Chapter 58.

Oh boy. This isn't a very long chapter so sorry about that. I'm trying to get one out before I get swamped by college work again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.


No.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

This wasn't happening.

She was just stressed. Yeah. Stress. But in reality, she wasn't stressed. Not at all. In fact, it had been some of the most relaxing months she'd had in a while.

Maybe she wasn't eating properly.

No.

But it couldn't be…no. Definitely not.

Her eyes were clenched shut as she audibly tried to compose her breathing. There was no way this was happening. Not now. Not to her.

You're just overreacting. She told herself. It's nothing.

Yet something inside of her didn't quite believe it.

She tried to count back in her mind to when her last cycle was and grimaced at the realization that it was over six weeks ago.

Shit.

Brrrz

The sound of her phone cut through the panicked silence, causing Daniela to jump. She had grabbed it while she had been getting dressed, having forgotten about its presence in the pocket of her shorts until its rude alert. Shaking it off, she checked it only to see a text from Lip.

Hey, where did you go?

She felt her breath quicken once again and her heart pound at the thought that shit- Lip was very much a thing and he was very much waiting for her back in his dorm.

She hadn't realized how much time had passed since she'd slipped out and he was no doubt worried about where she was.

"Shit…" she said before typing out a quick response.

Hey, I'm just getting something from the vending machine. Do you want anything?

Satisfied with her excuse, she leaned her head back against the toilet stall. She took a moment to compose herself before going to wash her hands and rinse out her mouth. Leaving the bathrooms, she headed to the vending machine at the end of the hallway.

With two packets of chips in hand and a stick of gum, she made her way back to Lip's dorm as one resounding thought rattled around in her brain:

She was not pregnant.

/

That same day, Daniela was working the dinner service at the diner much to her irritation. The number of sleepless nights was finally starting to take their toll, not to mention her scare earlier that morning.

Before she had gone back into Lip's dorm, she had taken a moment to check her appearance. She didn't want to walk in looking as bad as she felt. She also made sure to pop two sticks of gum into her mouth to minimize the taste and stench of her vomit.

Lip had been wide awake by the time she entered, his head propped up against the wall as he casually waited for her to return. At the sight of him, Daniela's stomach had turned but she hadn't been sure if it was in fear of what she had just possibly, maybe not really, discovered or if it was just attraction.

He had smiled at her and called her over to join him causing her to stiffen even more. She threw up twice and suddenly she didn't know how to act around him? Her mind had cursed herself for being so obvious that something was up. Somehow, possibly due to Lip still being a little groggy, he hadn't taken notice.

She didn't stick around much longer after that, not sure she could stomach it. She had used the excuse of studying and wanting a warm shower before she all but hurriedly escaped the building. She knew Lip had thought it was weird but had chalked it up to it being just one of those days. For now, that was enough for her.

For the remainder of her morning and afternoon, she had sat in quiet contemplation trying her damndest to pay attention during her lectures and labs but to no avail. A few of her classmates sent her annoyed looks at her perpetually bobbing knee and the sound of her subconsciously clicking her pen.

It had taken a stern "shh" from a girl in front of her to catch onto what she was doing. She had grimaced. She wasn't pregnant. There was no way. Her and Lip had been safe. At least she thought they had been. She felt betrayed like Ross in that episode of Friends where he found out condoms weren't always 100% effective.

The lack of ability to truly focus stuck with her for the rest of the day and well into her dinner shift. It was as if she had opened Pandora's box earlier that morning because now she couldn't seem to stop mimicking symptoms of pregnancy.

Her head was pounding as she made her way to a now-empty table. Taking a moment, she massaged her temples tiredly before getting to work spraying the table and wiping it down to be reset. Having cleared the used plates, she made towards the back when her nose crinkled. The nauseating smell of searing steaks and greasy bacon had done little to ease her growing migraine and she found that she often had to hold her breath when walking directly past it in fear that she might actually throw up on a customer. Sensing the oncoming armada of smells as she neared the kitchen pass, she sucked in a long breath, failing to take notice of the other waitress rounding the corner.

There was a muffled crash of porcelain as their bodies collided. Daniela grit her teeth as the other girl's forearm came forward to nudge her sensitive chest, causing another pained outburst to slip through her teeth. Her eyes shut and she heard her begin to apologize when the pungent smell of ketchup wafted into her nostrils.

Looking down, she sighed at the sight of the condiment and one solitary leftover fry on her shirt.

"Shit! Sorry, Daniela," said the girl again.

The older one shook her head, too exhausted to tell her off. "It's fine." Glancing in the direction of the staff bathroom, she looked back at her co-worker. "You mind covering my tables while I get cleaned up?"

The girl nodded immediately, clearly remorseful. Daniela's anger dissipated at the sight of it and she quickly excused herself. She made sure to inhale through her nose and exhale through her mouth- a task that became difficult as she passed the kitchen.

Pushing open the door of the bathroom, she walked to the sink and twisted the tap on. She grabbed a good amount of paper towels and let them soak for a few seconds before squeezing out the excess. Carefully, she dabbed at the sauce on her uniform. Her jaw tightened, seeing that it was going to be impossible to make her look even half as put together as she should've been. Still, she continued until the sauce was reduced to a watery red blotch.

"Good enough," she said to herself.

Tossing the paper into the bin, she leaned her head over the sink. Her hands formed a cup under the spout and she waited until they were half-full before splashing the water on her face. The cold was refreshing as she let it linger for a moment. She switched off the tap as the door pushed open again.

Daniela's eyes raised to see Mandy's reflection in the mirror.

"You good?" Asked the girl.

Daniela nodded, dropping her gaze to her spoiled uniform once again.

She had been working the same shift with her- a fact that had helped Daniela more than the other girl probably thought. They hadn't gotten much time to talk to each other as the diner had been particularly busy that night. Daniela had been quietly glad as it meant she didn't have as much of an opportunity to show her that she was a little off her game.

The Milkovich lingered and Daniela watched in the mirror as she moved to lean against the wall beneath the dirty bathroom window.

"You got a little something on your shirt," she said. Her deadpan expression betrayed the amusement in her voice.

Daniela rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Thanks."

She saw the corner of her friend's mouth turn up before she extended her left arm.

"Here."

Turning, Daniela's gaze fell to her hand to see a fresh shirt. She felt her mood lighten at the sight of it and she took it with a small smile.

"Thank you," she said earnestly to which Mandy simply shrugged. She made quick work of peeling off the stained one, issuing a small groan of disgust at the stench of the ketchup. She knew she would have to deep-soak it as soon as she got home.

Feeling the chill on her bare skin, she pulled on the fresh one.

"You sure you're okay?" Asked Mandy again. "I saw you out there before Kate bulldozed into you." Daniela's hands tightened around her dirty shirt. "Is it Lip?"

The Milkovich watched the other girl's head whip up.

"No! No, it's not Lip." Taking a breath, Daniela touched the side of her head. "I've just been a little spaced out lately with my assessments. I honestly think I just need to sleep for a few days."

She could never tell if her lies were successful around Mandy. The girl managed to unnerve her every time she asked questions like this. It didn't even matter that they had cemented their friendship. Somehow, she seemed to be the only one that could see through the bullshit that she put out to everyone else. She hated it.

This time seemed no different as Mandy nodded. She looked her over suspiciously, clearly not buying that that was the full story. Thankfully for Daniela's sake, she didn't seem too persistent on digging the truth out of her at that very moment.

"We'd better head back then."

Daniela sucked in a long and deep breath. She nodded, following the other girl back out into the commotion. The rest of her shift managed to slug much to her disappointment. When it did end, however, she had breathed a sigh of relief. She said a quick goodbye to Mandy who had simply looked at her in thinly-veiled suspicion. Still, she tried not to let it get to her as she made her way back to her dorm.

Her hands were buried deep in the pockets of her warm coat as the scarf that was wrapped around her neck worked to keep her warm. It was the middle of Fall and the air had turned bitter as the weather finally shifted.

Feeling her phone vibrate against her hand, Daniela pulled it out; the light illuminating her face. It was from Lip and the sight of his name caused another shiver to course through her. It felt strange being so, well…strange when it came to him now.

She hadn't spoken to him since she all but ran out of his dorm earlier that morning and the guilt was starting to weigh on her. She didn't like not communicating with him and she knew that her random distancing of herself from him would cause some feelings of confusion and worry on his end. She just didn't know what to say to him at the moment.

Hey, so I threw up this morning and my period's late so I guess I'm pregnant!

Yeah, that wasn't going to work.

She felt herself wince. Pregnant. Even thinking the word made her teeth grind. She still didn't know if it was true and, if she was being completely honest with herself, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. If she could have, she would have just left the theory untouched. That was a closet of emotions she definitely didn't want to open.

But as she passed by a local convenience store, she felt her steps slow and her breath hitch. Turning, she looked up at the fluorescent sign and peered through the window at the aisles of food and other necessities. Heaving a sigh, she made up her mind and pulled open the door.

/

Daniela wasn't sure exactly what time it was when she showed up at the Milkovich house the following morning but quite frankly, she didn't care. Her chest had been pounding for the last hour and she desperately needed someone to talk to. Her fist knocked against the wooden door firmly but she was sure there was some trepidation in there too.

It seemed like forever before the door swung open to reveal an irritated Mandy. At the sight of Daniela, her eyes narrowed. She had clearly woken her.

"Jesus fucking Christ what's the emergency?"

Daniela barely registered her friend's stormy expression as she fumbled on foot.

"I need to talk to you."

Wasting no time, she grabbed her by the arm. On a typical day, she would wait until she was actually invited in before stepping inside but today was different. Today she was shit-scared. Mandy made a small indignant grunt at being dragged along but Daniela didn't let up. She maintained the grip on her arm as she pulled her into her own room before quickly shutting the door.

She practically collapsed against it. Her eyes drifted shut as she took a moment to herself to calm herself down and even out her breathing. The harsh sound of her friend's voice pulled her out of it.

"Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?" Asked (demanded) Mandy, her signature scowl curling her lip.

Questioning her ability to formulate and communicate the English language, Daniela simply shoved something into the other girl's chest. Mandy's scowl melted down into a confused frown as she looked at the brown paper bag. It had been horribly crinkled, no doubt due to the panicking young woman in front of her. She lifted it slightly, testing its weight. She could feel the outline of something but it was light.

"What is this?" She asked again, eyeing the parcel oddly.

Daniela shook her head.

"Just open it."

With an eye roll, Mandy conceded. She pulled the bag open, her brow quirking as she stared down into the darkness of it. As she opened it wider, her expression morphed into one of shock as she finally caught sight of the plastic stick. She slowly reached in before bringing it out into the light to better see it.

Daniela paced as Mandy took in the two pink lines with wide eyes.

"Holy shit," she breathed. "You're-"

"Don't say it!" Daniela raked a nervous hand through her hair. "Just don't. We don't know for sure."

Mandy gave her a look, her hip cocking out slightly. The test hung from her fingers.

"Uh, I think we do."

"It could be a false-positive," said the other girl, trying to reason with herself.

"Or a positive-positive." Dropping it back into the bag, Mandy looked at her friend. "Are you gonna tell Lip?"

Her question caused the girl's step to falter. "I guess I have to right?" She wasn't sure.

Mandy shrugged. "Not if you don't want it."

"I-I don't know…I need to make sure first," said Daniela. Her voice conveyed a level of determination she wasn't sure she'd be able to muster at the time. The last twenty-four hours had become incredibly emotional and she wasn't sure how she was going to cope. "I have an appointment in an hour."

Mandy observed her friend. She was stressed- that much was obvious to anyone. Since she had taken up residence in her room she had done little more than pace back and forth and chew on her nails. A small part of her found herself relating. She knew that feeling. That 'oh shit' moment where you think your life could change forever in such a small frame of time.

Thinking back, Mandy thought of her own harrowing experience. The realization of her late period had been like a bucket of ice water being tipped over her head. She had sat in her room for hours that night wondering what the hell she was going to do. She had no money at the time. Mickey was always being an asshole. And her dad had been responsible for the position she was in.

It had been a dirty secret that still managed to leave Mandy's skin crawling at the reminder of those nights when he would stumble into her room drunk. How he would stroke her chin and sloppily wipe hair out of her eyes. The stench of alcohol was always dizzying.

When word got out, she had freaked. Ian had taken the fall for it while Lip went crazy thinking that it was his. How wrong he had been. A small part of Mandy laughed at the thought of her being with Lip. It felt like so long ago.

She remembered how the boys and even Daniela had rallied behind her to help raise the money to take care of her situation. She remembered being stunned when she learned that the other girl had whipped up some laced-brownies for the cause despite them not even being on good terms. Daniela had never brought up that day or anything related to it since, seeing no need to dig up old wounds.

Mandy had been terrified when she had seen that positive pregnancy test; the product of a disgusting one-sided affection. Daniela, on the other hand, was different.

She was terrified for another reason.

Mandy could see it as she chewed on her nails; a hazy, far-away look in her eyes. She was scared because she actually had someone she loved involved in the situation. And for her, that meant it was more complicated because now she had to consider his feelings too. For Mandy, the decision had been instant. For Daniela, it would take more time and judging by what she had managed to gather from the girl in the time that she had gotten to know her, that would amount to countless days and nights pondering over what to do.

Daniela had managed to calm down to the point where she sat perched on the edge of her bed. The bobbing of her knee and the flicking of her fingers were the only indications of what was going through her mind. Feeling her shoulders sag, Mandy tossed the paper bag to the side.

"Come on," she said.

At the sound of her voice, Daniela looked up. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. The image caused the other girl's eyes to soften almost empathetically.

"The sooner we find out and nip this thing in the bud, the better."

Nodding in silent agreement, Daniela slowly rose from her position on the bed. Her knees buckled slightly, her legs having been shakier than she was anticipating. She took a breath and steadied herself before following Mandy out of the house.


.

Sorry that these chapters haven't been the longest. Like I said at the start, I'm trying to push through as much as I can before my real life takes over.

Lip will be in the next chapter. I just love writing Mandy and Daniela, it's such an interesting dynamic given their history plus the added fact that Mandy has been in her position before. What do you think will happen?

.

.

.

REVIEW!