Chapter 51

Once her dad left her hospital room, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from Hope's slim shoulders and she burst into tears - tears of pain for his suffering, tears of relief for his willingness to start looking to the future, tears of hope that her dad might find his way back to them.

He could have reacted in so many ways, ranging from anger and rage to humiliation and bitterness but he'd chosen the high road and he'd listened to what she'd had to say, responding with love and understanding. The rest was out of her hands now; she just hoped he wouldn't start second guessing himself on the way over there - or heaven forbid, decide to drink himself blind in order to face the intervention.

She wiped her eyes and reached out for her phone on the bedside table, noticing her hands were shaking. It was time to let them know that he was on his way.

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'And what about you, Caitlin?' Marion Birch asked. 'What is it you'd like to say to Mr. Caffrey?'

Caitlin Somersby's eyes went from Sara to Linda before looking back at the therapist. 'I just don't want to hurt his feelings' she mumbled as she looked down at the piece of paper in her hands.

Marion gave her a kind smile. 'I understand that but we talked about this, remember? As long as things are said in a respectful manner, it's important you tell him how his drinking is affecting you and how you really feel.'

Caitlin cleared her throat before speaking. 'Well, Mr. C has done so much for me. I… I wasn't very nice to him in the beginning' she admitted as she thought back to the false accusations of sexual assault she'd made against him, all those months ago.

Sara brought her hand to the young girl's head, smoothing her hair as she spoke. 'Honey, he forgave you for that, a long time ago' she said kindly.

'I know… but still, I was a brat back then - ' Caitlin began.

Liam couldn't help himself and he scoffed loudly as everyone glared at him for his spontaneous - and inappropriate - reaction to her use of the past tense.

She rolled her eyes and gave him a dirty look before continuing. 'He's just done so much for me. Letting me come to the art school and inviting me to live in your house. I don't want him to think I don't appreciate everything he's done for me.'

'How does his drinking affect you?' Marion asked, once again.

The teen shrugged. 'I've seen my mom drunk or stoned so many times but Mr. C… well, it's not the same. I know he's just really upset about what happened to Hope and he's lost control of his drinking… I just worry social services might make me leave the house if they find out what's going on and I… I don't want to have to leave. You're the only family I've ever had.'

'Oh, Caitlin. Nobody's going to make you leave, don't worry about that' Sara said as she realized just how many different ways Neal's drinking had been detrimental to their family.

For better or for worse, Caitlin was now an integral part of that family and Sara needed to take her needs into consideration just as much as Liam's or Hope's.

'I think you need to tell him that. I'm not sure he fully realizes how his behavior is affecting you and what you're worried about' Marion instructed.

'Mozzie?' Marion said. 'You've been awfully quiet. What are you planning on sharing with Neal?'

Mozzie eyed the woman suspiciously. He'd only met her once, just recently, and although he knew she was there at Sara's request, he was leery about sharing his intimate relationship with Neal with a virtual stranger. But the stakes were high and he knew he had to be fully invested in the process if they were going to get Neal the help he so desperately needed.

'Neal's behavior is obviously affecting his kids' Mozzie said, deflecting, as he glanced over towards his godson. 'I don't want him to jeopardize his relationship with them…' he said, looking terribly ill at ease.

'But what about your relationship with him? Has Neal's drinking affected you?' the therapist repeated.

Liam gave his uncle Moz an encouraging nod and Mozzie decided in for a penny, in for a pound.

'Neal's always been the one who keeps me grounded' he admitted, somewhat embarrassed. 'He keeps me from going off the deep end and he helps me keep my anxiety in check.'

Peter gave Elizabeth a furtive glance; if it hadn't been for Neal's calming influence in his life, who knows how many times Mozzie might have gone off the deep end and acted on his countless conspiracy theories.

'I miss… that' Mozzie continued.

Marion got the feeling there was so much more to the story than what the strange little man was letting on but no doubt Neal would be able to fill in the blanks when the time came for Mozzie to share his feelings with him.

Sara glanced at her watch and let out an anxious sigh. She was suddenly overcome with doubt and despite her earlier optimism, she was beginning to lose faith that Neal was actually going to show up.

'He's not coming, is he?' she asked rhetorically as she looked over at Linda.

Marion spoke up and gave her patient a reassuring smile. 'Why don't we give him a little more time?' she suggested. 'It's just a little after eleven.'

Cameron's phone vibrated and Marion gave him a look of reprimand; they had agreed to turn off their phones for the duration of the intervention. He shrugged; he needed to stay in touch with the gallery, just in case…

But it wasn't the gallery and a smile broke out on his face as he spoke.

'It's Hope' he announced to everyone in attendance as he read the brief text. 'She says her dad's on his way over!'

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Neal sat in the cab on the way to New Rochelle, trying not to overthink his decision. Reading Hope's letter had been an eye-opening and humbling experience. She was going through so much, remaining positive through it all and yet, despite the challenges she faced, she'd managed to see things from his perspective. She'd shown incredible insight into the pain he'd been feeling since the accident, going so far as to compare his anguish with her own struggle to get back on her feet.

How had he and Sara managed to raise such an amazing young woman? She was wise beyond her years, encompassing all that was wonderful about Sara - her combativeness, her determination, her perseverance to say nothing of her wicked sense of humor. But she had none of those hard edges Sara had worked so hard to soften over the years. Instead, she'd managed to temper that determination and fortitude with a gentler, creative side and undying compassion for others, something she'd definitely inherited from him.

He glanced out the car window, seeing how life continued on without him - people going about their business, running errands, meeting with friends. He'd felt disconnected from the world ever since the accident - going through the motions at home and at work without any of the joy he'd felt just a few short months ago. He wanted it back, all of it, the ups and downs, the daily struggles, the laughter, the tears. Most of all, he missed Sara, her dry wit, her warm body, the teasing, the intimacy. It was what made life so rich, bearable when things got tough and exponentially better when things were good.

He thought ahead to who would be waiting for him at the intervention, wondering what would come of it; no doubt he would be called upon to make some changes in order to maintain the relationships in his life. Hope was right; if she could face the curve ball life had thrown at her, surely he could rise above the challenges of leaving this horrible, nasty addiction behind him. He hoped there would be some concrete path to recovery because, at the moment, he didn't have the first idea how to go about it.

He took out the flask that what in his breast pocket and took one last gulp of liquid courage just enough to shake off the doubts and smooth those rough edges but leaving him clear headed and focussed enough to function and he braced himself to hear some hard truths from his loved ones.

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Peter and Liam paced in front of the New Rochelle Family Centre, waiting for Neal to arrive. They'd been voted by the group to act as Neal's welcoming committee and their eyes anxiously scanned up and down the street, waiting for a cab to appear.

'You okay, Liam?' Peter asked as they waited in the warm June sunshine.

'Yeah' he responded, although every other part of his body screamed 'no'.

'I know this isn't easy - confronting someone you love' Peter said with empathy. It was damn hard for him and he could only imagine how his young nephew would be feeling about confronting his beloved dad.

'I just don't want my relationship with Dad to suffer because of the things I tell him' Liam admitted.

'He needs to face some hard truths and you can't protect him from that. In the end, hearing the truth is exactly what your dad needs in order to move ahead' Peter responded wisely.

Liam nodded. He knew his uncle was right but it didn't make things any easier.

Peter chuckled and Liam looked over to see what had elicited such a reaction from him.

'You know, it's ironic. All of us have been working like crazy for a week to get your dad to see sense and agree to come to this thing… and it's Hope, who can't talk at the moment, who managed to convince him.' Peter said as he shook his head in disbelief.

'How do you suppose she did it?' he asked his nephew.

Liam laughed. 'I gave up trying to figure out my sister a long time ago. But she has this way of getting through to Dad that… well, to tell you the truth, none of us quite know how she does it.'

'You know, your dad loves you both so much… but it's true, he and Hope have this bond that I've never quite understood myself. And frankly, I've always been a little bit jealous…' Peter admitted.

A cab slowed down and the two men looked up, expecting Neal to step out. They let out a long slow breath as a woman in a business suit climbed out and leaned in to the passenger's side of the car to pay the driver.

'You don't think he's changed his mind between the hospital and here, do you?' Liam asked, suddenly worried.

'I doubt it. If he told Hope he was coming, he wouldn't want to let her down.' Peter answered. 'By the way… I suppose you're the mole.'

'Mole?' Liam repeated, feigning innocence.

'Don't play innocent with me. I thought we were keeping her in the dark about how bad things were with your dad, that's all' Peter said.

'Dad's not the only one Hope can wrap around her little finger' Liam admitted shyly. 'We just agreed a long time ago that when it came to Mom and Dad, we wouldn't keep any secrets from each other.'

Peter nodded in agreement. 'I get it. I think that's very smart of the two of you. Siblings need to stick together.'

Another cab drove up and this time, Neal's silhouette could be seen, leaning over in the back seat, ostensibly to pay the driver. They watched as he stepped out into the sunshine, giving them both an unassuming shrug and a small wave. Liam moved towards him, arms outstretched.

'Dad, I'm so glad you're here' he said as he gave him a warm hug.

'Me too' Neal admitted as he held his son, eyes meeting Peter's.

Peter's hand came to rest on Neal's back. 'We're all really glad you made it' he added as Neal smiled nervously, obviously uncomfortable.

'Come on, everybody's inside' Peter added as he brought his arm around Neal's shoulder and led him into the building.

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Sara paced as she waited inside. What if Neal had changed his mind? What if he'd panicked on the way over? What if he'd stopped somewhere to get a drink and showed up falling down drunk?

Just a few short months ago, she would have been able to predict with almost one hundred percent certainty how her husband would react in any given situation and now… she didn't have a clue what to expect. She wasn't quite sure what their daughter had to do with all this; they had all worked so hard to keep her out of the loop as far as Neal's woes were concerned. But she had a feeling Liam had something to do with it and at the moment she couldn't have been happier that he'd broken the pact they'd made. If it meant that there was hope that Neal would come back to them, his indiscretions would gladly be forgiven.

The door to the meeting room opened and there, flanked by Peter and Liam, stood Neal, looking very much like the lost soul he was at the moment. His eyes swept the room, looking at all the anxious faces, Marion Birch, his mom, Cameron, Elizabeth, Caitlin, Mozzie and his eyes rested on Sara as he stared for a moment, his gaze hesitant, unsure what to expect. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been so angry and hurt, unable to bear the sight of him and yet, here she stood, a tender look on her face, relief in her eyes and she took a tentative step towards him, almost as if she was debating what to do.

He stood, motionless, his eyes still riveted on hers and everyone seemed to hold their breath for a moment, watching as the couple tried to read each other's minds. She bridged the distance between them and suddenly, her arms were around his neck as he let out a huge sigh and pulled her in tightly, his face falling to the crook of her neck.

'I'm so glad you're here' she murmured as he held her close, relief flooding him.

They pulled apart briefly and looked into each other's eyes, tears streaming down their faces. 'I am still so damn mad at you Caffrey…' she whispered, her voice trembling. '…but I've never been happier to see you.'

TBC