A year ago.

9

Cancer? She couldn't. She was Mandy she was invincible, she made it though every shitty thing that ever happened to her. She was indestructible, why did it take him this long to realize how scary it is to lose her, why did he always assume he can take her and leave her when pleased.

Mandy was standing next to Fiona who oddly enough was rubbing her back in a calming matter. Two days ago she wouldn't even look at her.

"Did I hear you correctly? Did you say cancer?" He asked and she looks down at Kady who's eyes wondered the room.
Mandy falls back on the couch and lip makes his way quickly over to her sitting next to her.

Fiona excuses herself knowing no one really cared in this moment.

"What do what  mean, it, what, you, you can't. What about Kady?" He asks

"Well  I didn't really choose this" She lets out a sad laugh.

"Well what did they say?" He asks now feeling his hard race and ache.

She can't look him in the eyes it was to hard, she kept her focus on the ground. "Ovarian, stage 2" she says her voice cracks.

"Alright, okay..." he sits in quiet for a second. "But that's okay right? There are treatments it's Stage two not four."

She's quiet.

"What what's wrong?" He asks her.

"The treatments are expensive, time consuming, they aren't guarantied to work." She whispers.

"so what your just gonna give up on Kady? On me?" Lip is frustrated.

"No" she says stroking his arm in attempted to calm him. "Of course not the only way they're taking me from her is kicking and screaming. I just need time to figure things out." She explains.

"What the hell does that mean?" He asks.

"I'm gonna be sick, a lot. I don't want to put that on other people, not Fiona, not Mickey or Ian, and certainly not you." She says.

"Can you stop being so goddamn selfless for one second and let me take care of you for a change!" He shouts.

"It's not gonna be that easy you asshole! You say that now but what about in 6 months?" He yells back at him causing the baby to stir and make unsettling sounds.
"Shh, shh , shh, it's okay." Mandy says rocking kady back to comfortable place.

"Listen." Lips says in a normal voice and Mandy shhh's him. "Listen, Mandy." Now whispers. "The way I feel about you right now isn't going to change now matter how sick, or how weak, or how mody, or quiet, or tired, or sad, or any other bullshit thing you get. I'm here I promise." He tells her stroking her cheek with his finger.

"I'm just - I'm having a hard time trusting you Lip , everything is going so fast and last time it freaked you out and you spiraled , I can't go though that pain again, certainly not now with everything." There it was. The truth, he always suspected it but he slept at night pretending that's not how she felt, now there was no denying it.

"Hey." He pulls her over to him for her to rest her head on his shoulder 
"I'm not that guy anymore, and I've been trying to prove it to you and I'll keep trying until you see." He tells her and she looks away.

"I'm sorry I ruined you plans with your friend tonight."she whispers trying to change the subject.

"Man" He uses fingers to turn her face towards him. "This is the only fucking place I want to be right now." He tells her, and she overcome with emotions slams her lips into his, the move in perfect synthany like two puzzle pieces fitting together, she knew she should pull away, that this was so immature and high school of her, but it felt so Perfect and after Today she desperately needed a pick me up. He was so gentle, which wasn't usually the passion the two of them shared . Maybe he was afraid he was gonna break her. She was stronger than how he saw her now, but she would let him think that as long as he never dare say it.

Once they part she rests her head against his and lets herself breath for a few seconds.
"You don't wanna do that agian." She whispers.
"I do, more than anything." He says kissing her again one more time.
-
"The doctor said I probably won't be able to have any other children." Mandy says looking down sadly at kady who was once again, asleep. She wanted to be able to give Lip the family he wanted, and more importantly she knew that in the future she'd probably want another baby.

Lip was taken back for a second. Sure this wasn't a shock, he know this kinda came with the whole thing, but still it was upsetting to here the pain in her voice.

Mandy plays with the food on her plate not very hungry.

"We'll figure this out, we've already got everything we need." To tells her taking kady from her arms and holding her to his chest. He inhales her scent and feels at home.

"Other girls can give you more." She tells him.
"I don't care about other girls." He shuts her up and they continue eating in quiet

Just than in incoming call from Amanda. he couldn't keep dodging her calls.