A Miracle Starts With a Beat of a Heart

Chapter 17

Daisy needed to clear her mind.

After everything that has happened within the last few days, she really needed to give her brain a break from SHIELD, even if it was just for a day. Of course, being the loving older brother he was, Mack did not hesitate to allow her to take leave for the day. Daisy barely had any sleep the previous night given that May was not on base thanks to those aliens or whatever they were. 

To clear her mind, she put Nadia into her stroller, threw the diaper bag over her shoulder, and walked to the park in Rivers End, which wasn't too far from the Lighthouse. It had been a while since the last time Daisy was outside of the base - including the Lighthouse, the Playground, and the Bus - for her own personal leisure. She also figured she might as well introduce Nadia to the outside world since she had yet to experience it aside from her pediatrician appointments.

It was getting close to summer, so Daisy had dressed her daughter in a cute, little dress with a bow on her head. Again, Daisy gushed over how adorable Nadia looked in all of her little outfits. 

Daisy walked a couple of laps around the park, getting some much-needed light exercise. What really made her day was watching Nadia's big and bright eyes as she took in the scenery around her. From the teenagers playing sports in the grass to the smaller children on the playground, it made Daisy think once again if whether or not Nadia would be raised completely in the Lighthouse. Of course, they couldn't keep her all cooped up for her entire life; it sounded a little too Rapunzel or Elsa for Daisy's taste. Maybe one day Daisy would get an apartment or small house in the near future where Nadia could grow up, getting the chance to have a semi-normal life despite her mom being a SHIELD agent.

After walking around the park for about half an hour, Daisy finally parked the stroller next to a bench where she sat and took Nadia into her arms. Nadia seemed to be hungry, so Daisy began to feed her. It was then that Daisy noticed another mother on the other side of the bench who was also feeding her baby. If Daisy had to guess, the infant was a little older than Nadia, probably around six or seven months, maybe even eight. The mother seemed to notice Daisy and eyed her, but Daisy just tried to ignore her.

Once Nadia unlatched, Daisy smiled as she went on to burp her. Nadia let out a partially loud burp, causing Daisy to laugh. "Good one, Dia."

"She your first?" the mother on the other side of the bench asked.

"Um, yeah," Daisy replied nervously.

"I was gonna say, I don't see you in the park often."

Daisy chuckled lightly. "Well, we don't really get out much aside from the pediatrician. Things are kinda hectic at home."

"Oh, where are my manners?" The woman held out her hand for Daisy to shake. "I'm Lisa."

Daisy hesitantly shook Lisa's hand while trying to decide whether or not to use her real name. "I'm, um, my name is Daisy."

"And the little one?"

"Oh, her name is Nadia."

"That's a lovely name," Lisa replied. "And this little guy is Oliver. He's seven months old now, and that little girl on the playground in the yellow T-shirt is Emma. She's four and already has too much energy for me to keep up with."

"Well, they are pretty adorable," Daisy replied. 

Lisa nodded. "You mentioned things are hectic at home. Does dad help out much?"

"He um," Daisy began. "Nadia's father isn't in her life, and he doesn't plan to be." That wasn't a complete lie. Nadia obviously has a biological father given that Kasius had to use someone's DNA to create her, but he wasn't in her life regardless. He also didn't plan to be since he most likely wouldn't be born for maybe another fifty years or so. The more Daisy thought about it, the more it hurt her brain. "It's been difficult, but Nadia and I have made it four months just the two of us, and we're fine. We also have other family that help us out a lot, so there's that. She still has lots of family that loves her and looks after her."