It was 04:47 when Meredith's pager went off, waking up her and Addison.
Both women groaned and rolled over only for it to be Meredith's.
"It's an emergency, stay in bed." Meredith was up and already getting dressed.
"Oh, do you want me to get Zola up and ready?" Addison asks.
"What? No? I'm being paged not us."
Addison looked at her sideways. "But then that means she'll be here with me."
"Addie, I have to go, you and Zola will be alright because I trust you, I will be back as soon as I can ok?" Meredith grabs her stuff and kisses her girlfriend on her forehead.
Before Addison could process exactly what she was saying, Meredith was out the door and into her car.
Although it was pretty early and a Sunday morning, Addison didn't want to sleep since she was too anxious.
She couldn't have kids yet she loved being with them and working on them. What Addison didn't want to admit was how bad she truly wanted a baby. She wanted to experience pregnancy for herself more than anything.
At 8 am on the dot Addison rolls over to find a small head full of black and curly hair sticking out from under the bed.
She froze immediately when she saw the little girl stirring in her sleep and cuddle into the older woman.
A weird feeling arose in Addison's heart, a wholesome feeling of love.
Was this what being a mother felt like?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Zola finally spoke.
"Addie?"
"Good morning Zola, your Mommy got called to work early this morning so it's just us for right now, kiddo."
"Oh, do you know when she'll be back?" Zola was doing her best to hide her disappointment but Addison could see right through it.
"I don't sweetheart I'm sorry, it should be sometime before dinner though, in the meantime, what would you like for breakfast?"
Zola was quiet for a few moments and then finally spoke up. "Can you make blueberry pancakes with bacon?"
"I'll see what I can do, can you get dressed by yourself?"
Zola said yes and climbed out of the bed.
Even though Addison had cooked with Meredith several times, it felt strange being the one to do all the cooking.
She put her thoughts aside and got up quickly to start her coffee.
It didn't take long for her to start that and get out a few pots and pans.
Addison got out all the ingredients and set them out on the counter. She washed a handful of blueberries and set them in a bowl for later.
Zola came back fully dressed and ready once Addison was adding the blueberries in.
"Can I help?"
"Of course sweetheart, come here." Addison brought a stool over the stove and helped Zola up.
For a 7 year old, Zola was pretty smart but Addison didn't blame her, that's what happens when you lose a parent so young.
When Addison had found out that Derek died, she caught the next available flight to Seattle to be closer to everyone. It started off as Addison coming here to check on Amelia
but once Amelia got her own place, Addison still stayed with Meredith.
Although it was awkward, Addison fell helplessly in love with Meredith and Zola. It's only been 8 months since then.
When Addison smelt the faint smell of smoke, she quickly jumped out of her trance and flipped the pancakes that were just slightly burnt.
Once the food was ready, both girls sat at the table and ate in a comfortable silence.
"What were you thinking about over there?" Zola asks innocently.
Addison hesitated, knowing it would be better just to tell the truth. "Your mom, your dad, and these past 8 months."
Zola looked down at her plate almost immediately. "Oh."
"How are you holding up kiddo, honestly?"
Zola looked around for a few seconds as if she was putting pieces together. "It's a lot to get used to, but Mommy is really happy and I know it's because of you so if she's happy them I'm happy."
Tears threatened to fall from Addison's face when she heard Zola's answer. "I'm happiest with the two of you, I'm not going anywhere."
Once the two of them finished eating, Addison decided that since it was the summertime, why not take her to the spray park.
"What do you say about going to the spray park today, maybe for about an hour."
Zola brightens up immediately. "Can we get ice cream after?"
Addison laughed. "Of course, it's summer after all."
So the two girls got packed up and ready to go. Addison made sure she packed enough sunblock for herself and Zola. Along with water, fruit, and two sandwiches in case they got hungry.
Zola was dressed in a polka dot one piece and Addison had on a bikini top and shorts.
The ride there was pretty silent, only light music and small conversations.
Once they got to the park, they only noticed around 5 other kids there.
"What do you say about an hour here, we eat some fruit and sandwiches, get ice cream, then go home?"
"I like that." Zola says.
"Alright, I'll be here if you need anything."
They stayed there for about an hour and Addison read her book while watching Zola run around in the water.
Something Addison had noticed about Zola early on was how independent she was. In certain says, Addison had wished she could relate.
"Addie can we get ice cream now, it's hot."
"Sure thing kid."
So the two of them packed their stuff and headed down the pier for ice cream.
Zola got a cone of chocolate chip while Addison got a mango smoothie.
They watched the birds go by and surfers ride high waves before they finally headed home.
It was only 1 but Addison could tell that Zola was all worn out.
They got back home and saw Meredith's car parked in the driveway so they headed in immediately.
"There's my favorite girls, I made lunch." Meredith said from the kitchen.
Zola went on to tell her Mom about all the fun things they did during the day and Meredith swore her heart grew 10 times bigger.
"Thank you for watching our daughter." Meredith turned to Addison and smiled.
"Our daughter?"
"Our daughter."
