I sat in the kitchen sipping on a beer while I helped Ian study for his upcoming test, it was luckily it was quiet in the house so it was easy to study. But, the silence was ruined once Debbie came walking in yelling, "Help, someone help!" She shouted, I quickly jumped of the stool and ran over to her. Fiona came running downstairs once she heard this, Kev and V not far behind her.
"Holy shit, is the baby coming?" I asked, "Come on, lay down on the table," I said as Ian cleared off the table, we all helped her crawl up onto the table.
"I'll go get my truck so we can go to the hospital," Kev said.
Debbie was quick to shake her head, "No, no hospitals!" She shouted.
"We don't have time to argue!"
Debbie screamed out in pain as she had another contraction. V pulled down her jeans and looked up, "No shit, this baby is coming!"
"Now?" I asked in a panic, V nodded.
"She's crowning."
Svetlana, who was here for some reason, started video taping. "What the fuck are you doing?" Debbie questioned her in a strained voice.
"I capture moment," Svetlana said in response with a smile on her face.
"Quick, who delivered Liam?" Fiona asked as she looked around the room in a panic.
"Kandis did," He said, "Monica was high, he slid right out."
"Go get Sylvia from down the block, she's a nurse."
Kev shook his head, "No good, she's a Cook County," Fiona turned around, giving him a confused look.
"I thought she worked at Rush?"
"No, Cook County Department of Corrections. She shot her husband," V explained the situation. Fiona let out yet another frustrated sigh.
"You worked at a nursing home!" Fiona said to V.
"Changing bedpans, I never delivered a damn baby!"
Lip grabbed his phone, searching how to deliver a baby, he started nodding, "It says we need towels!" He announced before he went to grab some.
Fiona stopped him, "Already got 'em!"
Lip nodded, "Okay, okay, so put them under to catch all the..." Lip was cut off by Debbie letting out a scream in pain, "Fuck! Just put them under!"
Debbie cried out in more agony, V grabbed her hand, looking at her face, "When I was having my girls, the doc told me to do three quick pants then one long blow, okay?" She explained to her, I walked around the other side of the table to hold her other hand to support her.
"I'm going to do it with you, okay?" Fiona said, doing the breathing technique.
"We're gonna start pushing now, okay?" V then said, Debbie didn't respond, "Alright?" Debbie let out a scream and V nodded, "And push!" She kept instructing her through the pushes and Debbie squeezed my hand as tight as she could as it all happened. Finally there was relief.
Debbie took in deep breaths, "Is the baby okay?" She asked, I stood up to watch V pick up the baby.
"Yeah," I said, "She's great," I smiled as I looked over at Debbie's face.
She gasped before she spoke, "She?"
V swaddled the baby, walking over to Debbie as she sat up, a smile on her face as she held her baby, "You did your amazing," I said to her, impressed with how well she did for having a home birth, especially at her age.
"My daughter, she's so big..." She said softly, "Hi, Frances, do you recognize my voice?"
Lip and I looked over at one another, "Frances?" He questioned her as he looked back at her.
"After her grandfather."
"Frank?"
Everyone exchanged confused looks then shrugged. The ambulance showed up not long after, we all walked out with them to see where she was going, "We'll be taking her to Rush," The EMT said to us. Kev looked over at Debbie as they loaded her into the back of the ambulance.
"We'll be right behind you, Debs," Kev said to her, Fiona took a step forward, clearly to ride with Debbie.
"I'm coming too," Fiona said to one of the EMTs and Debbie shook her head.
"Uh- no, that's okay..." Debbie said to Fiona and Fiona stopped from getting up in the ambulance.
"You don't want me to come?"
"I- I do, but you were right... I need to do this on my own."
"Debbie- I..."
"It's just me."
The EMT went to shut the door, "Excuse me, miss," He said and Fiona stepped back, letting him close it and we watched as the ambulance drove away.
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Debbie got settled in at home with Franny, everything was going surprisingly smooth. I woke up and went downstairs to get some coffee, after the chaos of Debbie having her kid at home, I finally had a moment to catch up what was going on. Lip had gotten kicked out of his housing in the sorority. Fiona was going to marry Sean and I guess Carl had a girlfriend now. I guess that was all that I had to catch up on. I got to the coffee pot, I poured myself a cup and then leaned against he counter as Lip walked into the kitchen, looking up the stairs, Franny was wailing and crying, "She's got a set of lungs on her, doesn't she?" I commented.
"Yeah," He sounded tired as he walked over to pour himself a cup of coffee, sipping it before he leaned himself against the counter near me. "How long do you think she can keep going?"
"Uh- I think she stopped for at least 30 minutes last night, not sure."
Fiona walked into the kitchen now, letting out a yawn before she also poured herself a cup of coffee, "That sounds like a hunger cry," Fiona mentioned as she stood there, "Debs might not be producing enough like, might need a supplement with formula. Someone should tell her."
Lip raised a brow, "Not you?" He asked.
Fiona turned to look at us, blowing on her coffee, shaking her head, "It's none of my business," She scoffed, "She's made that abundantly clear," She took a small, careful sip of her coffee, "She's not sleeping, eating, showering... I wished she'd let one of you just hold the baby."
"Maybe she has postpartum depression?" I asked, Fiona shrugged.
"Girls go feral in corners and gouge anyone's eyes out who get too close," Lip laughed. I rolled my eyes as Sean walked in, sitting down at the table.
"What are those... Uh, those things called that guys wear at weddings? The flower things?" She asked Sean.
"Boutonnieres," I said to her and she nodded, writing that down.
"Lip and Ian get them, right?" She asked, I nodded, she then took a note of that, "I gotta meet with the florist, figure out what I'm ordering..."
Sean looked up at Fiona, "If they're walking you down the aisle, they get them. Uh, and ushers, groomsmen."
Frank rushed over, waving his hands around, "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Frank then stood in front of Fiona, "My daughter will be accompanied by her father as she ambles the altar."
Sean scoffed, "Her who?" Fiona asked, then she laughed, "Oh, you meant that deadbeat that consistently fails to take care of his family?"
Frank made a displeased face at Fiona, "I may not have been present for your first steps, or your first lost tooth... Or first blowjob... But, as a patriarch, I'm entitled to my traditional place of honor next to you for your big day!"
"Then it's my traditional right to ask said patriarch to pay for it," Fiona then said to Frank. A smug look on her face, knowing Frank wouldn't cough up money for anyone other than himself.
"Done."
"What?"
"Done. I'll pay in money... Cash, dinero, greenbacks."
"Well," Lip spoke up, "You know, if you're catching up on, uh, dad shit. You can cover my tuition," He leaned down to put a coat on Liam, "Teach me how to ride a bike."
"I never had a sweet sixteen, could throw me one after the wedding," Fiona joked, Frank didn't say anything in reply, "Has anyone seen Carl?" She then asked, changing the subject.
"Uh, left half an hour ago," I mentioned, Fiona put her binder down on the counter, making a confused face.
"At 6 in the morning? Did he say why?"
"Maybe he went somewhere to get away from the screaming infant."
Frank walked over and picked up Liam, "Let's go, kid," He said to him.
Fiona tried to stop him, "No way, he's gotta go to headstart!"
"That's where I'm taking him... Oh! A white rose for my boutonniere," He added, "Which florist, what time?"
Fiona gave him a confused look, "The Armenian on Clark at 1."
Frank nodded before he waved, walking out with Liam. Debbie came down the stairs, Franny swaddled against her, "Hey, Debs," I said to her, "Where are you going?"
"School," She said, "Missed a bunch, gotta catch up..."
"Taking Franny along?"
"Yeah..."
"Okay, have fun?"
Debbie nodded and started to walk away, Sean stopped her before she walked out, "I can take ya," He said, "Too cold to walk with a baby."
"No, thanks."
"I'm driving right by the school, come on, don't make it a whole thing."
Lip picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, "I gotta do some reading for class, going to go to the Alibi, you coming?" He asked me and I gave him a nod, Fiona let out a tired sigh and looked up at us before we left.
"She needs help and sleep," Fiona said to us and Lip and I exchanged a look.
"We all do."
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I sat down at the bar, Lip pulled out his books laying them out on the bar. Kev walked around the bar, standing in front of where Lip and I were sitting, "Hi, Kev," I said with a smile.
"We're a study lounge all of the sudden?" He asked, I shrugged my shoulders in response.
Lip looked up, "well, I'm doing my TA work off campus," Lip said to him.
"Well, I would say you're missing all the eye candy, hot coeds wearing little mittens and scarves, ready to be unwrapped like little Hersey's kisses," Kev laughed, his laughing suppressed once he looked at me, "But, I see that you two have made up... All cute and cozy together once again."
"Yeah, that would be right," Lip laughed softly, "Coeds get old pretty quickly."
Kev furrowed his brow, cleaning off some beer glasses, "Did something go down at Screw U? Burn a bridge, run for the hills. The Gallagher Way?"
"I'm not fucking running okay? I'm just doing what I gotta do."
I leaned forward as Kev slid me a beer, "What kind of boss lets you lay low like that?"
"Didn't exactly let me."
Kev looked me up and down, "If you'd have pulled that shit with me, I'd have fired your ass so hard you'd have left skid marks."
I made a grossed out face, rolling my eyes in response, Lip let out a frustrated sigh, "I can't lose my TA-ship, y'know. I'd have to drop out, y'know? And I care about my education, unlike these dinosaur professors spouting archaic bullshit, just sleepwalking across chalkboards for 30 years!"
Kev set a glass down, crossing his arms, "Poor baby, sitting in a bar bitching about mean teachers and free gran money while the rest of us are shoveling shit just to make ends meet."
"Fuck you."
I laughed, "So, Kev," I said before I looked back up at him, "How are the wives doing?"
"It sucks," He complained, "Think it's fun for me living out of a suitcase in my own home?" He complained, re-filling my beer once I finished it.
"Why do you have to do that exactly?"
"Cause immigrations shows up at 7 AM, going through my shit to make sure the fake lesbos are for real lesbos."
"What, do they bang?" Lip asked, Kev made a face at him.
"What part of the work 'fake' don't you get?"
Just moments after that, Debbie walked into the Alibi with Franny. I looked over to her, raising a brow, "Hey, Debs, I thought you were at school?"
"We got kicked out, Franny wouldn't stop crying," She sounded exhausted, "Thought maybe Svetlana or V could help."
Kev shook his head, "Nah, they're at home getting their vaginas interviewed."
"What do you mean you got kicked out?" I quickly asked Debbie, trying to figure out why they would just kick someone out for trying to get their education.
She sat down next to Lip at the bar, "I had to meet with the counselor and he forced me to enroll in an alternative program for teen moms... They call it distance learning, but you know what I call it? Discrimination."
"Uh- I think you can only claim discrimination... If you issue isn't your own choice."
She let out a scoff, "Well, I didn't choose to be apart of a family that didn't support my decision in having this baby!"
"We all want to help you, you keep pushing everyone away!"
Franny started to fuss, "Fine," She said softly as she stood up and walked over to me, "Hold her while I go pee," I turned in my stool and Debbie handed her to, "Here, support her neck," She said softly.
"Okay, yeah, I got her," I said softly, as I looked down at Franny, "Hey, there, hi," I said softly as Lip stood up and walked over to me, "Hey, it's alright," Lip put his hand on my back, getting a better look at Franny, smiling, Kev stood there watching us, a smile on his face, "What?" I asked as I looked at him.
"You guys look like a cute little family," He chuckled, "Kind of heart-warming."
"Well, I do love her," Lip said as he stared at me, I raised a brow, tilting my head to the side.
"Love, huh?" I said before I looked back up at Lip, he nodded at me, "Yeah. I love him too."
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That night everyone sat around in the living room, it was 3 AM and Franny yet again was screaming her head off, and nobody was getting a lick of sleep. Fiona sat on the floor, rolling a joint, I was sitting next to Lip on the couch, he drank a beer and I sipped on a soda. Carl sat next to me on the other side of the couch, "You know," He spoke up first, "We could sound-proof the walls..."
"Or buy earplugs?" Lip then suggested.
Fiona sighed, looking up from the table, "Or figure out how to get more food into that baby," She said, "Has she let any of you hold her?"
"Yeah," Frank and I said at the same time, Lip nodded in response as well.
"All three of you?"
"Yeah," Frank then said again.
Sean then walked into the living room, laughing once he saw everyone sitting around. He had moved in since he and Fiona were actually engaged, "The gangs all here," He commented, "Must be infant fucked us o'clock."
"3 AM," Lip mentioned, I nodded with a tired sigh.
Sean furrowed his brows, looking over at Frank, "Did you use my toothbrush last night?" He asked with a tilted head.
"Which one is yours?" Frank asked.
"The light blue one."
"No."
Sean cleared his throat, clearly frustrated, I could tell when he was pissed since I worked with him, "Let me be perfectly clear, don't take my underwear, don't use my toothbrush, don't wear my boots."
Frank was quick to argue, "Hey, if it's under this roof, it's fair game... Thems the rules, if you don't like it, there's the door right there," He pointed over at the front door, "And we have another one right there," He then pointed over towards the door in the kitchen.
That was Ian walked in, "Hey!" He said, I stood up once he walked in, a smile on my face.
"You're home, finally," I laughed before I gave him a quick hug.
"Oh yeah, of course, I'm not gonna miss an old-school Gallagher blowout, thanks for texting," He said to Lip.
"Mhm, yeah," Lip replied and I walked over to the couch once more, sitting down, Ian stood behind me leaning on the couch.
"What's the occasion?"
"Deb's kid. It's gonna be a long night..."
"Another long night," I added on and Ian nodded with a look on his face.
Fiona looked up at Ian, "So, how was your first day at work?" She asked him and Ian shrugged, smiling at her.
"A little hectic, but I did good."
"How's the firefighter? When do we get to meet him?" I asked him and he rolled his eyes playfully at me, then Debbie walked down, Franny in her arms, a big smile on her face once she noticed Ian.
"Ian!" Debbie exclaimed.
"Oh! Hey, look who's here!" Ian smiled, and I watched Fiona put out her joint, blowing the smoke away Debbie walked over to Ian.
"She heard you laughing and wanted to say hi."
I watched Debbie start to hand Franny over, Ian smiled down at Franny, "Oh, Deb, she's so sweet."
Debbie nodded and Frank walked over, Lip and I walked over and looked down at Franny, Frank close behind us, "I love the hair, don't you?" Frank asked Ian and Ian nodded, "Got a head of hair on her already."
I smiled at Ian as he cooed at Franny, Sean and Fiona walked away soon after everyone started coo and laugh over Franny, I could tell that Fiona felt left out that Debbie didn't want her doing anything with Franny.
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Lip and I slept in Ian's bed, which was now Lip's bed, since Lip was away at college and Ian wanted a bed to himself in a room to himself. Lip held onto me tightly, sleeping soundly finally. Then Debbie walked into the room, "Morning, Carl! Did you buy eggs?" She asked, Carl let out a grumble in his sleep, "I can make up us a scramble!" I let out a groan. I couldn't understand why she was so bubbily after never sleeping. "Lip, Mabel, you want eggs?" She then asked before she left the room.
Carl sat up in bed, "How is she so fucking perky?" He asked.
I sighed, rubbing my eyes as I sat up, "Overactive adrenal gland from sleep deprivation," Lip said to him, "She's heading for a major crash," I stood up, pulling on my pants before Lip got out of bed too, stretching. Carl hopped out of his bed, running his fingers through his hair.
"You got clippers anywhere?"
"Why, you wanna cut your hair?"
"I want something more cop-like."
I gave him a confused look after he said that, "I can look," I said before I followed the two of them downstairs. Once in the living room, a brick came shattering through the window, landing on the floor near the couch where Debbie and Franny sat. Debbie was quick to cover Franny with her body, I let out a loud gasp.
Sean ran into the living room once it happened, "Fuck you, Frank!" Someone from outside shouted, followed by tires screeching.
Sean picked up the brick, "Who would do this?" He asked. Carl walked over, looking down at the brick.
He shrugged, "The lady he gave genital warts to, or one of G-dog's boys," Carl said to Sean.
"Could have been that blind bookie Frank screwed over last spring," I added on to Carl's assumptions, Sean gave us all a look, confused why we were all used to this.
"So this is normal?" Sean questioned, Lip, Debbie, Ian, Carl, and I all exchanged looks, the room was silent for a moment, other than Franny crying.
"Everyone hates Frank."
Debbie was trying to calm down Franny, rocking her in her arms, "It could have hit Franny!" She exclaimed, she was disheveled, angry, as someone with a newborn would be if a brick flew through the window.
"It's okay, Debs," Ian said to her, trying to calm her down and Sean shook his head, putting the brick down.
"Nah- no, it's not okay. You should stop making yourselves fine with this shit, set a fucking boundary, you're not helpless, you know, it's your house too." Sean argued and everyone shrugged, ignoring what he said, it was just normal around here.
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I was at Patsy's, closing out my tables later that day, Lip went back to college so he could work and catch up on some stuff, I was putting my tips in my pocket when my phone rang, I answered it quickly, "Hey," I said, "Frank forked over like a grand in cash for Fiona's reception today, can you believe that shit?" I said quickly after answering.
"Are you fucking serious?"
"Yeah, it's insane isn't it?"
"That piece of shit. I mean- I mean you don't just decide when you get to be a father."
"Well- I mean, that's Frank, isn't it? Kinda my dad too if you think of it. I don't see him forking over a grand for me for any reason any time soon, even to make a point."
"No, I mean- what's the fucking point? I mean, why even have kids if you can't stick by them when shit falls apart... or like- fuck like if you're the fucking reason, I mean- all these old narcissistic fucking alcholics should just crawl in a hole and fucking die!"
"Jesus, are you alright?" I let out a small laugh, "That's dark. Something going on?"
"No- nothing, I didn't get much sleep, I was up-- it was a rough morning, I gotta get some work done..."
"Uh... Okay, are you gonna be home for dinner tonight?"
"No- no... Uh, I got class tonight."
"Alright, I don't have a shift tonight, so if you want to talk, let me know."
"Alright, I gotta go."
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That night, Fiona and Sean came home to Debbie under the stairs, Franny screaming on the couch, I guess Debbie fell asleep and dropped Franny, she was alright though, luckily. When I got home, Frank was just getting in as well, "Freezing in here," Frank said once he walked in, it was only freezing because the window was shattered wide open and nobody had down anything about it, "Someone leave a window open?"
"Can I talk to you for a second?" Sean asked as he followed Frank into the kitchen, Frank turned, looking at Sean, nodding.
"Sure thing, son."
"Frank... A brick came in the front window today, it's addressed to you," Sean had the brick in his hand and put it on the counter, Frank looked down at it.
"Usually they come after the holidays."
I rolled my eyes and leaned against the doorframe, Sean sighed and shook his head, clearly getting even more frustrated, "You don't see a problem with this?"
Frank shook his head, "Well, not if no one got hit... I thought you were gonna thank me for dropping a load of money on your wedding this morning."
Fiona walked over and stood behind me, looking in on the impending argument that was sure to unfold, "Where did you get the money?" Sean egged Frank on, attempting any sort of answers, as if he was going to get a good one.
"In an honorable, ethical fashion," As Frank said this, Fiona and I exchanged looks, rolling our eyes at the same time.
"Define honorable."
Debbie walked in around this time as well, seeing what the hype was about, "Coaxed from an unwilling party," Frank replied to Sean, Sean crossed his arms tilting his head.
"Define party."
"The parents of the boy that got Debbie pregnant, it's amazing what the threat of a statutory rape charge will do to make a man start sweating coins."
Sean let out a scoff, "You threatened Derek's parents by accusing their son of statutory rape?"
Debbie gasped and looked over to Frank, "You did what?"
"We need to maintain the upper hand if we're gonna get him to keep writing checks!"
"You're taking money from them?" Debbie kept going on about it, she was fuming about the fact Frank was getting money out of Derek's parents.
"Their son spooged a baby into you and then flew the coop, that's abandonment, they owe us!"
"He'll never speak to me again!"
"Hey, calm down," I said to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and she looked over to me, shaking her head, Ian walked over around now as well, furrowing his brow confused about what was going on.
"What's going on?" He asked and Debbie looked at him, she looked disheveled.
"Frank told Derek's parents that he statutory raped me so he'd give him money!" Debbie caught Ian up and Ian scoffed in response, rolling his eyes.
Sean stepped forward, looking Frank in the eye, "That's a dick move, Frank," Fiona said to Frank, shaking her head slowly.
"It's a move that paid for the deposit on your restaurant, you're welcome!" Frank argued with her and Sean shook his head.
Sean's eyes were dead-locked on Frank, "Do you hear yourself? Even when you say you're helping, it's all about you, wind up another brick through the window...."
"What's for supper? I'm famished," Frank just easily ignored the fact that Sean was calling him out for all his bullshit and he turned to look in the fridge.
"You are not paying for our wedding with your crooked money, and you're not gonna ruin her relationship with her new family, and you are not gonna smash Fiona's heart for the 500th time!"
Fiona put her hands up, "Okay, good lord. Enough of this shit!" She tried to get them to stop, but, then Frank turned around a to-go box in his hands.
"That's my Porkchop!" Sean snatched it from him and threw it onto the counter, I jumped a little as this happened, everything was escalating so quickly, it was scary.
"Excuse me, that is my Porkchop. This is my house, it's my fucking family!"
"And yet, you treat them like shit! You don't deserve to walk your daughter down the aisle!" Sean shouted and they started to physically fight, I covered my mouth and Ian grabbed my shoulders, pulling me back a little, everyone was screaming at the two of them, trying to get them to stop, then they went through the backdoor, crashing through the railing onto the ground below everyone shouted and ran out.
"Stop! Oh... Oh my god you're gonna fucking kill each other!" Fiona screamed as she ran down and Carl got ahole of Frank, doing something causing him to pass out.
"What the fuck did you do?" I exclaimed.
Carl stood up, looking down at Frank, "Chokehold, cops do it."
"Is he breathing?"
"Daddy?" Debbie ask, looking down at him and then Frank groaned, letting out a cough.
"You're a fucking asshole, Frank," Ian said, everyone nodding in agreement. "You almost pulled it off, and then you had to go and fuck it up again,"