Hale turned his head away and burrowed deeper into her embrace. "No… Mommy holding me already makes it not hurt. I won't hurt Mommy." His voice was faint. Hearing it made Alex's heart feel like a tangled mess.
He opened the insulated thermos he always carried with him. "Little brother, drink a little hot water first. It'll warm your tummy—might make you feel better."
Hale didn't really want to, but he didn't want Mommy and big brother to worry either, so he forced himself to take a small sip.
The taxi driver watched the heartbreaking scene in the back seat. "We're almost there. Why didn't the child's father come along?"
Alex's tears finally spilled over. "We don't have a father." All the disappointment and insecurity surged to the surface in that instant, and his hatred toward the man called "father" grew even deeper.
"I'm sorry!" The driver stepped on the gas harder. Soon the car pulled up at the hospital entrance.
