Chapter Twelve: An Incomplete Puzzle

"That's impossible," I tell Dr. Fairfax as soon as my senses have returned to me, and I find that I am shaking my head at her. "Totally impossible. I cannot be pregnant."

Dr. Fairfax pursed her lips. "If this was a urine test, Murphy, then there would be room for error but, as I'm sure you know, blood doesn't lie."

I sighed, hating that she was right. "Shit," I whispered to myself, putting my head into my hands and feeling absolutely terrible. "This cannot be happening right now..."

"Do you have any idea who the father is?"

I pulled my face up from my hands. "I have an idea..."

"Okay," she said.

"...between two different guys," I replied.

"So, you really don't have any idea?" she said impatiently.

I sighed. "I'm telling you the truth here. It could be one of two guys, of that I'm positive. The third guy I've been with...he always used a condom and was...meticulous."

Dr. Fairfax sighed. "Fine. What's your relationship to these men?"

I rolled my eyes. "One was that...boyfriend...I told you about," I replied. "The other guy was a one-night stand."

"Are you still with the boyfriend?"

I shook my head. "No. Like you said, blood doesn't lie..."

"Murphy?"

I rolled my shoulders. "Turned out he was my brother."

Dr. Fairfax looked disturbed. "And the other boy?"

"The ex-boyfriend of my twin half-brother," I replied. "I went down to Mexico after I got the news of who my biological family was and went to a tequila bar. Once there, I proceeded to get so drunk that I had to pray to the fucking porcelain gods. After that, I drove back to the border to make sure I got back to work on time for Monday."

"But you're sure you had sex with this boy?"

I sighed. "Fragments of the night come to mind. We did...have sex," I replied. "But we were both in mourning at the time... He for my brother, me for...my brother..."

"No wonder you're a Gallagher," Dr. Fairfax muttered, writing something down on what looked like prescription pad.

"Excuse me?!" I demanded.

"This is good for two weeks," she said, ripping off the piece of paper and handing it over to me quickly, almost as if she didn't want to touch me. "If it turns out your unborn child isn't your brother's baby, and you don't wish to seek a termination, this is for prenatal vitamins. Now," she went on, totally disregarding my attempts to speak, "I have many more appointments today—it was a generous miracle that we were able to squeeze you in at all. Run along now, Miss Gallagher," she said, sneering my surname.

I felt as if I'd been stabbed in the chest as I clutched the piece of paper to my heart and got out of there, stumbling slightly as I went. I felt numb then, knowing what she meant—if, for some reason, this baby was Lip's, I would have to get an abortion. I knew why, of course—modern medicine made it possible to know that your child could be majorly disabled if caused by an incestuous relationship. Pushing the thought from my mind, I managed to make my way to the waiting room, and from there, to the hospital parking garage and into my car.

I set my purse down on the passenger seat, shaking slightly as I gripped the steering wheel in front of me, feeling the urge to run again. I felt a sob escape my throat then as I leaned down onto my steering wheel, the sound quickly morphing into a wail as I put my free hand onto my stomach. "Fuck," I whispered then, the tears blinding my vision so much that I had to shut my eyes for the impact. "Why?" I whispered, lowering my face to my stomach and, when I could see again, opened my eyes. "Why does something so precious have to be taken away from me, something I didn't know I would ever want?"

I felt my voice breaking then, and I dashed the tears from my eyes then as I started up my car and drove out of there. Blindly, I drove to the station across town, Ian's workplace, knowing that, in that moment, I needed my brother and my best friend. Pulling up outside, I parked in the adjacent lot and dashed inside, gripping my purse and doing my best not to cry. I went up to the front desk then, waiting for someone to come and help me.

"Do you have an emergency?" a heavyset woman asked, stepping forward.

"I... I guess so," I replied, shaking my head. "I'm looking for my brother. Is he here?"

"That depends," the woman replied, crossing her arms. "Who's your brother?"

"Ian Gallagher," I replied.

The woman looked me over. "You don't look like Fiona or Debbie."

I rolled my eyes and pulled out the temporary documentation again. "I'm Ian's twin sister—I was adopted at birth and so my name now is Scarlett Davies, but I'm in the process of changing it back to Murphy Gallagher. Now, there's a family emergency," I said, my voice filled with desperation. "May I please see my brother?"

The woman sighed, reaching beneath the counter and withdrawing a visitor pass. "Be quick about it," she said, nodding to an employee door in the back.

Feeling relieved, I dashed through the lobby area and burst into the employee door, much to the surprise of people in there. I looked around, frantic, until I saw Ian, who immediately came towards me and looked concerned.

"Ian, I'm sorry, I needed to see you..."

"Everything okay here?" asked one of Ian's co-workers.

"Yeah, sorry. This is my sister."

"Hi, there," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "Is there some place we can talk for a few minutes, Ian? It's important...about my appointment..."

Immediately, Ian excused himself, putting an arm around me and leading me outside to the back of the building, shutting the door behind him. "What did the doctor say?"

I sighed. "Something is different about me, Ian..."

"We can figure it out, Murph. Promise. We'll do whatever we can to make sure this goes smoothly and goes away—"

"Ian," I said, cutting across him. "It's not something that goes away...for nine months, if I decide to keep things the way they are," I said quietly.

"Nine months...? Murph," Ian said, looking shocked. "Are you...?"

"Pregnant? Yeah," I replied. "According to Dr. Fairfax, who, by the way, apparently has a beef with us Gallagher's," I said, shaking my head. "Fucking bitch tried to make it seem like a was a fucking whore..."

"Wait, Murph," Ian said, pulling me back around so that I was facing him. "Are you really pregnant, or is this a joke?"

I sighed. "It's not a joke," I whispered. "And I'd already be at a fucking clinic right now waiting in line if it wasn't for the obvious..."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "If I knew for sure that Lip was the father, I'd already be at the abortion clinic," I told him, my voice barely above a whisper.

"But you're not sure?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm not sure. But I can tell you that it's not Nicholas's baby. Too soon to tell for that, and he always used a condom, so..."

Ian's dark gaze grew even darker then as he fully absorbed what I was saying. "Murph, you told me you weren't sure of what happened in Mexico..."

"It comes in flashes," I told him quietly.

"Murph..."

I sighed, tears forming in my eyes again. "This wasn't supposed to happen," I said desperately to him, my voice shaking. "You know I wouldn't ever want to hurt you, but he and I were hurting too and there was the tequila..."

"Shit," Ian replied, walking a few steps away from me. He walked to the edge of the buildings' property then, and just screamed for a few seconds before turning back to look at me. "It could be Mickey's baby?" he demanded.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Shit," Ian said again.

"And you know how much I've wanted children," I said. "You've seen me with Franny, and I've told you more than once how much I wanted this link to me—"

"Well, I didn't need another fucking link to Mickey Milkovich in my life, Murph, but you've pretty much screwed the pooch on that one!" Ian screamed back, dragging his hands through his hair. "I mean, shit, next thing I know you'll be telling me that if it's Mickey's baby, you're not going to get an abortion!"

I just stared at him then, feeling the tears creating lines down my cheeks. I couldn't say anything, and yet the answer was written all over my face, and lurked just beneath the surface of my eyes. I couldn't say it, although it was all there.

"Oh, god," Ian said, seeing my expression and turning away. "God dammit..."

I sighed then, lowering my eyes. "If you can't accept that, Ian—which I can understand, really, I do understand—then I'll leave."

Ian's head snapped to look at me. "What?"

I looked back up at him. "I'll move out," I replied, thinking that it was silly, as I'd barely been living with him for three days, and now this mess had happened. "I'll go find another apartment or something. I won't contact any members of the family—hell, I'll even stop the process of my fucking name change. I won't do anything but raise my baby by myself—"

Ian cuts me off then by running to me then, pulling me against him so tightly that I fear not even the jaws of life could separate us. "Dammit, Murph," he said into my hair. "You're not going anywhere; do you understand me?"

"Ian—"

"No," he said, his voice becoming unhinged. "A part of me always felt like it was missing and goddammit, I'm not going to lose it again," he said, pulling back and looking down at me. "You are my fucking twin, and you're not leaving me again."

"But—"

"No buts," he said firmly. "If it's Lip's baby, you'll get an abortion, and I'll support you. If it's Mickey's baby, you get an abortion, you put it up for adoption, or you can keep it. It's your choice, Murph."

I sighed. "If it's Mickey's baby, Ian, then I want to keep it," I whispered.

Ian nodded. "I know," he replied.

"Are you okay with that?"

He sighed. "I loved Yevgeny," he replied. "Who's to say I can't love another one of Mickey Milkovich's children?"

. . .

Feeling relieved about Ian's support, I got back into my car a short time later and found my phone in my purse. I fumbled with it for a moment before I went to my contacts, finding Lip's number and pressing the call icon. I placed the phone next to my ear, listening to the rings and hoping that he would take the call.

"What do you want, Murph?" he asked, and I was surprised that he was actually using my new name so quickly.

"Lip, I'm sorry—I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now," I said, hoping I didn't sound so hopeless. "But something came up and I need to speak with you right away. Can we meet for coffee, please? It's important."

Lip sighed. "You are the last person I want to talk to right now, Murph," he replied, regret peppering his tone. "But, like it or not, you're my sister—families talk. Meet me at the house in twenty minutes, okay?"

"No problem," I replied, hanging up. I texted Rachel, letting her know that I would be slightly delayed in coming back from lunch, but that it had to do with my doctor's appointment. As I drove, Rachel replied, letting me know that she had informed Allie and that she had been very understanding about it. I also reminded Rachel that, for alternating days, I would be picking up Liam from school, and Rachel told me she remembered.

I arrived back at the house within fifteen minutes, getting out of the car and locking up before crossing to the gate. I walked through the yard, hearing a groan from one of the open windows as I went up the stairs and onto the porch. Keys gripped in my hand, I let myself inside, seeing that the glass was smashed on the back door, and who I assumed was Frank was passed out in the center of the living room. I rolled my eyes, shutting the front door behind me just loud enough for him to swear, effectively waking up and clutching his head.

"Goddammit Frank," I said, walking into the living room. I reached down and proceeded to haul him up onto the couch. "You really need to think about how your lifestyle choices are affecting this family."

Frank rubbed his eyes, opening them up to look at me. "Shit," he said, straightening up then as he got a good look at my face. "Monica always said there were two of you, but I always thought that was the PCP talking..."

I blinked, staring at Frank. "What are you talking about?"

"You're Murphy," he said, pointing at me, and I felt my jaw dropping at he said those words. "I mean, when your wife is crying about someone in their sleep for half a dozen years, you begin to remember things..."

I found I was barely able to move. "So, you're saying you knew about me?" I demanded, and suddenly found myself picking up Frank by his collar. "You both fucking knew about me and never tried to fucking find me?!"

"Murph!" Lip called from the door, leaving it open and coming into the living room then, prying my fingers off of Frank's shirt. "What the fuck did you say to her, Frank?!" Lip demanded, and Frank laughed, cheap whiskey and beer filling our nostrils.

"Oh, so Scarlett was the adopted name!" he said, laughing. "This is the girl you're in love with, isn't it, son?"

"Shut up, Frank," Lip said.

"Pretty big fuck up, considering she's your sister!"

Lip immediately smacked Frank across the face. "I told you to shut up!"

"Lip!" I screamed.

Frank just kept on laughing, turning to look at me. "I've seen that look before—that look of fear and confusion," he went on, and I felt Lip's eyes on me then. "Your mother always had that look whenever she was going to tell me she was pregnant."

I felt myself going white then as I felt myself shaking. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Frank," I replied.

"Don't I?" Frank asked, trying to sit up. "You're pregnant, Murphy. You're pregnant, and that's why you're here, right? To tell Lip that he's going to be a father?!"

Another smell combination of the whiskey and beer filled my nose, causing me to wobble on my feet and bile to rise in my throat. "Stop it," I said, feeling my resolve weakening.

"Oh, come on," Frank said, putting a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Another Gallagher wouldn't be so bad to have..."

"Don't touch her!" Lip said, shoving Frank away from me.

"Hey," Frank said, throwing up his hands. "Can't help it if you fell for your brother and fucked him, and now that there's a child on the way..."

"Stop it!" I cried, the aroma becoming too much for me as I ran from the room and into the bathroom, locking myself in. I ran to the toilet in the small space, falling to my knees and retching into it, my yogurt and granola from breakfast that morning coming up completely as I could still smell the alcohol on Frank's breath.

"Murph!" Lip cried out, banging on the bathroom door behind me. "Murph! Are you okay in there? Answer me, please!"

Shakily, once the worst of it was over, I got to my feet and flushed the toilet. I gripped onto the bathroom counter, staring at myself in the mirror. My face was slightly thinner, due to my lack of eating because of the stress over the last few weeks. My eyes were hollow from my body's refusal to let me sleep, and I shook my head, leaning down to rinse out my mouth, thankful that vomit wasn't caked to any of my clothes.

I unlocked the door then, seeing Lip standing there as I managed to fish a piece of gum from my pocket and began to chew it. "I'm fine," I replied, stepping out of the bathroom, seeing that Frank was sleeping on the couch.

"How'd you like our dear old dad?" Lip asked sarcastically.

I sighed. "Too soon, Lip."

"Got it," he replied as I went into the kitchen to wash my hands. "Is that why you wanted to meet, Murph?" he asked, and I felt myself tense as we'd migrated back to the main subject. "Did you want to tell me that you're pregnant?"

I sighed, turning around, gripping a towel in my hand. "Yeah, I figured you had a right to know, considering you're a candidate for the father."

Lip nodded, arms crossed, leaning up against the wall. "But Mickey's the other candidate for the father, right?"

I nodded. "Right. Which is why I met Ian first..."

"To have it out with him?"

I sighed, replacing the towel. "You could say that... I have a plan," I said, and placed a hand onto my belly.

"What kind of plan?"

I bit my lip, looking up at my brother. "Lip, you know as well as I do that, if it is your baby, it could be seriously disabled, due to the similar genes. So, if it does turn out to be your child, I'm going to...terminate pregnancy."

Lip nodded. "I understand. And if it's Mickey?"

"If it's Mickey's baby, I'm keeping it," I replied. "I've spoken to Ian about it, and he's supportive of that."

"Are you going to tell Mickey?"

I sighed. "I'm going to clear my schedule this weekend to drive down to the border and into Mexico to see him," I said quietly. "Or, rather, to see if I can find him. If he's going to be a father again because of our stupidity, then I need to let him know, if I can find him. If I can find him..." I said again, realizing how hopeless I sounded.

"I don't know what you want me to say right now," Lip replied.

I sighed again, leaning against the counter. "Just hope that you're not going to be a father, Lip, because I've always wanted to be a mother. And just hope that Mickey's the one whose number is up, because, despite my age, I want to be a mother..."

"So, you told Ian, and me, and Frank just knew?"

I sighed. "Aren't parents supposed to know these things?"

Lip smirked. "Maybe. But not bad ones."

I found the courage to laugh at that. Then, as I stared at Lip from across the kitchen, I said, in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry."

Lip gave a slight nod. "Yeah. Me too."

I rolled my shoulders, finding that I put a protective hand upon my stomach. "As soon as I know for sure..."

Lip gave another nod. "Sure, sure."

I gave him a tight smile; we weren't quite to the brother-sister relationship yet, I knew that, and Lip knew that. However, I thought, one day, we could be. Meeting Frank had shifted something within us that day, and now that I knew Frank and Monica knew about me, I wanted to get to the bottom of it. However, due to his heavy snoring, I knew I'd have to wait just a little bit longer to solve the mystery.

. . .

Judge Whitmore's agreement to delay the verdict for another week and a half came with strings attached, and those strings included us managing to buckle down Jasmine Jones for a meeting. I was pleased when Nicholas said that he would handle the arrangements, and I knew that he was waiting for me to come to Tim's office to ward off stress, but I couldn't do that, not anymore, now that recent developments prevented me from reckless decision-making. I wrote an email to Allie, requesting a one-on-one meeting for Friday and, thankfully, she'd cleared a few minutes before end-of-day to see me.

"Is everything all right, Murphy?" she asked, and I was pleased that she had really committed to calling me by my birth name.

I sighed. "Things will be all right, Allie, in time."

Allie leaned forward then. "Murphy, what aren't you telling me?" she asked.

I sighed, knowing that I absolutely had to come clean about this to Allie; she had done so much for me in so little time, and she deserved the truth. "I'm pregnant," I replied.

"Oh, goodness," Allie said. "Is it Nicholas's?"

Immediately, I felt myself flush. "Wh...what?" I asked.

Allie smiled. "Darling, I'm not blind."

I lowered my eyes. "No, it couldn't be Nicholas's. We used protection."

Allie nodded. "So, you and Nicholas, you weren't...?"

"We're not together," I replied, looking back up at her. "And this was before him. This was also before I knew who I was—and so mistakes were made..."

"Mistakes?"

I bit my lip. "I need you not to judge me, okay, Allie? I mean, when we don't know a lot of information about a case, we're inclined to think a certain way, right?"

Allie nodded again. "Of course."

"Well, it turns out that the guy I was seeing...was my brother," I replied, and Allie looked shocked at my declaration. "I didn't know, of course, and he didn't know. And since he was my first...well, guy, and now, it looks like he might be the father..."

"Might be?"

I nodded. "Yeah. When I first found out who my family was, I kind of went off the rails like my twin brother did one time and went down to Mexico, where I had way too much tequila to drink and had a one-night-stand."

Allie reached across the desk. "Oh, Murphy, I'm so sorry."

I nodded, dashing the tears from my eyes with my free hand. "It'll be fine, even though the guy I was with in Mexico was the ex-boyfriend of my twin brother."

"Oh, my," Allie whispered.

"So, now I have to tell the father," I replied, "or the candidate for the father. I'm driving down there this weekend to see if I can find him."

Allie clasped my hand then. "Anything you need..."

I sighed. "If... If it turns out that my brother is the biological father, I might need a couple of days to just take care of things and to grieve..."

Allie nodded. "Of course. Completely understandable."

I smiled. "Thanks. My doctor told me that she should know in a few weeks."

Allie smiled back. "That's good."

I sighed. "Very good. I want the results to be read and read quickly so that I can plan accordingly and, hopefully, go from here a better person."

"You're already a better person, Murphy, for just getting out in front of this and making the preliminary arrangements," Allie replies. "I know things will work out the way that they're supposed to, in the end."

I smiled. "I hope so, Allie. I really hope so."

. . .

My plan was a simple one, but actually executing it may be more difficult than I originally anticipated. With my duffel in the back of my car, I drove the day-plus drive down south to the border, with all my necessary documentation. It was actually finding Mickey that would prove to be the issue, I reasoned with myself as I drove. Truth be told, I'd stumbled on him by accident in that roadside tequila bar, and the night, which had finally managed to come back to me over the last couple of days, was no short of devastating...

"You do love him," I say, nodding to myself.

"No shit," Mickey replies, in that same bitter tone, unbuttoning his shirt and revealing a crude etching of Ian's name, minus one 'L'.

"You know, of course, that Gallagher—"

"Ian told me when I showed him."

I reached out then, tracing the crude lettering. "It's over your heart," I say, moved by the notion of the meaning it held.

"Yeah," Mickey replied, not slapping my hand away.

"I'm sorry," I say, my speech halting, due to my drunkenness, as I raised my eyes to Mickey's, and moved to tear my hand away from Ian's name.

Mickey caught me by the wrist then, keeping my hand over his heart. "It's okay."

"Mickey..."

"What?"

I shake my head at him, not caring that we are around a million people, who, thankfully, are each wrapped up in their own lives. "Don't do this."

"It's the next best thing—"

"Do you hear yourself right now?" I whispered, looking at him desperately. "We're each broken inside because we can't be with the ones we love. We can't just fix it—not like this, anyway. If you knew... If you knew the real story..."

"You don't have to tell me," he said. "You don't have to tell me, Scarlett. I've figured it out, so you don't need to say it."

I feel my resolve weakening as I stare at him then, wanting so badly to tear my hand away, but also wanting to fix my pain, no matter now temporary it was. "We can't."

"Why not?"

"Because you love Ian..."

"You love somebody too, Scarlett. Who do you love?"

"Lip," I whispered, shutting my eyes and feeling the tears fall. "I love Lip."

"Sounds like your shit you want to forget is even more complicated than mine," Mickey puts in, and my eyes snap open then. "Isn't it?"

"Fucking complicated," I whisper to him, and, even though I know I should, I don't stop it when Mickey Milkovich inches closer to me. "But this is not the way, Mickey—you know that, and I know that. It won't stop the pain; in fact, it could hurt a shit ton of other people..."

"I know that, and you know that," Mickey replied. "But, like I said, it could turn out to be the next best thing. Besides, Ian said running wasn't his thing anymore... Is it your thing now, Scarlett? Running?"

I lowered my eyes. "Mickey..."

"Scarlett, you're an adult," he said, and I raised my eyes to his then. "A fucking adult, with wants and needs—god knows I am."

"But Mickey, what if we—?"

"Stop overanalyzing this," Mickey said, growing impatient then as he dragged me towards him and kissed me.

I thought of all the pain and suffering I'd gone through in my life, and suddenly, my mind drifted away from Lip and to Jessica. I'd never said a proper goodbye to her—a solo goodbye—and had kept my distance ever since Dr. Normal had caught us together. Yes, I loved Jessica, and due to circumstances, we'd fallen into each other's laps, but in love? I didn't know, and as Mickey kissed me then, I knew he was thinking of his lost love as well. And as I allowed him to take me from the bar and into the back of the establishment—no prying eyes following us and no shouts telling us to return to our seats—Mickey and I attempted to recreate something that had been taken from us. And although we knew it was wrong, and although we were drunk off our asses, it had happened, and nothing could ever take it back...

I was permitted across the border and drove through easily, finding my way along the road for a time until I found the tequila bar. I knew that it was the best bet—perhaps, like Kevin, the bartender would be familiar enough with his clientele to let me know where he thought Mickey was hiding. I parked in the lot and got out of my car, and began talking towards the entrance of the place when a lone plume of smoke from the other side of the building distracted me. I walked towards it, the familiar aroma of the cigarettes Ian smoked filling my lungs as I stepped closer, and saw Mickey standing there, staring out at the wide, open space of land in front of us.

"Hey, there, Mick," I said.

Mickey froze for a moment, turning around to face me then. "Scarlett."

I shook my head. "Murphy," I replied.

"What?" he asked.

"Going by my birth name now. Murphy Margaret Gallagher," I replied, and Mickey immediately put out his cigarette. "You were right, about me being similar to Ian. Turns out that he and I are fucking twins. Small world, right?"

Mickey stepped on his cigarette, shaking his head. "Shit," he said. "God, does he know what you and I—"

I nodded. "Yes. I told him."

"Shit..."

"He knows we were drunk," I said. "And after a period of anger, he's grown to accept it. And he has to accept it, because I'm pregnant."

Mickey looked up at me. "Is it mine?"

I sighed. "Could be. I hope it is."

He made a face. "Why would you want a baby with me?"

"Because the alternative is that it's Lip's baby," I replied. "I cannot have my fucking brother's child, Mickey, I can't. There are rules, you know..."

Mickey raised his eyebrows. "Fuck. And I thought I had problems..."

"We all have fucking problems, Mickey," I said, crossing my arms.

Mickey sighed. "Jesus," he muttered under his breath. "You came all the way to fucking Mexico to tell me that you could be pregnant with my kid?"

I shrugged. "Only way I could think of. Pregnancy brain, maybe, I don't know..."

"I don't know what you expect from me here, Murphy."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to do anything. Hell, I'll even write unknown on the birth certificate if I have to, just to keep you out of it."

Mickey shrugged. "Your choice."

I sighed, maneuvering my hair so that it wasn't making contact with the back of my neck anymore. "Look, I didn't come down here to fight with you, okay, Mickey? I came down here to tell you that there's a chance that you could be a father. I know the timing is shit, and America isn't exactly your biggest fan right now, but I thought you had the right to know."

Mickey sighed. "Thanks. For telling me, I guess."

I nodded. "No problem," I said, and began walking away.

"Hey, Murph?"

I sighed, turning around. "Yeah?"

"Where you going?"

"Back to the border. I need to get back home because I have a life."

Mickey sighed. "Can you do me one thing?"

I gave a slight nod. "Depends on what you're asking. Do you need another pack of smokes or something, because I think I can do that..."

"No, it's not that," Mickey replied. "Can you tell Ian..." He looked away for a moment, and I knew he didn't want me to see him being vulnerable again. "Can you tell Ian that... I don't know, that I'm still waiting?"

I sighed. "I'll try."

"Guess that's all I can ask for, right?"

I smiled. "I guess that's true."

Mickey smiled back at me. "Well, I guess I'll hear through the grapevine if the baby turns out to be mine, right?"

"I'll find a way to let you know," I replied, not knowing how I would keep that promise, but also knowing that, despite everything, Mickey deserved to know.

Mickey nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem," I replied.

I turned around then, for the last time, and got back into my car. I saw Mickey in my rearview mirror, and he raised his hand to me in farewell. I smiled then, shaking my head, thinking about the journey ahead and how Mickey could possibly be physically linked now to the Gallagher family forever. I raised my hand back to him, and I think he saw it, because he smiled. I shook my head, pulling out of the parking space and out of the parking lot, and onto the main highway then, where I plugged in my music, Dolly Parton's voice belting out the chorus of 9 to 5 yet again to accompany my driving.

I texted Ian, letting him know that I was on my way towards the border, and would likely be home the following night if I made good time. I got a text back from him a few moments later, and I felt myself reeling ever so slightly.

Heard from Lip that you accidentally met Frank—sorry that me or Fiona couldn't have been there to prevent it, or at least help the situation. He was lucid for a while today, and told me about a safety deposit box that was in Monica's name. I went to it, and found a letter addressed to you. You can open it when you get home.

As I found myself back on the road towards the boarder, I didn't know what I was going to do, and it wasn't a bad feeling, but a bittersweet one. Sure, I may have been pregnant, and I had no idea who the father was, but this was a blessing in disguise. Even if Lip was the father, this meant that my childhood doctor had been wrong—I could have children. Smiling to myself as Dolly continued singing about working and making a living, I looked over and saw the beautiful sunset outside my passenger window. Even though this day was approaching its end, I knew it had been a beautiful one, as would tomorrow, and the next day, because even though I'd now figured out who I was, my journey was not yet over.

END OF SEASON ONE