When the family got back, Darlene and David waited for everyone to make their way to the living room. They were originally going to tell their family at the dinner table but no one seemed hungry. Dan was sober by now, but was still sick. Jerry was asleep in his crib.

Becky and Mark were sitting on the couch watching TV with D.J. so Darlene called her dad and Jackie into the living room. Darlene began; "Family, David and I have some news. I'm pregnant..." David continued;

"And we're getting married."

DJ sat there shaking his head and staring at his shoes. "Babies having babies…" He mumbled.

Becky stood up and hugged her sister. "Congratulations."

Mark just looked at Darlene and his brother. "Congratulations, David."

Dan watched this unfold blankly. He had a sinking in the pit of his stomach. He felt mad about her pregnancy, but he was doing his best to get over it, and trust that his daughter knew what she was getting herself into. Darlene looked at her dad and knew that he wasn't happy about the news. She also knew that he was going into rehab tomorrow so now was not the time to do anything that could start a fight.

After a few minutes of talk about Darlene's pregnancy, Dan took a deep breath and stood up (which he could've of not done but did anyway) he wanted to just disappear and deal with his life without anyone knowing, but he knew he couldn't. The feeling in his stomach sunk lower and he needed to throw up as he said;

"Becky, Mark, Darlene, David, DJ, Jackie, I love you and Jerry but when I was in the hospital I realized something, something terrible. I'm an alcoholic."

The family's good mood disappeared, and they stayed quiet. The kids weren't really sure how to react.

Becky was the first to try to speak. "Oh Dad."

Dan held up his hand to stop her. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can handle this right now." Dan's words were not spoke in bitterness but in sorrow. He covered half his face with his left hand and continued; "Tomorrow, I'm going back into the hospital, so I can get my life back to abnormal…" Dan added the last part as a joke. After that he ran out of the room to the bathroom.

DJ went in the bathroom as his dad kneeled before the porcelain throne.

"You're leaving again?" He asked as his did finished and leaned back on his knees.

"Can you get me a Sprite, Deej?" Dan asked, with a horrible taste in his mouth.

D.J. thought about staying where he was and interrogating his dad. Instead he saw how sad his dad was and how frail he looked and did as he was told.

DJ left the room and came back thirty seconds later with a can of Sprite. He handed it to his dad and his dad flipped the tab and took a drink.

"I am so sorry D.J. I really don't want to leave you. Not after mom died…but if I don't get help now, I'm afraid I'll just get worse…" Dan was leaning against the wall in front of the toilet now, and for once he felt like an ant compared to his son who had grown considerable in the last year. Dan wanted to drink himself stupid because of the loss of Roseanne and he didn't think he could trust himself to drink as a single parent.

DJ was mad at his dad. His mom died and now his dad was telling him that he was going away? But the anger subsided when he realized his dad really was sorry, and that he wouldn't leave if he didn't think he had to.

DJ got on the floor and sat next to his dad. "What'll happen in the hospital?"

Dan closed his eyes. He really didn't want to have this talk with his son, and he remembered how his son was always curious. Then he remembered how he felt when he found out his mom was also committed when he was a kid, and he decided to tell his son the truth no matter hoard it was.

"Well I'll get sick, Deej." DJ looked at his dad curiously.

"You're already sick…"

"No I mean, my body will get sick, when I go long enough without drinking…." Dan was at a loss for words.

"Will you get the D.T.s?"

Dan stared at his son in the eyes. "Yeah. How do you know about that?"

"DARE they were on a test we had to take to pass the course."

Dan looked up at the ceiling. He could see it needed painted. "Yeah, I will."

"I hope you get better." DJ half hugged his dad and then left the room as Dan threw up again.

That night Dan slept in his and Roseanne's bed in the master bedroom. He tossed and turned unable to even close his eyes. He missed the feeling of Roseanne's warmth, and the way he'd wake up in the middle of the night and have to pull his half of the covers to his side and then she'd do the same. He missed the sounds she made when she slept or how she'd elbow him in a million different places to get him to get up when the alarm went off. In fact he still had a quarter sized bruise on his thigh from the last morning they spent in bed together…

At 2 o'clock in the morning Dan gave up and picked up his pillow and went to the couch and laid down. He used to despise sleeping on the couch because it meant Roseanne and he were fighting and he was in trouble. But for some reason he found he was able to sleep on the couch and so he did.

Jackie woke him up gently. "Dan, Dan, wake up." Dan opened his eyes, and couldn't figured out why Jackie was waking him up, then it all came back to him and he felt like crap for the thousandth time. Jackie handed him a cup of coffee. A little sudden but he brushed it off knowing that she was only trying to help.

He swung his legs off the couch and sat up with the cover in his lap. He took a drink and winced at the light. He drank his coffee as Jackie fidgeted in the chair in front of the fire place.

Dan watched her and when he'd had enough he asked; "What do you want to say, Jackie?"

"I want to ask is there anything you need me to do or want me to do or something…?"

"I know it's a lot to ask Jackie but can you…?" Jackie interrupted Dan.

"Take care of the boys for you?"

Dan went silent and stared into his nearly empty cup of coffee.

"I'd be glad too…although not that it's any of my business…"

Dan studied Jackie, they'd had many tiny fights about money so Dan felt his old annoyed feelings for Jackie creep up again, but he remembered that with Roseanne was gone he was going to have to let Jackie into his life more and more…for the sake of Jerry.

"My dad told me he'd pay for my hospital bills but I told him to forget helping me and help my mom…the insurance company will pay for me for 28 days and the doctor who handled me before said that there was a special program for cases like mine that could help me out. I don't really have to worry about paying for it." Dan said all this quietly and more to himself than to her.

Jackie nodded and asked if he wanted breakfast. Dan shook his head no and went to take a shower again.

While he was in the shower David brought Jerry into the kitchen. He put Jerry in his high chair and looked through the pantry for baby food.

Jackie stood there watching him with a smile on her face. "Uh David, what are you doing?"

David looked at Jackie. "Am I not supposed to feed Jerry?"

Jackie shook her head. "No go ahead feed him, but you didn't have to change his clothes."

David said; "I know. I want to get some practice."

Jackie shook her head in agreement and worked on frying eggs. "I wish Fred would've been like that…"

Dan didn't come out of his room for an hour and the family was already done eating when he did.

They just looked at him as he held a duffel bag full of clothes. He hugged each of his kids, and his picked up his son one last time before Jackie drove him to the hospital.

In the car, Dan asked Jackie If he could drive and Jackie let him. To her surprise he pulled into the bank. Without saying a word he parked and went inside the building. When he came out he was holding an envelope. He handed it to Jackie.

"I got the mail yesterday. The payment information from Roseanne's life insurance policy came and it said that it'd be direct deposited into our account. I want you to have the money for the boys, and to keep giving Darlene her 1oo dollar allowance, plus 50 for her medical bills."

Jackie took the envelope reluctantly.

"Dan I can't take this…"

Dan raised his voice and spoke sternly. "Yes you can. I want you too."

Jackie wanted to protest again but didn't and put the envelope in her purse. Dan started the car and drove to the hospital.

He and Jackie walked to Admitting. He told the African American woman behind the desk why he was there, and she called over a guard who escorted Dan to the psychiatric ward. Jackie followed them.

Before the doors opened, Dan hugged Jackie. As his last words to her for a long time he whispered in her ear "This makes you my friend." Jackie smiled and he let go and disappeared through those doors.

When she returned to the house DJ was keeping his mind off things with Nintendo, Becky and Mark and Darlene and David were playing SCRABBLE. She sat at the table with them and when that round was over, they started again with two teams verse Jackie.