Chapter Text
Amy was waving the gun between the two of us. I could see the conflict in her eyes.
Dark takes a step forward. “Believe me, he’s the fake one. It’s me, Amy.”
She aims the gun at me.
I take a step forward. “Amy, don’t believe him. I’m the real one.”
She aims the gun at Dark.
“I know I’ve been busy, Aejeong, but I’m trying to find more time for us.”
How does he know my special name for her?
She aims the gun back at me. Before I get a chance to respond, the gun goes off.
I looked down at my chest and saw blood soaking through my shirt. I collapse and fall to the ground, landing on my knees. I then fall backward on my back. I saw Amy drop the gun and leave with Dark.
“Amy,” I croak, then my vision goes black.
Then, I saw Amy look down. She leans forward and kisses me on the forehead. “I love you, don’t forget that.” She lets go of my hand and walks out of not only the hospital but my life as well.
I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling, ignoring the dampness in my eyes. To my right, the bed was empty other than Chica at the end of it. I sighed and sat up, resting my head in my hands. It’d been almost ten months since that date. I looked back up and sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. After a moment, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, grabbed my phone, and made my way to the kitchen to brew myself a cup of coffee with Chica trailing behind me. While I waited for it to brew, I thought about my plan for today. I already had my videos done for today, so I didn’t have to record until later. Maybe I’ll take a hike.
I grabbed a mug and poured my coffee as I sat at the counter.
Amy and I get out of the car as we head into the restaurant and wait to be seated. We talk and eat, just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. When we finish and pay for our food, we go to the restrooms and change into our more casual clothes. We leave the restaurant and head back to the car.
The memory faded as I rubbed my eyes, shaking my head to dispel all thoughts of that night. Instead, I grabbed my coffee and took a big sip, deciding to look up hiking trails in LA. The Eaton Canyon Falls looked nice. I finished off my coffee and placed the mug in the sink, then went upstairs to get ready. Once I had showered and changed, I packed a small backpack with two water bottles and a sweat towel. Making sure the front door was locked behind me, I opened the passenger-side door for Chica before climbing into the driver's side and starting the car to head toward the trail.
After a very relaxing hike, we finally made it to the waterfall. I looked around and enjoyed the beautiful view as I set my bag down on the ground. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as the water gracefully plunged forty feet to the crystal clear pool below. I plopped down onto a rock a bit away from the fall while Chica played in the water. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sound. Luckily, it was one of those days where no one decided to go hiking, so other than the sound of the water and Chica, it was silent here.
Suddenly, a baby’s shrill cry broke the silence.
I shot up while Chica started sniffing around. Why was there a baby in the woods? I grabbed my bag and followed the sound of the cry. Minutes later, I finally found them hiding behind a tree in the woods surrounding the waterfall. The baby was just lying there in a onesie, a blanket haphazardly wrapped around them in the dirt. I couldn’t tell how long they’d been here, but they were definitely left there today. Faint scratches and bruises lined their little arms and legs.
I kneeled down and gently picked them up. They grabbed onto my finger and giggled. I smiled, then remembered where we were and I started quickly making my way through the woods.
“C'mon, Chica!” I yelled and she followed me down the hill back to the car.
I quickly threw open the back door and laid the baby across the backseat, Chica hopping in next to them. Patting down my pockets, I fished out my phone and went to call 911, but was cut off by the beeps of a failed call. No service. Just typical. The day I decide to go out and enjoy myself, I'm stranded with an abandoned baby.
"C'mon, Mark, think," I muttered to myself, lightly butting the phone against my forehead in some hope of coming up with an idea. I didn't want to go too far from the car to look for a signal in case he got lost or couldn't hear Chica, but I also didn't want to drive to the hospital myself because I didn't have anything to keep the baby safe.
Then, an idea came to me.
I ran back to the car and sat the baby up, wrapping the blanket tight against them and buckling them up to attempt to keep them in place. While I got in the front seat and started the car, Chica rested the front of her body on the baby's legs, using her torso to hold them in place.
"Good girl," I smiled, looking at her through the rearview mirror as I slowly backed up. No cars filled any other parking spots, so I drove no faster than ten miles per hour. When I was able to see the entrance, I pulled over and grabbed my phone, sighing in relief when I saw two bars of service. One phone call later and the cops would be there soon.
"Mr. Fishback?” A voice called. I stood up, not bothering to correct the doctor. "You're the one who brought in the infant?"
"Yes, I am. How is she?"
"If you'd follow me," the doctor gestured toward the hallway and I trailed behind him into a small room with a small bed built for a small child. The baby from earlier giggled as soon as they saw me, waving their arms in the air as I stood beside them. “So, you found her in the woods?” the doc asked.
I nodded. “I went on a hike this morning and found her near the waterfall. She was laying on the ground near a tree.”
The doc nodded his head as he wrote stuff down on his clipboard. “From what I can see, however, she seems to have been outside in the elements for about 5 hours. She’s lucky to be alive.”
I nodded my head and smiled. "I'm glad I found her when I did, then."
“Well, we ran a multitude of tests and found that she has signs of abuse and neglect. It’s sad to hear, considering she is just a week old.”
I released a sad sigh. “Who would do that to a baby?”
“Well, we ran some bloodwork on her and we surprisingly have her records on file,” the doc started.
I stood up and took a step closer to the doc and the baby. “Am I allowed to know or is it patient-doctor confidentiality?”
“That's part of what I'm about to talk about. She was born in the hospital as Leni Ida. She was given no last name due to being put up for adoption here in the hospital. She was adopted by Lisa and Wally Franks and was never reported missing,” he explained.
“Have you contacted the police?” I asked.
“Yes, we have, and they are on their way. But in the blood tests, we found out who her birth parents are. Do you know one Ms. Amy Nelson?”
My breath caught in my throat as my heart slowed.
Amy laughs at a joke I just said. Her angelic laugh fills the room while her pearl-white smile brightens it.
“I’m glad I found the time to get away from work. I love you,” I say.
Her smile widens “I love you, too.”
I fiddle with a small box in my suit pocket. I can’t wait.
I swallowed down the lump and cleared my throat. “Uhh, yeah, I know her. She’s my ex. Why?”
“She is Leni’s mother. And, I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but you are Leni’s father.”
My heart stopped as my eyes widened. I reached behind me for the chair and gently lowered myself down as I took in what I’d been told. “W-what?”
“Leni is your daughter. Her name is Leni Ida Fischbach.”
I released a shaky breath as the information finally kicked in. “I-I’m a dad?”
The doctor nodded. “Would you like to hold your daughter?”
After a second, I nodded.
The doctor walked over to the table and picked up the sleeping now sleeping baby. He gently placed her in my arms and showed me how to correctly hold her. A moment later, he walked out of the room and left me with my daughter.
My daughter.
A sentence I never thought I’d ever say.
Making sure that I had a good hold on her with one arm, I used the other to run my hand over her head. The few brunette wisps of hair on her head were the softest things I had ever felt, softer than velvet. She slowly opened her eyes and the first thing that struck me was her chocolate brown eyes, almost exactly like mine. She smiled at me and lightly giggled, causing my heart to melt. She was the most beautiful being on the planet.
Though I didn't think about it often, I'd always wanted kids. Granted, I'd thought it would happen when I was married and in my 30s, but life's funny that way. My relationship with Amy had gone up in smoke in the most horrible way and I was left alone and heartbroken. When I got home, all her stuff was gone and her key was sitting on the kitchen counter. I mean, I honestly thought that Amy and I would spend the rest of our lives together, even if we never got married. Photos of the two of us were still spread around the house, hanging on the walls and sitting on shelves, and I thought that was all that was left of our relationship. But this baby, with Amy's little nose and cheekbones, was a symbol of our love, as cheesy as it was. I still loved Amy, and I think I always will, but now there was this tiny little human that we made who needed me to get my shit together and be there for her.
“Hi, sweetheart, I’m your daddy,” I whispered. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I love you. I’m sorry you went through what you did, but I’ll never hurt you as they did.”
A knock on the door caused me to look up. A police officer was standing there with a notepad in his hand.
“Hello, I’m Officer Peterson. Are you Mr. Fishback?” the officer asked.
“Fischbach, but yes, that’s me. What can I do for you, officer?”
“I just need an account of how you found her.”
I nodded my head and explained to the officer how I found Leni.
“Ok, thank you for your help. We will certainly be looking into the Franks. Would you like to take legal guardianship of Leni?”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, I can do that?” I asked.
He nodded. “Because Leni was born and given up without your knowledge, you were not contacted. But, now that we know, you can take legal guardianship of her. You would have to go through the proper CPS procedures.”
I nodded my head and adjusted my grip on Leni. “Y-yes. I would love to take guardianship.”
The officer took a step closer and clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re a good man.” He walked out and I looked back down at Leni who was smiling at me. I smiled back at her and kissed her on the forehead.