Watching

"Morning." Thea said, sitting at the kitchen table the next morning, feeding James as Dominic came through, rubbing his head a little.

"Morning." Dominic nodded, his head down, carrying his shame and guilt very visibly from what she could see, "How'd you get him down here on your own?" He asked. He knew she struggled carrying James, especially down the stairs.

"I bared the pain." Thea shrugged, looking down at James, smiling as she watched him enjoying his morning bottle in her arms, a feeling she'd been missing desperately whilst she was gone in hospital.

"Well you gotta be careful." Dominic nodded to her as Thea looked across at him, "Before we even get into this I just… I want to apologise for not being honest with you about it." He said, knowing what the topic conversation was going to be for the morning.

Thea watched as he pulled out the kitchen chair and sat across from her at the table.

"I just couldn't bring myself to tell you whilst you were in hospital." Dominic said, "I didn't want you to worry." He shook his head, "I thought I could just… I could deal with it and fix it on my own. And I know I can-"

"How long have you been drinking then? Every day since I was in hospital?" She questioned.

"Not every day." Dominic said, "But yeah I… the night after you were in hospital I… your mom and dad were looking after James, they said that I needed my sleep if I was visiting you so much." He said, "So it was just me in the house on my own." He said, "I couldn't handle it. I just needed a drink." He shook his head, "And I know you know how that feels. Like you'll die if you don't have it." He shook his head as Thea nodded.

"If you're expecting me to yell at you, I'm not going to." Thea shook her head, "I'm not… I'm not gonna give you into trouble and tell you things you already know." She said as he nodded, "But you know you have to stop. Sooner rather than later. Like… right now." She said, "Because it's not just me." She reminded him, looking down at James, hard not to smile so big when she watched him sweetly having his bottle.

"I know." Dominic sighed, "I know and I… I never wanna be that way around him." He nodded.

"I know you don't." Thea said, "If you need to go back to the AA group, I'll come with you, we'll do it together again." She smiled as he nodded, "But the quicker the stop, the quicker that craving will leave. You keep doing it, you're gonna wanna keep doing it. You know how it works." She shook her head. It was also mentally challenging for her to talk about it and see her husband back in this difficult situation again, because she did know how hard and difficult it was to get through.

"I know." Dominic nodded, "I promise you, I'm off it now. Last night I just caved. I knew Cassie was here and the pub was right across from the store… I just couldn't stop myself." He said, "But I'm gonna, and I'll… I'll do the meetings again." He said as Thea nodded.

"And please… please don't keep things like this between you and my dad." She shook her head.

"He found out on his own, I swear." Dominic said, "I… might have lied to him about it, though."

"What do you mean?" Thea asked.

"Well he asked if I was drinking again and I just said it was one time. He'd kill me if he found out I was drinking whilst you were in hospital."

"No he wouldn't." Thea said, "He'd wanna help you. You know my dad. He has his fair share of demons too. Doesn't have to be alcohol or drugs."

"I guess I just didn't want him to worry either." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"You'll get through it." Thea nodded to him as he ran his hands through his hair, leaning his elbows on the table, "I love you." She said as he nodded, looking across at her.

"I love you too." Dominic nodded, grateful to have her support, such calm yet serious support which told him everything he needed to do, not just for him but for his family.

"I missed feeding him in the morning." Thea said, "And his fuzzy bed hair." She chuckled, looking on at James' dark hair sticking up as Dominic smiled.

"I think he's missed you." Dominic nodded, watching Thea lean down and kiss James' head sweetly, seeing the bright smile he put on her face was enough to know he couldn't throw his family away for alcohol, he could let his addictions ruin everything he lived for and loved.

"What the hell are you doing here?" AJ shook her head, walking into her house one early evening, "I didn't even know you had a key to my house." She said, walking into the kitchen where Sam was sitting.

"Emergencies." Sam nodded.

"And reading a magazine whilst having a cigarette is an emergency?" AJ questioned, sitting her purse and car keys down.

"No, but I was supposed to be meeting Thea for coffee and she didn't show up." Sam said, "So I came by thinking she'd be here and… apparently not." She shook her head, "Where are Jude and Cassie?"

"Jude is visiting Punk and Cassie is at soccer practise." AJ said, referring to her four year old and eleven year old, "So… Thea blew you off?"

"Well I don't know, she hasn't called or text me." Sam put her hands up, "I was supposed to be meeting her at 1 for coffee."

"And she didn't show up?" AJ questioned.

"No." Sam said, "I assume she had somewhere better to be." She shrugged as AJ sighed, placing both her hands on the kitchen table.

"I… I can't do this anymore." AJ groaned as Sam watched her.

"Ok, you don't wanna hear this, I know you don't." Sam stood up as AJ looked at her tiredly, "I know she's been giving you a hard time and I know it's just… alcohol and weed, whatever… but have you searched her room?"

"Searched her room?" AJ questioned, "I'm her mom, not a cop. What are you insinuating here? That… that she's on drugs?" AJ laughed a little, not even thinking about the possibility, because she quite simply didn't want to.

"Yes, April. I am." Sam nodded as AJ looked at her in horror, "And you and I both know that with that stuff comes the people behind it who deal it. You know probably better than me, what those kind of people are like. Is that who you want your daughter associating with?" Sam asked.

"You are… You are jumping way ahead here." AJ put her hand up stressfully, "It's just alcohol. It is. She's just drunk… sometimes she's high. That's it. She's not… she's not using any drugs."

"And you're sure of it?" Sam questioned.

"I trust my daughter-"

"I don't." Sam told her truthfully as AJ looked at her, "And I know that deep down, right now, you don't either. And that's ok to admit. You're not a bad parent if you do." She shook her head as AJ looked at her.

"She's ok. She's just having too much alcohol and I know that. I'm trying to deal with it." She promised.

"You need to find out if she's using." Sam nodded.

"She's not. I know my daughter, Sam-"

"Do you?" Sam asked, "I find that remarkable considering she doesn't even know who she is right now." She said as AJ looked across at her.

"And you're… you're gonna give me parenting advice? You? Who left your sons to get beat up by your boyfriends or… or clients, should I call them?" AJ snapped back as Sam looked across at her.

"I knew Phil would end up with a mouthy wife." Sam nodded, "Just like him."

"Yeah? Well deal with it." AJ said, "I trust my daughter. She's just… she's just having a difficult time right now. She's a teenager. It's… it's totally normally." AJ convinced herself.

"Normal?" Sam questioned.

"Yes. Yes, it is normal for a teenager whose father is in prison to be a little rebellious and a little… lost. Ok? That's normal." AJ spat, "And I'll help her, I have been helping her-"

"She needs professional help." Sam nodded, "And you need to find out if she's using-"

"Stop saying that!" AJ yelled. She couldn't quite think about the possibility of Thea using drugs of any kind. She just couldn't, "In fact, just get out." AJ nodded, "Get out of my house."

"I'm trying to help you." Sam said as AJ shook her head.

"Please just leave." AJ begged as Sam put her hands up.

"Fine." Sam said, putting her coat on and grabbing her purse, walking on out of the kitchen and leaving the house as AJ sat down at the kitchen table, placing her hands over her face and sighing.

She knew her daughter's behaviour had been getting worse over the past year. The possibility of drug use was giving her heart palpitations. It was such a dangerous area she didn't want any of her daughter's to be around, and she was trying to do everything she could to help Thea but nothing seemed to work. She was scared to find out if there was drug use, and even more scared of the fact she had no idea what to do about it anymore.

"So are you still staying with your sister?" Kirsty, Jude's roommate and best friend asked as they walked through the corridor in the art institute where they took their classes and done their studying.

"Yeah, well… I go between hers and Sean's." Jude nodded to her.

"How are things going with you and Sean anyway?" Kirsty asked, walking into the darkroom to develop some pictures they had for a class, noticing a few other people using it as they walked over to a space in the corner.

"So good." Jude said, speaking a little quieter, "Honestly, he's so sweet and kind." She shook her head, "And listen to this, my dad had a spare ticket to the Hawks game the other night, he invited him… willingly." Jude shook her head with amazement.

"Isn't that just cause he feels guilty?" Kirsty chuckled, "I miss your dad, I haven't seen him in a while." She huffed as Jude scoffed.

"Stop being a predator to my dad, it's weird and my mom will kill you." Jude said.

"What? He's hot." Kirsty shrugged as Jude shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I don't think it was out of guilt. I think him and my dad are actually getting along." Jude nodded.

"Well I'm glad." Kirsty nodded, "Seriously."

"It's just so different. It's not like any other relationship I've had." Jude said, "It's like… before I was dating boys, now I'm dating a man." She said as Kirsty smirked.

"Go on. Tell me more." Kirsty smiled.

"He's just really sweet and kind. He actually takes me out on dates. And he listens to everything I say, and remembers it." Jude said, "Very generous in bed too, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, really? Those are rare." Kirsty nodded, taking out her apple from her bag and crunching on it whilst putting her pictures into the stop bath.

"You're not supposed to eat in here." Jude reminded her, like she did every time they went in.

"Says who?" Kirsty scoffed, shaking her picture in the solution a little as Jude did the same with hers beside, "What is that creep looking at?" She questioned, looking over at the guy in the next row looking over at them, particularly Jude, "He's always staring at you." She shook her head as Jude looked up.

"Jeremy? He's harmless." Jude shrugged, unbothered.

"He's weird." Kirsty corrected, crunching on her apple as Jude shook her head, focusing on her picture in the solution whilst the guy across the rows continued to stare, watching Jude closely as she laughed and talked to Kirsty.