"Tom wait." Sam said quickly. Tom closed the door once more and looked at her as she still faced her locker. "I need to tell- to show you something."
"Right... C'mon, you're worrying me now." Tom said as he slowly made his way over to her. Slowly, Sam turned around, and then brought her head up so that he could see her face, however she didn't dare make eye contact. "Oh my god, what happened?" Tom demanded as he saw the large bruise around her left eye. It was between a red and purpley colour and it surrounded her whole eye, including her eyelid. Thankfully though, all swelling had gone down after some ice.

"Don't shout." Sam pleaded quietly.
"Sorry sorry, what happened? Did someone attack you?" Tom asked softly yet concernedly as he tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear so that he could get a better look at her injury.
"No I... I just-"
"Alright, sit down. Let me have a look." Tom said because he suspected a head injury because she seemed a little slow, but in reality she was just embarrassed to tell him the truth. He guided her and sat her down on the sofa, before he squatted down in front of her and carefully examined her black eye. "Were you unconscious?" He asked.
"I can't remember." Sam admitted.
"Were you nauseous? Did you vomit?" He asked as he used his pen torch to shine into her eye briefly.
"Only a little bit. Tom I know it's concussion but it's only minor so don't worry." Sam pleaded as she batted him away.

"What happened?" He repeated.
"I just fainted... And I hit my head on the edge of the table." Sam stated as she twiddled her thumbs.
"And do you know the cause of your fainting?" He asked.
"I just, ran out of painkillers. Tom, I'm fine stop fussing." Sam ordered as she stood up.
"Come here." Tom whispered as he pulled her into a comforting hug. She loved being in his embrace so she snuggled her head under his chin whilst he held her tightly. He knew why she needed the painkillers -she needed them every month and it usually varied; one month she'd want to cuddle and spoon with him in bed, the next, she'd just want to be by herself with a small bar of chocolate, and wrapped in a blanket- so he didn't need to mention it because it was clear that she was embarrassed. "You should've called me, I would've gotten you some more painkillers, and come round and stayed the night if you wanted me to." He said softly as he rubbed his hand slowly up and down her back.

"I didn't want to bother you; I knew you'd be in the pub anyway." Sam replied.
"I've told you before Sam, I'd do anything to help you. Especially in these circumstances because it must be bad if you're not your usual self eh?" He smirked. "Look, if your concussed, you should go home."
"No, no. I'll just get bored." Sam stated.
"Well at least stay in cubicles then, and no going out on emergencies with the ambulance crew." Tom said and Sam attempted to roll her eyes, but she could only go so far before the pain got too much so she had to stop. Then Robyn came into the staff room along with Jamie- both were late.

They watched as the nurses quickly threw their stuff in their lockers, and Sam certainly didn't like the look that she got from both of them after they had seen their eye...

Robyn and Jamie stood at the nurses station in the middle of cubicles when Tess and Fletch came up to them.
"Did you hear what Tom did to Sam?" Robyn asked quietly.
"No, what?" Tess asked curiously.
"Well I'll give you one guess." Robyn said as she pointed over to Sam who had just come out of a cubicle in her scrubs with her hair tied back in a bun, which let her whole face be seen by them. Tess silently gasped at the sight of Sam's throbbing black eye, whilst Fletch looked more sceptical.
"How do you know Tom did that?" Fletch asked sternly.
"Well everyone's been saying it." Jamie replied.
"And anyway, I saw Sam and Tom in the cafe earlier and Sam looked like she was about to cry and she flinched away from him." Robyn lied. She hadn't seen them, however she had heard it from another nurse so in her eyes, it had to be true.
"But did you see him do it?" Fletch asked impatiently.
"Well no but-"
"Then don't spread rumours." Fletch ordered before he chased off to follow Sam as she headed for the store room. He followed her in and closed the door behind him. "Did Tom do that to you?" Fletch asked bluntly.
"What? No!" Sam protested. "How could you even think that he would hurt me?" Sam demanded quietly; she had tried to avoid loud noises all day because of her headache.
"I didn't, I didn't, it was just that... Well I think everyone's gotten the wrong end of the stick." Fletch stated awkwardly. "How did you do it anyway?" He asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter. Stupid accident." Sam muttered before she grabbed what she needed and left the store room. She returned to cubicles, where she began to feel paranoid that everyone was gossiping about her and Tom. She saw two nurses whispering to each other as she glanced at Sam, there was Robyn and Jamie giving Tom dirty looks, as well as Charlie who looked like he was trying to analyse Tom to question if he would do such a thing.

Sam had just come out of a cubicle when she met eyes with Zoe across at the nurses station.
"Sam, can I have a word please? Now." Zoe said before she walked off to her office and Sam reluctantly followed. She closed the door behind her and then brood right in front of her boss's desk. "How did you get that injury?" Zoe asked.
"It doesn't matter." Sam stated.
"Sam, you know you can talk to me if... Y'know, you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you. And I-"
"Zoe, Tom didn't do it." Sam stated angrily.
"I-I didn't say that he did." Zoe stated calmly.
"No but you were thinking it, just like everyone else here. God, does no one trust him? He'd never hurt a fly." Sam shouted.
"Alright, Sam I'm sorry. I just thought that-"
"Yeah well you thought wrong." Sam stated before she stormed out of the office and headed for somewhere she could be alone for a while.

Zoe discreetly approached a member of her staff, and pulled him aside.
"Fletch, Sam's a bit upset so would you mind going and checking on her? I think she went to the oncall room." Zoe asked quietly.
"Surely she'll want Tom if she's upset." Fletch stated as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Well yes but I just thought that... Well because of recent events I-"
"Wow, even you believe them." Fletch laughed out of complete and utter frustration.
"Believe what?" Zoe asked.
"The rumours. Am I the only one apart from Sam who doesn't think that Tom abuses her?" Fletch protested.
"Fletch, under the circumstances I don't have a choice." Zoe argued.
"What circumstances?"
"A young, female member of my staff turns up with a black eye, and she doesn't have a reasonable explanation for it. And then her 'partner' decides to play innocent all day, c'mon fletch I have to be careful with these things." Zoe stated.
"Zoe, Tom's being his usual self because he knows himself that he hasn't done anything wrong, and as long as he has Sam, he doesn't care about what other people think."
"But fletch, how do you know that Tom didn't hurt her? He's been violent in the past with Dominic and other patients." Zoe stated.
"But not Sam, not females. Zoe he's one of our own, and I know he didn't hurt her because Sam told me that he didn't hurt her, and Sam wouldn't lie to me." Fletch stated before he stormed out, and walked to the staff room where he found Tom on his break. "Hey mate." Fletch smiled.
"Aren't you going to call me a woman beater? Or a bastard or-"
"I know you didn't do it. Don't worry." Fletch stated as he sat next to Tom on the sofa. "So how did she do it because Sam's being rather... Sam-like and she won't tell me." Fletch smirked.

"She just fainted and banged her head on the table." Tom sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.
"What, and her knight in shining armour didn't catch her?" Fletch joked.
"I wasn't there, Sam was in a bit of a mood yesterday and she just wanted to be by herself." Tom replied.
"There isn't anything wrong is there? Im mean, I'm guessing it's just female problems." Fletch queried.
"It is, she ran out of painkillers but, just don't tell anyone else, and don't tell Sam I told you; she's embarrassed about it." Tom stated.

"I won't. By the way, Sam's in the oncall room and I think she could do with a hug." Fletch hinted before he got up and left. Tom finished his last sip of coffee before he headed over to the oncall room to see his girlfriend.

He opened the door, and found her sitting on the bed with her head hung between her knees.
"I'm sorry." Sam said as she noticed his presence she stood up and approached him. "Tom I am so sorry. I just can't believe that they'd think that you'd do that." Sam stated angrily.
"Don't you say sorry, you banging your head is no one's fault and to the people that're blaming me... Well let's just say I know who my true friends- or rather friend is: Fletch." Tom said as he pulled Sam into a hug.
"I've told people that it isn't your fault but then they ask what happened and I just... I want to tell them but-"
"It's okay, you shouldn't have to tell them; it's a personal issue and it's nothing to do with anyone but us." Tom stated as he stroked Sam's hair.
"Us?" Sam asked as she looked up at him.
"Yes 'us'. I'm your partner and I don't want other people's petty gossip getting in between us." Tom stated.

Now, they just had to try and make it to the end of the day, but then they'd have to go to the work the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that... Tom saw it as a never ending loop, but he didn't care what people thought because if they thought that he would hurt Sam, then they weren't worth knowing. After taking some time alone, Sam and Tom returned to work, only their job was made much hard because everyone seemed to favour, and pity Sam, and they avoided and disregarded Tom.

Thanks for reading, please review x