Chapter Text
It was hard to say when it had started, exactly. It had been just little things–-a drink here and there, an occasional trip down to the bar. But, slowly but surely, the drinks would become more numerous, and the trips to the bar more frequent. It got to the point that whenever Haru came home stumbling and smelling of booze, Dixie, Mari, Sunny, and even Mewo knew that it was best to make themselves scarce (assuming he even came home before they went to bed).
Sunny was pretty sure it was his fault. Him having to be rushed to the hospital three times in one year had to have been stressful on his father, both from the concern for his health and the medical bills. And, even though there had not been another incident for the next two years after that, he still had his regular appointments with Dr. Lee, which was just one more strain on their budget. It made sense that his father would want a way to decompress. He just wished it had been a way that wasn’t so detrimental to the rest of them.
Was this how Aubrey had felt all these years? To see one’s own home, meant to be one’s sanctuary, become a suffocating act of tiptoeing around someone one should be able to trust enough to let one’s guard down around? If Sunny felt sorry for Aubrey before, that empathy increased at least tenfold having actually experienced it for himself. But this act of avoidance and walking on eggshells couldn’t last forever. Eventually, something had to give. And it seems that tonight, that eventuality had come.
Sunny sat with his back pressed against the refrigerator, fighting against the urge to hyperventilate so as not to draw attention to himself. Mari stood protectively in front of him, though Sunny could easily see that she was trembling in every limb. And in front of them, in the center of the kitchen, were Mom and Dad locked in a shouting match.
“Oh, I haven’t been a provider?” Dad slurred drunkenly. “Tell that to all the medical bills I’ve had to pay off! Or all those doctor’s appointments I’m still paying for!”
“Don’t give me any of that!” Mom shouted back. “You know Sunny needs those!” Sunny winced at the sound of his name. “And don’t you dare act like you’re the only one paying for them! Besides, if you’re so worried about money, why do you keep blowing it on booze?!”
“Oh, so I’m not allowed to go out for a drink to take the edge off?” Dad spat back. “I’m not allowed to not want to feel like I’m being crushed under the weight of the stress of having to pay out the nose for three back-to-back hospital visits on top of regular visits to that bimbo calling herself a doctor?”
“Not when it causes you to start becoming a danger to your family!” Mom yelled. “You’ve been coming home stumbling drunk pretty much every night for the past few months, Haru! Do you think the kids and I like having to run and hide from you every time you walk through the door? That is no kind of life!”
Sunny squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to block out the sounds of his parents’ yelling. He didn’t know how much more he could take! He never imagined things would turn out this way. He was so scared! He… He…
Ouch!
Sunny’s eyes shot open at the sudden sharp pain in his chest. No…no, no, no, no, no! Not his heart! Not now! Sunny tried taking deep breaths to calm himself down, but calming down in a situation like this was impossible. He was tempted to reach for his pills, but his fear of drawing his father’s attention-–and, subsequently, his ire–-kept him from daring to move.
Sunny continued to try to breathe deeply, even as the pain intensified. Even as his vision started to go dark. Even as he heard the muffled sound of a slap as his consciousness slipped away.
It would be three hellish days before Sunny awoke again. His mother and sister were in the room with him with tearful, smiling faces. Sunny tried to ask them what had happened, but he couldn’t speak around the breathing tube.
“Don’t try to talk, Sunny,” Mom said. “You had a heart attack and went into a coma.” Oh… Sunny tried to recall the sequence of events that had led to his heart acting up in such a way. His heart sunk as he remembered. His eyes darted around the room.
“Don’t worry, Sunny,” Mari assured, seeing her little brother’s distress. “He’s not here. He won’t be bothering us again.” Sunny was relieved to hear that, though also a little worried about what life would be like going forward. But those worries could come later. For now, he’d enjoy this moment of peace with his mother and sister.
One domestic violence charge and court-ordered separation later, Haru finally got his wake-up call. He considered himself quite fortunate that the judge decided to be lenient and assign him to mandatory rehab in lieu of jailtime, which Haru took eagerly. He wanted to get clean and (hopefully) rekindle his bonds with his family.
After a grueling 28 days, Haru began the even more daunting task of trying to make amends with his family. They understandably rebuffed him at first, but after seeing his dedication to staying sober, they decided to gradually let him back into their lives. Haru knew it would take time to build his relationships back up to where they were before, and was grateful he even had the opportunity to do so. He hoped his old drinking buddy Violet would get a similar wake-up call, but he doubted it.
It would be some time before things were any semblance of how they used to be, but the Suzukis were willing to take things one small step at a time until they could truly be a family again.