She was sitting on the sofa beside a young, slender woman with light brown hair and sapphire-blue eyes. It was a late Tuesday evening and they were watching a movie. "Meredith, when will mommy be back?" she asked.
The woman smiled down at the little girl. "Soon," she said, "any minute now."
Just then, the front door opened. A tall doctor with kind eyes and dark, red-velvet hair entered, dropping her stuff on the floor.
"Mommy!" The little girl cried, and she ran to the woman.
"Hey!" the redhead replied, scooping up her daughter in her arms. The child snuggled against her mother's chest and breathed in her sweet Chanel perfume. "I love you, Mommy," she murmured, already starting to falling asleep.
The woman smiled, burying her face into her daughter's hair. "I love you, too," she whispered.
Bree lay on the bed, her eyes closed. It was six in the morning. She had woken up and couldn't fall back asleep. Her mind kept on returning to the strange woman and her friend that came by yesterday. That strange, familiar woman.
She was crazy, Bree decided. She had to be. After all, Bree knew she didn't have a mother. Her father had told her that her mother left because she didn't want her, and that the police had found her dead. Crazy, Bree thought.
Miranda Bailey watched as the police questioned Arizona. The whole thing truly was a mess. She had seen pictures of Addison's child since she'd been brought in, Tiger. She looked unhealthily skinny, and her pale face made her huge eyes appear even larger. Her previously golden blonde hair was now a dark brown, only emphasizing the gauntness of her cheeks.
Bailey had also been keeping track of Derek, who had no idea that his daughter was here in this very hospital. He and Addison had broken off when he met Meredith, but things didn't work out with them either. Although he stayed Head of Neurology and Addison continued to work at Seattle Grace, there was still tension between them. Meanwhile, Addison and Meredith were happily dating.
And now? Now, there daughter was back, and she didn't even know them.
Bailey thought back to when Addison first found out she was pregnant. She and Derek had a huge fight, which resulted in her moving in with Meredith. She had seriously considered an abortion at first, but the other residents managed to talk her out of it.
And as it turned out, having her child was the best thing that had ever happened to Addison. She had emerged from the walls she'd built around her and began to recover.
I'm going to name her Tiger, she'd said, because she's a fighter. My little fighter.
What about a middle name? Meredith had asked.
Addison had thought for a moment. Sky, she said at last, like 'the sky's the limit'. I want her to reach for things that I was always too scared to do.
The beeping of another doctor's pager pulled Bailey out of her reminiscing. She turned to grab some paperwork, when she saw the very girl she had just been thinking about. Tiger was leaning against the wall next to the front desk.
"Damnit," Bailey murmured, "what's she doing out of bed?"
The little girl had her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath.
"Bree!" Bailey called. "Where are you going?"
The young girl turned around. "I'm leaving. But I have to find Addison first. I have to talk to her!" Tiger smiled, her eyes glassy. "I have to tell her that I'm not crazy!"
"Bree," Bailey said softly, slowly making her way toward the girl. "You can't leave right now. Bree, listen to me."
"But I'm fine! I'm not the crazy one! She is! She thinks that I'm her daughter. That's crazy, isn't it?"
Bailey grabbed the girl's arm. "Bree. Look at me!"
The girl started laughing. "Hey, hey, Miranda, do you want to hear something funny? You know what's funny?"
"What?" Bailey asked, trying to calm her down.
"All my life I've dreamed of having a mother. A mother who loved me and missed me and never gave up on me. All I've every wanted was a real family. And guess what? Now I find out I have one, and I don't even remember! I don't remember anything—I don't even know her! Isn't that funny? That's what's funny."
"Bree—Tiger—" Bailey tried to catch the gaze of those pale blue eyes. All of a sudden, Tiger's face went white, and she collapsed in the young doctor's arms. "Tiger, Tiger! Can you hear me?" Bailey gently shook the girl.
There was no response.
Bailey grabbed Tiger's hand, and a trickle of red fell on the floor. "Blood," she whispered, and pulled up the sleeves. Running down both of the child's arms were deep gashes, not horizontal lines, but vertical ones, rapidly streaming blood.
"Help!" Bailey cried. "I need a nurse!"
I know that it's short, but I have more coming. Sorry for the cliffhanger! Review for an update :)