STUPID FRANK!

Chapter 13

I woke up to the sound of Mickey cursing someone out. "Fucking hell! She'll see you when She sees you!" I sit up to see who he's yelling at. Damn Curtin stands in my way. "We haven't seen her awake yet!" It's Fiona he's yelling at. "Her siblings miss her and Liam hasn't been sleeping because he misses her. So she's gonna have to see us!" She yells. I put one leg on the floor as I flip the other over the hospital bed. Two feet on the floor and I push off. Trying to get up for the first time. My legs fall out from under me and I hit the ground. "Fuck!" 

I hear people run in and look up to see Mickey and Fiona horrified. "Don't try to get up!" she scolds. "Get out," I tell her quietly. "Amanda, please." She tries to help me up but I pull away not looking her in the eyes. "I'll help her," Mickey says to Fiona as she backs away. She walks out of the room and Mickey gets me back onto my bed. "What's wrong with Fiona and you?"

"She's judging me because I'm bipolar!" I tell him. "No, she isn't. Has she told you that?"

"Well no, but you told her! and now she must think I'm like Monica!" He grabs my shoulders when I say that and stands in front of me. "You are NOTHING like Monica. We all know that." We sit for a few minutes and talk about nothing and everything till Mickey stops me. "One Gallagher, Pick one that you want to see." He's practically begging me with his eyes. "Uh, Lip." Mickey goes out into the hall and comes back a few minutes later. He just stands by the door. 

Lip walks in. "Hi." He says and walks closer. "Is everyone mad?" I ask him before even acknowledging his presents. "No, Just scared I guess." I nod and he comes to sit next to me. "Why?" He asks and I know what he's asking about. "I thought it was a fun idea, an adrenalin rush really." He looks at the bag he's holding and hands it to me. "Debbie made you cookies, Fiona made a sandwich, Ian made a neckless? and Liam gave you a picture." He says. I smile as I dump the bag out on my bed. "Carl made you a shiv, but I took it from the bag." We both laugh. 

He tells me about his rich new fuckbuddy and about how his classes are hard and I just keep reminding him that he took SATs over twenty times and never failed once. "Would you like me to send in someone else? Maybe do one at a time?" He asks when he looks at his watch, "I have class in forty minutes." I agree and tell him to get Debbie or Ian, whichever is here. 

Debbie walks in minutes later and basically tackles me onto the bed for a hug. "You promised me and Carl you would be careful!" She causes. "I know and most of the time I am, plus you said be careful at work, I wasn't at work." She points to the cookie she made. "I will take it back." I grab it and lick it. "Now it has hospital germs." She sticks her tongue out at me and I laugh. She must be in the room for an hour because she tells me about the movie her and her shady friends went to see, she catches me up on all the shows we watch and then says. "I think Fiona and Mickey took this the hardest." She pauses to think. "We also got a call from Lips counselor at school, he was a mess all week and Ian has hardly eaten." in a weak attempt to joke I go, "So you're telling me you, Carl, and Liam slept fine at night." But she doesn't laugh. "Even Carl has been off. I've never seen him this quiet and non-destructive." 

"you're a real downer Debbie."

"I am not, You were the one who is refusing to see us, the least I can do is guilt trip you." I laugh and she does a little bit too. "Why don't you get Carl for me?" 

I can hear running in the halls and crashing. "NO running!" someone outside yells. That has to be Carl out there.  Just as I finish my thought he's rushing in and jumping next to me on the bed hugging my neck. "Jesus carl, Miss me?"  He laughs. "I had no one to melt barbies or set things on fire with!" 

"You could have called Mickey." 

"I did but he sucks at it, so much, Don't do that you'll burn yourself, let me light that so you don't get hurt." He mocks Mickeys adulting voice. "Should have pushed him in," I say shoving Carls shoulder lightly. "Can I bring in Liam?" He asks me. I nod and he runs down the hall, I can hear him bumping into things and getting yelled at for running. He comes back almost instantly. 

He has Liam on his hip. "Oh, my baby!" I say as I pick up the six-year-old. He huffs about being called a baby and I laugh, "You're always gonna be my baby Liam get used to it."

Carl and Debbie leave for school soon after, leaving me with Liam and Mickey in my room and Fion and Ian in the hall. I can hear someone walk into the room and I look at Mickey, Judging from how his face lights up it's Ian. He takes Liam and hands him off to Mickey, "Bring him to Fi." I watch as they walk out.

"She's not mad." Ian starts. "She's madder at me for joining the army than you being here." I nod. "I don't want to face her," I tell him. "She already has enough to worry about. Liam being a baby, Carl being crazy, Debbie trying to be a grownup, you running off, and Lip leaving for school." I pause and turn to face him. "I mean, I was the one kid she didn't have to worry about. I always made it home for dinner, I was there when she woke up, I had a job and stopped getting in trouble, and now all this." Ian looks sad. "She is worried about all of us constantly, whether something happens or not." I again, just nod. I don't know what to say. "How was the army? Why'd you leave?" 

"Had to, was going to get kicked out and thrown away." He says calmly. "What! Why?" 

"Crashed a few things and tried to explode some stuff." My eyes go wide. "Why would you do that?" I want to yell at him but given the position, I'm in I really cant. "I don't know, just felt like it was a good thing to do at the time."

"God, sounds like something I would say," I murmur. "I have to go, I gotta get to the club." I pause. "The what now?" 

"I work at a club." I laugh. He doesn't laugh back. "Oh shit, really!?" This time he does laugh.

"Thanks for coming, Visit after work?" I ask him. "Yeah sure, Want Fiona to come in?" I nod and see him smile.