*Chapter Song-Let me down slowly*
*By-Alec Benjamin*

"So, how was the night?"

"As it was supposed to be. Sleepy and tiring." Hailey replied to Meril's question, walking toward the cafeteria of the hospital.

"Tiring! Oh My God! What you guys were doing? Cora was in the room too!" Meril exhaled with surprise.

Hailey turned around to give her a death stare at her bad joke.

"Ok, ok, I got you. I'll not go in that lane." Meril walked ahead avoiding her stare.

"Seriously Meril, you got the worst humor and timing. That man must be going through some trauma. I mean, I fell asleep discussing with him but woke up to find him mumbling in sleep, he was looking drained when woke up shouting 'It's wrong." Hailey started to think about him as they reached the counter to get coffee.

"You heard, what he was mumbling?"

"No, he was mumbling only and we were at a distance. He fell asleep on the chair with Cora in his arms." It made her smile to recall how peacefully Cora was sleeping in his arms, "You know Mer, you were right. He is a good human, just a bit rude but good at heart. After meeting his Ex. and knowing about his father figure. I think I can relate to him. He has been betrayed worse than me."

"Miss Palmer, I have news to share." Suddenly Arthur's voice startled her from behind.

"Dr. Miller, I...I was just.." Hailey got conscious as if he had caught her doing something wrong, after all, she was just talking about him only.

"Is everything alright?" How's Cora?" Arthur inquired to see her puzzled.

"Yeah, she is fine. The nurse was with her so we thought to grab a coffee." Meril intervened from the side of Hailey.

Arthur nodded, still observing the face of Hailey.

"What news Doc? I hope it's good." Meril commented to divert his attention from Hailey.

"Yes, Dr. Jones has gone through reports and he wants to go for the surgery as soon as possible. All we need is your assent." Arthur replied cheerfully.

For a moment Hailey felt blank at the thought of the surgery. Soon fear of anything wrong taken over her thoughts.

She tried to stay calm and positive but the very word Surgery was scary enough for a mother like her. She held her hand with another, "She will be fine after this?" She said as if confused. Her hands started to shake while she failed to control it.

"She will be fine, don't worry." Arthur placed his hand over her trembling hands.

Hailey felt some sense of trust at his touch and voice. The way he said it, it was enough to show his determination. He gave a forced smile as if assuring her while he had some sense of nervousness.

Arthur was confused in himself, whether it's because Cora was going under the knife or because he had to touch Hailey.

"Dr. Arthur, Miss Palmer... " the nurse Hailey left with Cora came rushing toward them.

"What is wrong sister?" Arthur turned around and took a step toward the room of Cora before the nurse could say anything.

"That Man is there in the room.." She could hardly huff, catching breath.

Arthur and Hailey rushed to the room without wasting a second.

***

"What are you doing here?" Hailey said seething in anger at the sight of Adam playing with Cora in her room.

"Oh Hi, look Cora your Mother is here." He grinned at Hailey.

"Mom, is he your old friend? He got me candies and cakes." Cora inquired curiously.

"And you had it before finishing your breakfast?" Arthur walked across the room to reach Cora.

"No Daddy, you said no candies for few days so how can I have it?" Cora beamed at Arthur, stretching her arms toward him. As it was the unsaid ritual between them. Whenever Arthur meets Cora, he had to take her in arms and give her a morning peck on the cheeks.

"My girl." Arthur felt a strange sense of pride. He picked Cora with a bright smile.

On other hand, Adam walked toward Hailey, "How sweet! But Alas! It's momentary."

Hailey glared at him as he stood close to her, gazing back at Arthur and Cora.

"Stop giving me that death stare Hail, just watch them. As soon their friendship, bond, or whatever it is, gonna be doomed. Cora thinks he is her father. I'll tell her the truth and take her with me. Your silly Doc. will be shattered as you have to come to me behind your daughter." He threatened Hailey with an evil grin.

"In your dreams Adam! As you said, Cora is my daughter. You have no right on her." Hailey replied in rage yet controlling her voice as she didn't want Cora to know it.

"Right! Oh, I got you. Right. I'm her biological father. I'm part of a band, yes, I don't earn much right now but at least more than you. You don't have a job even." Hailey glared at him though his words were making sense, enough to threaten her, " more than all of this, I have a flat in the heart of this town while you have sold your old, tiny apartment too, so... If I ask for her custody and sue you for hiding my child for so long, what do you think. What will be the judgment?"

His last words shaken Hailey. How he got to know about it?

The facade, she was holding tight in her defense just broke down. Fear was visible in her eyes.

"Yeah... There's my girl peeping through your eyes." His fingers brushed with her cheeks, leaving an erotic sense on her soul.

"Now you know what is possible. Think about it Babe, I'm not that bad option to be with." He held her hand in his, playing with her fingers, "ok, if you want we can get married. After all, we have a daughter now."

Hailey had stopped opposing him by now, drowning in old memories she was standing like a lifeless statue.

"Excuse me!" Arthur's firm voice brought her back to her senses.

"It's Cora's time to take a bath we should leave now." Arthur held Adam's forearm and pulled him away from Hailey.

Hailey looked up in his eyes, helpless as if a wounded deer in front of some wild Hyena. Arthur felt a sudden rush of warm blood in his veins. His hold turned more firm around Adam's arm. He dragged him out with a jolt and banged on the wall of the lobby as soon as they reached away from the room of Cora.

"Seems like I need to remind you, what I asked you for." Arthur groaned, grating teeth.

"What's wrong with you Doc? You don't need to take it personally. I understand that Hail is tempting you guys might have something but now I'm back. And she is mine." Adam said getting back on his own, with a stern look.

"Shut your dirtbag and get out of here. If you dared to show up again, you'll be responsible for whatever happens to you." Arthur threatened him grabbing his neck.

"I'll!" Adam pushed off his hand to make his neck free, "I'm the father of that girl, lying inside. You are no one to tell me what I should do or not." He said confidently, looking straight into his eyes, "well, I owe a thanks to you. After all, you are the one who bought that old apartment. I'm certain you might have paid a nice amount for it." He added with a wink.

Arthur got shocked to hear it from him, he looked around at Hailey. She stood behind, stunned.

"Now, I'll have my girl and a child that too with a nice amount for that old apartment of her mother." Adam snickered devilishly.

Arthur couldn't keep his cool at his laughter, he grabbed his face only to push against the wall ruthlessly and was about to punch when Luke intervened to hold him back while a cop walked ahead to arrest Adam.

"You are in trouble Man, " the Sheriff grinned at Adam as he wanted to arrest Adam since he doubted him for attack on Hailey. But that time he couldn't arrest him because Hailey denied registering any complaint.

"Relax Arthur, he will be treated well in lock up as he has injured the guard to enter the hospital," Luke assured Arthur to control him.

The cop dragged Adam out of there, but there was an evil smile on his face. He was constantly looking at Hailey with that smirk. As if he knew what he had seeded in her mind.

He had gone for a deep search about Hailey, Cora, and Arthur as well in the previous day. He knew Hailey would never accept the charity even if Arthur was her new love interest, that might be the reason Arthur didn't mention his name on the papers of the deal. He didn't know the name of the owner on papers but he knew Arthur had paid for it.

***

Arthur knocked at the door before entering.

There was no answer from inside, Luke had gone after Sheriff took Adam away. Arthur wanted to meet Cora but he couldn't dare as He didn't want to answer any questions from Hailey. By the evening he had to visit Cora, expecting Hailey to not be there, with her.

When there was no answer from inside he got that Hailey might be not inside. He opened the door to step in quietly.

"She is asleep." Hailey's cold voice startled him.

He just stood there silently as if trying to make a sentence. While She sat quietly in her chair next to Cora, with a fixed gaze on her sleeping child.

"She is fine just having some questions. Adam hadn't told her things clearly but he has planted the seed of doubts." Hailey looked at him.

Arthur felt a sense of eeriness to look into her eyes. There was a sea of silence, just like before the most destructive storm or after it.

"What he told her?" He inquired about Cora as his heart and mind both were not ready to lose her.

"She was assuring from me, if you gonna be there with us, once she gets discharge. After all, fathers live with respective families."

"I'll talk to her, don't worry. She'll not think much about it." Arthur assured Hailey from his place only.

"I have lost a lot, feels like thousand years of losing only. I can't lose Her!" She accepted with tear-filled eyes.

The way she was looking at him, it dragged him back in that dream only. He started to feel that way only, as if it was about to turn true.

"Nor can I!" Arthur controlled his thoughts and turned to leave.

"Why? I started to trust You Doc." Hailey uttered but this time with a tinge of anger.

"There's nothing about trust or betrayal, I needed to fulfill the protocol of the hospital. You were not ready to accept help and I couldn't let my child die again because her mother was stubborn!" Arthur busted at once, at the word Trust, "I never address me the way that feckless creature Adam! He calls himself the Father of Cora. And you stood silent listening to his crap!"

"What else do you expect from me? The man who broke my heart, my trust, standing in front of me. Telling me that my friend and two doctors have played a game with me. Mind you, one of them is loved by my daughter as her father, and the other claims to be my brother!" Hailey stepped forward to look into his eyes with the same amount of rage and hurt.

"I don't know what you should have told him. He is your Ex. not mine. But I can tell you one thing! Only fertilizing an egg doesn't make one Father! It takes a man who is ready to protect and love his offspring like anything! I have failed once, but not this time." He was shaking with a rush of emotions but his eyes were on fire.

For a moment Hailey didn't know what to say or feel. She felt like trembling at his words, at the determination in his eyes.