Ian paced back and forth. Seconds became minutes and minutes became hours, he had completely lost his concept of time.

What if I'd brought him earlier? No-one had even mentioned cops yet? maybe they can't tell its Mickey? So many thoughts were running through his head he didn't know what to do, laugh or cry. Maybe both.

"Ian?" Lip said rushing down the hall to greet his brother he was accompanied by Carl.

Ian hugged his brothers thankful that they turned up despite the fact he told Lip to leave him alone. He actually needed the company.

"How's Mickey?" Carl asked.

"He's still in surgery" Ian replied pacing again.

"Fuck" Lip said getting his phone out to check the time.

Yeah fuck Ian thought.

Ian sat feeling his stomach churn.

"How long's he been in there? Lip asked taking a seat next to his brother. Carl joined remaining quiet, he wanted to support Ian but didn't really know what to say.

"Too long, 2 hours maybe, I don't fucking know," Ian said resting his head in his hands. He felt sick.

"Have you eaten anything?"Lip asked noticing how pale Ian had gone.

"Not really I-" Ian stopped mid sentence feeling the contents of his stomach rise. His eyes darted frantically searching for a bathroom, he ran towards the bathroom his hand cupped over his mouth.

"Ian?" Carl asked watching his brother run towards the toilets.

"Did he eat when he took his meds?" Lip asked looking over at Carl who still had dried blood stuck to his face.

"No he was about to, Frank came in" Carl replied.

Lip ruffled through his pockets pulling out a five dollar bill. "Here go get us some food, I'll go get Ian" Lip smiled, and Carl went off to find a vending machine.

Lip entered the boys' bathroom he could hear Ian retching in the cubical. "E you okay?" Lip knocked.

"Er..yep, all good" Ian coughed. The toilet flushed and a pale looking Ian appeared.

Ian walked to the sinks splashing his face with cool water. "You forgot to eat when you took your meds didn't you?" Lip stated taking in his brother's knackered appearance.

"Not now Lip I already missed my evening meds, and I didn't forget to eat I was distracted with Frank no thanks to you!" Ian said patting his face dry with a paper towel now.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Lip said defensively.

"Nothing alright, just... your drinking again, and you were passed out on the couch... I didn't mean anything by it" Ian added not wanting to start an argument, he already felt like shit.

Lip shook it off but knew that it would probably be brought up again. "Arent, you glad I'm such a great brother then?" Lip smirked holding up Ian's meds in his hand.

"You're an arsehole" Ian laughed for the first time in days, soft punching his brother in the arm. "Thank you" Ian added with a smile.

"Your welcome, still feeling sick? Carl's gone to get you some food" Lip said walking Ian back out to the waiting room.

Ian's face dropped again and a new type of sickness came over him. "Lip" He muttered leaning against his brother for support.

There were two police officers in the waiting room talking to the doctor. "Hey calm down we don't know that there for Mickey!" Lip soothed knowing that there was a reasonably good chance that they were for Mickey.

"Lip I c-can't" Ian mumbled, Lip almost taking his full weight, Carl rushed to help seeing his brother struggle with Ian.

"My legs" Ian gasped out, his legs had gone like jelly and he could no longer hold himself upright without the aid of his brothers.

Carl and Lip got Ian back to the waiting room and calmed him down. "Here," Carl said passing Ian a bottle of Gatorade. Ian nodded. "T-thanks," he said catching his breath, he took a sip swallowing his pills. Lip held out a candy bar. "Eat," he said.

"I'm not hungry" Ian muttered looking back at over at the doctor and police officers, they had moved behind the theatre entrance doors, but Ian could still see them through the stained glass.

"Ian you have to eat", Carl said looking up worriedly at his brother.

"I said I'm not hungry", Ian repeated.

"Ian fucking listen to me," Lip said putting his hand behind Ian's neck pulling his brother closer to his eye level. "I know you're worried about the cops and Mickey, but you need to get your shit together, If you can't look after yourself, your going to be no good to anyone," Lip said harshly, but Ian needed that bit of grounding.

Ian looked away from the doctors, examining his brother's facial expressions, they both hid their worry well, but not well enough. It was a known fact that Gallaghers always had each other's backs.

Ian took the candy bar from Lip taking a bite to appease his brothers and to help his pills stay down this time. The doctors moved away from the theatre entrance holding the door open for the police officers, he then made his way over to Ian. Ian couldn't get to his feet quick enough.

"Please tell me he's alive!" Ian blurted out, tears pricking his eyes again, Lip stood simultaneously with Carl each laying a comforting hand on Ian's back.

"He's out of surgery, he did well, the next 24 hours are critical though," The doctor said calmly glancing back over at the police officers who hadn't left completely they were talking to a nurse pointing over in Ian's direction.

"Mr Gallergher was it?

"Y-yeah"

"The police would like to ask you a few questions," the doctor said Slowly like he was trying to get through to a small child.

"Why!" Ian said defensively.

"You do realise that your friend has escaped from prison, if you were part of that or involved in any way, you could do time" he replied more sternly now.

"I had nothing to do with what happened to Mickey and I have nothing to say to the cops! Can I see him please!" Ian whimpered looking back over at the police.

The doctor waved over the police. "You can see him after you've given your statement" the doctor smiled sympathetically.

"Statement what the hell, why won't you let me see him? Jesus!" Ian said getting agitated. He moved closer to the doctor, leaning over him in a threatening way.

"Do we need to ask you to come down to the station in cuffs?" the police officer said.

"He's cool, were good here... Ian chill man" Lip said placing his arm across Ian's chest pulling him away from the doctor and police officers.

Ian complied with the officers and told them his version of the truth, that he had no clue that Mickey had escaped, luckily the paramedics that brought him to the hospital hadn't mentioned anything about the hospital set up at the house and as long as Sue kept quiet he wouldn't get in any trouble.

Ian walked back over to his brothers after giving his statement. "Well?" Lip asked nervously.

"Well nothing, I said I had nothing to do with it, there taking him back to prison" Ian whispered the last part his voice broke with tears.

"What now?" Carl asked.

"No he's in the ICU he has to be stable and awake for them to move him, he'll be here for at least a few more days.. under protection though, there sending officers to guard his room" Ian explained taking steady breaths, trying to remain calm as he could.

"Shit...I'm sorry E," Lip said, getting his phone out to check the time again, that was the fourth time in 20 minutes.

"Do you have to be somewhere?" Ian asked referring to the phone.

"Um, no it's fine" Lip lied, he was meant to be meeting his sponsor Brad but he was pretty hungover and truth was he couldn't be bothered to deal with all of that right now.

"You can come see him now," a nurse said holding open the I.C.U door for Ian. Ian rushed to the door Lip and Carl following close behind.

"Guys go home' Ian said stopping at the door.

"Ian we-

"Seriously, it's fine, thank you for coming" Ian said letting the words flow from his mouth, he was still in shock and trying to process the fact that he was about to loose Mickey for good, he would probably end up serving life for trying to escape, and no doubt he would probably be charged for almost killing the two other car crash victims.

"Ian listen to me, we'll find a way to get him out okay" Lip promised grabbing Ian's arm gently, he shrugged him off.

"Yeah I mean Nick's in the same prison, maybe he could help, get him out from the inside, he could escape again" Carl added, in an attempt to comfort his brother.

"They'd put him in max for sure, no way he'd get out again, but thanks anyway Carl," Ian said with a smile trying not to hurt his brother's feelings.

Ian let the door close walking towards Mickey's room with the guide from the nurse. "This one" She ushered letting Ian have some privacy. Not that Mickey had any there were two police officers situated outside his room and he was handcuffed to the bed, Ian felt sick at the sight of him.

"What the fuck is this?" Ian spat. "Get them off! Get them off now! Jesus fucking Christ!" Ian seethed.

A nurse ran into Mickey's room followed by Lip and Carl and one of the police officers. 'what's going on?" The nurse asked looking around the room to see what the problem was.

Ian took a minute to take in his environment, Mickey lay propped up his leg was bandaged and casted, he had two drainage tubes coming from his chest, his head was bandaged and wrapped tightly it looked like his head had been shaved, and he was intubated and sedated the ventilator breathing for him.

Ian took a deep breath as if it wasn't obvious to everyone else in the room. Lip and Carl looked back at him with worried and confused looks like he was having some sort of breakdown. "Are you fucking serious?" Ian swore.

"Ian calm down man" Lip soothed trying to calm down his brother. Carl stood back and watched the scene unfold, he didn't know what to do or how to help.

"Get the fucking handcuffs off, now" Ian yelled rattling the chains against the bed trying to free Mickey's limp hand.

"Sir I'm going to have to ask you to leave" The tall police officer walked over trying to stare down Ian.

"Don't you dare 'Sir' me" Ian scoffed with a nervous laugh.

"Ian" Lip tried again slowly moving closer to Ian.

Ian gripped the bars of mickey's bed so tight his knuckles turned white "No Lip get away from me... GET THESE FUCKING HANDCUFFS OFF HIM...NOW!" Ian cried.

The policeman reached for his gun and the nurse muttered something about sedation. "Jesus! Just give him a minute" Lip hissed ushering his hand for the officer and nurse to step back.

"Ian listen to me, you need to calm down alright, otherwise this is going to get ugly really fast" Lip soothed again, Ian seemed to take a breath and release his grip on the rails and cuffs. The nurse gave Lip a reassuring nod.

"Please just take the cuffs off, he's intubated and sedated for fuck's sake" Ian cried now rattling the cuffs against the rails once more.

"Okay, how about you take a seat, and we'll get these cuffs off" the nurse soothed now, getting the go-ahead from Lip to assist.

"But there's protocol's we have to follow, he's a felon", The officer said.

"Oh Fuck me, he's unconscious and his leg is messed up even if he was awake he's not going anywhere, just take off the fucking handcuffs, " Lip spat now getting just as pissed as Ian.

If this wasn't the south side Lip was sure he would be arrested for the way he just spoke to the policeman, the man walked over hurt pride or not he took off the cuffs resuming his position guarding the door.

"You okay now?" Lip asked making sure Ian was settled before leaving for real this time.

"Fine" Ian huffed taking Mickey's hand in his, there were red marks already showing up on Mickey's wrists, where the cuffs were too tight.

The nurse left Ietting Lip and Carl supervise until visiting hours were over. Lip took a seat next to Ian and Carl sat opposite keeping to himself.

"It's going to be okay, we'll figure something out" Lip tried to comfort noticing a tear running down Ian's face.

"It's not that... I knew how sick he was Lip, and I didn't bring him, I knew I should have and I didn't, he's like this because of me" Ian cried, his hand still clutching Mickey's.

"Ian this isn't your fault, you were just doing what Mickey asked" Lip defended, trying to comfort his brother.

"No Lip! I knew how bad his head injury was and I was a fucking idiot to think I could take care of him myself, if I had brought him sooner, maybe he wouldn't be so ill, maybe he'd be awake" Ian sobbed again.

"Ian you did a damn fucking good job alright, you gotta hold your shit together, when Mickey is well enough to go back to prison we'll get him out I promise, we'll come up with something...I promise you alright?" Lip vowed offering his hand out to his brother. Ian took it giving him a hand hug.

"O-okay" Ian smiled looking at Mickey then at each of his brothers.

"Right were going to head home, see you there?" Lip said standing now Carl followed.

Ian nodded. "Yeah, I'll call if I need anything" Ian smiled and it felt genuine.

"and E...

"Yeah"

"Don't forget to eat" Lip added throwing Ian a candy bar from his pocket. Ian smiled again, what would he do without his brothers.

Ian sat there for a good while, just starting at Mickey, the announcement saying visiting hours had come over the speaker twice already and he could tell the staff and police were getting impatient.

"Mick... I don't know if you can hear me or not, I have to go soon but before I do, I need to tell you something...I'm so sorry for what happened, I'm so sorry that I gave up on us, I know I hurt you..bad and I know that you won't admit it, but it's my fault and I sat here trying to defend myself trying to justify why I dated Caleb and Trevor like I was trying to prove to myself that I didn't love you or that I could move on.. I've never stopped loving you Mickey and I never will... I need you to wake up okay... I love you and only you...

A/N: Hey everyone! I Hope this chapter met everyone's expectations, I added quite a few mushy brotherly scenes and also hinted on what's going to happen in future chapters, I only ask one small thing from you all, please review! This chapter took longer than expected to write and I really wanted to focus more on Ian and how it's affecting him this chapter, I hope I conveyed that okay! I also hope there aren't too many mistakes this time. Your reviews literally make my day, Again I will try and update when I can but my health is being stubborn and I'm going through a bad flare at the moment. :{