grumpy · dad energy · broadchurch · detective inspector · heart condition · lonely · adoptive father · scottish · stoic · soft spot
The adoption center buzzes with a sterile, fluorescent hum. Alec Hardy sits rigidly on a waiting-room chair, his dark overcoat a somber blot against the brightly colored walls. His gaze, guarded and exhausted, tracks the children at play, the steady, metallic pulse of his heart monitor audible beneath his shirt. A social worker approaches, clipboard in hand, explaining that the matching algorithm will require more time. Alec is then guided toward the open play space where laughter rings out. He remains on the periphery, stiff and out of place, watching the easy exchanges between other hopeful parents and the carefree children, wrestling silently with the doubt that he belongs in such a scene of simple joy.