The Gallagher's sat in the hospital waiting room waiting for any news on Maisie who had been rushed in a couple hours ago. "Lip you okay" Fiona asked as the boy sat with his head in his hands, his shirt covered in blood along with his hands which he had refused to wash.
"I'll be fine when I know she's okay" he huffed avoiding any affection from his family members. Carl sat the other side of him, hugging into his shirt that had previously been wrapped round Maisie's wrist to try stop the blood.
"I mean what happened if Carl didn't get there in time, what happens if I didn't get there in time, she didn't want us to find her. She's fucking ten and was ready to kill herself" Lip shouted punching the wall next to him as he tried not to cry instead getting angry.
"But Carl did find her, you found her in time and she's going to get the help she needs" Fiona stood up putting her hand on his shoulder trying to get him to sit back down. Karen had gone home after the incident knowing her being there wouldn't help anything and Mandy and Ian went to the prison to tell Mickey what had happened to his sister.
"But what happens if we were too late" he cried pacing up and down the waiting room hating that no doctors or nurses had come out to tell them of her condition. "We weren't, we just need to wait" Fiona sighed crouching down in front of him.
"You need to stay strong for her, for Carl and for Debbie" Fiona whispered looking at her two other sibling who were sat side by side neither having spoken since Carl had found her. Carl like Lip had refused to wash himself of the blood and remained covered in it causing other people in the waiting room to throw concerned looks over at them.
"Mr Gallagher" a nurse came through into the room searching around for Lip who immediately stood up. "Is she okay, is everything okay" he asked biting his nails from the stress he felt. "Maisie is stable, she's not yet awake but she should be soon if you'd all like to come in. It was a miracle she survived, she'd overdosed on drugs, seemingly cut both her wrists open, she was lucky not to cut any deeper" the nurse whispered the final part of her sentence to Lip knowing the younger ones didn't need to hear it before she smiled over at Carl and Debbie who shot up from where they were sat into the room where Maisie was being kept.
Lip started to walk out the room but the nurse stepped in front of him stopping him from going anywhere. "I need to know, what happened, why was she there" she questioned taking him to a quiet corner where no one would be able to listen in. He knew she was just following protocol but right now he just wanted to go see Maisie.
"She's had a tough couple weeks, our mom just came back after disappearing for years. She ran away last night so me and brother went looking for her, couldn't find her and it was getting late so we went back home. Got a search party out for her today and Carl found her in this abandoned building, wrists slit, an empty packet of drugs next to her and bruises all over her, we assumed she must of stolen the drugs from some drugs dealers when we saw the state she was in" Lip explained keeping up the story that Maisie was his sister so there wasn't as much a risk of her going into care.
"Okay and why didn't you call the cops when she disappeared last night" the woman asked writing everything Lip had told her down on a piece of paper. "Not classed as a missing person until after 24 hours" Lip answered remembering the amount of times he'd been told that when he actually cared for Frank and was at stations most nights begging someone to go out looking for the man.
"Look can I go in and see her now or you got anymore pointless questions to ask" Lip huffed as the woman sat there tapping her pen on the notepad she had thinking if there was anything else she needed to ask. "Your good for now. I might need to find you later though" she smiled standing up and walking Lip to the room where Maisie laid, still asleep.
Lip sat down on the seat by her bed closing his eyes as he tried not to cry. "How is she" Ian and Mandy burst into the hospital room panting for air as if they'd just run a marathon. "She's stable, sleeping though" Fiona told the pair looking over at Lip who looked completely heartbroken.
It had almost been 6 months now since Maisie had known and practically lived with the Gallagher's and surprisingly Lip had taken a liking to her thinking of her as a little sister. It pained Fiona to see him in this state but it pained her more to have to tell him she might need to go somewhere for some help for a while.
The minute Maisie Milkovich walked into the Gallagher household she became part of their family and Lip adored the girl. They could never imagine her ever doing something like this knowing she hid it so well through her sarcastic comments and jokes. Veronica and Kev knocked on the door of the room ushering Fiona to come out.
"You guys okay" Fiona asked closing the door quietly behind her as V and Kev pulled her away from the room. "We're not sure yet, and we haven't made any decisions but we're thinking about adopting Maisie" Kev whispered so no one could hear them speaking.
"What about Ethel and her kid" Fiona asked knowing how anxious V was about having one kid let alone 3 in her house. "We know, we know. Just we don't wanna see that girl get hurt anymore than she has done these past few months" Veronica spoke up equally on board with the idea as much as Kev was which surprised the woman.
"Look guys I think it's a great idea I just think you need to think it over. I mean Ethel and Jonah are already a handful, plus Maisie and then wanting your own kids at some point. I just don't think it would be good for Maisie" Fiona whispered sitting the two down and trying to be as truthful as she could without sounding rude.
"Mickey and Mandy both love that girl as well, I just can't see them being up for it" Fiona sighed and V looked up at Kev who looked both disappointed but not surprised with the response he got. "I just can't see her getting hurt like that again" Kev ran a hand through his hair looking into the room to see Lip hugging into Mandy as tears streamed down his face hysterically.
"Man its really gotten to Lip and Carl" Kev changed the topic of conversation noticing the blood that still remained all over the boys. "Yeah Lips heart broken and Carl won't let go of the shirt Maisie had round her wrist and I gotta find the right time to tell them about her needing to get help somewhere and then we gotta figure out what to do about Monica and Bob" Fiona sighed putting her head back onto the wall and closing her eyes as she thought everything through.
