Samuel waited silently, his hand still outstretched, unwavering.

Under the dim lights, the two men stood facing each other, locked in a quiet standoff. Finally, Meredith relented, handing over the bag. But he didn’t let Samuel leave without saying something. "You can’t give her a future."

The weight of their relationship hung heavily in the space between them. Even if Samuel wasn’t biologically related to the Cooper family, and therefore had no blood ties ...