The memory of their last fight replayed endlessly in his mind. Mia had stood defiant, her arms crossed, her voice cold.
“I’m not introducing my boyfriend to you, Dad. I’m 18! I don’t need your permission to date.”
The argument escalated until she walked out, slamming the door behind her. Elliot had convinced himself he was right—he was protecting her. But as days turned into months, the quiet of her absence became unbearable.
One afternoon, as he walked past a bustling café near his office, a familiar laugh sliced through the noise. His head snapped toward the sound, and there she was—Mia. She sat in a booth, her hand resting on her rounded belly.
Elliot froze. Pregnant. His little girl was pregnant.
Across from her, leaning in with an expression of concern, was Joshua—his best friend of two decades. Joshua, the man he trusted with everything. A swell of confusion and anger roared through him. Without thinking, Elliot stormed into the café.
“Mia!” he barked, startling her. The café went silent as heads turned to watch the scene unfold. “What the hell is this?”
Her face paled, and she instinctively cradled her stomach. Joshua rose from his seat, his hands raised in a gesture of calm.
“Elliot, let’s talk about this,” Joshua started, but Elliot was too far gone.
“Is this the boyfriend you refused to introduce me to?” Elliot spat, pointing at Joshua. “This? Him? My best friend?”
“It’s not what it looks like!” Mia stammered, her voice shaking.
“Not what it looks like?” Elliot roared. “You’re sitting here, pregnant, with the man I trusted most. What else am I supposed to think?”
Joshua stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation, but his foot caught on the chair leg. He stumbled backward, and the café seemed to hold its breath as he hit the ground. His head struck the floor with a sickening thud, and Joshua lay motionless.
Mia screamed, dropping to her knees beside him. “Call an ambulance!” someone shouted, but Mia was already fumbling for her phone.
Elliot stood frozen, the weight of what had just happened crashing over him.
Hours later, Elliot and Mia sat in the hospital’s waiting room, the tension between them unbearable. Neither spoke until Mia broke the silence.
“You’ve got it all wrong,” she said, her voice trembling. “The baby isn’t his.”
Elliot turned to her, confusion and guilt battling for dominance. “Then what is going on, Mia?”
She took a deep breath. “The baby is Dylan’s. We were together after I left, but when I told him I was pregnant, he bailed. I had nowhere to go, so I went to Joshua. He let me stay with him and helped me figure things out. That’s it, Dad. He’s been helping me.”
Elliot’s chest tightened. The anger that had driven him earlier now felt hollow and misplaced. He had accused his best friend—his daughter—and for what? His pride? His need to control?
When Suzanne, Joshua’s wife, arrived, she was frantic. The doctor explained Joshua had suffered a subdural hematoma and needed emergency surgery. The words hit Elliot like a hammer, the reality of what his anger had caused sinking in.
Suzanne’s voice cracked as she asked, “What about the cost? We don’t have the savings for something like this.”
Elliot didn’t hesitate. He returned home and gathered everything he could—savings, emergency funds, loose change—anything to cover the surgery. Handing the envelope to Suzanne, he said, “He’s my best friend. This is the least I can do.”
