*Chapter song-Welcome to Wonderland*
*by-Anson Seabra*

"Arthur, that was insane! How could you argue with a patient? Sorry that wasn't an argument, that was a fight. And if We were late by a few minutes you both might have turned it into a battle." Luke said in annoyance, as he managed to drag Dr. Arthur Miller into his cabin.

"You think, what I did was insane? you might not know what she did!" Arthur replied pulling his white coat off, in rage.

"That woman refused to file any complaint against her attacker. Even She lied about consuming alcohol first then indirectly accused us of all this." He added more fiercely.

"Accused us! How?" Luke's forehead furrowed this time at his disclosure.

"Yes! She said whatever has happened with her is because She has to pay our bills! Luke, you tell me. Are not we rebating half of the bills for kids under ten?" Arthur questioned Luke in irritation.

"Yes Arthur, but I guess she doesn't know it. As till now, Meril has been spending on medicines etc, or maybe the half is too much for them." Luke tried to inform him but Arthur was in no mood to cool down soon.

"Crap! She wouldn't be wandering in nightclubs If she was that poor. Specifically when her daughter is in hospital." He blurted venomously.

"Oh! So this is the actual reason for your bitterness." Luke got a smirk while Arthur look alarmed at his words, "just to let you know. She was not partying there. She was working in that night bar to earn some extra money for her daughter's future."

Arthur looked blankly at his disclosure.

"If she honestly cared about her daughter, she might have her with her husband. Or at least married her father." His expression was rude than ever, "or better she shouldn't have her if she can't look after her."

"I can't believe I am talking to my friend!" Luke just wondered flopping on the chair behind him.

Arthur halted analyzing his own words.

"What am I saying?" A shock of realization struck him hard as he fell on the chair.

"You are saying, what is haunting you all these years," Luke said in a consoling manner.

Arthur gave him a look and walked up to the window. His gaze, fixed at the horizon. Searching for a single particle to look upon. Just to avoid this moment.

How could he become something, that he hates most?

This realization has started to kill him gradually.

"Arthur, let it go. She has gone for good. She never deserved you." Luke placed his hand on his shoulder.

"She was never mine. I know Luke. But what she snatched from me, was never her's." He muttered removing his hand.

"I'm good. You should go and see everything out there. Cora's mother might need some medicine after that much yelling." He said rudely putting forth his right forearm, on the wall to make a veil between, for his eyes.

Something had badly messed up, somewhere within him. He hated that woman. The moment he realized her reason for aborting his child. But he could never heal those wounds on his soul.

She accused him of not worthy to take responsibility for a child. At present, he was not doing anything different.

He didn't have the right to decide whether Hailey should have a baby or not. Whether she should have married first or not.

Nor that woman had the right to announce him 'A Bad Father'. Especially, when She disowned him from the right of being one.

Yet, her words still haunts him!
Yet, her poisonous voice pierce his heart and soul!

He couldn't get, for what he had craved his whole life.

No, not just a child but A family.

Someone, who waits for him.

Someone to care for, someone to take his responsibility.

Someone to be his responsibility.

Someone to be mad at him when he skips meals continuously.

Someone to berate him when he spends the whole night sleepless.

Someone to call his own.
Was it too much to expect from life?

Or granting him none of these wasn't plentiful pleasurable to that maker of universe?
That he sent that little angel Cora in his life.
That too with her arrogant and foolish mother. To show him down!

"Dr. Miller, there's a problem in room no. Six." A female voice broke his introspection, with a soft knock.

Arthur felt irritated for a second but before he could utter anything, the realization fell on him, "Room no. Six. That means, Cora!"

He sprinted out of the room just to reach her.

"Hey Darling, what's wrong?"

Arthur paused and inquired, panting. As he saw Cora sitting on her messed-up hospital bed.

His sight turned to the nurse standing beside her bed, Inquiring for the reason of her annoyance.

"Miss Cora is crying and denying to have anything unless we call her mother." The nurse replied.

"Oh, so that's the problem." Arthur made a sorry face and added, "I would have called your mother dear but she can't come. As I have forbidden her to see you."

"Why you did that Arthur? You know my Mom must be missing me so much. Like I'm missing her so very much!" Cora stood up at her place. Placing her little palms at both sides of her waist.

"I'm sorry Cora. But I had to... As your mother doesn't take care of herself. You know she has a cold and fever." He lied pulling Cora in his lap.

"Hailey!"

"What?" Arthur couldn't get what she wanted to say.

"My mother's name is Hailey. Why don't you call her by name? Isn't it cute?" She looked up at him with a smile.

"Ahm... Yeah, it's cute. But I'm your friend honey, not your mother's. Elders might take it offensive to be addressed like that." Arthur tried to find an excuse.

"She says the same when I ask her to call you Arthur, not Dr. Miller." She exhaled as if tired of their answers. "I want to meet Mom." She added lying in his arms.

"I will take you to meet her. But first you have to take milk, medicine and a nice nap. Till the time you will be up, your mother's cold will be better than before."
Arthur placed her medicines in her little mouth one by one, after a glass of milk.

He took her out, in his arms only for a little stroll through the lobby. While nurses were cleaning her messed up room.

*****

Her little skull was placed on his firm shoulder while her fragile arm encircled around his neck and another shoulder. Arthur felt so warm, that its warmth felt reaching to his heart.
"Excuse me!"

A male voice broke Arthur's thoughts and pulled him back to reality.

"Yes." Arthur looked up to find a tall strong built guy, standing in front of him with a rose bouquet.

"I'm here to see someone but can't find the room. Can you please tell me which way for room no. 8?"

"Just a few steps ahead, you have to walk through this corridor," Arthur replied in a hushed voice, patting back of sleeping Cora at his shoulder.

"Thank you." The man replied and walked past him. "By the way, your daughter is cute." He turned to compliment him.

"Thank you but..." Arthur first thought to clarify but his words died in his mouth only as he was gone and his words, 'your daughter ' gave him a sort of happiness and pain at the same time.

He took Cora to her room, tucked her carefully in her bed. "My daughter, " his palm pampered the deeply slept child. He felt a pang raising through his chest as if some old wound had been scratched.

His sight became blurry and he chose to leave the room for his betterment. Luke was right. He was getting too attached with Cora. It wasn't Him. It wasn't he should be. It's not professional.

A Doctor can be empathic but not attached to his patient. "Cora isn't my daughter. I can't forget this. She has a mother. She belongs to her." He murmured to himself while dragging himself toward his cabin.

"You don't need to worry. Just leave!"

A female voice attracted his attention. He looked at right to find its source.

Room no. 8!

He sensed some trouble there. He entered the room without a knock just to find the same man sitting on the bed with Hailey.

His hand was on her leg.

"Is everything fine here?" Arthur inquired strictly.

"Yes Doc, absolutely fine. We are just talking." The man stood up to clarify himself.

Arthur looked at Hailey. Her face was drained, pale as if she had been tortured. "Fine but I guess it's time for you to leave. We don't allow visitors for more than ten minutes."

In their short acquaintance of the past few weeks, he had never seen her like that. Or maybe he was wrong in reading her body language as he had hardly interacted with her properly. Their recent one-to-one talk was just a few hours earlier. That wasn't certainly a good interaction.

"Fine, but I still have two minutes as you said ten minutes." He replied with a smirk.

Yet, Arthur decided to stay, in case anything was wrong there.

He walked to her bedside, picked her reports; pretending to check it he noticed her clenching the bedsheet.

"Miss Palmer, do you have any trouble?" He inquired to which she looked at him with misty eyes.

As she was about to say something the guy intervened, "No, She is fine. I'm here Doc."

Arthur saw fear intensifying on her face as that man reached his hand to hold her's.

Immediately Arthur stopped his hand in the air before he could touch her. But her fear had triggered her so badly that with a visible shiver she held Arthur's coat leaving the bedsheet.

"I'll say, right now my patient needs Doctor, not a visitor. Please leave." Arthur held her shoulders and made her lay,
"My patient is not comfortable so I ask you to leave now," Arthur replied stepping between him and Hailey.

"Fine. I will see you tomorrow Honey." He crossed past Arthur and placed a kiss on her cheek.

Arthur looked away awkwardly while Hailey clenched her fists.

"I will see you tomorrow." He whispered as his fingers caressed her bruised cheek.

"No, I'm good. You don't need to bother." She replied removing his hand.

"Come on love, we can discuss it further in private." He smirked and turned to leave. "By the way Doc, why couldn't you just be with your girl? So I could have more time with my girl?"

"You fine?" Arthur muttered without looking at her.

"Can you please send Meril?" Hailey replied sitting back at her place abruptly.

At the same time, Meril stormed into the room almost running.

"Hail, are you fine babe? I saw him leaving. What was he doing here?" She started breathlessly?

"Meril!" Hailey looked up at her with terrified looks.

Arthur had turned to leave by then. As he got that it was some serious and personal issue. Meril's concerned tone and Hailey's threatened face had informed him.

"Hide her Mer! Hide Her!" It's all Hailey could utter.

It's all Arthur could hear before shutting the door behind.