bonsaiiiiiii requested: for the AFG Angst Bingo, can I request Alcoholic Parent? with Jeff if you do him, otherwise I really want to see Scott (if you do Jeff it's okay to include both of them soskks)

A/N: This actually made me so sad to write. I love reading fics about Bad Parent!Jeff set after the avalanche, but I can never bring myself to write them

Warnings for drinking and alcoholism

Scott didn't think it was a problem at first.

It wasn't like his dad had never had a drink before. Even before the accident, he would typically wind down in the evening with a glass of whiskey. That's all Scott thought it was. Just a drink to help him sleep a little easier at night.

There were other changes in his father's behaviour following the accident. He shut himself away in his office, would barely come out for meals or sleep. Scott had to take him his dinner most of the time, and half of that time he didn't even eat it.

Scott knew this behaviour wasn't good, but his dad was grieving and Scott knew he just had to let the man heal. He could take care of his brothers until his dad was ready to come back to them.

However, it was likely because he barely saw his dad, that the man managed to hide his problem for so long.

One Saturday morning, Scott had been cleaning up the house. His brothers were instructed to tidy up their rooms, whilst he tackled the rest of the place. He had just finished cleaning the kitchen and was taking the trash out when he passed by his father's office.

The door was closed, but Scott knew his dad was still in bed. He'd heard the man head to his room late last night, after Scott had just gotten Alan settled after a nightmare.

He didn't see the problem with heading into the office to take the rubbish out as he was already heading outside, so he entered the room.

It was dim inside, and there was a musty smell as he stepped into the room. Scott put down the trash bag he was holding to open the blinds and a window, to let the fresh air and sunlight inside.

Now with the bright light shining into the room, Scott could truly see the state it was in.

It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months. Dirty plates were staked on the desk, food barely touched. A holoscreen was still on, showing that Jeff had been working until late. Scott absentmindedly was glad that his dad was at least still working and had something to focus on.

Determined to make this space a bit more liveable, Scott grabbed the dishes and took them into the kitchen, where he scraped off the food and put them into the dishwasher. He switched off the screen and organised the desk, then wiped all the surfaces down and dusted the shelves. He even watered the plants that looked close to death.

Scott located the bin in the corner of the room, and picked it up to dispose of its contents. However, as he moved it, he heard the clinking of glass.

With a frown, he placed it back on the floor, and shifted some scrunched up pieces of paper to the side to reveal what the source of the noise was.

Buried in the trash were several empty bottles of whiskey. Scott didn't know how long they had been in there, but he knew that it wouldn't have been long enough to justify drinking that much alcohol.

At that moment, a floorboard creaked behind him, and Scott turned to find his dad standing in the doorway.

Jeff's eyes were wide as he stared down at the revealed contents of the bin. Scott slowly stood up from his crouch, clutching one of the bottles as he did so.

"Dad-" Scott started, but he was quickly cut off.

"It's not what you think," Jeff was quick to deny anything that Scott could have said, not that Scott even knew what he thought. "It-it's just been hard these past few days."

"Days?" Scott glanced at the rubbish. "This looks like longer than just days."

"Okay, so maybe I had a few here and there, but I promise it's nothing to worry about."

Scott watched his dad for a long moment, looking him over. This was the most he had seen the man in a while, and he was truly taking in his appearance now.

There were dark bags under his eyes and his hair was dishevelled, like he'd only just rolled out of bed. His clothes looked like they had been half-heartedly thrown on, and it was a stark contrast to the usually so put together man.

"Let me finish up cleaning in here. You've done a good job." Jeff held a hand out, and Scott realised he wanted him to hand over the empty bottle he was still holding.

Hesitantly, Scott handed it over. Jeff was still watching him, waiting for him to leave the room. Scott didn't know what else to do, so he made his way out of the room.

As he grabbed the previously discarded bag of trash from the doorway, he turned to look at his dad. Jeff was giving him a smile, but Scott didn't know if it was genuine. With one last look, Scott walked out into the hallway, a million thoughts racing through his head.

He was now going over every time he had seen his dad in the past weeks, months, ever since the accident. It was rare that he didn't see the man without a drink, but Scott had never picked up on it before. He was now realising that was because he barely saw his dad at all.

Since that morning, Scott started to watch his dad more closely. He still shut himself away, but did join them occasionally. When he did, Scott noticed the glazed look in his eyes, or if he seemed really fidgety, he would disappear for a bit, only to come back much more relaxed with a distinct smell on him.

Scott had no idea what to do. It was his dad's way of coping with what had happened, and maybe when he was no longer grieving, he'd stop. He wasn't doing anything dangerous and mostly kept to himself, so Scott told himself not to worry. He would still keep looking after his brothers, and hopefully his dad would see some sense eventually.

One day, Scott and the rest of his brothers headed to the school that his youngest brothers attended. There was a swimming competition being held, and Gordon was in it.

After the accident, Gordon had stopped swimming as much as he used to. His brothers had encouraged him to get back into it, in his own time, and as the days passed and that fateful vacation was put further behind them, Gordon slowly found his passion for it again. Scott couldn't be prouder of his little brother's resilience, and now he was at his first swimming competition in nearly a year.

"He's not coming, is he?"

Scott was drawn out of his thoughts by the small voice next to him. He looked down to see Gordon watching the stands, and he followed his gaze to find that he was looking at where the rest of their brothers were sitting. There was a very obvious person missing from their group.

"He's just busy. He would be here if he could," Scott reassured him, but even he didn't know if he believed his words. He had reminded their dad all week about this meet, and each time his dad had said he'd be there. Scott knew he shouldn't have let himself hope.

Gordon looked really dejected, like he didn't even want to be there anymore. Scott didn't want his brother to lose his passion after he'd found it again, especially over one person and their false promises.

"Just go out there and give it your best, okay?" Scott squeezed his brother's shoulders as he crouched down in front of him. "Dad will be proud of you whether he's here or not. And just think, if you bring back a medal, you can show him just how well you did!"

The words did their effect, and Gordon's mood seemed to lighten up in an instant.

"Yeah! I'll get the gold and when he sees it, he'll be sad he didn't come!"

Scott's heart clenched at the words, but he put on a bright smile for Gordon. At that moment, all the swimmers were called over to take their places, and Scott hurried to his seat with his brothers.

He was extremely mad at his dad for not showing up, but he would deal with that later. This was Gordon's moment.

For his first competition in a while, Gordon smashed it. He came first, and got the gold medal just like he said he would. As he received it, even from the stands Scott could see how big his smile was. Scott was sporting a similar grin, so big it was making his face ache. Scott and his brothers made sure they were the loudest in the crowd with their cheers, and it was almost easy to forget the one voice that was missing.

After the competition, Scott took his brothers out for pizza and then called a taxi as it was too late for the bus. He put it all on the card his dad had given him for 'emergencies.' He deemed this an emergency, as he had no other way of getting home, plus they were all starving. He doubted his father would even notice the expense.

When they got home, Scott sent his brothers up to get ready for bed and sent Gordon to go have a shower and do the same. He was desperate to show their dad his medal, but Scott wanted to distract him whilst he went to investigate. He didn't know what he would find.

His dad's office door was closed as expected. Scott gave it a light tap before he stepped into the room.

"Dad?"

The room was dark except for the dim light of a lamp. It illuminated the still figure that was slumped over the desk.

Jeff had his head resting on one arm, whilst the other clutched a glass still filled with a dark liquid. He appeared out for the count, completely dead to the world.

Scott took another step into the room, and suddenly Jeff shot up.

"Wha-?" Jeff mumbled as he looked around the room, until his eyes landed, unfocused, on Scott. "Sco'?"

"Yeah, it's me." Scott felt burning anger build in him as he shut the door behind him. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, before he turned back to his dad. "Fun evening?"

Jeff didn't even seem like he'd heard the question as he rubbed his eyes, still holding onto the glass with one hand.

"Wha' time is it?" His words slurred.

"Nine o'clock." Scott tried his best to keep his words steady, desperately trying to keep a seal on his anger.

"Is tha' time already?" Jeff looked over to the window, where the night sky could be seen. Then he looked down at the glass he was still holding, like he had only just realised it was there. He only watched it for a moment before he took a sip.

"You know you missed Gordon's swimming competition?"

Jeff looked at him confused, and Scott was patient enough to wait for the words to process, even though he didn't want to be.

"Tha' was tonight?" He didn't even appear upset at himself. He just acted like it was an accident, a silly mistake that he'd forgotten something so important.

"He really wanted you there." Scott's fists clenched at his sides, but he kept telling himself this man was not worth getting angry over, at least not whilst he was in this state where he wouldn't even remember it.

Jeff barely seemed to listen as he took another sip of his drink and closed his eyes. Scott's teeth ground together.

"This was really important to him. It was his first meet since mom-"

A sudden flash of movement. Scott didn't even have a chance to blink before something smashed next to his head, narrowly missing his face. Scott flinched as the glass was thrown from his dad's hand to the wall, liquid spilling everywhere. Scott felt some of it splash onto his face, but thankfully no glass hit him.

"Don't talk about her!" Jeff shakily stood from his chair and leant on the desk, the only thing holding him up.

Scott had hunched in on himself, but slowly straightened up. His heart was in his throat and he wanted to flee, but his feet were stuck to the floor.

"What happened to you?" The words left his mouth before he could stop them. "This isn't you."

Jeff was quiet for a long moment as he sat down and pulled out another glass from a desk drawer, as well as a bottle of sloshing liquid.

"Give your brother my congratulations." He poured himself another glass and leant back in his seat. He didn't even look at Scott as he took a long sip.

That was what did it for Scott. He suddenly turned and yanked on the door handle, his feet free to move as he fled from the room. The door slammed behind him as he stepped into the hallway.

His chest heaved as he took in quick breaths, his heart pounding in his ears. He couldn't believe any of that had happened, that this was his reality right now. For his dad to not even care that he had missed Gordon's competition and dismiss him so easily like that? He didn't even seem to feel bad about throwing that glass at Scott.

Tears welled up in his eyes and Scott furiously wiped them away. He couldn't let anyone see him cry, he had to stay strong for his brothers.

He then heard footsteps at the top of the stairs, and Scott quickly tried to compose himself as they descended. It wasn't a surprise that it was Gordon making his way down the steps. He was in his pyjamas and his hair was wet from his shower, and he clutched his gold medal in his hand.

"Scott!" Gordon barrelled into him, and Scott could almost forget his problems just by looking at the smile on his face. "Can I show dad my medal now?"

Scott really didn't want to break the kid's heart, not with the pure happiness he was radiating. It was the happiest Scott had seen him in a while, but he had no choice.

"Not tonight, Gordon. Dad is..." Scott glanced at the shut door. There was no word for what his dad was right now. "Busy."

"Still?" The amount that Gordon's happiness deflated in that moment was immeasurable. He was suddenly that sad little boy at the side of the pool again, wishing his dad could be there like a dad was meant to be. This time, Scott didn't think he had any words to cheer him up.

"He's got a lot on. You know how his work is." Scott's heart felt crushed as he lied to his brother, but it wasn't like he could tell him the truth. "Do you want me to come read to you?"

He was clutching at anything that could cheer Gordon up, but it was obvious the only thing that would make him feel better at this point was their dad.

"No, it's fine." Gordon's shoulders dropped as he turned and practically dragged his medal along the floor with him.

Scott watched his retreating back, but couldn't find anything to say. He just watched his brother sadly take himself to bed as he stood there, feeling like their whole world was shattering.

Only a couple of months later, it was the anniversary.

They went to her grave, and each brother had picked out a bouquet of flowers to lay. Scott let his brothers argue about whose flowers got to go where, as they couldn't all sit at the front.

He watched fondly as they all debated which colour looked best where and rearranged them into every combination possible. He chanced a glance over at their dad who was standing just off to the side, and his smile fell.

Jeff's gaze was glazed over, and Scott had smelled the alcohol on him when they were leaving the house. He swayed on the spot, and Scott wondered how he had even made the walk over to the graveyard.

"Okay, I think we are happy with it now." His brothers announced as they stood up and came over to join Scott.

Scott looked at the arrangement, and was pleasantly surprised by how well it looked. He suspected Virgil had something to do with that.

"It looks great, guys." The smile was back as he regarded his brothers and forgot about the man who stood so silently next to them.

When they got back home, Jeff disappeared to his room and didn't come out for the rest of the day.

As more time passed, Scott's hope that this problem would go away dwindled. If anything, it just seemed to get worse.

There was hardly ever a time where Jeff wasn't smelling of alcohol, and now the brothers hardly saw him. Scott knew he couldn't keep making up excuses for his brothers forever, and suspected that Virgil and John knew what was going on. They had tried to talk to Scott about it, but he had brushed them off. He had this all sorted, and he didn't need them to worry about it as well.

However, there was a day when Scott felt like things were really starting to fall apart. He was in the kitchen doing the washing up and he was joined by Alan, who was sitting at the table doing some colouring.

The rest of his brothers were off doing their own thing, enjoying the lazy afternoon whilst Scott got on with some jobs. Scott was enjoying Alan's commentary of his drawings whilst he washed up, but the mood shifted as another presence entered the room.

Scott glanced over at the doorway as his dad stumbled into the room. It was already past midday and the man had only just woken up. He acted like he didn't even notice them as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and came over to the sink to fill it up with water.

Scott didn't say anything. He didn't even greet the man, as he knew he wouldn't get a reply. He just tried to ignore him as he carried on with washing the dirty pans, but he could still see the movement from the corner of his eye.

Jeff pulled a blister pack of aspirin from his pocket and downed a couple along with his water. He rested against the counter and closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Scott was content to not pay any attention, but then it was the voice of his little brother that broke the silence.

"Daddy, look what I drew!"

Scott turned to find Alan climbing out of his seat and dragging along his latest picture with him. Scott grimaced as Alan hurried the few steps across to their dad, and almost pulled him away before he could reach the man.

"Look!" Alan held the piece of paper up towards their dad's face. Jeff barely peeked an eye open.

"Not now, Alan." Jeff waved him off dismissively as he took another sip of his water.

Scott watched him carefully, dirty dishes forgotten. He could see this going downhill, but wanted to give his father the benefit of the doubt.

"But it's a rocket ship!" Alan waved the paper some more, like that would make it more visible. "It's for you!"

"I said not now!" Jeff snapped, and the room was stunned into silence.

A long moment stretched on where no one moved, and then reality hit.

Alan dropped his picture in shock, and tears welled up in his eyes before he was speeding from the room. His cries could be heard even after he'd fled the room.

"Does that make you happy?" Scott spat at the man as he picked up the discarded drawing. "He worked really hard on this, for you, although I don't know why he bothered."

"Scott, I-" Jeff had the decency to look guilty, which was the most remorse he had shown in a while. Scott just rolled his eyes.

"Save it."

Scott marched from the room and went upstairs, where he suspected Alan had headed to. He made his way towards his brother's room, but paused as he passed by Gordon's when he heard hushed voices from inside.

He peeked through the open door to see his two youngest brothers sat on the floor, Alan crying his heart out whilst Gordon offered him comforting words.

"He didn't mean it," Gordon's words drifted out of the room.

"He-he was really angry," Alan said through heaving breaths between his sobs. "I j-just wanted to show him my p-picture."

"Maybe he'll want to see it later," Gordon offered as he pulled him into a hug.

Scott looked down at the picture he still had in his grip. He hadn't noticed it before, but there were two stick figures drawn looking out the window of the rocket. They were labelled, one with 'daddy' and one with 'me'.

Scott's hand shook and threatened to drop the picture again. He felt his own tears start to build and tried to blink them away.

"Do you want to play with me?"

Scott looked up as he heard Gordon speak again. Alan seemed to be a little calmer now, though his eyes were still red and he hiccuped as his sobs subsided. But he nodded at Gordon's offer, and Gordon handed him one of the scattered toys from the game he had been previously playing.

Gordon looked like he had this handled, so Scott left the two of them to it. He didn't know how much help he could be right now, and he needed a few minutes to compose himself.

"He didn't mean it," Scott found himself echoing Gordon's words later. Alan was tucked up into bed, and his time with Gordon had seemed to brighten up his mood. Once Scott had finished getting Alan to bed, he would go and give his thanks to his second youngest brother.

"Dad's just..." Scott had no idea how to end that sentence. He was out of excuses.

"He misses mommy," Alan finished for him.

Scott was shocked by the words and how Alan said them so simply, but knew they only held the truth.

"Yeah." That was one of the only things that was still true. "He does."

When his brothers went off to school, it was Scott who made sure they loaded up onto the right bus at the right time, and it was him who made sure they all made it home. It was a hassle, and he knew that being able to drive would make it so much more convenient, so as soon as he was old enough, he started his lessons.

He was determined to get his licence as soon as possible, so he sped through Driver's Ed, and passed his test on his first try. Through his dad's spotty moments of sobriety, he managed to get the man to sign off on getting him insured on his second car, the one their mom had tended to use, so that Scott was able to drive it. Jeff wasn't using it right now anyway, as he somehow had the decency to not drink and drive.

Or so Scott thought.

One day after school, Scott was in a rush. His teacher had held him back for a long moment to talk about how his grades were slipping, and that if he needed help then the school would support him. They didn't know about his dad's problem, but they did all know about the sudden passing of his mom. He acted like that was the only problem he was dealing with, and dealing with it was what he made them all believe. They didn't need to know he was struggling, because he wasn't. He had this all under control.

When he eventually got out of the conversation his teacher was so desperately trying to have with him, he realised he was already late to pick up Gordon and Alan from school. John and Virgil were both at after school clubs, and Scott would be back for them later.

When Scott got to his car, it took him a while to find his keys. He searched his pockets and his bag and then his pockets again, and then his bag. He eventually found them tucked into an inside pocket of the backpack, buried under some loose pieces of paper.

He felt so scatterbrained after he'd been unexpectedly held up, and knew he really just needed to get some sleep. However, he couldn't be so lucky. He still had so much left to do for the day before he could curl up in bed.

He was really late to pick up his brothers, especially after his mishap with his keys, and constantly checked the clock on his way to his little brothers' school. He hoped that their teachers were watching them and keeping them occupied whilst they waited.

When Scott eventually made it to the school, he pulled up outside and made his way over to the front gate. There were still a few dregs of kids as other late parents showed up, but most of them had left.

"Scott?" One of the teachers who was seeing off the students noticed him. Scott sent her a smile, but she looked confused.

"Are Alan and Gordon here?" Scott brushed off the alarms he was sensing, putting them down to his tiredness. He looked past the gate at the remaining kids on the playground, but couldn't see his brothers amongst them.

"Your dad already picked them up."

Scott felt like his world stopped. He didn't want to believe it, but knew the teacher wouldn't lie.

Without saying a word, Scott spun and all but ran back to his car. His dad wouldn't, he wouldn't. He knew better. He would never put his little brother's lives in danger like that.

He wouldn't drive whilst drunk.

Scott wanted to speed home, but knew it wouldn't do anybody any good if he got into an accident. The whole way home he was on the lookout for his dad's car in case he passed it. He had images of finding it flipped over or crashed into a building flashing through his head.

As he had been late, his dad could have already made it quite far. Scott prayed that his dad managed to drive the car home in one piece, but he knew it was dumb to hope. Hoping just made things worse when they inevitably came crashing down.

He also didn't know if they had even gone home. In a drunken stupor, Jeff could have gone anywhere. Scott had already decided that if they weren't home by the time he got there, he was calling the police.

He saw the flashing lights first.

He wasn't too far from home, and he had been starting to wonder if his dad had made it back after all. No such luck.

He pulled his car to a stop as he approached the scene. There was a police car as well as an ambulance parked at the side of the road, with cops and paramedics working on the crash that Scott could just see behind the commotion.

As soon as the car had stopped, Scott was out. As he got closer, he could see the extent of the crash. A car had driven into the ditch at the side of the road, and it was a car he didn't hesitate to recognise.

He picked up his pace now that he knew for sure his suspicions were confirmed, and darted around the police car. However, a man was suddenly blocking his way.

"Sir, you can't be here. Please, get back to your car." The policeman held his hand up to prevent Scott going any further.

Scott was on his tiptoes to look over him, and could see the back of the ambulance was open, and there were familiar figures sitting on the back.

"They're my brothers!" Scott insisted as he tried to push past, and the police officer let him.

He ran over to the ambulance, where his two littlest brothers were sitting on the floor of the vehicle, their legs dangling off the ledge at the back. They both had blankets wrapped around them and the paramedics were checking them over.

"Scotty!" Alan saw him first, and jumped off the back of the ambulance and closed the gap between them.

Scott crouched down and wrapped his arms around Alan who came flying into them. He held his brother for a long moment, before Scott leant back to scan his eyes over him and check for injuries.

He had some cuts on his face and a butterfly bandage on his forehead. There were tear streaks on his cheeks and a scared look in his eyes, but all in all he appeared alright.

Scott gripped his hand and walked the final few steps before he was at the ambulance.

One of the paramedics was still checking over Gordon, whilst the other was putting away the equipment he had been using on Alan. The woman crouched in front of Gordon had his arm in her hands, and was gently turning it to examine it.

Gordon noticed him arrive, and sent him a watery smile. Scott sent a reassuring one back as he gave his brother's shoulder a squeeze.

"Are they okay? What are their injuries?" Scott asked the woman, who hesitated when she looked up and saw him.

"I'm their brother," he clarified.

The woman nodded. "Your brother here has a broken arm, and we'd like to take them to the hospital to check them both over for a concussion. But they were both very lucky."

Lucky was one word for it, but Scott couldn't help but think that this all could have been preventable.

"Where's dad?" Scott asked. Now that he knew his brothers were safe, he could turn his attention to the person he knew was to blame for putting his little brothers in danger.

"Over there." Alan pointed towards the crashed car.

Scott looked over and saw his dad just off to the side, talking to another police officer. Just looking at the man brought back all the anger he had felt before.

"Stay here," Scott instructed Alan as he let go of his hand, and didn't wait for an answer before he was marching over there.

"You idiot."

Jeff had barely registered his presence before Scott shoved him hard. He stumbled back a few steps, and Scott pulled an arm back to do further damage, but was stopped by the cop who stepped in his way.

"Sir, you need to take a step back." The officer placed his hands on his arms, and it was the only thing stopping Scott from launching himself at the man who was supposed to be their dad.

"Why would you do something so stupid. They're just kids! I can't believe you would put them in danger like that." Scott so desperately wanted to punch the man, but the other policeman had come over to grip his shoulders.

"Scott, I-" Jeff started, but Scott was still going.

"You're drunk, aren't you?"

"What- no, I would never." Jeff furiously shook his head. "I- I'm not drunk. Tell him officer."

Scott expectantly looked over at the cop, awaiting his answer, not that he expected anything different to what he already knew. He was surprised the man wasn't in handcuffs yet.

"I took a sobriety test. He's clean," the officer confirmed, which was the opposite of what Scott was expecting.

The fight suddenly left him as disbelief hit him, and he deflated. No way was his dad sober. Scott couldn't remember the last time he had gone a day without seeing his dad with a drink. There must have been something wrong here.

The grip of the police officers left him and Scott stood there, confused, as he looked over at his dad.

Now that he was really looking at him, he could see if the man was injured from the crash. He seemed fine, not a scratch on him somehow, which was better than Scott could say for the state of his brothers.

When Scott looked closer, he could see that the man was holding one of his hands in the other. At first, he thought that he could be hurt, but then Scott could see it was something else.

Scott scoffed, and everyone turned to look at him as he broke the silence.

"He's not drunk now, but he has been. He's going through withdrawal."

The officer who had been talking to his dad before sent Scott a questioning glance, and Scott gestured over to how his dad was trying to hide how much his hands were shaking.

Jeff's eyes were wide as he looked over at them, and then down at his hands. He dropped them and clenched his fists.

"Sir, did you know that in the state of Kansas it's against the law to drive whilst addicted?" One of the officers said as he turned to Jeff.

"But I'm not-"

"I'm sorry, but you're under arrest." The officer pulled out a set of handcuffs and advanced on Jeff.

"What?" Jeff's eyes darted from the cop to Scott. "Scott!"

Scott didn't want to hear it anymore. He didn't need to be around to watch, so without another word, he turned around and walked back to his brothers. He could hear the officer reading his dad his rights, but he tuned that out to pay attention to those who he really cared about right now.

His brothers were still at the ambulance, but now Gordon's arm was splinted and in a sling.

"Where's dad?" Alan asked as he peeked around Scott, but Scott shifted to the side to block his view.

"He's... going to where he needs to be. Like how you need to get to the hospital," Scott tried to change the subject so he could avoid giving any more details. He didn't think now was a good time to explain this all to his brothers.

"Would you like to ride with them?" The paramedic asked as she packed her equipment away.

"I probably shouldn't leave my car here," Scott reluctantly glanced over at where he had haphazardly parked. He didn't want to leave his brothers' side, but knew he couldn't abandon the car. "I'll follow behind."

The paramedic nodded, and then with Scott's help got the two boys into the back of the ambulance. They also didn't want Scott to leave, but were reassured by the fact he would be just behind.

It wasn't a long drive to the hospital, and Scott was thankful when they got there. He was exhausted, and didn't fancy the idea of driving after everything that had already happened today.

The hospital wanted to run some tests on Gordon and Alan to check there were no other problems, but needed a parent or guardian to sign off on it. Scott didn't have the authority, so he called the only person he could think of at that moment.

His grandma picked up after only a couple of rings.

"Scott?" She didn't sound surprised to hear from him, which Scott wasn't expecting. With everything that had been going on lately, he didn't know the last time he had spoken to her. He didn't want her finding out just how bad everything had gotten.

"Grandma, I-" Scott suddenly found he had no idea what to say. Where did he start?

Luckily, he didn't have to work it out.

"Scott, your dad just rang me from the station. I know everything, but I am missing some details. I'm on my way now."

Scott was stunned into silence. He hadn't been expecting that, and he didn't know what to say. But he did slump in relief.

"Thank you," he eventually uttered. A big weight was lifted off his shoulders, and he fell into the nearest seat. He closed his eyes, but then another thought occurred to him, and they flew open again. "John and Virgil. I forgot-"

"Don't worry, I'll swing by their school now. You don't need to worry."

Scott smiled. He didn't know why he hadn't told his Grandma about all this sooner. If he had, maybe it wouldn't have gotten so bad.

"Scott," his Grandma sounded hesitant with her next words, and Scott sat up, his heart starting to quicken. "Your dad also wanted me to tell you that he wants to speak to you. You certainly don't have to, but I thought you should know."

Scott considered that for a long moment. His head was spinning and he didn't know what to think of it. What would he say? His dad was surely mad at him, but Scott was mad at him too. Was it worth it if they were just going to make each other feel worse?

"I'll think about it," Scott eventually settled on. It definitely wasn't something he needed to do right then. Right now was about making sure his brothers were alright, and all he wanted at that moment was to be with his family.

The next morning, Scott found himself at the station.

It had been a long night. Both Alan and Gordon had a concussion, so they had to stay at the hospital overnight. Their Grandma stayed with them whilst Scott, Virgil and John headed home for the night.

As soon as Scott's head hit the pillow, he was out, but he didn't end up sleeping for long. He woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, so instead of attempting to do so, he got up. He soon found that Virgil and John were already wide awake, so instead of hanging around all morning, they decided to head off to the hospital.

However, Scott only dropped Virgil and John off. He had somewhere else he needed to go to that morning before he could be with his family.

Scott had at first never wanted to see his dad again after what he had done, but after some time to cool off he realised he wasn't really that angry at the man. He had been tired and scared, and let his upset control his emotions. He knew deep down that his dad's problem wasn't his fault. He was grieving and was coping with it the best way he could. He didn't mean to let it get out of control.

That said, Scott wasn't making excuses for the man. He had to own up to what he'd done, and that was what Scott was searching for. He needed it for himself, but also his dad. For the man to admit to his problem, he could finally begin his journey to recovery.

The man sat across the table from him looked like he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, but Scott probably didn't look much better. The two of them were quiet for a long moment, neither one knowing what to say.

Eventually, it was Jeff who broke the silence.

"Scott, I am so, so sorry. I don't know how you could ever forgive me for the way I've treated you for so long." Jeff ran a hand through his hair, and Scott could see his hands were still shaking. He also noted the thin sheen of sweat on the man's face, and he could imagine that the man had had a tough night. "How are they?"

"They both have a concussion, and Gordon has a broken arm." Scott had been leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed, a defensive pose as he tried to not explode his anger on the man. "You could have seriously hurt them."

"I know, and I will never forgive myself." Jeff leant forward and placed his hands on the table. "But you have to believe me when I say I would never drink and drive with them in the car."

"Then why did you pick them up when you knew it would be dangerous?" Scott sat up, and Jeff shrunk back.

"I... I know I have a problem." Jeff took a deep breath like it took a lot to admit that, and Scott was slightly surprised to hear the man say it. "Yesterday when I woke up, I felt the most clarity I had in a while. I don't know what was different, but suddenly I realised I needed to put a stop to it. So I didn't drink all day, but I wasn't prepared for how hard that would be."

He paused to swallow and take another breath, before he continued. "I couldn't concentrate on anything. It was so hard to not have a drink and make the feeling go away. Then I noticed the time and realised Gordon and Alan would be finishing school. I don't know what I was thinking. It was stupid, but I just thought that if I had something to focus on it would distract me from thinking about drinking. I was an idiot."

"You were." Scott wasn't going to pretend like he wasn't, or say that it was fine. But it was a relief for Scott to hear the man admit to his problem. "What happens now?"

"They say it could be up to six months, and then a rehabilitation programme."

"Good."

Jeff seemed shocked by Scott's reaction, but he knew that he wasn't wrong.

"Dad, you are an alcoholic." The word felt wrong on his mouth. Scott had never actually admitted that to even himself, but it felt like a weight was off his shoulders and his mind felt clearer. "You need this time to get better, and to properly grieve for mom." Scott hesitated with his next words, but he had to say them. "So do we."

Scott didn't know if he had anything left to say, and he had heard all he wanted from his dad, so he pushed his seat back and planted his hands on the table as he stood up.

"I... can't forgive you right now." The words were difficult to say. His dad had been one of the closest members of his family ever since he was little. Before the accident, the two of them had been inseparable. Scott had never wanted to leave his side as a kid. Then everything went horribly wrong. "But I will in the future. I need time, but... I know this wasn't your fault. You were hurting in your own way."

His dad was looking up at him, tears brimming in his eyes. Scott felt his own threaten to fall, but he held them back until he left the room. Jeff nodded, understanding etched on his features, but he didn't say another word.

"I'll see you soon." With that, Scott turned, the tears now falling. But he felt refreshed, hopeful for another day now that they were on the path to recovery.