Page 108 of Second Chance Fate

“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 abouthernot 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…pleasedon’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 yousure?”

They both nodded.

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

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