Page 51 of Second Chance Fate

They made their way out of the emergency room down the maze of hallways. Owen was already tapping away at his phone, playing a video game.

Once they hit the parking lot, Caleb asked, “Are you okay staying with me while your mom is in the hospital?”

He hadn’t really thought out what the solution would be if he wasn’t. His first thought was to ask him if he’d rather stay with Jonah and call Gabe and then speak to Taylor about it tomorrow. The most important thing was for Owen to feel comfortable.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“Do you want me to pick up Minnie, and we can stay at your house, or do you want to get your stuff and pick up Casper and stay at mine?”

“Do you have room for us?”

“Yeah, there’s a bedroom you can stay in. But I can also stay at your place.”

“No, I think I’d rather be at your house. If I’m home, I’ll just be thinking about Mom.”

“Okay.”

They made it to the Jeep, and Caleb clicked the fob to unlock it. They climbed in, and neither of them spoke as Caleb pulled out onto the road. As they drove, his headlights carved twin tunnels in the darkness. The silence was thick, but not uncomfortable. Caleb had always prided himself on knowing what to say to people in any situation. He was never at a loss for words, unless remaining quiet was what the situation called for.

If there was ever a time that Caleb needed to use his superpower of being a comfort, of making someone feel seen and not alone, this was it, and he was failing miserably. His ownson, the one person in the world he should protect, shelter, and support, was suffering, and Caleb had no clue how to make him feel better. He didn’t know what to say or what to do.

Caleb felt completely helpless, which was not an emotion he was familiar with, and he had zero plans to get used to it.

15

“Good morning, Sunshine,”Bernadette Cole, whose nametag read Bardi C, sing-songed as she entered the room.

Taylor knew her better than any of the other nurses because Bernadette typically worked in the pediatric unit. As luck would have it, she was covering for a nurse on maternity leave, which is why she was on the general floor.

Bardi C was a nickname her grandchildren had given her after the rapper Cardi B. A lot of the kids in pediatrics were big Cardi B fans, so it was a great way to break the ice with them. Owen had picked up on it right away the first time she’d treated him, and they’d immediately bonded over it.

Each time Taylor saw Bernadette, she radiated positivity and joy, almost like she was a walking, breathing, living embodiment of the sun, and today was no different. Her tangerine scrubs mirrored the vibrant energy she exuded. Her waist-length box braids were pinned up in a topknot on her head, and the style accentuated her high cheekbones and almond-shaped hazel eyes that were as vivid as the sun setting in the east. “How’s my favorite patient doing?”

Taylor had a sneaking suspicion that Bernadette cast a wide net when it came to her “favorites.”

“Great, I’m doing great.” Taylor absolutely couldnotspend another night in this hospital. She’d been in the hospital for five days. Three of those were in the ICU. She was transferred yesterday morning to the general ward.

Unfortunately, Bernadette didn’t just take Taylor’s word for it. She decided to take her temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation and document those results. Without checking her chart to see what the numbers were, Taylor knew they weren’t great. She knew that because she was lying about how she was feeling.

She felt better than she had when she arrived in the ICU but not even close to great. She was still suffering from fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, chills, achiness, nausea, heart palpitations, and general flu-like symptoms. She lied about feeling great because she wanted, no,neededto get to go home.

“Mr. Cutie Patootie Pastor sure is worried about you.” Bernadette removed the empty bag from the IV pole before replacing it with a clear bag that was full. “You know, I’ve worked here for about twenty years, and I remember Caleb visiting countless patients with his daddy. And these past few years, since the pulpit torch was passed to him, he’s been here a lot in his pastoral role. He always shows up when he’s needed and goes above and beyond… But, withyou…” She glanced, tilted her head, and her eyes narrowed slightly. “…with you…he’s different.”

Taylor was sure Calebwasdifferent with her. He’d gone from being a single man with no responsibilities to becoming a father of a pre-teen overnight. If anything happened to her, he was going to be a single father. Wouldn’t he? She wasn’t actually sure what would happen legally. That had been bothering her a lot.What if she’d gotten in a car accident? Or if this infection took a turn. What legal rights did Caleb have?

Caleb had been incredible with Owen. He was the only reason she hadn’t signed herself out of the hospital. She wasn’t sure how she could have gotten through this without him. Owen and Casper had been staying at Caleb’s house. Owen had his own room and bathroom, and there was a big backyard that Casper loved. Caleb had handled everything from school, a doctor’s appointment, prescription refills, and shuttling Owen back and forth to the hospital every afternoon when he got out of school, which was an hour round trip.

Each time the two of them walked into the hospital room, Taylor’s heart swelled just a little bit more. She wanted so badly to tell Owen who Caleb was. She was scared that he would feel like she’d kept a secret from him, because…well, she had. She needed to tell him, but how could she when he was here in the hospital?

“It’s not just you; he’s so good with Owen,” Bernadette continued.

“He is,” Taylor agreed.

“The two of them are like two peas in a pod,” Bernadette observed as she exchanged the plastic pitcher of water that had been on the bedside tray since the day before with a fresh one and set a disposable paper souffle medicine cup filled with Taylor’s morning pills next to it. She poured a fresh cup of chilled water, and the sides of the clear plastic cup clouded up with condensation.

Taylor put the pills in her mouth, picked up the cup, and tipped her head back as she took a big drink.

“Have you noticed that the two of them have the same dimples? Same eyes, too.”

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