Ella: Accidental Surrogate, Chapter 356

A little later, I found Cora in the long room we've converted into a makeshift hospital, clearly trying to distract herself. I grimaced. Her bedside manner had deteriorated significantly; she was snapping at patients, glaring at those who took too long to answer, and stalking from bed to bed. As I entered, the men looked at me with desperate eyes.

I raised my free hand—Rafe bundled in my other arm—to reassure them, indicating I would handle the situation. Then I calmly approached my sister.

“Hey, Cora,” I said casually, glancing down at the clipboard in her hand, covered in her messy doctor's scrawl. Cora didn't respond, merely glared at me and returned to her work.

I scoffed, bumping my shoulder against hers, slightly annoyed. “Why don’t we try that again, Cora?” I said through gritted teeth. “Hello, Cora. How are you?”

“I’m not speaking to you, Ella,” Cora snapped, shaking her head and continuing to write. “Or my stupid mate, or yours. Or their dad.”

“What about Rafe?” I asked, adjusting the baby so she could see him better.

Cora glanced at Rafe, who looked up at her with his big, sweet eyes. She hesitated. “Rafe is fine,” she muttered. “He didn’t betray me. Unlike the rest of you.”

“Plus, he’s cute,” I said, grinning down at him. Cora scoffed and turned away, clearly angry that I was ignoring her point: we had betrayed her by accusing Hank.

“Cora!” I sighed, hurrying to keep up as she moved. “Listen, I’m sorry! I really am! You know I like Hank—a lot! I was Team Hank for a while, and I was the only one! But we have to be vigilant, and you know Henry had some valid points!”

She whirled on me. “You think he could seriously fool me, Ella?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest and clutching the clipboard. “Do you seriously think I have such bad taste in men that I’d sleep with someone trying to kidnap my nephew?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the wounded man in the nearest bed flinch, his eyes widening in awkward surprise. I ignored him, focusing on my sister.

“No, Cora,” I said, placing a hand on her arm to reassure her and prevent her from leaving. “Seriously, I don’t think Hank did anything! I just think Henry has a point—we need to double-check everything before trusting people! They wouldn’t even let me call you when we first got the anonymous note about someone trying to take Rafe! They’re just being cautious!”

Cora scowled, looking away but acknowledging my point. “Well, that was bullshit, too,” she murmured.

“Which I told them!” I said, removing my hand and bouncing Rafe slightly, who was getting agitated, probably because of my frustration. “But they checked anyway! Honestly, Cora,” I said, taking a deep breath, “what’s the harm in being careful? Hank will be cleared. So, what does it hurt?”

“It hurts me, Ella,” Cora said quietly, looking at me for the first time. “I already hurt Hank—and he did nothing wrong. Now he’s facing these accusations, which he totally doesn’t deserve! He’s my colleague, my friend—a good person! And I’m vouching for him, and nobody believes me!”

I stepped closer, my heart aching to see her distress.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, putting my arm around her. “I’m sorry, Cora. I won’t doubt you again. Okay? Forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she sighed, squeezing me before pulling away and wiping her eyes. “You’re just…just trying to protect your baby.” I noticed her unconsciously lowering the clipboard, her hand moving to her stomach.

“That’s right,” I said, looking down at the baby. “He’s been troublesome since birth. Look what you’ve done, baby!” I joked, trying to lighten the mood. “Your simple existence has inspired a war resulting in accusations that hurt your auntie’s feelings! You apologize now!” I held Rafe up to Cora, as if he could apologize.

Rafe, surprised by the change in position, squeaked, making Cora laugh. She shook her head, smiling, and took him from me. “No, not my nephew,” she said, cradling him. “Don’t listen to her, Rafe, it’s not your fault.”

My baby wrinkled his face and sighed, as if gravely offended, and we both laughed again.

“Okay,” Cora said, looking up at me. “Thanks, Ella,” she whispered. “I think…I think you snapped me out of it.”

“Good,” I said, reaching for the baby. “Roger will be glad to hear it. And so will your poor patients.”

“What?” she asked, looking around the room to see everyone staring at us, having heard our entire conversation. “Oh my god,” she muttered, burying her face in her hands and laughing.

“It’s okay,” I said, grinning and putting a hand on her back. “Now that they’re fairly sure you won’t murder them for slow symptom reporting, I think we’ll make good progress!”

Cora glared briefly but then moved on, picking up the clipboard. “I have so much to do,” she murmured, flipping through the papers. “They need a lot of care—”

“Can I help?” I asked, eager to assist. Cora looked up, blinking. “You want to play nurse again?”

“Sure!” I said excitedly. “Just give me a minute to give Rafe to Sinclair, all right? Then you’ll have my full attention.”

Cora smiled and nodded. “It would be a big help, Ella,” she replied. “If you can spare the time.”

“For you, sister?” I said, winking as I turned away. “I’ll make the time.”