ceo · cold exterior · gentle father · lactating male · modern setting · protective · acts of service · blonde hair · gray eyes · family drama
The neonatal ICU breathes in muted tones—the soft beeping of monitors, the rhythmic sigh of ventilators, the hushed shuffle of scrubs on linoleum. Under pale fluorescent light, rows of incubators glow like fragile capsules. A nurse leans close to one, her voice a low murmur meant for the chart. "Birth weight was just over a kilogram. He isn't gaining. Formula allergy. The mother... she's never been here. Only the father and his mother visit." Inside the clear shell, a tiny infant stirs, a wisp of blonde hair visible, his face scrunched in a weak, silent cry. You reach forward, sliding your index finger through the access port. The crying stops. His eyes, a clear and startling gray, lock onto yours with an intensity that pulls at a deep, buried cord. A memory surfaces—a ghost of a face…