Chapter 281 – Starting School
The hospice was filled with people nearing the end of their lives. The atmosphere inside was so heavy and oppressive that it felt suffocating, as if even the air itself was thick with the scent of death.
Staying there, one could almost feel death approaching step by step, like the Grim Reaper was lingering in the halls, waiting to take the next soul. It felt like a cradle of death.
It wasn't just Peggy who couldn't take it—Frank found it hard to bear as well.
Frank had cancer too. Facing Peggy's condition, he could empathize deeply. Seeing her like that, he felt a kind of sorrow only those who've been close to death can understand.
If his illness ever progressed to the same stage as Peggy's, he was sure he wouldn't end up in a place like that—this kind of hellhole.
Frank would make the same choice as Peggy: end it himself. Spare himself the suffering, maybe even help the family out one last time.
Putting himself in her shoes, Frank understood why she was doing what she was doing.
When they returned home, everyone was in low spirits.
Once the kids were out of earshot, Peggy called Frank over privately.
"I need you to help me with something," Peggy said.
"What is it?" Frank asked gently, taking a seat.
"Do you remember how Ginger died?" she asked.
"Ginger..." Frank froze for a moment.
Of course, Frank knew. He had been there when it happened. Or rather, "Frank" had been there.
Back then, Ginger was throwing a party at home. There were lots of people—drinking, doing drugs, everyone was having a good time.
When "Frank" woke up, Ginger was already cold, his body stiff. There was even a rolled-up bill still stuck in his nose.
Quite literally: partied to death.
"Frank" had then hidden the body, moved into Ginger's home, and started collecting his welfare checks like nothing happened. He had no intention of dealing with the consequences.
If Frank hadn't cleaned up that mess, he might've been arrested by the FBI, and Fiona and the others could've been dragged into it too.
Of course, Peggy knew how Ginger had died. So bringing it up now... the meaning was clear.
She had once tried to end her life by stepping into traffic, but Pinkman stopped her. Since then, the kids had been watching her like hawks, not letting her be alone—definitely not giving her a chance to take her own life.
So now she was thinking of another way—overdosing.
In America, plenty of people died from drugs every day. Peggy wanted to be one of them.
Better than slowly rotting away at home, losing control of your body—it was torture. Every time Sammy helped bathe her, she wanted to drown herself in the tub.
But that way of dying was too painful.
Though Peggy had resolved to end it, she still wanted it to be quick and painless. No point in dying if it meant more suffering.
Overdosing felt like a clean way out. Just bliss, then darkness. That's how she saw it.
"You understand what I'm saying, right? Can you help me?" Peggy asked.
Getting drugs wasn't easy. The kids would never allow it. Only Frank, who could truly understand her, might be willing to help.
"I get it," Frank said. "But... I want to take you somewhere first. Show you something."
"Where to?" Peggy asked.
"You'll see," Frank replied.
In the following days, Peggy became noticeably calmer. She stopped looking for chances to die.
To ease her pain, Frank got his hands on a bunch of medications and even morphine injections. Thanks to his connections in the business, it wasn't hard to source.
He waited a few days—until Lip and Karen's college semester began.
Frank drove Lip, Sheila, and Karen to the University of Chicago. Kevin and Jimmy brought the others in another car. It was a big family outing.
The Gallaghers didn't have a lot of well-educated people. For Lip to graduate high school was a party-worthy milestone. Going to college? Unheard of.
So now that Lip and Karen were college-bound, the whole family came to celebrate and check out the campus.
"Sweetie, look! What a huge field!" Sheila exclaimed excitedly, tugging at Karen.
Compared to everyone else's excitement, Lip and Karen—the students themselves—seemed indifferent.
Over the summer, Lip had been helping Professor Hearst with military experiments, often staying on campus. He was no stranger to the university.
Karen, on the other hand, had already attended high-profile events, dined at banquets, and even met the Vice Dean. Her connections were stronger than Lip's.
So while the rest of the South Side family were wide-eyed tourists, Lip and Karen were underwhelmed—maybe even a little bored.
It was move-in day, and the dorms were bustling with students and parents. Members of the student council and the dorm staff helped direct the flow, but it was still chaotic. People were everywhere, dragging suitcases.
The boys' and girls' dorms were in the same building, just on different corridors. It was all open, and upperclassmen often strolled the halls.
"Whoa~" Carl peered into a room where the door hadn't fully closed. Inside was a girl with a killer figure wearing practically nothing. His eyes lit up.
"Ethel, would you like to go to college?" Kevin asked his foster daughter, watching the sea of students moving around. "We can pay for it."
Ever since the incident with the weed and the bar's electric bill, and after Frank suggested formally adopting Ethel, Kevin had been taking it seriously.
But Veronica had always opposed the idea. Kevin was a big softie, but Veronica ran the house, and if she said no, that was that.
Still, Kevin had been down ever since—mopey and uninterested in anything, even in bed.
Veronica, who knew Kevin too well, thought he was just sulking and would bounce back eventually.
But as time passed, he only got worse. Things escalated. They even fought and had a cold war for days. Fiona had to step in multiple times to patch things up.