Separated ways

6. Accident

Hi! Yes this story hasn't been buried yet. It is just a beginning. I was so tired of writing this chapter that I sat on it just today. So here we go and the big comeback it is not, but a come back for sure. I promise to work more regularly, as I have few new ideas in my head;) 

A wind flew strong inside of Penny's ears when she was standing athe edge of cliff, still keeping the Jones' twins' hands closed in hers. Each one of them's hearts were pounding as the echo of Sam's terrified scream was still reaching their ears. They were standing steady as stones, both afraid and uncertain. Afraid to move to the edge, they denied the worst could have just happened.

Penny was still standing as petrified to death as at the moment she heard Sam's scream, while Sarah buried her face in Penny's side to cry bitterly. Penny fall carefully to her knees and closed Sarah in a hug. James also couldn't fight his tears anymore as he leaned on his twin sister. When the fear slowly began to leave Penny's mind and her senses came back to the state of qualified as useful, Sarah and James still didn't stopped crying bitterly for their uncle. 

But Penny as Penny, always had to assured herself, check. She reluctantly let go of Sarah as the girl looked for comfort in her twin brother, while Penny slowly, step by step, made her way to the edge of the cliff, right where Sam fall down. On shaking legs, she kneelt carefully on the ground and as carefully leaned over the edge to take a look down. She was afraid to see Sam's lifeless body, but there was no sign of anything like that. Actually, any sign of Sam at all.  

Not knowing what to think about it, she turned around and went back to the twins. She put her arm around them and she was just about to turn on her radio to report everything what had happened to Station Officer Steele, when something nobody of them could expect happened...

Meanwhile, while the tension on the cliff edge was at its peak, Sam managed to reached out the last meters that separated him from getting back on solid ground. The fall landed him halfway up the entire cliff, hitting his back against the rock face. The only thing that saved him from certain death was the other end of the same rope that had snapped a moment ago at the top of the cliff. Sam, hanging on the rope, tried to get air into his lungs again. When he finally managed to regain control of his racing heart, he smiled involuntarily. A piece of rope saved him. He knew that such thinking could lead to his imminent doom, but right now he needed to think brightly. He no longer had a safety rope, and the abyss beneath him was ready to receive the victim.

However, he had no intention of giving up. He knew he had something to live for. Quickly mentally estimating the strength of the rope and ignoring the slight pain he felt, he swung and managed to grab the edge of the adjacent rock ledge. He pulled himself up and yanked the rope out of the gap, leaving him completely abandoned to fate. Once he leaned against the cliff face and felt that he was safe, at least for the moment, he tried to contact Penny on the radio, but to no avail. He screamed and only echoes answered him.

'What's going on up there?' he thought, stubbornly looking for support for his arms and legs. Step by step, slowly and with all his attention, he managed to reach the last rock shelf that separated him from the top..

Suddenly an arm appeared on the edge of cliff and desperately searched for a solid ground to hold onto. The gasp od shock reached Sam's ears, but he was too concentrated on the climb. He fought against the last meters that separated him from finally reaching the top. He pulled himself up and gratefully he crawled a few meters away from the edge. 

Only then did he realize that Penny was staring at him with terrified eyes as if she had seen a ghost, while James and Sarah had their faces hidden in each other's arms. As Sam rose to his feet, his gaze met Penny's. He knew the fear hidden inside those beautiful eyes. How many times did he want to believe that it meant something more than just friendship. But that wasn't possible.

So Sam just smiled and took a few steps forward. But he quickly fell, feeling a stabbing pain in his side, and Penny was immediately next to him. She placed a caring hand on his shoulder and helped him sit on the ground before looking into his eyes with the same fear returning.

"What's wrong, Sam? Are you hurt?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"I'm fine," Sam tried to pretend everything was fine, but he hissed in pain with his next breath.

"I don't think so," Penny shook her head firmly and reached for the radio, but Sam stopped her.

"I'm saying I'm fine," Sam emphasized again, standing up. But Penny kept her eyes on him the entire time.

"Sam, really get checked out," she asked as she caught up with him right next to Sarah and James, who were hugging their uncle with a cry of genuine joy. Sam hissed in pain, but didn't answer. Therefore, Penny, seeing that something was happening, decided to contact Helen by radio.

But Sam was stubborn, so they decided to go back to the firehouse. They drove Sarah and James back to Pontypandy and Penny turned down the road to the fire station. Sam sat quietly the entire way, only briefly answering the twins' questions. When Venus parked in the firehouse garage, Sam and Penny got out, only to immediately see Station Officer Steele waiting with Helen for their arrival.

The look Sam gave her as Helen approached them hurt Penny. She saw relief and silent thanks in the smile, but underneath the mask in Sam's eyes there was resentment. As if asking for help had hurt his pride. However, resigned, he finally went with Helen to the office to be examined.

"What happened to Sam?" Ellie asked as Penny came upstairs.

"I don't know," Penny shrugged and summarized what happened on the cliff. "I just hope it's nothing serious."

"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Ellie pointed out, almost laughing in Penny's face. "Admit it, you do still love him?" Ellie pursued the topic. But she was right. Since Ellie started working at Pontypandy, she has done everything she can to bring Penny and Sam even closer together. However, Penny once had enough of it and angrily shouted at Ellie that she didn't love Sam at all, which she had previously admitted. From then on, however, Ellie only became more mischevious, seeing clearly that her friend was only fooling herself.

Penny didn't say another word to Ellie, she kept looking into her cup until Sam came upstairs. Ellie just waved and quickly exchanged a few words with him before she left, leaving Sam and Penny in the kitchen.

"Everything's all right?" Penny hesitated slightly.

"Yes," Sam sat down in the next chair. "It's just a cracked rib. A few days off should be enough," he repeated what Nurse Flood had told him.