Baller’s Baby(25)

The ride is quiet, and Camryn is lost in his own world, staring out the window with glassy eyes. I want to say something to him, but I don’t know what, and I don’t want to risk upsetting him again. Sky reaches over and takes my hand, anxiously running her thumb back and forth across my palm. Everyone in the car is on edge and restless, unsure of what the future holds. I feel sick to my stomach. I hate the idea of taking my big brother and dropping him off at some mental institution, but right now, I don’t know what else to do. He’s a risk to himself and to others.

The closer we get to the hospital, the deeper Sky’s nails press into my flesh. "Sky, it’s going to be okay. We all know this is what's best. If there's any chance of him being in the baby’s life, he has to get help."

"I know. It’s just almost surreal. Growing up, I never expected my life to be like this. I'm not complaining, but it doesn't fit into what I had imagined."

"Baby, I'll do everything in my power to make that happen. It might not be today or tomorrow, but from now on, know that my intentions are pure." She smiles, giving my hand a tight squeeze, and looks back over her shoulder at Camryn.

"I hope you're right about him. I know, regardless of our past or future, he deserves a chance to know the baby,” she says on a sigh before turning back to the front of the car.

Camryn’s entire demeanor changes the closer we get to the hospital. His antsy, erratic behavior is making Sky uncomfortable. She looks back at him again, and this time worry is evident in her gaze.



"Cam, you need to relax," she says, barely above a whisper. Camryn looks at her, his eyes locked in blank, glassy stare.

"Sky, it's not him in there. It's almost like he's been brainwashed." His eyes shift to me, and I can see the hatred in his eyes, and I can feel the tension building with each passing mile.

"This is going to be bad," she whispers, so low that I almost don’t hear her.

"What was that?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing, just a random thought.”

I nod, accepting her answer, even though I know she isn’t telling me the truth. Now isn’t the time to push it. The glossy look of her eyes tells me she’s not far from breaking.

"Baby . . . Sky,” I say, and she looks at me but avoids eye contact.

"Please look at me. This is what he needs. Do you really want him showing up and acting out again? We have no idea what he's capable of when he's this strung out. He has to get help."

"I know. I just . . . I feel sorry for him, and the most confusing thing is that I don't know why."

"If it's too much for you—"

"No, it’s not. I'll be fine," she says, her voice raising an octave. She looks out the window and just stares as we make the turn into the hospital. Camryn begins to hiss in a primitive way, and I notice that Sky begins to shake. She's beginning to succumb to the stress of the situation, and I have no clue what to do to make it better. She’s my rock, and now when she begins to crumble, I don’t know what to do in order to hold her together. If I don’t do something quick, she will be sand sifting between my fingers.

"Sky, stop. You need to relax. Think of the baby." She closes her eyes and draws in a deep breath.

"I don't know if I can do this." She sighs.

"If you're not comfortable, stay put. You know he's going to fight me when I attempt to coax him from the car. Don’t watch. You’ve been through enough, and you don't need any extra stress." She looks at me in protest.

"I mean it, Sky. After the last scare, I don't know if my heart can handle seeing you in pain." Sky bites down on her bottom lip and draws in an uneven breath.

"Let's do this. He needs this,” she says and slides out from her seat, cautiously opening the back door.

"Camryn, look at me." Camryn turns his head toward her, and the tension begins to diminish. "Come on. Keep your eyes on me. Do you know where we are?" He blinks a couple of times and shakes his head no.

"You're here to get help. You need this. Now, Kip is going to help you out of the car, and don't you fight him. Do you understand?" He nods, and I take her place.

"Come on, bro. They're going to take really good care of you. Ok?" He lowers his head and slowly emerges from the car. Sky walks in ahead of us to begin the registration process, and everything seems fine. As we enter the front doors, he snaps.

I'm holding him down to the floor when two orderlies come around the corner. Camryn continues to fight me, slamming his head against the cold tile floor. A splatter of red blinds me for a moment, and I realize he's busted the side of his head open. Sky covers her face in horror as she turns to heave over the trash can.

"Camryn, stop," she pleads. “Let them help you.”

“You’re bleeding, for fuck’s sake,” I scream at him. He looks at me strangely as the pain begins to take over. The orderlies lay a towel under his head and call for help. The red pool beginning to spread under his head is alarming. His eyes begin to flutter, and he passes out. I stand out of the way to let them get him stabilized and look over to Sky, who is now on her knees in the middle of the floor.





"I knew something was going to happen. I just knew." She sobs, an uncontrollable mess now. It breaks my heart to see her in so much pain, to see what this is doing to her. I want to shield her from every harmful person, object and thing in the universe and protect her for the rest of our lives. I never want to see her shed another tear.

Not like this.

Never like this.

"Hey, baby. It's not your fault," I reply, pulling her to her feet and into my arms.



I don’t care that my that my shoulder is throbbing, and right this second, it feels like it's about to fucking fall off. I need to hold her close. I need to feel her body against mine and let her know that everything is going to be okay.





Chapter Thirty-Five

Skila



People are rushing around everywhere.

I don’t know what happened.

One minute, Camryn was fine and things were going smoothly, and then he snaps. Blood covers the floor, puddling around my feet. I think he split his head open. I’m not sure. One of the orderlies lifts Cam to his feet and another offers support. He is dazed and disoriented, but his gaze latches onto me.

“Sky?” he asks, glancing around the room.

It's almost like he doesn't recall anything that happened in the last few minutes—hell, maybe even the last day or longer, it's hard to tell. Kiptyn is talking to the receptionist at the counter. His hands are flying through the air while he speaks, and I can tell from here that he’s getting angrier by the second, but I don't know why. My stomach rolls again, and I retch. Nothing comes up. I’ve already lost the contents of my stomach. I have nothing left to give.

“Sky?” Cam asks again. His voice is gaining an edge of hysteria to it that worries me. I don't want him to freak out again, but I don't know how to keep it from happening either.

“Yeah, Cam?” I ask, taking short, shallow breaths. I ignore the blood on the soles of my shoes. Someone is working at cleaning it all up right now, but each step I take closer to Cam leaves bloody foot trails. These people are going to hate us before we even get him checked in.

“What’s going on, Sky? Where are we?”

“Do you not remember anything, Cam? We’re at the mental hospital. You need help, Cam.”

His eyes dart around the room as he takes a step back from me. Hurt and betrayal cross his eyes before he shuts down in front of me again. I watch as the shutters come down, closing off all emotion. Kip walks up behind me at that moment and places his hand on the small of my back.

“We have a problem,” he says.

“What?”

Good Lord, I can't handle any more problems tonight. I need to go home and relax. I'm not even supposed to be out of the bed right now. Bed rest does not include chasing my boyfriends’ brothers across the house or calling the police or driving to the mental hospital. This is too much.

“Apparently, I can't sign him in here. I need two signatures to admit him. We both have to be related to him, and unless he decides to stay on his own, we have to take him back with us.”

“No. No. No. He needs this, Kip.”

“I know, Sky.”

“I’ll stay,” Camryn says, surprising us both.

I forgot he was standing there, so when he spoke up, I jumped into the air and almost slipped and fell on my ass thanks to the water and blood on the floor. Kip just stares at his brother, unsure of what to say. Neither of us expected him to be willing to stay after the way he reacted when we brought him in the front door.

“Great. That's really good, Cam. I’m proud of you.” I say, because I feel like someone needs to say something.

“I need to talk to Skila alone for a minute before I sign in,” Cam says, looking at Kip for permission. Kip glances at me, asking me if it's okay. I shrug my shoulder, and then Kip nods to his brother and walks away, leaving me alone.

“I'll stay on one condition, Skila. I want you to promise me that you will sign the termination papers and that you will file them tomorrow morning.”

The air in my lungs evaporates. I never expected this, not in a million years. I still don't understand why he is so adamant about not being a part of his own child's life. It breaks my heart to even think about it.