Thud. Thud.

Addison groaned into her pillow, smothering it with both her hands in an attempt to choke whatever was causing such an infuriating sound.

Thud.

She glanced at the alarm clock that had fallen onto the floor as a result of the inner conflict between the sleepy woman and the noisy visitor. It was barely dawn, she had at least three more hours of sleep. The thought itself made her let out an anguished cry, as she knew that once she was brutally awaken, not even a sleeping pill could get her to sleep again.

Thud.

Ugh. That maddening sound again. Maybe someone was dying… no, they would have paged her should that be the case.

"I'm up, I'm up!" She bellowed miserably, her eyes slightly open, once more using her pillow as a headrest, defeated. "I'm… up." She mumbled and forced herself to sit on the bed, gently brushing her eyes with her fists. Glancing around, she found herself in the living-room, a glass of wine on the table beside her. She put on her slippers and bit back a yawn. Blinking a few times first to adjust to the newly acquired position, she lazily strolled towards the main door. "Who is it?" She called.

No response.

"Who is it?" Addison asked, this time slightly louder.

Still no-one was answering.

"Come on." Sighing furiously, she peeked through the peephole. No people, no cars wandering on the road, no birds singing exasperatingly stridently. The street was clear and empty, and an enormous torrent of water threatened to flood the entire region. She hated rain. It made her want to go back to sleep, to curl up in her comfy bed, warmed by her soft sheets and lose a gigantic amount of time dreaming. And what was really making her the moodiest person awake in the entire state was the fact she knew she would be spending the following three hours lying in her bed and staring at the ceiling for the lack of a better and more interesting thing to do. "I bet it was that Johnson's kid." She grumbled under her breath, wordlessly cursing the infant, and surrendered to the feeble silence that soared over the street. Taking her eye out of the peephole, she smacked the door with unnecessary strength. "It would not be the first time, not when I have caught him sneaking up…" Her words trailed off as a faint sound caught her attention. It could not be… no, it surely had to be Milo.

She glued her ear to the door.

"Oh my God." Addison opened it in a rush and squinted her eyes as a lightning struck, kneeling down on the wet floor. "You're not Milo…" Her fingers caressed a pink cot, not totally unlike a rudimentary basket, in which an equally pink blanket was wrapped around something soft. "Let's get you warmed up, shall we, sweetie?" Torn between eyes sore with concern and mouth slightly parted in wonder, she opted by allowing a gentle smile to grace her lips.

Picking the cot up, she kicked the door close, not even bothering to look back and see if it was, indeed, locked, and headed towards the balmy division, carefully placing the crib on the couch. She sat beside it, curiously staring at the now peaceful expression the baby was wearing. It was not the first time she had had to deal with abandoned babies. And it certainly was not the first time she had had to take care of such a small human being who lacked parents willing to do it themselves. She should have been used to it. "You never get used to it…" She murmured tenderly, touching the baby's cheek. "When you do, baby, you know it's time for a change of profession." She confided. The baby smiled, or at least, she could have sworn she did.

A sudden apprehension took control over her mind and prevented her from moving a muscle when the fact she had smiled settled in. A baby was in her house. Abandoned, alone, depending on her. And Addison, who could only babysit a cat, and a rather independent one at it, too, was the one who had been nominated to perform such a life threatening job. She breathed in and out.

"In…" She inhaled. "And out." She exhaled. After a few seconds trying to sooth herself, the baby let out a small cry, startling her. "Hum, you look hungry. Are you?" The baby gurgled in response. "I knew you were." She chuckled and sighed in relief. "I am not that inexperienced with babies, you know? I have had my fair share of moments with them." She told the infant, in a sad attempt to convince herself of that.

Addison carefully grabbed the baby and supported the head, standing up from the inviting couch. "Let's do this, baby. I think I have a bottle somewhere…" The small baby's hand found its way onto her hair and, innocently, pulled it. "Ouch. Stop it, baby, please, or I might drop you. Ouch." She managed to free her hair from the chubby little hand and smiled. "You're a big girl. But you can't pull my hair to show it, okay? Pretty please?" She tickled the baby, who giggled back. "I am just going to put you back in the cot so tha-"

She stopped talking, her eyes focused on an old looking piece of paper that appeared to have been shoved into the cot's sheets and was now partially fragmented in the floor. Slowly kneeling down, she captured it, reading the content with difficulty.

Dear Dr. Montgomery,

Thank you for taking care of my baby. I do not have much time left, and I want her to have a good life, a better one than the one she would have if she was adopted by strangers. Though I am fairly certain you do not know me, I know you. I know the life you take, and I know that you care. It is all I need to know. You will be a good mother. And she will love you.

Sincerely,

Someone who loves her

A/N: What did you think? I know this story has been made before, but I decided to give it a go anyway. Tell me what you think, and review, so I can get feedback, okay?

Febya