Chapter Four: Shameless Late-night Conversation

A few minutes later, a police officer was knocking on the door. He asked Callie a bunch of questions and took witness statements from Fiona, Lip and Carl. Once the cop had all of the information, he gave Callie his card to keep in contact and left the house. Fiona gave Callie a blanket and a set of pajamas. She showed her the downstairs bathroom and then rounded up her siblings, telling them to get to bed. They all wished Callie goodnight and headed upstairs.

Callie went into the bathroom to change. She washed the smudged makeup off her face and changed into the pajamas. She gathered up her clothes, then she padded back into the living room and lay down on the couch. With the blanket pulled up around her, she expected sleep to come easily but it didn't. She'd close her eyes for a short while only to open them again and lay awake for a short time more.

Suddenly, the floorboards started to creak as footsteps came down the kitchen stairs. She heard the noises of a cabinet being opened and the kitchen sink running. Callie rolled over and saw Lip standing at the kitchen counter, wearing a white t-shirt and gray pajama pants with a glass of water in hand. He saw Callie out of the corner of his eye and froze for a second before walking into the living room.

"Hey," he said in a loud whisper. "Did I wake you?" Callie shook her head. "Can't sleep?"

"I don't sleep well in unfamiliar places," Callie said.

"Oh. OK. Well, uh…how about I sit here with you for a while?"

"Yeah, OK. If you want."

Callie sat up and scooted over to make a spot for him.

"So," Lip said, plopping down next to Callie. "What's your story?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, so far, the only things I know about you are that you work at the daycare and you like vodka and cranberry."

"What else do you want to know?"

"You're definitely not South side, that's for damn sure."

"What makes you say that?"

"No offense, but South side girls carry pepper spray and rape whistles."

Callie frowned. "Yeah, I guess I should have known better." She bit her bottom lip.

"Sorry but it is the ugly truth."

Callie shrugged. "If you say so."

"So, where are you from then?"

"New York. I just moved in with my dad. My parents split when I was a baby."

"Wow. How does your mom feel about you moving?"

"She, um…she died. When I was twelve. My grandma had raised me but she…just recently…"

Lip's eyes widened. "Oh, shit. I'm…I'm sorry."

Callie let out a long sigh. "Anyway, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What's your story, Lip Gallagher?"

Lip chuckled. "How much time do you have?"

"That complicated, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"How about the abridged version?"

Lip ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. "My manic, bipolar mom died last year and my dad is a drug addict, alcoholic, scam artist. They were never around much. Fiona practically raised all of us."

"Damn. That answer was loaded."

"I warned you."

"Indeed." Callie was quiet for a moment. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to get mad?"

Lip gave her an intrigued look. "Maybe," he said.

"The day I moved here, I had somebody tell me that I should stay away from you guys." She looked at Lip for a quiet moment, trying to find some sort of reaction. "You mad?"

"No," Lip said shaking his head. "I…sorta remember you. From before. From the bus."

"You do?"

"Yeah. So…you're Paul Madison's daughter?"

Callie was taken aback. "You know my dad?"

Lip began to babble. "Yes. No. Well, sort of. It's a long story. Actually, a series of long stories."

An awkward silence passed between them.

"Know what I think?" Callie asked.

"What's that?" Lip asked.

"I think that when somebody tells you something, you can't take it at face value. That you have to find out for yourself if it's worth listening to."

"OK. So, somebody told you that us Gallaghers are people you should avoid. What do you think, though?"

"I'm sleeping on your couch, aren't I? That's a start."

Lip nodded. "Well, you know what I think?"

"What?"

He leaned in closer. "You're lucky you weren't named Ashley."

Callie narrowed her eyes at him. "You've just been dying to tell that joke, haven't you?" Lip grinned and nodded. Callie playfully shoved him. "Goodnight, Lip."

"Goodnight, Callie."

Lip stood and Callie spread out on the couch. He pulled the blanket up around her and headed back upstairs. As Callie lay there, more questions filled her head but she did feel a sense of contentment and safety in the house. With it, she was finally able to fall asleep.