All I Want Is This

10

Meredith woke up hearing a light snore next to her ear. She opened her heavy of sleep eyes and looked at the sleeping face of the little girl. Meredith giggled hearing her cute snore and couldn't resist not to kiss her nose. Alicia stirred a little and slapped lightly Meredith's face to banish the harassment.

Meredith caught her hand and placed it back along her body. Then she slowly slid out of bed. The curtains had remained open, so Meredith still could see the rain pouring over their window. It was still dark outside, but the sun had been starting showing its light from behind the clouds. Another gray and rainy day for Seattle was ready to start.

Meredith checked her watch. It was a little passed 5:30 and her shift was starting at 7 o'clock. It was cheerful and refreshing to wake up with Alicia by her side, to watch her sleeping and hearing her snoring for the first time. Once that she checked her watch and the daily routine was about to start, all the good and bad things returned to her mind. She sighed remembering Mark. She really believed that after the pleasant evening they spent together, Mark would be nicer and friendlier with her, but proved again that he wasn't capable of such great things. His presence was getting harder to stand each time he was throwing malicious and offending words to her spitting his venom, but there was Alicia, that little girl who always seemed to do everything to keep Meredith close to her and her daddy.

She leaned against the windowsill watching Alicia's sleep. After Mark confessed their story with that woman's abandonment, Meredith tried to imagine what kind of person Mark was before that. Alicia had a total different behavior than her father; always cheerful and fondly. Meredith thought at Alicia's mother; probably Alicia was looking more like her mother, physically and not only, but then she put herself the question what could make that woman leave her child? And this brought her again to the same question: what kind of person Mark used to be?

Then she realized she should return on Earth and she would better go and get ready for work before Mark to wake up and meet his strange behavior again.

Creeping out of the guest room, Meredith let it half-open. The wooden floor let a light creak under the first step she made. Meredith winced and froze for a second checking if her noise disturbed anyone. Since the apartment continued to sleep in the same perfect silence as before, Meredith picked up her track to bathroom.

Mark startled when Meredith stepped outside her room and slowly opened his eyes. Immediately he could guess Meredith's presence on hall. He sighed and shifted on his back in a perfect discretion. Through that silence, Mark could even hear Meredith's breathe as she passed by his door.

As soon as he heard the bathroom door closing, Mark decided to leave the bed. He had to admit that he was grateful for Meredith's discretion. She was avoiding him for the rudeness he showed once again toward her and he was avoiding her just for the simple fact of having her in his life.

Same as Meredith, Mark crept out of his room and walked in the guest room, which his daughter had shared with Meredith. Mark found Alicia sounding asleep in the middle of the bed, so in silence closed the door and approached the bed. He slowly lifted the quilt and slid under it next to his daughter. Settling comfortable on pillow, which was still holding Meredith's warmth and the smell of wet hair, Mark rested his forehead on the girl's head.

A smile showed up on her lips and with a giggle, her blue eyes met his gaze.

"You weren't sleeping?" Mark was surprised to find his daughter awake. That was something uncommon for her. Actually, it was uncommon for him too, but this new turn that his life took in Seattle, had brought a few changes already.

Alicia simply giggled and snuggled against her father's chest, asking like that for her well-deserved cuddle. Mark welcomed her taking her in arms and kissing the top of her head.