Accidentally become a father-Chapter 71: Night Adjustments

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The clock read 18:27.

No rain all day.

Good.

The light from the window had shifted.

Dimmer now.

The air was growing cold.

I sat in the same spot.

Not much had changed since the afternoon.

Yuna had eaten a little more.

The same porridge.

More than this morning.

She drank more smoothly, too.

Medicine had been taken.

Temperature was down.

Not normal.

But not high.

Now, there was a different problem.

---

I looked at her frame.

Her clothes.

Slightly damp.

The sweat from earlier hadn’t completely dried.

If left as is, she’d get cold.

Cold = bad.

I stood up.

Grabbed clothes from the small wardrobe.

A thin shirt.

Dry.

Returned to the futon.

"...Yuna."

Her eyes opened slowly.

Faster response than this morning.

"...hm..."

"Change your clothes."

She was quiet.

For a few seconds.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

"...I can do it myself..."

---

She tried to sit up.

Her hands pressed against the futon.

Her body rose a fraction.

Then stopped.

Unsteady.

Her breathing shifted.

Heavier.

I waited two seconds.

Enough for verification.

She couldn’t.

---

I moved closer.

"...I can..."

She tried again.

Failed again.

Her body fell back onto the futon.

Weaker than before.

I didn’t wait any longer.

"Hold still."

I grabbed the hem of her shirt.

Started pulling it up.

Yuna reacted immediately.

Her hands moved to stop me.

Her movements were weak.

Not enough to stop me.

"If it’s wet, you’ll just get colder."

She fell silent.

---

I pulled her shirt off slowly.

Avoiding rough movements.

But keeping it quick.

Her hands fell back to her sides.

Her breathing was unsteady.

Grabbed the new shirt.

Put it on her.

Simple movements.

Fast.

Done.

I pulled the blanket back up.

Covering her to her neck.

Yuna didn’t speak.

Her eyes weren’t looking at me.

Averted to the side.

"...I’m sorry..."

I sat back down.

She was quiet.

For a few seconds.

Then she tugged lightly at her own blanket.

Adjusting its position.

Neater.

Habit.

---

The clock read 19:03.

The TV was on.

Low volume.

A standard quiz show.

Light from the screen flickered softly across the room.

I sat in my usual spot.

Near the futon.

Not too close.

Not too far.

Yuna was looking at the TV.

Her eyes were half-open.

But focused.

---

"...that’s... wrong..."

Her voice was faint.

I glanced at the screen.

The contestant’s answer was indeed wrong.

She was quiet for a moment.

"...it should be... number two..."

"It should."

The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

Barely noticeable.

But it was there.

A tiny change.

She went back to watching.

Not saying much.

And.

More alive than this morning.

---

The clock read 21:12.

The show was over.

The TV was still on.

But there was nothing interesting.

I turned it off.

The room fell silent again.

"...Papa..."

"Hm."

"...sleeping?..."

"Yes."

I stood up.

Looked at Yuna’s futon.

Then looked at my own futon in the corner.

I pulled my futon over.

Dragged it.

Stacked it underneath Yuna’s futon.

An extra layer.

Better insulation.

I grabbed another blanket.

Added it on top.

Two layers.

More stable heat.

---

Yuna watched.

Her eyes followed my movements slowly.

"...that’s... Papa’s..."

"Yes."

"...what about... Papa..."

She stopped.

As if searching for the right words.

"...where will you sleep...?"

I didn’t answer immediately.

Tucked in the corners of the blanket first.

Making sure there were no drafts.

Then looked at her.

"Anywhere is fine."

She was quiet.

Her eyes didn’t blink for a few seconds.

"...it’s cold..."

"I have a jacket."

---

I stood up.

Grabbed my jacket from the hanger.

Put it on.

Zipped it halfway.

Yuna was still watching.

Not speaking.

But not looking away, either.

I headed to the kitchen.

Filled the kettle with water.

Turned on the small stove.

Made coffee.

Simple.

Black.

No sugar.

Steam rose slowly.

I poured it into a mug.

Grabbed a cigarette from the drawer.

Returned to the main room.

---

Yuna was still in the same position.

Her eyes were half-closed now.

Heavier.

"...Papa..."

"Hm."

"...not sleeping...?"

"No."

She was quiet.

For a few seconds.

"...why..."

I lit the cigarette.

A small flame.

Then out.

"You don’t need to know."

She didn’t reply right away.

Her breathing was slow.

More stable than before.

Her eyes slowly closed.

Her hand moved slightly under the blanket.

As if confirming something.

Then stopped.

---

I sat near her.

Not too close.

Not too far.

Coffee in hand.

Cigarette between my fingers.

Smoke drifted slowly into the air.

The clock read 21:26.

The room was quiet.

Only the sound of Yuna’s breathing.

Lighter now.

No intention of sleeping.

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