IMDD CHAPTER 250 (Patreon)

Gage quickly changed in the room to which the nurse directed him. When he emerged, the nurse immediately engaged him in conversation, offering coffee and clearly trying to show her interest in him.

However, Gage's attention was elsewhere. Oblivious to the nurse's attempts at conversation, he left the room as if he hadn't heard a word. His mind was solely focused on returning to the child’s side.

When he heard the sound of the little girl's cries through the hospital corridor, it struck a chord of alarm in him. His pupils dilated, and his body was reacting instinctively. He hastened to the room, pushing the door open with the intensity of a man on a life-saving mission.

Inside, the nurse attending to the girl spun around, startled by Gage's sudden appearance.

"What happened?!" Gage demanded. His eyes rapidly scanned the room, flitting between the crying child and the startled nurse.

"I… I… she’s looking for you. I think she thought you left her, sir. And she wants her mom too," the nurse stammered, a trace of fear in her voice.

He paused, processing her words. A slow realization dawned on him, and his shoulders sagged, the tension visibly draining from his frame. His reaction to the child's distress surprised even himself. Did he just get scared and get bloody worried just because he heard this little child cry? Fuck… he needs to hold himself together!

Gage inhaled deeply, attempting to steady the surge of emotions within him as he approached the nurse to apologize. She simply nodded, her movements hesitant, still evidently intimidated by his earlier intensity.

Turning his attention to the little girl, he bent over her bed, his demeanor softening. "Little one..." he began, and at the sound of his voice, her tear-filled eyes opened. Recognizing him, she cried out "daddy" with a heart-wrenching intensity.

He didn’t know what to do, but, in that moment, Gage acted on instinct. He reached out, gently lifting her into his arms and embracing her as she clung to him. Her continued sobs pierced through him, igniting a sense of panic and helplessness about how to soothe her distress.

"I’m sorry for leaving… It’s okay, I’m here now," he whispered, his voice soothing as he caressed her head. "Don’t worry, you will see your mommy very soon..."

Gradually, his reassurances took effect. Her crying subsided into soft sniffles, yet even these faint sounds tugged at his heartstrings.

Without fully realizing it, Gage began to sway gently, a natural, soothing motion aimed at comforting the child in his arms. It was a gesture so tender and uncharacteristic that it made him question his own identity.

He caught his reflection in a nearby window—a man holding a child with a tenderness he never knew he possessed. The situation was so far removed from his usual reality that it almost felt surreal. Was he still himself, or had he become someone else in these moments?

Right… he knew the truth. Right now, he was merely a man playing the part of a father, a role he had assumed for the sake of this child.

…

Just outside the open doorway, Eva stood there. Her heavy panting, a result of the frantic rush to get there, slowly subsided as she took in the tender scene unfolding before her eyes.

There, in the quiet serenity of the hospital room, stood Gage, cradling their daughter in his arms with paternal tenderness and care. The sight of him swaying softly unleashed a flood of emotions within her, causing tears to stream silently down her cheeks.

This scene before her was as if it had leapt straight from the depths of her countless daydreams. How many times had she envisioned Gage in this exact role, holding their child with such care, lulling her to sleep with gentle motions? Her imaginations, vivid as they were, paled in comparison to this reality. This was a moment more tender and heart-stirring than anything she could have ever hoped for.

With a trembling lip, Eva slowly raised her hand, the one tightly clutching her phone. In the quiet of the hallway, she captured the scene—a snapshot of Gage and their daughter—a moment she wanted to preserve forever.

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CHAPTER 251>>