The Gallagher House.
To be hit with this news the moment he got back...
Lip could understand it, but understanding and accepting were two different things.
Simply put, Lip couldn't accept it—at least not for now. His emotions were a tangled mess.
Because of this complexity, Lip didn't make a sound, just smoked silently.
Fiona looked at Lip. Knowing he was finding it hard to accept, she didn't disturb him, just quietly waiting for his response.
After finishing a cigarette, Lip snubbed out the butt, looked at Fiona, and finally found his voice. "I have to go find Karen and sort out the baby situation. We'll talk later."
After speaking, without waiting for Fiona to say anything, Lip got up and left. He lit another cigarette as he walked, and in the blink of an eye, he left the Gallagher house.
Fiona watched Lip disappear. Honestly, she felt a bit bad, but not bad enough to change her mind and jump back into the massive pit that was the Gallagher family.
After feeling bad for a few seconds, Fiona gritted her teeth, got up, picked up Liam, and returned to the newly rented house.
Lip smoked as he strode all the way toward the Jackson house. Looking at the familiar streets and familiar scenes, he unconsciously zoned out a bit.
People fear comparison the most, and environments are no exception.
It was messy and dilapidated here. Lip had always firmly believed he didn't belong here.
But now, having just left that hellhole of a juvenile detention center, seeing all this again, Lip surprisingly felt a touch of nostalgia.
This made him want to laugh. At the same time, the complexity of his emotions lightened a little.
Lip took another fierce drag of his cigarette and started thinking about Fiona again.
Before entering the detention center, he had tried hard to keep the Gallagher family united... He went to juvie for a stint, and upon returning, Fiona had actually officially moved out. The Gallagher family had fallen apart again, and even more thoroughly than last time.
Last time, Fiona gave up on the Gallagher family out of disappointment and anger.
This time, Fiona did it because she wanted to live for herself...
So, should he try hard to do it all over again?
Subconsciously, Lip didn't want to.
So, forget it.
Lip then started thinking about the problem of living without Fiona.
This was going to be a huge problem!
Because all along, Fiona had borne most of the Gallagher family's living expenses.
If Fiona stopped paying, setting aside everything else, just eating would be a major issue.
What should he do?
Lip instinctively thought of his old ways of making money... and honestly, he didn't dare do them anymore.
This trip to the detention center, especially those guys who almost fxxked him during his stay, had truly scared the hell out of him.
He genuinely didn't want to, and didn't dare to, go back there again.
But if he didn't do illegal things, what could he rely on to get money?
The more Lip thought about it, the more his head hurt. After thinking for a long time, he couldn't come up with any good methods, so he had to sigh and decide to discuss it with Ian, Debbie, and Carl tonight to see if they could work out a solution.
Yes.
Since deciding not to try dragging Fiona back to the Gallagher house, as the second oldest of the six Gallaghers, Lip had silently allowed himself to take over Fiona's position.
Time flew.
Lip arrived outside the Jackson's front yard. Looking at the Jackson house, he paused his thoughts. Then, he took a long, deep breath to calm himself down so he could communicate calmly with Karen, or Sheila and Eddie.
The fact was, this trip to the detention center had indeed made Lip grow a lot.
At least, Lip realized his temper was a problem.
After adjusting his emotions, Lip walked to the Jackson's door and raised his hand to knock.
Thump, thump, thump~~
At this time in the morning, Sheila and Eddie were both home. They were in the living room, sitting in their separate spots, not talking to each other, busy with their own things—just like many sad couples who had been married for years.
Hearing the knock.
Eddie, who wasn't lazy, put down the newspaper in his hand and got up to open the door.
The door opened, and he saw Lip at a glance... Uncontrollably, because he thought he had killed Frank, Eddie subconsciously panicked a little.
After all, no matter what kind of scumbag Frank was, Frank was Lip's father.
Because of the panic, Eddie, who should have been angry at Lip, spoke as peacefully as possible. "Karen isn't home."
Lip hadn't seen Karen's car just now and had already guessed she probably wasn't home. "I guessed that. Can I talk to you and Sheila about Karen's child?"
Eddie was also very worried about that child. Hearing this, he hesitated for a moment and stepped aside.
Lip entered the house.
Shortly after, in the living room.
Sheila was quite surprised to see Lip. "Lip, looking for Karen? She went out with her boyfriend Jody."
Sheila deliberately emphasized the word "boyfriend."
Lip was smart; he sensed it, smiled slightly, and didn't respond to it. "Actually, I want to talk to you about Karen's child."
Hearing this, Sheila frowned. "Talk about what?"
"I want to know what Karen has decided, and what you guys think," Lip asked as calmly as possible.
Sheila had mental issues and didn't think there was anything wrong with Karen having a baby this early. She immediately chimed in, "Karen hasn't said yet. But, no matter what, I support her decision."
Lip knew clearly that Sheila had issues—simply put, she couldn't be counted on. He looked at Eddie, waiting for Eddie to speak.
Eddie was actually very annoyed about this matter.
On one hand, because of his faith, Eddie couldn't accept abortion.
On the other hand, Eddie knew clearly that if Karen had a child this young, her life would be over.
After being annoyed for a few seconds, Eddie finally spoke. "I believe in Jesus. I can't persuade her to get an abortion."
Pausing for a moment, Eddie asked back, "If she insists on having the baby, what are your thoughts?"
Hearing this, Lip immediately said decisively, "I will take my responsibility and take good care of that child."
'Provided that child is really mine'—Lip gritted his teeth and held back that sentence; he didn't say it.
Lip's response didn't lessen Eddie's annoyance.
The reason was simple.
Eddie knew the hellish situation of the Gallagher family.
Eddie really had no solution, so he shook his head. "You are still young, and with your family's situation being what it is, you can't handle it... You go talk to Karen about this. I can't get involved."
As the words left his mouth, Eddie gritted his teeth and added, "Lip, you might not understand this right now, but I still want to say it."
"You guys are too young, the future is still long. Don't ruin your future because of a moment of stupidity."
"Anyway, try to persuade Karen properly."
Lip was smart. After a little thought, he realized Eddie meant for him to persuade Karen to get an abortion.
Realizing this.
"Okay," Lip didn't argue. He agreed, turned around, and left.