*Chapter Song-Panic Room*
*By~Au/Ra*

"Holy Crap! You mean to say that man is the father of Cora!" Luke reacted with shock to the information given to him by Meril.

"Yes, but Hailey does not want him to know it."

"But why so? Does it make any difference? I mean if he hadn't cared about his child in the past six years, assaulted her so terribly, she must think to put him behind bars instead of hiding Cora." Luke talks sense.

"Because Hailey doesn't want him to know about Cora, or Her to know that her father is good for nothing." Meril tried to explain to him the thing which even she didn't agree with.

"Ok, but what can I do in this?"

"Nothing and everything if required, like right now Hailey and Cora both are admitted here. Adam might come to see Hailey, just help me by hiding the fact that she's her daughter."

"Umm... Ok, that's not a big thing. Cora isn't allowed to step out of her bed from now. So there's no chance that person can see her." Luke smiled at Meril.

"Thanks, Luke. I know that you have nothing to do with it, yet you are helping us in every possible way." Meril expressed her gratitude in a soft tone, placing her hand on his at the table.

"Do we still need such formalities?" Luke held her hand with both of his own, "I know this isn't a conventional way or place to say such deep words but you can rely on me for anything & everything." He bent a bit closer and said softly.

"I know. And I'm thankful for it." She bent a bit forward to touch her forehead with his.

Both blushed with a hearty smile.

"Oh, I forgot to mention the real reason for which you can thank me later. I have found a buyer for Hailey's apartment." Luke said with a winner's grin, "and surprisingly, he is ready to pay the exact amount of money, we needed."

"That's great news! Hailey will be super relieved to know that we arranged the money." Meril stood up and hugged Luke with excitement, but her excitement didn't last for long as the realization fell on her,
"They will lose their last possession!"

"What?"

"Yes, Hailey lost her father at a very young age. Her mother tried her best to give her everything possible in her capacity. But Hailey fell in love with Adam. She thought him to be everything lacking in her and her mother's life. After her father. A support, a guide, a guardian but that swine was the curse, not a cure." Meril took a breath as all the past incidents started to appear in her mind.

It always haunts her, how Hailey suffered it all alone. From facing his betrayal to losing her mother due to lack of money. From ditching her studies to struggling to get her daughter admissions without the name of father.

All these gloomy memories of the past made her eyes moist.

"If you guys agree, we can lend you the sum too. He wants to help only, you are not forced to sell the house." Luke tried to console her, without realizing he was supposed to hide the buyer.

"Lend? Who is buying her apartment to help her Luke?" Meril inquired.

"Damn! I didn't suppose to say that." He covered his mouth in surprise," Arthur was right! I lose my control in front of you!"

Meril gawked at him for a second before she realized that he took Arthur's name.
"Holy Shit! Dr. Miller is helping Hailey! OMG! He likes Her!" She squealed with joy.

"Hush! Hush! Hold your horses Mer! What you doing? Who said Arthur likes Hailey? I said, he is helping. He is helping because he's attached to Cora. He will not let anything hurt Her." Luke cleared himself, in a hushed voice to stop Meril.

"Oh! I thought... Well, at least he likes Cora. I hope this attachment will help them all, to heal." They shared a sad smile before leaving for the room of Hailey.

***

"Don't forget, the name of the buyer isn't Arthur Miller," Luke muttered as he opened the door to Hailey's room.

"Reminding me or yourself Luke?" Meril giggled a bit before she could see the view inside the room in front of her.

"Aunt Meril! Where were you? We will go to Disney land. Would you join us?" Cora squealed with joy, lying in her mother's arms on her bed. While Dr. Miller sitting next to it, holding her one hand.

For a moment they looked like a perfect family to Meril and Luke.

"Yes, why not!" Meril replied with a smile.

"Arthur, I thought you said complete rest for Cora." Luke inquired Arthur, with furrow forehead standing close behind Meril.

"Yes, but as you know-how strong and smart our Cora is. She knows well that her mother is perfectly fine and just acting to be hurt. To stay with her, isn't it Cora?" Arthur replied getting up from his place, walking ahead towards Luke and Meril.

"It's Hailey, and you told me she had a cold and fever but here she's having bandages. You lied to me, Arthur?" Cora gazed at him with doe eyes.

He turned around to frame some reply, to cover up his earlier lie. Certainly, he wasn't a great liar.

But as his eyes met Cora's misty, accusing eyes, his nerves started to go numb. As if a sinner standing in front of his God.

"I had mild cold baby and fever too. Your friend told me to take a rest but I went to my job. And... Met a small, like little bit of accident. But don't worry. Your friends are good at their work. See, I'm perfectly fine now." Hailey answered this time for Cora's accusations, placing a kiss on her forehead. Rocking her in her arms.

Luke took Arthur aside by arms, "Arthur, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm...I just got blank the way she caught my lie. I can't lie to her." He replied with a shaking voice.

"I'm afraid, you have to..." Luke was about to explain to him things he had discussed with Meril just a few minutes ago. When their attention got shifted to Cora again.

"His name is Arthur, Mum," Cora replied to Hailey with a yawn, rubbing her eyes.

"Seems like medicines working. She was crying so bad to meet her mother that I had to take her here." Arthur said to Luke with a sigh of relief.

At the same time, the door of the room got flung open by someone," Woo... I was expecting some privacy, so early in the morning but seems like my love isn't getting any privacy in this hospital."

Arthur looked at him with disgust but kept mum. As he recognized him as the same man who visited Hailey last night.

"Adam! Couldn't you learn to knock before entering a room in all these years?" Meril said with hatred.

"How could I? If you couldn't learn to stay out of our personal life?" He replied with an evil smirk. As if he knew well, how much Meril hated him. Might be more than Hailey.

"I don't care what's going on here among all of you three but it's my hospital and it's not visiting hours yet!" Arthur intervened between them.

"Is it Doc? Then what all of you are doing here in her room? And why your daughter is in my girlfriend's arms? Don't tell me that you are hiring her for your child." Adam crossed past Arthur completely ignoring his existence between Hailey and him.

Arthur took a back as the fact was, Adam was acknowledging Cora as his daughter in front of Hailey. What if she object? What if She took her boyfriend's side from whom he was trying to protect them?

With another step of Adam, the fear was significant on the face of Hailey. Arthur could see how firmly She hugged Cora close to her chest, as if trying to hide her.

"She might be your girlfriend but right now she is my patient! And this is my hospital! Go out and wait there for the next two hours. Visiting hours will commence by Ten A.M. you can wait in the cafeteria too." Arthur ordered strictly this time. The anger was visible in his eyes and voice as well.

He stood erect between Adam and the bed of Mother-daughter.

"Arthur, if you don't mind can I please have two minutes with my old friend? You can take your daughter to her room. I have made her sleep." Hailey's voice shocked Arthur from the back. As she said 'Your daughter'.

He turned around in confusion to find her standing behind himself, "Just two minutes, don't worry I'll not violate any rule of your hospital. Meril and Dr. Luke will be with me only." She added while handing over sleeping Cora, in his arms, "Go, baby, your Daddy is here." She murmured as Cora opened her eyes a little.

"Daddy..." Cora muttered looking at Arthur with her heavy, sleepy eyes. "Daddy..." Her arms went around his neck coiling firmly, her sobs were audible though she was half asleep under the drug influence.

Arthur felt his heart trembling the way Cora calling him Daddy, crying, hugging him with all her might.

"Shuuuu... Daddy is here Baby. I'm here." He muttered holding her firmly in his arms, yet like a feather. A long, dried-up tear rolled down on his cheek.

Hailey felt numb to see a tear on his face.

Their eyes met for a moment, quickly he wiped it off and turned away, out of their sight, towards the room of Cora.

All he got was that Adam was Hailey's boyfriend and thus might be the biological father of Cora.

By his experiences in life, he could tell one thing definitely, that man was not worthy to be a father. Especially for a sensitive and flower-like child, Cora.