Chapter 5 Pretty Mama

"Mama!" a boy's ecstatic voice greeted the doctor when he went out of the door of the surgery department. He looked around trying to see whom the boy was calling but he was alone with him. He stares at his adorable face for a while before a smile carves his lips. 

"Hello, little man. Why are you here alone?" the doctor approached the boy who is estimated to be three years old sitting alone in the hallway of the surgery department. The play area for kids is very far from there. 

"Mama! You pweytty!" the child exclaimed while he gaped at him. 

"I'm a man. I'm not pretty" the doctor gently corrected the child with a tender smile. 

"You pweytty. I am hanthome" the child proudly said while tapping his chest.

"Yes, you are handsome. But you are not supposed to be here, where is your mom?" he asked the child softly.

"Theo no mom…Onwy mama wabwab Theo. You awr mama, Theo. You wabwab Theo, mama? " the child abruptly explained and became sad that his sadness hit the doctor by surprise. He was rendered speechless with the boy's sudden change of mood and the misconception of him being his mama. 

He stared at the boy for a while with his sympathetic look before he smiled fondly at him, he didn't know what to respond, calling him his mama. The boy's mom must not be around because he was looking for her. 

"If your mom is around, she would surely love you so much" the kind doctor assured the sulking boy. 

"No mom, Theo. Onwy dada and you, mama" the child continued persistently serious, making the doctor gape at him. 

Looking at his clothes and the things in his body, he is obviously from a rich family. He looks so handsome and at the same time cute. 

"An adorable child like you is supposed to be loved so much. Maybe mom has reasons why he is not with you and your dada" the doctor tried to explain while the child just stared at him in awe. 

"You wabwab Theo?" the child asked expectantly which startled him, he just gaped at the boy for he didn't know how long. 

"Ahm… Yes, I love children, so I love Theo" the doctor answered sincerely. No one could resist the charm of this child. He is instantly in love, himself. 

"Whath you name, mama?" the child asked the handsome doctor while he was so sure of calling him mama, an irony. 

"I'm Dr. Beam" the doctor smiled sweetly. 

"Thee, you awh my mama. Nayth meeting you mama doc Bee, my pweytty mama. Am Theo" the child smiled and extended his small hand.

"Hello, Theo, nice meeting you too" Beam accepted the little man's handshake with a fond smile. 

"You wabwab Theo, doc Bee?" Theo asked again, looking insecure. 

"Yes, Dr. Beam loves Theo. Come here little buddy" Beam hugged the child and to his surprise, the child hugged him back very tightly. 

"Theo no mom, mom no wab Theo. Theo happy, I have you, mama" Theo mumbles on Beam's doctor coat but he can clearly hear what the child said. Who is this woman who doesn't love her adorable son, unless she is dead. His heart bleeds more for Theo with what he thought about his mother. He was also an orphan and he can clearly feel what the boy is feeling. Theo seems to be a good boy and he deserved a loving and complete family. 

"Don't think that mom loves Theo" Beam tries to correct the boy from his wrong belief. 

"No! no! Mom no wab Theo. Theo no mom. You my mama doc Bee. You wab Theo. Theo no mom" the boy insisted while he looked at Beam with his puppy eyes. 

"Theo, baby, doc Beam is a boy, I can't be a mama but I can be a papa" Beam is trying to make the boy understand. 

"Theo has dada, Theo no mom. Doc Bee pweytty, doc Bee mama, Theo" the boy insisted stubbornly that Beam is his mama. 

Beam stares at the serious boy with disbelief, he doesn't know whether he will laugh or insist on correcting the boy's misconception. 

"Where's Theo's daddy?" Beam asked out of curiosity. 

"Dada wowk" Theo answered timidly. 

Beam just stares at the sulking little boy who he has adored already. His heart also constricts seeing the sadness on his face,  Beam is so familiar with that sadness, it always adorned every child's face in the orphanage where he came from. He also felt that kind of sadness before he was adopted by his beloved parents. 

"Daddy is working hard for Theo" Beam just muttered softly. 

He hugged the child again and they stayed still for a while until he noticed that the boy became heavy in his arms. He was about to check when he heard soft steady breaths coming from the boy. Beam smiled realizing what just happened, the boy drifted off to sleep. 

He gathered him in his arms and decided to go to the lobby of the hospital to inform the reception desk about the boy's whereabouts. He is sure that someone is already looking for him. 

He is walking the hallway of the pediatric department when a girl is running towards him.

"Ohh thank goodness! Theo" the nervous girl abruptly stopped in front of Beam and held Theo's back. 

"You are his guardian?" Beam asked the girl wearing a teddy bear printed uniform. 

"I'm his personal nurse, doctor" the girl answered and relief was all over her face. 

"He was alone in the surgery department. You should keep an eye on him" Beam cannot contain his irritation towards the girl. It's a good thing that he was the one who found the boy. 

"I was still talking to his pedia when he went out and I didn't notice. I'll be doomed if his father knows that he went missing" the girl nervously explained. 

"Where are his father and his mother?" Beam curiously asked. 

"The father is in the office, I don't know where his mother is. His father just went back to the country with his son. No one knew who Theo's mother was. She might be dead or they got divorced. I'm only with the family for a month" the too honest girl did not stop from blabbering even if she just met Beam. 

Beam gape in surprise with what he knew about Theo's parents. He unconsciously tightened his hold on Theo's small body and kissed the black hair of the sleeping boy. Beam felt protective over the child even if they only knew each other for a short while. 

"We will be going, doctor, thank you for finding and bringing Theo here" the girl thanked Beam.

"Lead the way, I will send you off" Beam gestures to the girl to walk ahead. 

They arrived at the entrance of the hospital where a black car was waiting. 

"Thank you for finding the young master doctor" the driver with a warm smile bowed at Beam after he settled the boy on the nurse's lap. Indeed the boy is from a very affluent family. 

Beam just nodded and he leaned down again to talk to the girl. 

"I hope this won't happen again. The boy must not be left alone. I will give you my number, here, please don't hesitate to contact me anytime if Theo needs something" he handed the girl his calling card which she readily accepted with a smile. 

"Yes doctor, this will never happen again" the nurse assured and apologized. Beam satisfactorily nodded before he closed the door of the vehicle. 

He watched as the car drove away. He heaved a sigh, he didn't know why but he was too affected with the boy's situation, he can even see himself in him. 

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