Benedek held his sister’s hand with trembling hands as they were pushed into the delivery room.
“Leila, take a deep breath! Everything will be okay!” he whispered, trying to hold back his tears.
The woman’s face was sweating and painfully distorted as he looked at her.
“You are the best brother the heavens could have sent me, Benedek…” he breathed before the doors closed on him.
Benedek stood helpless as they were urgently wheeled out of the room. His sister was only 36 weeks pregnant, and the doctors decided they would have to perform a cesarean section. But as the first baby was born, Leila’s condition deteriorated rapidly…
“Leila, stay with me! Look at me, can you hear me?” Benedek shouted, but the doors closed on him.
Hours passed that seemed like minutes before a doctor stepped out and looked up at him.
“Doctor… how is Leila?” Benedek asked, hopeful.
The doctor lowered his head sadly.
“I’m sorry… we did everything we could, but we couldn’t stop the bleeding. The children are alive and are currently in the intensive care unit.”
Benedek collapsed at the news. His sister couldn’t wait to hold her children in her arms. How could this happen?!
While he was trying to process the tragedy, a familiar, hateful voice echoed in the hallway.
“Where the hell is she? You thought she was going to give birth to the children without me knowing about it?!” Benedek lifted his head and was immediately filled with rage.
Leila’s ex-boyfriend, Bence, stood in front of him, upset and demanding.
“Where is your sister?!” he growled at him.
Benedek grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall.
“Now I’m curious about what’s wrong with him, right? Where were you when he was on the street because of you? Where were you when he was fighting for his life a few hours ago?!” he hissed. “He’s dead, Bence! He’s dead, and you weren’t even there!”
Bence stared at him in shock, then shook his head.
“Where are my children?! I want to see them!”
Benedek screamed at him through gritted teeth.
“Don’t you dare call them that! Get out of here! You can’t see them!”
“I’m leaving… but I’ll be back! You can’t keep my children from me!” Bence screamed before disappearing down the hospital corridor.
Benedek knew he couldn’t let a man like Bence raise his brother’s children. That’s why he fought for custody in court.
Bence tried to act through tears at the trial.
“They’re my children! How could I live without them?!” – she sobbed in front of the judge.
However, the judge asked tough questions.
– Did you support Leila financially during her pregnancy? Did you marry her?
Bence lowered his eyes.
– No… I couldn’t afford it…
However, Benedek’s lawyer pulled out his trump card: text messages and voice messages proved that Bence was an alcoholic, and that Leila only wanted to marry him if he went to rehab.
The court finally ruled in Benedek’s favor.
He could adopt the triplets.
Five years passed.
One day, Benedek was just taking the twins home from kindergarten when a familiar figure appeared in front of his house.
It was Bence.
– Children, go inside the house! I’ll be right after you. – Benedek smiled at them, then assumed his fighting stance.
– You again?! What are you doing here? – he growled at him.
Bence looked at him confidently.
– I came to take my children. I am prepared, I have a stable job, and I am ready for fatherhood!
Benedek laughed bitterly.
– Really? Is that luxury car you just bought still parked in front of your house? Do you think a judge would consider this a good parental responsibility?!
However, Bence did not give up.
A few months later, Benedek received a court summons.
During the trial, Bence’s lawyer brought up a surprising piece of information.
– Doctor Benedek… is it true that he was diagnosed with a brain tumor? – he asked suddenly.
The courtroom fell silent.
Benedek lowered his head.
– Yes… it is true.
The judge sighed.
– I am sorry, Doctor Benedek. The court rules that it is in the best interest of the children to be with their biological father. You have two weeks to prepare them for the handover.
Benedek felt as if his heart had stopped beating.
As he packed the children’s suitcases, the little boys clung to him, sobbing.
«Please, don’t leave us, uncle!» they cried.
Benedek hugged them with tears in his eyes.
«Boys… if you loved me, you know that I would never wish you harm. I want you to be happy, and now your father will take care of you.»
The little boys said their heartbreaking goodbyes.
But then Bence made a broken face.
«I was wrong, Benedek. I shouldn’t have fought, I should have done it for my children.»
And then an unexpected turn of events happened:
Bence helped carry the children’s suitcases back to the house…
And so, an endless war finally brought a new beginning for all of them.