A/N: Hey, I've good news! This chapter is my very first attempt at writing an Eric POV; I'm totally self-conscious about it, so I would love to hear your opinion. Also, some of your questions are gonna be answered in this one and it's quite long. I really hope you like it.

Huge thanks to my awesome beta, CassandraMello. I couldn't have possibly pulled this out without her assistance and support. You totally rocks, Cass.

Without further ado, I give you Eric.

Chapter 7 – Daydreamer

Eric POV

I woke up this morning to Annika's little hands trying to shake me out of my sleep. I was having a dream, a bloody dream. Apparently I was in the OR doing a small procedure on a young woman's body. Everything seemed all right until she started to bleed nonstop. I asked for more blood, but there was no one else there; I was alone. I tried to find the source of the bleeding but couldn't locate it, there was too much blood. I applied pressure over the open wound; nonetheless, she continued to bleed. She bled until there was no pulse, no sign of life. Unexpectedly it all changed, it wasn't a woman's body anymore; it was a man. But not any man, it was my father who was laying there with no heart beat, no breathing, no life... I tried desperately to save him by doing CPR until my arms ached and my muscles subsided. I lost him. I had simply lost him.

"Daddy, wake up. Daddy, I'm late," she said in that sweet, lispy 4-year-old voice. Annika was at my bed side, on tip toes playing drums with my arm.

"You can't be possibly late, Annika. You don't have preschool today," I answered her, shifting on the bed to look at her. She was so adorable, with her flushed face and messy hair. "Daddy is tired, sweetie. Come here, let's take a nap together."

"Really? I can spend the day with you?" she asked thrilled, her startling eyes wide. I nodded, smiling. She jumped on the bed in celebration. I tried to catch her with one arm, still drowsy from only 5 hours of sleep, but she kept bouncing up and down, giggling frenziedly.

"Annika, daddy worked until late last night, please stop jumping," I pleaded with my daughter, my voice sounded husky, gruff. I really needed some sleep. I had been working in the ER for fucking 30 hours in a hole with no sleep; I was exhausted. It's illogical and dangerous the work hours residents have to endure. I' don't know how those fuckers expect us to take care of a patient properly without being able to sleep day after day. I always do my best, I care about my patients, and I love my job. But if something bad happens because you're so tired you can't think straight anymore, it's entirely your fault, not the attending physician's fault, who was supposed to overlook what we residents do, no, it's your damn fault, your own shit. And while I'm there busting my ass to save lives, my baby girl is being raised by someone else. How fucked up is that?

"Just cuddle with daddy for a moment, Ann. I promise to play with you later." Annika grinned at me, understanding how important what I was asking of her was and stopped jumping around. She quickly found her way under the covers and I brought her closer to me, making her comfortable in my embrace; she seemed so small close to me, in her fluffy pink pajamas, like time hadn't passed at all. Sometimes it feels like it all happened yesterday. I was in med school when I met Sophie-Anne. She was a sharp, ambitious, good-looking girl; she approached me with a sly question about anatomy one day and we hit it off immediately. We had a few classes together and some friends in common. Soon we became sex partners with no special attachment involved; she was that kind of girl, resolved, self-confident, and carefree. We fucked to cool off during exams and clinical practice, to alleviate the tremendous pressure that was med school and to ease our own needs. Med school would drive you crazy any minute if you didn't have some way to chill out. Mine was sex; so was hers. One day she told me she was 8 weeks pregnant; we always used protection, but clearly it wasn't enough. She had set her willful mind and didn't want the baby by any means.

"I'm not going to destroy my future, my career over a baby, Eric. It's my body, my decision." I couldn't believe she would do that, we were doctors; we were supposed to save lives, not the other way around. I tried to change her mind, but she was unmoveable. I fucking proposed to her and she said I was crazy, no, I was desperate. I had just lost my father to a heart attack. He died in my own hands; I couldn't possibly fail with my own child as well.

Sophie-Anne stated she would not marry me or have babies anytime soon. After days of heated discussions, I finally convinced her that if she had the baby it would be my responsibility, she would have nothing to do with it. She never even looked into Annika eyes. She applied for a surgery residency somewhere on the East Cost and left as soon she was able to do so. I have sole custody over Annika and zero contact with Sophie-Anne. If it wasn't for Pam's support, Mrs. Öberg's help and my friends, I could never have finished med school or started my residency. I don't regret my decision even for a minute; I love my daughter. She is my everything. Annika is 4 now, a very bright girl for her age. She asks for her mommy sometimes, like when she has a play date in one of her friend's house and she sees that their families include a mom. I say she is daddy's little girl and our family is a bit different, with me, she, Aunt Pam and grandma, but as good as theirs.

We slept peacefully for over an hour. I glanced at my alarm clock and it was almost 10am. Shit. Annika was still asleep; she seemed like an angel, so serene and beautiful. My little angel. I needed to give her some breakfast, it was getting late. I gently called her name a few times and caressed her little head, tugging away strays of hair from her sweet face. My stomach made itself manifest with a loud growl as she stirred from her slumber.

"Hi, sleeping beauty! What do you want for breakfast today?" I asked her with a smile. Most days Mrs. Öberg would be the one to prepare Annika's meals. She worked for my family for many, many years; in fact she took care of Pam and me for many years. She had no children of her own and came from Sweden with my parents as my nanny, still very young when they moved to America. I made sure to drag her with me when Annika was born. Mrs. Öberg lives with us and takes care of my baby girl while I'm at the hospital; I also have a housekeeper to help her and do the daily housework, thus she can focus on my daughter needs. I gave her the day off, since I would have a day off myself.

"I want pancakes, strawberries and OJ, please!" She didn't even blink to answer and said please, I couldn't deny such request.

"My girl knows what she wants." I laughed, amused by her assertive nature.

We got off the bed and headed for the kitchen. I got the ingredients and she helped me with the preparation. We made quite a mess while cooking together; there was flour everywhere, Annika's face and pajamas were covered with the white dust, nevertheless the pancakes turned out delicious. I made us some fresh orange juice and found some chopped fruits ready to consume. We sat contentedly and ate our breakfast with appetite.

"I love to cook with you, daddy." Annika told me with a smiling face between bites, "Nanna doesn't let me play with flour."

"She is right. I shouldn't let you do it either," I answered laughing, taking a good look at my surroundings. The housekeeper is gonna kill me, I thought matter-of-factly.

"Why, daddy? I like it, is snow, see." She shook her head and blew the dust off her arms and chest. She laughed gleefully, tickled by the whole idea of it; that light, sweet laugh I had grown to know. I chuckled delighted by her childish spirits.

"Okay, but you have to obey Mrs. Öberg and do exactly what she says. This is just a concession," I say more seriously.

"What is a concession, daddy?"

"It's when you can do something you're not supposed to do, like this," I explained to her. She nodded letting me know she understood and carried on enjoying her meal.

"Daddy, you promised to play with me later. It's later. Can we go to the park, please?" She asked after a moment.

"Don't you prefer to visit grandma and play in her big yard?" I tried to compromise with her.

"Yes, yes daddy. I wanna go to gran." I needed to visit my mother, she asked me to come over on my next day off, and I said I would. I was supposed to bring Annika with me; she missed her granddaughter. Besides it would be less painful than going to the park; just the thought of it was enough to make me grind my teeth.

There are some tricky issues about being a single dad, other than the more imperative ones, that I have to deal it. For example, one can't have a young baby sitter, let me just say I've being there, not a good idea. Playing at the park with other children is quite difficult to manage too, a lot of moms with their kids trying to get your attention while their children fall on the floor, scratch their knees, and cry their lungs out... It's a complete nightmare. Trying to do any kind of shopping with Annika it's just asking for an annnoyance. You can't believe the amount of girls, really young girls and even some old ladies that approach us with that same old line, "What a beautiful little girl, is she yours?" Of course she is mine, what in the hell would I be doing with a little girl in the supermarket if she wasn't mine? The worst is that Annika loves the attention and hearing people say she is beautiful, but get all distressed and teary if one of those women gets too close to her daddy. Things like that make our scarce time together more complicated than it should be, yet we always manage to have fun and enjoy ourselves.

After we finish our breakfast, I took Annika to her bedroom and got her into the shower, washed her hair, and helped her brush her teeth. I let her choose her own clothes and by the time my cell phone rang she was nice and clean. It was Pam, my younger sister. She asked for my help with her moving and I told her I was planning on going to our mother's house anyway. I could never deny any kind of help to Pam; she was the one person that I would always come to for help myself, especially when it involved Annika. I took a quick shower while Annika watched a cartoon. We got into my car and headed for my mother's fifteen minutes later.

We arrived in no time, Pam was already on the doorstep waiting for us, with a lot of boxes and bags spread all over the front porch. She must have lost her mind. If mother sees this mess she is fucked, I thought worried. As I got out of the car she ran through the front steps and helped Annika to take off her seatbelt. She was already clung into Pam's grip when I turned to the big entrance door.

"Nice to see you too, Pam." I said wryly, taking my girls under my right arm and entering the house.

"Isn't he silly, Annika? He's so jealous of us," she said playfully to my giggling daughter. "We should do it fast, Eric. She already made me put my things outside claiming I was disrupting the proper functioning of her house," Pam murmured angrily. I nodded in accord, not wanting to bring more attention to the matter.

"Eric, my beloved son, I'm so glad you came finally visit your old mother, and brought our little princess. How lovely!" Our mother said, coming out of nowhere.

"Hello, mom. How have you been?" I smiled and gave her a hug. She patted my back and withdrew swiftly from me, going for Annika right away. She took her from Pam's arms and gave my daughter a warm squeeze.

"I could have been better, Eric. You seem to forget you have a mother, if wasn't for Mrs. Öberg I would never see my granddaughter. And your sister, oh God, what a disappointment. She decided to flee and leave her mother's comfortable house to live in a what, a shack? With another girl? It's beyond preposterous." I squinted to Pam as she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

I love my mother, and I know she loves us in her own way, but after years of practice I couldn't bring myself to answer that one. "I'm sorry, mom. If I had enough time to do all the things I love, visiting you would be on top of my list," I replied, going for the charming approach.

"Oh, you work so hard, sweetheart... I'm sure you would visit me more if you could." She uttered in condescending way, changing her mind already. Oh yes, nothing like throwing some candy.

"Eric is going to help me with my moving, mom. If you'll excuse us," Pam informed our mother stiffly and glanced at me, tilting her head indicating the front the door. Mom was still holding Annika's hand and chatting quietly with her.

"Yes, you may leave. I'm going to take Annika outside and we'll play in the dollhouse I bought for her," she said dismissively, which was a relief for both of us.

I told my daughter I would go out for a couple of hours to help Aunt Pam and she would be with gran, other than a "Yes, daddy," she didn't pay much attention; she was thrilled with the dollhouse thing. Pam and I rapidly settled her things in both our car's trunks and passenger's seats and headed to her new apartment. She was too livid to talk. I thought things worked out very well; she escaped from our mother without serious damage, which was really good.

Pam's new place was a modest apartment, nothing compared to what she was used to; nevertheless I thought it was a good thing for her, to live for a while above other people expectations. We got there pretty fast and didn't waste time; I helped her with some boxes and got the biggest ones myself.

"Don't let mom get in your head, this is the best thing you could do right now. You should feel proud, Pam," I said sincerely in a reassuring voice, as I noticed she was still cranky.

"Thanks, Eric. I appreciate your support, especially twenty minutes ago when you stood by me against mom's verbal attack," she answered with a snort, while searching for her keys.

"You know very well that if I dared to say something in your defense we would still be there hearing her, Pam," I retorted annoyed. She shrugged and continued to look for her keys for another minute or two. She finally found the damn things and opened the door.

"Oh! Hi, Pam… I wasn't expecting you before midday," I heard some girl saying. I was behind Pam and couldn't see much, but found the sweet voice remarkably pleasant.

"Aw, Hi Sookie. I thought you weren't here yet. I had a little help so I was able to get here earlier. It's everything ok?" Pam answered. Sookie? What a peculiar name. She must be Pam's roommate, I ponder distracted as Pam thanked her for something.

"Yeah, everything is great. I just finished unpacking as you can see," Sookie explained; she sounded somewhat excited. I found myself surprisingly anxious to meet her. Pam took a few steps further and I finally saw the girl. She was fucking stunning, but more importantly, she didn't seem aware of it. She's a blue-eyed blonde, but not any blonde. She has something different that I can't exactly put my finger on it. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail, making her misty eyes even more evident. She looked good in her jeans, and tank top, filling it nicely, too nicely for my own good. She was staring at me as well, eating me with her eyes; I stifled a chuckle, pleased.

"Ahem, Sookie. This is my brother Eric. He came to help us with the moving. Eric, this is Sookie, my lovely roommate." Pam made the presentations while clinging to her, grinning satisfied.

"Hi, Sookie. It's nice to meet you," I answered with a smirk, unable to contain myself. "Now where can I put these boxes and the rest of your stuff, Pam?"

She just smiled and nodded. Is she shy? It doesn't seem like. Maybe she's just nervous with my presence. Interesting. I placed Pam's box in the living room and went downstairs to grab the rest of her stuff; I made at least four trips like that. I carried Pam stuff to her bedroom, catching glimpses from Sookie eyeing me every now and then. I gazed at her several times myself, each time I found a new attractive thing about her: the way her eyes smile when she laughs, the little freckle on her right cheek, how her striking breasts naturally bounce when she walks fast enough, the way she bites her bottom lip when thoughtful or nervous, how she frowns her brows while arranging things around, her delicate yet steady movements and the way she blushes every time our eyes cross; she was dangerously endearing.

I should ask her out, I thought absently, I wasn't dating anyone, and save for her being Pam's roommate there weren't any other obstacles, were there? What if things went the wrong way? I would certainly have problems with Pam. She probably has a boyfriend anyway, a girl that attractive. My line of thought was brusquely interrupted by her voice, she was saying something about the flat screen I bought for Pam as a gift, either way my sister deserved it, without a doubt. I was pulling the couch around uncertain of where to put it, and heard her express her quite hesitant thanks to me, as I turned my head to look sideways at her I saw it. She was explicitly ogling my ass. Without missing a beat I answered, mustering my flirtatious tone.

"It's my pleasure, Sookie." She raised her eyes immediately and found mine directed to her. She blushed furiously. So fucking cute. I turned my head back and smiled smugly, pleased by the effect I had on her. We worked in a more self-controled manner, at least it seemed that way, until I accidentally touched her forearm with my knuckles. The weirdest thing happened; I felt a burning sensation, a jolt of electricity ran through my whole body. What. The. Fuck. I stared at her but she had her head down, I couldn't see if she had felt the same thing. Damn. Then she lifted her eyes and I saw it, she was bewildered as well; I eyed her mischievously, thinking of excuses to touch her a second time. I found it even more amusing.

But I didn't have the chance; she made up an excuse and ran away. She said she would go out and do grocery shopping. I took the opportunity to tease her a little more, asking for water and something to bite. I chuckled as her blushing face disappeared through the door.

"What the hell was that, Eric?" Pam asked annoyed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied nonchalantly. I knew exactly what she was talking about, but would never admit it.

"I saw it Eric, I saw you teasing Sookie. She's not like the bimbos you're used to, she is different," she warned me in a harsh tone. I gaped at her, impressed by her fierce protective attitude regarding Sookie.

"Pam, I didn't do anything. I didn't hit on her. You're overreacting. Why is that?"

"I'm very fond of her and I don't want you messing with her this way. She's clearly sensitive to your presence…" she stated more coolly and carried on, "Unless you're up to the challenge, of course."

"What the hell do you mean? What challenge?" I was getting more confused by the minute.

"Sookie is the nicest girl I ever met. She has been through a lot, Eric. If you're only interested in getting in her pants you can scratch that out of you head, she is not that kind of girl. But if you're finally ready to have a serious relationship, she would be the perfect girl for you." The expression on her face was fucking unbelievable; she was smiling at me, a fucking sphinx smile plastered on her lips.

"You know I don't get seriously involved with anyone because of Annika," I snapped back at her; it's a rather difficult matter for me. "I'm definitely intrigued by her, though." I added, the curious feeling winning over my pragmatic nature.

It's odd; I don't usually feel that way about women. I dated a lot of girls after Annika was born, but never introduced them to my daughter. I keep things casual, never letting myself get hooked. The girls I usually hook up are the good-locking ones who hit on me, not the other way around, and they're mostly one night stands. Pam was right; Sookie is nothing like those girls.

Before Pam could say anything else, there was a knocking on the door; I was the closest one. Pam eyed me meaningfully as I walked to the door and glance back at her. Don't mess with her, I know dammit. I opened it hastily and found Sookie standing there. She gaped at me, in startled embarrassment. I had to concentrate all my strength to not reach for her and caress her flushed cheeks. I evaluated the circumstances and decided the only prudent thing to do was take her grocery bags and let her in. "Here, let me help you," I said, taking the bags from her and feeling that strange burning sensation again as our arms accidentally touched.

I turned away from her and headed for the kitchen, I was puzzled to say the least. Why is that? Why did she feel unlike other women? What is that about her? Why does she stir these things in me? Questions like these spun in my head over and over again, while I tried to decipher the secret behind those blue eyes. She thanked me in a steady voice which I found odd. I'm not sure if I answered, but I remember hearing Pam laugh and Sookie chuckling for a rather obscure motive. I muttered something, annoyed by the whole thing and placed the bags on the counter top.

I needed to think and for some fucked up reason I needed to stay close to her. I watched, leaning against the far wall as she stowed the groceries and rambled. She also rambles when she's nervous, I notice amused. She was so beautiful, swaying her ponytail and hips while working. I knew she was feeling uncomfortable with me so close to her, eyeing her with ponderous curiosity, yet I couldn't bring myself to give her more space; I was enthralled by her fascinating self. I wanted to get closer, I wanted to touch her. The bulge on my pants agreed with me. What is this woman is doing with me? I wondered disturbed. I shifted uncomfortably when Pam entered the room, willing my erection to subside.

"Anyone want the turkey one?" Pam asked.

"Yeah, sure. It's yours." I didn't give a damn about the sandwich; I had more important things to worry about, like the hard on in my pants. I grabbed a bottle of water and gulped it down hastily, focusing in something else. I dabbed my dripping chin and caught Sookie glancing at me. Fuck, the look on her face was sexy as hell.

"Do you prefer chicken or roast beef?" she asked me, turning her eyes away from mine.

"No, you can choose first, Sookie. I don't mind," I said the truth; unless it was a Sookie sandwich I really didn't mind. I grabbed a clean glass and put some coke in it, handing it to her with a smirk, rolling the thought of her covered in nothing but sauce through my head. Yummy.

"Ok, I'm gonna take the chicken one, then. Thanks," she told me, with a small, almost shy smile. Fucking adorable. She went to where Pam was and I stayed there, taking benefit from the counter; I was still having some problems controlling myself. I thought the best way to cool down was to focus on my food. The sandwich was quite tasty, and I found out that I was really hungry; my last meal had been breakfast with Annika. I practically devoured the whole thing and drank my nice iced-cold coke in the meantime.

As I finished, I listened to some shit Pam was saying about sunsets and sunrises, that most likely would come out from an alien, not my dispassionate sister. Sookie didn't say anything for a minute or two and then uttered some nonsense line about the sun rising tomorrow. What the fuck is happening here?

"Sookie? Are you well? You look… hm… pained, lost…" Pam asked her, sounding worried. I was getting more puzzled by the second.

"I am not lost, just wondering..." she replied flatly, although Pam didn't seem to buy that one. "Oh, don't worry, Pam. It's just my empty stomach making me delusional," she stated, laughing uncomfortably.

She went to sit on the couch and I couldn't take my eyes off her. She looked so vulnerable, nothing like what I had seen previously. The desire to take her in my arms and shield her from the pain, the sorrow that made her eyes no longer brilliant, more faded than striking, made my insides ache. It would only take a few strides to breach the distance between us, but I didn't dare. The pallor that took over her delicate face advised me otherwise. She doesn't know, but in her eyes one could see a conjunction of all of her; it wasn't necessary to think further, there, in that pools of misty and shady blue I could see fear, hurt, guilt, love, grief, naïveté, desperation, hope, and shame as they fluttered swiftly through her eyes. She was a muddle of emotions, she was magnificent.

I had a lot on my mind. I took a few steps and stopped by the TV, setting it up; manual work always helps me to think more clearly. I was been assailed by questions; questions which I knew could be only answered by her. She definitely has been through a lot, more than I can imagine, but why do I care? Why do I felt the need to shelter her, to protect her even from herself? It must be my parenting side manifesting itself, I reasoned, fooling myself. I could certainly relate to some of her feelings, but not all of them. I vaguely thought she held all the answers locked up in the frail chest of her past. But was she willing to let someone in? I startled myself by hoping she was.

I heard baffled voices and turned to look at Pam. "Sorry, did you say something?" I asked, getting up and turning the flat screen on. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't notice they were sitting on the couch, chatting for a while now. I glimpsed at Sookie and she looked like nothing had ever happened.

"Yes, I did daydreamer. We're gonna throw a housewarming party. When do you have the night off?" Pam uttered in an annoyed tone.

"I don't know, Pam. I have to check my schedule. Probably next week…" I answered nonchalantly, using the TV as a distraction; it was working perfectly fine.

"It'll have to be next week or later anyway, this week would be too soon. We need to invite our guests with some notice," Pam said thoughtfully. I liked the idea, though. It was an opportunity to see Sookie again. I found myself surprisingly eager for that party.

Out of nowhere, my pager started to make its characteristic beeping noise. Shit. I caught the small thing and as sure as hell there was a message from the hospital. One of my patients was going into kidney and liver failure. I shoved the pager back on my pocket while explaining, "I'm sorry, Pam. There has been an emergency with one of my patients and I have to go to the hospital right away. Call me if you need something. I will see you later."

"Thanks for helping, Eric. When you need a hand just let me know, ok? Be safe," she said sincerely. I knew she was talking about her niece. She loved to take care of Annika, and always did it when Mrs. Öberg and I both couldn't. She's the best sister I could possibly have.

"Sure, Pam. It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Sookie. Good luck with this one, you're going to need it," I said playfully to Sookie, wishing I could spend more time with them. As I went out hurriedly and got into my car I called home, knowing Mrs. Öberg would be there already. I made the necessary arrangements for her to pick up Annika at my mother's house and take my little girl home. I asked her to tell Annika I would see her before her bedtime, at least I hoped so.

I started the car right away and drove close to the speed limit. In the way to the hospital all I could think of was how my day converted itself in thoughts of Sookie. She was nothing like the women I found myself trying to be with, ever since I was a teenager. There was certain shallowness to them, an eternal concern with their social standings, their appearance, and their social calendar. Nothing other than money, hair and manicure appointments, fancy dinners and cocktails parties interested them. Well, maybe sex. Except for Pam, most women I dated circulate in that dungeon of frivolity. But not her, not Sookie, she has depth. She is real.

A/N: So… What you guys thought? Should I do more Eric POVs in the future? I really don't know... *smiles awkwardly*