When his gaze met his father's, he saw only determination and calm.
"I'm here," his father said firmly. "You have nothing to fear. I will not leave you. No matter what happens, I will always stay by your side."
With a gentle touch, his father wiped the tears from his cheeks.
Rocco blinked his eys again, his last remaining tears slipping down his face.
And then, just like that, exhaustion overcame him.
Perhaps it was the relief of being brought back to his senses, or perhaps the panic and chaos of the past moments had taken more of a toll on him than he realized.
He couldn't fight it.
His consciousness slipped away, like a light being turned off.
As Rocco finally calmed down and slipped back into a peaceful sleep, his delicate face softened into an innocent expression.
It wasn't surprising—his small body had been entirely overwhelmed by the chaos and terror he'd just experienced.