What Should Have Been

Part 7

"Sam..." He smiled as she blinked a few times before closing the office door. "What are you doing here, I thought you were in America." He nodded looking back down to Grace. "I was..." He was afraid to tell her the truth behind coming back so decided it could wait.

Connie couldn't help shake the feeling inside her. He was back, in Holby, currently sitting with his daughter. Not that he knew that, obviously but it was something she had wanted to happen. She finally moved from where she'd been standing to sit on the sofa.

Sam turned to look at her, a warm half smile on his lips. "You don't change do you?" Connie scoffed rolling her eyes causing Sam to just laugh again. "Still the same... So, a lot has clearly happened in three years." Connie nodded with a tight smile as she glanced down at Grace. "Yeah, I came back here for a start-" "You left?"

Connie nodded as Grace got up from the floor moving to her mother. Connie hugged her lifting her onto her lap. Sam admired the view before him, he had never imagined Connie as a maternal figure but it suited her. "Let's say that myself and the board didn't see eye to eye-" "Did you ever?" Connie smirked dropping her head slightly.

Sam looked about the office before finding Grace sitting beside him again. "She's just like you, spitting image-" "I'll take that as a compliment?" He nodded looking away from Connie. She took the moment to run her eyes over him. He was much taller than before, and certainly dressed better. His hair had grown somewhat, and he just seemed to ooze confidence. Not something she thought he ever would do, at least not professionally.

"So, is your girlfriend not annoyed you're here Sam? Last I heard you were all set to be walking down the aisle." Sam's expression changed as he forced a smile. "Seems I didn't change either..." Connie sighed unsure whether she was glad for his cock up in his relationship or not. "You didn't meet someone else?" "I never took the time to look. Things... Came up."

Connie nodded as though she wasn't interested moving across the office to her desk. Taking a seat, she crossed her legs pulling herself up to the table. "And you thought you'd come see an 'old friend'?" Sam laughed turning his attention to the young girl. "Well couldn't say I was back to see the ice bitch that forced me out-" "Sam, don't try and blame your misfortunes in America on me. It was your choice to walk away."

He held his hands up looking to her. "I didn't come to fight with you-" "Oh please, that's all we ever did." "I seem to remember and occasion we did something else..." When she glanced up his eyes were boring into hers. She felt her heart skip before she levelled her eyes. "And everything after that?" "Well, I was choosing to ignore that." "Clearly."

Sam smirked as she turned her head back to her computer screen. She really hadn't changed. The attitude, the looks, the same woman he had wanted to see everyday for the last three years. "You know, I always regretted not picking up the phone to you." Connie looked over to him as he played with her daughter. "So why didn't you? Ego too big-" "Didn't want to intrude on the perfect life you had going."

Connie rolled her eyes. "Please Sam, you never cared for anyone but yourself." He nodded towards Grace. "I'd have said the same about you but clearly something did change... What's her name?" Connie was reluctant to speak about her like this as she pushed her tongue against her teeth. "Grace..." "Well Grace, that's a lovely name..."

Sam watched as the young girl began to interact with him more. "How have you been? Beside arguing with the hospital directors." Connie laughed shaking her head. "You make it sound like it's all I do-" "Isn't it?" "No, I scare half of the staff too." Sam nodded smiling at Grace who had a stethoscope in her hands. "That your Mum's?"

Grace nodded proudly before standing up. "I'm going to be a doctor like Mummy..." Sam raised his eyebrows looking to Connie who watched her in amusement. Grace placed the stethoscope to Sam's chest multiple times. "Following in those very infamous footsteps..." "She's a good girl, aren't you sweetheart?"

She had moved from the desk to kneel on the floor beside them. Sam couldn't help but watch her as she knelt so close to him. After all these years he was still reeling after her. "You raise her alone?" Connie nodded trying not to look at him. "How'd you manage?" "We coped didn't we? Uncle Elliot helped, but we made it alright."

He risked placing a hand to her arm bringing her attention back to him. "That couldn't have been easy Connie." Her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she tried to resist staring at him. "It wasn't... But I couldn't expect her father to stay-" "Anyone would have been crazy to leave this little girl behind." Connie nodded feeling herself bite back the tears she so desperately tried to hide from everyone.

Instead she coughed standing back up returning to the steely doctor. "Sorry but I really have got a lot of work to do-" "I missed you." Connie looked to Sam who was now standing in front of her desk. "You said you would." Both of them smiled slightly as Sam pulled something out of his pocket.

Connie stood up taking the card from him raising an eyebrow. "It'd be really good if we could talk, properly." She nodded hearing something in his voice which didn't register with his face. Taking a small step closer Sam placed a delicate kiss on her cheek. Connie held her breath before looking to him as he stood up. "It was good to see you... Bye bye Grace, maybe I'll see you sometime?"

Grace waved happily as Connie looked down to the card in her hands. She played with it refusing to look up until she heard the door close gently. Slumping down in her chair she stared at the numbers glaring up at her. She let her head fall to her hands scalding herself for feeling the way she did at seeing him again.