Under the Night Sky

Chapter 53

Meredith was certain she had worn a similarly broad smile only on a handful of occasions in her whole life. And surely, she couldn't remember when she possibly had been more emotionally confused. Right now, happiness, excitement, love, fear, anxiousness and many other feelings raged in her heart. She tried to rein each feeling in and concentrate on the sheer joy she was currently experiencing at seeing her family together.

After a momentary silence that gripped the room, several things happened at once. For starters, everyone whirled around to look at her, their eyes wide. Susan shrieked, dropping a jug of juice on to the floor. It spilled in a crimson puddle that immediately started to soak into the carpet but she didn't seem to notice. She ran up to Meredith taking her face in her hands as though she couldn't believe her eldest daughter was truly standing in front of her in the very flesh.

"Meredith! Oh my god, Meredith!" she exclaimed happily, tears filling her eyes, as she pulled her close, rocking her slightly. "I can't believe it! What are... Oh my god, you are really here!"

"Don't tear up, woman," Thatcher urged her out of the way as it was his turn to hug his daughter and welcome her home. "Meredith..."

"Hi, dad," she smiled at him, her own eyes becoming uncomfortably moist.

"Meri, why didn't you tell us you were coming? When... when did you arrive?"

"An hour ago, I wanted to it to be a surprise!" she laughed.

"It is, honey, it is," he sighed, his voice shaky as he embraced her tightly once again. He couldn't believe his eyes, he couldn't believe the change that seemed to have happened in his daughter since he last saw her. When he and Susan left Rachel last spring, they left behind them a woman that was half dead inside. Surely, she was doing well. She was calm, she liked her new life and job. She had friends. But she was not fully alive.

This woman, this woman standing in front of him was. She was smiling, her cheeks pink from the cold. Her eyes were sparkling like emeralds. They had that shine, that fire he was afraid had been permanently extinguished by the scumbag he himself once accepted as his son. All those years, every time Thatcher's thoughts went to the man that introduced himself to them as Mitch, blind hatred overtook his heart, mind and soul. If he ever met him, he would kill the son of a bitch. He would kill him in the cruelest, most painful way for hurting his precious daughter. He would have no mercy, just like the bastard didn't have any mercy for Meredith. Life had already hurt her, acting through the hand of her biological mother, and that man, no he was not a man, that piece of trash played with her life, toyed with her feelings...

Meredith could clearly follow the trail of her father's thoughts as though she had a direct screen to his memories on his forehead. Determined to banish all images of Mitch from her mind, she quickly broke eye contact with his father and detached herself, turning towards her youngest sister, whom she hadn't seen since the day she left.

"Molly..." she sighed apologetically. "I am so sorry-"

Molly let out a watery chuckle and ignored the apology that was on her lips, scooping Meredith into her arms. "You don't think I waited almost four years for an apology, do you? You owe me no apology, Mer."

When her little sister released her from her tight hug, Meredith turned sideways to greet Eric and the little girl that was perched in his arms.

"Sweetie, say hello to Aunt Meredith," Molly encouraged her daughter.

Laura eyed the stranger that was called her aunt curiously from under her fringe of gold locks and finally stuck out her hand towards Meredith. "Hi, Aunt Meredith!"

"Hey, Laura, I've wanted to meet you for a very long time. And I have a present for you."

Laura seemed elated as she momentarily looked around Meredith, her eyes searching for the promised gift.