The midnight Orphan

The rain lashed against the hospital windows, a harsh drumming sound that did little to mask the heavy silence within the maternity ward. Late-shift nurse Marcus paused by a bassinet that should have been empty. A small, dark-haired boy lay wrapped in a standard issue blanket, his face peaceful in sleep despite the storm outside.
His name was Leo. His parents had passed away suddenly in a tragic incident just before his birth. There were no immediate family members, no names on a contact list. He was an orphan from his very first breath.
Marcus, a man who usually kept an emotional distance, felt an unfamiliar pull. He spent his breaks by the crib, the image of the sleeping infant burning into his mind. He wasn’t equipped for fatherhood, yet the thought of Leo going into the system felt wrong.
One night, exhausted and emotionally drained, Marcus made a call that would change his life. He applied for temporary custody, starting the process of becoming a foster parent. The paperwork was a nightmare, but the first time Leo grasped his finger, everything clicked into place.
The journey was challenging. Sleepless nights, endless questions from social services, and the constant balancing act of work and care. But as the months turned into a year, the small apartment Marcus shared with Leo became a home. It wasn’t the traditional family Leo was born into, but it was a family nonetheless.
Marcus learned that love didn’t always come from biological ties; sometimes, it arrived on a stormy night, wrapped in a hospital blanket, and turned your world upside down in the best possible way.