Chapter 61.
For the sake of the shitstorm that is this show's timeline, I've taken some creative liberties with the months based on Bianca's death (April) and when Debbie gives birth in the show (I guestimate January). It's currently September, thus, Daniela is another year older. Also, Debbie is 4 months pregnant (two more than Daniela).
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.
Lip was in a good fucking mood.
Sat in his dorm, Lip held tight to the ultrasound picture from that morning. It felt surreal. Never before had he experienced anything like it emotionally. He was very aware of the grin planted across his face. He was sure he looked like a total pussy.
And yet, he didn't care. He had been just as nervous as Daniela when the day began. His experience with pregnancy appointments was practically non-existent as Karen had never allowed him to join. Though, upon reflection, he figured she wanted to be there even less herself.
But today had been different. Because it wasn't Karen. It was Daniela. The thought of her conjured up a small smile. Since getting back together, he had felt like a new man. Having her back in his life reminded him just how much he had needed her as well as how much he had thrown away back when he was young and reckless. He knew she felt the same and within two months of their renewed relationship, he felt that they had fallen back into their comfortable ease.
The pregnancy, of course, had come as a shock. Though, considering his history, it shouldn't have. Lip thought back to the night he found out; the nerves that he felt during that moment swelling up in his chest again. He thought he had misheard her but when he saw the quiet resignation on her face, he knew it was true. And as they had stepped outside to talk about it, he felt his nerves disappear in their entirety.
Daniela had looked so nervous- so scared of what he would say. She had explained why it took her so long to let him know. Then his heart rate had spiked at the news that she had considered getting rid of the baby. He had been quietly relieved to quickly learn that she hadn't and reassured her that he would stand by whatever decision she made.
But that's where the problem was.
Daniela had made her decision and, no matter how hard he tried, Lip couldn't find it in himself to completely come to terms with it. He didn't want to give the baby - their baby - away to some strangers. It was hard enough having to do so with Karen and he wasn't even in love with her the way he was now. He thought of Frank, the waste-of-space he had the displeasure of calling his father, and how, despite all of his flaws, he had advocated for the birth of each of his children. He couldn't fathom the thought of his own child out there in the world being raised by someone else with no knowledge of who his real parents were.
His head raised at the sound of the door opening.
"Hey, man." Joaquin strode in with his usual grin.
His presence was a regular occurrence and Lip figured it was because he had his own room where his friend could come to hang out and destress with some weed. As expected, he strolled over to the desk chair where he sat before pulling out a freshly rolled joint.
Lip simply nodded back in greeting; his mind too enraptured by the photo in his hand. Distantly, he registered the flick of Joaquin's lighter. It was quickly followed by the pungent odour of weed.
"You good, bro?" He asked, reclining in the desk chair.
Taking a moment, Lip glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah."
Joaquin took note of his distracted tone and leaned forward. His eyes narrowed in an attempt to spy whatever his friend was holding.
"What's that?" He asked, jutting his chin.
Lip exhaled a short laugh; holding the picture up and meeting his friend's eye again.
"It's my kid, man."
Joaquin, ever the laid back type, simply raised his brow in surprise. He brought the joint to his lips for a long inhale.
"No shit. Congrats, man." He shifted out of his seat to offer Lip the joint in solidarity.
Lip accepted it in kind. The bed dipped beside him as Joaquin moved closer to get a better look at the picture.
His eyes narrowed in concentration, clearly trying to make sense of the little blob. "The fuck am I looking at?"
Lip snorted. "This here is the head," he pointed. "And this is the body. Arm, leg...I think."
Joaquin shook his head, chuckling quietly. "So you and Daniela are knocked up, huh?"
His friend grinned. "Yeah, I guess."
"And you're keeping it?"
At the question, Lip's smile dimmed. His mouth twisted as he pulled the photo back into his lap.
"Uh, no." He shook his head. "No, Daniela wants to put the baby up for adoption."
Noting his sadness at the news, Joaquin tilted his head. "That's heavy." He brought the joint back to his mouth. "You sure she'll go through with it?"
Lip shrugged. "I guess. I mean, it's what she wants, right?"
Joaquin made a small noise indicating he didn't entirely believe it. "Look, Daniela's a cool chick. But from what I've seen...she's not gonna go through with it."
"You think?" Frowned Lip.
"Yeah, man. It's not her style."
Lip pondered his friend's comment. He had also thought it strange that Daniela didn't want to keep the baby. Another part of him also knew that, as passionate and caring as she was, she could also be stubbornly rational. He supposed that it was reason that she settled on adoption. In a way, he understood. They were young, with so many years of life to live.
Yet, selfishly, Lip didn't care.
At the chiming of his phone, he reached for his pocket. His eyes skimmed over the text from his sister.
Hey, you good to watch Liam tomorrow? I need to sort some shit out with the house.
The wheels in Lip's mind turned. He typed a quick response before sending another to Daniela.
Dinner at mine tomorrow?
Hitting send, Lip released a breath and laid back across his bed. He knew it was risky, and that there was a very good chance she would catch on quickly, but he didn't care. He at least had to try.
/
Daniela strolled up to the Gallagher house that following night. She was still reeling from the ultrasound and the emotions it had unexpectedly evoked in her. Lip's invitation for dinner seemed strange at first. Not so much the concept, but the lack of context. If she did the math correctly, they were nearing the deadline of the eviction notice. She hadn't heard anything good about Fiona's efforts to stop it either.
Heading inside, her nose caught the whiff of tomato sauce, garlic and beef. She made her way to the kitchen, taking a mental note that the house looked to be empty. Her eyes caught sight of Lip's back as he retrieved a baking dish from the oven. From her position, she recognised that it was lasagne.
"Hey," she said.
Lip glanced over his shoulder, lasagne still in hand. "Hey."
He placed it in the centre of the table and slipped off his oven mitts. Daniela's eyes moved around the kitchen, coming to a rest on Liam. He sat in quiet concentration as he coloured in a picture-book.
"Where is everyone?"
"Fiona's with Sean trying to get some money for a deposit. Debbie's out with Frank- something about a job. And Carl is..." Lip's face screwed up. "I don't know where he is."
Daniela snorted a laugh and moved to the kitchen table. "You said Fiona's tryna get a deposit?" She slid into the end seat. Liam paid her no attention as he did. She smiled at the realisation that he was colouring the book she had gotten him for his birthday. "Does that mean you're gonna try and buy the house?"
Lip nodded. "That's the plan."
Grabbing some plates, he set one down in front of each of them. Daniela rose from her seat to help but was quickly ushered back down. A soft smile emerged as she watched him gently ask Liam to put his book away so that they could eat. His brother obliged; his stare raising to finally register Daniela's presence.
"Nela," he smiled causing her own to widen.
He was a child of few words. Always had been. When he was still a toddler, he had struggled with how many syllables were in her name, causing the vowels to blur into something she thought was incredibly adorable.
Lip sat in the chair adjacent to hers and opposite Liam's. He took a sip of his beer before placing it down.
"Fiona asked me to watch him last minute," he explained.
Turning her attention to him, Daniela swallowed. "That's fine."
Lip, watching her reaction, nodded and gestured to the lasagne. "I looked the recipe up on online. Not sure if it's any good though."
"It smells good!"
He laughed quietly and moved to start serving it. Liam tucked into his right away. The couple watched in amusement as he chomped rapidly. Steam spat out from his mouth as he tried to swallow the still-hot food. Once he did, he made a noise of approval and held a thumbs up.
"It's good."
The pair laughed and Lip nodded, clearly happy with his brother's review.
Halfway into their meal, Daniela frowned. "What kind of job interviews at this hour?" She asked in reference to Debbie.
Lip finished his bite. "No idea. But with Frank involved, nothing good."
Daniela heaved a sigh at that. "I finally talked to her about it yesterday."
"Yeah?"
"Mhm. Asked her if she really knew what she was getting herself into." She moved a piece of minced beef around her plate. "She seems pretty hell-bent on going through with it."
Lip raised his brow. "You don't approve?"
"You do?" Scoffed Daniela.
He shook his head. "No. But we've gotten this far and she hasn't changed her mind, right? Fiona's already threatened to kick her out. I don't think anything else we say is gonna penetrate."
"Poor choice of words," said Daniela, smirking slightly.
Lip returned it in kind and laughed under his breath.
/
The rest of dinner passed by easily. Daniela and Lip cleared the table with some help from his little brother. Leaving the dishes for later, they moved into the lounge. Liam went back to his colouring as Lip went upstairs to get his bath ready.
Daniela stayed behind to keep an eye on him. She enjoyed the little boy's presence. It was often soothing. She flicked through the channels, trying to find something interesting to watch. She ultimately came up short.
Releasing a breath, she pushed herself off of the sofa and onto the floor beside a kneeling Liam. He was currently working on a safari picture. She watched as he coloured in a leopard.
"Can I help?" She asked. At his nod, she reached for brown and red before using them to colour in some of the landscape.
The pair worked in silence. As they did, Daniela registered the small smile that had worked its way onto her face. She held out her brown pencil.
"Trade?"
"Okay." Liam handed her his yellow and she got to work detailing a sunrise in the background.
Neither noticed Lip who leaned against the arch in the wall. His arms crossed as he watched them. Daniela pointed to a point on the page and muttered something to Liam that made him nod eagerly. They continued their collaboration for a few more minutes. Lip quietly observed, feeling his own smile grow.
"Alright, little man." He clapped his hands together. "Bath's all ready for you."
Liam, somewhat hesitantly, rose from the ground. Daniela muttered something to him and caressed his head. They seemed to be words of encouragement as he then made his way to his brother.
She watched them ascend the stairs and got to work cleaning up. She had promised Liam that they could finish it off in the morning which seemed to be enough for him to go for his bath.
Heading upstairs, she heard laughter and followed it to the bathroom. Much like Lip had done, she observed him and Liam playing around in the water. She felt a tug in her chest and glanced down to her stomach. A knot formed in her brow.
The feeling of sadness washed over her. It had been the same feeling she had experienced the day before when she saw the baby. Her mouth pinched at the thought. She had hoped that when the moment came, her body would align with her plans and that she wouldn't feel anything more than a quiet fascination. But what had happened was much worse.
Instead, she had felt a connection.
She had spent the remainder of her day lying in bed; her fingers gently tracing her exposed belly in deep thought. Looking back, she should have expected it. She was a creature of intense emotions and seeing the baby - barely the size of a bean - stirred up something heavy. It had stuck with her since the appointment and she had stared at the ultrasound on her phone. Dangerous thoughts entered her mind. And no matter how hard she had tried to dispel them, they lingered.
She watched Lip and felt her chest swell with love.
She had no doubt he would make a great father. She already knew that when he was supporting Karen. Thinking back to that time, she wondered how their lives would have turned out if it had been his baby. The experience was tough on him. How could it not be?
And yet, as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom, she felt guilt. Guilt that she would be putting him through the same thing. Except it was worse. Because it was his baby. He had maintained his promise to be supportive but Daniela saw through it. Of course she did. Because, truthfully, she felt the same.
No.
Her mind wouldn't allow herself to linger on the idea any further. Instead, she made her way back into the kitchen. She turned the tap and watched the hot water spurt out as she readied the used dishes to be washed.
.
Time passed. Having finished washing, she wrapped up the leftovers and placed them in the fridge. She wet a dish wipe and got to work cleaning the dining table. As she did, she heard Lip's feet carrying down the stairs.
"Oh, thanks." He said, taking in the almost-clean kitchen.
"Liam in bed?" She asked, scraping some crumbs into her palm.
"Yeah. He was pretty tired after his bath. Shouldn't take him long to drift off."
Daniela smiled and crossed the room to the trash. She expelled the crumbs from her hand and moved to the sink to wash them.
"Any news from Fiona?"
Lip checked his phone before shaking his head. "Not yet. Hopefully, they manage to pull something together. The auction's supposed to be in two days and we don't have a chance in hell of keeping it if Fiona doesn't get the loan."
"I have some savings-"
"No." Lip shook his head. "You don't need to do that."
Daniela made a small noise and pushed off of the sink. "Lip...this house means just as much to me as it does to all of you."
Lip said nothing to that other than a short nod.
Grabbing a nearby dish-towel, she ran it through her fingers. "I know what you were trying to do tonight."
His eyes snapped to hers. At her resigned look, he swallowed.
Daniela continued. "I get it, Lip. Trust me, I do but-"
"We could do this."
"How?" She asked; her voice thick with emotion. "You're about to be kicked out of your house. We're both in college. I work for tips at Waffle Cottage." Her head shook.
Lip wasn't so easily swayed. With a sudden determination, he pushed off of the counter and stepped towards her. She felt his hands grip hers as he levelled with her.
"We could do this," he repeated.
Daniela's eyes watered. "Lip. I'm barely 21! I should be sipping margaritas and celebrating the fact that I don't need a fake ID anymore. I can't be having a baby right now."
"Look at Debbie, she's 15!"
"Debbie's not a standard we should live by!"
"Look." Lip took a moment to steel himself. His hands squeezed hers. "You and I are together. We're happy. We're in love."
"We're also young," said Daniela with a raised brow. "And not exactly in a position to give this baby what it needs."
"You and I have each have scholarships- if financial debt is what has you so worried." Lip took note of her resounding sigh and waited for her to meet his gaze again. "I'm just saying that we're probably a lot better equipped than most people our age. And 21 is a hell of a lot better than 15."
"Lip?"
Both heads swivelled to see Liam at the foot of the stairs in his pyjamas. He shuffled on his feet as the pair's expressions morphed to ones of concern.
"You okay, bud?" Asked Lip. His grip dropped from Daniela's as he moved to stand by his brother.
"I had a bad dream."
By the sink, Daniela made a small noise of sympathy. She watched the brothers head back up and lingered in the kitchen for a few minutes longer; her mind replaying what Lip had said.
Eventually, she also made her way up, pausing momentarily to see the brothers talking quietly.
"I'm gonna leave the light on, okay?" Said Lip, gesturing to the lamp by the bed.
Liam nodded and pulled the covers up to his neck. "What happens if the bad dreams come back?"
Sighing, Lip squatted down. His hand stroked his head soothingly. "Me and El will be right down the hall if you need us. Okay?"
Again, Liam nodded. He shut his eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep.
Standing straight, Lip turned and caught sight of Daniela in the doorway. He didn't miss the glisten in her eyes. She seemed conflicted as she sniffed and walked out and into their room. Lip followed suit.
She was perched on the edge of the bed; her eyes glued to her hands.
"It's not like they won't be there, you know." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Open adoptions exist. We could give them the head start we never had."
Lip's brow furrowed sadly. "I know." His voice was soft as he sat beside her. "But I can't just keep living my life knowing that my kid is out there without me. We could get an apartment. A studio even. And then, when we graduate, we can get stable jobs. We'll be set."
Daniela sighed. "It's not like I haven't thought about it..."
"So what's stopping you?"
"I'm scared," she admitted after a long silence. Her eyes raised to meet his and he spied the tears beginning to fall. "I'm scared because I don't want it to change my life. Because I'm afraid of the unknown. And, I thought that by choosing to give the baby away, I'd at least have some sort of control over it. I've watched Fiona take care of all of you these past six years. I can see how much she's sacrificed."
Lip nodded. "I'm scared too." He shifted his body towards her. His hands came to rest on her cheeks as his thumb wiped at her tears. "But I know you." He said, levelling her with a look. "You are kind and loving and devoted to everyone that you care about. Do you really think you'll be able to just hand over your baby in seven months?" Her lack of response was all he needed. "And yes, we're young but we're not idiots- and I had Frank and Monica for parents."
"Once again, not the best example to live up to," said Daniela causing them to laugh.
"Regardless," Lip continued. "We can do this. I know we can." Leaning forward, his forehead rested against hers.
Daniela felt her eyes shut and she licked her lips. "Just give me some to think about it, okay?"
Lip's shoulders sagged in relief. "Of course," he nodded, kissing her temple. "Thank you."
Daniela's only response was a small, watery smile before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.
/
Daniela shuffled restlessly.
She felt Lip's arm hanging limply across her hip and his warm, steady breathing on the back of her neck. Glancing at the alarm clock, she saw that she had managed a decent three hours of sleep.
Feeling her bladder fill, she gently moved out of Lip's hold. Her socked feet padded down the hallway and into the bathroom. She relieved herself and stepped out; her eyes catching onto Liam.
He was stood outside of his room clutching onto his favourite stuffed toy. She watched as he rubbed at his eyes and sighed.
"Bad dream again?"
Liam nodded. Daniela stepped towards him and held her hand out.
"Come on." She felt his hand slip into hers and lead him back into their room.
Lip was still sleeping soundly, having now shifted onto his back. The moonlight spilled into the room through the window above his head.
Daniela got back under the warm covers before gesturing for Liam to come forward. He did and she held the covers up for him. The boy scooted in beside her as she brought the duvet back down. She drew him into her chest, forming a cocoon around him. Her fingers moved to stroke his hair. She heard his breathing begin to slow and the tension ease from his body.
Again, her heart clenched. She thought back to what Lip had said. His efforts to convince her seemed to be more effective than either of them had anticipated. Hearing that he was just as scared as she was served as a huge relief. Her biggest concern had been thinking he wouldn't understand. She had simply assumed he was ready and willing to go for it just like that.
Liam stirred in her arms. She shifted her head back as he peered over his shoulder.
"You're crying," he whispered. She hadn't even noticed. His face softened as he observed her. "Did you have a bad dream too?"
Daniela sniffled and felt her tears intensify. She shook her head and pulled him closer where she pressed a kiss to the back of his head. Her hands continued their gentle caress in his hair and, soon enough, she felt Liam go limp. His steady breathing indicated that he had fallen asleep.
/
For the first time in a long time, Daniela managed to sleep soundly for the rest of the night. She still woke up before Lip but felt more refreshed than ever. She smiled at the realisation that she was wedged in-between him and Liam. The boy hadn't stirred at all throughout the night and was now splayed out on her right.
Turning her head to the left, she traced her finger along Lip's jaw. His muscles clenched beneath her hand as she shifted it to rest on his chest. She waited as he groggily opened one eye.
"Morning," she smiled.
Lip tiredly returned it. "Morning."
He made a small noise of pleasure at the feel of her mouth pressing against his. His hand shifted to the back of her head to draw her in even further. Daniela pulled away and rested her head on his chest.
"I'm sorry."
Lip frowned as his hand stroked her hair. "For what?"
"I shouldn't have made a decision without you." She moved her head to look up at him.
"You don't need to apologise. You were right to consider how it would impact your life first."
Nodding, Daniela snuggled in closer. "You were right too." Lip stared at her in confusion. She sucked in a breath. "I can't go through with it."
Beneath her, Lip stiffened. He didn't expect her to make a decision so quickly. He stared at her, ultimately coming up short on words to convey his relief.
Growing more serious, Daniela pushed herself up so that her face hovered over his. "Promise me," she said. "Promise me that we'll make this work."
Lip nodded and drew her head forward for another sweet kiss.
"I promise." The words were uttered against her lips before he drew her back into his chest. He heard her sigh in content and felt his own chest fill with warmth.
"Please don't make me regret this."
A smirk worked its way onto Lip's face. His arms tightened around her.
"Well, you know what comes next right?" At his question, Daniela pulled her head back to frown at him. Amused, he elaborated. "We have to tell everyone."
Daniela groaned audibly. She shoved her head back into his chest.
"And you've done it."
She felt the rumble of his resounding laugh against her cheek. Lip pressed a kiss to her hair and held her tight.
"Don't worry, I've got you."
.
.
Of course she wasn't going to give up the baby!
Thank you to those who left reviews on the last chapter. It was so comforting to spot so many familiar names.
.
REVIEW!
