Chapter 163: Filing a Report
Due to the failed DNA test, removing Liam legally required Frank's signature, but with Frank missing, that was impossible.
Loberta and Monica aimed to persuade the kids. If Fiona and the others consented, they could take Liam.
Though this wouldn't be legal, as long as everyone remained silent, it wouldn't be an issue. After all, Monica was Liam's biological mother.
Forcibly taking Liam without Fiona's consent would lead to police involvement, potentially resulting in kidnapping charges. Monica's past ensured no sympathy from a judge.
Unfortunately, Loberta and Monica's plan to play the emotional card and sway Fiona failed completely.
Monica was ready to give up, but Loberta's eyes flashed with determination.
Loberta, a truck driver, knew the dangers of her job in America, a place where guns are legal and remote areas can harbor wolves and criminals. Unlike peaceful countries, driving a truck here required a tough demeanor.
Feeling she'd been patient enough for Monica's sake, Loberta prepared to take drastic action since the kids wouldn't cooperate.
"Loberta, don't do this," Monica pleaded, sensing Loberta's intentions.
"The kids leave me no choice," Loberta replied, reaching for her phone.
"No, please. If you do this, they'll never forgive me. They'll hate me forever," Monica begged.
"They already hate you. They don't understand your struggles as a mother. Didn't you hear them the other night? They're all on Frank's side, that deadbeat. I don't know what spell Frank cast on them," Loberta argued.
"Still, don't," Monica insisted.
"This is for their own good. They'll have new lives, maybe even be adopted by wealthy families, instead of being stuck in a dirty hovel. And we can raise Liam," Loberta rationalized, dialing a number.
"Connect me to Child Welfare, please."
"I'd like to report a problematic household at 2119 North Wallace Street, the Gallagher home. Six kids crammed into a filthy, overcrowded house. The oldest is only twenty, the youngest just two."
"These kids have no parental supervision, surviving through deceit and crime. They're delinquents, violent offenders. Please, rescue them," Loberta reported.
"Oh no, the kids are going to hate me," Monica lamented, holding her head in her hands by the roadside.
"We're saving them," Loberta reassured her.
Unaware of Loberta's actions, the kids remained oblivious to the approaching storm.
"You think we should get a DNA test too?" Lip asked Ian as they chatted in their room.
"What brought this on?" Lip asked, sitting up.
"Dad said in his will that I'm not his son, but his brother's," Ian hesitated, the thought gnawing at him.
"Let's find out," Lip suggested, sensing Ian's turmoil.
Getting a DNA test was straightforward. A simple cheek swab sufficed, and it wasn't costly. The brothers soon had their results.
Unsurprisingly, Lip was Frank's biological son, but Ian wasn't.
"I'm really not Dad's son. I'm his brother's child, just like Dad said," Ian reflected, holding the results.
"Want to meet your biological father? Dad mentioned his brother Clayton. A quick search will show where he lives," Lip offered.
"No, I don't need to. Knowing changes nothing. This is my home. Frank is still my dad, Fiona my sister, and you're my brother. Debbie, Carl, Liam—we're a family, and nothing, not even a DNA test, can change that," Ian said, tossing the report in the trash.
After their chat, Lip left for an errand.
Ian retrieved a letter from under his pillow, part of Frank's will addressed to him.
Looking at the will, Ian recalled his last encounter with Frank.
Monica, unable to stop Loberta, felt deep remorse and spent days trying to make amends with the kids.
While most avoided Monica, Ian's work schedule at the convenience store made him an easy target for her.
Over the past few days, Ian had the most interaction with Monica among the kids.
Burdened with thoughts he couldn't share with family, Ian found himself confiding in Monica.
Fiona was overwhelmed with responsibilities, and Lip, though his brother, wasn't someone Ian could open up to about personal issues. Debbie and Carl were too young to understand.
So, like a man weighed down by life's pressures who confides in a stranger over drinks, Ian shared his thoughts with Monica.
"It's not your fault about Frank. I was married to him long enough to know how difficult life with him was," Monica consoled.
"But that was the last time I saw him, and I treated him so badly, yelling and hitting him," Ian admitted, sipping his beer, burdened with guilt.
Since learning of Frank's death, Ian's guilt had been overwhelming. Despite Frank's flaws, he was still their father.
In their last months together, Frank had shown glimpses of being a real father, different from the past.
(End of Chapter)