Hospital.
11:00 AM.
Jack, who rushed over first thing in the morning, got his test results back. Staring at the paper that clearly read "Gonorrhea," his brain instantly started buzzing so loudly he couldn't even hear what the doctor in front of him was saying.
It took him a moment to snap back to reality and stare blankly as the doctor spoke.
The doctor was calm. Working in the South Side, he saw these results all the time and was totally used to it. "It's not a major issue. Nothing to worry too much about..."
After explaining things, the doctor added, "Also, you need to inform your partner so she can get tested as soon as possible."
"!!!!" Hearing the word partner, Jack, who had been a step behind, instantly blew up.
Fuck!
That damn Fiona Gallagher!
Slum trash bitch!
Jack grabbed his meds and stormed out, replaying the last three weeks in his head.
At first, hooking up with Fiona was great.
Sure, her chest was on the smaller side, but she was pretty and had a nice body.
Later on, he found out she was down for whatever and didn't even make him use a condom. He was thrilled.
But now...
Fuck!
Jack completely snapped out of it!
Fucking Fiona, playing that loose and not using protection—it was entirely normal for her to be carrying a disease!
Furious, Jack jumped in his car and floored it straight to the Gallagher house.
Fiona was in the kitchen making lunch, planning to eat before heading to work. Seeing Jack, she flashed a habitual smile. "What's up?"
Jack's face was twisted with rage, eyes practically shooting fire as he glared at her. "Fuck you!! Fiona!! You fucking bitch..."
Jack unloaded a string of vile curses all at once.
Fiona was stunned by the outburst, but quickly recovered and immediately started screaming back.
They were yelling so loud that Carl and Debbie, who were hanging out in the backyard, heard them and ran into the house.
"You slut, how many fucking guys have you slept with to give me gonorrhea?! I swear to God I want to beat the shit out of you!!" Jack kept roaring.
Fiona had no idea she had gonorrhea. She froze again, but then her true nature kicked in. Without hesitation, she flipped the script and struck back. "Fuck you! Don't you try to pin this on me! You fucking gave it to me..."
It didn't take long.
Jack, who had been having a blast with Fiona for the last three weeks, finally saw her truly shameless side. It completely shattered his perception of her. The next second, he genuinely felt that saying even one more word to this bitch would dirty his mouth.
He let out a couple of cold laughs, turned around, and walked out.
Seeing him leave.
Fiona decisively kept screaming at the top of her lungs, acting like Jack was the one with the problem.
She cursed for a good while before finally stopping, fuming. She bent down to pick up the test report Jack threw on the floor while telling Carl and Debbie, who were standing there dumbfounded, "None of your business. Go play outside. Remember to come back for lunch later."
Carl and Debbie didn't move.
"What's gonorrhea?" Carl asked curiously.
Debbie looked deeply worried. "Jack was telling the truth, right?"
Hearing Debbie, Fiona's expression tightened. Her pride couldn't take it. "It's a lie. He gave it to me."
Even though she was young, living in the Gallagher house meant Debbie wasn't stupid. She saw right through Fiona's lie instantly.
Debbie grew even more worried. She hesitated but couldn't help speaking up. "Fiona, you can't have so many boyfriends anymore..."
Even if she wanted to, it probably wasn't happening.
Gonorrhea wasn't a joke.
"Go play outside!" Fiona, who was actually furious and highly agitated, barely held it in and growled.
Getting yelled at, Debbie turned and walked out.
Seeing Debbie leave, Carl followed.
In the blink of an eye, Fiona was alone in the kitchen.
Fiona glared angrily at the test report, reading it over carefully...
"Fuck!!" Fiona cursed viciously, quickly racking her brain, trying to remember all the guys she slept with over the past few months to figure out who gave her gonorrhea.
As someone with a 100-body count who changed men faster than she changed clothes, Fiona usually paid attention to that kind of stuff.
But some things can't be avoided just by paying attention.
Plus, being broke meant Fiona couldn't exactly afford regular checkups.
For a moment.
Fiona was incredibly angry and frustrated... There were just too many guys. She really couldn't figure out who it was.
After a long while.
Helpless, Fiona temporarily gave up trying to figure it out. She decided to skip work this afternoon and hit the free clinic to get tested and confirm it for herself.
---
Having witnessed the entire kitchen drama firsthand, Carl had a ton of questions. Unfortunately, no one was around to answer them.
After thinking about it, he decided to head to Dex Restaurant and ask Dexter.
Decision made, Carl took off immediately.
Seeing him go, Debbie asked, "Carl, where are you going? It's almost time for lunch."
"Got some stuff to do. Be back in a bit," Carl answered without looking back.
Without a bike, Carl walked everywhere. He had long since developed a fast pace and was practically speed-walking.
Didn't take too long.
Carl arrived at the entrance of ex Restaurant.
At noon, Dex Restaurant was already packed. Waves of incredible aromas kept pouring out.
Carl took a closer look.
On a few of the tables sat massive, bright red lobsters. They were blindingly glorious.
"Damn!" Carl exclaimed. "Those are some huge lobsters."
Carl got a little hungry, but just a little. He didn't plan on asking Dexter for a free meal, so he swallowed his cravings, stepped into the restaurant, and walked straight toward the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Dexter was busy cooking lobsters.
The lobsters he pulled from the loot box weren't just alive; they were massive and incredibly feisty, acting like they were just pulled fresh from the ocean floor. Dealing with them was actually quite a hassle.
Dexter was so focused on cooking that he didn't notice Carl at first, assuming it was Vivian or Veronica walking in, until Carl spoke up.
"Dexter," Carl called out.
Hearing that, Dexter turned his head, finally noticing Carl, and chuckled. "Perfect timing. Had lunch yet? Want some lobster?"
Carl: "!!!"
Gulp.
"I don't have money..." Carl said, keeping his dignity intact.
"Haha, you watched my house for months. This is on me. Consider it a thank you," Dexter smiled.
Gulp.
Carl's throat bobbed again. "Cool. I'll eat."
"Alright. Go wait out front. Be done in a bit," Dexter replied.
Carl didn't move. "I wanted to ask you a question. What kind of disease is gonorrhea?"
Dexter: "????"
Shit, now I've got disgusting visuals in my head.
This is bad, I'm literally making lunch right now.
Thinking about those images, Dexter couldn't help but get goosebumps. "Why are you asking that?"
Carl recounted what happened between Jack and Fiona.
Dexter was speechless for a moment. Well, it's completely normal for Fiona to catch something.
Actually, he'd always found it weird that the original TV show had Fiona sleeping around that recklessly without ever catching a disease...
Dexter thought about it. "Carl, let's wait until after lunch to talk about this disease. If I explain it now, it's going to make me too sick to eat, and it'll ruin your appetite too."
"It's that gross?" Carl was surprised.
"Yeah," Dexter nodded.
"Okay. Don't say anything then. I need to save my appetite for the lobster."
"Good. Go wait out front."
Carl stepped out of the kitchen.
Dexter was speechless... Honestly, some images had popped into his head and were proving really hard to scrub out.
Sigh...
---
Lunch rush ended.
Carl was stuffed. His belly was completely round, and he looked thoroughly satisfied. Trouble was, he couldn't walk for the moment and needed a good rest first.
Dexter finished up, walked out of the kitchen, saw Carl in that state, and couldn't help but laugh.
After a while, as the rest of the customers trickled out, Dexter thought for a moment and called out to Veronica. "V, Carl's got a question. Mind answering it for him?"
Veronica was high on the massive tips she'd just made and was getting ready to count cash with Kevin, who was still there. Hearing that, she looked a bit confused and turned to Carl. "Carl, what's the question?"
Carl painfully turned his head and asked his question.
Veronica was shocked. "Why are you asking?"
Carl explained why.
Veronica was speechless for a moment. "..."
"Damn!" Kevin couldn't help but blurt out. Then he shook his head and sighed. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later."
Veronica recovered and chose not to comment on Fiona.
Back when she got married, Fiona didn't even show up. To Veronica, Fiona was basically dead to her.
"Carl, gonorrhea is..." Veronica explained it in detail, making sure to describe the disgusting imagery vividly.
Hearing it, Carl looked completely disturbed. "Holy shit! That is fucking gross!"
"It really is," Veronica agreed.
Dexter really couldn't be bothered listening to that disgusting shit. Thinking for a second, he called out to Mickey. "Mickey, let's go outside for a smoke. Got something to talk to you about."
Mickey, who was just about to start washing dishes, didn't say a word upon hearing that and walked straight out of the restaurant.
Inside, Carl was still talking to Veronica.
Outside the restaurant.
Squatting side by side on the curb, Dexter pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed one to Mickey.
Mickey took the cigarette, a little worried Dexter was about to fire him. Dropping his tough-guy act for a second, he asked, "What's up?"
Dexter gave a faint smile. "Good news. How old are you this year? I forgot."
Mickey: "...Seventeen."
"Turning eighteen next year. What are you planning to do after that?" Dexter asked, lighting his cigarette.
"Don't know," Mickey shook his head, not understanding what Dexter was getting at. He quickly followed up with, "What're you trying to say?"
"I'm planning to buy some land around here soon and open a shooting range. Next year, you'll manage it. Interested?" Dexter asked.
Mickey was shocked. "????"
A shooting range? Dealing with guns every day?
Fuck, that's way more interesting than washing dishes in a restaurant every day!
Mickey was extremely interested, practically grinning. "Seriously?"
Dexter nodded. "Of course. But you're not of age yet, so you won't officially take over until you turn eighteen."
"No problem. I'm definitely interested," Mickey said, showing rare honesty.
"Good. Then you're going to be busy. I need you to help me scout a suitable piece of land... A shooting range probably requires a lot of compliance and has a ton of rules. You'll need to handle all the prep work," Dexter explained.
"Done," Mickey agreed instantly, without a second of hesitation. But then he realized a problem. "What about my job at the restaurant?"
"I'll just hire a new dishwasher," Dexter smiled. "And obviously, I'll pay you your normal salary while you're doing the prep work."
Mickey fell silent for a moment.
Having worked here so long, he'd actually developed an attachment to the place.
Suddenly quitting...
Mickey honestly felt a little reluctant to let it go.
After a brief silence, Mickey's eyes shifted, and an idea hit him. "Could Mandy do it?"
Haha.
Comrade Mickey was pretty damn smart.
Dexter actually was planning to hire the South Side's ultimate ride-or-die chick, Mandy, to replace Mickey. Doing so would hopefully alter her tragic ending.
"Doesn't she need to go to school?" Dexter asked with a smile.
Mickey laughed too. "There's no point in her going to school. She's got no brains, won't learn a damn thing, and there's no way she's getting into college."
Spoken like a true brother. Spot on.
"I don't think you get to make that call. Ask her later. If she wants the job and can meet the restaurant's standards, I've got no problem with it," Dexter said.
"Alright, I'll call her right now and tell her to come over!" Mickey said, pulling out his phone to make the call.
"Hold on, I got one more thing to tell you," Dexter stopped him.
Mickey looked confused. "What?"
"First, regarding this shooting range. Don't use any of your usual thug tactics. Don't break the law. I don't want anyone finding leverage and causing trouble for us later. Understand?"
Mickey nodded. "Got it."
"Second, bring Carl along. Find some small tasks for him to do so he can make a little cash. Pay him seventy or eighty bucks a day. I'll cover it."
"????" Mickey instinctively looked back at Carl inside the restaurant, totally confused. "Why?"
"I believe Carl is going to turn out great. I want to train him up," Dexter explained. "Once the shooting range is up and running, Carl can work there too. Selling water or something."
Mickey still didn't get it. "Is he your long-lost son or something?"
Hearing that, Dexter reached over and smacked Mickey upside the head.
Not too hard, of course.
Mickey: "!!!!"
"Hey, Dexter, you wanna die?!" Mickey flared up.
Dexter just smiled, ignoring the outburst. "Alright, that's the deal. Call Mandy. I'll call a real estate agent and a lawyer and have them come over. You'll meet with them, and from here on out, you'll need to coordinate with them to get this done. The goal is to open within a month."
With that, Dexter stood up and started making calls.
Mickey did the same.
---
It was summer, so there was no school.
Mandy was bored out of her mind, just wandering around outside.
Her phone rang.
Seeing it was Mickey, Mandy picked up immediately. "What's up?"
"Good news," Mickey laughed, then explained the situation.
Hearing it.
"Yes, yes, yes!! Fuck school, I'm quitting. I'll be right there!" Mandy was instantly ecstatic, answering with a huge smile.
"Calm down! It's just a dishwasher job. Plus, Dexter didn't promise he'd hire you," Mickey said arrogantly, annoyed by her reaction.
"You're not dead, are you? Can't you put in a good word for me?" Mandy fired back without hesitation. "Let me tell you, if I don't get this job, you're going to have a big problem with me!"
Mickey: "???? I'll beat the shit out of you, you believe me?"
The two siblings started going at each other.
Meanwhile, Mandy took off running toward Dex Restaurant. Her increasingly impressive chest bounced up and down, making for quite the scenic view.