Friday had finally arrived. Mark and Chloe had been planning to let loose and have a good time. They headed straight from the office to a restaurant and later kept the party going at a local nightclub.
The next morning, Mark woke up with a pounding headache. He spared a careless glance at the sleeping Chloe and, yawning, headed toward the kitchen. On the way, he clipped the edge of a table; the sharp sting of the impact sent him into a frustrated outburst.
"I am so done with everything, damn it!"
"Honey, what happened? You startled me," Chloe said softly, her voice thick with sleep.
"I'm dying of thirst and I feel like crap. My head is splitting," Mark snapped irritably.
"There's some mineral water in the fridge. Grab a drink and bring some for me too."
Returning from the kitchen, Mark handed the half-finished bottle to Chloe and told her he was heading home.
"Already?" she asked, her voice tinged with disappointment. "I thought we were spending the weekend together."
"Maybe some other time. Right now, I just need some real rest. Anyway, see ya. Don't be sad, babe." Mark gave a quick wave, a wink, and vanished through the door.
"What a jerk," Chloe muttered resentfully before heading off to brew herself a coffee.
***
Back at his own place, Mark collapsed onto the sofa and fell into a deep sleep instantly. He slept until nearly evening and woke up feeling much better. He took a long bath, fixed a simple dinner, and settled in comfortably in front of the TV. Suddenly, his phone rang. He reached for it.
"Hey, Sarah. I'm listening."
"Are you home, sweetheart? I miss you so much. I've been waiting for you to call, but you just disappeared," a sad female voice sighed on the other end.
"It was a grueling week at work. I was exhausted and slept the whole day away."
"You know, I really want to see you. Maybe we could meet up tonight?" she suggested hopefully.
Visualizing a Saturday evening in the company of the attractive Sarah, Mark smiled and spoke tenderly.
"I'll be there, darling. I'll pick you up in an hour."
***
The following morning felt like a repeat of the last. Another headache, another craving for solitude. And once again, a girl lay fast asleep beside him. Only this time, he wasn't a guest; he was in his own apartment.
"Sarah, come on, wake up! I've got to get moving, I have things to do."
"But it's Sunday. I thought we'd have the whole day together," Sarah replied, crestfallen.
"I promised to help my parents with something. They've been expecting me since early this morning. Don't be mad. Get your things together—I've already called you an Uber."
The girl frowned, let out a few sighs, and began to dress reluctantly. Once she had left, Mark felt a wave of relief. It felt good to be alone, to have an entire day of peace and quiet.
***
On Monday, Mark woke up to his alarm. He did some light stretching, took a cool shower, and made some sandwiches. It was time to head to the office. He had barely finished getting dressed when there was an unexpected knock at the door. It was strange—hardly anyone ever stopped by at this hour.
Opening the door, Mark was stunned to find a tiny, solitary little girl standing there. Not believing his eyes, he leaned out into the hallway and looked around. No, there wasn't an adult in sight. The child couldn't have been more than two years old. Beside her stood a large bag with an envelope tucked into the top.
Baffled by the turn of events, Mark pulled a note out of the envelope. "Mark, this girl is your daughter, Daisy. Her things and documents are in the bag. I've been admitted to the hospital for some serious tests. If everything turns out okay, I'll come back for her. If not, please look after her. There's no one else. If you have doubts, get a DNA test. Just don't abandon her. Lucy."
"No way! You've got to be kidding me!" Mark exclaimed in frustration, only to realize the girl had vanished from the doorway.
"Hey, where are you? Do you hear me?" He started to rush into the hallway, but then he spotted a pair of tiny shoes by the threshold. While he had been standing there bewildered, the quick little thing had slipped into the apartment.
There she was, already climbing onto a chair, having spotted an open bag of chips on the table.
"Hey, kids aren't supposed to eat those. Your mom will be mad if she finds out!"
"I can!" the girl declared confidently, crunching away with delight.
Mark looked at his watch and realized he was already long overdue for work. Besides, he couldn't leave—there was no one to watch the child. After a moment's thought, he called his boss and requested a few days off. Fortunately, it was approved.
***
Rummaging through the bag, Mark found a birth certificate. The girl's name was Daisy Miller. The mother was listed as Lucy Miller. The space for the father's name was blank. Looking at the date and place of birth, it all clicked. He had been in that city on a business trip. He'd had a fleeting fling there with a pretty girl named Lucy. They hadn't spoken since.
Well, the only thing left was to do a DNA test. That would settle any doubts. Mark found a lab online, called them, and set everything up. They promised to come to the house to collect the samples and send the results back via courier. The little girl was sleeping peacefully on the sofa. Mark covered her with a throw blanket and sat down on a chair beside her.
***
After the lab technicians left, Mark felt a sense of helplessness. He would have to wait three whole days for the answer! He didn't want to go to the police just yet. But if the child wasn't his, what would he tell them later? "Fine, it'll work out somehow. I'll tell them the truth, show the documents, the note, and the negative test. They can handle it from there."
Mark's heavy thoughts were interrupted by a bright little voice. A hungry Daisy was asking for food.
"What am I going to feed you? The fridge is empty. Want to go to the store?"
"Yes!" the little girl shouted, running toward the door.
At the nearest supermarket, Mark bought plenty of treats and then led Daisy to the toy section.
"Pick out a toy, whichever one you want!"
The girl laughed joyfully and reached for a cute, fuzzy teddy bear.
***
Evening arrived. Worn out from the day's excitement, the little girl hugged her new toy tightly and fell asleep. Mark looked closely at her face, remembering his own childhood photos, and thought there really was a resemblance. "Alright, enough guessing. I'll know the truth soon enough. It's late; time for bed."
***
The next day, the little girl got restless, so Mark took her to the park. The vibrant new sights and sounds left the child in awe. Mark unexpectedly felt a surge of happiness unlike anything he'd felt before. It turned out that taking kids for a walk could actually be fun!
On the way home, Mark ran into a neighbor. He was also out with a child, a boy about Daisy's age. The men stopped to chat, and the children interacted as well.
"This is my daddy," the boy stated proudly, pointing at his father.
"And this is my daddy," Daisy replied, wrapping her arms tightly around Mark's knees.
Mark beamed, scooped the little girl up into his arms, and walked home slowly. It felt remarkably good to hear the child call him "Daddy."
***
On Wednesday, Mark began calling hospitals in hopes of tracking down Lucy Miller. But everywhere he called, he was told no such patient had been admitted. The last number on his list was the city oncology center. "They'll probably say the same thing." But this time, luck was on his side. They confirmed a woman by that name was indeed there for an evaluation, though they refused to provide further details. "Well, I'm going there tomorrow. I'll find out everything then."
***
He decided not to take the girl to the hospital with him. He called Sarah and asked if she could watch the child for a bit. She agreed happily, thinking Mark was just joking and using it as a pretext to invite her over. When she saw Daisy, Sarah let out a disappointed sigh. But she was already there, so there was nothing to be done.
"Thanks for helping me out. I'll be back in a couple of hours."
***
At the oncology center, Mark was informed that the diagnosis was very serious. When he returned home, the distraught man heard loud shouting.
"You little brat, look what you did! I'll show you what happens when you touch things that aren't yours!"
Mark rushed into the room to find Daisy sobbing. Terrified, the poor child had huddled into a corner, clutching her favorite bear.
"Sarah, what's going on?"
"Can you believe this? This little monster got into my purse, broke my mirror, and ruined an expensive lipstick!" the girl ranted indignantly.
"Don't worry about it, I'll pay for everything. Here, take this. I hope it's enough." Mark handed her a large bill and hurriedly ushered her out of the apartment.
***
Friday finally came. Mark waited anxiously for the test results. When he heard the doorbell, he rushed to answer it. But instead of a courier with a document, Lucy was standing on the threshold.
"Hello. I've come for Daisy. Thank you for staying with her," the woman said softly.
Her voice was weak, her face looked exhausted, and her eyes held a look of resignation. Mark, already knowing about her illness, sighed and led her to her daughter.
"Mommy, mommy! Hi!" the child cheered.
"Get your things, sweetie. We're going home now."
Left alone, Mark felt a wave of sadness. Daisy's teddy bear sat forgotten on the table. The girl was with her mother now; that was how it was supposed to be. But Lucy was gravely ill and needed an expensive surgery—a surgery the poor woman likely couldn't afford. He couldn't just stand by. He felt for both the child and the mother.
His grim thoughts were interrupted by the phone. The results were in. With trembling hands, Mark tore open the envelope and saw the fateful numbers—99.9999% probability of paternity. Mark didn't hesitate anymore. It was time to act.
***
Sprinting into the train station, Mark searched desperately for Lucy and his daughter. No, they couldn't have left that fast! Suddenly, a bright little voice chirped behind him:
"Daddy! Daddy!"
He spun around, his heart leaping with joy—Daisy was running toward him. Picking the little girl up, Mark smiled and said:
"How could you forget your bear? He's sitting there all alone and missing you very much."
"Bear, my bear," the girl chattered excitedly.
"We're going back to your bear right now, and don't you ever leave him again!"
***
Coming up with the money for Lucy's treatment wasn't easy, but Mark managed it. The surgery was a success, and the doctors' prognosis was encouraging. While her inpatient treatment continued, Daisy stayed with Mark. He enrolled the girl in daycare and went to work, continuing to cover the costly medical procedures. After work, he would pick the little one up from daycare and head to the hospital to see Lucy. There, they talked for hours and began to make plans for the future.
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