New team

37.Background

Hi! This is probably chapter you've all been waiting for, at least those who were curious about Penny's side of the story. And here we have it ;-) Although it is not what I orginally had in mind, it is better than nothing, right? So I hope you will enjoy it and at least try to not tear me when you finished :-(

The joy that had filled Sam's house since Penny woke up was like nothing else. Andy was now walking around smiling and constantly wanting to laugh for no reason at all, and even Sam got into that mood. Even though they hadn't had a chance to see Penny yet because the doctors said it would be best for her to rest well and regain some strength after so much experience, the joy of knowing that Penny was on the right track was still enough to paint their faces. from the very morning with the sincerest smile.

Today, however, Sam was going to visit Penny. He had been looking forward to this moment, hoping that Penny would want to talk to him. He knew she shouldn't get upset, so he promised himself he wouldn't push it, but he had missed her presence for so long that he just wanted to spend the day with her. He happened to have the whole day off work, and as soon as he dropped Andy off at school, Sam went straight to the hospital. He entered the narrow corridor and knocked on the last door on the left.

"Come in" he heard after a while that voice he knew so well.

"Hello, Penny," Sam greeted her as soon as he walked inside.

The tiny room was painted entirely white and was no different from other hospital rooms, except that it was quiet and cozier. The small space contained only a small cabinet, a table, two chairs and a bed. Sam turned to close the door behind him and then sat down in the chair right next to the bed where Penny was lying.
She looked much better. From the moment she woke up, every day she stopped looking so pale and it was obvious that her strength was slowly coming back.

"Should I just sit there or...?" Sam asked confused as Penny kept her attention on the book she was reading.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Penny apologized, setting her book aside. "I didn't think I could get into the same story for the fifth time."

"Which?" He didn't believe it himself. "This book must be a thousand pages long," Sam complained as Penny repeated the number.

"If you were bedridden, everything would seem better," Penny argued.

"You need to get better," Sam argued. "Do you feel better now?"

"Sam, please, I know," Penny sighed in exasperation. "My side is still bothering me, but it's nothing. It will pass," she shrugged. "How's Andy?" She asked caringly after a moment of silence.

"He went on a school trip to the zoo," Sam explained.

"I hope he didn't cause you any trouble, did he?" She asked uncertainly.

"No," Sam reassured. "But I don't understand why you put me on the list of guardians," he named what had been on his mind since the beginning of this whole situation.

"You see..." Penny hesitated, pushing herself up on her arms to make herself more comfortable on the pillow. "After Andy's father died, I changed the record. I chose you because even though you hurt me, I hoped you wouldn't change and would always remain that caring Sam I wanted to remember," she confessed. "I knew that if something happened to me and Station Officer Steele was unable to take care of Andy, you would not refuse to help him. I hoped that such a situation would never happen, but I also had to take into account the risk that both of my jobs can put me in an impossible situation," she admitted. "I needed someone I could trust blindly to take care of Andy."

"Have you thought what would have happened if I hadn't met him before?" Sam asked in a slightly accusatory tone. "I would be a complete stranger to him."