They were all in Gallagher's living room, and each one of them was talking on the phone, asking whoever they could reach if they had spoken to or seen Frank.
Desna had been calling every single person she had on her phone, but no one had come across the man. She didn't know how to take that information; it could be a good sign that maybe he was just passed out under a bridge or at the side of the road or in an old abandoned house; he did that sometimes. But it could even mean that if he hadn't been seen, it was because he could be dead as well.
Suddenly, a noise made them all turn towards the window to see the phone V was using being pulled back from the window.
"Motherfucker!" Veronica exclaimed before running out of the house. Probably, Kev had woken up.
"Anything?" Fiona asked.
But nobody had seen Frank from the night before. How was this even possible? He was loud, rude, and bothersome, so someone must have seen him.
Their attention was caught by Debbie, who started to cry. Poor baby, even if her father was an asshole, she could not stop loving him. Desna walked closer to her as Fiona tried to soothe her, "Don't worry, Debs," she said, "We are going to find him."
Desna was really hoping that Frank Gallagher hadn't died on his kids.
"We split up," Fiona said, looking at all her siblings, "All the regular spots, okay?"
Desna's phone buzzed in her hand to alert her that someone had just sent her a text.
"Shit," she muttered, before walking to Fiona, "Fi, I'm sorry, Kev asked for me to help him today," Fiona touched her arm, shaking her head.
"It's okay; you've done a lot," she said, and Desna touched her hand to try to comfort her.
"The Alibi is a regular spot," Desna said, trying to sound encouraging, "I'll keep my eyes open."
"Thank you," Fiona said before turning towards her sibling to decide where they would have to go. Desna took her bag and jacket and headed to the door, but as she did, she didn't miss the look that Lip was giving her. He had his arms crossed as he observed her, but when their eyes met, he turned away, giving his attention back to his sister.
"Finally!" Kev exclaimed as Desna entered the bar, frowning at his tone.
"Whoa! What got you all worked up?" She asked as she put her bag down behind the counter.
"Bills get higher, no fucking phone, fought with V, want for me to go on?" Kev answered as he moved past her to go to the back of the bar.
"Then go home, fuck her, and come back with less steam!" Desna protested before noticing her colleague looking at her. "Hey, Jess," she greeted her with a small smile.
"Someone is nervous," the woman said, owning a glare from Desna, who took a rag to go and clean some tables. She looked around to study the faces of all the customers: Tommy drinking at the counter, Billy sleeping on the counter, four men laughing loudly in the corner of the hall, a woman drinking her beer, her eyes glued on the TV, clients waving to Desna's direction to make an order, but there was no trace of Frank Gallagher.
"Jess?" Desna said, walking back towards the counter. The woman looked up as she was cleaning a glass.
"What?"
"Did you happen to see Frank Gallagher today?" She asked. Jess seemed to think about it, but then she shook her head.
"No, didn't see him," Desna scoffed before thanking her. She took a look at her cell phone, but there were no calls or texts. It was becoming worrying. How could it be possible that no one had seen the man? Where the fuck was he? Did he leave the fucking country?
"Des! Clients!" Kev shouted, and Desna turned to him with wide eyes.
"The fuck, Kev!" She argued back, "You wanna argue with me as well?"
"Can we stop thinking about fucking Gallaghers for a day or two?!" He asked in exasperation.
"That's why you argued with Veronica?" She asked.
"Take orders! I love you!" Desna looked at him with a frown.
"Jeez, calm down, man…" she said, walking towards the clients.
She had worked for two hours, checking her phone as often as she could, but there was no sign of the Gallaghers. She could not believe she was actually worried about Frank Gallagher. She had never liked the man. He was selfish and narcissistic; he left his children with no money but would spend everything that he had on alcohol and drugs. Parents who didn't act as such were one of the things that Desna hated the most. Nobody forced anybody to have kids, just don't fucking have them if you have to make them struggle all their life.
Suddenly, the door of the Alibi opened, revealing Lip entering with Karen on his heels. Lip aggressively threw Kev's cell phone on the counter.
"What the fuck, Lip!" Desna exclaimed, but Lip was glaring at Kev.
"You can shove your phone up your ass, alright?" He said, "No more freebies from me, like doing your taxes every April because you can't understand the instructions!"
"You didn't want him to use your phone?" Desna asked Kev in disbelief, who stuttered without answering.
"Fucking asshole."
"Hey! Don't talk to him like that!" Desna argued, moving towards Lip, who glared at her, too. But before he could answer, Kev talked, arms raised.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey, take it easy, all right?" he said, moving to the front of the counter. Lip turned to look at the man, who was now using his usual laid-back tone. "Look, Frank isn't far, okay? He never goes far?"
"I know, but it's last Friday," Lip explained, his tone much calmer.
"Last Friday?" Kev asked, "So what?"
"Kev, the disability check," Desna explained, "This is the check day," finally realization got him.
"Oh, Jesus! Fuck me!" Kev exclaimed, "Jess! Frank Gallagher, did he leave with anybody when we kicked him out last night?"
"Name me one person who would be caught dead with him in that condition?" Jess answered, and Desna's eyes immediately moved to Lip, who turned away from biting his lips.
"Steve was definitely gone by then, so Frank wasn't with him," Kev thought out loud before turning to the customers. "Hey, anybody seen Frank the Plank?"
"Steve?" Asked Desna.
"W-which Steve?" Lip asked, looking at Kev.
"'Steve' Steve. Fiona's new Steve," Kev answered. Then Karen moved forward.
"In here?" She asked.
Kev nodded, "Talking to your dad. Friendly enough."
"What time?" Desna asked, and Kevin thought about it for a moment.
"Hours before closing," he answered. Lip was silent, thinking about what Kev had said for a moment before starting to walk towards the door.
As he made a step, Desna spoke, "If you need anything-"
"Don't worry about it," he answered, avoiding her gaze, "Karen."
"Thanks, Kev," she said in that annoying fake sweet tone, then tuned to Desna, "See ya."
Desna ignored her, finding herself looking at the ground, turning only when she heard the door close.
"Sweet, Jesus," she heard Kevin say. "I didn't understand it was that bad." Desna fought the tears that threatened to fill her eyes.
"Don't worry, Kev," she said, walking back behind the counter and avoiding looking at Kevin.
"Have you heard?" A man shouted, entering the bar, "A body has been found under the EI!"
The blood froze in Desna's veins as she and Kevin looked at each other in dread. What if it was Frank?
"Shit…" Kevin muttered.
"Kev, we have to tell them," Desna said, and the man nodded immediately.
"Take your things," he said to her, rushing to her belongings as Kev turned to Jess.
"I'll leave it to you," he said, opening the door so that Desna could run out.
"You think it's him?" Desna asked as she and Kev made their way toward the Gallaghers, "I mean, could it really be him?"
"I don't know, bug," he said, his body tense. The chances that the body was Frank Gallagher were high; nobody had seen him in more than twelve hours, nothing. Frank was an asshole, but his kids cared about him: Fiona was going out of her mind, Debbie cried, and Lip…
She just hoped that it was not Frank.
"Hey," Kev announced their entrance, immediately moving towards V, "Can I talk to you for a second?" Desna's gaze fell first on Debbie, sitting on the coffee table sobbing, surrounded by her siblings; then she noticed Lip and Karen in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. They had probably just arrived. Desna wondered if Lip had already talked to Steve since he was in the house with them.
"They…" she muttered, getting everyone's attention, "They've found a body under the EI."
Their faces all paled as they looked at her.
"When?" Fiona asked, getting up, her voice shaking.
"N-not so long ago," Desna said.
"We… we gotta go," Fiona said, turning to her siblings, "Get your things; we have to go," they all started to get their jackets, and as they were ready, they began to exit the house. As Lip passed by her, they looked at each other silently. He bit his lips, trying not to show his worry, but she knew he was. Her hand moved to his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. Lip nodded his head lightly before walking out, followed by Karen. The two girls shared a glare but didn't say anything to each other, too busy to follow the group to see if the body was actually Frank's.
They ran all the way to the EI, and they saw the police already making the measurements. Desna could see the body as she put her hands on Carl's shoulders, standing in front of her. From where they were, it was not possible to see the face; his clothes could resemble Franks, though, and that made her pull Carl close to her. When she saw the forensic medic getting closer to the body, her breath got stuck in her throat. Then he finally turned the body, and Desna closed her eyes as everyone screamed with joy.
It was not Frank Gallagher.
Carl turned in her arms, hugging her around her waist, and she immediately hugged him back with a little smile. Turning to find Lip glancing in her direction, her lips moved in a small smile, and he gave her a little nod, his gaze finally more relaxed.
Frank Gallagher wasn't dead.
Then... where the fuck was he?