The Alibi Room.
Eddie was venting to Frank, griping about all the crap going on at home, going on about how hard it is to be a man.
Frank took the opportunity to pound drinks while nodding along like he agreed with every word.
As they kept talking, Eddie mentioned that he'd moved out.
"Bullshit wife, bullshit daughter—screw all of them. I'm done. I'm not going back. Ever."
The moment Frank heard that—
His eyes widened.
Click.
A brilliant idea snapped into place.
Eddie was still ranting, totally oblivious to Frank's reaction.
Frank didn't hesitate. Once he had an idea, he acted on it immediately. Ignoring Eddie's nonstop complaining, he grabbed his crutch and headed for the door.
Moving with a crutch wasn't exactly smooth, so he made a fair bit of noise.
That finally got Eddie's attention. "Where the hell are you going?"
"Got something to take care of. We'll talk later," Frank said without even looking back.
After leaving the Alibi Room, Frank stopped to buy the cheapest bouquet of flowers he could find. Then he went home, changed into a clean outfit, and headed straight for Karen's place.
At Karen's front door, Frank straightened his clothes and raised his hand.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Sheila was home. Hearing the knocking, she cracked the door open. When she saw Frank, she assumed he was looking for a hooker and kindly pointed him in the right direction.
Frank shook his head fast. "Sheila, you've got it wrong. I'm Frank Gallagher—the father of the two kids Eddie beat half to death yesterday."
Only then did Sheila realize who he was. "Oh! Ohhh, it's you. I'm sorry—Eddie's gone…"
"No, no, Sheila. I'm here to apologize for my two bastard sons. Those little assholes—worse than animals—to do something like that…"
Frank absolutely torched Lip and Ian, cursing them out mercilessly—and loudly.
Not too far away—
Under the elevated L tracks, Dexter had been watching the whole thing for a while. He caught most of what Frank was saying and burst out laughing.
Man, he probably doesn't even trash other people this hard.
This guy's a real piece of work.
Dexter chuckled to himself and kept watching until Frank successfully made it into Karen's house. Then he looked away and started heading back.
"Frank, Frank… your leg's broken. You should be hiding at home like a sane person."
"But nooo, you just had to come out here."
Karen's house was the last one on the block. Beyond it was a long stretch of empty space, and off to the side—those same elevated train tracks.
For Dexter, that was perfect.
Now that Frank had moved in with Karen and that freak Sheila…
That stretch beneath the tracks was guaranteed to be the route Frank took when coming back from the Alibi Room.
"Tonight it is," Dexter said with a grin.
---
That evening—
Fiona got off work and didn't waste a second. Carrying the food she'd stolen, she ran home, cooked dinner for Debbie, Carl, and Liam, ate a quick bite herself, packed up meals for Lip and Ian, and then rushed straight to the hospital.
At the hospital—
After Fiona finished feeding them, Lip looked at her and said, "Fiona, Ian and I are checking out tonight."
She froze. "What? In your condition?"
From the next bed over, Ian spoke up. "We're fine. We asked the doctor earlier—now it's just recovery. We don't need to stay here. We can heal at home."
Fiona knew they'd already planned this and were just trying to bulldoze her into agreeing. She was about to refuse—
When Lip cut in again. "We're Gallaghers. This is nothing. Don't worry. We've decided—we're leaving tonight. Don't try to talk us out of it."
Fiona knew Lip's personality all too well, but she still hesitated. "But—"
"Fiona, stop. It's settled," Lip said firmly. "When you get back, have Kev drive over tonight to pick us up. And tell Veronica to get two nurse outfits—also two wheelchairs, if possible."
Being a Gallagher…
Hospital bills? What are those?
They don't exist.
Fiona understood exactly what Lip meant. He and Ian were planning to skip out without paying.
She went quiet for a moment.
Then she nodded. "Okay."
She had a conscience—she knew it was wrong. But what choice did they have?
Their family didn't have health insurance.
In America, without insurance, even going to the hospital for a cold could cost thousands of dollars.
What Lip and Ian went through this time? Easily five figures.
Just thinking about it made Fiona feel like she couldn't breathe, so she forced herself to stop thinking about it.
Not long after, she left the hospital and followed Lip's plan, heading to Veronica's place.
Veronica was home. Kev wasn't—he was at the Alibi Room.
After Fiona explained everything, Veronica didn't hesitate. She agreed immediately, grinning. "Nurse outfits are easy—I've got a few."
"As for wheelchairs, we'll have to grab them from the nursing home where I work. We'll return them afterward."
Fiona nodded quickly. "Of course."
And just like that, the plan was set.
A little after 8 p.m.
Kev got home from work and was about to relax—
When Veronica, now wearing a nurse outfit, walked up to him with a mischievous smile.
Kev took one look—hey, a uniform—and immediately started undressing, ready to get busy.
Veronica was totally messing with him. "Easy there. We've got work to do first. Fun comes later."
Kev blinked. "??? What work?"
She explained everything.
Kev instantly got irritated. "Goddamn Gallaghers."
Still, annoyed or not, Veronica wanted to help Fiona—and as her boyfriend, Kev didn't really have a choice.
He got up, went out, and drove to the nursing home.
They stole two wheelchairs, swung back to pick up Fiona—who had also changed into a nurse outfit and looked… distractingly good—and then the three of them headed to the hospital.
In the hospital parking lot—
Kev sat in the car, lit a cigarette, and shivered. "Damn, it's freezing."
Kev actually had a decent amount of conscience.
Helping Lip and Ian dodge medical bills…
He really didn't want any part of this mess.
After waiting more than ten minutes—
Finally.
Fiona and Veronica, both disguised as nurses, pushed Lip and Ian out of the hospital building at a brisk pace.
Kev saw them, sighed, started the car, jumped out, opened the doors, and helped load Lip and Ian into the vehicle.
After a few minutes of chaos—
Everything was set.
Time to run.
By then, it was already 11 p.m.
Under the elevated train tracks—
Same as last time.
Practice makes perfect.
Dexter followed Frank beneath the tracks and waited for a train to pass overhead, the roar of metal drowning out all sound.
Already wearing a mask, Dexter stepped quickly up behind Frank, pulled his gun, and squeezed the trigger.
Bang. Bang. Bang!