Abby looked at her daughter; a little girl with unmistakable black hair just like her father's hair, straight and flowing around her little waist like hair that a little girl should have; little dark and passionate eyes that she'd undoubtedly inherited from her father, the sleep in them something that she'd only acquired from a long day that she'd failed to take a nap. Abby knew that her daughter was the spitting image of her father, but when she looked at her she could also see herself; a bright smile with slightly pout lips, whether she was really pouting or not. Abby was surprised at just how much her daughter could captivate her even after her 3 year reign – she did actually mean reign because since the little girl had arrived on earth she'd become the center of their universe – when she'd truly never thought she'd be fit for a mother.

Abby brushed the hair from the little girl's forehead, making her even breathing speed for a moment as she sucked in a deep breath before it went back to normal. She leaned forward and kissed the little girl's skin as she leaned her elbows against the mattress, pressing her own forehead where her lips had lingered against her daughter's precious skin. It took her only a moment to lightly press her lips against her daughter's cheek, pushing herself up from her kneeling position by using the floor as a crutch.

She ignored the dark rays of sun peeking in through the blinds of the window, knowing that she wouldn't wake up even if she tried to rise her daughter because it was far too early and Lana had gotten to bed late the evening before; she'd missed her daddy because he was on the nightshift, and Abby wasn't quite sure of how to handle her daughter's emotions. She hadn't really ever been sure of how to handle her daughter's emotions whenever it came to her father; the tall, dark, and handsome Croatian fellow had captivated many hearts, but his heart and mind only seemed to be on one person – she had him wrapped around her tiny little finger. It was obvious, and it had driven Abby crazy from the very beginning to live with such an insane person.

She reluctantly walked out of Lana's bedroom, closing the door behind her but leaving a crack so light could seep into the folds of darkness, and she made her way down the narrow hall as she left behind the tiny ray of hope that had filled her life. Abby walked into the kitchen to grab her coat off of the back of the dining room chair and drape it over her shoulders, hearing tiny droplets of rain beginning to pelt against the window covering a good majority of their apartment wall. She sighed in disappointment at the sound of rain, and glanced around in search of the umbrella, the fact that Luka had the umbrella had slipped her mind.

Just then, the front door opened and the floor began to squeak beneath his boots as he closed the door behind him, his hair wet and drenched from the rain. He had the umbrella, she thought, so she wondered how he was soaked so horribly that she was nearly tempted to tell him to strip in the hall so as not to get her floor wet as well. She could hear the material of his coat sliding against his scrub top as he shrugged it from his shoulders, hanging it on the coat rack beside the door – an item she'd kept for many, many years and she often remembered that he'd hung his coat from many times before when they were dating.

"Hey, Stranger," she spoke quietly and smiled, closing her compact and shoving it into her purse.

"Be careful out there, Abby; it's wet and cold," he offered her a smile back as he rubbed his arms and walked up to her standing in the center of the kitchen. He dipped his head into her shoulder, his chest lightly touching her back, and his trimmed hair brushed across her cheek as he did so. He gave her a light kiss against the back of her head, his hand lingering on her head lovingly.

"Where's the umbrella?"

"It broke. There was a hole or something and I got mad and threw it in the trash downstairs. I had to change when I got to work because I'd walked all the way there without an umbrella," he laughed in the back of his throat as he stifled a yawn, "she still asleep?"

"She's out like a light," Abby turned towards him and buttoned up her coat. She pulled her leather gloves onto her hands, making sure to bundle up because she, too, would be without an umbrella. "She had some trouble sleeping last night and didn't get to bed until really late; you may get some rest before she actually wakes up and won't leave you alone to sleep. Neela said that if you get woken up and feel like you haven't gotten enough rest to call her and she'll come get her, but I think you'll be fine today."

"I'll be okay, but I appreciate the offer," he nodded his head and dragged his hand through his hair for the wet locks to settle back into place. She pursed her lips together as she pulled the strap of her purse onto her shoulder, wondering if he was going to figure out something else to say before she left work or if she was going to stand in silence until she did leave. "I…"

"She missed you," she figured out something to say, knowing that it was something that he really had needed to hear anyway. He looked tired, even more so than she did, and he looked overworked; he'd been on the nightshift for far too long – Lana claimed that she didn't even remember what daddy looked like. "That's why she couldn't get to sleep last night. She said that you forgot what she looked like."

Abby chuckled, and it elicited an amused smile from him.

"'Kay," he murmured, turning towards the narrow hall as he reached down and lifted his shirt off over his head by the hem of the green, v-neck, scrub top; tossing it into the laundry basket on top of the dryer in the small laundry closet, he reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He opened it up and started thumbing the green bills in them.

"Here," he thrust two crisp twenty dollar bills in her direction, "why don't you take a cab? You look too beautiful to get drenched."

She was slightly taken off guard, surprised that he'd even noticed her appearance he was dragging behind so much, and she took the proffered bills from his hand. It was the thought that counted, not that she didn't have her own money – after all, they'd gotten a smaller apartment to conserve their money flow and to be sure it was baby safe – but she still didn't understand why he was offering her his money out of his wallet. She shoved the money into her pocket, and she offered him a smile as she reached out to touch his hip.

"Be good today," she teased, squeezing his waist. She tightened her coat around her quickly as she turned on her heel to leave the apartment. "I don't want to get a phone call to be told that my child is crying, hurt, or dying." She clutched the door knob in her glove covered hand, and twisted it to pull it open.

"Consider it done. You be good today, too. I don't want to get a call informing me that my ER is crashing without me there," he smiled back as their eyes lingered for just a moment. Before he knew it she was gone, and he knew that it was better that way; otherwise, she'd be late and he would be getting a phone call to be told that his staff was shorthanded, so it was just best that she leave in the moment of silence. He found himself locking the door behind her and going back to the bedroom to strip himself free of his wet clothes.

He dressed quickly, shading his eyes of the quiet rays of light peeking through the clouds and into their bedroom window and he paused while pulling his gray t-shirt on over his head. He heard a noise – or so he thought, he could have been mistaken he was so tired – and he walked slowly down the hallway to peek in on his daughter. He pushed the door open with his hand and crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her little chest rise and fall with every breath she took.

Luka looked at his little girl; he immediately saw her mother's features; the nose was just like her mother's just a smaller version to fit a smaller face on the head of a smaller body. Luka could even see her mother in the way that she slept; her arm thrown across her body as her other one was tucked beneath her cheek and her legs struggling to stretch across the width of the bed, her fingers curled as they grasped onto the air like she was reaching for something. Luka looked at her and immediately knew that this little girl wasn't an accident as much as she was a surprise or God's gift from heaven even.

She whimpered slightly as she turned, her eyes struggling to stay closed.

"Daddy, daddy," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear her form across the room, and he stepped away from the doorframe in case she was really awake and not just talking in her sleep. Her arms lifted in the air as she reached out, truly grabbing for someone, something – anything to hold onto rather than grasping onto the air. "Daddy – daddy – daddy…"

"I'm right here," he whispered as he advanced further into the room, watching her begin to move and struggle with her legs to kick the blankets off of her. She opened her eyes at the sound of his quiet voice, and he knelt down on the floor beside her bed.

"Daddy," she reached out and grasped onto his arm, pulling him closer to her so she could wrap her arms around his neck. He pulled back, her arms tightening around his neck, and sat on the side of her bed to pull her into his lap.

"I'm right here, baby," he whispered into her ear as she wrapped her strong legs around his waist, clinging to him as though she hadn't seen him in forever and a day. His hand traced circles on her back, and, as he squeezed his eyes tight, he could feel her lock her hands together at the nape of his neck while laying her head down on his shoulder. "I've missed you."

He kissed her temple, but she was already back to sleep in the comfort of her father's warm embrace.

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