Carl had finally arrived home from military school under grim circumstances—his mother had just passed away. Though none of the Gallagher siblings had a good relationship with her, her death still cast a strange, lingering shadow over the house. It wasn’t grief, exactly—more like the weight of something unfinished, something complicated. As he stepped through the front door, he was met by his siblings: Fiona, Lip, Ian, Debbie, and little Liam. Their greetings were casual, almost routine, as if he had just come back from a weekend away rather than months of disciplined, structured life at military school. But beneath their usual banter, there was an unspoken understanding—they had each other, and that was all that really mattered.

Wanting to shake off the tension in the air, Carl headed to the kitchen and started making breakfast, the scent of sizzling bacon and eggs filling the house. Cooking for his siblings gave him a sense of normalcy, a way to settle back into the chaos of home. But as he worked, there was only one thing on his mind. Looking up from the stove, he turned to Fiona, his voice laced with anticipation.

"Where's my girl?" he asked, thinking of Yda, the one person he had missed more than anything while he was away.

Fiona, leaning against the counter with a knowing smirk, nodded toward the stairs. "She's still asleep upstairs," she said. "In your bed."

At her words, Carl felt a wave of relief. Yda was here, waiting for him, just like he had hoped. Without a second thought, he turned off the stove and made his way toward the stairs, eager to see her.