Separated ways

15.Invitation

Hi! Here it is a chapte rfor my comeback and I guess it will be interesting for you. So have a nice reading and please don't get too mad at me in the process🙈

The days were passing by as slow as the turtle fighting in the race with a rabbit. At every moment of the day Sam had been catching himself with a feeling to turn around and speak to Penny. So strange that he couldn't live without her at the instant when she disappeared. He received few short messages from her, but he fought with himself long enough to answer it, but then he realized he was hurt too much with her sudden absence that he couldn't write anything worth sending. 

The rest of the team didn't take it any better. Ellie still kept on argueing about almost anything, while Arnold and Elvis got much quieter and more reserved. Penny's leave didn't break the team, but it made them fool around and have a little fun time much less nice. Even if the whole team got a little silenced because of it, it was the most visible on Sam's example. 

It was well-known knowledge around Pontypandy that him and Penny made the perfect team together and half of the town could bet on everything that there was sonething more between Sam and Penny than friendship and work relation. Now after her disappearance it seemed like Pontypandy was grieving that relation much more than expected. 

And Sam was not Sam anymore. He barely talked as he closed his thoughts and feelings in his head, only let then boil in the day and let go in the night when he was alone in his house crying bitter tears. Not knowing why, he felt partly responsible for Penny's departure. 

"I should have fought harder, Radar" he spoke to the dalmatian when he came visit Sam by the open gate of his garden. "Maybe if I found the courage before, I could have made her stay. She might have had a reason to then" he felt how the tears began to squeeze his throat. "Only if she felt the same" Sam sighed as he hid his face in his hands as Radar whimpered sadly.

It happened mostly every evening when Sam was off duty. It was driving him crazy to that point that once he tried to call Penny, but he only heard the voice of the speaker that choosen number is not reachable in that country. That didn't make any more sense for Sam. So on the next shift first thing that he promised to himself to do was to go and talk with Station Officer Steele as soon as his shift started. But to his own astonishment, Station Officer Steele came to him first as Sam was closing his locker and absent-mindly turning around, which almost made his chief jump.

"Sam! You start to scare even me" he joked as he gently put his hand on Sam's back to lead him a little away from Elvis and Arnold who had just approached the lockers. 

"I'm sorry, chief. I didn't know you were standing right beside me" Sam apologised. 

"Always beside you, Sam" Station Officer Steele smiled encouragically. "That's why I will say what I probably shouldn't" he added misteriously. "Come with me". 

"What do you mean, sir?" Sam asked puzzled.

"You got a chance to fight for something other than hiding" Station Officer Steele handed him a letter. "Go and talk to deputy of chief fire officer. You'll get to know details. From me you can have a full acquiescence and assurance that I will take care of Pontypandy" Station Officer Steele smiled assuringly. 

"But I don't understand what this all has to do with me?" Sam still was hesitating. 

"You will thank me later on when you'll come back home and realize you still have a chance to fight for Penny" Station Officer Steele assured when he took off his drawer a small leaflet and handed it to Sam. As soon as Sam's eyes spotted a title he recognised this leaflet immediately. 

"You do want me to go on an exchange?" Sam's eyes were open wide. "I don't know what to say".

"You don't have to say anything to me, just go and talk with firefighter Jacobs. He's the one to send an invitation for you" Station Officer Steele replied. "I'll be perfectly fine to see you and Penny passing the exchanges" he patted Sam's shoulder. "So go pack your equipment and go to Newtown. If you want to catch a place you need to act faster than before" with this words Station Officer Steele drove Sam out of his office. 

Sam did as he was said to. He packed his equipment into bag, but he left it in his locker, just to not make his hopes too big. Now he started to better understand what was going on. As it was seen in numerous messages Penny sent him through last week she must have got a place somewhere in France. 

On his way in the line to talk with chief fire officer deputy, he wanted to write to Penny, but he just absent-mindly ran his eyes through the invitation time after time. It said personally accepted as a perfect candidate for a half-year exchange to lower written destinations.It was middle and east Europe mostly. Sam thanked inside himself for not sleeping on his geography lessons in high school. 

He was so lost reading the letter over and over again that he didn't realized that he was called to come inside three times. He quickly hid his phone deeply in his pocket as he walked into small office only to see how the chair was turning and he saw dark hair and the smile Sam couldn't interpret.

"Oh, Sam. How good to see that you find time to come" Ryan smiled politely. 

"Nice to see that you're back to duty" it didn't go away of Sam's notice that Ryan's leg was put on splint. 

"Only office duty, once a week, but as long as I'm the only candidate to take over this rank, I have some obligations I can't put down" Ryan clarified. "And to your information I didn't bring you here for a nice talk" he added sternly as he handed Sam an empty form. 

"If you want to catch a fly to any of this destinations, I will be grateful if you sign in right away" he spoke indifferently. "We have pretty strict schedule". 

"What about France?" Sam asked, trying to sound as emotionlessly as he could, but his voice still shook with hope. 

"I'm sorry, but our dear Penny took the last place a week ago" he said with an innocent smile as he handed Sam a pen. "Listen I don't want to, but I give you a chance. It's up to you whether you take it or no" he shrugged his shoulders, but Sam noticed in corner of eye, how he smiled when Sam signed the paper. 

"What destination do you advise?" Sam looked up at Ryan without any shade of anger. 

"Let's see" Ryan took an invitation from Sam as he ran quickly through the countries. It was a lot to choose from and Sam didn't feel any guilt when he gave Ryan the signed form as he felt an anger which was boiling in him for a week, slowly fading away.