Chapter 2 Daddy

Belle's POV: After gathering up all the scattered items, Leroy gently patted my daughter's head. His movements were practiced, almost as if he was used to caring for children. I couldn't help but ask, "Do you have a child around her age?" "No," Leroy replied, looking a bit surprised, but he still answered me. His words brought a flicker of sympathy to my eyes. It seemed the rumors were true; he couldn't have children. Thankfully, I had my two precious little ones. Holding my daughter tightly in my arms, I felt a surge of gratitude. "What's wrong with her?" Leroy asked. "She has a fever. I was just on my way to take her to the hospital." "Let me drive you," Leroy said, frowning slightly. I shook my head. "That's really not necessary. It's just a short walk." "She's running a fever. You shouldn't waste time." His face darkened. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are to have a child?" "Of course I do, but really, I don't want to bother you ... " "Get in," Leroy ordered, already holding open the back door of his car. I hesitated for a moment, realizing that there was no point in arguing with him. He spoke with a tone of authority, leaving no room for refusal. So I climbed into the car with Moona in my arms. The car sped toward the hospital. "Her fever's up to 102.6°F—there's a risk it could turn into pneumonia!" The doctor adjusted his glasses, looking back and forth between me and Leroy. "How can you as the parents be so careless? Aren't you worried about the damage a high fever could cause?" "Wait, doctor, we're not ... " "Enough with the excuses. Parents today are so irresponsible, always absorbed in their own lives!" "No, what I mean is, we're ... " "Stop standing around and go pay the fees," the doctor said, ignoring me and handing the bill to Leroy. "The child needs to be admitted for treatment. How can you just stand there as the father?" "Oh, no, that's not ... " I turned to Leroy, about to explain, but he was already walking briskly away with the bill in hand, his face unreadable. "Doctor, you misunderstood," I finally managed to say. "He's not my child's father!" The doctor's voice was sharp with disapproval. "You young people are all alike. Here you are in the hospital, still bickering. If your relationship is over, then end it. But at least acknowledge that this child is yours, your own flesh and blood! They're the spitting image of you both." I gaped at him. Before long, Moona was admitted to the pediatric ward, and a nurse came in with a cart full of supplies to set up her IV. "Waa!" Moona took one look at the equipment and started wailing. She was terrified of needles. "No, Mommy, it hurts! Moona doesn't want it!" "Shh, shh," I held her tightly. "Moona is sick. How else will you get better if you don't take the medicine? "Mommy's here. It'll be over soon. Be a good girl and don't cry." As I struggled to comfort my daughter, I glanced around and realized that Leroy was gone. I figured he must have left by now. To be honest, I'd gotten used to this kind of chaos. When I first had the twins, I would have been overwhelmed by it, but now it was just part of life. "Don't cry, sweetheart," the nurse said gently, holding the shiny IV tube with a drop of medicine glistening on the tip of the needle. "I will do it very slowly. It won't hurt at all!" Moona's cries grew louder; she knew better than to believe the nurse's lie. How could a needle not hurt? "Mommy, no needle, it hurts! Moona doesn't want it, waah!" "Give this to her." A shadow fell over me, and suddenly a lollipop shaped like a little bunny appeared in front of us. I looked up in surprise and saw that Leroy had returned. Apparently, he hadn't left earlier; he'd gone out to buy a lollipop. "Oh ... thank you." I hesitated but accepted the gesture, as Moona's little eyes lit up at the sight of the cartoon bunny candy. She pouted and sniffled, but she stopped crying. "Candy, I want bunny candy," she said. She reached out her chubby little hand to grab the lollipop, immediately popping it into her mouth. The nurse took the opportunity to quickly insert the IV needle into her little hand. With the lollipop in her mouth, Moona only whimpered a little and then calmed down. "Looks like Daddy knows how to handle things," the nurse smiled. "He got the baby to settle down right away." My face flushed bright red. "He isn't ... " Before I could finish, the nurse had already wheeled her cart out of the room. I glanced up at Leroy, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." "It's fine," Leroy replied, his face expressionless. His deep, dark eyes were fixed on Moona, who was contentedly licking her lollipop. "I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time," I said softly. "I really appreciate your help, and about the hospital fees ... let me know the amount, and I'll transfer it to you later." "Don't worry about it," Leroy said, glancing at his watch. "I have other things to attend to, so I'll be going now." Just as Leroy turned to leave, Moona's tiny voice piped up from the hospital bed, "Da-ddy?"