Page 73 of Second Chance Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings #5)

“You were shot!” Mrs. Costas ran to Arthur’s bedside.

Caleb noticed that Frankie, Adriana, and Taylor were all exchanging looks that silently communicated exactly what he was thinking. What is going on between these two?

Maybe she wasn’t lonely for another reason.

“Okayyyy,” Adriana held the vowel sound out. “Well, I’m gonna get these two out of here. Let me know if you guys need anything.”

"Thanks.” Caleb stood and grabbed Owen’s backpack, which was in the corner.

“Bye, Mom.” Owen leaned over and gave his mom a hug. “Love you.”

Caleb looked in the front of the bag where his fast-acting inhaler was supposed to be. It was there, but he didn’t see any candy in case he got low.

When he handed Owen the bag, he pulled out a few dollars from his pocket and gave them to him. “Grab some candy and soda for the ride home in case you get low. And I’ll call you when we know what’s going on here.”

Owen nodded and gave him a hug. “Thanks, Dad. Love you.”

Caleb’s jaw dropped when he heard him say the three-letter word that had ds as bookends for an ‘a’ sandwich.

He hugged him back and tried not to have any reaction to the fact that he’d just called him ‘dad’ for the first time.

He wasn’t sure when or even if he’d ever call him that.

Emotion was clogging his throat and building up in his eyes, but he willed himself to just relax.

He didn’t want to make a big deal about it.

“Bye!” Adriana waved as Jonah and Owen walked in front of her, and Caleb watched them leave.

As soon as they left through the side entrance of the emergency room, Taylor squeezed his hand. “He called you Dad.”

Caleb’s chest tightened as he sat back down beside her. “I know.”

“Knock, knock.”

A woman Caleb recognized from working in radiology knocked on the glass as she poked her head into the room.

Every time he saw her, she was bubbly and full of joy, no matter how cranky or difficult her patients, families, or even doctors might be treating her.

If he remembered correctly, her name was some sort of flower.

“Hi, Mr. Santino, I’m Poppy, and I need to take you for some more pictures.”

Poppy . Yep. That was it.

“I’ve already done that,” he grumbled.

“I know, but the doctor ordered more because he didn’t quite see every angle he needed to see.” She brought the wheelchair in and unfolded it.

“If you do the job right the first time, you don’t have to do it again.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She smiled and held out her hand to assist him.

“Arthur, stop. You be nice.” Mrs. Costas came to Poppy’s defense. “She only does what a doctor tells her to do.”

“Who said I was talking about her not doing her job?!” Arthur snapped back as he placed his hand in Poppy’s palm and allowed her to help him into the wheelchair. As Poppy pushed him out of the room, he said, “You women take things so personally.”

“No, no, no!” Mrs. Costas followed behind him, wagging her finger at him. “You can’t say things like this!”

Caleb saw him looking back over his shoulder at her, and he swore he saw a little glimmer in his eye as they passed by the glass window.

Frankie crossed her arms, and her head tilted to the side. “He only said that to wind her up, didn’t he?”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Caleb seconded.

“Me too,” Taylor agreed.

“Well, she loves getting wound up, so if he loves winding her up, this is a match made in heaven. They are the perfect couple.” Frankie shook her head back and forth, smiling from ear to ear, when something out in the ER caught her eye, and all the color drained from her face, which wasn’t a lot to begin with since she was so fair-skinned.

Her head spun to Taylor and Caleb with sheer panic in her eyes as they darted between them. “I can’t…oh my… please don’t…”

On that vague plea, she disappeared behind Arthur’s curtain and then scurried to the corner and dropped down, hiding behind the five-foot-tall supply cabinet.

“Don’t look over here!” she whisper-yelled.

Both Taylor and Caleb looked at each other, neither one having a clue what was going on when they heard a voice.

“Miss Taylor.”

Caleb knew that voice. Unfortunately. He’d heard it a lot the first time Taylor was in the hospital. He wanted to correct Dr. Dickweed and say, It’s Mrs. Harrison , but he thought that might be petty.

“Dr. Davies, hi.” Taylor smiled politely.

“Are you okay?” Dr. Davies rushed to the side of the bed. “I just heard that you were in a shooting incident. Is Owen okay?”

“I’m fine. Owen is fine. I wasn’t shot. My friend, Mr. Santino, was. He saved me.”

Dickweed shot a look at Caleb that very clearly asked, where were you, asshole? He wasn’t there. He felt bad enough about it without a condescending prick of a doctor making it worse.

The doctor’s pager went off, and Caleb could see that he didn’t want to leave Taylor. “I’m glad you’re okay. Tell Owen I said hi.”

“I will.”

Dr. Davies gave Caleb a nod. “Harrison.”

“Davies.” Caleb held his eye contact until he looked away first.

Yes, it was a pissing contest. And no, he wasn’t going to lose.

A few seconds later, Taylor turned toward the corner. “He’s gone.”

Caleb had completely forgotten Frankie was hiding.

She waited about thirty seconds before she stuck her head above the cabinets like a meerkat. “Are you sure ?”

They both nodded.

She moved out from behind it but stayed crouched down low.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to call security?” Caleb asked.

“Security? No!” She waved her hands frantically and then whispered.

“I’m not scared of him. I just… he can’t see me like…

I don’t want him to know that…” She was touching the base of the fourth finger on her left hand, where she would have worn her engagement ring.

Her cheeks were bright red. “Just, which way did he go?”

“That way.” Taylor pointed to the right.

Frankie nodded and then slinked out of the room to the left, trying to disappear into the wall.

“What is the story there?” Taylor pondered aloud.

“I have no idea.” Caleb sank into the chair beside Taylor, his wife, who was alive and well, and took her hand in his and exhaled a sigh of relief.

“I’m so sorry I scared you.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay. What happened with Martin? Where is he?”

“He’s here?—”

“Here—” Caleb stood up, but Taylor pulled him down.

“He’s in surgery, but he’s being guarded, and after his surgery he’s going to jail. He’ll be charged, and thanks to Arthur, we have what he did on tape. Plus he’s pretty banged up.”

“What is he in surgery for?”

Taylor’s eyes looked to the right. “I think the surgery is for the broken windpipe, but he also has a broken collarbone, six broken ribs, a broken wrist, and five broken fingers.”

“He does?” Caleb thought that was excessive. “From the fall?”

Taylor looked over at him as the corners of her lips curled.

“Well, you saw where the video shuts off. There’s no more footage after we fall on the ground.

Arthur says it’s the fall. Martin won’t talk about it.

But it’s his right collarbone, left ribs, right wrist, and left fingers.

I heard Eric and Logan saying that it is impossible to get those injuries from just falling over or even just in a fight; they said those injuries are from a professional. ”

“Who is he?” Caleb shook his head, wishing even more that he hadn’t gotten interrupted.

“I know, right?” Taylor smiled, and it infused a warm sensation through his chest.

She was everything to him. He knew that no matter what, as long as he had her, everything would be okay. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to the back of her hands.

“I am really sorry I scared you,” Taylor apologized again.

“You just couldn’t wait until Saturday,” he teased, sort of.

“Nope, I couldn’t.” That twinkle of challenge was back in her eye as she shook her head with a smile on her face, still not backing down even though she’d ended up in the hospital and Caleb still thought she was the cutest thing in the entire world.

Which, according to his dad, was the recipe for true, everlasting, soulmate love. So, just like Jim and Pam, other kids growing up might think their parents are soulmates…but Owen, or any other kids they have, will be right.

THE END