Jump In

Ch. 5

I never wondered what bravery looked like, I knew. She was thin with strong arms and legs and had a fortress for a heart. When she loved you, she loved fiercely and would do anything in her power to protect you. She did everything she could to run a house that would only run by the seat of her pants, early mornings, late nights, and jobs that no one else wanted. You could find her sitting with the beautiful boy on that back porch, beautiful in her own way, with a sigh on her lips and a cigarette between her teeth.
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Do you remember that night so long ago?
Where there wasn't a limit to the places we could go?
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The rest of the day had passed quickly enough. Ian and Fiona had to leave not to long ago for work which left Lip and I in charge of the rugrats. It wasn't bad, especially Liam. He was by far the most gentle Gallagher, even though he was only one and a half.

After watching some more television with the kids for a few hours I let Lip know I was gonna shower before heading upstairs. It had been a long day and the running water helped to sooth my nerves. I grabbed my bag on the way into the bathroom with a clean towel and smiled at the night clothes that Ian grabbed for me. My worn out, faded to hell, tie-dye tee shirt that looked like a dress on me and a pair of cotton shorts. He knew me well. I took my time in the shower and brushed my teeth when I got out. It was getting kinda late so we would be putting the kids to bed soon. When I walked out of the bathroom I heard Liam crying and two sets of running footsteps in the living room. Quickly I rushed down the stairs only to see Lip trying his hardest to console a tired and fussy Liam and Carl chasing Debbie through the living room.

"Hey!" I half shouted long enough to catch their attention and make them pause. When they did I grabbed Carl and the frog he had in his hand, what he was chasing Debs with, and put him in a headlock. When I had a hold on the frog I ran to the front door and tossed it into the dark front yard.

"Carl, Debbie, upstairs. Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed." They hung their heads and started up the stairs slowly before Carl shouted.

"Me, first!" He started to run and Debbie ran after him shouting about how that wasn't fair and she's the girl so ladies first! I shook my head and looked over at Lip who was looking at Liam, who was still crying, with a worried expression.

"Here," I said holding my arms out for Liam.

"What?"

"Give him here."

"You sure? I'm sure he'll be fine in a minute, don't worry about it."

"Lip," I said with a stern stare, I walked closer and held out my arms to Liam, who leaned for me when he saw me reaching.

"Hey, Mr. Man! Why so grumpy?" He was still crying, but got much quieter. He laid his head on my shoulder and started playing with my damp hair, until finally he was quiet.

"What are you, a baby wizard?"

I let out a soft laugh as Liam's eyes started to drift closed.

"No, I think he just likes my hair."

"Usually Fiona's the only one that can get him that quiet when he's fussy," he said as he started walking into the kitchen to grab a beer. I started after him and saw Debbie standing at the kitchen sink brushing her teeth.

"He kick you out of the bathroom Debs?"

"No, he farted. I swear he could weaponize his gas." She said as she finished brushing her teeth. Lip sat down at the table with his beer and nodded at me.

"If you want I'll put him to bed in a minute, Lyd."

"No it's fine, I was just about to take him upstairs anyway. I'm gonna ask Fi if I can start babysitting him sometimes so I could use the practice. I'll be right back." I started up the stairs leaving Lip and Debbie to their own devices for a while.