𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐍 , mike schmidt

04. saint

I followed Mike back to his place from the grocery store after our small self-check out small talk. The car ride back to his place consisted of me questioning myself on what the hell I was getting myself into. A month ago I would've been at a rooftop bar in the city with Carter by my side and now I was babysitting. A thousand questions hit me especially - why is he responsible for his little sister and where are his parents? But, you can't just ask that.

Mike greeted me at the door as I walked inside the foreign territory. It was a quiet home with very bland decor. I noticed a bit of a mess on the kitchen table, but I overlooked it. I wasn't here to judge, but to babysit.

"I popped the frozen pizza in the oven before you got here, so if you don't mind just checking on it in 20 minutes or so. You're welcome to have some, but it's Abby's dinner." he explained.

"I also realized I didn't tell you about my shift.... It's an all nighter and I get off at 6AM."

My eyes widened at what he said.

"Oh, so you need me to stay here all night?" I questioned, clearly already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry. I left some blankets and a pillow on the couch. I can send you some money for doing this."

Before I could respond, I turned and saw a small girl emerge from a back bedroom with markers in her hands.

"Abby, this is Miles. She's going to watch you tonight."

The small girl examined me and waved after a few moments. She was uninterested. 

"Hi Abby." I responded, smiling at her. 

She smiled at me as I watched her sit at the table and start coloring. 

Mike came closer to me and lowered his voice, "She's just going to color and eat until her bed time. I usually send her to bed at 10 considering it's a Friday. "

I nodded at his instructions as I watched him go over and hug her. It was definitely sweet seeing how he cared for her, but again....why was I here? And why was I going to sleep on a random couch in Hurricane? I guess it was safe to assume I was a bit lonely.

"I'm really sorry about the all nighter thing. I just don't know who else could've watched her." I could see the sincereness in his eyes. He definitely felt bad and I didn't want to make him feel worse. 

If I wasn't a saint yet, this better be my path to it.

"It's alright. Thankfully I'm in my comfiest sweats." I joke, trying to make light of the situation.

Mike said a few more instructions and was out the door a short while later. 

-

"Hey Abby, did you want to head to bed now?" I questioned, looking at the small girl having the time of her life with her markers and empty plastic paper beside her.

She glanced up at me before looking back down at the paper she had been scribbling on for the past hour.

"I guess so." she responded, standing up slowly and picking up her markers. "How does my brother know you?" she asks, taking me by surprise. It was the first thing she had said to me since I had been there. 

"Oh, we know each other from the area." I told her - which wasn't a lie. How did I know him? I kept running into him, but I wasn't sure if considering him a "friend" was appropriate or not. 

She nodded as she waved to me and headed into her bedroom.

"Goodnight, Miles." she responded. 

I wasn't quite sure if I should tuck her in or how the babysitting thing really worked considering I was the youngest in my family and hadn't really been around kids too much. I opted to check on her. 

"Hey, just want to make sure you're all tucked in and comfy." I said, smiling at Abby in her newly acquired panda bear pajamas. 

"I'm perfect." she responded, hopping in her bed and grabbing the stuffed bear that was neatly placed on her pillow. 

-

I had somehow fallen asleep on the not so comfortable couch watching whatever was playing on Food Network. The light peeking through the curtains woke me up and I was greeted by the sound of a front door opening and closing lightly.

I sat up on the couch to make myself known to Mike as he dropped his car keys on the table and set his eyes on me.

"I really appreciate this." he says, sitting beside me. The look of tiredness was written all over his face as he ran a hand through his hair. I heard a visible sigh escape past his lips as he sat back against the couch and glanced over at me with a certain look in his eyes.