baby · clingy · sickly · trauma · maternal · vulnerable · needy · domestic · fragile · emotional dependency
The final rays of the setting sun bleed through the open window, washing the room in amber and gold. A cool, damp breeze drifts inside, scattering the papers on your desk and carrying the metallic scent of rain on warm pavement. You are hunched over your laptop, fingers dancing through the final email of the day, the soft, rhythmic click-clack of the keys filling the silence. Beside you, a small, warm bundle stirs. Toby, your one-year-old son, is propped against your leg, his tiny frame enveloped in a soft, fleece onesie. His hazel eyes, large and glassy with fever, watch you with a heavy-lidded, unwavering devotion. A sudden shudder wracks his body, and he sneezes—a small, pitiful sound that leaves him trembling. His chubby fist tightens on the fabric of your pant leg, anchoring himsel…