Hi all,
First of all, I am so sorry for the slight delay on this chapter - real life got a little in the way of things. I do hope you'll enjoy this one, though, I think it's long enough to make up for the extra wait :)
Also, thank you so much for all your reviews with kind words and constructive criticism. I truly appreciate each and every one of them, so please keep them coming!
October 2004
"Hey sweetheart," Mark said after he entered the daycare center and knelt down next to his daughter, ruffling her hair a little. The hospital daycare consisted of several playrooms, all of them with large windows that gave the area a bright and airy feeling.
"Hi daddy," Annie smiled as she looked up at him, the light playing with her fine blonde strands. "We're playing trains," she explained then, motioning to a set of tracks on the carpet in front of her and a boy her age who was watching them with big eyes.
"I see," he answered, pushing one of the trains a little further towards a miniature train station.
"Daddy, why are you here?" Annie asked, looking at him expectantly.
"Well, I thought I could take my favorite little girl out for lunch," Mark proposed, enjoying the way his daughter's face lit up at the suggestion. Lunch outside of daycare was a rare treat, mostly due to his volatile surgery schedule. A couple of weeks ago, shortly after Annie had come into his life, he'd signed up to treat young burn victims free of charge, which – whilst being incredibly satisfying – had turned out to be a lot less predictable than the nose jobs that he usually scheduled months ahead of time.
Addison had just smiled at him when he'd told her why he had so much more OR time recently, but he thought she understood why it was important to him to do something objectively good now that he had a daughter whom he wanted to be proud of him. In any case, she hadn't complained when he asked her to take Annie home so that he could finish up treating a three-year-old two weeks ago. Instead, when he'd gotten to his apartment that evening, he had found a leftover plate of spaghetti waiting for him and Addison and Annie in front of the TV, the little girl in her pajamas already and cuddled up to her honorary aunt.
Annie, for her part, still asked for her mother occasionally, but all in all he thought they'd solved that conundrum as best as possible, and she was getting used to living with him. It probably helped that he had a photo of her and her mother framed and had put it on her nightstand so that she could look at it when she felt sad, and Mark's presence alone just wasn't enough.
"But I have daycare," Annie's cautious voice drew him out of his musings, clearly torn between her desire to have lunch with him and her worry about leaving outside of her normal hours.
Mark smiled at her earnest expression. "Just this once it's alright, I promise," he told her as he got up and offered his hand to her. Annie placed her smaller hand in his, waving briefly at the boy she'd been playing with before she almost pulled him to the exit. He smiled at the receptionist who gave him a little nod and indicated that she would check his daughter out for lunch.
"Where are we going, daddy?" Annie wanted to know.
"Just the cafeteria in the hospital," he explained as he directed them through the hallways. His daughter nodded happily.
"I want a BLT sandwich," she announced, pronouncing the ch-sound extra hard. "With extra chicken." She seemed to think a moment, then she added, "please," almost as an afterthought.
"Only if you promise to eat the lettuce and the tomatoes on there as well," Mark bargained as they joined the line in front of the service station. Annie sighed a little but then she nodded. He had to hide his smile as he ordered their sandwiches and then flavored water for the both of them and cappuccino for himself. After he'd paid for their food, he let her carry their water bottles whilst he had the rest of their order.
"Where do you want to sit, princess?"
Annie scanned the people around them, trying to find a free table as she spotted a head of characteristically red hair. "Can we sit with Aunt Addie?"
Mark nodded. "We can go by her table and ask her, but it might be that she's meeting Uncle Derek for lunch," he warned her. She nodded energetically before she excitedly took off in Addison's direction.
"Aunt Addie," she yelled, causing several heads to turn in her direction as Mark had to fight a smile once again.
"Hey, you," Addison greeted, getting up from her chair and catching the exited three-year-old just in time. "Where'd you leave your daddy?"
Annie shrugged, pointing vaguely behind her as Addison smiled and sat down with the little girl on her lap. "Hi Mark," she said as he came up to her table, setting their food down in front of him.
"Hey Addie. Mind if we join you?" he asked. "I know it's your lunch day with Derek so if the two of you need some marital whatever –"
"Don't worry," she said, her voice sounding a little bitter. "Derek got paged back before he even really sat down. I think we're officially beyond the days of marital whatever." She smiled a little sadly as she spun her rings around her finger and pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of Annie's head. The little girl looked up to her happily.
"Daddy took me out of daycare for lunch," she whispered as if they were sharing a secret.
"No way," Addie played along, sending him an amused look as Annie nodded vigorously.
"You want your sandwich, Annie?" Mark asked, pushing her plate over to her.
Annie looked slightly annoyed at the lettuce and the tomatoes that were just visible below the upper half of the bun of her BLT sandwich as she caught sight of Addison's salad.
"Don't even think about it, Missy. I told you, you could get the sandwich if you ate everything that comes with it. Aunt Addie has her own veggies, she doesn't need yours," Mark said firmly.
Addison nodded. "Also, veggies are so delicious. I eat them all the time for lunch."
Mark sent her a look that wordlessly asked "seriously?" but it seemed to work as Annie took a bite of her sandwich a little less reluctantly, including the lettuce and tomato part of it.
"Hey Mark," Addison spoke up again. "You have the weekend shift tomorrow, right? Late morning to early evening?" He nodded before she continued. "I was thinking I could take Annie shopping and maybe go to the park after? In a couple of weeks it's going to be too cold to play outside for too long and the leaves are just changing."
"Of course!" he cut her off. "I would truly appreciate that, otherwise she would have had to hang out at daycare all day. Only if you're sure, though, if you and Derek –"
Now it was her time to cut him off. "No, it's really no problem. I wouldn't have asked otherwise; I really just want to spend some more time with Annie. Also, I really hope you know that you don't ever have to send Annie to daycare on weekends if I'm not at the hospital too, I would love to take her anytime. I can't imagine it's fun to spend all your time at the hospital whenever your father has to work."
"As opposed to your childhood, you mean?" Mark teased lightly.
"I'll have you know that I spent my time waiting for the Captain at the back of his lecture hall at Yale or in that mausoleum of a house," she joked back.
"What a flex, Addie," he laughed. "In all seriousness, though, I really appreciate your offer, and I will probably come back to you on that. Annie loves spending time with you, and I really don't want her growing up in the hospital."
She nodded, reaching out to put her hand on top of his. "I know. I also know you're doing a terrific job of it, Mark. I never see you at the hospital anymore after hours," her eyes took on a slightly absent look at that, and he could see that she was thinking of her husband who seemed to spend more time in on-call rooms now than he ever had before. "You don't do any late-night bar hopping anymore either and from what I can tell Annie loves being with you, so really, there's nothing for you to worry about."
He nodded, an earnest smile on his lips as he turned his hand to link his fingers with hers and squeeze them briefly. Holding her hand in his, and looking at her with Annie, her red hair mingling with his daughter's blonde as she leaned forward slightly, he couldn't help but think what it would be like if there was a girlfriend or even a wife in his life, some kind of a mother figure for Annie. If Addie was in his life – their lives – like that, permanently. Mark startled a little. Where did that thought come from? He didn't think about Addie that way, did he?
Addison smiled at him a little she pulled back her hand, grabbing a tissue to wipe his daughter's mouth, the moment broken.
"Can I get down, please?" Annie asked. Addie nodded, putting her on her feet.
"Stay where your father and I can see you, though," she warned lightly as she gave the girl permission to go explore their immediate environment. She went over to a table a couple of feet to their right, scrutinizing its occupants until they noticed her and included her in their conversation.
"Don't worry about them," Addison told him. "The brunette one is Gonzalez, she's my intern, and I'm pretty sure she knows that Annie's the daughter of some attending. She'll keep an eye on her, even if it's just to get a nice surgery from me."
Mark nodded, going back to his lunch and enjoying their conversation as he periodically checked on Annie who was still being entertained by the interns the next table over.
"So, I'll pick her up at yours around ten tomorrow?" Addie asked after they'd finished their food. "We can go have breakfast first, then hit some children's boutiques, and then go to the park, and I can bring her by the hospital around five when your shift is over?"
"Sounds good," he said, smiling slightly.
"Great," she said. "Sorry to just run off on you," she continued as she got up, "but I have a c-section in half an hour, and I should probably go rescue Gonzalez from that little firecracker over there if I want her in the OR with me."
Mark nodded, waving her off as he watched her go over to the interns' table.
"Hey Annie," he heard Addison say, "I got to take one of your new friends away with me and I think your daddy misses you," causing Annie to turn around and examine him with something that was almost pity. "I will see you tomorrow, though, alright, honey?" She squatted down, taking the little girl in her arms and hugging her firmly before she sent her off to her father.
"Alright, Gonzalez, with me, Baby Hunter won't birth himself." Addison announced with her usual bite back in her voice. He laughed a little when he saw the faces of the female interns change from a look of 'awww' at the cute scene between Addie and his daughter to something almost scared. She gave him a quick wave of her hand behind her intern's back and blew a kiss to Annie which the little girl caught enthusiastically. He winked back as he placed Annie on his lap, enjoying the feeling of love that washed over him as she placed her arms around him and squeezed tightly.
"I love you, daddy," she whispered earnestly.
"I love you too, honey."
**\\*/ *** \\*/**
The first thing he saw when he opened the door the next morning was an extra-large cup of cappuccino that Addison waved in front of his face like some obscure form of bribery.
"Where's Annie? Is she excited yet?" the redhead asked as she walked past him into his apartment.
Mark nodded, trying desperately to hide his smile. "Sure, though probably not as excited as you. Have you gotten in touch with your inner three-year-old to match Annie?"
"I'll have you know that there never was an inner three-year-old to my personality. Even when I was three, I was three going on thirty, and I still didn't grow up quickly enough for Bizzy's taste," she answered as she put her purse down on the breakfast bar. "I'm just excited to spend time with Annie."
"As you should be. She's totally the coolest three-year-old around in my totally objective and unbiased opinion," Mark agreed wholeheartedly, looking a little smug. "I just don't want you to be disappointed. The two times I took her out to get some clothes for her, she wasn't quite as excited about dresses and shoes and handbags as you always seem to be."
"Sure. I mean, she went shopping with you not me," Addie said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Mark looked somewhere between mildly offended and gleefully amused at Addison's teasing. "I am good at shopping, Red. Contrarily to other males – Derek," he added under his breath, "I actually know how to find and put together an outfit."
She laughed. "Sure. Let's face it, you'd probably even win best-dressed male doctor if it came down to it, but I don't quite trust your fashion sense when it comes to three-year-old girls. They require more than five versions of the same black t-shirt, even if you're doing a decent job at the pinks and purples."
He drew a hand through his hair, shrugging a little sheepishly before he reached for his wallet. "You might be right. But if you want to take her where I think you want to take her, please at least take my card."
"You do know that I can pay for an afternoon out shopping," Addison said almost offended, gesturing to her own outfit.
Mark nodded, backing off a little even though he still held his credit card in her direction. "Addie, I'm a trust fund-baby, too, I know you can pay. Just humor me, though, I feel bad enough about all the toys and stuff you bring by for her on a regular basis. Hell, you can even get something for yourself, I don't mind."
Addison sighed a little as she took the plastic from his hands, putting it in her wallet instead. "I'm taking it, but I'm not promising anything," she compromised.
"Thanks. That's all I can ask for anyways," he conceded before he turned and looked down the hallway to his daughter's bedroom. "Annie, are you ready to go have fun with Aunt Addie, sweetheart?" He waited for a little while before he turned to the redhead again. "She's dressed and stuff already, she just wanted to continue playing with her Barbie until you got here," he explained.
"With her Barbie?" Addison questioned a little sardonically. "Well, there's a body even you couldn't replicate. Although you'd probably make a pretty good Ken," she teased as Annie emerged from her room, a sparkly pink backpack in her hand. "Hey, honey, are you excited for our day out yet?"
"Are we getting juju?" Annie asked back as she briefly hugged the redhead, looking pointedly at the cup of coffee that Addison had gotten for Mark.
"Getting our priorities straight, I like that," Addison laughed. "Of course, we can. We'll get breakfast first before we start the day."
"Alright, sweetheart," Mark butted in as Addison got Annie's little coat and her shoes for her from the hallway. "You'll have to listen super carefully to Aunt Addie and take her hand when you're going through the stores at the mall, alright? And if anything happens, Aunt Addie knows where I am, so you'll just tell her to come get me, okay?" Annie nodded earnestly. "Great. Then have tons of fun today," he told her, opening his arms wide for her to step inside and give him a hug. "I love you. I'll see you tonight, alright."
"Love you, too, daddy," Annie said before turning to Addison who helped her with her shoes. He watched as Annie placed her hand in hers when they were finished and briefly kissed Addison's cheek in thanks as he opened the door for them.
"Just call my secretary if something happens. I don't have any surgeries scheduled except a quick nose-job at 2.30, so if anything happens –"
Addison nodded as she patted his shoulder a little indulgently. "I've got it, Papa Bear. We'll see you in about seven hours. Go make the world a little more beautiful," she joked as she directed Annie outside. He watched them until they disappeared into the elevator before he closed his door and got himself ready for his day, arriving at the hospital not even half an hour later.
He had his intern of the week catch up on some of his patient files for him before he took him to the pit to get some suturing practice in. He knew all the interns thought he did it because he was a dick and didn't want to give them any surgery experience, but he prided himself on the fact that his interns were always the ones who could do the neatest stitches. And if at some point they proved they were good enough not to leave a scar behind, he would consider letting them scrub in, but until then it was grunge work for them.
After an hour of sustained but constructive criticism he left the intern to his own devices in the ER and went up to the surgical floor, flirting with a nurse or two before his steps took him to the OR board.
"Hey, man," he heard a voice behind him. "What are you doing here today? Don't you have a daughter at home these days."
"Hey Shep," Mark greeted back. "Got stuck with a weekend shift, I've got surgery in two hours. What about you?"
"I have a couple of patients I want to check up on," Derek explained. "Clipped aneurysm from yesterday, and the tumor case from Thursday." He yawned a little. "Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night or the night before, I stayed here overnight. By the way, when I got home this morning to change my clothes, Addie wasn't there. Do you know anything about that?"
Mark startled. "Is that a trick question, Shep?"
Derek looked him confused. "No, why would it be?"
"Because Addie's babysitting Annie today. She's taking her out for breakfast, and then shopping and some playground-hopping in Central Park," Mark answered.
His best friend looked honestly surprised to hear that. "I had no idea. How did that happen? I mean, I know Addie likes kids, but is Annie comfortable hanging out with a virtual stranger all day?" Derek questioned.
"They hang out all the time," Mark explained, a sinking feeling manifesting itself in his stomach when he got an unexpected front-row seat to the desolate state of his best friends' marriage. At Derek's astonished glance he continued filling him in. "Addie comes by sometimes on the weekend for a couple of hours to play with Annie and to give me some time to catch up on stuff, and we have lunch together sometimes. And recently, she has babysat Annie when I get an emergency after daycare hours."
"When do you get emergency surgeries?" Derek asked. "Can't you schedule your boob jobs for a time that's convenient for you?"
"Brain surgery is not the only field that gets emergencies," Mark answered affronted. "But just for your information, I started treating burn victims – mostly kids – for free, so sometimes I get a case at the last minute when I can't organize anything with daycare anymore and Addie fills in."
"Huh," Derek replied. "And she complains I'm never at home, it sounds as if she spends more time at your apartment than at the brownstone."
"Dude, until five seconds ago you didn't even know about this, which somewhat implies you weren't even around to notice. You shouldn't cast stones when you're sitting in a glass house," Mark said.
Derek looked as if he wanted to argue for a second but then seemed to think better of it. "So, she's hitting fifth avenue with your daughter? Think that will finally make her dip into her trust fund?" He asked jokingly.
"I should hope not," Mark answered, relieved that their conversation had seemed to take a turn back to their normal joking undertones again. "I gave her my card; I didn't want to bankrupt you in case she decided to use yours."
Derek lifted an eyebrow. "So, now you're supporting my wife's shopping addiction? What are you, her new sugar daddy?" He laughed at this own joke as Mark looked around, feeling uncomfortable again when he caught a look from Dr. Sweeney, one of the trauma-attendings.
"Do you even realize what you're saying, Shep? If Addie could hear you, she'd be so pissed at you right now and I can hardly blame her! People will talk, and you know there's nothing Addie hates more than people gossiping about her," he hissed.
"Well, you certainly seem to know my wife pretty well. When did that happen, when she was playing house with you and your daughter?" Derek jeered right back at him. "Should I be worried that she's going to run off with you, like your last tennis partner's wife? Like, she won't have my kids, but she will shack up with you guys?"
"Derek, shut the hell up before I shut you up. Annie has just lost her mother a little more than a month ago and Addie is there for her. She's a little kid who needs all the love she can get, and I really hope you didn't mean any of the things you've just said. But if that's how you've been treating Addie recently, then I'm not surprised that she doesn't look particularly happy whenever you're brought up in conversation. Don't worry," he added when he noticed Derek's concerned look, "I don't think the Chief has noticed yet, so your pretty image is still intact and your career aspirations safe, but you might want to think about spending a little less time at the hospital and a little more time with your wife."
"Did she put you up to this?" Derek asked.
"She didn't. But if that's where your mind goes if I tell you to fix things with your wife, then maybe your problems are too big to be fixed," Mark said.
Suddenly the fight seemed to leave Derek, and he slumped against the wall a little. "I'll talk to her. I'll find some evening sometime next week when I don't absolutely have to be here, and I'll take her out to dinner, and maybe we can put the kids-discussion back on the table."
"You do that, Shep, although you might want to lead with the forgiveness-debate before you go into the kids-discussion," Mark bumped his shoulder against Derek's who grinned a little self-ironically. "Also, she's going to drop Annie off here around five when my shift ends, if you want to spontaneously take her out tonight."
Derek sighed. "I really can't do tonight, I need to observe my aneurysm patient, she might need some medication adjustment. She's not responding to the post-op treatment as nicely as I'd hoped. Maybe tomorrow or Monday, though." He nodded to himself as he straightened up. "Thanks, man," he said as he turned to go back to his neuro area. "Maybe you can ask her to have dinner with you and Annie, though? I know that Addie doesn't like being home alone on the weekend."
Before Mark could answer, Derek's pager went off. He looked at it for a moment before he took off down the hall. "See you, man, and thank you again!"
Mark looked after Derek, still stupefied how his efforts to get Derek to fix things with Addison had led to him having dinner with her instead. Not that he was complaining, but still. Sweeney turned to him, smiling at him in a friendly way.
"How long do you think that will still last? My ex-brother-in-law was like that – a lawyer, but still pretty obsessed with his work, and definitely with a similarly sized god-complex. My sister gave him the boot a couple of months ago."
Mark just sighed. "He has just never learned that he isn't the center of everything. I also don't think he ever thought he'd have a wife who's possibly even more talented than him but doesn't need to work even half as hard as him to get to world-class level. They're my best friends, though, so you know."
"Worried about who will get custody for you in the divorce? You're in luck, Sloan, you're over twelve, so your opinion will be heard by the courts," Sweeney joked.
"Hahaha," Mark answered dryly. "You're not half as funny as you think."
Sweeney just shrugged, still laughing, as Mark left him standing alone in front of the OR board. He had somewhat suspected that the Shepherds' marriage was far from its originally blissful state, but he wouldn't have ever thought that Derek was indifferent enough to miss whole pieces of Addison's life.
He sighed. He'd look out for her, that was the least he could do for all her help with Annie, and if worse came to worst, he'd have a serious talk with Derek again.
**\\*/ *** \\*/**
"Look, Aunt Addie, I am a monkey!" Annie yelled happily as she swung on the bars of the jungle gym.
She smiled. "I see, honey! Can you make it over to the other side?" Addison encouraged her gently. She was wrestling with the brightly colored cardboard box in her lap. When they'd exited the mall, she'd spotted a tech store with some old-fashioned polaroid cameras in the window, and she'd immediately thought of Mark. The camera would be perfect for him to capture all the small and big moments of Annie's life, especially with him being as impatient as he was. She just knew he'd never have the time (or the patience) to get a regular film developed.
Finally she managed to rip the box open and put the polaroid film into the camera, just in time to see and capture Annie reach the end of the monkey bars. She moved the photo through the air a couple of times as she waited for it to develop.
"Hey, Annie," Addison called after she'd put the first one into her purse. "Look over here, sweetheart!" She managed to get another candid of Annie with a big a smile on her face, looking equal parts intrigued and excited.
"What's that, Aunt Addie?" she asked as she ran over to her.
Addison smiled a little. "It's a camera that gives you the pictures right away. You press this button," she pointed to the shutter release, "and then you'll get a photo a couple of seconds later."
Annie looked at her with big eyes as she wordlessly held out her hands. "Do you want to take a photo for daddy?" the redhead asked, handing the camera over to her carefully. "You have to pay extra special attention, you cannot drop the camera, ok? So just to be safe, we're going to put this little security band around your wrist. Alright, shoot away then!"
Annie looked around her curiously, gnawing adorably on her lower lip as she tried to find the perfect object for her first photo ever, finally deciding on the swing set. She laughed hysterically as the picture emerged and Addie showed her how to grip it and then move it through the air.
"Again!" she cried happily, this time snapping a photo of Addison and doing the routine on her own.
"Do you want me to take a photo of the two of you together?" an elderly lady asked, making her way over to their bench.
Annie nodded vigorously as Addison send her a grateful smile. "That would be wonderful, thank you!"
The older woman took the camera from Annie's outstretched hand, waiting for them to get into position. Annie clambered into Addie's lap, who slid her arms around the toddler and rested her chin on top of her little head, a happy smile on both their faces.
"One more?" the other woman asked as Annie pulled Addison's head down to her. She grinned, pressing a kiss to the three-year-old's cheek, causing peals of laughter as they heard the click of the camera.
"Thank you so much," Addison said as she took the photos from the woman and Annie ran off again.
"She is a truly beautiful child," the other woman complimented.
"Oh, she isn't mine," Addison explained, "but you're right, she is very sweet, and absolutely adorable."
"I didn't mean to imply," the woman said, "I think we all heard the 'Aunt Addie', but it is still plain to see how much she loves you and how much you love her, whether she's your daughter or your niece, or something else entirely. The nametag that we put on these relationships doesn't matter merely as much as all the rest."
Addie nodded, enjoying the silence as they both watched Annie go down the slide before she went over to the sandbox and found fast friends in the other toddlers who were building castles and tunnels.
"With whom are you here?" Addison asked, striking up the conversation again.
The woman smiled. "Oh, I'm looking after my grandson. His parents are on a little getaway for a last quiet weekend together before his little sister will be born. And I like having him, even if it is just for a weekend."
"Yeah, I can see that. Annie's the daughter of a good friend," she volunteered then. "He only found out about her very recently when her mother passed away, but she's been such a bright spot in all of our lives since then, I cannot even imagine my life without her anymore." She laughed a little embarrassed that she'd basically just poured out her heart to a complete stranger.
"Anyways," she added as she cast a quick glance at her watch, "we should probably get going before her dad starts wondering where we are. Thank you again." She smiled sincerely.
"My pleasure. I hope to see you around again," the other woman answered.
Addison nodded politely as she walked over to the sandbox, the camera and the pictures safely stored in her bag. "Hey Annie, we've got to go," she announced, watching as the little girl waved to her new friends and then carefully danced around their sand structures, trying hard not to demolish anything with her feet.
"Did you see the castle we built, Aunt Addie?" the three-year-old asked excitedly. "It was so big! And Sander said he comes here every day. Can we come every day, Aunt Addie?" She chattered excitedly, sometimes asking questions but not really expecting Addison to answer or in any other way engage with her stream of thoughts as she hailed them a cab to the hospital.
She hugged the little girl tightly as she made a brief pause, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "I really, really love you, honey," she whispered, causing Annie to giggle a little.
"I really, really love you too, Aunt Addie."
They spent the rest of the car ride in companionable silence, broken every now and then when the toddler pointed out something on the street. Addison just smiled paid the cabbie as they came to a halt in front of the hospital before she led the little girl inside.
"Okay, let's go look for your daddy."
**\\*/ *** \\*/**
He was just coming back with a fresh cup of coffee from the cafeteria when he heard his pager go off, asking him to the nurses' station. When he got there, he saw Addison leaning over the counter and striking up an easy conversation with one of her scrub nurses as she kept an eye on Annie who was playing with a couple of blocks and little figurines in the children's corner.
"So, where are the bags?" he asked in lieu of a greeting when he only saw one small bag and her purse in Addison's immediate environment.
The redhead laughed a little. "Oh, don't worry, I had them delivered to your building. And then I called your doorman so that they know to expect a delivery."
"So, the main desk will be coated in Prada and Versace when we get home tonight?" Mark joked.
"Hahaha. Don't be dense, Mark. Everybody knows little girls only start wearing Prada when they turn four," she joked. "But don't worry, she'll still totally win best dressed at daycare, we hit Ralph Lauren and found some Stella McCartney stuff, and I just couldn't stop myself from buying some very cute little dresses," Addison answered still with a big grin on her face.
Mark mock-grabbed his heart. "And that left me where? Can I still pay my rent this month?"
"Don't worry, I put her stuff on my own card," she stopped his protests right away. "Don't feel bad about it, you gifted me with a brand-new pair of Louboutin's today," she waved her own bag a little for effect, "and we bought a little polaroid camera so that you can take pictures and stuff for Annie."
The little girl perked up as she heard her name, discovering her father. "Daddy!" she shrieked as she ran over to them, "we made pictures!"
"I heard! You can tell me all about them using your inside voice," Mark answered as he picked her up and settled her on her hip, happy to let the little girl cuddle into him.
Addison opened her purse, pulling out a couple of polaroid photos. "Here you go," she handed them to Mark. "Annie and I each took two, and then another woman at the playground took two of us together," she explained as he flipped through them.
"Thanks, Addie," he said sincerely. "What do you think, sweetheart, should we hang these up in your room tonight?" Annie nodded vigorously. "Alright, then let's get home and get ourselves some dinner. You want to join, Addie?"
Addison shook her head. "I would love to, but I need to get home. Derek should be home for dinner tonight."
"Actually," he started as he watched her face fall a little when she steeled herself for whatever he had to say. "I saw Derek shortly after lunch, he told me about his aneurysm patient and said to invite you over for dinner because he'll have to stay at the hospital tonight," he explained, keeping his voice as even as he could as he thought back to his talk with his best friend.
"Oh," Addison said, turning her head to the side for a moment. "You don't have to invite me over just because Derek said so. I can just pick up some Chinese or whatever on the way home."
Mark shook his head, reaching out his hand to hold hers. "Listen, Addie, I wouldn't ever invite you over if I didn't want you there, I totally phrased this the wrong way. So, do you want to have dinner with this little terror here and myself?" he asked again, watching as she nodded hesitantly.
"If you're really sure –"
"Yes, I'm really sure. Alright, give me your bag and come along," he said as Annie reached out for Addison. She settled the toddler on her hip as Mark took her bag and her purse for her and put a hand on her lower back, steering them all out of the hospital.
They spent the evening taking turns looking after Annie and cooking dinner together before they watched The Little Mermaid until the toddler fell asleep.
"I think you wore her out," Mark said as he came back from Annie's room, having tucked the little girl into her own bed.
"I told you shopping with me would be more exciting for her than shopping with you," Addison teased as she got up from the couch, stretching her legs a little as she went to collect her purse.
"Where are you going?" he asked, watching her curiously.
She sighed a little. "Home, I guess."
"You know you don't have to go, right? We could ditch the cartoon redhead and watch something a little more age-appropriate," Mark suggested.
She lifted her an eyebrow, not sure if he'd just made more-or-less suggestive joke as he started switching through the channels on his TV until he settled on what seemed to be some Hollywood action blockbuster.
"Alright," she said, settling in on the couch next to him again.
"We're a pretty good team, aren't we, Red?" he asked, nudging her shoulder with his.
Addison smiled as she nodded, resting her head on his shoulder and letting him put his arm around her, enjoying the warmth his body exuded.
He didn't know how much time had passed as he felt her head getting heavier on his shoulder and her deep, regular breaths on his neck. Carefully he picked her up, carrying her to his bedroom where he tucked her into his bed. Mark grabbed a pillow for himself and briefly dug through his closet to find his spare blanket before he went back into the living room, getting comfortable on the couch. Sleeping out there wasn't ideal, but he was sure seeing Addie panic over her bedhead in the morning would be well worth it.
Thank you so much for reading, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this!