¶¶Chapter song~I can't breathe¶¶
¶By-Bea Miller¶

"That was cool! I can see you got the lost spark of my Babe!" Adam commented with a smirk as Arthur left the room quickly, hugging Cora.

"You showed him the door in his damn hospital...Ha Ha Ha 'It's My Hospital.'"

Adam derided Arthur's attempt to step between him and Hailey.

"You're certainly not here so early to make fun of Him or praise my guts. What you want?" Hailey said coldly sitting back in her bed.

"Wow... No formalities, direct on point! I must say this bluntness of your attracting me more than anything ever." His eyes shined like a predator, chosen his prey.

"Adam, I need rest. You can leave. Leave forever."

"Don't... Oh my God! I supposed to say sorry for being so harsh on you like this. But if you kept showing me that new shade of yours I might say 'Love You' instead of 'Sorry' Babe!" His finger slid over her collar bone as he stepped closer to her bed.

"Haven't you heard? She asked you to leave." Meril roared stepping close to the bed.

"Meril, what's your problem? Can't you see She is liking my touch? She has no problem with it." His hand glided upwards to hold Hailey's neck from back.

Everything from the past was forming in front of Hailey's eyes. How she used to crumble in his arms in a single touch of his. How that touch turned into slaps and punches at times whenever she refused his any wish.

Yet she wanted to be with him!

"Stop your nonsense and leave now! Or I'll call cops and put you behind bars. Then keep dreaming there that any girl can like you or your nasty touch ever." Hailey roared all of a sudden pushing his hand away.

"Hail...don't lie Babe! You love me if you didn't then how I'm able to stand here free?"

Adam looked into her eyes, "I can see my Hail hiding behind this feeble facade of a stranger Hailey. Come on Girl, you don't need to suppress your craving for me. You didn't when your mother was there, trying to keep you away from me. Now, there's no barrier. Unleash yourself, Hailey, I'm right here to take you places we always dreamt of." His palm cupped her shivering cheek to make her look into his eyes.

"You are trying to woe a dead tree Adam!" Hailey whispered coldly, "I'm not that foolish college girl anymore who was ready to do anything for You. And you know why?

Because You have showed me, how wrong I was!

When I chose you over my mother! When I chose you over Meril!

You taught me this lesson by killing me from inside, each time I caught you cheating on me, yet I forgave you!

Each time you treated me badly yet I forgave you!

You taught me the lesson to differentiate between Love and Lust! To differentiate between true care and fake promises!

You are standing here free because I want you out of my life!
I don't want to see your face ever in my life! I hate you so much that I can't bear to recognize your face again and again in any courtroom trial.

So I'm giving you a deal! Take this as an opportunity and never appear back in my life. Or!"

Adam stood shocked for a moment, gazing at the red twitching face, "Or what Hailey? Come on show me how can you threaten me?"

"It's not a threat Adam, if you ever dare to appear in front of me. I'll sue you and your damn band! I remember every bit of that night, and it will take me a few minutes to give all description to the Sheriff." Hailey said firmly, trying to control her shivering heart and hands under the sheet.

She never knew that His presence could threaten her soul until this moment.
All she could do was to act strong. That was the only way to keep Adam away from their lives.

To save Cora from the dirty truth that Adam was her father.

She could never think of disclosing the fact about Cora at him. The Man hadn't altered a bit, even he got worse than earlier.

Earlier he used to beat her up in a drunken state but this time he had no issue when his bandmate tried to force himself on her.
She hadn't disclosed this to Meril or anyone. As the fact that once she loved him and choose him over everyone else was breaking her more than anything else.

"That was a good attempt, but certainly not good enough to keep you out of my reach Hail." Adam scowled but took a step back, "this is not over Hail. You are Mine. And what's mine will be mine. Anything that belongs to me can never go away from me without my will."

He said in a threatening manner, stepping backward.

"Forget that Adam! I'm not A Thing anymore!" Hailey replied strongly.

They glared for a moment, at each other before Adam left the room. But once as soon as his footsteps echoed, fading away in the corridor. Hailey's face turned pale from red. As if something had sucked all of her blood.

As his footsteps faded away, confirming his departure, Hailey sprinted toward the door and locked it.

She sat on the floor, crying bitterly, shivering worse than ever.

Fear, anger, disgust, there was everything negative she could feel at the moment.

"Hail, relax, he is gone, babe. You have done so well. Why are you crying like this? Relax" Meril tried her best to hug her but Hailey wasn't able to listen or make sense of any word uttered.

"It's all my mistake. He was right. I didn't listen to Mom. That's why she left me. I didn't listen to you Meril. You will leave me too. I don't deserve any of you."

Luke stepped between friends and held Hailey firmly by shoulders to help Meril in taking Hailey to her bed.

"It's all my sins, Mom died because of my sins, I didn't respect her. I don't deserve Cora, that's why God is snatching her from me Meril."

Luke tried to control Hailey but it was all wasted. Finally, he had to inject sedatives to make her sleep.

Meril was crying by now to see her best friend like that. Just like she had been a few years back when Adam had ditched her on street.

The only difference was, that time she called Meril and after crying for a few hours she had made her mind to confess about her pregnancy to her mother.

This difference was breaking Hailey more badly. Now her mother was dead, her child was admitted next room to her's. And the same man was trying to break into her already messed up life again to make it worse.

***

"You don't deserve a child Arthur, " Her voice echoed in his head.

Cora's delicate arms still encircled around his neck. Arthur still holding Cora firmly against his heart.

"Daddy..."

"Baby..." Arthur could hardly mutter in reply to her soft sleepy whimper. His throat choking of the lump forming in. The weight of the past was getting too much to handle.

The river of dried-up tears, suppressed screams was shattering all walls he had built all these years.

Tears started to roll from his eyes while the only thing he could see was Cora. In his arms, clinging firmly to him.

As if He was the only person she had been waiting for.

"Daddy..."

"Yes baby, Daddy is here only." He kissed her head softly.

"Arthur, are you Ok?" Luke's voice distracted him.

"Shu... Luke, you will wake her up." Arthur chastised him in a hushed tone.

Luke gazed at his drained face, he took a minute to observe Arthur. How he was holding Cora, how Cora was holding him, it was difficult to get whose holding was more firm.

"Arthur, look at me. You have to let Cora go. She must be sleeping in her bed. Come on, let's make her sleep in her bed."

"She is fine with me. See she is sleeping." Arthur said suspiciously and stood up as if about to leave.

"Arthur, look here, look." Luke had to clasp his shoulder, "You can't break like this. This isn't the time. You are not allowed to break like this Arthur."

"I'm also a human Luke! And Cora too!" Arthur roared all of a sudden, pushing his hand off, tears of anguish rolling continuously, "you want me to separate her from myself, if you have eyes see, see how she is holding on to me. As if I'm some lost Treasure of hers, unaware of the fact how precious she is!"

"Arthur, I can understand what you are going through. But, no matter what we go through, none of us can change the fact that... That Guy, Adam is the father of Cora." Luke muttered in a controlled manner as if scared to inform him.

"That man is her father? And that woman who calls herself the mother of Cora addressed as My daughter! You know what Luke? She doesn't deserve Cora!" Declared Arthur furiously.

"Yes, she doesn't. Because she had the guts to give her daughter in your arms just to protect her from an abusive man. Just because you are her doctor. You are right Arthur, She isn't worthy to be a mother, so what if she had lost everything to save the only one, she has to call as Her own. The only person she loves and lives for.

So what if she is hysterically crying, and breaking every moment, just to save her daughter from any harm."

Luke rebuked Arthur in a harsh tone this time to get him back into senses.

Arthur stood still as Luke had reminded him, Hailey gave him her daughter because he was a doctor. He was treating Cora.

Doesn't matter how broken he was. He wasn't allowed to shatter.

"Take Her Luke, I can't tear her apart from me. One can't chop one's own heart." Arthur fell on knees crying harder, hugging Cora. "Baby... I wish you were mine. I wish I could call you mine, but I'm not blessed enough." He whispered rubbing her back as if consoling himself.

Luke had some trouble freeing Arthur from Cora's firm hold while tears were rolling from his eyes too.

Once Luke took her in arms, Cora started to cry, "Daddy... Daddy..."

"I'm here bab..." Arthur replied quickly with stretched arms to get her back but stopped in mid as Luke glared at him.

"Fine! Make her sleep. But I'm warning you. Don't let her think of you as her father." Finally Luke gave Cora in his arms back.

Arthur got a little painful smile as the fact and reason were awaken in his conscience but his heart wasn't ready to give in right now.

Even a moment of lie was accepted to him if it offers comfort to Cora.

He made her sleep in her bed, patting her forehead, Arthur kept gazing at her peaceful dreaming face while Luke kept gazing at him with a broken heart.

"Luke, I have signed the cheque. Make sure the money gets transferred to Hailey's account tomorrow only."

"I will look after it, I guess you would need to see Her first, I don't think she is stable," Luke replied disheartened.

"She has to! Being a parent You don't have the right to be broken even!" Arthur said in his well-known Dr. Arthur's tone.