Ukrainian Lullaby - Gallavich

23 - Do you believe me?

This is short. Shorter than intended. But we're getting there.
Anyways, Merry Christmas

-Love, Miriam

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 23 – Do you believe me?

It's been 2 months.
Ian didn't talk to his brother in two months.

He desperately waited for an update from the hospital, he waited for Mandy to message him. When he couldn't take staring at his phone any longer, he threw himself into schoolwork and learning.

But finally, after two months, Mandy texted him.
Mickey was released from ICU – Ian was about to break down from the relieve he felt.
But the Milkovich was still in coma, the fight wasn't won yet.

Ian had to beg the Milkovich sister to let him visit Mickey. Mandy finally let him into Mickey's hospital room, he felt no compassion for Ian, didn't let him see Mickey to make the ginger feel better, it was just because the Gallaghers had made sure, that the specialist was taking care of Mickey.

Ian came to visit every day he could. He had stopped his ROTC practice – it was too time consuming.
He threw his plans to go to the military overboard, Mickey would hate him going to the army.

Right now, he sat on one side of Mickey's hospital bed, Mandy on the other, across from him. The girl never let Ian alone with her brother. She was always either watching Mickey or Ian.

Ian cleared his throat, gaining Mandy's attention.
"Mandy... uhm... my sister started taking legal steps against your dad."
Mandy looked at him confused, "She what?"

"She asked our lawyers to do something against him."
"I know what legal steps means, asshat, but what does it mean for us, specifically. And why would she do something like that?"
Ian shrugged, "She likes Mickey. He always helped around the house... my younger siblings love him. She just wants to help you... Mick, you, your brothers."

Mandy looked at Mickey and took his hand in hers.
"What can she do, huh? They will put dad in prison and then... he'll be out after a few years and punish us."
"We have good lawyers. Fiona said... if you and your brothers testify against your father, they can put him away forever. For all the shit he did. Killing your mom, killing Joey... what he did to you, what he did to Mickey", he looked at the unconscious boy, "Your life of abuse. He wouldn't get out, ever."

Mandy looked surprised at the Gallagher.
"He told you about..."
"He told me everything", Ian mumbled.
"Even Mom... he, he never talks about mom. None of us ever talks about Joey... He must have trusted you a lot"

"He even showed me Joey's place", Ian mumbled.
"No Non-Milkovich is allowed there. Actually, no one who isn't our sibling isn't allowed up there, we wouldn't even show it to our cousins!"

Ian licked his lips.
"I told him I love him for the first time... up there, on Joey's place...", he looked up at the Milkovich sister, "I love him, Mandy. He told me about all of that because he trusted me... and I ruined that trust... but I love him. I know it may be hard for you to believe, but I love him more than anything.", he looked back at Mickey, "It was Lip's plan to set him, it's what they did with my dad's former lovers all the time. But I didn't want that. I asked Lip to destroy the evidence again and again... because I didn't want Mickey to leave. I wanted him to stay, because I liked him. And he liked me, and he told me why he was there and... I just wanted him to be able to leave this life behind, not having to have sex with old men anymore, being able to rescue you... I just wanted him to be happy, because I love him.", he shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, "To think, he thought I only used him and abused his trust... it's killing me, because it's not true... If he wakes up and tells me to leave, I'll leave... but I just need to explain to him... I need to explain, that I really love him."

Mandy was silent for a while.

"Did he tell you... about our plan... that I come with you and run away with you two, together?"
Mandy nodded, "He was happy that he could keep you around."

In vulnerable moments like this one, she didn't seem so tough... she was just a broken, scared teenager, sitting in front of her dying brother.

"He loved you the same, you know? He told you about mom... about Joey... he loves you. I knew it from the way he always talked about you. He loves you so much and... that's exactly what broke him. You're the first person he ever opened up towards, except Svetlana maybe... Thinking you betrayed him like that... it broke him so deeply, he didn't care anymore if he lived or died, if Dad killed him or not."

"I know it's my fault", Ian said and for a moment he couldn't look at Mickey anymore, couldn't bear the sight of the wounded man, of the cuts and bandages, "I should have told him at some point... but I was afraid he wouldn't understand. Luck was so fucking close. So close... just one more day and we would have made it. We could have left, and he would have never had to find out."

"You should get used to not always getting what you want", Mandy said.

Ian took a shaky breath and a tear escaped his eye, he rubbed it away.
"That's exactly what he said to me all the time. But who knew it would ever end here?"
Mandy looked at him sadly, now she did feel something for him... compassion.

"Do you believe me?", Ian asked after a longer pause, "Do you believe me, that I really love him and never wanted anything to happen to him, never wanted to betray him..."

Mandy licked her bottom lip, looking at the ginger, who, in a way, was just a broken teenager like herself, "Call me crazy", she said quietly, "But I do."