"Meredith..."
My brother's voice, thin and hoarse, snapped me out of my thoughts. I swallowed the sting in my nose and asked quietly, "How do you feel? Any pain anywhere?"
He squeezed his eyes shut and forced a smile. "I'm fine. You're the one who's gotten so thin—if you don't eat properly someone's going to mistake you as my little sister when you go out."
I knew he was trying to distract me, so I pretended to be annoyed and made a soft huff.
I went out to heat some water. When I came back, the electrocardiogram monitor was frantically beeping. I sprinted into the room and found Hillary standing there. My brother clutched his chest, his face ashen, his trembling finger pointing at her as he gasped for air.
"Hillary! What did you do to my brother?!" I ran to his side, pushed the call button with shaking fingers.
She shrugged, feigning innocence. "Sorry—I thought you'd already told him that your mother died. I just came to comfort him and didn't expect such a reaction..."
"What does our family ever have against you? Why do you keep doing this to us?" I glared at her, furious and on the verge of striking her, but I couldn't bring myself to leave my brother's side.