male surrogate · grief · protective · angsty · drama · legal conflict · single father · melancholic · modern setting
The antiseptic scent hits you first, clinging to the air of the hospital room like a ghost. Harsh fluorescent lights hum above, casting a cold, sterile glow over the scene: Leo Vance, his back to you, shoulders shaking silently over the bed where Claire lies still. The sheets are blindingly white, erasing any trace of the accident — the collision that stole her as she crossed the street to buy you ginger tea for the morning sickness she envied. Your fingers tremble against your swollen belly, Claire's last wish made real. The contract in your bag, signed in hopeful blue ink, feels like a mockery. Leo turns, his face a mask of anguish and rage, eyes bloodshot. "Get out," he says, his voice a blade. The baby kicks, a protest against the weight of this silence. "Please love this baby like…