“Hey,” I leaned closer and kissed his forehead. “Not happening. I’ll always come back for you. You're my brother.”
Casey's hand gripped mine tight. “Promise?”
“I promise,” I told him. “And when I do, we'll celebrate with rocky road ice cream.”
A small smile lit his face. “My favorite.”
“I remember.”
The afternoon wore on, and I stayed longer than I'd planned, watching the Padres come back from behind to beat the Yankees, helping Casey eat his bland hospital dinner, and showing him funny posts from Instagram and TikTok just to watch him laugh.
It was nearly eight when Janet appeared again. “Visiting hours are over, Theo,” she said gently. “And Casey needs his rest.”
I nodded, knowing she was right, but reluctant to leave. Tomorrow I'd be on a plane, and the next time I saw my brother would be after I'd done things I could never tell him about.
“I have to go now,” I told Casey, standing and stretching my stiff muscles. “But I'll call you soon, okay?”
Casey looked momentarily confused. “You're leaving?”
“Just for tonight,” I said, my heart sinking at his disorientation. “I'll call you tomorrow from Florida as soon as my plane lands.”
“Florida,” he repeated, then his face cleared. “The job. The fish.”
“The fish, that's right.”
He reached for my hand one more time. “Be careful, Theo. Don't talk to strangers.”
I laughed despite myself.If you only knew, Case.“I'll do my best.”
As I leaned down to hug him goodbye, he whispered in my ear, “I'm sorry.”
I pulled back to look at him. “Sorry for what?”
“For being broken. For m-making you do this.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. “Casey, no. You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing.”I should have been with you.
His eyes, so like my own, held a clarity that belied his condition. “...'supposed to t-take care of you. Not—” He shook his head and pointed a shaky finger at me.
Fuck. I couldn't speak past the tightness in my throat, so I just hugged him again, fiercely, hoping that was enough. “I'll be back before you know it,” I finally managed.
“With rocky road,” he added, the smallest hint of his old self shining through.
“With rocky road.”
The drive home was a blur, my mind replaying Casey's words on an endless loop.I'm sorry. For being broken. For making you do this.
My apartment, when I finally reached it, felt emptier than usual. It was a studio barely big enough for a bed and a kitchenette, with paper-thin walls and neighbors who fought loudly at all hours. But it was all I could afford after draining our collective funds to cover Casey's initial medical bills.
I collapsed onto my bed without bothering to undress, staring at the cracked ceiling. Tomorrow I'd be flying to Texas, not Florida, to work at an exclusive ‘resort’ that catered to wealthy men seeking 'companionship' from other men.
The twelve-week contract that I’d signed from The Ranch was explicit in its vagueness: “companionship” could include “whatever you're comfortable with.” The interview had been more direct. They wanted young, attractive men willing to please their wealthy clients. The pay was enough to make me swallow my pride and sign the contract.
I rolled onto my side, watching headlights from the street create moving patterns on my wall. Was I really going to do this? Let strangers touch me? Use me? The thought was unsettling, but then Casey's face flashed in my mind—confused, vulnerable, depending on me.
For Casey, I could do anything. It was just a couple of months. Enough to get him into that rehabilitation center, to give him a fighting chance at something closer to his old life. And the money was good—damn good. If things went well, maybe I could stay longer, make enough to support both of us until he was better.
My phone buzzed with a text from the airline, confirming my 7 AM flight. In a few hours, I'd be on my way to Dove Canyon Ranch and Resort, leaving behind my hometown to enter a world I still couldn’t believe existed out there. Every second felt like a countdown.
