"Jesus Christ, Mickey, where'd you find her?" Mandy's panicked voice echoed in Raelyn's head. The last thing she remember was downing enough alcohol to knock an elephant out before calling back the last call in her phone. She had no idea who she drunk dialed, but she didn't care, the person was nice, whoever he was. Now she laid sprawled out in the Milkovich's bathroom, a worried Mandy hovering over her.
"Alibi," Mickey shrugged. "She's too plastered to go home though."
"Jesus Christ," Mandy murmured again, pushing Rae's hair out of her face. "So Lizzy didn't make it?"

Mickey thumbed his lips before shaking his head. When he saw Rae get up to leave, barely able to keep herself upright, he had made the stupid decision to bring her home, just because he didn't need her ending up dead somewhere on his mind. He shook his head again before throwing Mandy a hopeless glare. "She's your problem now."

Mandy nodded without missing a beat. Raelyn was one of her closest friends. They'd both taken care of the other after a bender before, so she wasn't the least bit upset. Instead, she rolled up a towel under Rae's head and retrieved a blanket from her bedroom, draping it gently over Rae's body.

"Does her brother know where she is?" Mandy asked in a hushed tone as she followed Mickey out of the cramped bathroom.
"Hell if I know," he grunted. He retreated to his own room, the events of the last few hours nagging at him. Mickey found himself missing Ian more than he cared to admit. Ian would have known what to do in that situation. Mickey tried Ian's phone for the millionth time since he disappeared, but it went straight to voicemail, just like it always did.

Mandy sighed and dialed the all too familiar number. Someone answered on the first ring.

"Rae?" Mitch's worried voice asked.
"No, Mandy," Mandy said with a knowing smile. "She's with me, Mitch, I've got her," she said kindly. "I am so sorry for your loss."
"Is she…Mandy, is she like last time?" Mitch asked hesitantly. He knew Katrina was a difficult topic for either girl to talk about.
"I don't know, Mitch," Mandy said with a heavy sigh. "Mickey brought her home, she's plastered."
"Fuck," Mitch moaned. Rea was the drinker of the family, she could hold her booze better than most grown men, but Mitch knew she never let herself get too plastered. She was more responsible than that. It didn't surprise him that she drank herself numb that night. If he was being honest, he'd have done the same if he didn't currently have four little kids crowded around him in bed and Bethany sitting awake at the foot of it. "When she sobers up, tell her to come home. The funeral's in two days. She needs to be there."
"She'll be there," Mandy promised. "Hey Mitch?"
"Yeah?"
"Go easy on her, okay? Those kids, they're like her own. She's hurting more than you can begin to imagine right now," Mandy said gently. Next to Nikki, Lizzy was Rae's favorite sibling. She was closer to Rae than the others and always helped with the youngest siblings without hesitation. Mandy knew losing her was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever have to overcome.
"They need their big sister," Mitch said tiredly. "Beth won't sleep until she comes home."
"I'll do what I can," Mandy promised without missing a beat, "But Mitch, she needs some time. Did she…did she get to say goodbye?"
"She refused to," Mitch murmured. "Said she couldn't…"
"Not after Kat, right," Mandy nodded to herself. "I'll have her call you when she wakes up," Mandy added. "G'night Mitch."

They hung up and Mandy returned to the bathroom in time to find Mickey holding Rae's hair out of her face, a frustrated look plastered on his normally sour mug.

"Thought you had her," he muttered as he helped keep Rae from falling over. "She almost choked."
"I had to let her family know where she was," Mandy sighed, taking over so Mickey could piss in the bath tub. That was why he originally made his way to the bathroom in the first place.
"Never saw her like this before," Mickey commented as he looked down at the pale, swaying woman at his feet.
"She's always so strong for everyone else," Mandy murmured as she shifted Rae's weight so she was lying her head in her lap now. "She can't always be the hero."
"This blows," Mickey muttered. He sat down, his back against the tub. The bathroom was tiny in every respect, but Mickey didn't really want to leave his sister to deal with Rae alone. As much as he didn't want to be bothered with anyone else's problems, he had to admit – Rae was like family to him too.
"Lizzy was the nicest person I ever met," Mandy sighed heavily. "Remember when she lifted you a pair of sneakers when we were kids? She couldn't have been more than eight. Walked right out of payless with them like she was the shit."
"Yeah," Mickey chuckled. Growing up, him and Mandy went without a lot, just like most of the kids in their neighborhood. Rae was watching the twins one day when Mickey's sneakers fell completely apart. The next day, Lizzy showed up with a new pair and gave them to him, her bright eyes dancing with glee. She felt so accomplished that she managed to help someone else, even though her own family was struggling to keep the lights on.

The pair thought back to all the times Rae and her siblings had come through for them in the past. When Mandy and Lip split up, Lizzy was right there to listen while Mandy went on and on for hours. Rae would help clean up after every single one of Terry's rampages, no matter what was going on in her own life. Beth, the colder of the two twins, often helped Mickey get out of binds, providing him with believable alibis whenever she could. Even Mitch helped them out from time to time. Even bailed Mickey out of jail once when he was caught shoplifting.

The Milkovichs weren't known for setting down roots. None of them were good at keeping friends for long, but the Quinns, well they were different. Their family was just as fucked up as theirs was and they had the same 'at arm's length' approach when it came to friendships. Mickey couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Losing people sucked.

As the night progressed, Mickey and Mandy took turns holding Rae's hair until she was finally sobered up. Early into the next morning, Rae nudged Mandy awake, her legs entangled in the heap of limbs sprawled across the bathroom floor.

"You're alive," Mandy murmured with a slight smile.
"Unfortunately," Rae sighed. "How long was I out?"
"All night," she replied, shifting her weight so Rae could stand up. "Jesus Christ, you need a shower, you stink."
"Yeah, yeah," Rae muttered, "My brother know where I am?"
"Yeah," Mandy nodded. She stood, stretching the stiffness out of her back. "Mickey brought you here around eleven, I called Mitch as soon as I was sure you weren't gonna die."
"Tell 'im thanks," Rae muttered as she quietly stumbled out of the bathroom, her legs stiff. She collected her coat from the back of the couch and left the Milkovich house without another word. Mandy watched her go, her heart heavy. She could see the pain in her best friend's eyes, but she didn't dare press the matter. Rae would talk when she was ready to, but pressuring her before that would only make her retreat further into her own world.

Rae made it back to her house just in time to be greeted by nosy neighbors bearing various casseroles. Lizzy was popular in the neighborhood, known for helping everyone and anyone she could. Even though they lived in a shitty part of Chicago and crime riddled their neighborhood like flies on shit, there were still good people around. Rae waved to Fiona, Lip's older sister, as she pushed past the group of people sharing memories with Beth, who looked overwhelmed.

"Take some of this home with you," Rae muttered as she picked Nikki up. Nikki crinkled her nose as soon as she caught wind of her sister.
"Yucky! You stink!" She squealed.
"Gee, thanks kid," Rae chuckled. She set Nikki back down, grateful that the little girl didn't look too freaked out by the amount of people crowding into their already crowded house.
"No way," Fiona chuckled. "You guys need it."
"We don't need eight tuna casseroles," Lukas groaned from him perch on the stairs. "Why do people insist on bringing food when someone dies anyway? Beer would be so much better."
"Food's easier than deadpanning every time they forget what to say," Mitch muttered as he descended down the steps. "Jesus Christ, Raelyn, you look like shit, Mouth's been looking for you," he said as he pushed past her to talk to one of his buddies from work.
"Mouth?" Luke looked confused.

Fiona gave Rae a nudge. "Pretty sure he meant Lip," she said softly, just loud enough for Rae to hear. "You drunk dialed him last night, he took the L in to see if you were okay, but your phone's been off."
"Shit," Rae blushed.
"I didn't know you two were friends," Fiona chided. Fiona and Rae weren't exactly close, but her younger sister, Debbie, baby sat for Rae every now and then, and when they had the day care thing going that past summer, Rae often left Jayson and Nikki with them so she could work.
"We aren't, exactly," Rae blushed deeper. "I kind of needed his help yesterday with a class and he must have called me at some point."
"He said you call him?" Fiona stated, a smile playing on her lips. Fiona genuinely liked Rae. She reminded her a lot of herself. She was surprised Lip and Rae never really talked, considering they lived only a few houses down, but she understood it too. Rae put her life on hold for the kids, just like she had.
"He here?" Rae asked, looking around. Rae was frustrated with the amount of people crowding into the house. She had forgotten that with so many kids, came a lot of friends and acquaintances.
"Last time I saw him, he was helping your sister get the food put away," Fiona said softly. "If you need a break from the chaos here, our door's open," she added with a genuine smile. She could see Rae getting overwhelmed. Rae nodded her thanks and walked towards the kitchen, which looked like a damn reception exploded in it.

She stood in the doorway and watched quietly as Lip read a book to Jayson and Alanna, who were holding onto every word he said. From where she stood, she could see he was reading to them from one of the required books for Lit. Rae would have laughed if the sight didn't warm her heart so damn much. She had almost forgotten that Lip grew up with four younger siblings.

"Rae! You're home!" Al squealed as soon as she saw her oldest sister watching. "I like Lip, he reads and isn't a jerk like Mickey!"
"Always so honest, eh?" Rae chuckled as she came into the kitchen. Nikki must have followed her, because a moment later, she felt the tiny toddler wrap her arms around her leg.
"Where's 'Izzy?" Nikki asked innocently. "She missing party!"

Suddenly the kitchen fell silent. All eyes were on Rae as she gawked at the toddler, unsure how to explain what had happened to a two year old. From his seat at the table, Jayson looked at Rae with sad eyes.
"Yeah, Rae, when's sissy coming home?" he hadn't called Liz sissy in ages. Rae felt her heart break as she looked at her youngest siblings. She scooped Nikki up, cradling her close to her chest, her eyes watering, but the tears never fell.
"Guys, Lizzy got hurt really, really bad yesterday," Rae said slowly, her eyes locking on a spot on the wall. "Lizzy isn't coming home."
"Why not?" Jayson asked, his voice rising an octave.
"Lizzy's…" Rae took a deep breath, struggling to find words to explain what she was trying to say.
"Guys, Lizzy's gone," Lip said softly. He looked at Rae with pained eyes. "She's asleep and isn't waking up."
"Like Mittens?" Al asked, referring to the cat they had a few months prior that got hit by a car one morning. "We're gonna put her in the ground like Mittens?"
"Yeah," Rae nodded slowly. "She's with Mittens."
"Okay," Nikki said with a slight smile. "She liked mitt'in" she added with a gleeful laugh. Rae couldn't help but laugh at Nikki's innocence. She was grateful the youngest of the pack could find peace with their sister's passing.
"I miss her," Jay said, tears welling in his dark eyes. "Beth misses her too."
"We all miss her, Jay," Rae said softly. "But you know what? Lizzy, well Lizzy was a ray of sunshine in this dark, gloomy house. We have to keep that memory alive, you hear?"
The two older kids nodded while Rae sat Nikki down on the table. "Want to color pictures for Lizzy? I think she'd love that."

Once she found a pack of crayons and some scrap paper for the youngest siblings to color on, she nudged Lip and motioned for him to follow her outside.

"Thank you," she said softly as she lit a cigarette, her hands shaking just slightly.
"For what?" Lip asked as he lit one of his own. Lip watched her with careful eyes. He'd just met her, yet already their lives seemed to be overlapping. He thought back to the night before, when Rae called him and said so many different things his head was so scrambled, by the time they'd hung up, he wasn't even sure if the conversation happened.
"For being here. For coming into my life when I needed a friend," she said with a shrug. She didn't know what else to say. She barely knew Lip, yet in that short moment, he managed to show her a side of him she didn't know existed. A side other than the drunk, angry, sex-addicted prick she thought he was. The side even Mandy didn't know. The side that actually gave a fuck about people.