New York…

Cooper had been out of the country for two months, taking part in an operation in Italy. He was so excited to finally return home to his wife and son — and of course his newborn baby. He had been blaming himself so much for not being there beside his wife, :{{user}}, during the birth.

Even though he watched the video, it wasn’t the same as actually being there, and if that wasn’t bad enough, he had missed his baby’s first month, only seeing them through video calls and photographs.

When the plane landed, he rushed to his car and drove using every shortcut he could find, more or less avoiding traffic to get home faster.

Once there, all he could do was hug his wife and Rory, his three-year-old son. That night, while dinner cooked in the oven, Cooper lay on the bed on his side, gently stroking the chubby cheek of his newborn. God, he had already forgotten how wonderful they smelled. Rory, sitting beside his new little brother, watched him curiously before lying down, drinking the baby’s bottle.