The Troublemaking Intruder

Withdrawals And A Long Buried Past

Jason's pov

I wake up gladly with the weight of my darling's head on my chest. I smile and just relish in this moment of being lucky enough to have gotten another chance. Then I remember pouring out all my alcohol last night which makes me nauseous thinking about it. My hands start to shake so I grip the bedsheets and grit my teeth trying to fight off addiction withdrawals.

Miranda's pov

I sit up, confused. Jason's super tense and I realize it's withdrawals. I rest a hand against his bare chest on a tattoo of a fireball. "Baby.... I.... Can't breathe." He struggles to say. "It's just withdrawals, Jason. It'll be over soon." I say, trying to calm him down. "I c-can't d-do this." "Yes you can. You're stronger than your addiction." He locks eyes with me, his eyes pleading and full of fear. "Just breathe Jason. You're gonna be alright."

Jason's pov

Quitting cold turkey. I didn't think it would be this bad! She helps me stand up and my whole body is shaking. I'm freezing too. I shakily stumble downstairs and lean against the wall. Keely was up, making toast. "Dad! Are you alright?" She gasps, running over. I take a deep breath as my chest gets tight. "I-I'm fine, baby. D-Daddy is just dealing with stuff." She's super worried about me. She holds my hand and walks me to the table where I sit down. "Do you want some toast?" She asks. "No. I'm okay Keely. Don't freak out." Miranda walks in the kitchen. "Keely hurry the bus will be here soon." She nods, still staring at me. I force a smile, trying to reassure her that I'm okay. She eats her toast and Kendyl runs in. "The bus is here. Bye dad bye mama." She says, hugging us both. My eyes go wide in surprise when she calls Miranda mama. After they leave, I grab a bottled water but it's not the same as drinking a cold beer. "I hate this." I whisper, tiredly resting my head against the fridge as I slide to the ground. I close my eyes, trying not to freak out. "You'll get through this Jason. I believe in you." I open my eyes, exhausted and she's on her knees in front of me. "I can't do this! I need my alcohol." "No you don't. You need to get free of it! Promise me you won't pick up a bottle!" She gasps, grabbing my hands which are shaking uncontrollably. "I-I p-promise." She smiles. "You've got this, Jason." She stands back up. "W-Wait, where are you going?" "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just getting in a shower." I shakily nod and let go of her pants leg. "Maybe while I'm in there you work on breakfast and after that we'll go for a nice walk in the park." "Y-Yeah, a n-nice walk." I mumble, my voice cracking. She smiles reassuringly and kisses my cheek. Then she goes upstairs and I get to work on breakfast, deciding on grilled cheese and eggs.

Miranda's pov

I was drying off when I heard Jason shout, "Breakfast is ready." "I'll be down in a sec." I call, getting dressed in a short dress that reveals my legs. I'm hoping to distract him with how I look to where he won't even think of alcohol. I put on my make up and dry my hair then walk downstairs. His eyes go wide. "Wait! You are goin' somewhere!" He cries. "No I'm not!" "Then why are you dressed up?" I smile and walk over. "To look good for you baby." I say, smiling. "R-Really? Th-That's the only reason?" I nod and kiss him. "Trying to get your mind off everything. Is it working?" He stares at me for like five seconds. I put my hand on his arm. "Y-Yeah." He says, looking down at it. We sit down for breakfast and h reaches for the salt, his hand still shaking. Just another symptom of withdrawal. He sighs and puts his head in his hands. "Jason, what's wrong now?" "L-Look at me! I'm a f-fucking m-mess!" He gripes. I stand up. "It's normal, Jay. You're going through withdrawals. The usual signs are shaking, stuttering, loss of balance, dizziness-" "What about tight chest?" He interrupts. "Not usually, why?" "M-My chest started hurting really bad earlier." Hm, I don't know what that's about. "I don't know Jason." I say, walking over. "Are you gonna be okay?" "As long as you're here I am." He says, gripping tight to the chair he's sitting in. "Come on let's go for a walk." He nods and stands up, grabbing his ball cap. He rests a hand on the doorframe. "How l-long does this sh-shit usually last?" "Usually a few months. You'll be okay, Jason don't think about it." "R-Right." He says, sighing. We go to the park and I hold his hand while we walk.

Jason's pov

I take a deep breath as we get to a bridge overlooking a river. The cool air blowing my hair and reminding me of the beach when I was a kid. I rest my hands on the worn wood, a soft calm sigh slipping out of me. "Wow, Jason you're not shaking anymore." I snap back to reality and glance down at my hands which at the moment are fine. "I was thinkin' about home, life on the coast before Nashville. Before Jess and the girls. Before B and Justin." I close my eyes, remembering.

~flashback~

I was seven, my sister was only four. I was running across the sand, the sounds of seagulls and waves lapping on shore fill my ears. I laugh and collapse in the sand. Kasi lays beside me. "Mama, I love the beach." She says, smiling as our mother walks over. She smiles down at our silly selves.

The flashback ends here and becomes a nightmare mixed with the flashback.

Then storm clouds fill the sky, the waves crash loud and hard against the sand. I slowly sit up confused. Mama has that worried look on her face she only gets when my old man is around. "Jason take Kasi inside." Mama says, tears in her eyes. "M-Mama come with us. We can lock the door." She shakes her head. "He'll try to bust it down." Just then I hear the drunken slurr of my father. "Margaret, where are you?" He growls. "Go. Go now." She says, quickly. "Come on Kasi." I say, grabbing my scared little sister's hand. I take her inside and she cries in my lap as my father beats my mother mercilessly.

*snap back to reality*

"Jason! Stop! You're cutting your fingers!" I hear yelled. What? I look down at my hands and I was gripping the wood so tight it was cutting my fingers. I shakily pull free. "I-I'm sorry for scaring you." I shakily mumble, hugging her. "I-I w-was lost in a m-memory." She looks at me worried. "Good or bad?" "Good.... At first.... Then it turned ugly when my old man showed up." "What happened to your dad?" She asks angering me. "Don't call him that. He wasn't my dad. Just my old man." She nods. "What happened to him Jay?" "Drank himself to death. I celebrated that day instead of grieving." Her eyes go wide. "You're grieving now." I raise an eyebrow confused. "No I'm not. I didn't give a damn about that bastard. He hurt my mother and my sister... I was glad that he was dead!" "No, you're grieving cause you never had a father." My eyes go wide. She's right. Tears come to my eyes. "God, what do I do?" "Nothing Jason. There's nothing you can do.... Just know you have family. It may not be a dad but you have me, the girls, Brantley and Justin. You have a family, Jason." My stare turns hard. "I'd still have a mother if my old man didn't dig her an early grave." She hugs me again. "Heart attack from the stress at 57." I whisper. "She loved you very much Jason." I smile through the tears. "Thanks babe, I couldn't be doing this without you."