• Troublesome • Rhett x Reader •

• Chapter Sixteen •

Rhett pulls up along the curb, near the front doors of the building. I eye the officers standing around just inside of them and whatever was left of my anxiety is instantly revived. I shoot Rhett an unsure smile before opening the door and taking a step out.

"Thanks again."

"No problem. Want me to sit here and wait?" He asks.

"You don't have to. This might take long."

"Don't worry. I don't mind." He smiles. "I'll just move over there into a parking space. Don't freak out if you don't see my car right away."

"Gotcha." I shut the door and make my way around the car and approach the doors. Rhett opens his window.

"Gimme a call when you've got any updates."

"Alright." I flash another half smile but it fades as soon as I turn back to the glass doors, feeling the cold metal handle in my hand.

Their eyes don't immediately switch onto me as I step through the door and into the dimly lit lobby. In fact, they almost don't even notice me. While any other person might've been concerned with how zoned out some of them seem, it makes me feel a little more invisible and I like it that way.

I place my hand flatly on the counter, getting the attention of the cop on the other side of it. He looks up at me and his eyebrows shoot upward.

"How can I help you?"

"Hi, I called earlier about my father being held here. His name is Thomas (L/N)."

"Oh yeah, this way." He stands up and gives me a pity smile before gesturing around the counter and to a door that leads to the holding cells. I stand behind him as he unlocks it and swings the door open for me. A sinking feeling cawls up my spine and winds into my stomach as I step farther into the room. Men and woman alike sit inside each, face in hands or strung out to all hell.  Finally I see my dad's familiar face.

Suddenly,  I feel the room elongate as I seem to shrink in height. My mother, beside me. My father still behind bars, but younger. My mother lets go of my hand to pound the bars. I look up at her face and see that it's twisted in sickening anger. Her mouth is opened in a yell but the only sound I hear is a constant, steady ringing. 

I fade back into reality, finding myself still on both feet and starting directly at my father who is leaned back against the concrete wall in a deep sleep. The officer is a still standing next to me, hands planted relaxingly in his pockets. My eyes find his nametag before I speak again.

"Officer Harrison,  how much is his bail?"

"$2,000." He answers flatly. "The guy he hit isn't pressing charges though."

I bite my lip and run my fingers though my hair, trying to shake off the urge to rip it out.

"Bear?" I turn to see my dad waking up. "I thought I heard your voice."

I crease my brow in deep contempt.  He looks around at the cell, seemingly clueless before he leans over onto his lap, groaning.

"I thought we were home for a second." He mumbles.

"Dad, your bail is 2k." I grimace at him. "You don't have it, do you?"

"I've got $400 on my debit card." He stares into my eyes carefully and I scowl.

"I might be able to cover the rest."

"You sure you wanna do that? We can always just hold him here until the date." Officer Harrison considerably offers but I sigh.

"No, I'll pay it if I have it." I say, and a hopeful look washes over my dad's sweaty face. "But I'm almost certain I don't have enough, there's also something wrong with my car. That might be a lot, too."

The thought of being home alone doesn't scare me as much as it used to. The fact that my dad is barely home anyway doesn't help. Maybe that was his way of weaning me off of him before being sent to prison for good someday.

"I'll be back tomorrow." I tell him, before disappearing back through the door and thanking the officer before leaving the lobby.

Once I step out of the station and onto the sidewalk, I take a look around for Rhett's car. It takes a moment to find it parked a little ways away. I find myself jogging to the passenger side door and finally hopping back in, immediately burying my face in my palms. Rhett says nothing but rubs my upper back in a silent sympathy.

"Want me to take you home?" He asks in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, please." I groan, taking my phone out for directions. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Do you care if I ask about the situation...?"

"Not really. It's just a lot to explain. It started a long time ago. But he can't control himself sometimes. He- he's not an alcoholic, but he just doesn't know how else to handle his stress. And there's a lot of it sometimes..."

He starts turns the key and his car turns on with a nice hum before gesturing for me to go on.

"It gets expensive. His bail is just too much this time and I'm most likely going to have to leave him there for two weeks. Maybe he'll actually learn this time."

"Has he ever actually gone to prison?"

"Not since I was little." I sigh, looking out the window as we pull out of the parking lot.

"Hey, kid." He clears his throat. "You can always talk to me about stuff. Or even Link."

"Thanks."

"Anytime, really. With everything going on with your dad... I know Nicky and you were close and I don't want you feeling alone through it. I know how it feels going home to an empty house..."  Gripping the steering wheel in his hands, he takes a brief look in my direction before returning his eyes to the road. "It's, uh, it's not fun."

"Yeah..." I agree. "I appreciate it."