more as Amos's frantic voice echoed through the house.
"Ev, where are you?!" he screamed. I was moving without thought, following the sound and helping him search for our brother.
"I'm going outside to look," Jackson said, his voice flat. We both knew if Ev was out there that it would not be good. This property was surrounded by woods and the lake.
"Evrin, answer me right the fuck now!" Amos demanded angrily, tearing through the house. He met me in the middle, his eyes wild.
"Jackson is looking outside," I said, my voice wavering as the reality of it hit me. My brother might be gone already.
"Come on," Amos said, grabbing my arm and forcing me to follow. Jackson's voice met us as soon as we hit the porch.
"He's here!"
Jackson was dragging Evrin's waterlogged body from the edge of the water. He had been hidden by the weeds growing and was covered in dirt and a few bugs. But he was breathing. It was shallow but the moment I saw the rise and fall of his chest a broken cry escaped me.
Amos pulled out his phone and dialed for an ambulance, giving them the information as we tried to pull him up. He wouldn't wake up at all, even as Jackson tapped his cheek with enough force to rouse him.
The next hour was a blur of waiting and begging Evrin to wake up, the sirens cutting through the quiet morning, and a trip to the hospital. We'd paced the waiting room intensely enough that other families were starting to move away from us.
Jackson was the only one of us who had it together and that was because he was insanely good at compartmentalizing.
My fingers itched to grab my phone and text Serenity. I needed my omega, though I had no right to depend on her yet. We barely knew each other.
But she made it clear she no longer cared about him... or couldn't. He'd broken her just as thoroughly as he had broken himself.
The doctor finally came through the door thirty minutes after we arrived. His face was solemn as he approached and my chest tightened further, making it impossible to draw in a normal breath. Whatever news he had it wasn't good.
"You're the family of Evrin Gallagher?"
"Yes, we're his brothers. We drove out this morning and found him in the water."
"Your brother is in need of serious help. He's got a higher blood alcohol level than I've seen in a long time. We had to pump his stomach and he's on fluids now," he noted. "We're ruling this as an attempted suicide. The water had him dangerously close to death. If you hadn't found him..." he trailed off, letting us know how serious it was.
"Are you putting him on a hold?" I questioned. The doctor nodded.
"He'll be under twenty-four hour supervision then a mandatory psych hold once he's sober. I'm guessing a week at minimum. We can't guarantee he won't sign himself out after that. He's sedated and healing now," he explained before giving us all the details.
"Can we see him?"
"Yes, he just won't be conscious for long," he admitted as he waved us to follow him back through the ER doors. We followed without a word through the halls.
I hated hospitals. The scent, the cries of pain, the somber feeling, it all got to me. Now more than ever.
"I'm glad they're keeping him," I said quietly before we entered. "I hope it's the wakeup call he needed."
Evrin looked so frail in the bed. He'd lost weight so his bones stuck out more than ever. His face was pale and eyes gaunt, dark circles making it even worse. His hair and beard had grown out to the point he looked like a caveman.
I barely recognized him.
"Me, too," Amos admitted. "I can't believe I didn't see that it had gotten worse."
