Chapter 50.

Here's part 2, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.


Daniela didn't make it back to her dorm until later the next morning. Her roommate was already awake and on her laptop when she walked in.

"Hey stranger," she greeted, glancing up from the screen to assess Daniela.

"Morning," replied Daniela, dropping her bag to the floor.

"I got a little worried given how quickly you ran off yesterday."

Daniela took a seat on the edge of her bed and winced. "Yeah, sorry about that it was just some family emergency."

"Oh," Megan's brow raised. "Did you manage to sort it out?"

"Getting there. It's a little difficult at the moment." With a loud exhale, Daniela laid down on her bed, welcoming the soft mattress. She dragged a hand over her face. "God, I barely got any sleep last night."

"Yeah, me neither. I've been trying to catch up on my Summer reading list." Megan glanced across the room to where her roommate was on the verge of passing out. "What are your plans for the day?"

"Uh, sleep preferably," droned Daniela before sighing. "But I have to shower and do some shopping later."

"I can wake you up in a couple hours if you want," offered Megan kindly causing Daniela to smile, already feeling herself begin to drift.

"That would be great, thanks."

/

A few hours passed with Daniela managing to freshen up with a nice hot shower before heading out to the store. The nap she had taken beforehand had left her feeling more rejuvenated now that her hours were back on track.

She was perusing the different bottles of shampoo and conditioner when her phone started buzzing. Absently, she checked to see that it was Lip calling and answered immediately.

"What happened, did you find him?" She asked, wasting no time.

"Yeah, he was arrested this afternoon in Terre Haute," answered Lip causing her eyes to widen.

"Well, is he okay? What about the baby?" Fussed Daniela as she began pacing back and forth in the aisle.

"The baby's fine, he's safe, but we gotta go pick them up soon."

"You said Terre Haute. That's hours away from here. How the hell are we supposed to get there without a car?"

Lip's sigh echoed in her ear. "We'll figure something out."

"Okay, well listen, I'm only a couple blocks away from where you are. Just tell me where to go and I'll meet you there."

"Alright, I'll text you after I call Mickey."

Hanging up, Daniela wasted no time and grabbed whatever looked good before rushing to the register.

/

Lip had sent her a follow-up message that he would wait for her in the main campus square beside the freshman orientation booths. It didn't take her long to pick him out amongst the small huddled groups.

He was stood beside a blue canopy talking to Amanda who was holding two stacked cardboard boxes. Daniela wasted no time heading over.

She was only a few feet away when Lip noticed her approaching. Daniela offered him a small smile, feeling confused when it was met with a look of slight trepidation.

"Hey," she greeted, coming to stand beside the pair. "Thanks for waiting."

"Uh, no problem," nodded Lip as Daniela turned her attention to Amanda.

"Amanda," she began warmly, locking eyes with the other girl. "Did you just get back from Miami?"

Amanda's smile was tight as she nodded stiffly. "Yeah, I'm just unpacking."

"Oh, are you staying with Lip?"

"No," she shook her head, her smile slipping into a grimace.

"She has her own place," explained Lip, sounding like he was in a hurry.

Daniela's brow raised, sensing some tension. "Oh."

The ensuing silence was more than awkward as they continued to stand there until Amanda finally broke the ice.

"I better go," she told them, raising her boxes slightly. The other two pounced on it and nodded, eager to be rid of the strange conversation.

"Yeah, well, I'll see you around," said Lip.

Amanda eyed him for a long moment before simply walking away without a response. The exchange was almost comical to Daniela who quirked a brow at Lip once his girlfriend was far enough away.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Lip just shook his head and changed the subject. "Did you find a car we could use?"

"Well, I thought we could ask Amanda to borrow hers but I'm guessing that wouldn't be the best thing to do right now?"

"Yeah," he agreed, scratching his neck.

Daniela nodded, her mouth pursed. "Luckily for us, I messaged Simon on the way over here and he said we could take his mom's mini-van again."

"Alright," agreed Lip. "Let's go get it and then we'll pick up the others."

/

"Just go easy on it okay?" Pleaded Simon as he handed over the keys. "My mom still hasn't forgiven me for the last time we took it without asking."

Lip grinned at the reminder, his eyes flicking to Daniela who rested a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Her car will be fine, I promise. Thank you," she said, pulling him in for a hug.

"No problem," Simon stepped back as his face grew more serious. "Keep me updated on how he is."

"I will," Daniela promised. "Tell Mandy I'll see her tomorrow."

Simon nodded as the pair got into the front seats of the van. He waved a hand at them as they pulled away from the curb and took off around the corner.

/

By the time the van pulled up outside of Mickey's house, he was already waiting for them along with Debbie and Carl who had also been told the news. At the sight of the van, their eyes brightened.

"About fucking time," said Mickey once he pulled open the door. The pair in the front chose to ignore it, knowing that he was just glad to finally be leaving.

"Woah, who'd you steal this off of?" Grinned Carl, stepping inside.

"We didn't steal it, we're borrowing it," answered his brother, watching in the mirror as the young ones headed straight for the back seats.

Carl pulled a face. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Just put your seatbelt on," said Daniela, giving him a deadpanned look.

Mickey slid into the seat beside Debbie and shut the door. Settling in, he met Lip's eyes in the mirror.

"The fuck are we waiting for?" He asked, impatiently. "Let's go!"

"Alright," sighed Lip before starting up the van.

/

They had been driving for almost three hours when Lip tried getting in contact with Fiona. It had slipped all of their minds until Debbie had brought it up.

"Shit," cursed Lip, hanging up his phone.

"Still not picking up?" Questioned Daniela to which he nodded.

"It just keeps going through to voicemail."

"I can try texting her again," offered Debbie behind them. She met her brother's eyes in the mirror.

"Yeah, it wouldn't hurt."

Nodding, the girl pulled out her phone and began typing, the brightness of her screen lighting up her face in the darkened car.

"I'm sorry," said Mickey causing everyone to glance at him. Daniela frowned as she observed the guilt on his face through the mirror. "I should've listened to you. To both of you."

"Yeah, you should've," agreed Lip coldly.

Mickey's eyes flicked around apprehensively. "I didn't know things could get this bad."

Lip didn't let up; his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. "They can get worse. Much worse."

Beside him, Daniela gave him a sideways look of slight irritation. She knew he was worried about Ian- they all were, but she didn't appreciate the way he was taking it out on a guilt-ridden Mickey. A part of her also felt that he was scolding her at the same time despite his prior reassurance.

Swallowing, she leaned over in her chair to properly face Mickey who was staring down at his hands.

"We both could've handled things better," she began gently. Mickey's eyes met hers as she ignored Lip watching her in the mirror. "But what's important is that we learn from our mistakes and that we just be there for Ian when he needs us."

Emotion flashed across Mickey's features as he allowed her words to sink. Sucking his teeth, he nodded stiffly and bowed his head. Daniela offered him a small reassuring smile before returning to her seat.

Her head rested against the back of it as she drew in a deep breath. Her fake courage withered away leaving her just as sullen as Mickey was feeling. Truthfully, she was in the same boat as him. Their decisions had been fueled by what they had genuinely considered to be helpful and, despite her insistence that Ian should've sought help sooner, she was just as scared as Mickey about what that would mean in the long term.

However, seeing the situation they were in, Daniela wondered what could've happened if they had just made the phone call to Lip or Fiona - if they had have just handled things differently.

Daniela's mouth twisted, a sour taste on her tongue as she leaned her head against her propped-up elbow. She felt herself tune out as she focused on the humming of the engine. She could feel Lip's attention on her for a few seconds throughout the rest of the drive but chose to ignore it.

It didn't take much longer for them to pull into the police station parking lot. Staring out the window, Daniela figured that it was already past midnight.

The group piled out of the vehicle and headed to the door only for Lip to stop when he saw that they were missing one person. The others hung back as he went to talk to Carl who was eyeing a barking police dog in the adjacent car warily.

"Yo, aren't you coming?" Daniela heard Lip ask. She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced between Mickey and Debbie who was currently chewing on her lower lip.

A few minutes later, Lip headed their way without Carl. Not wanting to wait any longer, Mickey took off inside.

"Hey, excuse me," said Lip as they came up to the front desk. "I got a call about my brother being in here; Ian Gallagher?"

"Yeah, that was me. I'm the arresting officer." The man glanced at the sea of faces. "Does your brother have a history of mental illness?"

Lip nodded without hesitation. "Yes."

The officer's mouth pinched, having had expected it. "He was acting irrationally. Left a baby locked inside of a hot car and then he ran away when we tried to question him."

Daniela's eyes fell shut as she breathed a sigh. "Is the baby okay?"

"Yeah, he's sleeping in the back."

"And Ian?"

"When we took Mr. Gallagher to the ER they gave him a sedative which seemed to calm him down but he's clearly a troubled kid."

"Is he under arrest?" Asked Lip to which the officer merely tilted his head.

"He'll have to face some charges but we're not going to hold him. Also, his car's been sent to impound. You won't be able to get that processed for a couple of days and you'll have to pay the tow charges."

Mickey nodded, rushing the conversation along. "But we can take him home tonight?"

"Yes," answered the officer as his face turned serious. "But you need to get him some help."

"Yeah, we're working on that."

"Can we see him?" Questioned Debbie, speaking up for the first time. Her chin was raised slightly in an attempt to appear strong.

The officer nodded. "Follow me."

/

The man had led them to a room that they could wait in while the officer went to retrieve Ian from his cell. Daniela heaved a sigh and rested her head against the wall. Against her shoulder was the weight of Debbie as she leaned against her side. She could feel her steady breaths indicating that she had dozed off.

Daniela didn't blame her. She had had a long day.

Her fingers ran through the girl's red locks absently as she turned her head to see Mickey. He was stood to the side of them chewing on the skin around his nails impatiently. They had been waiting for ages.

Beside her sat Lip who had his hands clasped together tightly. She surveyed him carefully, a thought coming to mind.

"Hey, is everything okay between you and Amanda?" She asked, a genuine frown on her face. "I know it's not really my place but-"

"No, it's okay," he assured her, glad to have something else to talk about. Daniela waited and watched as he took his time piecing together a response. "Actually, we uh-"

The sound of the cell door opening grabbed all of their attention as they saw Ian finally being escorted out. Daniela was instantly on her feet.

"Hey," said Lip softly, coming up first to wrap his arms around his brother. "You okay?"

Daniela remained behind him, her eyes widening slightly at the state of her best friend. She had never seen him so disheveled and lost. Ian bowed his head into Lip's neck, savoring the familiarity.

Debbie was up next followed by Mickey who took his time holding Ian. Throughout it all, Daniela couldn't bring herself to do the same. She couldn't even move.

Ian's eyes raised slightly to peer over his boyfriend's shoulder. When their eyes met, she had to hide her sharp inhale at what she found. She spent what must've felt like forever trying to assess him in that single look but all she could see was sheer blankness. It was haunting.

Overwhelmed, she took a step back and turned her attention away to the officer approaching with Yevgeny in his arms.

"Yours?" He asked Mickey who simply nodded, showing some actual emotion for his son.

While father and son were reunited, Daniela followed the others silently as they made their way out of the building. She maintained a small distance between her and them and watched Ian's slow, sluggish feet all the way to the van.

Carl slid open the door when he saw them, his eyes lingering on a sedated Ian before moving aside. Debbie and Lip helped him into the middle of the car and stepped back so that Mickey could get in with him. He passed off Yevgeny to Debbie who took a seat in the very back with Carl, allowing the couple the whole row in case Ian wanted to lie down.

Daniela peered through the mirror into the back. Ian had his head resting on Mickey's shoulder, his eyes already falling shut. When it became too much, she tore her eyes away and focused on looking out her window.

Half an hour passed until they were back on the freeway. The car was silent as Lip drove them all home. He rubbed his tired eyes in an attempt to keep himself awake.

Hearing a small sniffle, he glanced beside him to see Daniela trying to discreetly wipe her eyes. He had observed her reaction back at the station and knew that the reality of it all was finally starting to get to her.

Daniela had her head leaned against the window as she tried to control her breathing. She didn't want to alert anyone to what she was feeling and bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to stop any more noises from coming out.

Lip checked the mirror quickly to see that everybody in the back was asleep.

"Hey," he said gently. He took his eyes off the road for a second and waited for her to lift her head up and to look at him.

At the sight of her red eyes and wet cheeks, Lip reached across the dashboard to grip her hand. Daniela's face pinched with fresh tears as he rubbed his thumb across the knuckles- their usual way of calming each other down. Daniela eyed him gratefully and clung to the hand resting on her thigh, finding it a warm reassurance in this dump of a situation.

Lip continued to glance over at her every now and again throughout the drive, never letting up on his grip until he felt hers go limp and her breathing steady as she eventually drifted off.

/

Daylight was beginning to break by the time they arrived back in Chicago. While she had been sleeping, Lip had finally managed to get a hold of Fiona to tell her to meet them at the hospital. Daniela had done the same and called Mandy to let her know where they would be.

Mickey kept close to Ian while Lip handled the talking at the receptionist's desk. A clipboard and pen were supplied to Ian for him to fill out in order for them to allow him entry to the facility. As he did so, Daniela took a seat beside Debbie.

"Ian!"

Mandy's distinctive voice carried down the hallway causing the others to turn and see her approaching alongside Simon. She wasted no time hurrying to her best friend to hug him tightly.

"Hi," muttered Ian into her neck.

Stepping back, she looked over him worriedly as Simon did the same.

"It's good to have you back, man," he said, looking genuinely relieved. "You really scared us."

When they saw that Ian was unlikely to carry a conversation, the couple made their way over to Daniela who had been watching the interaction sadly. Simon squeezed her shoulder as he took the seat beside her.

"How you holding up?"

Daniela pursed her lips and just shrugged.

Not long after that, they heard more footsteps heading their way and watched as an emotional Fiona rushed towards her brother.

"Jesus, Ian." Much like Mandy had done, she took him into her arms quickly. It took a moment before Ian wrapped one arm around her in return. "You okay? Yeah?"

Daniela could feel her eyes welling up at the sight of it and bowed her head. She couldn't bear to look at her best friend for more than 10 seconds, finding that she would break down if she allowed herself any longer.

"Ian?" The boy in question looked at Lip who gestured to the paperwork. "They just need your signature."

Nodding, he scribbled it down just as a nurse popped her head out.

"Mr. Gallagher?"

They all looked up at the sound and Daniela took a deep breath, realizing that this was it. Not wanting to have any further regrets, she rose from her seat.

Slowly, Ian turned away from the desk and made his way over to Debbie who was holding Yevgeny. He crouched down in front of them to stroke the baby's cheek softly, a small smile sliding onto his face.

Straightening, Ian found Daniela standing in front of him. She was biting down hard on her cheek and her hands were gripping the opposite forearm tightly as she tried to muster as much strength and composure as possible. Ian's face pinched as they stood staring at each other for a long moment. Finally, something inside of Daniela's chest snapped before she pulled his body into hers.

She felt him nestle himself into her neck followed by a deep inhale as she held onto him.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked her, the words barely a breath in her ear and causing Daniela's resolve to weaken.

"No," she choked, pulling him tighter. Her hand rested on the back of his head, combing his hair reassuringly. "No, I'm not mad at you. I love you, Ian."

"I'm sorry," said Ian as Daniela retracted herself. She pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek and stepped aside so that Mickey could say his goodbyes.

"Can I go in with him?" Asked Mickey as they came to stand in front of the gate.

The nurse shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry, patients only."

Daniela's chin dropped to her chest, unable to watch him be escorted in. The only reassuring thought was that this was what was best for him, and that was enough for her.

Lip stood silently watching her reaction. Glancing at her hand, he contemplated reaching for it again but decided against it. Now wasn't the time.

Once Ian was out of sight, the group slowly made their way outside.

"We're gonna drop Mickey and the kids off on the way home," said Mandy as she held onto Simon's arm.

Daniela nodded and held out the car keys. "Thanks again for letting us borrow the van."

"No worries," shrugged Simon, taking them from her. "You sure you'll be alright getting back to your dorms?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," answered Daniela, a small but sad smile on her face.

Nodding, Simon gave her a quick hug before getting into the van with Mandy. Daniela waited until they were out of the parking before looking behind her where Lip was talking with Fiona.

Their eyes met across the distance as she made her way over.

"I'll meet you here tomorrow," said Lip, finishing up his conversation with his sister.

The woman nodded, her eyes turning to Daniela who was waiting patiently. They had decided to take the train back in together.

"I'll see you then." Hugging Lip quickly, Fiona did the same with Daniela before heading back to her husband's house.

Lip released a sigh and turned to face Daniela.

"You ready?"

She simply nodded in return as they made their way to the nearby station. The walk was silent but neither took it to heart, already too occupied by their own thoughts.

Daniela still hadn't said anything by the time they took their seats on the train and it was beginning to eat at Lip. She hadn't said much at all ever since the police station.

Lip eyed her tentatively. "You okay?"

Daniela twisted her neck to the side, meeting his eye. She shook her head, a watery sheen beginning to develop on her own.

"No."

Lip's jaw tensed, empathizing with her.

Daniela quirked a brow. "Are you?"

She watched him shrug. "I will be. And so will Ian," he assured her. "Eventually."

Daniela didn't bother responding, choosing instead to just take his word for it. Exhausted, she leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling his arm snake around her side in response. She breathed a sigh and allowed her eyes to fall shut.


I've been really loving your feedback on these last couple of chapters so thank you for that.

Special thanks to angelicedg, xenocanaan, SweetRiceball20, RHatch89, Guest, Volleyball Babe22, Naruhina1519, thatbitchnextdoor, and HPuni101 for reviewing!

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