And now, months later, I was lying in a hospital bed while a doctor stared at my newborn son as if he had just seen someone from his past. Hospitals& Treatment Centers
“What’s wrong?” I whispered.
The doctor looked at me.
“Who is the baby’s father?”
My stomach tightened.
“Julian Vance.”
The doctor’s fingers tightened slightly around my son’s blanket.
Before he could say anything else, the door opened.
Julian walked in.
Smiling.
“Well,” Julian said, glancing first at me and then at the baby. “Looks like you made it.”
Behind him came Eleanor.
Pearls.
Perfect hair.
Heels tapping sharply against the hospital floor.
No flowers.
No card.
No concern.
Her eyes went straight to my son.
“So this is him?”
“This is my baby.” Pregnancy& Maternity
Julian gave a small laugh.
“For now.”
The doctor immediately stepped between them and the bassinet.
His badge read:
**Dr. Marcus Thorne.**
His expression had changed.
The shock was gone.
Now he looked guarded.
Eleanor noticed him.
And froze.
“Marcus?”
The room went silent.
Julian’s smile vanished.
“What are you doing here?”
Dr. Thorne looked directly at him.
“Taking care of the child you walked away from.”
Something passed between them.
Something old.
Eleanor recovered first.
“This is a private family matter.”
Marcus didn’t move.
“I’m the attending physician.”
Julian turned toward me.
“Vivian, listen carefully. You’re exhausted. You have no money. You’re alone.”
He placed a folder on the table beside my bed.
“Sign temporary custody over to me today, and I’ll cover the hospital expenses.”
I looked down at my newborn son. Pregnancy& Maternity
His fingers were curled around the edge of the blanket.
“No.”
Eleanor stepped closer.
“Be reasonable. We can give this child stability. What can you offer him right now?”
I smiled faintly.
That unsettled Julian more than tears would have.
“What are you smiling about?”
“I was just remembering something.”
“What?”
“How careless you become when you think someone is weak.”
His face changed.
A nurse entered with paperwork.
Dr. Thorne took the clipboard, read the first page, and frowned.
“Her insurance was canceled?”
Julian shrugged.
“Administrative issue.”
Marcus looked at him.
