A year ago.

12

Chapter 12: trouble in paradise
-
Fiona took Mandy to the appointment. Everything was fine, kady was doing extremely well and Mandy finally felt like she breath alittle again. Fiona was also happy to hear the news and despite all the terrible things Fiona's said and thought about Mandy, Mandy liked having Fiona by her side, Fiona was good. She knew what she was doing for the most part, she's done this, raised kids before. And none of them came out that bad, Carl was alittle pervy, but that wasn't Fiona's fault.

"Hey, Everything's alright." Fiona said watching Mandy space off out the window.

"I know." Mandy smiles. "I'm happy about that. But everything else right now is pretty shitty." She admits.

"Yah well, that's Chicago." Fiona half jokes.

Mandy just shrugs. Cadence was now in a car seat, it may have had stains and Been 5 years old but it was still a seat and she was thankful to Fiona for
Digging it out of the basement.

"Where do you want me to drop you
Off?" Fiona asked Mandy.

"My brother's" Mandy says and before they know it they are in front
Of the milkovich house.

"Thank you, Fiona." Mandy says how looking fi in the face.

Fiona puts her hand on Mandy's shoulder and smiles. "You'll get your shit together soon, give it time." And they say one last goodbye before Mandy walks up the stairs and into the house watching behind her as the car disappears.

-

the first thing Mandy hears when she walks in is "where the fuck did Gallagher go?" Mickey says amused.

"Fuck if I know." Mandy says with a shrug plopping down on the couch

"Idiot." Is all Mickey says before Mandy's phone rings. She doesn't recognize the number but she does the area code so she answers.

"Hello?" She asked coldly she's had enough today.

"Hey Mandy, it's vee, I feel kinda weird calling you but you think you could swing by the alibi and pick lip up, he's had alittle to much."

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

She was destroying him, he was in trouble when she left last year, now he's fucking everything up again.

"Yah I'll be there in 10." She says and the phone call ends.

"Need my help?." Mickey asks when she hangs up the phone.
"I can handle it." She puts on cadences hat and rolls socks over her hands to keep her warm. "Can I borrow yevs on stroller." She says knowing where it was, she had left hers at the dorm.

"Be my guest." Mickey says lighting a cigarette.

Mandy pulls the dusty stroller out from the shed on the side of the house. And she quickly straps kady in and pushed at an aggressive speed.

-

Upon entering the front of the Alibi someone holds the door open for her to get the stroller in and that was probably the only time that has ever happened to her. She notices lip head down empty glass and kev leaning over the bar reading some paper next to him.

"Hey, what the hell?" She says coming up and pushing his shoulder. He sits up alittle and turns his entire body towards her. Kady  slept silently  in the stroller with two fleece blankets covering her.

"What the fuck!" He says pushing his hair back.

"What the fuck you, you've been mia for the past five hours, Ian can't reach you, Fiona either, you could have been dead in a ditch for all we knew." She says bitterly.

"Whatever." His only response as he picks up the empty glass and groans placing it back down he must of forgotten he has finished it.

"Whatever? Oh yah real mature." Mandy says sarcastically.

"What the fuck are you doing here Mandy." He stumbles on his words.

"I'm here to get you home" she says stepping towards him. And he slouches.

"I can get home just fine by myself." He stands to and wobbles alittle until Mandy grabs him. He shakes her off.

"I don't need your damn help Mandy, your not my fucking wife, leave me the fuck alone." She would be lying if she said she wasn't hurt. In fact she was devastated, he was starting to sound like the same old lip, the one she didn't trust, but this time she was starting to get her head on straight, and she wasn't gonna take this.

"Oh fuck You, I'm making sure you don't get hit by a fucking care not proposing." She says helping him put his arms around her shoulders propping himself up.

"And cadences appointment went well thanks for asking." She rolls her eyes. She knew he wasn't in the right mindset to have this conversation but she wanted to vent about it.

"Oh fuck off." Is all he can say. Mandy felt sick, Lip was one mean drunk.
-

Once arriving at the Gallagher house Mandy knocks on the door. She was exhausted holding lip up with one arm and pushing cady with the other was a lot of work.

Ian answered. He quickly takes Lip from Mandy who was sweating and her black makeup ran stained under her eyes.
"Get him to bed." Mandy said and Ian nodded.
"Mandy.." He says seriously.
"I'm going to stay with Mickey tonight." She tells him and his heart breaks for her, all his brother did was fuck up over and over and over again with her and he really wondered how much of this Mandy would take. He knew she loved Lip, because he loved Mickey and he would do the same thing, but he was starting to think if it would have been better if they never seen each other again to begin with, especially with the news he had just revived from Mickey.