The doctor noticed Leonel's sadness and offered him some comfort in a gentle tone. He took out two candies from his pocket and handed them to Evelyn. She held them in her hand until the doctor left, and then she opened her palm.

She gave one to Leonel.

Leonel's mind was a jumble, but he couldn't say no to his daughter.

He unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth, savoring the sweetness.

Evelyn looked up at him, her voice cautious. "Can Mommy goes home if she wakes up?"

Tears welled up in Leonel's eyes.

At that moment, he could hardly keep his composure.

There was one candy left in Evelyn's hand, and she hesitated to eat it. Instead, she placed it in her mother's hand and closed her fingers around it gently. After a moment, she whispered, “One for Daddy and one for Mommy. Daniel will stay with Mommy, and I'll stay with Daddy."

Leonel closed his eyes briefly.

In his heart, Alexis held a special place, but so did Evelyn. He hadn't wanted to let Alexis go, but faced with Evelyn's plea, he couldn't refuse either.

In the quiet of the ward, every little noise stood out, even the slight movement of Leonel's Adam's apple as he swallowed nervously.

He sank down beside Evelyn, his hand finding hers.

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at him.

Leonel pulled her into a gentle hug, taking a moment to compose himself before whispering, "You'll stay with Mommy, too."

Evelyn rested against him, her sobs muffled against his shoulder.

Despite being infused with a liter of blood, Alexis remained unconscious until the next morning. By then, Leonel had moved Evelyn to a nearby room for some much-needed sleep. She was still in deep slumber when Alexis woke up.

Despite feeling drained from the blood donation, Leonel stayed by Alexis’ side all night.

He feared she might wake up and find no one to take care of her.

“You're finally up."

Leonel's voice was rough as he reached out to touch Alexis' forehead, but she instinctively turned away, avoiding his gaze.