This is an alternative ending to 1x07. Connor invites Sam for dinner and spends the night with her...
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"There goes your steak, Doctor Zanetti", Connor put the plate on her side, after he cut her foot, like he promised.
"Thank you", Sam whispered, trying to eat with her healthy hand.
Connor turned around to make sure nobody witnessed the scene, then he grabbed the fork to take one piece. Sam came a little bit closer to take it.
"Oh, Doctor Rhodes. I didn't know that your invitation included feeding."
"I'm fine with that."
She looked down on her plate, a serious expression on her face.
"Listen, what I said to you in the OR… I'm sorry, okay? I was just angry, because...my job means a lot to me and if I can't operate… what kind of doctor am I?"
Connor shook his head.
"Don't apologize. Never apologize", Rhodes smirked.
"Lesson I've learned from Doctor Zanetti."
Sam rolled her eyes.
"I mean it, Connor. I know I came hard on you. I didn't realize that you just wanted to help me."
He smiled, took another bite from his salad.
"You're forgiven", he smiled at her.
"Take the win."
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"Good morning, Doctor Rhodes."
Sams head remained on Connors shoulder.
Dealing with the pain in her arm, she gentely touched his lips with hers to wake him up, after they spent the night together.
„You feel better now?", he whispered and stretched his arms, deeply yawning before his eyes met her injury.
"I'm gonna survive", Zanetti mourned, feeling his hand carressing the fracture.
"How in hell did you let this getting so bad?", he asked in concern, received shrugged shoulders as an answer.
"I'm a fighter", she murmured, taking a deep breath, secretely enjoying the scent of his shampoo.
"Tough girls never complain about pain."
Connor gave her a sad look.
"Be honest. Who had hurt you, Zanetti?"
She raised his eyebrows, not sure what he wanted to tell her.
" Nobody. What do you mean?"
Connor sighed.
"Do you want to tell me that had been always that bitchy? You don't have to study psychology to see that you're acting like this for a reason. Like you want to protect yourself."
Zanetti stared at her boyfriend, shook her head fastly.
"Don't make a fool of yourself. Go, ask my parents. Or does someone have a problem to be ciritzised for his work?"
"Nice try", he smirked, giving her another kiss, so she was unable to continue arguing.
Zanetti shook her head, then crawled out of bed.
"I have to use the bathroom. You better get dressed", she excused, leaving Rhodes in confusion…
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"Seems like someone needs a hand, huh?", Connor asked, walking into the bathroom, where he found Sam, who desperately tried to close the clasp of her bra.
She rolled her eyes, tried to close it for another time, but failed. Suddenly the pain in her elbow hit her hard.
"Ouch", she whined, receiving concerned views.
Connor closed the clasp within seconds. Sam, who still fought tears, bit her lips to stay strong. It was a bursting, very unpleasant kind of pain, that went through her whole shoulder.
"Hey", Rhodes rubbed her back, recognizing that she wasn't far away from crying.
"You should call in sick. Really, Sam."
She sniffled, shaking her head no.
"I still have lots of paperwork to do. Some reports need to be finished."
"Okay, but only under one condition. I'm leaving earlier, so I will join you on your way to Gaffneys."
"Do whatever you have to do."
She reached for her t shirt, realizing that it would cause another problem.
Rhodes, who didn't see it coming, already wanted to leave the room, when she held him back.
"Connor?"
"Yeah?"
She looked at him like a little child.
"Can you…?"
She didn't finish, just pointed at her t shirt.
"Of course", he kissed her forehead and finished her request…
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"Excuse me, Maggie? Where is Doctor Zanetti? She's not in her office anymore?", Connor asked right before the end of his shift.
The nurse looked up from her desk, her eyes wanderint to the clock on the wall.
"I thought she wanted to tell you. She headed home, was not feeling good. "
"And when was it?"
"Around one hour ago?"
"Thank you. Listen, I'm gonna sign myself out a bit earlier today. In case someone's gonna ask", he signed the paper and said goodbye, then walked out oft he hospital. Already feeling that something was wrong he decided to drop by, just in case Sam would need help or someone to stay with her.
It was already 8 p.m when he stopped at her apartement. Knocking on the door, he nervously stood in front of her doorway.
He already wanted to leave, because nobody seemed to open, when he heard a noise coming from right next to him.
Connor turned around, looked at his colleague in surprise.
To his confusion it seemed like she had been crying. The light on the floor indicated that her cheeks seemed all wet and you could barely recognize tracks of black mascara on her face.
"Hey, I didn't wanted to interrupt you, but someone told me that you went home. Is everything alright?"
"Come in", she opened without answering his question. Connor already suspected that he worried for a reason. Obviously something seemed to be wrong with her.
Zanetti offered him the couch to take a seat, handled him a glas of wine, before she pured some of the red liquid in her own.
"Can I talk to you in confidence?", she asked in a tone that seemed unfamiliar and strange to him.
Rhodes nodded in agreement.
"Concerning the things you said today. You were right. There is something you should now."
He looked up at her, recognizing tears in her eyes.
"Listen, the reason I'm a bit harsh sometimes, is depending on my past. I didn't grew up with my birth parents. When I was around 5 my father shot my mom dead right in front of me. It was kind of a violent home. There was fighting, arguing and beating, since I remember. After that I was put into the foster care system, but I never fitted in. It took years until they've found a family that was right for me to stay. Although I learned how to trust people, there was always some kind of darkness inside of me. I wasn't able to comprehend, because my memory repressed it. One week ago I contacted my social worker to learn what my brain already wanted to forget."
Rhodes looked at Zanetti in shock, not having the words and not knowing what he should said.
"Listen, the reason I left earlier today, was because I picked up my file and some photos from back when I was a child. Since you're 18 you have the right to get further information and I didn't wanted to waite any longer", she reached for an enevelope, pulling out some images, that showed what Connor only had seen in text books, that increased how you notice abuse in children as a doctor.
Still hesitating she gave him the photos.
Helpless and completely overwhelemed he focused on the images that showed a kid, covered with scars and haemotomes on hands, arms and legs. Evidentely it was Samantha, anxious looking at the camera, that must have been hold by a cop who documentated everything.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not doing this to bother you. I just need…someone to talk about it and..", she whispered, but the her voice broke in the middle of the sentence. Tears were already streaming down her face, so she was barely able to see.
"I'm sorry. I have to go", she jumped up from her seat, already heading to the bathroom, when Connor grabbed her hand, prevented her from moving.
"Let me go", she begged him, too weak to fight him. Finally she ended up in his arms, after he pulled her in a hug.
Her head remained on his shoulder, while she cried into the piece of his jacket.
"Shhh…It's okay. It's okay", he repeated, holding her tight, murmuring soothing words of comfort, until her sobs changed into hicups and her breathing got back to normal…
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"Sam? Sam", Rhodes whispered, taking her hand to squeeze it, so she was forced to look him in the eyes.
"It's okay to be upset. You went through hell", Connor pointed at the pictures.
They were sitting on the couch. Rhodes had put his arm around her waist to provide some further comfort, after she calmed down and stopped crying.
She shrugged her shoulders, looked at the picutres on the table like they were poisened.
"Hey, listen to me", he focused on her.
"You were a kid. There was nothing you could have done. And that's why it's okay to be said and angry and scared. You have the right to feel that way, Sam."
She nodded, wiping the tears from her cheek.
Connor placed a kiss on her forehead, tenderly stroking her hand.
"I'm so sorry", he whispered, like he was the one who caused her sorrow.
"Thank you for being here", Zanetti kissed him back.
"I'm gonna stay the night", he promised.
"I won't leave you."
Zanetti smiled sadly, then snuggled on his chest…