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laced with a swirl of emotions: anger, sadness, disappointment, frustration. Hearing him like this broke Lauren’s heart all over again.
    “I’m twenty-six. I shouldn’t need a big brother to take care of me.” Lauren’s voice was small, affected.
    Now it was Sam’s turn to laugh, though it was pained. “It would’ve been his pleasure, Lo.”
    A tear slipped down Lauren’s cheek when she heard Sam use the nickname Cooper had for her. “I haven’t been called that in a long time.” She released a sigh, then a chuckle in an attempt to shift the mood. “But I guess it’s better than ballbuster.”
    Sam laughed too. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
    Lauren fidgeted with her fingernails as she tried to think of something else to say. This was the most Lauren and Sam had talked in almost six years. It was comforting and disconcerting, all at the same time. “Thanks for calling. It means a lot.”
    “It’s the least I could do,” he replied simply. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”
    “Mmm, probably not. I’ve been banned from Mickey’s. Seems as if I’m a bit of a troublemaker.”
    “You? Never,” Sam replied, and Lauren could hear the smile in his voice. “Listen, Lo, I know I’m not Cooper. But if you ever need anything . . .” He let the sentence hang there, unfinished.
    “You’ll be the first call I make,” Lauren finished for him.
    “Good. I’ll see ya.”
    “See ya, Sam.” Lauren disconnected the call and plopped back on the bed. The conversation with Sam, despite its brevity, had caused a welling of emotions in her. She’d never felt particularly close to Sam, even when he was at their house all the time, hanging around with Cooper. He was the opposite of Cooper in every way: quiet to Coop’s outgoing nature, reflective to her brother’s impulsive behavior. But Lauren didn’t question the veracity of his words for a second. If she needed him, Sam would be there in an instant. Not because he loved her, but because he loved Cooper. And now his love had nowhere else to go.
    *   *   *
    The next two days passed without Lauren requiring police intervention. She spoke with her family’s attorney, and he assured her that this would be no big deal. Maybe some small fines, but nothing that should wind up on her permanent record.
    On Tuesday, Lauren showed up to court and prepared herself for her day of reckoning. Mickey hadn’t shown up since they had already come to an agreement about Lauren paying him back. The owner of the car Lauren vandalized didn’t show either. The girls had told her that as soon as the cops approached him to ask about the damage he’d jumped back in his car and sped off. It seemed Lauren wasn’t the only one who was on the outs with the five-o that night. The only person who appeared in court was the arresting officer, who read the eyewitness accounts and his own observations of the ordeal.
    Lauren’s attorney explained that she would get what was called a “summary disposition.” This meant she’d plead guilty to the minor charges, and the rest would be dropped.
    The judge ended things by offering his sentence. “All other charges are dismissed in lieu of restitution to the victim. Summary fines will be paid to the court in the amount of two hundred and thirty dollars for each offense. Stay out of trouble, young lady.”
    “Yes, Your Honor,” Lauren replied before being ushered out of the courtroom by her lawyer.
    Once they were in the hallway, Lauren’s lawyer turned to her. “So, Lauren, do you have plans for how exactly you plan to pay for your fines and restitution?”
    “Yes. I’m going to work with my
mother
.”
    *   *   *
    Trinity Hospital wasn’t as large as Inova Fairfax, but it was close to home and her mom’s boss had agreed to help her out. He’d agreed to pay her a small salary that would go toward her fines and paying Mickey back.
    Thankfully, even though Lauren was taking a heavycourse load, she’d still managed to