*Chapter Song~Lofi Rain*
*By~Chilled Cougar, LoFi Waiter*

"Good morning Cora,"

Cora just looked up with furrowed forehead and turned her face away.

"Oh, seems like a Princess is angry." Arthur chuckled.

"Not any Princess but Your Princess Cora is angry Daddy!"

"Oh, I see. May I know the reason for this cute anger?" Arthur inquired enjoying her innocence.

"Because Daddy didn't come for lunch and late for dinner too."

"I'm sorry baby but I had told you prior, it might take some time." He tried to make his point valid but Cora was in no mood to admire it. She still denied to look at him or talk further, " ok, I'm sorry. It's my fault I'm so late. But I know my princess might have taken good care of herself. Because she is the best."

"Yes, I did."

"Such a bad daddy you got my Princess. Couldn't be here when you wanted." Arthur lowered his head.

"Don't call my daddy bad. He is a
Doctor, he saves kids like me and I'm proud of him." Cora rebuked Arthur in his defense only.

It gave him a sense of happiness, which brighten up his face.

"Well, the young one has point, Arthur." Dr. Matthews's voice from behind made them realize his arrival in the room.

"Sir, you here." Arthur got surprised by his sudden arrival.

"I had to see this little angel who became the reason for our reunion. As because of her you broke the cocoon of your past shadows. And just now I saw, how she cheers up my boy's lost moral." Dr. Jones added while approaching Cora.

"Such a beautiful Baby you got Arthur."

Arthur felt like his lungs got some extra oxygen as his ideal praised Cora.

Yes, Cora was one of the most cutest babies. Especially when she calls him 'Daddy'.

"So Arthur is your Dad, and where is your mother dear?" Dr. Jones inquired Cora.

In reply, Cora looked up at Arthur as if trying to ask about the old man sitting in front of her.

"Ahm... Cora, say Hello to Dr. Jones. He is like a father to me." Arthur introduced them.

"Hello Grandpa, I'm Cora. My Mom is Hailey Palmer. She asked me not to talk to strangers, so I was a bit confused. If I should talk to you or not. But if you are father to Daddy then you are Grandpa to me." Cora smiled brightly extending her hand to shake with him.

"Hailey... Hunnn sounds elegant." Dr. Jones smiled shaking hands with Cora.

"Just like her. There she is." Cora squealed with happiness to see Hailey walking in the room.

"Oh Hello, Miss Palmer. "

"Hello, " Hailey replied blankly without any clue whom she was talking to, "Dr. I need your help a bit, can you please come out for a moment?" She requested Arthur.

"Ahm... Yeah sure, Excuse me, Dr. Jones I'll be just back in a moment." Arthur felt strange at the way Hailey almost ordered him to come out while they had hardly interacted one to one ever.

"Seems like your parents are too formal my child." Dr. Jones said giving some old man's judgemental looks to Hailey and Arthur as they walked out of the room.

"How do I know? I met Daddy a few days back only. And they hardly talks in front
Of me." Cora complained.

*********

" Dr. Miller, I thought you were going to operate Cora. I came here because Meril said you are the best." Hailey complained turning around as Arthur shut the door of Cora's room behind.

"He is none other than Dr. Matthew Jones. He is the best. People would pay ten times more than me for a single visit. And you are expressing doubts about him?" Arthur said almost in disbelief.

"I don't care who he is? And what amount one has to pay for his fee. All I care about is my daughter. And You are the one she is attached to, You are the one looking after her all these days, studying her medical and emotional problems. I have to trus.."

"You trust Arthur for Cora. It's what you should do." Dr. Jones's mature voice interrupted Hailey in mid of her sentence as he stepped out of the room, "But if he asked me to take his place for the operation, you should trust his decision too. As you might know, Cora is attached to Arthur. She calls him Daddy, but what you might be unaware of is, my child is attached to your daughter too."

Somewhere Hailey knew it yet she got a bit surprised to hear it clearly from a stranger for her.

"I don't know if you know about his personal life or not. But he has lost his unborn child. The child has gone but the bereft father is still mourning."

Hailey's facial expressions turned soft to see the embarrassment on the face of Arthur.

"Sir, it's not essential here, " Arthur intervened to stop the open discussion about that phase of him.

"It is important Arthur, She is the mother of that child who calls you Daddy. Would you ever like it if your child addressed anyone else as her parents? I guess not. No one would like to share their child."

For a moment Arthur and Hailey shared a look with embarrassment, as if someone had caught them. Their pains and fears were being said loudly, without their consent.

"Nothing like that Dr. I am not that insecure mother. Cora is a kid and once she gets discharged, gradually she will forget her Doctor Daddy." Hailey replied coldly.

It offended Arthur badly, " You are talking like she has forgotten so many Dads recently." He attacked in the same cold manner.

"This is just too much!" Hailey shouted this time in anger.

"Arthur!" Dr. Jones intervened immediately before Arthur could come back with more venom in his words.

"Sorry Sir, but being a mother of such a sensitive child as Cora she must acknowledge her emotions. She calls me Father as she respects me and I acknowledge her pure emotions. She has no right to disrespect our bond." Arthur complained loudly this time.

It made Hailey realize the harshness of her own words.

"And about The operation of Cora, you must be her mother but I'm her Doctor and owner of this Hospital. So it's gonna be my decision only." Arthur declared before walking away.

"Hailey, being a doctor, I can assure you that your daughter will be safe in my hands. And being a father figure to Arthur I can only ask you not to be this harsh to my boy." Dr. Jones requested politely.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to doubt your skills. It's just, I was assured that Dr. Miller would be the best but all of a sudden he is backing out."

"Because he can't take chance with your daughter. He takes her as his daughter, he will never take a chance with her."

Hailey felt blank at his words, how should she react to it. Some other man I was taking her daughter as his own, She has been possessive and protective towards Cora till now.

Her protective mother's side urged her to be defensive but the reason in her consciousness controlled it.

"I must say, your daughter is a very special child. She made her way through a frozen heart. She brought him back to life. He doesn't want to die again. You can trust his decision because she is more than your daughter, a patient for Arthur. She is his life."