James grabbed my shoulders, shaking me violently. "I called you ages ago! Why are you only showing up now? Did you do this on purpose, Alice?"
He shoved me back. "You know the only reason Mom and Dad paid for your college was because Ryan has asthma! We let you study medicine for him! And now, when he needs you, you're useless! All that money, wasted on a piece of trash like you!"
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and kept my expression pitiful. "Brother, I didn't... You told me to take the bus to the county to buy fireworks. I was already on the bus when you called."
I sniffled loudly, wiping my eyes. "I got off halfway and ran back as fast as I could..."
Vivian cut me off, her voice shrill. "Shut up! Your crying is giving me a headache. Ryan is fighting for his life in there. If anything happens to him, I'll settle the score with you later!"
The light above the operating room doors flickered off.
The silence that followed was suffocating. The doctor emerged, pulling off his mask with a grim expression. He let out a long, heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry. We did everything we could."
