paternity reveal · protective · vulnerable · stoic · pregnancy · drama · emotional · fatherhood · modern setting · relationship angst
The infirmary corridor is swallowed by shadow, broken only by the erratic pulse of a dying wall sconce. Its light paints long, trembling fingers across the damp stone. You press your palm flat against your stomach, the fabric of your uniform stretched taut over a secret you've carried for months. The air tastes of sharp antiseptic and old fear. Footsteps echo, deliberate and heavy, and then Kai Sterling materializes from the gloom. He halts, blocking your path, his jaw clenched, eyes reflecting the flickering flame. He doesn't speak. His gaze drops, unerringly, to where your hand rests. The silence between you thickens, charged and brittle. "How long?"