Wow, look who's finally around to update this story. Thank you for all the favs and follows! :D
I've been working on this chapter for a while, I didn't really know how I wanted to continue this story, but now I know exactly and I'm excited to write it!
I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave a review! :D
When Lexie woke up the next morning, the sun was shining through the windows of her and Mark's bedroom. A deep yawn left her mouth as she gently stretched her arm a little bit. In the same time she moved, she felt Mark's arm pull her closer to his body. Waking up like this was the absolute best way of waking up; to a shining sun in Mark's arms.
"Good morning." Mark said softly and started kissing her neck softly. His hand moved down to her lower abdomen. A motion they both had been waiting for.
"Good morning." Lexie replied and let her hand cover his that was resting on her stomach.
Mark kept kissing Lexie's neck softly. Eventually, Lexie rolled over to her back so she was close enough to kiss him on the mouth. The motion was welcomed by her husband who deepened the kiss immediately. His hand on her belly moved up and down her side. A soft moan escaped him. It had been a while since they had been intimate with each other.
"Mark." Lexie said and broke the kiss. Her hand moved up to cup his cheek as she looked into his ocean blue eyes. "Mark, we can't. There's a child sleeping in the next room and we both know she will wake up and come in here any second."
Mark sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The last thing he wanted was to scar Sofia for life. He nodded a little and offered her a small smile. "You're right. I wouldn't be able to explain what we were doing if she would walk in here right now." A light chuckle left him at the thought.
Lexie giggled lightly and stroked his cheek with her thumb.
"I love you, Lex." He said and looked down to her belly. He let his hand rest on it and sighed lovingly. "And I love you, too." He told the stomach. "I love you both so much."
"We love you too." Lexie replied lovingly and smiled at him.
Mark nodded and gently moved his hand up to cup her face. Mirroring her smile, he leaned down to kiss her again, causing her to giggle into the kiss.
A moment later, small, quick steps sounded outside their bedroom. In mere seconds, someone was knocking lightly on the door. "Daddy?" A little voice called from the other side of the door.
Mark and Lexie broke the kiss and both turned their heads towards the door. The voice brought a wide smile to Mark's face. This was exactly what he needed right now. With a chuckle, he moved away from Lexie. "Yeah, Sofia. Come in!" He called. He was still amazed by the fact that she already had learned how to knock and await a response before going in.
The door opened and soon Sofia was walking into their bedroom. She had her favorite tiger in her hand and rubbed her eye with the other. You could tell she had just woken up and was still groggy from the sleep. She stopped right by the bed and removed her hand to look up at her father and stepmom. Her eyes filled with tears and her lip started trembling.
"Aww… What's wrong, Sof?" Mark asked and pulled the covers away a bit to make room for her. "Come here." He said and patted the space between him and Lexie, indicating that she could just climb up on the bed.
A small sob escaped Sofia, but she obeyed nevertheless. After all, she wanted just that, climb into bed with her daddy. She slowly made her way over to the edge of the bed and managed to climb up with the tiger still in her other hand. Once she was up, she crawled to the empty space between her father and step mother and then laid down. The crying ceased as she snuggled up against her daddy.
Mark laid down on his side, facing his daughter. He planted a soft kiss to her forehead as he started stroking her hair, just like Lexie would like it. "Shhh… It's okay, Sof. Daddy's here." He said soothingly and smiled at the child.
Lexie smiled lovingly at the pair. She loved this sight. "Yeah." She said softly and moved a little closer, moving her hand up to stroke Sofia's back. "It's okay, Sofia."
As soon as Sofia felt the hand on her back, she turned around to face Lexie. And she wasn't happy. "No, Lessie!" She said in a raised voice and pushed Lexie's hand away. She didn't want Lexie's comfort right now. "No!" She repeated and made an attempt to push Lexie as far away from her as possible.
"Sofia." Mark said warningly and gave her a harsh expression. "Lexie is allowed to be in the bed too." He hated to be firm with his daughter like this, but she needed to learn.
"Nooo!" Sofia argued and started crying again. In her world, Lexie wasn't allowed in the bed right now. This was father-daughter time and it hurt her that Mark didn't seem to understand that.
"Sofia-"
"Mark, it's fine." Lexie said softly, completely understanding what Sofia was feeling. With an apologetic smile on her face, she moved to get out of the bed.
"Lexie…"
"It's fine. No offense taken. She just woke up, she's upset and tired and she just wants to be with her daddy alone for a moment. I understand that." Lexie reasoned and got to her feet. She watched Sofia snuggle up closer to Mark and avoiding eye contact with Lexie. The child obviously loved her father very much and wanted some alone time with him. "I'll just make some breakfast instead." She said and smiled at Mark.
Mark hated this. It felt like Sloan and Lexie all over again. The last thing he wanted was to have to choose between his wife and his daughter. That was what broke them up not once, but twice before. Sometimes it felt like he didn't show enough love to both of them. With a heavy sigh, he looked down at his daughter and then back up at Lexie. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." Lexie reassured and smiled at her husband. She shot a quick glance towards the child before meeting Mark's eyes again. "Pancakes?"
Mark was about to answer Lexie's question but remembered that Sofia was old enough to make her own decisions. Looking down at the child, he moved a strand of hair behind her ear to get a better look at her face. "Do you want pancakes for breakfast, Sofie?" When he just received a nod and then a tight hug, he sighed and nodded towards Lexie.
"Okay." Lexie said with a smile and then made her way out to the kitchen. Deep inside, she was a bit offended by Sofia's behavior. But she couldn't show it to Mark. Sofia was 3, it was a difficult and emotional age. With a deep breath, Lexie tried to push the feelings away and prepared everything she needed to make pancakes.
Mark sighed heavily when Lexie left the room. He really hated this. Sure, Sofia and Lexie had been getting along perfectly from the very beginning, but sometimes it felt like he always chose Sofia. He loved them both equally, of course, and he just wanted to make sure that they both knew that. With another heavy sigh, he looked down at the small child that was still curled up against him and buried her face in his chest. Like so many times before, he moved some hair out of her face and gently stroked her hair, and occasionally her face, with his finger. Sofia had her eyes closed and seemed to enjoy the moment. "You okay, Sofia? Are you feeling well?"
The child slowly opened her dark brown eyes to meet her father's ocean blue ones. At the age of 3, she started to talk more and more but she always understood more than she could speak. That question was familiar and she knew what it meant. She made a small nod and hugged her tiger more tightly.
Mark nodded and then leaned down to kiss Sofia's head. They stayed like that for a moment and just enjoyed each other's company. When Mark started to feel the smell of pancakes from the kitchen, he started poking his daughter gently in the stomach, causing her to grin. "You smell that?" He asked with a smile.
"Pancakes." Sofia replied proudly.
"Yep, pancakes. And from what I can feel, your stomach is empty." He said and poked her stomach some more, causing Sofia to giggle a little. "You wanna go out to the kitchen and see if Lexie is done with the pancakes?"
Sofia nodded and moved away a little from her father to yawn and stretch her arms. When she was fully awake, she sat up and started poking Mark lightly in his chest. "Get up, Daddy!" She said with a bright smile on her face.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm up." Mark said and chuckled before getting to his feet. He turned towards the bed and noticed Sofia reaching her arms out, indicating that she wanted to be carried. "Okay, here we go." He said and picked her up in his arms, making sure that the tiger was with them before he made his way out to the kitchen.
When they got out of the bedroom, the were greeted by the wonderful smell of pancakes. They both watched Lexie working in the kitchen in silence. She hadn't noticed them yet. Mark looked down at Sofia in his arms who had a big smile on her face. He mirrored her smile before taking a few steps forward, ready to make their presence known to his wife. "Smells good."
Lexie almost jumped when she suddenly heard her husband behind her. Turning around, she smiled when she noticed her husband and his daughter. "Hey, you. Time to get up now." She said with a light giggle before she turned back to what she was doing. "It will be a few minutes before the pancakes are done so you can do something fun while you're waiting." She announced, believing that Sofia was still mad at her.
Sofia started wiggling in Mark's arms, indicating that she wanted down. Once he put her down, she was off towards the living room to play with the toys she had there. Mark kept his eyes on her, making sure she got settled okay, before he made his way over to Lexie. "Need any help?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her midsection from behind, letting his hands rest on her stomach.
"Nope, I got it. Thanks anyway." Lexie replied sincerely, leaning a little against Mark's chest as she flipped a pancake.
"She doesn't hate you, you know." Mark told his wife and rested his chin on her shoulder. "She was just tired and a bit grumpy. It's nothing personal."
"I know." Lexie said honestly, she was well aware how Sofia, or kids in general, could be. She moved out of Mark's grip to turn around to the island to get a fork when she quickly glanced over to where Sofia was playing in the living room. Her eyes fell on the child and noticed where exactly she was sitting. "Mark, she's playing by the fire place." She announced in a worried tone.
Mark followed Lexie's gaze and looked at his daughter. A chuckle left him at Lexie's worry. "Relax, Lex. I doubt that she will go anywhere near it after that time." He said and touched Lexie's back. It was cute how she was worried for Sofia. And often about small things.
"Probably, but still. Can't you go over there and just move her a few inches?" She begged and looked at him. She really didn't want the child to get hurt.
A sigh left him as he softly smiled at his wife. He understood her worry and obeyed to her request. "Fine." He agreed and walked over to Sofia.
Lexie let out a breath of relief and turned around to the stove. She closed her eyes as the memory flashed before her eyes.
.
Lexie sighed heavily after she swallowed that last bite. Mark had cooked a really delicious meal. Being stuck in a wheelchair, it was nice to have a man who did everything for her. It had been a few weeks since she was released from the hospital. She was eager to start to walk again, but her legs weren't completely healed yet. The most she could do at this point was to stand up for a very short while before she had to sit down again. But the apartment building had an elevator and Mark helped her with everything so it was fine. Eventually, she would start walking.
"Thanks for dinner, Mark." She said softly as Mark got to his feet and took the dirty plates. Sitting by the coffee table in the living room was more convenient when they had Sofia over.
"You're welcome, honey." Mark replied with a smile before turning to Sofia. "How about you, Sof? You enjoyed your dinner?" It had been the first time Sofia tried more 'grown up food' and he was curious what she thought about it.
The little girl smiled widely and nodded eagerly as she chewed her last bite. Apparently, she liked it and her eagerness made Lexie laugh a little. It was nice to have Sofia around to bring some joy and pleasure to Lexie's dark days.
"Wonderful." Mark said happily and then took the plates and walked over to the kitchen.
Lexie looked after him for a moment and then leaned back on the couch. She hated that she wasn't able to help him out with the dishes and cooking. It had been times were she felt guilty about it, but he always assured her that it was fine, that he would always do anything for her. A soft sigh left her as she watched Sofia drink from her zippy cup. She seemed to enjoy herself and she probably was aware that there would be desert pretty soon.
Sofia soon put her cup down and crawled over to her lego. Lexie wasn't sure what exactly she was trying to build, but it was probably some kind of tower. Sofia seemed to like it, anyway. Lexie turned her attention towards the flames in the fire place. Their orange color brought calm to Lexie's system. She had already lost count of all the evenings and nights she had spent in Mark's arms in front of the fire place. Whenever she was feeling down or sad or just woke up from another nightmare, Mark brought her to the living room, lit the fire place and just sat with her.
A crackle from the fire got Sofia's attention. The toddler put down her lego and looked at the fire for a long moment, amazed by the flames and their color. Before Lexie knew it, Sofia got up on all fours and was soon crawling towards the fire place, curious about the fire and what it was exactly.
Lexie's eyes widened as she realized that Sofia wasn't aware of the danger behind her mission. One touch on a flame and her hand would need a skin graft. "Sofia, no!" She said. However, the child didn't listen. She was too focused on the flames and eager to feel it. Lexie felt the panic rise in her body as Sofia got closer to the fire. "Mark!" She called but realized it would be too late by the time he got there.
As Sofia started to reach her arm out, Lexie sprung into action. She quickly removed the blanket that covered her legs, placed one hand on the arm rest and the other on the table. In one swift move, she pushed herself up and tried to take a step forward. But she was too weak. As soon as she let go of the arm rest and table, she fell face down towards the floor. Luckily, she landed close enough to the child so she could grab her arm and pull her back just in time before Sofia was about to put her hand on the flame. "No!" She screamed.
The loud thud from Lexie's landing and the way she screamed and pulled her arm made the toddler start crying. Lexie looked at the child and immediately felt the guilt washing over her. She hadn't meant to hurt her or make her cry.
"What happened?" Mark asked frantically as he practically threw himself down to the girls.
"She- she was about to touch the flames. She didn't li-listen so I…" Tears welled up in Lexie's eyes and her lips started to tremble. "Oh God, I hurt her." She said and broke down in tears.
Mark frowned at Lexie's explanation and soon figured out what really happened. He turned back to Sofia and gently grabbed her hands to examine them. She had no burn marks anywhere on her hands or fingers. Lexie obviously pulled her back just in time. "It's fine, Lex. She doesn't have any burns on her hands." He announced and turned back to Lexie who wouldn't stop crying. "She probably just got scared when you landed right beside her like that." He suggested and couldn't help but chuckle a little.
Lexie didn't find it funny at all. In her mind, she had hurt Sofia when she pulled her back, and scared her when she screamed at her. She managed to sit up and cover her face with her hands. God, she felt awful.
"Hey." Mark said and touched her arm. "Hey, it's okay. She didn't get hurt. Probably just a bit scared. Everything will be fine, Lex." He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. "Sofia." He called her name softly and reached out his other arm for her. When the still crying toddler got to her feet and walked over to her father, Mark embraced both his girls in each arm. "Shhh… It's okay." He whispered soothingly.
The girls cried in his arms for a few minutes. He kept stroking their hair and tried his best to give them some comfort. Eventually, the crying ceased and they both seemed to calm down a bit.
"Okay. Let's do a quick ouchie check." He said and looked at Sofia. "Sofia, any ouchie?"
"No. No ouchie." Sofia replied.
"Good. Lexie, any ouchie?" He asked and looked at his girlfriend.
Lexie sniffled a little and shook her head. "No…"
"Great." Mark said in a happy tone. "I just remembered, I got some ice cream for dessert."
'Ice cream' got Sofia's attention. She looked up at her father and the crying just vanished like magic. She wiped her eyes and managed to give her father a small smile.
"Yeah, ice cream." Mark repeated and looked over at Lexie who didn't seem too excited. She kept her face buried in the crook of Mark's neck. But for Sofia's sake, he kept going. "I got Cookie Dough for you-" He said and pointed at Sofia. "and Peanut Buttercup for you." He pointed at Lexie.
Sofia smiled widely and got really eager to get some ice cream. "Ice cjeam!" She exclaimed happily.
"Yep! You know where the spoons are, Sof. Why don't you go get them and I'll get the ice cream." Mark suggested.
The girl didn't have to be asked twice. In an instant, she was running towards the kitchen to get the spoons. Mark then turned back to Lexie and moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "You okay?" He asked softly.
Lexie just nodded and wiped the tears. She felt awful, but she wasn't physically hurt.
"Come here." He said and managed to scoop her up in his arms and carry her back to the couch. Once she was down, he put the blanket over her legs and kneeled down in front of her. "Thank you."
"For what?" Lexie asked bitterly and kept avoiding eye contact.
"For saving my daughter from getting a nasty burn." He replied sincerely. "If it hadn't been for you, we would have been in the ER right now."
Lexie sighed heavily and wiped the last tears from her cheeks and nodded.
"Let's eat some ice cream now, okay?" He asked and gently touched Lexie's cheek, causing her to finally meet his eyes. When she nodded again, he smiled and leaned forward to kiss her on the head. "Be right back." He said and got to his feet and walked over to the kitchen.
.
"Lessie."
Lexie was pulled back to reality when she felt Sofia tug lightly on her shirt. She blinked a few times before meeting the child's eyes. "Yeah, Sof?"
"Daddy hurt." Sofia said sadly and looked over to the living room.
Lexie had been so deep in her own thoughts and it took her a moment to realize what Sofia meant. Her eyes widened as she looked over to the living room. Her eyes settled on Mark who was currently sitting on the couch, leaning against his knees and groaning in pain. Lexie turned off everything on the stove and rushed over to the couch and kneeled down in front of her husband. "Mark."
"I- I'm… Fine, Lexie." He stuttered out and winced in pain.
"You're not fine." Lexie said firmly. "What can I do?"
"Nothing. It- It will- pass soon." He said and breathed through the pain.
A heavy sigh left Lexie and she felt so helpless. She just wished she could do something to help him. "Is the pain worse than before?" She asked softly and touched his knee.
"No." Mark groaned and finally felt the pain cease a bit. "No… It's the same." He breathed heavily and closed his eyes as he leaned back in the couch. The pain finally vanished.
Lexie felt like she might cry. This was terrible and now she understood why he had kept these pains a secret. "God, I hope you get the surgery soon." She whispered and closed her eyes.
"I will. It will get better, don't worry." Mark assured her and ran a hand over his face. It had been a while since the last 'attack' and he was thankful that it ceased so quickly. He stayed like that for a moment before he opened her eyes and searched for his daughter. He must have scared the life out of her. "Sofia?"
Lexie opened her eyes when Mark called his daughter's name and looked around. Soon, the toddler slowly walked over to the couch with tears streaming down her face. She looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Oh, Sofie." Mark said softly and sat up straight on the couch. "Come here." He said and reached his arm out for her.
"No." Sofia said and took a step back.
"Sofia, it's okay. Daddy is fine now. It was just a little ouchie." Mark assured his daughter and kept his arm out. "Sofia, please."
Lexie looked between the pair and slowly moved over to Sofia and touched her arm. "It's okay, Sofia. Daddy is okay now. Nothing is gonna happen." She whispered assuringly. "Just a small hug, okay?" The child hesitated but finally gave in. Slowly, she made her way over to her father and let him embrace her in a light hug.
"I'm sorry, Sof." Mark whispered in her ear as he stroked her back. "I didn't mean to scare you. But everything's fine now." He added and looked over at Lexie. After a moment, he pulled back from the hug and looked deeply into Sofia's eyes. "Everything is fine now." He repeated and smiled at her.
Sofia nodded and sniffled a little before wiping her eyes. Lexie then moved closer to the pair and offered them a smile. "The pancakes are almost ready. Wanna help me make the table?" She asked.
Sofia nodded and gently grabbed her father's hand. With a smile on his face, he got to his feet and followed Sofia to the kitchen to get everything.
Lexie watched them and sighed heavily. This morning hadn't been the best. Now she could only pray that the rest of the day would be better.
