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Tony sat down after dinner with Liam and Abree to talk. "So, I wanted to talk to you two about the family and where we are now." He was completely at a loss at where to even start this conversation but knew that he was the one they were counting on.
"After Dad died, I was really in a fog and I know that between the two of you, you kept the boys...honestly I don't know whether to admit that you kept them away from me until I could function, or if it was just to protect them from seeing me breaking down all the time but you took care of your brothers at the point when I couldn't and I appreciate that so much, but I need to know if you lost all respect for me then?"
Liam was quick to ask,"Pappa why would you even think something like that?"
Tony replied," With all the trouble you have been having recently and your sister fixing to take that overseas assignment, it had me wondering if I completely broke the relationship that we had by not being strong when you were."
Liam looked at his pappa and couldn't decide whether to tell him the truth,"Pappa, the trouble I have been getting in is not due to you at all it is not your fault that you loved Dad so much that when you lost him it left you dazed, the reason that I keep getting into the fights and the back talking is because the son of the man who hit Dad started going to my school and I haven't been dealing with it well."
"Liam, why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you, we could have talked about it or you could have seen someone to talk to." Tony was so upset that his son didn't feel that he could come to him with this. Was he that unapproachable now? Did his kids not trust him to help anymore?
Liam looked at his pappa and knew that he was blaming himself. "Pappa this was not something that you could have known about, it was my poor decision making that let it get to this point. I am sorry that I didn't come to you before now and I could use the help dealing with this."
Tony looked at Liam and told him that if he gave him the night to think on it they could discuss it afterschool the next day.
Tony turned to his daughter and asked her,"Well, what do you think?"
Abree looked at her pappa, burst into tears and ran from the table. Tony looked at Liam and asked," Do you know what that is about?"
Liam looked over and shook his head no, but got up and started after his sister.
Tony got up to follow his son but something stopped him. He looked over in the corner where Jethro's favorite chair was and he swore that he could smell the sawdust in the air. He started after Abree and heard, "Take care of our girl, something is wrong and you need to find out what it is." He looked all around but couldn't see anyone but he knew in his heart that Jethro was speaking to him, now if he could just figure out what it meant.