Only You - [Lip Gallagher]

home is not home anymore

"Debs, what do I do?" I ask her as I slide the crib box into my room, "Do I build it or like is Lip winning?" I ask, "Fuck Lip. I want to stay and raise our kids together!" Debbie says, "Who's the little boy downstairs?" "Sandy's kid." Debbie says with the phone to her ear, "What the fuck?" I furrow my eyebrows and go back to my room. "You sure I can stay with you when they sell the house?" Liam asks, coming into my room with a sad face. "Of course." I say, standing up and pulling him into a hug, "But, maybe we won't sell and we can stay here. Let's just see what happens, okay?" I reassure him. "I wouldn't mind moving." He says, looking up at me. "I wouldn't mind it either." I say, caressing his cheek softly. I think it's time.

++

"What's going on upstairs?" Mickey asks, "Debs and Sandy are arguing." I huff and sit next to Carl and Franny, "Is it weird I'm in love with my rapist?" Carl blurts out, "You weren't raped." Mickey scoffs. "She should've been open with you from the jump but I mean I guess it's not weird now that you know her reasoning." I shrug. "Cool." Carl nods, drinking a beer. "So not cool." Franny shakes her head, taking the words right out of my mouth. "You just got told by a five year old." Ian teases. "We're selling the house!" Lip shouts, coming into the house with a sledgehammer. "What the fuck?" I ask just before Lip smacks the wall behind the washer, "Lip!" I shout. "What the fuck are you doing?" Debbie comes downstairs, jumping on Lip's back trying to take the sledgehammer away. Lip is trying to passively fight her off, the whole house is chaotic. "Fuck you Lip! You can't take away my home!" Debbie cries before storming out.

As soon as she leaves, two police detectives walk in, "Phillip Gallagher?" They call out, "Can I ask who's asking?" I grow defensive, "We just need to take him in for questioning. His ex place of employment was robbed the other night." The woman speaks, showing her badge. "Does he need a lawyer present?" I ask, Lip places his hand on my lower back. "No, he's not being arrested." "If he wasn't being arrested you would've called him in for questioning and not come and demanding for him." "Where is Phillip?" She asks, annoyed. "I'm right here." He says, stepping forward. "Lip." I say and he waves me off. "I'm fine. I didn't do anything." Lip starts building his case, "Okay." I say as he leaves with them "Shit, Lip." I huff and look at Mickey, he shrugs. "Damnit." I mutter and run upstairs.

++

"You guys remember I have a thing after school right?" Liam asks as we eat breakfast the next morning. "I'll be there." I say, scratching his head gently before I grab my mozzarella sticks out of the airfryer, "Isn't it too early for that shit?" Mickey asks, "I'm pregnant." I say with a mouthful of cheese. "Speaking of, how's Lip?" Ian asks and I shrug, "Going down to the station after my appointment. I find out the gender today!" I say, slightly excited. "We having a party?" Carl asks and I shake my head, "Too much going on for that." I say, looking at the huge hole Lip made last night.

++

"Miss Mitchell, would you like to know now or do you want me to put it in an envelope?" My nurse asks, "Envelope, please." I say and she smiles, nodding and printing out the ultrasound. "It's in here and labeled whenever you're ready." She smiles and hands it to me, "Thank you so much." I smile and wipe the petroleum jelly off of me before leaving with the envelope clutched in my grasp.

As soon as I get to the station I see Lip walking out, "You good?" I ask through the window, "Yeah." "You need a ride?" I ask and he nods, getting in. "So what happened?" "They're trying to pry answers out of me. I didn't say shit." He says, buckling his seatbelt. "Shit." He says, staring at his phone, "What?" "Take me to my place now. Step on it!" He yells and I do as told, rushing to his. "Do you need me to take anything for you?" "What?" He asks, "I know you have shit in there. Need me to take it?" "No, stay out of it. You don't need to get in trouble." He says, running inside. "Fuck you, Lip Gallagher." I say, throwing my car in park and sneaking over to his garage. "Shit." I mutter seeing six boxes of BornFree shit. I immediately jump to action, quickly taking boxes and throwing them into my car before leaving.

"Terry!" I shout walking into the Milkovich house, "What do you want, Gallagher lover?" He scoffs. "Can I use your basement?" "What for?" "I'll show you my tits if you let me use the basement." I roll my eyes, "Fine." He says and I whip them out, "Nice." He smirks, pervishly and I scoff in disgust before running out and grabbing boxes to throw them into the messy Milkovich basement. "Thanks Terry." I say, running out of their house and over into the Gallaghers.

++

"Sadie I fucking love you." Lip comes into my room and starts making out with me, passionately. "What the hell, Lip?" I ask, "Where'd you put them?" "Milkovich basement." "You know you're an accomplice?" He asks, still hoovering over me, "Fuck yeah. I'm always a Gallagher accomplice." I smile, looking down at his lips, "Shit." I mutter, pushing him off, "Tami." "We broke up. She's moving in with her dad and we decided it was better we split for now." "What?" I ask, sitting up. "What about Fred?" "I'll see him everyday, I'm just not sleeping or living at the Tamiette's with Cami's Caminess and Bob, just Bob." He says, laying down in my bed. "Oh well, um," I grab the envelope on my desk, "I have to te-" I'm cut off by Lip's phone ringing, "One sec." He says, answering it. I watch his body language and facial expression drop, "Shit." He says, standing up quickly. "I'll be back, tell Liam I'm sorry for missing his school thing." Lip says, rushing out of the house.

what the fuck

"Where's everybody?" Carl whispers as he sits next to me in Liam's school, "No clue." Liam says, "Well, fuck em. We're here." Carl pats his shoulder, "And Frank." I mutter, nodding up towards the stage. "Why is he up there?" "He's trying to rename the school." I say, "Jesus." Carl mutters just before Frank stands up to the mic. Immediately he grows flustered and begins to stammer "He's not doing good." I say, empathetically. "Poor Frank." I say just before he starts barraiding a man and his son. "Frank." I say, trying to grab his attention but then he begins to pull his pants down, "CPD! I got this!" Carl jumps to action. "That man needs to be evaluated!" The principal shouts. "He has dementia." I say once Carl takes him out of the building. "You should go with Carl. I'll stay here." Liam says. "No, I'll stay with you. Carl can manage." I say.

++

"Did you win?" Carl asks as soon as we walk into the waiting room, "Yup!" Liam says with a smile, holding up his new iPad. "Good shit!" Everyone congratulates him. "What'd you go with?" Lip asks, "Since they were declining literally every single name for any little reason I decided to play it safe and just go with The Middle School." Liam explains. "Smart." Debbie says. "Gallagher?" The nurse comes with Frank, "Yes?" Frank asks, "Not you, Frank." I say, gently. "There are no worsening symptoms with his condition." The nurse says, "Condition?" Lip asks, "Alcoholic Dementia." I say, reminding him. "Shit." Lip mutters. "There will be good days and bad days with this condition and try not to challenge his thoughts that could lead to aggression." She explains and we nod, "Why are we at the hospital?" Frank asks after the nurse walks away, "We having another baby already?" Frank asks and looks at me, "No, no." I say, "No Frank, you've got dementia from being a drunk." Lip says, slightly angry. "Be nice." I say, rubbing his lower back comfortingly. "Come on, Frank." Carl says. "I'd say we could take you home but what's home anymore?" Debbie scoffs. "Shut up, Debs." Lip rolls his eyes. What is home anymore?