Page 83 of Doc Hollywood

“Thanks for coming. I was a bit stuck without my handbag.”

“Yeah. I noticed it was still on the set and figured you couldn’t get very far, especially as you don’t have a smartwatch.” He tapped the glass of her watch.

Clara gaped at him in surprise. He had noticed that? And remembered. Her heart sped up, but she quickly stamped it down, replying as normally as she could manage. “How did you find me?” She popped another mint into her mouth.

“I, umm.” A faint blush rose up his cheeks. “I just asked at the front desk, and they told me.” Taylor glanced away from her.

“No, you didn’t. They wouldn’t have given out that information.” She rose from the chair. Now her stomach was shouting at her less; she was keen to get out of there.

“Yes, they did,” he replied, falling into step beside her.

“No, they didn’t. They wouldn’t have given out information to someone who wasn’t next of kin.” Clara thought for a second. “How many autographs did you have to sign?”

“None.”

She felt his step falter and tried again. “Not autographs. Selfies?”

“I did five live streams and three FaceTime calls before they told me where to find you,” he mumbled.

“So everyone knows you’re in the hospital?” Clara began to walk faster.

“Yeah,” he confirmed, his strides lengthening to keep pace with her.

“We probably shouldn’t have sat eating sandwiches. We should have been running,” Clara muttered, glancing back over her shoulder when she heard footsteps behind them. There was a group of young women hurrying along the corridor towards them. “Oh crap.”

Taylor also peered back, and when he noticed the group, who clearly all knew exactly who he was, he increased his speed.

They rounded a corner, and Clara whispered, “Stuff it, let’s just run.”

She broke into a sprint, aiming for the staircase at the end of the corridor, and Taylor ran right alongside her.

They barrelled through the staircase door, and it was about to swing shut when Clara caught it and let it close gently. She then shushed him when he opened his mouth to speak.

Listening hard, she heard the group of women rush past, all debating which way Taylor had gone.

When their voices faded, Clara burst into laughter and asked, “Is this part of your fitness regimen?”

She began to run down the stairs.

“What?” He jogged after her.

“Running from fans!”

“Yes. My trainer says I can count it as my cardio,” Taylor said seriously.

Clara chortled with laughter and skidded to a halt at the door on the ground floor. She waved him back so no one would see him when she opened the door.

Peering around the corner, she could see the coast was clear, and the entrance to the hospital was within sight.

When she heard her phone beep, she hesitated, letting the door close, and pulled it out of her bag to quickly check her messages.

‘Schedule update: Mr Atrosky has undergone a medical episode. We will have a day’s delay in filming. Please be ready to resume your normal schedule on Thursday.’

Holding her phone up, she showed Taylor. “I guess I’m staying for the full two weeks.”

“That’s great. We’ve got lunch on Sunday.” Taylor reached over her head to push the door open.

Clara caught his arm to stop him, shaking her head and muttering, “I can’t go.”

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