Doug turned around to look at your brother. "Are you really that blink, TJ? Really? When I came to pick you up in the middle of the night, because you didn't remember where your car was, or you'd left with someone and didn't have cash on you, was it because of them? When you crashed at my place because you were too wired to go home was that about the family too? What about when I gave you the money for the Dome, or when I believed the lies that you were clean this time, really really clean, it was for good, promise. Who the hell do you think I was doing it for? I might be pissed off that they remembered me when it was time to help you, but I never did it for them or our name. I always tried to protect you."
He shook his head. "There's no room for imperfections in this family, not if I want to stay on Mom's good graces, especially with Dad the way he is and you- There's just no room to be anything but perfect all the times. Why the hell do you think I didn't break off the engagement? It wouldn't have looked good. I couldn't have asked for a divorce, because it would have hurt her chances of becoming president. I was going to ride it out until the second term, maybe get a divorce after the reelection and new appointments, far enough that people would forget by the time she'd leave office and I could run for a senate seat, probably in Illinois since it makes the most sense.
"I'm sorry for planning ahead, but that's who I am, and now, I'm still planning ahead, and for the first time, I'm asking you to do the same, because we do need to worry about our parents and grandmother, shocking as that sounds. In fact, I wasn't even asking that until a few minutes ago, because I know what you're going to do. I wasn't asking anything at all from you, and I certainly wasn't asking anything for me, but you just couldn't let it go." He didn't know why he was even bothering. It's not like all this talk would change anything. "You deal with them, you decide with them. Whatever you decide, I'll do. Maybe that's easy enough to understand."