Pieces [Lip Gallagher]

Chapter 11:

Lip, Ian, Fiona, Steve, Debbie, and I sat at the kitchen table trying to come up with a plan to return the baby.

"We need to get your story straight. Why did you take the boy?" Fiona asked Debbie.

"He was crying for his mom and his mom wasn't around." Debbie said.

"Did you try to find his mom?" Fiona asked.

"No. He was crying and nobody cared. So I took him." Debbie said.

"You can't say that. What's wrong with you?" Fiona asked frustrated.

Steve grabbed Fiona's hand in an attempt to calm her down. "Fi."

"Debs. Was he inside or outside of the yard when you grabbed him?" Lip asked, more calmly and friendly.

"Inside." Debbie informed.

"Okay so how did you get him out?" Lip asked.

"I waved a Snickers bar at him." Debbie said.

I sat up shocked and looked at Lip who had slightly covered his mouth. Fiona, Steve, and Ian also wore slightly surprised expressions.

"Did anybody see you?" Ian asked.

"I don't think so. We just ran." Debbie said.

"That wasn't suspicious." Fiona commented.

"So you were running down the street..." Ian started to say before Debbie cut him off.

"I used a stroller." Debbie interrupted.

"What stroller?" Fiona asked.

"Liam's old one." Debbie said.

"The one I told you yo throw out?" Fiona asked in an semi-angered way.

"I fixed it. For emergencies." Debbie informed us.

We all let out a sigh and there was banging on the door. I kept my eyes on the door as the banging continued.

"Open up! Hurry!" Veronica yelled from the other side of the door.

Lip stood up and opened the door while we all relaxed.

"What in the hell is going on?" Veronica asked walking in.

Kevin walked in with a laundry basket and held it up. "Is this that missing kid?"

"Debbie stole him." Fiona told them. "Now we have to figure out how to give him back without getting her sent to juvie."

"Why in the world would she steal..." Veronica started to asked before Fiona stopped her.

"There must be a couple hundred cops out there." Kevin said as he looked out the window.

"I know. I'm so sorry. Debs will you watch him for a second?" Fiona asked standing up.

She nodded and all of us except Debbie and Carl walked into the living room.

"I'm not sure what's going on with her." Fiona said as we all sat down on the couchs and chairs.

"Maybe it's because your mom bailed and Frank's a big drunk." Kevin suggested.

Veronica gave Kevin a look.

"What. I'm the asshole now? She's the one who stole a baby." Kevin defended.

"She obviously planned it. I mean she took a stroller out of the garbage and she fixed it." Lip said looking around at all of us.

"Hey. Debbie still is a little kid. Worst thing that happens is she gets some help." Steve said.

"Help?" Lip asked.

"What kind of help?" Ian asked.

"She stole a baby." Steve pointed out.

"She's not crazy. She just sort of accidentally took a kid." Fiona said.

"Not if she lured him out of the yard with a candy bar." Steve pointed out.

"What are you suggesting?" Fiona asked.

"Some kind of professional to.." Steve started to say.

Lip cut him off. "A shrink?"

"Gallaghers do not do therapy." Fiona said.

Outside the announcement went through the air again. We sat in silence, listening to it. It was about the little boy in our kitchen.

"Look. We need a plan to get that boy back to his family or Family Services is gonna have a field day." Fiona said.

"Family Services?" Steve asked.

"If they find out Frank's moved they'll take the kids and split them up." Fiona told him.

She turned to Lip. "Remember what happened last time?"

"Shit." Lip muttered.

"Exactly." Fiona said.

"So then what are we going to do?" I asked.

Soon enough Lip was making a plan and all of us were sitting and standing around the living room waiting for anything.

"Okay Carl you know that payphone that's outside the Kash and Grab?" Lip asked his younger brother, starting to put the plan in action.

"Yeah." Carl said.

"I want you to get on your bike, go to the payphone and call then police. Tell them that you saw a little boy walking down Southport Avenue at 2:45. Okay?" Lip asked.

"Why should I?" Carl asked.

"You wanna be in a children's home until you're eighteen?" Ian asked.

Carl shrugged. "Group home in Union has a climbing wall."

"Carl." Fiona warned.

"I don't have a bike." Carl pointed out.

"Wire cutter's in the junk drawer." Ian informed him.

"Steve, Fiona. You guys have to get Debs to take that kid back." Lip said looking up at the couple.

"I don't know that I can make that happen." Fiona admitted.

"Fiona you have to or we're all fucked." Lip said.

Fiona rubbed her hand anxiously before nodding. "Okay."

"Veronica. I want you to go to the cleaners, ask Mrs. Bergdoll to use the phone in the back." Lip said.

"That woman's a cold bitch." Veronica said.

"I've got something for that. Don't worry about it." Lip reassured her.

He continued with the plan.

"Kev, what time do you go into work today?" Lip asked.

"I go in at six." Kevin said.

"You're going in early. I want you to go in, tell them you saw a little boy in a Superman costume walking down Grand Avenue." Lip ordered.

After everyone got their instructions they left. I sat in the kitchen with Lip who had just got back from completing a part of the mission.

"Did you bring in the water heater from the back porch?" Ian asked walking into the kitchen from the back.

"No." Lip said.

Both of us turned to look at Ian.

"Well it's not on the porch." Ian informed us.

"Seriously?" Lip asked getting up and walking onto the back porch.

He came back in and slammed the door shut. "Bunch of fucking animals."

I got out of my seat as Steve walked into the kitchen and Debbie brought Casey down the stairs.

"Steve, Debbie, Liam, Elena, we gotta go. Fiona you got Casey." Lip said as everyone started leaving.

We all went our separate ways.