Holidays and Handcuffs (Bringing Home Trouble)

Chapter 1

Ten Years Later

Emily

The crisp December air bites at my skin as I drive down Main Street, my breath fogging in the cold. Christmas decorations line the streets, strings of twinkling lights crisscrossing above, wreaths hanging from every lamp post, and a giant tree stands tall in the town square.

Christmas is just a day away, but I can't summon a flicker of excitement. Instead of joining the festive cheer, I promised my boss I’d work today, to work on tasks my colleagues left behind while they enjoy the holiday break.

My phone buzzes in my purse, pulling me from my thoughts. I pull it out, glancing at the screen. Mom. Great. I debate taking the call. Taking a deep breath, I answer, because she won’t stop calling until I do.

“Hello, Mom,” I answer, trying to sound more composed than I feel.

“What took you so long to answer?” my mother’s voice screeches through the speaker, sharp and frantic. “Where are you? The doctors are saying Billy might need a kidney transplant. You need to get to the hospital right now.”

I stop in my tracks, the blood draining from my face. “A kidney transplant? I—I didn’t know it was that bad.” This morning, I got a text from Dad saying Billy is sick.

“Well, it is,” she snaps, her voice tinged with both fear and accusation. “You need to come now. We don’t have time for you to dawdle.”

Dawdle? I’m on my way to work, but I guess that doesn’t matter. I’m twenty-three years old and she still talks to me like I’m twelve, like I don’t have my own life to live. Of course, she doesn’t see it that way.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “I’ll be there soon. I just need to get to work first—”

“I don’t care about your job, Emily! Your brother needs you. You owe him this. You exist to save him, remember?” Her words pierce straight to the heart. I’ve heard them all my life, ever since I learned I was born for this purpose, to be his savior sibling.

My chest tightens. Of course, I remember. It’s the same thing every time. Billy gets sick, and I’m the solution. Always.

“I’ll be there,” I say quietly, ending the call before I lose control of my voice. My fingers tremble as I stuff my phone back into my purse. I need a second to breathe, to clear my head, before I head to the hospital.

There’s a small coffee shop just ahead, and I veer toward it, hoping the caffeine will help give me the boost I need to face my family.

As I drive to the coffee shop, my mind races. A kidney transplant? Billy might need my kidney. Of course, it would be mine. Everything always has been, hasn’t it? The same brother who always took everything without asking.

My parents' attention, their love, my childhood. Now, another part of me. It’s not like I get a say in this. My parents have already decided that my life belongs to Billy, just as it always has.

Ten years ago, Billy was locked up for something my parents won’t even talk about. No matter how many times I asked, they’d just wave me off. Their focus was on getting him out of prison, nothing else mattered. Five years he spent in there, and during that time? I was invisible. They never even saw me.

I remember when I got my first period. Mom wasn’t around. She was busy with Billy’s latest parole hearing. It was my best friend’s mom who handed me my first sanitary pad and explained what to do. Not my own mother.

Now, five years after Billy’s release, they’re still hovering around him. Catering to his every need. Treating him like he’s some kind of miracle child that needs to be preserved at all costs. And me? I’m just the spare. The backup plan. The Savior Sibling , born to be the hero to my brother, whether I want to be or not.

As I pull into the coffee shop, my phone buzzes with another call from Mom, and the moment I answer, she starts screaming at me. “Why aren’t you here yet? Do you even care about your brother?”

“Mom, I’m on my way; I just want to grab a coffee,” I reply, trying to keep my voice calm, my hands shaking as I try to find a parking spot. My vision blurs for just a moment, and that’s when it happens.

Crunch.

The sound of metal hitting metal jerks me back into reality. I’ve backed into someone’s car.

My stomach drops as I whirl around, my heart sinking when I see the damage. A sleek black Police SUV. Perfect.