South Side, Baby ~ Shameless

8

Dom hands me my coffee as he pulls away from the drive thru window. "Do you want me to stick around your house for a bit?" He asks. I shake my head.

"No. It'll be fine." I tell him as he pulls up outside. He kisses me before I go inside.

Debbie is standing there looking stunned. "Debs, what's wrong?" I ask her. She looks at me.

"Mom is back." She says. I freeze up for a minute.

"Have you told Fiona yet?" I ask. She shakes her head. "Just go sit down a minute. I'll be right back." I tell her running up the stairs.

"Fi!" I yell pounding on her door. She comes over and opens it putting her shirt on.

"What the fuck?" She asks.

"Monica is back." I say. She stops and starts putting her shoes on as I text our other siblings.

Debbie tells us she's at Shelia's house so we go over there. I carry Liam.

When we get there, she's arguing with Frank and there's a big black lady at least I think it's a woman standing near by.

She comes over to grab Liam and I smack her hand. She looks at me hurt. "You don't get to just take him away from me since you swooped in and decided to be a mother." I tell her, handing Liam to Lip.

"Watch your mouth. That's your mother." The woman says.

"No bitch. She isn't our mother. A mother doesn't abandon their kids. A mother doesn't refuse to take a kid to the doctor or hospital. A mother would take their kid to the hospital when they start vomiting up blood. Not when they have a seizure and are unresponsive." I say.

"And I'm sorry for that, Olivia!" Monica yells.

"Sorry doesn't get me a normal life." I say. The woman grabs my hair and Fiona, Lip, and even Frank run over trying to get her to let me go. She reaches to grab my stomach and even Frank isn't putting up with it this time.

She lets my hair go. "We were gonna swing by anyways. We want to take Liam to come live with us." Bob says.

"Over my dead fucking body." Fiona says.

"We want to start a family!" Monica cries. My blood boils. I go to say something but Lip grabs me.

"How about you finish the one you already started? You don't get to abandon your kids and show up one day to take your pick of the litter. This isn't about you, Frank. It's about you," Fiona looks at Monica. "This is about what you didn't do. What you left me to do. And you know what? I did a fucking fantastic job. Debbie is class president.  She's on the debate team going to nationals. Lip is top of his class. Ian was promoted in rotc. Carl made something blow up for his science fair. And Livy got her shit together and learned how to handle her BPD while you fucking left! She learned how t deal when she got the shittiest end of the stick because of you." Fiona has tears in her eyes. "I had to do it because you weren't here!"

"Maybe I'll never be able to make things right with you but I still can with the little ones." Monica says.

"You know what. You're here now so I'm done. They're all yours now mom." Fiona goes out the door and I go to follow her.

"Fi. Fiona." I run after her down the steps.

"Please don't." I starts crying and she hugs me.

"You'll be okay. Just let her get over this phase. I love you." She says. I cry into her shoulder and she holds me. "Go back inside." She tells me. I nod my head and go inside

Lip hugs me when I go back in and we go home.  Lip sleeps beside me that night because he knows my sugar is messing up and that I'll be upset.

——-

I wake up the next morning to Lip shaking me. "Gotta get up for school." He says. I rub my eyes and get up, getting dressed.

I go downstairs and Bob has Liam on her lap. He reaches out to me and I grab him from her even when she tries to not let me.

"I need my meter changed." I say. I'm going to show Monica she doesn't want to be here.

"What is it?" Monica says. I sit Liam in his high chair and grab the things from the cabinet.

"My blood sugar meter. Once a month we have to take the old piece out and put this one in. It needs changed." I say.

"Can't you do it yourself?" Bob asks. I shake my head.

"No because it hurts like a bitch to do. And if we don't do it now it's going to be infected. It's a new meter if I don't change it there's three grand down the drain." I say.

"Alright. Sit down." She reads the instructions and tries to do it. I'm biting my lip so hard it starts bleeding. She can't do this.

"You know what I'll just have Fiona do it." I grab everything and go next door. I open the door and go upstairs where Fiona is by the window.

"Fi. My meter needs changed." I say. She pays the bed and I lay down as she does it.

"You know it's going to hurt really bad because it's a fresh one." She says. I nod.

"Can't be any worse than Monica. She was trying to stab it into my skin. Without taking the other one out." I say. Fiona starts laughing and pulls the cord off and takes the needle and everything out.

I bite my lip and dig my nails in my palms. "Alright. You're done." She helps me sit up and holds me as I cry. "She'll leave soon. Then everything will be back to how it was." She says. I nod my head in her shoulder and she kisses the top of my head.

"You gotta get to school." Fiona says. I groan and stand up.

"Fine. Do you guys have any food over here?" I ask. Fiona goes in the kitchen and gets five paper bags and hands them to me.

"One for each of you. I love you. Have a good day." She says as I leave. I say it back and catch up with my siblings.

"Fi made lunches. Everyone take one." I say handing them out. I shove mine in my bag and walk with Lip. Dom rolls up in his car and we get in.

"How'd it go?" He asks.

"The fucking bitch needs to just flake again." I say as I put my seatbelt on. "I can't take her food." Lip laughs.

"I'll stay with you tonight if you want." He says. I nod and he pulls into the space. I lean against the car for a minute before I get out. "You okay?" Dom asks coming over. I nod and walk in beside him.

———

Dom parks his car outside the house and we go inside. I sit down on the couch next to him and he holds me.

Monica comes in and Liam runs over to me. "Who's this?" She asks as I pick up Liam.

"My boyfriend." I say leaning into him again with Liam laying on me. "Did you let Liam nap today?" I ask.

"I thought he didn't need one." She says. I take his shoes and coat off of him and rock him until he's asleep.

"He's two. He needs a nap." I say. Dom takes him from me and takes him upstairs. I sit down on the couch again feeling dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Monica asks. I nod. My meter beeps and I press a button.

"You aren't taking Liam. You can't just come backs and have your pick of us." I say. Monica doesn't say anything at first.

"I just wanted to start a family with a kid that doesn't hate me." She's crying.

"Had you been a mother and not left us we wouldn't. You left Fiona to pick up the pieces when she was nine. You left me in a parking lot when I was four and it nearly killed me." I say. Dom comes back down and looks at me. I go up the stairs and he follows me.