I don't own Shameless.
Just Don't Let Me Down: Chapter 10
"You're hurting me," Ian said through clinched teeth as Lip tried to help the nurse get him changed. Lip sighed, holding his hands up in defeat, dropping the plaid shirt he'd been trying to pull on Ian on the side of the bed.
"I'm going to have to help sometime, dude. I mean when you get out of here their aren't going to be any pretty nurses that you get no pleasure out of looking at," The blonde nurse smirked, shaking her head. "But I'll let Kelsey finish it." Ian whimpered as she carefully removed the braces from his legs and slowly pulled his boxers and then pants up.
"Just a bit more, sweetie," she said as she wiggled his pants over his hips. The metal had been removed the week before but he was still pretty sore.
"You know how I know you're completely drugged?" Lip said, running a hand through his hair and wishing for a cigarette.
"How?" Ian asked, his eyes shut as she buttoned his pants and refit the braces on his legs over his pants.
"Because you've had a catheter in your dick for almost two months and you've yet to say anything about it," Lip answered, a small grin on his face. Ian grimaced at the thought and raised his middle finger at his brother.
"Once we get you walking again we can take it out, Ian," Kelsey said, raising the bed so she'd have more luck with putting his shirt on than Lip. Ian swallowed thickly as she helped him pull away from the bed. "Your sister said we can cut this one for the halo, so just bear with me for a minute, okay?" Ian closed his eyes are she cut slits in the shirt that the bars of the halo could fit through.
"I don't know why I just noticed this," Ian said, rubbing at his nose. "but this thing itches like crazy. Who's idea was it to put fur on the inside of the chest piece?" Kelsey smiled as she buttoned his shirt for him.
"It's either fur or getting blisters from the plastic. It might not seem like it, but the fur is better," she said. She bit her lip, swallowing a sigh.
"It'll look better without the IV bag. Everyone would just assume that you're a drug riddled kid who doesn't know what he's talking about. You think you can do without them for a while? We can give you something not as strong in a pill form and then get you hooked back up as soon as you're back in the van. I promise."
Ian looked up and met Lip's eyes. Lip shrugged a shoulder and gave him a small nod.
"I can do it. At least I think I can." Kelsey gave him a small smile as she carefully brushed his hair.
"You need a haircut," Lip said. "I got used to the West Point look." Both Gallagher boy's froze, this being the first time West Point had been brought up out loud since the attack.
"I can't talk about that right now," Ian said quietly, his gaze locked on his hands. Kelsey bit her lip, noticing the tension and moved away.
"I'm going to go get the wheelchair for you, Ian. That and the pain pill. I'll be back in a minute." She gave a small nod to Lip as she left the room.
"I didn't mean to bring it up," Lip said, his voice low. Ian bit his lip, finally looking up at his brother.
"I seriously can't talk about it right now. I've got to do one shitty thing at a time, and seeing as how I've got to be in court in about two hours, that ranks higher than talking about how my goals in life are out the window and I'm now a fucking cripple, okay?" There was a bite to Ian's voice that made Lip flinch but he nodded.
"You're not a cripple. But yeah, I got it." He said, trying to give Ian an encouraging smile but failing. Shortly after, Kelsey returned with an out of breath Mickey at her heels.
"Sorry!" He panted, bending at the waist with his hands on his knees. "Sorry, Linda was late getting back from taking the kids to school and I had to open the store. Shit you have clothes on," He said, cocking his head to the side as he stated the obvious. Lip snorted, shaking his head.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Mick. You missed naked Ian time by a whole five minutes!" Mickey shoved Lip as Ian's cheeks turned red.
"Shut up, Lip," he mumbled. Kelsey moved forward and unhooked the IV from the needle in Ian's arm. She handed him the cup with the pill in it and a glass with a straw. He grimaced as he swallowed, handing the glass back to her. An orderly entered the room and Kelsey gave him a sad smile.
"This might be a bit painful. I suggest keeping your eyes closed, it might help." Ian took a deep breath and did as he was asked. He held his breath as the orderly and Kelsey carefully got him from the bed to the chair, the pain in his back making him gasp. "Good. Good job Ian," Kelsey said with a smile as she clipped together a seatbelt around his lap and got his legs situated out straight on the feet rest. "You're all set! The van should be here in a bit. Just hold tight."
Kelsey and the orderly left the room as Ian sat with his eyes shut, trying to catch his breath. Mickey moved behind Ian, squeezing his shoulder slightly.
"How's it feel to be semi up right?" He asked a small on his face.
"It took far too much effort considered I used to be able to kick Lip's ass with one hand tied behind my back."
"Haha, fuck you," Lip deadpanned, rolling his eyes. He nodded his head at Tony, who had just walked in the room.
"Van's downstairs, ready to go?" He asked, signing a paper on a clipboard Kelsey had handed him.
"Fiona's not here yet," Ian said quietly, his eyes wide.
"She's going to meet us at the court house, kid. It's right across the street from her new job. She'll be there." Tony nodded to Mickey who sighed but took the handles of the wheelchair. He pushed Ian down the hallway, following Tony and Lip who were chatting quietly. He watched as the van driver took over the chair and moved him onto a lift to gently get him in the van. Mickey sat in front of him, turning in his seat so he could talk quietly to his boyfriend.
"You okay?" he asked, placing a hand lightly on Ian's knee.
"I guess. Too late to turn back now. I just want to get this over with, you know. I just don't want to think about it anymore." Mickey sighed, squeezing Ian's knee slightly.
"You're going to have to talk about it eventually. I mean past this," Ian glared but Mickey smiled slightly. "I won't push. But we'll talk about it eventually."
They rode in silence, Ian's breath becoming more shallow the closer to the court house they got. Mickey reached out and took his hand, keeping his eyes on Tony and the driver. He squeezed gently, letting out a deep breath.
"You're going to be okay. It's almost over. You're going to be okay," Mickey repeated over and over. He hated the moment when they pulled up to the court house and Mickey had to let go.
Fiona met them inside the court house, dressed in a dress Ian had never seen before. She gave him a watery smile as she bent low and gave him a gentle hug.
"It's going to be okay, Ian. It's almost over," she whispered in his ears.
"Not it's not," he whispered. "Is that a new dress?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, and I didn't even have to leave the tags on it," Fiona said with a small smile. "This new job is really going to pay off, I think."
"Good," Ian said with a smile. "We need something to go right for once." She rolled Ian over to a bench where she and Lip sat down. She gave raised an eyebrow at Mickey who hung around beside them but didn't ask. Ian would tell her when he was ready. The siblings didn't say much as they waited, Lip and Fiona regularly shooting Ian worried looks.
"Gallagher?" an office of the court called from the door of the court room. "Ian Gallagher?"
Ian raised a hand as Fiona took the handles of the wheelchair. She pushed him to the door where the office took over. Ian kept his gaze forward as he was pushed down the isle of the court room. He tried his best to ignore the whispers and stares coming from those watching from the gallery. He was pushed to right in front of the box where the witness normally sat, his wheelchair locked in place. Another officer moved in front of him with a bible. He placed one hand on it and raised his other hand, answering "I do" when the moment came.
"Ian Michael Gallagher, you were attacked on the day of June 3, 2012, is this correct?" The district attorney, Calla, asked, her posture straight and her blonder curls teased to the max.
"Yes, ma'am," Ian said, clearing his throat.
"Can you tell me what happened on that night, please?" She asked, taking off her black rimmed glasses and laying them on top of her open notebook. Ian let out a shaky breath, shooting a glance at Mickey who was sitting in the back of the gallery with Fiona and Lip.
"I had been with my…my boyfriend," Ian said, swallowing thickly when a low whisper seemed to cross the room. "We had been at the little league fields, just hanging out. He had left and I stayed behind to go on a run. I…I was trying to get into West Point and you have to pass a fitness test. I had taken to running at night since it was cooler then. I was getting ready to leave the dugouts when I heard someone behind me."
"And who was it that was behind you?" Calla asked.
"Alex and Brett Conkle." There was another low mumble across the court yard and the judge banged his gavel, calling for silence.
"Can you tell the court what they did to you, Ian?" Calla asked.
"Alex…Alex said that he had heard a rumor about me. He said he'd heard that I was gay and that he and Brett were going to beat it out of me," Ian tried to control his breathing but he could feel it speeding up. He kept his eyes on his family, biting his lip when Mickey moved to the edge of his seat. "They had baseball bats. Brett took his to my left leg first and when I fell to the ground Alex took his to my right leg." Ian stopped, taking a deep shuttering breath.
"What happened next, Ian?" Calla pressed gently.
"They kept hitting me the bats, over and over again. I don't know how long it lasted," Ian licked his lips, taking a shuttering breath. "Then they started kicking me these thick boots they had on." Calla stood, pulling two plastic bags, each holding a pair of boots.
"Are these the boots, Ian?" she asked, holding them in front of Ian.
"Yes, ma'am. Brett tried to kick me in the face and I was able to see them close up."
"You may continue," she said, putting the boots back on the table.
"They continued to kick me over and over again; my ribs, my stomach, my neck. I tried to keep my head and face protected the best I could. When they left,
"I would like to call the juries attention to the ER report from Dr. Johnson," Calla said, clicking a button on a remote at the television. Ian bit his lip as picture after picture of his injuries rolled past. "Dr. Johnson has reported that Ian's injuries included a broken tibia and two shattered knee caps, a broken pelvis, internal bleeding in his stomach, a broken right wrist and shattered left hand. There were also four broken ribs, one of which punctured his lung. The most severe injury was fractures to his neck and spine, namely his C-6, C-7, T-1, and T-2. As you can see, two months later Mr. Gallagher is struggling to recover from this viscous attack."
Ian would have given anything to be able to duck his head, to avoid the pitting looks everyone seemed to be shooting him. He cursed the halo in his mind as his hands gripped the arm rest of the wheelchair tightly.
"I have no further questions for this witness, your Honor," Calla said, slipping her glasses back on as she sat. A scrawny man dressed in a too small suit stood from behind the defendant's table.
"Mr. Gallagher, are you sure that the men you saw were my clients, Alex and Brett Conkle?" his voice was high and he seemed nervous; as if this was his first trial.
"Yes, sir," Ian said, always polite like Fiona had taught him.
"But you were in a great deal of pain, can you be sure?"
"Yes, sir," Ian said, his voice growing louder. "I've known Alex and Brett since I was six. I would know them anywhere."
"Were you on drugs or under the influence of alcohol the night of the attack?" The attorney said, and even to Ian's untrained ears he could tell the main was stretching.
"No, sir. Like I said, I'm applying to West Point and there are rigorous drug test and physical exams. I wouldn't do anything to mess up my chances of getting in."
"Could this have been about anything else; something unrelated to your sexuality?"
"I have known them since I was six. We have never had problems. They specifically said they were going to "beat the gay out of me," Ian's voice cracked as is got louder. His breathing was becoming more shallow and he could see Lip reach out and grab Mickey's arm to pull him back into his seat. "I begged them to stop. I tried to fight them. They're both a foot taller than me and almost twice my size; I tried to reason with them, I tried to fight. There wasn't anything I could do. They just kept hitting me."
Ian closed his eyes, the fat tear drops falling down his face and pulling in his hands. The murmurs were filling the court room again and Ian wanted nothing more than to just tell them all to shut up and leave him alone. He could feel Alex and Brett glaring at him as if to say if he knew what was good for him he'd stop talking. He let out a shuttering breath, glancing back up at the lawyer, waiting for more abuse. Instead the man sighed and shook his head.
"I have no more questions, your honor." Ian let out a sigh of relief as the bailiff moved behind him and pushed him back down the aisle. Fiona, Lip and Mickey were waiting for him in the hall. Mickey had his hands balled up in his hair as he paced, trying to keep his breath steady.
"You did great, Ian," Fiona whispered as she hugged him gently again. "With that shit lawyer, they're not going to get off. You did so good." She kissed his forehead, squeezing his shoulder. "I've got to get back to work, but I'll be in to see you later for a bit, okay? I love you."
"I love you, too," Ian whispered, the tears still rolling down his face. Lip nodded his head as he moved away to talk to Tony, giving Mickey a chance to talk to Ian.
"I'm going to kill them," Mickey growled as he sat down on the bench, putting him at eye level with Ian.
"Don't," Ian whispered. "I kinda need you here and not in jail."
"I'm so sorry this happened to you. If I could, I'd put myself in your place so you'd never have to feel this much pain, ever. But we're going to get you through this, okay? I love you and I'm not giving up. I'm here for the long ride."
Ian's face crumbled as Mickey continued to whisper to him. He took a shuttering breath, trying to control himself. "I want to go home. Please, I just want to go home."
At that money Tony and Lip had moved behind him, Tony taking the handle of the wheelchair.
"Not yet, kid. You've got a long road ahead of you."
AN: I hope you liked it. Please review. And just a note, I'm not sure if a halo is the actual treatment for the spinal injuries I listed, so please don't jump down my throat in reviews. Thanks