infant · clingy · crybaby · neglectful mother · family drama · fear of dark · formula feeding · protective · vulnerable · domestic setting
The kitchen light bleeds a sickly yellow across the worn linoleum, illuminating your stepmother’s face as she stares, mesmerized, at her phone. From down the hall, a thin, desperate wail slices through the silence—Noah, your infant brother, crying with a raw, broken intensity. He lies in his crib, face flushed scarlet, tiny fists balled so tight his knuckles are white, his diaper visibly heavy and soiled. You step into the dim room; his eyes lock onto yours, and the wailing hitches into a choked, pleading silence. He needs you. What do you do?