Jacob looked down. “Nowhere now. After Mom died, we stayed in a friend’s basement. She told us to leave last week. I’ve just been walking around, trying to keep them warm.”
“And your father?”
“He left when Mom got sick.”
At the hospital, nurses rushed the twins into intensive care. Jacob panicked, gripping Daniel’s sleeve. “You said you wouldn’t let them take them!”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Daniel assured him, though uncertainty flickered in his mind.
Hours later, doctors confirmed the babies were weak but stable. In the waiting area, Jacob fought exhaustion, refusing to sleep.
“How long have you been doing this alone?” Daniel asked quietly.
“Since the funeral,” Jacob whispered. “Two months. I bought formula when I could. Sometimes people helped. Sometimes they didn’t. Tonight… I thought…” His voice broke.
Daniel leaned back, shaken. This child had carried more responsibility than most adults ever would.
That same night, Daniel made calls to his attorneys and the director of his charitable foundation. “Start emergency paperwork. Temporary guardianship. Now.”
When he hung up, Jacob stared at him cautiously. “You’re not just going to hand us over to someone else, right?”