"Sit still while I clean this up, please." Sam asked politely. Connie had put him on cubicles again - she knew it annoyed him. The man he was trying to treat was scared and lashing out.
Connie looked up from her paperwork on the main desk, wondering whether she should go and bail Sam out. She quite liked seeing him slightly 'out of his depth' because he usually managed to more or less cope with whatever she threw at him - albeit, not always in the way she wanted. Today though, she felt a bit mean. The patient was shouting and poor Sam looked a bit like a frightened rabbit in headlights. Connie knew she should go over and help. On the other hand she also knew that it wouldn't go down well - Sam would not appreciate her interference. She decided it was best to stay back for now but she would keep an eye on the situation.
Sam was still trying to treat the man, but the patient was still angry and frightened. He suddenly grabbed a pencil off the table next to the bed and lunged at Sam.
Sam stumbled backwards, stunned. Connie was there in seconds, grabbing some tissues on her way. She put one hand on Sam's back to support him and with the tissues in her other hand, she placed it on his chest, around the pencil. Sam looked dazed and confused.
"Ok?" She asked him, pressing down with the tissues. "Sam?!"
"Huh? What?" He muttered his eyes flickering a bit. "Urgh"
"Shh, alright." Connie applied more pressure. "You going to faint?" She questioned, raising her eye brows at him.
"Nah" His eyes were slightly more focused now - the initial shock had passed.
Without any warning, Connie removed her hand from his back, whipped out the pencil from Sam's chest, chucked it on the table and replaced her hand on his back in one swift movement.
"Urgh!" Sam staggered back, dizzily.
"Easy, Easy! Ok, you're ok." Connie carefully manoeuvred him backwards, while still applying pressure to the wound and lowered him down onto the bed. He exhaled.
"Mmm, ok?" Connie moved her hand from his back to his shoulder and implored him to look at her. It was only then that they both realised that he was holding her waist as she stood in front of him - he had grabbed her for support when she first got to him.
"Yeah, think so. Thanks." He muttered.
"Mmm. Lie back, then and let me have a look." She answered quietly, before turning to the rest of the ED, who up to now had had a front seat viewing of the incident. "Nothing to see here, folks." She barked at them. Sam gingerly shuffled backwards up the bed and leaned against the pillows.
Charlie nodded at Connie. "Alright. Shows over - back to work. Mr Strachan is fine." He announced, pulling the curtain around to block Connie and Sam from prying eyes.
Connie turned back to Sam. She peeled away the tissues and set about undoing his shirt - gently, so as not to hurt him. She realised that he was watching her. "I have done this before, you know!" She said pointedly.
"Hmm-mm" He replied, replacing his hands on her waist, before adding flirtatiously, "You normally do it a lot faster."
Connie smirked slightly. "Behave yourself, Mr Strachan!"
"Yes, darling." Sam answered, wondering exactly how much he could get away with.
She gave him a piercing look, but let the comment pass, as she began cleaning his wound up.
"Urgh" He groaned as it stung and grabbed her hand.
"Sorry. I know it stings, but I don't want you to get lead poisoning, Sam."
"I know." He released her hand, putting his back on her waist as she continued.
"Shh, shh" She soothed him as he winced occasionally. Once it was clean, she examined the hole in his chest. "It's not too bad - needs a couple of stitches..." She told him softly. "Shame about your shirt though - kind of liked that one!"
Sam stared at her. It was such an 'unlike Connie' thing to say. Connie blushed slightly, noticing his surprise. "Do you want me to numb it first?"
"No"
She hesitated. "I don't want to hurt you."
"It doesn't usually worry you." Sam teased her lightly, referring to how she liked to give him a slap sometimes - usually straight before kissing him - now he came to think about it. "But you could always give me a kiss afterwards!" He added hopefully.
"Sam!" Connie retorted. She sighed and began to stitch. He grunted slightly and tightened his grip on her waist. She glanced up at him. "Ok?" He nodded at her to continue. "Ok?" She asked again when she had finished. "You'll have to rest for a bit."
He nodded. "What happened to the bloke?"
"I think they sedated him." She answered, putting a dressing over his stitches.
"Well, I got off lightly, I guess" Sam murmured.
Connie watched him for a minute. "Mmmm, if it had been the other side..." She whispered, leaving the sentence open-ended.
"Well, I've got the best heart surgeon right here." Sam whispered back, one of his hands finding hers.
"Mmm-hm, I don't think I'd be allowed to operate on you..."
Sam smirked, "Like that would stop you! You even insisted on standing over Jac Naylor when she operated on our daughter..." He paused, "this is kind of nice though, isn't?"
She smiled sheepishly. "The things you do to get attention, Mr Strachan."
Sam pouted "Where's my kiss though? You said I could have a kiss when you'd finished!"
Connie blushed. "I don't think I did!" She commented.
"Hmm-mm," He agreed. "You want to though" He reached for her, to pull her closer, but she stopped him.
"It will hurt Sam" She told him, indicating his chest.
"No, it won't darling." He answered softly, hardly daring to believe that she was actually considering what he was asking., "Come here, just be more gentle than we normally are - slower than normal!" He added, wondering whether this was actually going to happen.
Connie was wondering too. Up to now, she'd always refused to kiss him the way he was asking her too, but it was awfully tempting and after their recent encounter, she couldn't deny that she wanted too. Just one wouldn't hurt, she thought. They were both adults and it was what they both wanted. She leaned forward and kissed him gently. It went on for longer than they expected - the kind of breathless kiss they both yearned for - but thought neither of them were capable of, and when they broke apart, Connie found Sam's hand was tangled in her hair.
"Mmm, ok? Try and get some rest now. I'll come and see you in a bit, ok?" She murmured, gently freeing his hand.
"Hmm-mm" He answered, watching her disappear behind the curtain, and wondering if she'd ever kiss him like that again.
Sam was asleep the first time Connie went to check on him, so she left him and let him sleep, but was unable to resist lightly kissing his forehead first. It was ok though - he was asleep and didn't know she was there. She went back again after finishing her shift and perched on the bed next to him. He eventually stirred with an incoherent mumble. She smiled and squeezed his hand.
"Connie" He mumbled again.
"Hey Gorgeous!" She chuckled. "You've been asleep for ages! Feel better?"
"Yeah, thanks...you've finished?" Sam suddenly realised what'd she'd said and that she had been there awhile.
"Yeah, I came to see you before, but you were dead out."
"Urgh" He sat up slightly and found that the wound on his chest was throbbing a bit.
"Sam?" Connie's face clouded with concern. "What's wrong? Does it hurt?"
Sam put his hand on her arm. "No. I'm ok. Just throbs a bit - nothing unexpected." This was different and he wondered whether she might actually kiss him in that way again, after all.
"Ok. But you've got to go easy. You know the drill, darling." She scolded him lightly. She smiled at his look of surprise upon hearing her second term of endearment. Connie decided she had better clarify matters for him and leaned forward, kissing his lips gently. She drew back. "Ok?"
Sam's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Connie smiled. "Yes, really."
