Little Morgan Gallagher

43- You bastard I missed you

I sat in the waiting room in the hospital. Frank was here looking barely alive, his liver was literally rotting inside him. Our new sister Sammi and her son.. my nephew I guess sat beside him. She had been looking after him since he found her.

     "Is he gonna be ok?" I asked Carl, looking at Frank who literally looked as if he was only ready for a coffin.

     "Too many downers," he told me as I sat between him and Lip. We still couldn't get through to Debbie so Kev and V came along too as we waited for Liam to be released.

     "Still no Liam?" I heard Debbie say, walking into the hospital.

     "Not yet honey," V told her.

     "Where were you last night? You didn't answer your phone," I asked her.

     "-Matts."

     "Who's Matt?" I snapped, which Debbie pointed at a guy behind her. He looked like he was in his mid twenties. Oh hell no!

     "You're fucking Matt?" Lip snapped.

     "Oh fuck no! How old are you huh? You know she's thirteen!" I argued, standing up to face him.

     "Who's this?" Debbie cut across me, motioning towards Sammi and Chuckie.

     "Our new big sister and nephew," Carl told her, pointing at them as he introduced them.

     "Mr Gallagher?" I heard someone call. Taking my mind off everything else.

     There was my baby brother, being wheeled out to us in a wheelchair, but he was awake.. and smiling.

     "Liam!" We all exclaimed, cheering and cooing at him as we surrounded him, hugging and kissing him. Shit I was so happy to see him smiling.

     "How are you baby."

     "Oh my god we missed you so much!"

***

"Here Liam," I said, handing him his Tang and kissing him on the head.

"Make sure he drinks the whole thing, he needs his electrolytes," Debbie added from the table.

     "That's right, from now on nothing goes in your mouth unless we give it to you buddy," Lip said as he stood at the counter.

"Is Fiona coming down for breakfast?" I asked Lip.

     "She's not up yet," he shrugged, packing our lunches for school.

     "What's that smell?" Debbie suddenly asked.

     We stopped to smell, "Frank stop smoking weed!" Lip shouted up the stairs.

     "Carl get Liam away from the stairs," I ordered.

     We went on talking about dinner, we were low on money once again with Fiona out of work.

     "I could buy a few groceries." I looked to the living room, there was Sammi and Chuckie.

     "Yeah, that'd be nice since we have two extra mouths to feed," I snapped at her.

     "Why don't you just tell Frank to lay off the weed," Lip butted in.

     "Carl, Debbie.. head to school. I'll follow you guys in a minute," I told them, ushering them out the back door.

     "He's very sick, worse than ever," Sammi explained.

     "Well we're very out on our asses if the social worker makes a visit and the place smells like snoop dog."

     "Yeah! The only reason we're letting you stay here is to take care of Frank," I added.

     "I don't think you two understand," Sammi sighed, approaching me.

     "Understand? We've lived with that narcissistic asshole our whole lives! Now you're trying to play big sis?" I shouted at her.

     "You're lucky we don't bounce you to the curb," Lip added, "so if we say no more weed.."

     ".. We mean no more weed!" I finished.

     "Okay, fine."

     Lip sighed, "Okay listen. Now remember when the social worker does show up, you text me immediately. Okay? I'll hop on the L."

     "What about Fiona?" I asked.

     "Got her covered. I need you to stall the social worker till I get back."

     "Fine. You got that too Sammi?"

     She just nodded.

     Finally Lip turned to Sammi, "We've been dumped into foster care far too many times because of that prick upstairs Sammi, there's no way I'm letting it happen again."

***

"How's Liam doing?" Mandy asked me as we walked out of school.

"Okay I guess, he scared the living shit out of us though. Lip is still mad at Fiona, Debbie showed up to the hospital with a twenty year old, shit is kinda fucked up," I explained.

"Shit, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just weird. I guess. Got this new job though, money's good."

Mandy tilted her head, "a job where?"

I sighed, thinking for a minute, "okay look if I tell you, you can't get mad. And don't tell my family either."

She threw a suspicious look at me, "okay?"

"I work at the Angel Club downtown."

She raised her eyebrows at me, "Fuck Morgan."

"What? Money's good, drugs are good. Just have to put up with creepy old guys."

"Wait drugs? You're not back on coke again are you?"

"Well- I mean.."

Suddenly my phone started buzzing in my pocket, I pulled it out and the screen read "unknown caller."

"Unknown caller?" I questioned looking to Mandy, she just shrugged. I decided to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey mouse."

Holy fucking shit, Ian. My big brothers voice was coming from the other end of the phone.

"Ian! Holy shit! Is that you! Fuck!" I shouted in happiness, in complete shock it was him.

"Sorry I kinda disappeared for a while."

"Where the fuck were you. You bastard I missed you so much! Are you coming home?"

I could see Mandy smiling too now. "Yeah I'm coming home soon. Things just got rocky for a while but you don't need to worry, I'm just sorting shit out, and I'll be back to see your annoying ass soon enough."

I felt tears of happiness form in my eyes, "holy shit. Thank god! Thanks for calling me big brother, I missed you so damn much just please come home as fast as you can!"

"I will little sister. Just called so you don't have to worry anymore. Love you mouse, see you in a few days."

"Love you too Ian."

"How do you think he'd feel if he knew you worked at the Angel cub? Doing coke again," Mandy asked.

I just smiled, rolling my eyes at her.