Forces Beyond The Grave

Chapter Nine

"Dad? It's me!" Lennox closed the door behind her as she entered her childhood home. 

She hadn't been back to the house since moving onto campus, but after the day she'd had, she needed a little bit of comfort. The conversations she'd had with both Jay and Skye hadn't gotten her any closer to figuring out what to do about her predicament, and whilst she wasn't planning on involving her father, it was nice to get to see him for half an hour or so. 

"Dad! Are you here?" She called. 

The kitchen was empty, the spare bedroom at the back of the house was empty, and as Lennox walked through the empty living room she felt some sort of bad feeling settle in her stomach. When she reached the top of the stairs she saw her dad's bedroom door open, but the faint smell of vomit coming from the bathroom was what caught her attention. 

"Dad?" She pushed the door open, and was greeted by her father lying on the floor by the toilet. 

"Oh f...come on,"

Withdrawal. Lennox recognised the signs. It'd been a long year so far since she'd come back, and perhaps she just hadn't been able to care enough to notice, but her father had been suffering. Working until burnout. Not being able to switch off. Lack of appetite, losing weight. Memory fatigue, shaking. He'd had ups and downs, times when Lennox didn't see the symptoms as much, and then he'd get a little worse. But it was none of her business until now. She hadn't cared until now. When Lennox finally managed to wake up her father she spent the night sitting with him as he threw his guts up until he passed out again at around four 'o' clock, at which point she was able call Will to the house. He'd been on call at the hospital since eight 'o' clock the previous morning, and was happy to finally take his hour break when Lennox asked him to make a house visit. What he couldn't fathom, though, was why she'd asked him to bring IV lines and saline. When he arrived, Lennox let him in without hesitation, and his confusion only increased when he saw Patrick's state. 

"What the hell happened?" He asked quietly. 

She sighed as she shook her head. "You tell me. I found him unconscious in the bathroom when I got home, laying in his own vomit. He's withdrawing Will, and I don't know what from."