Chapter Two

Penny woke up back at her house. Ellie was out cold in the chair next to her bed. Penny sat up slowly looking around. She grabbed her phone off of the table. The clock read: 1:30pm DST. She sighed laying back on the bed. Ellie heard her friend wake up. "I'm glad to see your awake." She yawned. "How long was I out?" questioned Penny as she kept her gaze focused on the ceiling. "about a day and a half. You hit your head pretty hard when you fainted." Penny laid onto her side. "Station Officer Steele has given you paid leave." Penny rolled over to face Ellie." Why?" she asked. A worried tone showed in her voice. "he's worried that you may go AWOL on the job. He's recommended that you take some time off to grieve." Penny shook her head. "Shit." She muttered. Ellie took her friend's hand. "don't worry Penny. I think it's a good idea that he's given you some time off." Penny laid in silence. "I can't believe he's gone." Tears welled up in her eyes. Her head reeled back to the scene of the crime. Watching her friend die right in front of her. "I should have done more to help him. If I had just had a few more moments to reach out to him. I could have warned him about his oxygen tank." Penny sobbed into her pillow. Ellie rubbed her back. "it's not your fault Penny. Don't you dare blame yourself." Penny's fist clenched. "it's my duty to keep everyone safe. I failed to protect him." Ellie held Penny close. Penny sobbed into her neck.

Three days go by….

Penny stood in front of her bathroom mirror. Her eyes red from crying. She was dressed in her blue firefighter's jacket with white slacks. She also had a blue beret on her head. She wiped the tears from her eyes. She stepped away from the mirror." It's time." She whispered. She grabbed the keys to Venus off of her nightstand. She walked out of the house. Her body trembled at the thought of having to lay Sam's body to rest. The guilt of watching him die still tugged at her heart. She gulped back the tears. "he wouldn't want to see you cry." She whispered under her breathe. She got into Venus. She drove away from her house which stood silently on a hill just outside of PontyPandy. The funeral was being held in the town hall. She parked behind Station Officer Steele's car. She joined her comrades at the town hall entrance. People from different Welsh towns were all there to pay their respects to the fallen firefighter. Banners and flags from different countries all blew in the breeze. Penny stood up a bit more. She kept her height similar to the rest of the brigade. The police officers from Newtown Police Department were the first to arrive followed by, Jupiter which had Sam's casket on the top of it. The fire engine had black ribbons hung on its side. The band played beside Jupiter. Penny could hear the faint roar of the drums. Tears threatened to fall out of her eyes again. She watched Elvis and Arnold go over to Jupiter as the police officers handed off the casket to them. Both of the boys lifted up the casket. They carried it into the town hall. Station Officer Steele and Penny followed in behind them. Chief Fire Officer Boyce was waiting at the front. He helped the boys lay the casket down. Boyce opened the top part of the casket. Sam had been dressed in his Firefighters' uniform. His hair was slicked back. Penny kept from sobbing again. Station Officer Steel stood in front of the podium. He coughed into his hands. "please be seated."

Once everyone had taken their seats, Station Officer Steele began his speech. "Fireman Sam was a very brave fellow. He put his life on the line for those he cared about. I'm glad to have known him for as long as I have. He was there to help those that he could. He was there during our darkest hour when PontyPandy nearly burned to the ground. He will be missed by all of us in PontyPandy. Let his legacy be continued by further generations." Station Officer Steele stood down from the podium. He rejoined Chief Fire Officer Boyce. Boyce soon went up to the podium. "will the family of Firefighter Jones step forward." Charlie walked up to the front with Bronwyn and the kids. The twins clung tightly to Bronwyn. Charlie stood in front of Boyce. He kept from crying again. Boyce motioned from the two police officers to join them. They had the Wales flag folded between them. Boyce took the flag gently. "I am very sorry for your loss. You must be very proud of your brother." Charlie nodded. He sniffed. "he was the best at the what he did. He was a really good Uncle to my kids." Boyce handed him the flag. Charlie took it and saluted Boyce. Him and his family rejoined the rest of their friends in the crowd. Boyce stood in front of the podium once more. "now is the time for everyone to pay their respects. Once it is over we will be laying him to rest in the cemetery."

Penny walked over to the casket. She saw how peaceful Sam looked. "I should have done more." She whispered. "I know you aren't in pain anymore but I can't help but feel it was my fault you died." She put two fingers to her lips kissing them before laying them down on his cold forehead. "I'll miss you. I won't forget all the times you've been there for me." Charlie tapped her shoulder gently. He pulled her into a hug letting her cry into his neck. "I'm so sorry Charlie." She cried. Charlie rubbed her back. "I don't' blame you Penny." He whispered. "please don't beat yourself up." She sniffed pulling away. He lifted up her chin. He wiped away her tears with his thumb. "he died protecting the both of us. Keep all the memories you have of him with you." Penny could make out the faint shape of Sam's spirit standing behind Charlie. Sam gave Penny a small smile. She sniffed softly. She could feel the coldness around her hand. "it's never goodbye…it's see you soon."

Many thanks for the reviews. I do appreciate the feedback. Keep in mind my updating schedule is very weird considering the load I have on my plate at the moment. I really had to do my research for this one. It's really tough to kill Sam off. I know he's a fan favorite and people would hate to see anything bad happen to him.

Anyway please make sure to review I love the feedback

Adieu

Melonsworth