Xavier’s heart twisted the moment he stepped into the room and saw Zeke.
He had known. Of course he had. Zeke was Claire’s biological father. Cassidy had told him a few days ago. But knowing didn’t stop the wave of discomfort rising in his chest.
That man, Claire’s father, was standing only a few feet away. And for reasons he couldn’t fully explain, it made his stomach tighten.
Cassidy quickly crossed the room to greet him. Her eyes were tired but relieved. "You’re here," she said softly.
Xavier gave a small nod, his gaze already fixed on the little girl lying in the hospital bed. Without another word, he moved toward her.
Claire looked so fragile. So weak. It hurt to see her like that, connected to machines, her usual glow dimmed beneath the weight of tubes and wires.
Xavier stood quietly at her side, his hand reaching out to brush the hair from her forehead.
"Sweetheart," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly, "Uncle Xavi’s here. How did this happen? Just a few days without seeing you and you ended up ?"
He swallowed hard, forcing back the emotions tightening his throat.
Behind him, the room was quiet. Cassidy watched them, her chest aching.
And Zeke said nothing.
But something twisted inside him.
Xavier leaned closer to Claire and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "You’re gonna be okay, baby girl. I’m right here."
Zeke stood a few steps back, watching Xavier gently touch Claire’s hair and speak to her with so much affection. He felt it, an unfamiliar sting in his chest. Jealousy.
His daughter was lying there, so small and weak. And yet, it wasn’t him she had grown up with. It wasn’t his voice she knew. It wasn’t his presence that made her feel safe.
It was someone else. Another man had been there for her, held her hand, laughed with her, wiped her tears.
Zeke’s jaw tightened, and he looked away for a moment, trying to steady the weight of it all.
He had no one to blame but himself.
Xavier walked over to the sofa and sat down slowly. Cassidy followed him, settling beside him in silence.
After a moment, he turned to her. "What really happened, Cass? How did Claire end up getting shot?"
Cassidy took a breath, then began to explain everything. How they had gone to the café, how the shooting happened so fast, how Claire had suddenly collapsed in her arms, bleeding.
Xavier listened quietly, his brows furrowed and jaw tense. Every now and then, he exhaled, sometimes weakly and sometimes sharply, trying to process the shock.
When Cassidy finished, he looked at her again.
"And what did the doctors say?" he asked. "Do they know when she’ll wake up?"
Cassidy gave a soft sigh. "The doctors said they’ll monitor her closely for the next two to five days. They think she’ll wake up sometime in that window."
Xavier finally exhaled in relief, the tension in his shoulders easing a little. "That’s good to hear," he murmured. Then he looked at her with concern. "And you? Are you okay with all this?"
Cassidy gave a small nod. "I’m fine," she said quietly. "Just tired."
Xavier didn’t press her further. After a pause, he asked, "Do they know who the shooter was?"
Cassidy shook her head. "No. The police said they’d come to the hospital later today. They want to ask questions about the shooting."
Xavier nodded slowly, then turned his gaze toward Zeke, who was still sitting quietly beside Claire’s bed.
He didn’t say anything, but his eyes lingered, watchful and thoughtful, as if silently acknowledging the complicated presence of the man now known as Claire’s father.
Cassidy glanced between the two men. They looked calm, at least on the surface. She let out a quiet breath of relief.
A moment later, she noticed Zeke stand from Claire’s bedside and walk over to them. His steps were steady and measured. He sat down on the sofa across from Xavier, his expression serious but composed.
"Xavier... Small world, huh?" Zeke said, his tone calm but pointed. "I didn’t know you knew Cassidy and Claire."
Xavier studied his face, searching for any sign of hostility beneath the surface.
"Yeah," he replied simply, offering nothing more.
Zeke held Xavier’s gaze, his voice low but edged with quiet assertion. "I wanted to say thank you... for stepping in when I wasn’t there. For Claire. For Cassidy."
There was no smile this time. Xavier’s expression sharpened, calm but unflinching. "You don’t have to thank me," he said, steady and clear. "I didn’t do it for gratitude. I did it because I love them."
His eyes didn’t waver.
"Cassidy. Claire. They’re my family. That’s never changed."
The air between them shifted. Not violent but unmistakably territorial.
Zeke’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t look away.
"I know that," he replied quietly. "But now that I’m here... that changes things."
Xavier gave the faintest nod, slow and unreadable. "We’ll see," he said.
Cassidy’s lips parted slightly, a hint of worry crossing her face. She hadn’t expected Xavier to say it so openly. Not in front of Zeke. And certainly not like that.
Sitting between the two men, Cassidy felt the tension settle around them like a low, pressing weight. Not openly hostile but thick, uneasy. Like something fragile was barely being held together.
Just then, the tension in the room was broken by a soft knock at the door.
Clara stepped inside with a bright smile, holding a small paper bag and a box in her hands. "Good morning," she greeted warmly. "Sorry if I’m interrupting."
Cassidy quickly stood. "Not at all. Thanks for bringing those."
Clara handed her the items. One of which was a familiar soft toy wrapped in a blanket. Cassidy carefully unwrapped it and pulled out a worn but well-loved rabbit plush.
She moved toward the hospital bed and gently placed the rabbit beside Claire, tucking it under her small arm.
Xavier’s smile softened when he saw it. "She loves that bunny," he said. "Takes it everywhere she goes."
He chuckled faintly, the memory lighting up his face. "It reminds me of that night she left it at my place. You called me at midnight, freaking out, because Claire couldn’t fall asleep without it. I had to drive all the way across town just to bring it."
The words slipped out casually, but the impact was immediate.
Zeke’s body stiffened.
There was something about the way Xavier said my place, the way it echoed in the room, even though it wasn’t meant to sound like that.
And even if the truth was far less intimate just a birthday gathering with mutual friends, it didn’t stop the implication from hanging thick in the air.
Cassidy lowered her gaze, suddenly hyper aware of the silence that followed.
Zeke didn’t say a word, but his jaw clenched just slightly, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his expression as he looked between the two of them.