Chapter Nine:
"Come on, Ali. Let's get you cleaned up. Wait a minute. Have you had your dinner yet?" Luis asked. Hope in his eyes. It'd been a very long day at the station. He released the breath he'd been holding in relief when his daughter informed him she had already eaten. "Good. Go pick out your pajamas while I run your bath."
He adjusted the temperature of the water and added some of Ali's favorite bubble bath. "Ooo, bubbles. Thank you, Daddy," Ali said, big blue eyes sparkling. "Come here," he said, holding his hand out to Ali. "How did you manage to get so much mud in your hair?"
"Jake put it there. He's so mean. But I got him back, Daddy," she said excitedly, tossing her long blond hair back off her shoulders. "I..." "Shhh," Luis silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Not right now, Ali. The water's getting cold. We still have to wash your hair." "Oh, okay," Ali pouted. Rather dejectedly as she pulled her shirt over her head and rid herself of the rest of her clothes and climbed into the tub.
Luis smiled as she sang made-up songs to herself as she bathed. Continued singing at the top of her lungs--her disappointment over not getting to share her revenge against Jake forgotten--as he washed her hair and rinsed the rest of the shampoo out. He shook with silent laughter when she ordered, "Turn around, Daddy," as she dressed in her favorite pj's. Made especially for her by Theresa. She was a pink and white angel. He wiped the grin off his face when she said in all seriousness, "You can turn around now, Daddy. I'm decent." But it was hard. Very hard.
The grin was back to stay as she challenged, "Race you, Daddy," and he chased her to her bed. Scooping her wiggling, squealing little form up into his arms like she weighed nothing at all and kissing her silly. "Stop," she pleaded breathlessly as he tickled her tummy. "Please," she begged through fits of giggles. He finally relented. Out of breath himself. And pulled the covers back for Ali to crawl into bed.
He couldn't refuse her when she patted the bed for him to join her and lay back against the pillows as she snuggled up against him. A picture of her mother clutched in her tiny hands. "Tell me a story, Daddy. About Mommy. The first time you met," she said, gazing up at him with those familiar blue eyes so full of life and love. "How I met Mommy, huh?" he asked, stroking her still damp hair back from her face. "Let's see. How does that story go again?"
"Daddy," Ali admonished in exasperation, "you remember. Mommy crashed into your police car. And it was love at first sight." "Love at first sight," Luis repeated under his breath. Lost in the memory. The words at their first meeting echoing in his head. He smiled to himself as he said to his daughter--their daughter, "You've been talking to Aunt Theresa about us again, haven't you?" Ali's grinned widely and giggled. Despite shaking her head 'no'.
"Love at first sight?" he repeated a second time. "I guess you could say that, AliCat. Even though me and your mommy weren't very nice to each other at first, I guess your aunt Theresa's right. I started falling in love with your mommy's spirit from that moment on. But I had myself convinced I hated her."
"You hated Mommy!" Ali gasped. "No, sweetie. I didn't. I just pretended to. I was kind of mean. But the more I got to know your mommy, the more I loved her," he reassured her. He continued the story of his and Sheridan's first meeting, only to realize Ali had fallen asleep sometime during the middle of it.
He kissed her forehead and tucked the covers snugly around her. And whispered "I love you." He placed Sheridan's picture back in place on the nightstand. "And I love you. Always," he whispered tracing her beloved face with his fingertip. Then he turned the lamp off. Went to his own bed. To visit her in his dreams.
"Come on, Ali. Let's get you cleaned up. Wait a minute. Have you had your dinner yet?" Luis asked. Hope in his eyes. It'd been a very long day at the station. He released the breath he'd been holding in relief when his daughter informed him she had already eaten. "Good. Go pick out your pajamas while I run your bath."
He adjusted the temperature of the water and added some of Ali's favorite bubble bath. "Ooo, bubbles. Thank you, Daddy," Ali said, big blue eyes sparkling. "Come here," he said, holding his hand out to Ali. "How did you manage to get so much mud in your hair?"
"Jake put it there. He's so mean. But I got him back, Daddy," she said excitedly, tossing her long blond hair back off her shoulders. "I..." "Shhh," Luis silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Not right now, Ali. The water's getting cold. We still have to wash your hair." "Oh, okay," Ali pouted. Rather dejectedly as she pulled her shirt over her head and rid herself of the rest of her clothes and climbed into the tub.
Luis smiled as she sang made-up songs to herself as she bathed. Continued singing at the top of her lungs--her disappointment over not getting to share her revenge against Jake forgotten--as he washed her hair and rinsed the rest of the shampoo out. He shook with silent laughter when she ordered, "Turn around, Daddy," as she dressed in her favorite pj's. Made especially for her by Theresa. She was a pink and white angel. He wiped the grin off his face when she said in all seriousness, "You can turn around now, Daddy. I'm decent." But it was hard. Very hard.
The grin was back to stay as she challenged, "Race you, Daddy," and he chased her to her bed. Scooping her wiggling, squealing little form up into his arms like she weighed nothing at all and kissing her silly. "Stop," she pleaded breathlessly as he tickled her tummy. "Please," she begged through fits of giggles. He finally relented. Out of breath himself. And pulled the covers back for Ali to crawl into bed.
He couldn't refuse her when she patted the bed for him to join her and lay back against the pillows as she snuggled up against him. A picture of her mother clutched in her tiny hands. "Tell me a story, Daddy. About Mommy. The first time you met," she said, gazing up at him with those familiar blue eyes so full of life and love. "How I met Mommy, huh?" he asked, stroking her still damp hair back from her face. "Let's see. How does that story go again?"
"Daddy," Ali admonished in exasperation, "you remember. Mommy crashed into your police car. And it was love at first sight." "Love at first sight," Luis repeated under his breath. Lost in the memory. The words at their first meeting echoing in his head. He smiled to himself as he said to his daughter--their daughter, "You've been talking to Aunt Theresa about us again, haven't you?" Ali's grinned widely and giggled. Despite shaking her head 'no'.
"Love at first sight?" he repeated a second time. "I guess you could say that, AliCat. Even though me and your mommy weren't very nice to each other at first, I guess your aunt Theresa's right. I started falling in love with your mommy's spirit from that moment on. But I had myself convinced I hated her."
"You hated Mommy!" Ali gasped. "No, sweetie. I didn't. I just pretended to. I was kind of mean. But the more I got to know your mommy, the more I loved her," he reassured her. He continued the story of his and Sheridan's first meeting, only to realize Ali had fallen asleep sometime during the middle of it.
He kissed her forehead and tucked the covers snugly around her. And whispered "I love you." He placed Sheridan's picture back in place on the nightstand. "And I love you. Always," he whispered tracing her beloved face with his fingertip. Then he turned the lamp off. Went to his own bed. To visit her in his dreams.