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Page 39 of Second Chance Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings #5)

“So, I hear they’re finally busting you outta here,” Bernadette observed cheerily as she came into the room.

“Yep.” Taylor smiled and hoped that she had managed to disguise the panic she was feeling.

After removing Taylor’s IV and unhooking several monitors, Bernadette pointed her finger in an accusatory fashion before leaving. “Don’t forget doctor’s orders. You need to rest.”

Taylor nodded with a smile as she watched Bardi C leave.

All she’d been doing for the past ten days was rest. Never in her entire life had she rested this much.

She didn’t want to be in bed anymore. And she didn’t even want to think about what all these days in bed were going to cost her.

Her savings were nearly gone at this point.

She’d already texted Audrey and told her that she would be ready to be back on the schedule next week.

Audrey responded by saying she could come back whenever she was ready, but not to rush it.

“Hey there, I’m Daisy.” A woman came in with striking electric blue eyes, a platinum blonde pixie cut, and a colorful tattoo peeking out of her collared shirt. She reminded Taylor of a rock-n-roll Tinkerbell. “I have your discharge papers.”

A sick feeling churned in Taylor’s stomach.

She should have checked herself out of the hospital the first day she arrived.

She knew how much hospital stays cost. She was already drowning in medical debt from Owen; adding her own to it was the equivalent of shooting more holes in her already sinking financial ship.

Without looking down at the papers, Taylor asked, “Is there a number to call about setting up a payment plan?”

Daisy’s head tilted to the side, and the funniest expression crossed her fairy-like face. “A payment plan?”

“Yes, I won’t be able to pay the full balance today.” Even though Taylor knew her inability to pay was nothing to be embarrassed about, she still couldn’t help feeling a shred of shame. She wished she were in a different financial position, but she was truly doing the best she could.

“There is no balance.” Daisy motioned to the papers in Taylor’s hands.

“What?” Taylor knew she must be mistaken.

When she’d moved to California, she’d managed to get herself and Owen covered under Medicaid, but there was no way that Medicaid would cover all of the expenses.

Her chin dropped down, and she flipped through the paperwork.

Sure enough, it clearly stated her balance was $0.

00. She was so gobsmacked she almost didn’t notice Daisy turning to leave.

Caleb had mentioned that he was going to get her and Owen covered under his insurance, but there was no way that could have happened so quickly.

“Wait!” Taylor called out, stopping Daisy in the doorway. When she turned back around, Taylor held the paperwork up in the air. “There has to be some mistake. A clerical error.”

As much as she would love to not question this or look a gift horse in the mouth, she couldn’t do that.

Daisy crossed back over to Taylor and flipped the top sheet back over.

Her French-tipped acrylic nail pointed to the line item where it stated the balance.

“No error. See, right there, paid in full, Angels Alliance.”

“Angel’s Alliance?” she repeated.

The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on why.

“It’s a nonprofit run by Kyle Austin Reed and his wife, Aurora, for caregivers.”

“Oh, right.” Now she knew why it sounded familiar. Audrey mentioned it to her on her first day at Brewed Awakenings. “But I didn’t….how did they know….”

Taylor’s words trailed off as a knock sounded on the door.

Both she and Daisy looked over and saw Caleb in the doorway. He was not empty-handed. He had a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

“Can’t beat that. A handsome man and flowers.” Daisy smiled widely.

“How’s Tucker?” Caleb smiled as she gave him a hug. “Is he behaving himself?”

Taylor watched their exchange, and even though she sensed they had more of a sibling vibe than anything else, she had to admit she didn’t love seeing his face light up at a beautiful woman. Or that woman putting her arms around him and patting his chest as she was doing now.

“More or less. How’s your mom and dad?”

“Good. On a cruise in Alaska.”

“Tell ’em I said hi.”

“I’ll do that.”

Daisy smiled at Taylor once more before leaving.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Caleb asked as he closed the distance between them.

“Ready to go.” She smiled.

“You look…” His eyes scanned down.

Taylor had asked Owen to bring her some clothes. She’d taken a shower and was wearing a plain pale blue t-shirt, black sweats, a baseball hat, and tennis shoes. It’s not like she was ready for the runway, but she wasn’t in a hospital gown, so she felt like it was a win.

“Beautiful,” Caleb finally finished as he exhaled.

She chuckled. “Right.”

“You do.” The intensity in his eyes made her feel like he might just mean it, but she reminded herself he was saying it out of obligation. He was her husband, and she knew even though they didn’t have a traditional marriage, Caleb would want to be the best husband he could for her.

“You are not under any legal obligation to compliment me, just fyi,” she told him, letting him off the hook.

His eyes held her gaze, and the energy between them crackled with tension. “It’s not an obligation; it’s a privilege.”

Before she had a chance to respond or even process what he’d said, Mario arrived with a wheelchair. After saying hello to Caleb, he fanned his arm out like a spokesmodel and said, “Your chariot awaits.”

Taylor was more than capable of walking out of the hospital on her own two feet—compared to how she felt when she was admitted, she could run laps at this point—but she knew the drill.

Rules were rules; the hospital insisted on wheeling patients to ensure their safety for liability purposes when being discharged.

Mario not only picked up on her less-than-enthusiastic feelings toward the forced transportation, it seemed he’d anticipated them.

He reached into the back pouch of the wheelchair and pulled out a sash.

Before she knew what was happening, he made a show of pretending to open a fake envelope.

“And the winner of Miss Pine Ridge General is…Taylor.” He cheered as he placed the sash that read Miss Pine Ridge General over Taylor’s head and motioned for Caleb to hand her the bouquet of flowers, which he did.

“Miss Pine Ridge General, the discharge parade is about to commence, and your float awaits.”

Mario held his hand out to her, and her mouth split in a wide smile as she placed her hand in his palm.

“I hope you’ve been working on your pageant wave,” he teased as he steadied her, so she could lean on him.

Taylor did her best queenly wave as she lowered down into the seat, grateful that her nausea and dizziness had faded days ago.

“There she is.” Mario clapped. “Love it.”

As she got settled, she asked, “How many patients have been ‘Miss Pine Ridge General?’”

Mario gasped as he placed his hand on his chest as if the question offended him. “How could you even think…only you, of course!”

Her head tilted to the side as her eyes narrowed with suspicion. She liked Mario a lot, and they’d forged what she hoped was a lasting friendship during her stay, but there was no way he’d make the sash specifically for her.

“It’s true. No other patients have shared the title. I, however, was Miss Pine Ridge General last Halloween. I thought I lost the sash, but on my way in here, I saw it peeking out from the back pouch.”

That tracked.

“Are you ready, Miss Pine Ridge General?” Mario turned her toward the door.

In anticipation of her release, Caleb had packed up all of the stuffed animals and cards and taken them home two nights earlier. The only personal item she had was her overnight bag, which had her toiletries, clothes, purse, computer, and chargers. Caleb grabbed it.

“Ready.” She took in a shaky breath and tried to calm her nerves about leaving the hospital and going home. Home. She wasn’t going back to the cottage. She was going to be living at Caleb’s house; she wasn’t sure what to expect.

They headed out of the room, and Caleb fell in step beside Mario as he wheeled her down the bright, echoing corridors.

The hospital was between shifts, and the halls were mostly empty except for the occasional frazzled-looking intern clutching stacks of charts like life preservers.

Every nurse they saw waved at the trio. Taylor wasn’t sure if they were waving at her because they recognized her from her stay, or if they knew her because she’d been there so much with Owen, or if they weren’t waving at her at all and were waving at Caleb because he was “Hot Pastor.” He also was her husband.

She was married to “ Hot Pastor .” Several times a day she was sure that it hadn’t happened at all; she was sure she’d imagined it.

Since legally tying the knot, neither had brought the subject of their union up again.

Maybe she had actually hallucinated. Maybe one of her medications had caused her to be delusional.

Mario hummed as they arrived on the first floor.

They stepped off of the elevator, and Taylor glanced up at Caleb.

He was so handsome. His square jaw was covered in stubble.

His brown eyes held depths that she found herself easily getting lost in.

The slope of his neck leading to his shoulders made her mouth water like she had some kind of vampire fetish.

The night they’d spent together, she’d fallen asleep with her head on his chest as he held her.

It was the safest she’d ever felt, which was insane considering she’d known Caleb for about twenty-four hours at that point.