Chapter 54.
This is a big one. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.
A few days passed. Teresa and Eric were still in town and staying with Jakob at the house. Daniela hadn't spoken to either of them since their crazy dinner but her brother had made sure to check on her the morning after. Still, despite his attempts, she wasn't interested in going back around.
Instead, she chose to focus on more important things like her grades. She got ahead on her assignments and made sure she did the weekly readings. It helped to distract her from anything and everything else.
She was walking out of her last class for the week when her phone started buzzing in her pocket. Pulling it out, she froze when she saw Lip's name blinking up at her.
She felt bad for leaving him hanging for so long. It had been weeks since they'd slept together and with all of the distractions at home, she'd gotten nowhere closer to figuring out what she wanted. She was honestly surprised at how patient he had been thus far but knew that it wouldn't last forever.
Biting her lip, she answered.
"Lip, hey." She tried her hardest to sound as casual as possible.
"Hey, uh... are you busy right now?" He asked, a little anxious.
Daniela continued walking. "I just got out of class."
"Right," he paused for a second. "Listen, things are a little fucked up right now and I'm thinking I could use your help."
Frowning, Daniela slowed to a stop. "What do you mean?"
"Come to the parking lot," he said, not helping to ease her mind. Nevertheless, she listened and began walking over. "Look for Kev's truck."
It didn't take her long to find it. She headed towards it, spotting Lip standing around anxiously by the truck bed. He glanced around before catching sight of her.
"What's wrong?" She asked, getting right to it.
Lip exhaled and nodded his head to the back of the truck. Cautiously, she followed him around, her eyes widening at what she saw. There in the bed of Kev's truck was some guy biting down on a rolled up pair of socks but it was his leg that had her full attention.
It was obviously bent, and the sight of it caused Daniela to cringe.
"Jesus!" She squealed. The stranger stared back at her with wide eyes as sweat gathered on his forehead. "What the fuck, Lip!"
"I know, it's bad."
"That-!" She pointed at his leg, horrifically bent out of shape. "Is more than bad. What the hell happened?"
"It's a long story, alright," said Lip, rubbing the back of his neck. "He smoked some weed but it turns out the shit was laced so he started bouncing off the walls and jumped out of a window."
"So you thought you'd bring him here?" Asked Daniela. Her eyes narrowed incredulously.
"I panicked, okay! I don't know what the fuck to do with him. I couldn't just leave him there on the ground otherwise he'd be found and I'd get arrested or expelled so I thought, hey, you're gonna be a nurse, maybe you'd know what to do."
"Expelled?" Repeated Daniela, her brow raised. "What the hell have you been doing?"
Lip's shoulders deflated under her stare.
"You remember how things got a little fucked up with my tuition?" He waited until she nodded. "Me and Kev have been selling pot to the kids in my dorm."
Daniela's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Lip, are you fucking crazy!" She smacked him in the arm hard enough to make an impact but not enough to actually hurt.
"It was just for this semester, alright," said Lip, trying to defend himself. "And I had already paid it off. The weed this guy got was just the leftovers."
Sighing, Daniela pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Fuck," she said bluntly. Beside her, Lip shared her sentiments.
"Yeah." His mouth thinned as he turned his neck to look at her. "So... got any ideas?"
Tilting her head, she thought of something and nodded.
"One. Get in the truck."
/
"Ah!"
"Shh!"
"You sure this'll work?" Asked Lip as he carried the upper-half of his friend.
Daniela, making sure not to knock his leg around too much, helped maneuver the lower-half out of the truck bed.
"Not really. But it's better than having him stuck on my campus." Gently, they shifted away from the truck and onto the sidewalk.
She had directed Lip to a wealthy neighborhood ten minutes away from campus. Her intention had been to plant the friend there for someone else to find. It would be obvious that he had wandered astray but people would be less likely to question who was responsible.
"Put him down over here," she said, nodding her head to a green patch of manicured grass. Slowly, they began lowering him. "Easy."
Lip's friend groaned in pain and she grimaced just looking at him. Bone was protruding through his skin and Daniela had to turn her head to refrain from throwing up.
Once he was safely on the grass, she knelt down beside him.
"It's okay, we're gonna get you help."
Above her, Lip frowned. "What do we do now?"
"Now you leave," she said before pulling out her phone.
Immediately, Lip's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?"
"Covering your ass." She glanced up at him and placed the phone to her ear. Lip watched as her face shifted from calm to anxious. "H-hello, 911? We need medical help as soon as possible..."
Lip stood there watching as the operator talked in her ear.
"I-I don't know what happened but there's a guy here a-and his leg is broken. It looks really, really bad."
On cue, Lip's friend let out a pained groan.
Daniela's eyes met Lip's for a second before going back to the call. He stared, shocked as she continued to bullshit his way to freedom.
"The address is 183 H-Hobart Drive...okay, please hurry I don't know what to do." Hanging up, she released a long breath and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "They're sending an ambulance." Her eyes met Lip's. "You should leave before they get here."
An inscrutable look passed over his face as he continued to stare. Daniela kicked into nursing mode and began trying to calm his friend down whilst keeping his leg at an angle where it would cause the least amount of additional damage or pain.
"Help is gonna be here soon, okay?" She said, soothing him.
Glancing up, she noticed Lip still standing there.
"What are you doing? Go!"
Snapping out of his haze, Lip backed up to the truck, not taking his eyes off of her until he had to open the door. He started the engine and gave her one last look before taking off.
/
Since Daniela was the only witness, she was asked to ride with them back to the hospital. A couple hours passed where she answered questions with doctors followed by police officers.
They had all asked the same questions; where he came from, how he ended up so far away from campus and how she came across him. Daniela had simple responses; that she didn't know and that she would often go for walks after class to clear her mind.
It seemed to be enough for the officer as another came through the doors into the hallway along with a doctor. He exhaled and came to a stop beside his partner. The pair traded words quietly before turning back to Daniela who was watching on anxiously.
"Thank you for your time, Miss Kaufman."
"No problem," she said, looking to the second officer. "How is he?"
"He'll recover," said the doctor. "We found traces of marijuana as well as another hallucinogenic strain in his blood which could explain how he ended up where he was."
Daniela still wasn't at ease with things. She needed to make sure he would keep quiet about Lip's involvement.
"Would I be able to talk to him?" She asked, looking at the officers and accompanying doctor.
"You can, but he's on some heavy painkillers at the moment," said the doctor. "He might not be completely responsive."
Nodding, Daniela smiled kindly at each of them before stepping through the doors into the ward where a row of hospital beds were set up. She looked around and found the one occupied by Lip's friend.
"How you feelin'?" She asked, coming to stand beside him.
His eyes opened, a soft haze covering them as he smiled up at her.
"Mm, better. I can barely feel anything."
Smiling, Daniela took the seat by his bed as he turned his neck to look at her.
"I'm Joaquin by the way."
"Daniela," she said, laughing slightly. "Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, you too."
Shifting forward, she lowered her voice. "Listen, with the cops and stuff, you didn't, like, say anything about where you got the drugs right?"
"You and Lip ain't gotta worry about nothin'," said Joaquin, grinning. "Besides, a college kid tripping off of some laced weed? That's the least of their problems."
Daniela huffed in relief before smiling gratefully. "Thank you."
Joaquin shrugged it off. "Don't mention it."
At the sound of doors pushing open, Daniela looked up to see Lip walk in. His eyes scoured the room looking for his friend when they finally landed on her. He blinked, something unknown flashing across his face before he headed over.
"Hey," he said, moving so that Joaquin could see him.
He smiled back, clearly drowsy. "Hey, man! Me and Daniela were just getting to know each other."
Glancing up, her eyes locked with Lip's. She held it for a few seconds before clearing her throat and standing.
"Uh, I better head back to campus," she said, looking between the both of them before settling on Joaquin. "Take it easy, alright? It was good meeting you."
"You too."
With one last parting smile at Joaquin, Daniela headed past Lip. She squeezed his arm, feeling his hand cover hers immediately before the touch was gone and she was heading out the doors.
Behind her, Lip looked over his shoulder, watching her leave before taking her seat.
"Dude. I owe you one," he said, focusing on his friend.
Joaquin grinned and quirked a brow. "Nah...well, you could always hook me up with your friend," he suggested, wagging his eyebrows. Lip laughed slightly. "I'm just thinking there was a real spark there."
Joaquin observed as a cloud came over Lip's expression; suddenly lost in thought. It didn't take a genius to figure out why.
"Or not," he said. He nodded in the direction of the door. "Was that your ex?"
It took a moment for Lip to nod. "Yeah, that's her."
"She was pretty worried I'd tell the cops on you."
He nodded again, not at all surprised.
"Yeah."
His mind slipped off again, taking him back to Daniela. He wouldn't be overexaggerating in saying that she had been on his mind since their night together. He hadn't thought she would go for it. It had all been one last shot in the dark to see if there was still anything there between them.
There was.
He didn't have to have sex with her again to know that. It was all just confirmation of what he'd been thinking for a whole year. He knew what he wanted. He just hoped Daniela did too.
Lip stared down at his hands; still calloused from his work over the summer. His mind trailed back to the night Daniela had taken care of them. He remembered the painful blisters as she had applied the antiseptic and ointment. She had been so tender with him and he had resisted the urge to stay with her that night.
It wasn't until Joaquin's hazy mumblings filtered into his ears that he noticed he was smiling. Suddenly determined, he leaned forward.
"Hey, do you mind if I…?" He jutted his head to the door.
Joaquin simply smirked. "Go ahead, man."
"Alright, thank you." Rising from the seat, Lip clapped him on the shoulder and headed out into the hall in pursuit of Daniela.
He made his way down the corridors and into the reception area. His eyes whipped around before catching sight of Daniela's back.
"Daniela!"
Hearing her voice, she glanced over her shoulder. Lip smiled when she slowed to a stop, letting him catch up to her.
"Hey," she said, frowning slightly.
"Hey. I just wanted to thank you for today," said Lip. "You know you really saved my ass."
Daniela shrugged it off, unable to hold his eye for long.
"It's okay."
Lip gestured to the door. "You mind if I walk with you?"
"Sure," nodded Daniela, smiling.
Together they exited the hospital right into the bitter air. Daniela's hands found themselves in the pockets of her thin coat as they began walking.
"I was hoping I'd hear from you," said Lip eventually.
He glanced sideways at her, seeing her bite down on her lip nervously. His gaze remained on them for a moment longer than necessary before lifting to her eyes.
"Yeah, I know I'm sorry," she said, sounding genuinely guilty. "I've been meaning to get back to you but this last week has just been...crazy. Like, you wouldn't believe how much."
Lip shrugged. "You wanna talk about it?"
Daniela's mouth twisted before she heaved a sigh.
"Okay well, last Saturday Mandy and I went out and got really drunk and then the next morning I got a call from my brother telling me to rush over. So I do and I find the grandmother and uncle I didn't know I had until a few weeks ago standing there." Her hands waved around in the air. "And this is huge for us, you know because neither of us has known anything about my mom's family - ever since we were kids."
"So they've been staying at the house these last few days and I've been avoiding them because it turns out some shit went down with my parents back in the day. And I think it's safe to say that mom's family pretty much hates my dad."
Lip's brow raised as he huffed.
"Wow, that's..." He struggled to find words. "That's tough."
"Yeah, I know." Daniela shook her head before sighing in exasperation. "It's just frustrating because of how long they've let this little war carry on for. You know they even blame my dad for my mom's death."
"Shit," said Lip, his brow lifting higher. "Well, maybe she could go see him? Listen to what he has to say after all these years."
"It's a good idea," said Daniela before shaking her head. "But I doubt she would say yes. And if she did, well, I don't see that going down well."
"You managed to forgive him," reminded Lip, shrugging. "That shit you went through when you were young… it isn't something anyone can just get over."
Daniela looked at her feet in silent agreement, remembering when she had opened up to Lip about her past. Up until a year ago, that had been the worst day of her life.
"Yeah, but I don't know. This is different, you know, this was her daughter. In a way I get it, I do. I just hate how they're pinning it all on him." She exhaled, shaking the thoughts from her head. "Anyway, you probably don't wanna hear this."
"I don't mind," said Lip, shrugging. "It's nice listening to your family drama for a change." Daniela's mouth quirked up at that. "Besides, I'm just glad to hear you haven't been ignoring me on purpose."
Daniela's eyes shut and she exhaled. "Lip-"
"Me first," he said, coming to a stop. Daniela did too and watched as he took a breath. "I know I told you I'd wait but it's been weeks. And I know you said you didn't regret what happened but if you do, you can tell me. I can take it."
Daniela blinked and swallowed.
"I don't regret it," she said. "Honestly."
"Then what's the problem?" Asked Lip, frowning slightly.
Daniela struggled to formulate the right words. Her shoulders lifted before deflating.
"I don't know if what you're feeling is guilt or something else but I can't commit myself to you if that's all it is." She stared up at him. "I need to know that you're serious about this because, if you're not, then-then I can't be either."
A look passed over Lip's face. It remained inscrutable as he suddenly stepped forward. Daniela sucked in a breath, feeling his mouth press against hers. She sighed into it as his thumb traced the length of her jawline, deepening the kiss.
He pulled back but only by a breath. Daniela's heart thumped in her chest as she watched him through half-lidded eyes.
Lip's gaze switched back and forth between her eyes and her mouth. She still seemed hesitant and he knew he'd have to really prove it if he wanted this to work.
His thumb brushed against her skin gently as he leaned in to press a kiss to her temple. He heard her slow inhale as her eyes drifted shut, leaning into his touch.
"I love you."
Daniela's eyes shot open.
Lip's cheek rested against her temple, still, waiting for her response. The words had been spoken so quietly, barely a whisper, but she had heard them.
She pulled her head back to stare at him, wide-eyed, as her heart hammered more and more in her chest. She searched Lip's face for any signs of guilt or joking but found nothing. He was completely at ease - almost relieved.
He didn't say anything, just letting her get her head around it as his hand remained against her cheek.
Daniela blinked.
Any thoughts she may have had were now completely out the window.
She wasn't even sure if it was real but judging by Lip's small smirk, she knew that it was.
"I..." Daniela stuttered. All she could do was blink and breathe.
Lip, slightly amused, watched her struggle to find words. After what seemed like minutes, her mouth opened again but whatever she had to say was quickly cut off by the sound of his phone.
His eyes drifted shut.
"Fuck."
Releasing a breath, he stepped back to check his phone. He saw Fiona's name flashing back at him and figured he'd better answer just in case.
"Yeah?" Said Lip, sounding a little frustrated at having been interrupted.
Daniela took the opportunity to take a few steps back to help regain her breathing. She glanced back at Lip who suddenly seemed more serious.
"Okay," he nodded. At the sound of his tone, Daniela's face flooded with worry. "Yeah, I'll be right over."
"What is it?" Asked Daniela, coming to stand in front of him again.
Lip slipped his phone back into his pocket and released a breath.
"Ian's been arrested."
Are you shook?
Special thanks to rockao, Ri0tMak3r, 13teen, RHatch89, and SweetRiceball20 for reviewing! They were very much appreciated.
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