New team

16.Brother

While writing a raport to Chief Fire Officer Boyce about last month being a station officer, Sam got a quiet moment to put it all in his head what had changed in last half a year. 

Things in the fire station were going in a very good direction. Even if Sam was reluctant to agree to have a whole team of not expierienced firefighters yet under his command, though they lived up to his expectation. They quickly learned how to find their way in Pontypandy and in fire station and quickly began to show Sam what each one of them was capable of. But Sam knew that only in the team laid their true strenght, so he had to watched them carefully who was a real leader among them. 

At first he was anxious, but when he got a letter from Chief Fire Officer Boyce, he couldn't disagree with an order, written, although hidden, between the lines. So he took another few days to observe, using the time he got for putting the words into actions and he had to see if the candidate would be able to keep a calm mind. 

Everyone did good on their test day, but one person was especially different from the rest. Sam couldn't get out of awe how quickly this young boy managed to gain trust from the rest of the team, which had prevously known each other. Liam quickly showed how much respect he had in team and gained their trust. 

Sam put his pen down again as the thoughts began racing through his mind too quickly to get a touch to write them down. In moments like that he looked at the photo he still kept in a broken frame. He didn't know why he didn't want to change it, but it was broken by her when they argued and it was also the last time he had seen her. The frame broke making them startled right before he was about to say words he surely would have regretted today if it had been said. But it didn't matter, however he always remembered her hurt smile when she said goodbye for a last time, each time he saw the photo in this frame. But still looking at the photo gave him some kind of joy he lost long time ago. 

Sam sighed as he took a pen again to finish ending writing his raport about Liam's temporary time to prove himself as a team leader, but he as soon as he signed it up a loud knock to the door interrupted him. 

He looked at his watch and noticed how late it already was. He thought he was all alone in a fire station as he let the team go home earlier today and stay on their phones after they fought with a forest fire by the whole afternoon. He was even more surprised when he saw his brother standing behind it. But the astonishment quickly passed when Charlie admonishly nudged him with his elbow in not so gentle way.

"And that was for what?" Sam asked offendly, massaging his shoulder where his brother had just hit him. 

"Maybe you let me handle what includes my daughter" Charlie replied, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"What are you talking about, Charlie?" Sam looked at his brother confused. 

"Listen Sam, I know it may seems hard for you to understand that some people can be happy together" Charlie started, but Sam just looked at him with wide open eyes. 

"I'm not dening it" Sam objected, waving off his brother's accusations. 

"I think you are" Charlie looked at him meaningfully. "You were the one to tell me to keep a closer look at Sarah". 

"I just told you what I witnessed" Sam replied casualy, shrugging his shoulders innocently, but a dry tone of his voice told itself that he thought Charlie was willing to get Liam and Sarah easily away with that. 

"And I told you to keep away from that" Charlie snapped. 

"Charlie!" Sam looked up at his brother helplessly. "She kissed him! First!" Sam added to underline when his brother's jaw fall down open, confusing Sam even more. 

"Don't even try to tell me that this was all this about" Charlie asked teasingly when he realized himself in a situation back. "Sam, Sarah is old enough to decide for herself" Charlie sent his brother a meaningful look as he leaned on the desk. "Besides, Liam is a good boy. I trust him just don't understand why you can't" Charlie shook his head helplessly. 

"He just reminds me too much about myself" Sam sighed as his gaze, absent-mindly, walked to the photo in the broken frame. "We started like that too. Innocently, without knowing what we're really meant for each other" Sam explained. 

"But it is not a reason to punish him and Sarah" Charlie tried to convince. "They are still young and it would really break you if you saw Sarah crying like she did when I was on my way to you". 

"Why did she cry?" Sam asked immediately alarmed. There is a perfect uncle again. "Is this because of Liam?"

"Not much about him, rather because of you" Charlie answered teasingly. 

"Why because of me?" Sam looked at his brother perplexed. 

"Because you've been following their every step and especially Liam took notice of this when you won't let him go unnoticed anywhere" Charlie explained. "Sam, let them be themselves and learn on their own mistakes. Time will show" Charlie tried to make a suitable sentance but it was obvious he was hesitating. 

"You think I have gone insane?" Sam measured Charlie cautiously. 

"No, never" Charlie tried to laugh, but it turned out way to dry to sound honestly. "You've changed these last ten years. I got used to new you, but still sometimes I'm afraid I will wake up one day and not be able to recognize you anymore" Charlie named his worries as he took his brother's hand in his. "She didn't die, Sam. Gather yourself up" Charlie said confidently, trying to catch Sam's gaze, but his brother avoided it, lowering it to the photo on the desk.

"But our friendship died, Charlie. Ten years ago" Sam sighed in responce. "I didn't realized, till it was too late, how independent Penny was. She didn't need a protector, she needed a suport. And I couldn't be there for her when she needed me the most" He told mysteriously. 

"I'm sorry for you, brother" Charlie looked up at Sam. "But why didn't you reach out to her after that? Maybe it could still be fixed?" 

"If it was still time, Charlie" Sam sighed resignately as he ran his hand through his face. "But I didn't have it. You see when we argued, I tried to remind her something with this photo" he took the frame into the other hand. "But she just told me that if I couldn't let her do what she had to do" Sam recalled as his eyes went in a darker shade of blue. "I would not be any help to her" Sam sighed. "So I just listened to her wish, letting her go, even though from that day on I listened to the news with my heart shaking if I would hear something about her unit" Sam confessed. 

"Also keeping the photo in a broken glass" Charlie teased to ease the atmosphere. 

"It is the last thing me and Penny ahd in common. We need to protect the ones we love" Sam smiled weakly.