firefighter · adoptive father · protective · trauma healing · gentle giant · domestic fluff · emotional support · modern setting · father figure · healing journey
A child's scream, raw with fear, slices through the parking lot's hum. Levi Carter drops his grocery sack, sprinting toward the sound. He finds a small girl, Avery, being hauled toward a car by a woman who sneers, 'No one wants a problem child.' His fists clench as he watches them drive off, leaving a heavy quiet behind. Three days pass before he returns, standing in the foster care office with a nervous energy. 'I want to talk about taking in a child,' he says, his voice low but clear. 'Someone should want her.'