Author's note: This is by no means my best work, but I was trying to push myself to write. And I am reminded by this why I prefer to write in first person: too many pronouns and redundancies to contend with in third, haha.
Disclaimer: I do not own Next to Normal.
The front door creaked open. It shut with a bang, as if someone had fallen against it, the noise resounding through the dark house. Next came footsteps shuffling on hardwood floor, and then the sound of someone stumbling up the stairs. Then, a thud and some muttered profanity and another door closing. Dan listened for any more signs of his daughter's late-night homecoming, but he only heard the clocks ticking steadily away.
This was the third night that Natalie had stayed out—at least that Dan was aware of; he wasn't quite sure how long this had been going on. He could have asked, but that would surely have escalated into a huge argument, which was something that neither of them probably wanted to engage in. And besides, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the truth. He tried to tell himself that just because she was getting home at ungodly hours, didn't mean she was getting into trouble, but there were few places open at such times and their reputations were questionable.
Dan hadn't worried about his daughter in a long time. She was a good kid. She could take care of herself. She was his rock. And she had been his idea. He thought that being a mother again would help get Diana out of her depression, and it did to an extent. Diana's state seemed to improve while she was pregnant —but it didn't last: Natalie was a quiet baby who hadn't cried when she was born, but Diana had. She wouldn't hold the new baby, wouldn't even look at her. Dan was left to be the caretaker. He wouldn't have minded, except that it meant his wife wasn't getting better. On the contrary, she seemed to get worse after Natalie was born. Even now, Dan wasn't certain that Diana loved Natalie, although he would never admit that to either of them.
He was extra attentive when she was born, partly to make up for his wife's lack of interest and partly to ensure that she didn't meet the same end as her brother. He would lie awake at night, listening for any signs of his daughter stirring; sometimes he checked on her just to reassure himself that she was still breathing. He almost wanted to go check on her now, but he was certain that she wouldn't appreciate it. The thought made him sad. His relationship with Natalie had gone wrong somewhere along the line. Even his relationship with Diana seemed to be in a downward spiral.
These things nagged at him. There were a lot of maybes. Maybe he shouldn't have encouraged Diana to have another child, maybe he should have paid more attention to Natalie as of late, maybe this and maybe that. Maybe everything was his fault. He was the one who tried to help and care for his family, who tried to fix his family, but maybe he was one of the reasons they were broken.