Rae woke some time later, her back aching from sitting against the hard wall. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, confused as to what was leaning heavily against her side. Once she became aware of her surroundings, she realized Lip was still sleeping, his head pressed into her shoulder at an awkward and painful angle. She nudged him gently, startling him awake.
"What happened?" he asked, rubbing a hand tiredly over his face.
"You fell asleep," she said in a hushed tone. She wiggled her phone out of her pocket and saw four missed calls from Mandy, three from Mickey, and one from a number she didn't recognize. "It's three in the morning," she said as an afterthought. "Go back to sleep."
"I'm up now," Lip muttered, stretching his stiff limbs out in front of him. "What's wrong?" he noticed the way Rae stared at her phone. She was scanning over the text messages from Mickey.
"Nothing, had to have something taken care of, and it all went according to the plan," she said simply.
"Jesus, never knew you were in with them like that," he muttered when he happened to see Mickey's text. "Why're you in with them like that anyway?"
"They're not all bad," she said carefully. "Besides, Terry'll have the boys do anything for a quick buck."
"Sounds like him," Lip nodded. They lapsed into a comfortable silence after a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Rae was close to falling asleep again, when she heard footsteps approach. She looked up in time to see a nurse dressed in blue scrubs studying her.
"Sorry," she whispered, motioning to Lip, who was sleeping silently at her side again. "You're here for, uh, Lukas Quinn, right?"
"Yeah?" Rae shot to her feet too quickly, causing Lip to fall over with a grunt. Lip stared at her for a moment before his eyes landed on the nurse. "Is he okay?"
"You might want to sit down for thi-," the nurse started but Rae cut her off.
"Is he fucking okay? I already lost one kid in this fucking hospital, I'm not burying another sibling," she growled.
"What? No, Raelyn, he's okay, he's not dying," the nurse stammered. Rae's hands were curled into fists at her side and even Lip had to admit she looked terrifying with her face pinched up in an angry scowl. "No, I'm sorry, this is about…uh…about…" the nurse was trying to collect herself. Rae couldn't help but let out a laugh as she studied the paperwork in the woman's hands.
"Insurance? How the hell we're going to foot the bill?" Rae asked halfheartedly, snatching the clipboard out of her hand. She quickly checked off the boxes, something she could do in her sleep. They didn't have insurance and odds were, it would just be another medical bill in the never ending pile that never got paid. She handed the paperwork back to the nurse, a grim expression on her face.
"Work on your approach," Rae said lightly. "Don't tell someone to sit down unless someone is dying. Around here, not a lot of us have insurance. We're used to big numbers."
"Uh, thanks," the nurse said, her cheeks flushing.
"And next time, don't wake someone up for that, the paperwork can wait," Rae called as the nurse hurried away, clearly uncomfortable. Rae looked at Lip who had a comical expression on his face.
"You're intimidating sometimes," he laughed as Rae helped him to his feet.
"It's still early, I think we're safe to grab some air before they let us see them," she suggested. She needed a cigarette and to check in with Mandy anyway. She was certain Mandy would be pissed she was waking her up at 6 in the morning, but Rae didn't care.
The pair hurried outside, the icy wind waking them up before they even had a chance to light a cigarette. Lip gave Rae some space while she quickly dialed her friend.
"How's Luke?" Mandy's voice rang after the 2nd ring. "Is he…Is he okay?"
"He's okay," Rae said with a small smile. She could hear Mandy sigh with relief. "Did…uh, did Mickey say anything to you last night?"
"No, pops took him and the boys on a run late, but he didn't say anything when he came home. He passed out before his head even hit the pillow," Mandy said. Her tone told Rae all she needed to know.
"Good," Rae said softly, trying to keep the relief out of her voice. "I'll probably be here till they let Luke out. Haven't figured out what I'm going to do after that."
"You know there's always room for you here," Mandy said sincerely. Rae said a quick goodbye before joining Lip on the bench he had found close to the entrance. She shivered against the icy wind, her fingers freezing.
"Everything okay?" Lip asked, studying her face. She looked exhausted, but more than that, she looked scared, like she was afraid someone was going to hurt her.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," she nodded her head quickly. "Just worried about my brother."
"Yeah," Lip scrubbed his hand over his face. "They said Liam was stable last night, but god, I hate Fiona so much right now. He could have fucking died."
"Yeah," Rae nodded. She knew the feeling. She didn't know who she hated more. Melody for getting Lukas into this situation or Mitch for acting like things could have been worse, like it was no big deal.
"Kev's mad I'm not worrying about bailing her out of jail," Lip muttered. "He thinks I'm being an asshole, but…but," Lip stared blankly ahead, but Rae could see the tears threatening to spill over.
"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself," Rae said softly, taking his hand in hers. "I totally get it. If the tables were turned, I'd be doing the same exact thing."
Lip cleared his throat before continuing. "I just…I know it was an accident and everything…but fuck, he could have died…he almost fucking died." Tears that Lip had been fighting to hold back finally spilled over. Rae put an arm around him and pulled him in for a hug, her own tears welling in her eyes. "He could have died."
"Hey, hey, listen to me, he's going to be okay, you hear me? Liam's a Gallagher, you guys are all strong as fuck. He's going to be okay, Lip, I promise," she said softly, her tone reassuring Lip. She held him until she felt his breathing level out. When they broke apart, Lip quickly wiped the tears from his cheeks, a slight smile forming on his lips.
"Thanks," he whispered. Rae nodded slightly, taking a long drag from her cigarette. "I just wish Ian was here," Lip said suddenly. Rae turned to him, giving him a quizzical look.
"I can probably hunt his ass down if you'd like?" she offered. "I got a lead a few weeks back, I'm sure I can get someone to find him."
"No," Lip shook his head. "Me and Debs saw him last week…he didn't want to come home…" Lip sighed heavily. "We can't force him to."
"I sure as hell can," Rae said stubbornly. "Or rather, I know who can."
"Mickey?" Lip asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Mhm," she nodded. "Let's get through these next couple days, then I'll see what I can do. Mick's been a wreck since you came by and asked if he knew anything."
"Really?" Lip never really understood the relationship between Ian and Mickey. Ian was too good for the rough, angry hood. Yet somehow, those two seemed to balance one another out in ways only they could understand.
After another cigarette, the pair hurried inside, both eager to see their younger siblings. After some persistence, Rae was able to get the all clear to see Lukas. Over her shoulder, she saw that Lip had had some success too, as he was no longer lingering by the wall.
Rae spent the day sitting and talking with Luke, assuring him that he was safe and watching him slip in and out of a restless sleep. By late that afternoon, the doctors assured Rae that he was out of the woods and as soon as they were done running some final tests, he would be cleared to go home, as soon as the next morning. Thankfully, despite having left her siblings with their mother, Rae was going to be able to take Luke home, thanks to the court appointed guardianship. On the other side of the hospital, Lip wasn't having as much luck. With Fiona in jail, he was going to have to hunt down Frank before he'd be able to bring Liam home.
