3 weeks ago …

"Addison this is Adam, your dad."

Adam studied the girl in front of him, taking her in, he knew she was doing the same to him. She looked exactly like him, same eyes, same hair colour and from what he could tell from the way she was standing, the way she was looking at him, the way she was just being she had his 'nothing can touch me' attitude. The social worker in the corner broke the silence.

"Come Addison you've never met your dad before, surely there must be questions that you want to ask him?" Addison glared at the woman and looking Adam straight in the eyes asked what he wasn't expecting,

"Why did you abandon me?" She stared at him not breaking the gaze. Adam looked away,

"It wasn't my choice, I didn't want to, I wanted to be a dad, but your mum said you weren't mine." The girl laughed,

"Yeah my mum was always like that, selfish bitch." Adam looked at her,

"From what I remember of her she wasn't like that." The girl threw herself onto the couch and patted the space beside her, signalling for him to sit down.

"There is a lot you don't know about my mum. She didn't like anyone sticking their nose in when it came to how she brought me up. Everyone thought that I should know who my father was and she kept it from me to her final days. I don't think she wanted me to meet you, can't think why though, from first impressions you seem like a nice guy, but I suppose looks can be deceiving." Shrugging the girl looked to Adam again,

"Anyway, you must know all about me, my lovely social worker will have seen to that, so tell me about you, and considering we are blood related I want to know everything." Adam laughed at her but before he could speak the social worker in the corner butted in,

"Now Addison don't be too nosy .." Addison rolled her eyes,

"Okay for the last time, my name is Addy and if I want to be nosy I'll be nosy and considering this is some sort of family reunion and your not family could you kindly leave the room?" The social worker sighed at the girl and left the room. Adam had never met someone so like him. That was the kind of thing he would have said and the way she said it - the cheek and sense of authority in her voice just screamed "TRUEMAN" at him. He looked at the girl - his daughter - again and found she was staring up at him expectantly.

"Oh yeah, about me, well there isn't a lot to tell really. My parents died in a car crash when I was eight, I have a little brother Alex who ended up in a wheelchair because of the accident and an older sister Anna who wasn't involved, I haven't seen them much since I left university, I lived with my dad's parents until I got a place of my own - they're dead now. I'm a doctor in Holby ED and I am not married, have no girlfriend and I have an eleven year old daughter called Addy." Addy laughed,

"So what did they tell you about me? The social workers?" Adam shrugged,

"Not much really, just that you were born early. Raised by your mum and her parents that your grandparents moved to Spain and a few years later your mum died of a drugs over dose." The girl kicked the table in front of her,

"They're useless they miss out all the good bits. My mum and grandparents practically neglected me. My grandparents fled to Spain two years ago after the cops found out they were dealers and my mum was a heroin addict, was one since I was about five, she got so depressed when her parents left she decided to top herself. Oh I forgot when my mum got high she used to slap me about - got harder as I got older though. She successfully broke my arm three times, broke a few legs and I fell over the flat balcony trying to run away and broke my legs. I needed surgery then." She pushed down her school socks showing off some impressive scars. Adam winced,

"Your mum certainly changed." He looked at the little girl and saw she was starting to cry. "Hey don't cry! It'll be okay you have me now, I'll look after you I promised your mum and now I've promised you." The girl was sobbing now,

"But it was all my fault, mum said if I hadn't been born she wouldn't have been an addict to drugs and alcohol she said I drove her to it and her last boyfriend - the one she was dating when she died- told me at the funeral that I killed her because I was born." Adam pulled her close and whispered in her ear,

"No no no. It wasn't your fault none of it was, you cant help being born. I love you, I'm sure your mum did to in her own way." he stopped and looked Addy in the eyes, "I know we've only just met, but I don't like the idea of my daughter staying in a Children's Home so I've arranged to take you home with me, to your new home - if you want to stay." Addy wiped her eyes and smiled.

"I'd like that very much. I won't be a bother will I?" Adam chuckled and ruffled her hair,

"Of course not, you're my daughter and I love you." She snuggled up against him and started sobbing again,

"I can't believe you care so much," she stopped sobbing and wiped her eyes, "Am I coming with you now?" Adam stood up,

"You better start packing." The excited girl ran for the door and pounded up the stairs. Adam didn't notice the social worker enter the room again.

"Addy's a handful. I hope you know what you're doing, there's a lot of her mother in her, right now was a prime example, the cheek she gave me, that's what to expect." Adam chuckled,

"She gets that from me not her mum, she reminds me of what I was like at her age." He looked at the social worker, "Eleven, right? She's eleven right?" The woman nodded as heavy steps could be heard on the stairs and Addy appeared in the door way,

"Can we leave now?"