N/A: New chapter! Tomorrow I'm leaving again, this time for a week and a half... going on a real vacation, hopefully with great waves and tons of sun for a great tan. :)

Chapter 21 – In the morning

Three weeks later… in the morning

It was 6 o'clock in the morning when the alarm blared, making Mark stir. Sleepily, he hit the snooze button and then let his head crash back into the pillow.

15 minutes later the alarm blared again. This time, Mark growled loudly and refusing to open his eyes, he looked for the clock to stop it. He let out a moan of satisfaction as the silence fell over his room again. It was one of those rainy mornings, when all he wanted was just to lay in bed. It was also one of the mornings without Meredith, so he and Alicia were back to their hectic routine.

Another 15 minutes later, his phone started ringing. He had precisely left it on a chair across the room so that would force him to get up and go turn it off. Mark threw the blanket off him and rubbed his face with both hands, before he stood up slowly from the bed. After he stopped the alarm from his phone, Mark trailed towards the bathroom. He showered and then got dressed before going to wake Alicia up.

Mark opened the door slowly and peeked inside, hoping he would find her awake. Unfortunately for him, Meredith hadn't slept over their apartment, so Alicia was still sleeping. Mark sighed disappointedly and walked inside, heading quietly to her bed. He sat down at the edge of the bed and shook her gently.

Alicia was sleeping in the middle of her big bed with Lolo and Bambi by her side. Meredith had decided to let Bambi go, so her old stuffed rabbit was now sleeping with Alicia and Lolo each night. Alicia moaned in protest when her father shook her. She rolled onto her stomach, throwing her arm over her two toys and turning her back on her father.

"Alicia, it's getting late so wake up," Mark said softly, but struggling to keep his patience.

"No," Alicia whimpered sleepily.

"Please, Al!" Mark shook her a little harder this time.

Alicia let out another whimper and refused to wake up.

"Al!" Mark continued shaking her.

Her face rubbed against her pillow as she gave him another refuse. It was late and he still had to get her ready for kindergarten and feed her, so Mark decided not to beg her anymore. He stood up and threw the blanket off her. Alicia shivered and snuggled with Lolo and Bambi.

Mark groaned as he saw she wasn't going to listen to him so he leaned down and scooped her up onto his arms.

"I don't want to wake up now," Alicia muttered sleepily.

"Me neither, but we have to get ready," Mark said and Alicia snuggled to his chest, sticking her thumb in her mouth and sucking it.

She continued to sleep while her father carried her to the bathroom. Mark put her in her sit on the counter and turned on the cold water. From the moment she left her father's warm arms, Alicia opened her eyes and started yawning as she was now starting to wake up. Mark splashed some cold water in her face, washing it carefully, while Alicia was fighting against his hands.

"I want to go to bed," Alicia cried.

"I know, but you have to go to the kindergarten and I have to go the hospital," Mark tried to convince her.

"You go and I'll stay," Alicia suggested, pouting.

"Let's not argue, Ally," Mark said, barely keeping a light tone of his voice. He picked her up and put her down on her feet. "We have to brush your hair now," he said, reaching to take her by the hand. As he did that, Alicia hid her hand to back refusing to go with him. Still calm, Mark picked her up and carried her outside.

"I don't want to go!" Alicia continued complaining.

Mark ignored her and took her into her room. As he put her down on bed, Alicia crawled to her pillows and clutched on one.

"Get back here," Mark grabbed her ankles and pulled her down, dragging her together with her pillow. "Silly girl," he chuckled at the unequal fight they were having.

"Stupid Daddy!" That wasn't one of Alicia's best mornings so her Daddy's temper took over. She threw a fist at him angrily, barely touching him, and then she tried to crawl back to the other side of the bed.

Mark caught her and restrained her before she could move. He picked her up and placed her in her sit. "Listen to me, young lady! Watch your tone when you talk to me. I slept fewer hours than you and you don't see me crying or calling people stupid."

Alicia froze as her father raised his voice at her and looked as if she had stopped from breathing while he talked. She exhaled and looked down, this time upset. "You called me silly," she muttered in her own defense.

Mark smiled, shaking his head. "I'm sorry I called you silly," he said softly.

Alicia looked up at him from under her brows and muttered. "I'm sorry I called you stupid."

"You're forgiven," he smiled. Mark knelt at her level and held her legs between his hands as he looked into her eyes. "This is our schedule, Al. We wake up early every morning and then we get ready for the kindergarten and for work. You have rehearsal today for the Christmas play, don't you?" he asked her. Alicia nodded slowly. "If you ditch the rehearsal then you can lose the role in the play and you don't want that, do you?" he asked. Alicia shook her head. "Then we should hurry," Mark concluded. Though she didn't look happy, Alicia agreed. "Before we proceed with the dressing," he stopped her when she wanted to stand up. "Tell me a thing," he looked at her curiously. "Why do you always wake up earlier than usual when Meredith sleeps over?" he asked her.

"Because she snores," Alicia answered, muttering.

"She does, doesn't she?" Mark laughed.

Alicia just nodded. "And sometimes you play with her and you both laugh loudly," she added. Now she was sounding annoyed.

The smile froze on his face as he heard that. "We're not playing," he muttered. "We talk in our sleep," he lied.

Alicia looked at him rather skeptical. She was little, but her judgment was developing and his explanation wasn't standing.

"Let's get ready," he said as he stood up. He checked his watch and sigh. "We'll ask Mrs. Kendrick to give you something to eat because we don't have time."

"Why?" Alicia frowned. "I'm hungry, Daddy."

"Are you? I thought you were sleepy," he replied sarcastically.

"I'm just a little sleepy now. I'm very hungry," she said painfully. She climbed down from the bed and ran to her closet.

"What do you want to wear?" he asked her as they both looked at the shelves.

"I want a dress," Alicia answered promptly.

"You can't wear a dress today because it's cold and raining outside," he said.

"I want to wear a dress," Alicia stated. "Meri says that girls have to wear dresses."

"Does Meri wear dresses?" Mark asked her knowingly. "Besides the times when we go out to eat?" he added.

Alicia thought about it for a moment and then she shook her head. "See? Stop believing everything she tells you. Take this sweater and this pair of jeans," he says, handing her a pink soft sweater and a pair of blue jeans.

Alicia made a grimace as she looked at those clothes and then up at him. "Hey, your grandma bought them because you liked them, so don't make faces," he warned her and gave her the clothes. "Do you need help to dress?" he asked her. Alicia shook her head. "I'll help you anyway," he said as he saw how she was trailing to her bed. "I really need to get to the hospital early today," he muttered under her breath.

"Why?" She asked him curiously while her father unbuttoned her pajama.

"Do you remember when I told you that I work with teams of doctors?" Alicia nodded slowly at his question. "Then I want to get there in time and make sure that I get the best doctors. We have to save many people there, don't we?"

Alicia nodded again. "Take Meredith," she suggested.

Mark chuckled and knelt in front of her to help her put on the jeans. "That's why I have to hurry. What if somebody else takes her?" Alicia gasped panicked and shook her head terrified.

"You have to hurry," she whispered gravely.

"I know," Mark copied her tone mockingly.

"I'm still hungry, Daddy," Alicia whimpered when her father picked her up and put her down from the bed.

"We'll take some biscuits and you can eat in the car," he said, preparing her backpack. "Do you need anything in particular today?" he asked her, referring at the stuff she might need for that day.

"No," Alicia answered and ran out of the bedroom.

Mark gave one more look around her room and then followed her outside, carrying her backpack. "Put your shoes on!" he shouted while he went to take a snack for her to eat in the car. He grabbed the first thing that caught his eyes and hurried to leave. As he walked into the living room, Mark saw Alicia knelt in a chair beside the table where her fishes were, talking with them. "Al, we don't have time," he groaned.

"I have to feed them," she said, suddenly standing up with their box of food.

Mark sighed and started tapping nervously his foot. "Don't give them so much food!" he groaned as he saw her pouring a big amount of food into the aquarium. "They'll die from obesity."

"What's that?" she asked him curiously while she put the box down and stared for another moment at them.

"No time to explain now. Remember Meredith?" He asked her.

"Yes," Alicia nodded, adopting again a grave attitude. She climbed down the chair and ran to her father.

"You didn't put your shoes on," he noticed. He looked around and took the first pair of snickers that came into his view.

"These are red, Daddy," Alicia whined.

"So?" Mark asked, irritated.

"They don't match," Alicia whined.

"Says who?" Mark picked her up and placed her on a chair.

"Isabella," she answered, shaking her feet so that her father couldn't put the shoes on.

Mark caught her feet firmly with his hands and glared at her. "I don't know who's this Isabella and I don't care. You're going to wear these today," he said, while he stuck her foot in a shoe.

Alicia sighed and folded her arms across her chest, pouting. "You didn't brush my hair," she muttered.

Mark jerked his head up to her and growled; blond tresses of her hair were raveled and messy, especially at their tips as Alicia had slept with her hair free. "Stay here," he said and hurried into her room. He returned in a second with her hairbrush. "Let's hurry with this, ok?" he said, sticking the hairbrush into her hair. Alicia gasped to the pain. "Do not complain," he warned her. Mark tried to make the hairbrush ran down to the tips, but he could not get it pass by middle. "I'm going to cut your hair," he muttered nervously.

"No!" Alicia shouted, pulling her head from his hands and folded her arms over her head for protection.

"Not now because I don't have time," Mark chuckled. "Now let me finish," he struggled to unfold her arms. "Al!" he snickered as she refused to listen. "You know what," Mark took a step back, backing out from his fight with her hair. "You can go like this," he said.

Alicia gasped, opening her eyes wide with horror. "You have to brush my hair," she whimpered.

"Mrs. Kendrick can do it," Mark said firmly and without listening to her protests, he put the hairbrush inside her backpack.

"They're going to laugh of me," her eyes were now tearing as she looked up at him.

"They won't, because if we leave now, then you'll get there before them, so Mrs. Kendrick will have time to brush your hair. Alicia sighed resignedly and Mark knew they were finally ready to leave.