Sid felt tears rising again. He tried to breathe, but his chest felt tight. The boy kept talking, his words small but bright.

"My dad’s sick. He can’t get out of bed, but Mom says we’ll be okay. When I saw your video, I told him that if brother Sid can still stand up after falling that high, then Dad can too. And he smiled! You made him smile, brother Sid."

Sid pressed his hand over his eyes. His voice broke when he finally spoke.

"Kid... thank you. That means more than you know."

On the other end, his mother sniffled softly.

"He’s been waiting to tell you that for weeks."

Sid wiped his eyes, smiling through the tears.

"You’ve got a good kid, Mom."

He hesitated, then whispered,

"And I guess... I’ve got a little brother now."

The boy giggled happily.

"Yup! And you gotta get better soon, brother Sid. We’ll all be cheering!"

Sid laughed, the sound choked but genuine.

"I’ll do my best, little man. Promise."

When the call ended, the silence in the room was warm— soft, almost glowing. Morgana sat beside him, her eyes glassy but smiling. Sid leaned back on the couch, the phone still in his hand, and let out a shaky laugh.

"For the first time... I think I get it now. Mom... she never left. She just found another way to be there."

Morgana nodded, smiling faintly.

"She never stopped being your mom, Sid. And that little guy— he clearly sees you as his hero."

Sid tried his best to hold it in, but the dam finally broke. He couldn’t stop crying. His shoulders trembled as quiet sobs escaped, raw and unfiltered. He covered his face, but it didn’t matter. The tears kept coming— tears for everything he had held in for years, for the anger he once felt toward his mother, and for the guilt that had been sitting heavy in his chest.

"I was too hard on her. I hated her for not coming back home, for starting her own family. But she never stopped trying to reach out to me. She never stopped being my mom. I know now that she was the one who got hurt the most... especially when my father brought another woman into our house while she was away, working overseas just to feed us."

Morgana sat beside him, her expression soft but steady. She placed a hand on his arm.

"Sid, listen. You didn’t do anything wrong. You just felt what any kid would have felt. Fathers are always scumbags, but what’s important is that we are both finally free from ours. And you still have a mother who’s looking out for you, even when she’s far away."

He looked up at her, eyes red and wet. She continued, her voice gentle but firm.

"When a parent leaves, it doesn’t matter if they had a reason. It still hurts. You were allowed to be angry, Sid. That doesn’t make you a bad son— it makes you human. You’ve carried that pain and survived it. You’re stronger than you think."

Sid’s lips trembled again, his breath shaky. He gave a weak nod, a fragile smile flickering before fading. The exhaustion hit him hard. His body was still recovering, and the emotions had drained what little strength he had left. His head leaned to the side, eyes growing heavy.

"I’m... so tired. Everything just... hurts. But now, I finally feel like I have real people beside me— Mom, my new little brother, Big D, my supporters... and you."

Morgana’s voice softened to a whisper.

"We’re always here for you, no matter what happens— even if you fall again. I’ll still stand with you. So please... do me a favor, Sid. It’s okay to cry. Let it out. You’ve done enough. You should rest now— a man deserves to rest too."

Before long, his breathing evened out. His head rested against her shoulder, and she realized he had fallen asleep mid-sentence. Morgana looked down at him, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"You big idiot..."

She muttered gently, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. She stood carefully, her arms sliding under his shoulders. He was taller and heavier than he looked, but she managed to lift him, one careful step at a time. His brace bumped lightly against her leg as she guided him toward the bed.

When she laid him down, he stirred but did not wake. His hand twitched briefly before relaxing again. Morgana took a deep breath, grabbing a blanket and pulling it over him. Then, noticing how uncomfortable his clothes looked, she hesitated for a moment.

"Don’t make this weird, Morgs. You’re just helping him."

Her heart raced as she slowly unbuttoned Sid’s shirt, revealing his chiseled torso inch by inch. She tried to focus on the task at hand, reminding herself that she was only helping him change into something more comfortable. But as the fabric fell away, exposing his perfectly sculpted chest and abs, she found it increasingly difficult to maintain her composure.

"Wow... I’ve tended to your wounds countless times, even helped you undress and dresses you in the hospital... yet each glimpse of your physique leaves me utterly stunned. It’s... it’s breathtaking."

She swallowed hard, her eyes trailing over the defined muscles of his pecs and the thin trail of hair leading down to his navel. Unable to resist, she leaned in closer,

"I can’t help myself but to..."

She inhaled his scent deeply. It was a intoxicating mix of sweat, the lingering aroma of the hospital, and something uniquely Sid, sending a shiver of desire down her spine. As she reached for the waistband of his pants, her fingers trembled slightly. She hesitated for a moment before slowly unbuckling his belt and and tugging his pants down.

"Oh... Oh fuck, this is so sexy,"

She breathed, crouching down. Her butt was too pointy and her back arched perfectly as she examined and carefully touched Sid’s hinged knee brace. The swelling made her heart race with eager exploration, and the smell— sterile, faintly chemical only served to heighten her libido further.