Disclaimer: I still don't own Shameless.
AN: Thank you guys for reading, reviewing, favoriting and alerting this story. You guys rock! What's in italics takes place during a flashback.
Never Look Back-Chapter 2
Mickey walks briskly to the hospital, with Mandy hot on his heels. To her credit she has said nothing on their way to the hospital and he's grateful for that. He has too much on his mind. The last thing he needs is to deal with Mandy asking him about what the fuck just happened while he's still wrapping his head around it. But as luck would have it, just before they reach their destination Mandy stops short of the emergency room, "Wait, Mick."
Mickey looks up from biting his fingernail, absentmindedly peeling away the dried blood. "What?"
His sister's eyes go huge. "What? Is that all you have to fucking say after what just happened?" Mandy hisses.
Fuck. Mickey never should have come to the hospital. He should have taken off until things settled down for a bit. But, he couldn't. It was like some force inside him took over, and the need to run was outweighed by his need to check on Gallagher. Like when he followed Gallagher and that asshole to that bar awhile back. It's that same pull that didn't make him lash out at his sister when she pulled on his arm towards the EL after the ambulance left their house. The ride to the hospital was a silent one. Mandy was either too shocked or too clueless to say anything. And there's no way in hell Mickey wasn't saying anything. Why did his sister have to ruin that now?
"What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On?" Mandy asks again, speaking slower this time.
Why couldn't Mandy just things alone? She probably wanted to get her interrogation in before the rest of the Gallagher clan got there. A hard punch in his shoulder stops Mickey's silent ponderings.
"Say something asshole. Like what did me and Lip just walk in on? Why is your face messed up? Why dad's in a god damned body bag?! Why was my best friend shot in our living room?" Mandy bites out angrily.
Mickey can't help but flinch at the last part. "You know what happened," Mickey says as he goes to walk into the hospital, but he stops when Mandy calls from behind him.
"No, I know the cover story that Lip came up with to tell the cops."
Mickey closes his eyes as he recalls what happened right after Lip and his sister walked into his house.
"Holy shit, Mickey! What the fuck happened?!" Lip asks as he sprints to his brother's side. Taking in his brother's almost grey like complexion, he curses "Ahhhh. Fuck, Ian!"
Mickey remains silent, but refuses to let up his hold on the blanket that is quickly turning a rusty red color, even as Lip is trying to replace the soaked makeshift bandage with a new one.
"Mickey! It's soaked through. I need to change it," Lip says as he holds a piece of his own shirt that he must have ripped off.
He reluctantly loosens his hold so that Lip can switch out the saturated blanket with the new piece of material. He doesn't even flinch when the other boy lets out a stream of curses when he sees the extent of the damage done to his younger brother.
"Mickey! Mickey! What the fuck happened?!" Lip asks frantically. But, his questions fall on deaf ears. The only sound that can be heard is Gallagher's gasping breaths.
Not satisfied with Mickey's lack of information, Lip turns to the still silent Mandy. "Mandy! Mandy!"
But, Mandy's isn't listening. Her attention is elsewhere. She's not even looking at Gallagher. Her gaze is still fixed on the bloodied and still body of her father.
"Snap out of it, Mandy! I need your help here." Lip calls out as he retains his firm grip on his brother's wound. Through his daze, Mickey can sense from the glares that he's receiving from the older Gallagher that he wants to say something, something biting. But, then recognition hits when Lip looks down and sees that Mickey is busy holding the redhead's hand in a death grip.
"Mandy! Call 911!" Lip orders, but Mandy still remains fixated on her father's body. "Mandy, he's gonna bleed out if we don't get him help." Lip's voice breaks off at the end of his heartfelt plea.
Later on Mickey would say that Lip was acting like a little bitch, but at the moment he doesn't care how broken Lip sounds for his words have the desired effect and breaks Mandy out of whatever fog she's been in. She turns her head away from her father and takes her phone out, quickly going to the boys. With Mandy on the phone, getting Gallagher the help he needs, Lip turns to Mickey.
"Where are his clothes, Mickey?" Lip asks urgently.
Mickey doesn't understand why Lip is asking such a stupid fucking thing at the moment. He looks at the young genius dumbfounded.
"Mickey, where are his clothes. We need his clothes." Lip says.
"Th-th," Ian starts but his attempts are halted when he starts to cough again, more blood trickling down his chin.
"Shhhh, easy. Ian." Lip tries to calm his younger brother down. "Don't worry about it, we gotcha."
Lip turns back to the ex-con. "We don't want the cops to show up here and see him like this. We need to get his clothes on."
"Yeah and you need to get dressed too. Don't know how we're gonna explain why both of you are in your underwear," Mandy adds. "Why are you in your underwear?" Mandy asks her brother.
Mickey bites his lip. This is not the time he wants to do this. Not with Gallagher bleeding in his living room, just feet away from his father who he beat into unconsciousness, if not worse.
Gallagher's gut wrenching moan and preceding hitching breath saves the day when Lip cuts in. "Not now, Mandy. We need to find Ian's clothes and get him dressed before the cops get here."
Mickey goes to get up and get their clothes, but is stopped when Ian's grip tightens on his hand and Ian slurs, "d-don't."
Seeing the exchange between her brother and best friend, Mandy says quietly, "Stay, I'll get em,'" as she walks over to the chair to retrieve the discarded clothes.
Mandy clearing her throat brings his attention back to the present.
"Just talk to me, Mick. What is going on with you and Ian?" Mandy asks as she moves closer to her brother. "And I'm not talking about the story we told the cops. About how Dad was high as shit and pissed off about something and you pissed him off, so he started to beat the shit out of you. Then Ian came looking for me and walked in on it, so dad shot him. And you beat dad in self defense."
But still, Mickey remains quiet.
"Please, Mickey. Just tell me what's going on. I know what my mind is telling me, but you're my brother and I want to hear it from you," Mandy pleas
Still not trusting himself with what his sister wants to hear, Mickey tries another approach. "What is your mind telling you?"
Mandy sighs before she starts to speak. "That it wasn't just a fucking coincidence that you had the house to yourself and that Ian snuck out of the group home last night. And I can't ignore the fact that Lip and I walked in on both of you guys in your underwear." Mandy stops for a second, waiting for Mickey to respond. But, he doesn't. She swipes her hand over her wet cheek before she goes on. "And then I think about how he told me he was sleeping with some guy, but couldn't tell me who it was. But, he tells me everything. Everything. Then I think about how he asked me how you know if a guy likes you because he was pretty sure the guy he was hanging with hated him." She stops again before she finishes. "And that's right after you got of juvie for the last time."
Fuck his sister is a lot smarter than he ever gave her credit for. "So?"
He can see her biting her lip, "Are you and Ian together? Are you gay?"
Still, after everything Mickey can't bring himself to say the words aloud. The same words that Gallagher wants him to say so badly. So, he settles with nodding his head. His head is down, staring at the ground, afraid to look into his sister's eyes, but then a sharp punch in his chest causes him to bring his head up. "What the fuck, bitch?"
"Why didn't you just tell me? I wouldn't have said anything. I've known about Ian forever. That's why I called you off of him a couple of years back."
Mickey nods his head. He always wondered why Mandy called him and his brothers off of Ian so quickly after she told them he forced himself on her. "It's not exactly something I wanted to broadcast to the whole fucking world."
She nods her head in understanding. "Well, your secret is safe with me. I won't say anything," She gives him a small smile. "As far as I'm concerned what we told the cops happened back at the house, happened."
He nods their head. "Thanks."
She playfully nudges his arm, "Come on. You're my brother and he's my best friend. I'd so anything for you guys."
And because Mickey knows his sister so well, he knows she's telling the truth. He's touched and at the moment doesn't know why he has never told her about him before. But, before he can even contemplate it a loud, fearful voice calls out from across the street. The siblings turn to see Fiona rushing towards them. "Mandy! Mandy!"
"Fiona," Mandy replies as Fiona approaches them. Fiona doesn't seem too surprise to see Mandy. But you can see she is clearly shocked when she sees that's it's Mickey standing next to her. "Mickey?"
He just nods her head and returns his gaze to the ground.
"Where the hell are my brothers?" Fiona asks.
He doesn't really know Fiona. But, Mickey can't bear to be the one to give her the answers she wants. How the hell can he tell her that his father shot her kid brother because he walked in on the two of them?
"Lip rode with Ian. He's in with him now," Mandy answers.
Mickey really needs to cut back on referring to his sister as a bitch. She just saved his ass again.
Fiona nods her head, "Thanks." She starts walking into the hospital and looks back at the two siblings. "Well, you coming?"
Mandy instantly starts following, but stops when she notices that Mickey has not moved. "Come on, Mick. Let's go."
Mickey hesitates for a second. Hospitals are not his thing. But then he thinks about Gallagher choking on his own blood, moaning in pain, as he laid in the Milkovich living room with a death grip on Mickey's hand. Fuck it, his decision was already made. He doesn't say a word as he follows the two girls into the hospital.
I really tried to keep the characters in character as much as I can. I hope I did them justice. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
