Jake took the woman he had helped to the Emergency Room at the nearest hospital. After registering her information, he excused himself and promised the nurse he would return the next day. Then, he rushed to the daycare where Elsa had been left.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Katty. I'm very late. I won't let this happen again. I really apologize for the trouble," Jake said apologetically, bowing slightly to the daycare owner.
"Oh, come on, Mr. Jake. My ears hurt from hearing you apologize so much. You've already told me everything, and I'm proud that the strong man I know—who loves his baby—also has the courage to help others," replied the woman in her fifties. "So, what happened next? That means... you lost your job, didn't you?"
Mrs. Katty looked concerned after hearing Jake's full story. To her, Jake was the perfect man. Handsome, strong, loving, and honest. But, as the saying goes, nobody's perfect. In her eyes, Jake's only flaw was that he didn't have enough money to make life easier for himself and his daughter.
"Don't worry, Ma'am. I still have my job at the chicken shop, right? Besides, I still have my construction pay, so I can definitely afford your daycare. Just pray I find a better job soon, so I won't trouble you by picking up Elsa this late every night," Jake replied sincerely, making Mrs. Katty smile.
"Hmm, yes. I hope only good things come your way, both of you. Now go home, it's way too late for Elsa. Or… would you rather leave her here until tomorrow evening after your shift?" Mrs. Katty offered kindly.
"No, Ma'am. I miss my baby girl. I already ordered a taxi—it's waiting at the gate. I'll probably bring Elsa again tomorrow afternoon, because I want to spend the morning playing with her." Smiling at his sleeping daughter's innocent face, Jake politely declined her offer.
"We'll be going now, Mrs. Katty. Thank you for today." he added as he said goodbye.
"Take care. Oh, I almost forgot—Elsa seemed to have a slight fever. She was a bit fussy today. Just give her milk like usual and she should settle down. Maybe being with her dad will make her feel better," Mrs. Katty reminded him.
"Thank you, Ma'am. I'll be off now," Jake replied, taking his daughter back to their warm little rented house.
But Mrs. Katty's small worry soon proved true. Jake, having just finished cleaning the house and joining Elsa on the bed, struggled to stay awake as she woke up crying. Her soft whimpers quickly turned into loud cries. Nothing Jake did seemed to soothe her—not even the milk she usually drank.
"Come on, sweetie… please drink your milk. Don't spit it up again. You'll get weak, and I don't know what to do," Jake pleaded, rocking his baby gently in his arms. But Elsa kept crying hard.
"You have a fever too, sweet girl. What should I do?" he murmured anxiously. Despite his panic, he continued to rock her gently until exhaustion eventually lulled Elsa back to sleep.
But every thirty minutes, Elsa woke up crying again. This made Jake even more worried. He finally decided to take her to the hospital—the same one where he had taken the woman earlier.
When the ER nurse saw Jake returning, she looked puzzled.
"Sir, why are you back so soon? It's only 3 a.m. Whose baby is this?"
"Please, not now, Nurse. My baby needs help. She has a high fever and keeps throwing up her milk. I'm scared," Jake said quickly. The nurse immediately took action, and soon a doctor arrived to examine Elsa.
"Doctor, how is my baby? Is she going to be okay?" Jake asked, clearly distressed. He was nearly in tears seeing Elsa now asleep after fighting the IV insertion and crying in pain.
"I'm sorry, but I need to ask—this baby, is she really yours? Where's her mother? I need to ask some things about the child," the doctor inquired.
Jake nodded.
"Yes, she's mine, Doctor. She just turned four months old. You can ask me anything—her mother isn't able to come right now."
The doctor raised an eyebrow, trying to read the truth behind Jake's words.
"Alright. Please tell me the baby's date of birth, her weight and height at birth, any congenital conditions, and which vaccinations she's had. We need this information to treat her properly."
"It needs to be that detailed?" Jake asked. The doctor nodded without looking up. After a moment of silence, Jake began to answer.
Because Jake deeply loved his daughter—and had taken on full responsibility after Jodie abandoned them—he remembered every little detail. Jodie had cared more about her post-baby body than her baby, and Jake had taken Elsa to her check-ups and vaccinations alone.
After hearing Jake's complete answers, the doctor was taken aback. He hadn't expected a strong-looking man with a rough face to be such a devoted father. It reminded him never to judge someone by appearance.
"Alright, Mr. Jake. That's enough for now. We'll have Elsa's blood test results in the morning. I'll explain her condition in more detail then. She's been given an IV and should be more comfortable," the doctor informed him.
"Thank you, Doctor. I'll wait here," Jake replied, staying beside his daughter after the doctor and nurse left.
Looking at Elsa's pale little face, Jake felt heartbroken that someone so small had to suffer.
He gently touched her tiny hand and whispered as he laid his head beside her,
"Sweet Elsa, I would take your pain if I could. I'd rather hurt myself than see you like this."
Slowly, exhausted, Jake drifted off to sleep beside his daughter.
The next morning, the doctor returned to explain Elsa's condition. The conclusion: at her young age, Elsa was suffering from several health issues and was underweight due to a lack of breast milk. The doctor advised that she urgently needed to receive breast milk again.
"Alright, Doctor. I'll do whatever it takes for my baby. Thank you so much," Jake said. Then, he looked at a message from Mrs. Nancy that he had read earlier but hadn't replied to.
'Jake, I don't know what happened, but my boss sent your termination letter this morning. What happened?'
Jake clenched his phone and looked down, murmuring in frustration,
"Where am I going to find another full-time job now? Elsa needs breast milk—and that's not cheap. What am I going to do?"
But his troubled thoughts were cut short by an incoming call.
"Jake, a beautiful woman came looking for you. I told her you'd be back in the evening, so she said she'll come again tonight," Stu informed him.