Chapter 63.
I figured you deserved an early chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.
LIP.
It took three calls before he finally answered.
He had missed the first, and only began to stir from his sleep as the second came to an end. His hand had searched the mess that was his crumpled sheets until it made contact with his phone. In his groggy haze, he absently noted Daniela's name flashing on the screen.
Only when he answered, it hadn't been her that spoke, but her father.
The conversation that followed felt like his head had been shoved into a bucket of ice. Lip had quickly asked what was wrong. He knew something was. Why else would Lawrence be calling him.
Daniela's in the emergency room.
The man was unwilling to provide any further details and simply ordered him to get to the hospital as soon as he could.
Lip was already out the door by the time he hung up.
.
He burst through the hospital doors half-an-hour later; his eyes darting around the waiting room in search of them. Eventually, he spotted Lawrence and made a beeline for him.
"Where is she?" He asked immediately.
The older man blinked in acknowledgment of his arrival. "She's been taken in for an examination."
Lip frowned at that and began to pace. "What-what the fuck happened?"
"Look, son-" Lawrence paused. The younger man was clearly distraught and he was having a hard enough time internalising everything that had just happened. "She didn't tell me anything, but it doesn't look good."
"What the fuck does that mean?" Lip's voice rose.
Heaving a sigh, Lawrence took a seat. His hands gripped together and his elbows rested on his knees. His stare didn't waver from Lip as he did so; a silent sign that he was waiting for him to do the same. It took Lip a while before he eventually did. Even sat down, his knee bobbed up and down and the man beside him had to reign in the urge to physically stop it.
They weren't sure how long they sat there for. Each minute felt like an hour to Lip. He blew out a low breath as he noticed Lawrence shift. Following his line of sight, he saw a doctor approaching.
Lawrence stood instantly, with Lip following close behind to meet the woman halfway. As they grew closer, they saw the recognition dawn on her at the sight of the older man.
"Lawrence Kaufman," he said promptly. "I'm Daniela's dad."
"Is she okay?" Asked Lip immediately after.
The doctor eyed Lip carefully before turning her attention back to the man beside him. "Mr Kaufman, were you aware your daughter was pregnant?"
The question caused him to inhale. He nodded. "Not until an hour ago."
"Yeah, and I'm the father," interjected Lip once again.
That managed to catch the doctor's attention and both men noted the sudden shift in her expression.
"Perhaps, we should sit," she suggested, to which Lip shook his head.
"No, I don't wanna fuckin' sit just tell me what the fuck's happened."
"Hey," Lawrence warned but it was softened by understanding. He pleaded with the woman. "Please. We're just worried."
The doctor nodded with a swallow.
"Unfortunately, Daniela has suffered what we call an 'inevitable miscarriage'. It often occurs during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy and can present itself suddenly- often in the form of painful cervical cramps and heavy bleeding."
Lip's jaw clenched so tightly he was afraid his teeth would shatter from the pressure. He felt the blood rush to his ears, creating a white noise effect. The conversation between Daniela's dad and the doctor was muffled.
Is Daniela okay?
News like this is often difficult to process. She's lost a fair amount of blood but not enough to indicate any other health issues. I've examined her and much of the tissue has already been expelled but the sac is still present. I very briefly discussed her options for passing the remaining tissue but I believe it's a topic best saved for later. I've arranged for her to be placed upstairs. It's important that we monitor the bleeding for now until she makes her decision. I've prescribed her some medication to help with the abdominal pain.
"Can I see her?"
Both adults stopped and turned their attention to Lip. His eyes seemed far away as he found the doctor's. The woman's mouth thinned. Unsure, she glanced at Lawrence for permission.
He nodded.
"Of course," she said, releasing her breath. "Follow me."
Together, they headed toward the elevators. Nothing was said between them as they exited onto the general ward. Lip glanced into the occupied rooms, growing more anxious with each step.
The doctor stopped briefly to talk with the receptionist who pointed them in the direction of a room near the end of the hallway. Saying a quick thanks, they carried on.
"She's in the bed on the far left by the window," said the doctor outside the room. "The medication paired with her heightened emotions can mean she may not be totally responsive right away. I'll let you take it from here."
"Thank you," said Lawrence to which the woman offered him a sympathetic smile. He sighed and looked at Lip.
He was hesitant. They both were.
Lawrence rested a hand on his shoulder, causing their eyes to lock. "Come on."
With a long inhale, Lip nodded.
Given that the sun hadn't come out yet, there wasn't much light in the room. The curtains for the other beds were shut; their occupants no doubt asleep.
Lip glanced behind him, noticing Lawrence was a few steps away. As they rounded the half-pulled curtain, he finally caught sight of Daniela.
A knot formed in his brow and he felt himself exhale. She was asleep and Lip was quietly glad. He didn't know what he was going to say if she had been awake.
Carefully, he made his way to the left of the bed and dragged the empty chair as quietly and as close to her as possible. He slumped into it; his eyes never leaving her face. His elbows rested on the bed as he took hold of her hand. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed it gently.
She looked paler than usual and he supposed it was from the sudden blood loss. His jaw tightened again.
On the other side of the bed, Lawrence observed him closely.
He thought back to the first time they had met. It had been in the week following his release from prison. Daniela had planned a barbeque to celebrate- a simple family affair- as she'd described it. Lawrence didn't really want the fuss but allowed his daughter to plan it anyway.
When the day came, he and Jakob had been talking about different cuts of meat. Daniela's hesitant call had pulled his attention away to see her gesture for someone to follow her. It was then that he'd seen him.
The beer in Lawrence's hand had buckled slightly at the added pressure now being applied to it. His eyes lingered on the man who was now holding his daughter's hand. Judging by his expression, he was nervous and the notion caused him to grin.
"Who's this?" He'd asked.
"Dad...this is Lip."
"Gallagher," finished Lip. He held out his free hand. "Nice to meet you."
Lawrence had stared at the hand for a moment before shaking it. "And you." He stood back. "Dani's told me a lot about you."
At that, the younger man's brow raised. He glanced at Daniela who wore a tense smile.
"She has?"
"Mhm."
"How much?" Asked Lip, suddenly worried.
Lawrence simply shrugged, relishing in the way his nerves seemed to spike even more. He smiled around the neck of his beer bottle. Truthfully, he had only been told the basics. How he and Daniela had met, their initial tumultuous relationship followed by the sudden change when he began tutoring her.
"You want a beer?" He deflected.
Lip nodded gratefully. "Please."
Lawrence handed one to him and waited for him to take a sip. "So you're Frank's kid huh?"
"Yeah, unfortunately." Lip wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "You know him well?"
"Yeah," nodded Lawrence, chuckling to himself. "Used to hang around the shop back in the day with a plate for donations. Annoyed the shit out of my guys. Can't tell you how many times I had to kick his ass down the street."
Lip huffed a laugh. "Yep, that sounds like Frank."
Lawrence hummed and nodded his chin. "You close with your dad?"
"Nah." Lip shook his head instantly. "Can't stand him."
"Good."
Standing to the side, Daniela noticed the unspoken message being passed between them. Her heart pounded in her chest as her father's gaze lingered on Lip.
.
It had been the first test set by Lawrence and one that Lip had passed with flying colours.
After spending most of his daughter's life locked up, he had been incredibly wary of the younger man. The fact that he was a Gallagher hadn't sat well with him. That feeling lingered throughout the remainder of their brief interactions.
He certainly didn't trust him, and word of his reputation fuelled that distrust even more. For the sake of Daniela, he had relaxed slightly but he was certain Lip understood that if he hurt her, he'd have Lawrence to deal with.
And yet, as he watched him sat beside his sleeping daughter- Lip's hand wrapped gently around hers, Lawrence finally saw who he really was.
/
IAN.
Later that morning, Ian stepped out of the shower. He had spent the night with Caleb- the thought causing a small giddy smile as he began drying himself off.
Once he was dressed, he headed into the kitchen area of the condo. Caleb was spooning cereal into his mouth. His eyes were glued to an article he was reading as Ian got to work making his own breakfast.
"Your phone's been going off," said Caleb absently. "Some guy called Lip?"
Ian took his time grabbing it. Lazily, he checked it; a frown forming when he saw three missed calls from his brother along with several texts.
Call me back ASAP
Ian pressed the call button and wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder. He carried his cereal back to the bed and began pulling his socks on while he waited.
"Lip, what's up." His words were muffled by his simultaneous chewing.
"Hey, you think you could come to the hospital?"
Ian froze. He trepidation in his brother's voice caused concern to build in his own chest. He grabbed the phone from his shoulder and gripped it tightly.
"What happened? Is it El?"
Lip's voice was thick. "She um..." Unable to finish the sentence, he took a long breath and cleared his throat. "Look can you just get here please?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm on my way."
"Thank you."
Hanging up, Ian kicked into action. Disregarding the cereal he had barely touched, he grabbed his coat and keys and made a beeline for the door.
Caleb frowned as he watched him speed past. "Everything okay?"
"Not really," said Ian. He paused long enough to kiss Caleb on the cheek. "I'll text you."
"Oh, okay. Bye-"
.
Ian stepped out of the elevator. His eyes darted around in search of his brother before spotting him at the end of the hall. Lip was walking back and forth in front of the room, wringing his hands.
Ian jogged to him.
"Lip!"
His brother's eyes met his and Ian saw that they were red. Lip said nothing. The redhead released a breath and pulled his body into his. Immediately, he felt Lip's fists curl into his jacket and held him tighter.
They stayed like that for as long as he needed it.
Lip eventually pulled away. He returned to the wall and leaned against it.
His head tilted back as Ian joined him.
"She in there?"
Lip shook his head. "Nah, doc took her away for surgery."
Ian frowned. "Surgery?"
"Yeah, just to clean out the leftover tissue."
"Fuck."
The pair drifted into a tense silence. Ian watched his brother out of the corner of his eye, noting how he couldn't seem to stand still.
"I should've been there," he finally said; his inner turmoil spilling over. "I should've been there when it happened."
Ian shook his head. "You couldn't have known. And it's not something you should beat yourself up about."
"Doesn't mean I won't."
Sighing, Ian pushed off of the wall and squeezed his brother's shoulder.
"You call Fiona?" He asked after a beat.
Lip shook his head. He needed a smoke. Maybe something even stronger.
"She's got her own shit going on."
Ian pulled out his phone. Lip said nothing, choosing instead to just stand and listen to his brother relay what had happened to their sister.
Hanging up, Ian sighed.
"She's caught up at work but she's gonna call you later." He shoved his hands back into his pockets.
Lip simply nodded. His fingers twitched, aching for a cigarette.
"Come on," he said, pushing off of the wall.
Ian frowned at the sudden urgency. "Where are we going?" His eyes followed Lip's back as it headed back towards the elevator.
"I need a smoke."
/
CARL.
He wasn't sure why he had made the decision to come.
Word travelled through their family fast. They had all gotten the text from Lip that Daniela was now back at home. And, for some reason, his feet had carried him to her doorstep before he could even make sense of it.
Her brother had let him in and he noticed the man's quiet observation of his appearance. Carl didn't really care and just headed up the stairs as directed.
He approached her room slowly, feeling the anxiousness brew in his chest. Through the crack of the open door, he saw his brother.
Lip was hunched forward in the desk chair he'd placed next to the bed. His chin rested on his closed fists as he just watched the woman lying in front of him. Carl swallowed, suddenly feeling like he was intruding.
"Hey," he said, quietly announcing his presence.
Lip's head swivelled to look at him. The permanent frown on his face softened. "Hey, man."
Carl took a step into the room and looked around; his stare eventually settling on a sleeping Daniela.
"She okay?"
Lip nodded but his face implied otherwise. "She will be."
Carl shuffled on foot. Silence blanketed the room and he had no idea how to break it. He'd never been the best at talking- especially in times like this.
His eyes found Daniela again before quickly diverting; the sight causing an uncomfortable amount of emotion. It had been a difficult enough week for him already.
"I heard you helped Fiona buy back the house," said Lip. "Where'd you get the money?"
"You don't wanna know."
Lip laughed and shook his head. "You're probably right."
Reaching into his jacket pocket, Carl pulled out an envelope. He crossed the room and held it out for Lip. His brother eyed him and the envelope warily before accepting it. He weighed it in his hand. It was thick and he didn't need to inspect it too closely to know what was inside.
"What's this for?"
Carl shrugged. "Figured you might need it." He shoved his hands back into his pockets. "Hospital bills and shit."
"You don't want it?"
"Nah."
"Alright," nodded Lip. "Well, thank you."
Carl's head bobbed, still uncomfortable. He registered Lip standing up and the subsequent hug he was soon pulled into. Neither expected Carl to return it so quickly. He felt Lip press a kiss to the top of his head as the younger boy slowly pulled away.
He wiped at his nose.
"I'll see you at home." He cast one last look at the bed before walking out.
Lip exhaled slowly and opened the envelope. His brow raised at the sight of various hundred dollar bills held together with a rubber band. He shook his head, huffing a short laugh.
His attention snapped to Daniela who was now beginning to stir. Lip placed the envelope down on her dresser and returned to his seat.
Daniela released a quiet noise of discomfort. Her eyes were clenched slightly as she moved to sit up.
"Hey, hey." Lip's arms found hers.
The woman's eyes blinked open to finally take him in. Her brain was still fuzzy from sleep and it took a moment before she registered she was in her room. Lip acknowledged her furrowed brow and responded by gently stroking her temple.
Daniela didn't say anything. She had barely talked the whole day.
Lip remained patient; quietly soothing her.
"You hungry?"
She shook her head. "No thanks."
"Some water then?" Lip grabbed the glass from the bedside table.
Daniela accepted it with a nod. Her head tilted back as she downed half of it within a few seconds.
"Was that Carl?" She asked. The voices had pulled her out of her sleep.
Lip nodded and took the empty cup from her.
"Yeah. He just stopped in to see how you were."
A more pensive expression worked its way onto Daniela's face. She breathed in a sigh, feeling her throat constrict at the motion.
Her body was exhausted.
She stared up at Lip. Her hand came up to cover the one he had placed against her head. Lip swallowed, his mouth thinning as Daniela gently urged him to join her.
He did so willingly and sucked in a breath as Daniela buried her head into his chest. Her eyes shut again as the sound of her heart filled her ear.
Lip's fingers tangled in her hair.
Neither said a word as they just laid there holding each other.
/
MANDY
She should have gone around as soon as she got the message that Daniela was home.
Fuck the fact that she'd just clocked in to work when it came through. She couldn't give two shits about Waffle Cottage. It's not like they were paying her enough to warrant showing up. The only thing that made the shit-hole of a place bearable was Daniela.
She'd been a fucking mess the whole night.
Plates had been slammed down, drinks had been spilled, and she'd yelled at more than three different people in one hour alone. It got to the point where she finally said 'fuck it' and skipped out on her break an hour early.
She didn't care.
She'd sat out the back of the diner clutching a cigarette between her knuckles as she furiously typed back and forth with Simon. He had been there at the house talking to Lip and Daniela; the latter of which he reported as being almost robotic. Mandy had muttered a vicious curse at that and flicked the ash from her cigarette.
Fuck this fucking job.
She was in one of two minds- the first telling her to just leave and go and see her and the second telling her to stay put and visit her in the morning. The second voice sounded oddly like Daniela.
So Mandy had relented.
.
It was barely eight when she got there the next day.
She didn't care.
Her knuckles rapped against the door semi-impatiently. A minute later, it swung open to reveal Lawrence.
Mandy nodded cordially. "Morning."
The man sighed and returned it. "Mandy."
Stepping to the side, he gestured for her to come inside. She did; her eyes moving to the stairs.
"She up there?"
"Yeah. Lip's with her."
Mandy nodded again. Her hands hung in her pockets as she remained in place. Noticing her hesitation, Lawrence frowned.
"Are you going up?"
Her eyes snapped to his. "Yeah," she said unconvincingly.
The man seemed to understand her reluctance and sighed. "She's okay."
"You sure about that?" Scoffed Mandy. She instantly regretted it.
She didn't want to seem disrespectful- especially to him. After the shit her dad and uncle- hell, her whole family- had put him through and the tensions that still lingered between them, the last thing Mandy wanted to do was piss off Lawrence Kaufman.
He didn't seem to mind too much and just sighed.
"She'll be happy to see you."
Mandy chewed on her lip. She didn't want to suffocate Daniela anymore than she probably already was. Regardless, she knew Lawrence was right, and she selfishly wanted to see her too.
"Alright."
She headed upstairs, passing the bathroom where she heard the shower running. As she stepped into Daniela's room, she saw Lip pulling on a shirt.
Mandy grimaced.
"Oh hey," said Lip once he spotted her.
Mandy nodded her chin in greeting and moved to sit in Daniela's desk chair. Her mouth thinned at seeing how bad Lip looked. She watched as he packed up a few books into his backpack.
Her brow raised. "Going somewhere?"
"I have to run into school to drop off an assignment." Lip didn't sound too pleased with having to leave his girlfriend so soon.
Mandy hummed. "Daniela in the shower?"
Lip nodded. "I was gonna wait until she got out to leave but I've gotta be there in an hour and the next train in leaves in 15."
"Go then," shrugged Mandy. "I don't have anything planned for the rest of the day."
Lip paused, internally weighing up her offer. Glancing at his phone, he cursed.
"Shit, yeah okay. I gotta go." He hiked his bag over his shoulder. "Thanks Mandy."
The woman nodded and watched him leave. She blew out a breath and stood from her chair. Idly, she wandered around the room. She heard the water turn off and figured Daniela would be out soon.
As she rounded to the other side of the bed, she spotted something poking out from under the pillow. She grabbed it.
Her stomach sank.
It was an ultrasound scan.
Fuck.
She wasn't sure how long she stood there staring at it for.
Daniela, freshly dressed from her shower, came to a stop when she saw her. Mandy sensed her presence almost instantly. She peered over her shoulder.
"Lip leave already?" Asked Daniela, suddenly unsure of herself.
Mandy nodded. She watched the other woman hang her towel up on the back of the door. Daniela tugged on the sleeves of her shirt and sat on the end of her bed.
Mandy did the same.
Neither said anything until she broke the silence.
"You wanna talk about it?"
Daniela blinked, her mouth twisting. "Not really."
Mandy nodded again, allowing the silence to resume. She snuck glances at her friend out of the corner of her eye.
Daniela's attention remained straight ahead. She was clearly lost in her own thoughts but there was no denying the grief on her face.
Mandy sucked in a tense breath.
Slowly, she wound her arm around the other woman and pulled her body against her side. Immediately, Daniela's head tilted to lean on her shoulder. Then her shoulders began to shake.
Mandy wiped at her own cheek as Daniela's arms encircled her waist. The sound of her sobs grew more pronounced. To muffle them, she turned her head to bury into her friend's neck.
Mandy's jaw clenched. Her own breathing was shaky as she tightened her hold on Daniela. She didn't bother doing away with the fresh tears now rolling down her face.
Instead, she held onto Daniela, hoping that it would soothe her.
She hated this.
She hated seeing her like this.
Since they'd met, the one thing she'd always admired about her was how tough she was. Despite all the shit life threw at her, Daniela would always get back. Looking back, Mandy couldn't begin to imagine how her life would have turned out without the woman sobbing against her.
She was her best friend.
I would kill for this bitch.
She almost had.
Mandy reigned in her anger at the sudden reminder of Karen. She knew being angry over something that happened years ago would do nothing to help Daniela.
Her hand found its way into Daniela's hair. She stroked it gently, resting her own head atop hers. Her heart ached each time she felt her body shake with fresh tears or whenever her breath chocked on a sob.
This isn't fair.
But there was nothing Mandy could do to fix it.
So she just held her.
.
.
Thank you to those who left comments on the last chapter. I was so anxious but I enjoyed reading your opinion on what happened.
Not a lot of Daniela in this one as I wanted to focus on those around her.
Let me know what you thought x
