Chapter 62.

Thank you for the great response to the previous chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.


Daniela blew out a long breath. Her arms were full of textbooks as she made her way out of her nursing class. It was getting to that point in the semester where all of her assignments were beginning to overlap and she was becoming slightly unhinged.

She weaved her way through the campus but paused at the sound of her name being called.

"El!"

Glancing over her shoulder, she frowned at the sight of Lip. She smiled and waited for him to catch up to her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Lip shrugged, leaning forward to kiss her quickly. He lifted something and Daniela saw that it was a plastic bag full of food.

"I got out early. Figured we could have lunch together."

At that, Daniela's smile widened. "You're sweet." She leaned forward for another soft kiss. "I have an hour before my next lecture but there're some tables outside the building." Her hand slipped comfortably into his free one as she led the way.

Luck was on their side as they managed to nab a free table straightaway.

"God, I'm starving," said Daniela. She eyed the food that was now being unpacked by Lip and felt her mouth water.

"You eat this morning?"

"Just an oat bar and an apple."

Lip's brow raised. He set down her burrito and water in front of her before unwrapping his own. "Morning sickness still kicking your ass?"

Daniela released a terse breath and shook her head. "It's not been so bad this past couple of days." Taking a bite, she quietly moaned. "This is so good."

Lip laughed under his breath. "So I've been looking at a few internships- part-time jobs, stuff like that. Just to try and get some extra cash. You remember my old professor Youens?"

"The drunk whose class you TA?"

"That's the one," nodded Lip. "He said he knows a few people that could take me. He thinks he could try and set up an interview for me as early as this week."

Daniela smiled and sipped her water. "That sounds great. You'll be able to handle the work-balance?"

"Figured I have to right?" Lip shrugged but he didn't seem displeased about it at all

Daniela nodded in agreement. She was happy to hear him making such an effort. She just didn't want him to lose focus like he did with Karen.

"You heard from your brothers and sisters?" She asked before taking a bite of her food.

Lip swallowed his own and nodded. "Yeah. Fiona and Liam are with Sean. Debbie managed to talk the people she was nannying for to let her stay in their guest room. Apparently Frank's squatting there with her."

Daniela rolled her eyes at that. "And Carl?"

"Last I heard he was in a hotel with his friend from juvie."

Making a quiet noise of displeasure, the woman leaned back. Her lips pursed. "I'm kinda worried about him."

"Yeah, you and me both." Lip's gaze dropped to the table. "It's weird, you know. Not having the house there anymore."

Daniela nodded and thought back to when the police had shown up to clear them out.

She had missed most of it but arrived soon enough to take in the family packing up all of their things. Seeing the wall in the boys' room bereft of posters had stung and she knew the others were feeling the same thing. She couldn't count the number of nights she had spent in that room laughing and messing around with Ian. She knew Fiona was taking it the hardest. She had seen the woman's face as they packed the last boxes into Kev and V's house.

Losing the house had raised more concerns for Daniela. Although she was firmly in the mind-frame of keeping the baby, she was no less disappointed that they'd lost the house. It wasn't all bad as she still had her house and Lip would still have somewhere to stay in-between semesters.

Noticing her far-off look, Lip reached forward to squeeze her hand.

"Hey," he said gently. "We're gonna be okay."

Daniela nodded, fighting back tears. She released a long sigh and took another bite of her burrito.

"Goddamn hormones." She heard Lip chuckle.

"That's a good sign though, right?"

"I guess," shrugged Daniela. "Oh! I called the doctor about rescheduling the appointment. It's the same time but on Thursday, is that okay?"

They had needed to push the next ultrasound back by a few days after the original date clashed with an important assessment for Daniela. It hadn't been ideal for the two as they'd both been excited to see their baby's development.

Lip nodded and crumpled up his empty foil. "Yeah, that should be fine."

/

As the weeks progressed in her pregnancy, Daniela had become more self-aware of the level of activity she put her body through. Working on her feet for hours running around a diner seemed even less appealing than it usually did. Thankfully, Mandy would always help pick up her slack whenever they were rostered on the same shifts.

Tonight was no different. Daniela said a quiet prayer at the fact she was working with her friend. The place was busy, even for a Friday, and her feet were aching more than usual.

She blew out a long breath as she carried an armful of used plates and cutlery into the back. Setting them down by the dishwasher, she took a moment to compose herself. Her eyes peered through the pass to observe the remaining tables. The place was finally starting to clear out.

"Hey, you good?" Asked Mandy as she came to pick up a stack of waffles.

Daniela nodded and grabbed a clean coffee cup to fill with water. "Yeah. I'm just taking a breather."

"You want a break? There's only those two couples and the study group in the corner booth. I can handle them."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go."

"Okay, thanks."

Daniela pushed off of the sink and headed into the back room with her water in hand. Immediately, she sat down on the sad wooden bench. Her eyes fell shut as she exhaled. She took another gulp of water and reached into her apron pocket to dig out her phone.

She read the unopened text Ian had sent her. It was a mirror selfie he had taken to show her the final look for his date. She snorted at his expression; her friend no doubt feeling completely out of his element. He had come to her for advice the day before. She thought it was sad yet hilarious that he didn't know anything about dates. She was just glad he was trying to move on after Mickey.

Typing a congratulatory response as well as a question for how things were going, Daniela turned her attention to the rest of her inbox. She frowned seeing a new message from Debbie. It was an invitation to a gender reveal. The address for the party was no doubt the new place she and Frank had taken up residence in.

Her mouth twisted. She still wasn't a fan of Debbie having a baby so young. But, from Lip had told her, she also knew the girl was having a hard enough go of it with her relationship with Fiona crumbling. Daniela didn't want the same thing to happen to them. So, she replied with confirmation that she would attend. She also wanted to scope out her new living arrangements.

The rest of Daniela's short break passed quickly. Dropping off her used cup in the kitchen, she made her way out on the floor. Mandy was ringing up the last table leaving the other woman to clean whatever had been left on the tables.

When she was done, Mandy joined her. The pair fell into quiet conversation as they swept and mopped the floors.

"You two plan when you're gonna tell everyone?" Asked Mandy, paying close attention to a sticky spot on the linoleum.

Daniela blew a stray hair out of her face and leaned on her broom. "We figured it would be best to wait till all of this shit with the house dies down. They're all a little displaced right now. Plus, we have the 12-week scan next Thursday."

Mandy quirked a brow. "Wow. You're really doing this, huh?"

"Yup." Daniela laughed at how ridiculous it all seemed. She was going to be a mom. She heard the other girl snort as they went back to work.

"They're not the only ones all over the place," said Mandy after a long silence.

Daniela frowned and stopped again. "You and Si?"

Mandy shook her head. "He got a call yesterday. Apparently his grandma's not doing too well. She had a stroke a few weeks ago but the doctors couldn't find any serious health issues. And his mom's just panicking a little since none of her brothers are in Denver to look after her."

"Oh shit...I didn't even know."

Mandy shrugged. "He's just worried. Probably didn't wanna bring down the mood after your happy news."

Sensing her very obvious sarcasm, Daniela leaned over to shove her playfully. She heard Mandy's resulting booming laugh and shook her head.

/

True to her word, Daniela slipped on a nice outfit and made her way to the address Debbie had sent her for her gender-reveal party. She slipped the gift she had bought earlier that morning under her arm. Finding the house, she headed up the steps and knocked on the door. She shook her shoulders and raised a hand to her temple; feeling a slight ache coming on.

She didn't wait long. The door swung open to reveal Debbie. Seeing who it was, she beamed and pulled her inside.

"El, you came!"

Daniela accepted her tight hug and smiled. "Of course! I would never miss this."

"Is Lip coming too?"

The pair pulled apart and Daniela tilted her head; an apologetic look on her face. "No, sorry. He got called in for an interview this morning."

"Oh."

Registering her sullen expression, Daniela pulled out her gift. She offered it out. "Here."

Debbie's eyes widened. It was an adorable stuffed elephant toy.

"Oh my gosh!" She reached for the two immediately and pulled it closer to her face for inspection. "He's so cute!"

Daniela felt herself smile and nodded. "Yeah, I stopped by Target and picked it up. It's a little on the nose but that was kinda the point," she said playfully.

Debbie clutched it to her chest for a moment before pulling the woman in for another hug. "Aw, my baby's first toy! Thank you so much, El."

Daniela laughed and rubbed her back. Between them, she felt the outline of the girl's protruding belly. They pulled apart and her eyes fell to inspect it more closely. Given how far into the pregnancy Debbie was, Daniela was surprised at how small the bump still looked. She figured it had something to do with it being her first baby.

She snuck a glance at her own stomach. Each morning she would stand in front of the mirror while brushing her teeth and check for any noticeable bump. To the untrained eye, she would simply look bloated, but Daniela definitely noticed a slight curve. Lip, despite his best efforts, couldn't tell the difference but was excited nevertheless.

Her small smile grew at the memory of him talking to her belly a few days prior.

"Come on," said Debbie, effectively snapping her out of her thoughts. She turned her head to see the girl nodding her head towards the dining area.

Daniela nodded and followed her. Her teeth clenched as her head swirled at the sudden motion. She quickly found a seat as Debbie placed the elephant on the counter. Daniela's eyes closed and she breathed in, hoping more oxygen would quell her dizziness.

The sound of Frank's voice caused her to groan.

"This is good, Debs. What's this?"

"Oh, it's from El."

Despite her eyes still being closed, Daniela could feel the man's attention turn to her. She was already tired but decided to grin and bear it for Debbie's sake.

"Hey, Frank."

"Daniela!" Frank placed the stuffed animal back down. He grabbed a cupcake off of the dining table and peeled back the lining. "I wasn't aware you were joining us today."

"Why wouldn't I?" She frowned. "If anything, it's surprising you are."

Frank laughed at her jibe and wagged a finger. "Oh, I've turned over a new leaf, you see- now devoted to nurturing the next generation of Gallaghers." He sent Debbie a quick proud look.

In her armchair, Daniela internally groaned. There was no way she'd be the one to tell Frank that she was also carrying his grandchild.

The man mumbled around the cake in his hand. "Has anyone told you there's a certain glow about you recently?"

Daniela's brow raised. Trust Frank to sniff it out.

"Really?" She deflected. "Because I feel like shit."

More voices carried into the house and Daniela recognised it as Carl. Sure enough, he rounded the corner with his friend, Nick, trailing behind him. She made a quiet noise at the sight of him still thugged out.

"Hey, Carl." She stood from her seat to accept his quick hug. "How are you?"

He shrugged casually. "I'm aight. Been tryna lock down a new crib for me and Nick."

"Lip said you were staying at a hotel."

"Yeah. I tried buying an apartment but the realtor said I wasn't old enough." He scoffed. "Don't see why it matters when I've already got the scratch for the down payment."

Daniela frowned, choosing to ignore how he even managed to generate that kind of money. "Well if you need you can always crash at mine."

"Nah, we straight." Carl's own brow pinched as he took a closer look at Daniela. She looked like she was ready to faint. "Yo, El. You good?"

The woman nodded, waving off his concern. "Yeah, I just have a headache."

She sat back down as Carl walked off. Her eyes moved to rest on Debbie. The girl had been checking her phone constantly since she'd walked through the door. Blinking, she turned to see a glass of water being held out in front of her. Her eyes travelled up the arm to see Carl.

Muttering a 'thanks', she took it from him and had a small sip.

"Yo, is Fiona still coming?" Asked Carl as he slumped onto the sofa beside her.

Debbie's neck swivelled. She chewed on her lip nervously and tapped her silent phone against the palm of her hand.

"Yeah. She probably just got caught up with the lunch rush."

Daniela and Carl shared a knowing look. Patsy's was as busy as their food was good. Still, Debbie held onto hope. As the silence dragged on, she abruptly stood from her chair.

"Daniela!" The woman's eyes snapped to hers. "Come see my room."

Daniela was given no choice in the matter as Debbie grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway. She huffed in surprise but allowed it. They finally came to a stop outside the guest bedroom.

Daniela eyed it with an impressed nod.

She moved through the nicely decorated room, coming to a stop in front of her drawer. Her fingers trailed across the book resting there. What to Expect When You're Expecting. Her lips pursed as she took a moment to flick through it.

On the bed, Debbie continued checking her phone. Her quiet groan caused Daniela to glance away from the page she was reading.

"Any word from Fiona?"

Debbie shook her head, looking visibly upset. The woman shut the book, leaving it behind to sit next to her.

"She's not coming." Debbie's face creased. Her voice cracked as tears formed in her eyes. "She hates me."

Daniela tutted and wrapped an arm around her. "She could never hate you."

She knew things between the sisters had been tough and she had no doubt it was impacting Debbie by not having Fiona there to talk to.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," sobbed the girl, confirming her thoughts.

"You're gonna be okay." Daniela rubbed her arm reassuringly. Her eyes moved around the room and her brow raised. "You managed to scam your way into this place."

Debbie sniffled beside her. "Frank wants me to hook up with Erica so we can stay."

Daniela's eyes widened. "What?"

Debbie explained the full story of how she ended up living with the family. Frank had hand-picked Erica from the cancer ward; something so awful that Daniela was hardly surprised. Now the woman was in remission, meaning Debbie's job was pretty much pointless.

"So unless I go full lesbo, there's no way I'll be able to stay here."

Daniela closed her eyes in quiet thought. She shook her head. "Debbie...I understand you're trying to do what you can to provide for the baby. But that's a little far, even for you."

The girl shrugged hopelessly. "I have nowhere else to go. Our house is gone, Fiona doesn't wanna talk to me, Frank is the only one helping me out-"

"And as astonishing as that last part is, you can't keep this up forever." The woman tilted her head, taking in Debbie's slight pout and red cheeks blotched with tears. "Look, you know that if you ever need a place to stay, you can always crash with me."

Debbie frowned. "At your dorm?"

"Maybe not there. My roommate is still weary from when I let Ian bunk with me...but my house is there. Granted it's just my dad and his dog right now but I'm usually there every other day."

"Thanks, El." Debbie wiped her face before her fingers fell back into her lap. She stared at them. "I've missed having another girl to talk to. Usually I'd be able to go to Fiona at a time like this but now it's like we're total strangers. I could barely get through inviting her to the party."

Daniela sighed and tucked a piece of her red hair back. "Fiona's probably still reeling from losing the house, but she'll come around. Give her some time."

"Maybe...but I'm not gonna wait anymore."

Suddenly determined, she pushed herself up and out of the room. Daniela's eyes trailed behind her before following. She heard Debbie addressing the room as she rounded into the living room.

"We can't keep waiting around for Fiona. Let's get this started."

"Where's Nick?" Asked Carl causing his sister frown.

"How should I know?"

Everyone watched his eyes zip around the house before a quiet realisation dawned on him.

"Shit. I gotta dip."

Debbie eyed him with disbelief. Any words she said fell on deaf ears as Carl rushed out in search of his friend. The others all shared a confused look. Not letting it affect her party even more, Debbie reached for one of the cupcakes filled with pink or blue frosting.

/

Debbie's party didn't last much longer after that. Carl's quick departure mixed with Erica's news that she was officially in remission put a damper on the event. The news that Debbie was having a girl managed to lift the mood for a little while. Daniela had congratulated her and stuck around for another hour before leaving.

Since it was the weekend, she made her way to her dad's. Her shoes slapped against the pavement as she walked her street. They came to a stop when she reached the old Gallagher house. She sucked in a breath and took it in.

Her mouth twisted as she stared up at it; a sense of sadness filling her chest. The new owners hadn't moved in, leaving her open to take full advantage of the moment.

Opening the gate, she sat on the porch steps. Her mind went back to all of the memories they had shared there. The house was like it's own living being, and not having it there anymore felt like they'd all lost a limb.

Daniela felt her phone buzz in her pocket and wiped at her damp cheeks.

"Finally," she answered with a smile. "I'm guessing your lack of texts means things went well last night?"

"Uh, yeah I'd say so." She could hear Ian grinning through the phone. "He took me to a nice restaurant and we ordered some aps."

"Aps?"

"Appetizers."

"Ahh...and?"

Ian made a noise and she guessed he was shrugging. "We didn't stay for long."

Daniela snorted. "You're a slut."

"No! No," Ian laughed. "He got called into work so I tagged along."

"Oh. Sounds exciting."

"It actually was." The conversation drifted to an end as Ian cleared his throat. "Anyway, enough about me. What are you doing?"

Daniela glanced behind her. "Uh, sitting on the front porch of your old house."

She heard Ian laugh quietly. "Really?"

"Yup." She shrugged. "I guess I've just been feeling a little sentimental lately."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's weird not having it to go back to."

"Yeah." Daniela's voice trailed off as they both got caught up in their own thoughts. Finally, she huffed. "Anyway, you wanna come over tonight? We can rent some movies, order pizza."

"As great as that sounds, I'm kinda on my way to Caleb's right now."

Daniela felt her grin grow. "Say no more!"

"Rain check?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, love you. Have fun!" Her teasing tone caused her best friend's booming laugh to echo in her ear before she hung up.

Daniela rose from the step and continued onward to her own house. As soon as she stepped through the door, she heard a distinctive bark. She smiled as Bruno rushed to greet her. The Beauceron's tail wagged excitedly as he sniffed her legs.

The woman dropped into a squat to pet him.

"Bruno!" Her father's voice called.

Daniela's eyes raised to see her dad exiting the lounge with a beer in hand.

"Hey dad." She moved to hug him. He accepted it before turning his attention back to the dog. Bruno had stuck close to Daniela and she could feel his tail hitting the back of her calf.

"Sit." Heeding her dad's order, Bruno rested on his bottom. His tongue poked out to lick Lawrence's hand as he rubbed his head. "Good dog."

Daniela eyed them with amusement. "I see the training's going well."

Her dad huffed a laugh. "Yeah, still trying to stop him from chewin' up my shoes though."

Smiling, Daniela followed him back into the lounge. Lawrence settled back into his armchair. His bottle rested on his armrest as he tuned back into the game on the tv.

"You had dinner yet?" Asked Daniela, settling into the adjacent sofa.

"Nah, I was gonna order something." Lawrence glanced at her. "Why, you hungry?"

She shrugged and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "I could eat."

Her dad nodded. He stood again and walked out to get the phone. A few minutes later, she heard him ordering pizza. Her legs folded beneath her as she gestured for Bruno to come over. He did so happily, tilting his head further into her hand as it ran against his coat.

Idly, she watched the game.

"Should be here in half an hour," said Lawrence. Returning to his armchair, he smiled at the sight of Bruno curled up on the floor in front of Daniela. "Jake stopped by the other day."

The woman's brow raised. "Yeah?"

The pair fell into conversation until the pizza arrived. Daniela was practically ravenous, having not eaten much at the reveal. Her dad laughed as he watched her devour her pizza slices in record time. She was too hungry to care.

Eventually, she drifted off while they watched an old 80s movie.

She awoke some time later covered in a blanket her dad had no doubt draped over her before he went to bed. The room was dark as she reached over to grab her phone. Her eyes squinted and she grimaced at the light.

According to her phone, it was around three in the morning. She had messages from Lip and Debbie, the latter thanking her for her offer but that she had decided to stick with Erica. Daniela's mouth twisted at that. She locked the phone and closed her eyes, hoping to drift back to sleep.

Her eyes snapped open.

She felt her body tense and a shocked gasp fell from her lips. Her eyebrows drew together to form a tight knot as she held her breath. Five seconds passed where she remained completely still.

Another sudden cramp tightened in her lower stomach.

Her breath hitched and she felt her heart race in fear. Carefully, she tried to sit up. Her teeth chattered as her body shook. As she stood, she felt something warm pool in her underwear.

Slowly, Daniela made her way to the stairs. Another cramp, more powerful than the others stopped her in her tracks. She released a muffled cry of pain. Her knees shook causing her to sit down on the bottom step.

"Dad..." she sobbed. The hot tears coated her cheeks as she tried to project her voice through them. "Dad!"

Her calls woke the man almost instantly.

She heard his footsteps rush out of his room and squinted again at the sudden light being switched on above her.

Lawrence halted. The worry in his expression worsened at the sight of Daniela crying at the bottom of the stairs. He took in the arm wrapped around her abdomen and the blood on her fingers. Quickly, he rushed down to her and cradled her head into his chest.

"It's okay. It's okay," he mumbled repeatedly.

Up close, however, he was able to connect the dots as to what was happening to his daughter. Daniela was inconsolable. She could barely make out the words to form a legible sentence as she clung to him. He stroked her hair before pulling away.

"I'm calling 911."


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A/N:

Hello!

So, following that last bit, it's becoming quite clear my true intentions for Daniela's pregnancy.

This was by no means a story choice that I decided on lightly. In fact, it was one of the biggest reasons that my hiatus was so long as I knew how serious and difficult it would be and I wanted to ensure that I handled it in a way that was truthful and respectful and in a way where I felt 100 per cent satisfied with what I put out.

This is a pivotal turning point in a story that I have mapped out to an end. I have no doubt that many of you will be disappointed and, even angry, at my decision but it was something I have had planned for years now. It is my sincere hope that I am able to give you the next chapters as soon as my mind will allow them.

I've spent the good portion of two and a half years researching this tragedy that is such a common occurrence for many women and, while I do not have first-hand experience and thus cannot truly understand it, I hope that I do this story point justice.

Thank you,

xx