𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀| Alex Alvarez

Chapter Eleven

❥

Ophelia walked with the laundry basket in her hands. She'd been searching high and low for half her stuff all after noon, finding the majority of it shoved under her bed in need of a wash. Ophelia hummed a small tune she'd heard early that day, rounded the laundry room corner.

She walked in just as Schneider shoved Alex into one of the washing machines. The multiple bottles of empty alcohol on the ground around them, "Dad?"

"Ophie, Ophelia hey." Schneider said as he turned to her quickly, his eyes softening as he saw her.

"Don't hurt him." she said with a sad look, Schneider was quick to let Alex's shirt go.

"No, no, no I wasn't gonna hurt him. Don't worry, don't worry." Schneider repeated over and over as Alex walked over toward Ophelia again.

"You're drinking again? But- you're - but you're eight years sober." Ophelia said, her eyes swelling with tears as she stared at him.

"I can- it's not- just go back to the apartment, okay? Just go on back." he said to her with a forced smile, stumbling slightly.

"Come on." Alex whisper as he pulled Ophelia out of the laundry room.

"He's drinking again. How did I not see that." Ophelia said as she grabbed his arm when they rounded the corner. When Alex turned around to look at her he found her swelling, lip trembling as tears threatened to streamed down her face.

Alex wrapped her in a hug, holding her close to him while kissing the top of her head.

"You did the right thing calling us." Penelope reassured Alex as Schneider now sat on the couch, being sobered up by Lydia and Elena.

"Here, Schneider, I made you sopa de pollo." Lydia said as she set the bowl infront of him.

"And I, uh, got you a wet towel for your head. I don't know if it actually works. They just always do that on Nurse Jackie." Elena said as she laid the towel on Schneider head. The man smiled before he looked over at his daughter in the chair, finding her looking anywhere but him.

"Thanks, guys. They say while you're staying sober, your disease is doing push-ups. Thought I could drink like I use to but but uh, guess i'm out of practice." Schneider tried to joke as he looked down at the small towel in his hands while Lydia rubbed his back.

"We love you. And you're gonna get through this." Elena reassured him, making him smile sadly again before looking at Ophelia.

"You called me Dad for the first time while I was shit faced drunk, I can't forgive myself for that." Schneider explained as Ophelia made eye contact now.

"That's not my fault." she shot back, not meaning to be so angry but was.

"Of course not, I-" he began but was cut off by her standing up.

"Am I not enough? Am I just not enough for you to want to stay sober?I know i'm kinda new around here and we're still getting use to each other but i'd never in my life think about doing what you did. Because I love you, and because you're literally my Dad. Like you're actually my Dad and you're what motivates me to get up in the mornings, why couldn't I be the same for you?" Ophelia asked him, her eyes starting to water again. Alex went to walk toward her but Penelope held him back, knowing they needed this.