Hoss and Little Joe had come back inside. Little Joe was unusually quiet.

"Brandy is what we all need!" Ben boomed. He filled snifters for everyone, including Hop Sing.

Sam removed the towel from her face and lifted her head from Adam's shoulder. She accepted the brandy gratefully. The warm liquid offset the adrenalin that had been rushing through her body and she felt herself relaxing. She felt so tired and her eyelids were so heavy. The fire felt so good and warm. The voices in the room began to fade away…so far away…

"Did she faint, Pa?" Hoss asked, concern in his voice.

"No, son. I think she just fell asleep," Ben answered quietly. To Adam, he said, "Go put her in the guest room. There's no sense in taking her home in this condition."

Adam gathered Sam into his arms and she stirred slightly, resting her head against his chest. Adam caught the scent of lavender soap.

Hop Sing had run into the guest room and pulled the covers down and then hurried back out again. There was cleaning up to be done.

Placing her on the bed, Adam remembered to take off Sam's shoes.

Sam opened one bleary eye. "Are you groping me?"

"Not yet, Gunga Din. Not yet."

Sam was deep asleep now. She didn't feel the kiss on her cheek or on the top of her head. She didn't feel Adam's fingertips trail across her lips. She didn't hear him say "Good night, love," as he closed the door behind him. But she smiled in her sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was mid-morning when Sam awoke, cobwebs of sleep making her mind fuzzy. The first thing she was aware of was that her cheek was sore. The second thing she was aware of was that she had slept in her dress. The third thing was that she was not in her hotel room – she was in the familiar surroundings of the guest room at the Ponderosa. The memories of last night flooded her mind and cleared the cobwebs.

Quickly, she jumped out of bed and stood in front of the mirror. She saw the bruise on her cheek – actually it wasn't as bad as it felt. She touched it once, tentatively, and decided that she wouldn't touch it again. The mirror reflected the thousand wrinkles in her dress, and she rolled her eyes. The floor was cool on her feet, and she looked for her shoes, found them placed neatly at the foot of the bed, and decided not to put them on. She was embarrassed about slapping Gretchen and didn't want to face the Cartwrights but she couldn't stay in bed all day. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out.

The furniture was back in place. Hoss and Little Joe weren't there, but Ben and Adam were sitting and talking quietly.

Ben rose and smiled. "Good morning, sleepy head! Can I pour you a cup of coffee?"

Adam pulled out a chair for her to be seated. "I thought you were gonna sleep the day away." He smiled.

"I'm mortified," Sam said morosely as she sat down. "I have no excuse to offer for what I did last night. I beg your forgiveness."

Ben looked at her. "Sam, I'm not condoning what happened but things are what they are. The circumstances were unfortunate but they're over and done with. Today is a new day. There's nothing to forgive."

"But I ruined your party."

"Gretchen 'ruined' the party," Adam interjected. "We all could've handled things in a different way but everything happened so suddenly…" His voice trailed off and then he grinned. "That bruise isn't nearly as colorful as I thought it would be."

"Adam!" Sam retorted.

Hop Sing appeared, his eyes twinkling. "Missie Doctor Sam ready for breakfast?"

"Not if I have to fight the chickens for their eggs," Sam answered. "I think I've had enough trouble already."

Hop Sing cackled, disappeared, and returned with some toast, apple butter and a big glass of milk. Though Sam wasn't hungry, she appreciated the cook's efforts, and decided she ought to eat. She thanked Hop Sing and then buttered the toast. It tasted wonderful and so did the milk!

"I have to get back to town. Would you mind if I borrowed one of your horses?"

"I've got to go to town anyway, so you can ride with me in the buckboard," Adam answered.

"Well, that'll be an interesting sight," Sam retorted. "Me with a wrinkled dress riding into town with you. What will people think?"

"Do you really care?" Adam asked, smirking.

"Yes. No. Well, a little bit."

"By the time you finish eating, I'll be ready," Adam said, rising and heading toward the door.

"Ben, I…"

Ben held up his hand to indicate silence. "Not another word, Sam. I already told you that today is a new day."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After retrieving her shoes, Sam went outside to meet Adam. Helping her onto the high seat of the buckboard, Adam's hand slipped slightly.

"Adam, are you groping me?"

"Nope. If I'd wanted to grope you, I'd have done it last night when I put you in bed." There was a merry twinkle in his eyes.

Sam wrinkled her nose and made a face. "You're incorrigible! And, if memory serves me, you're also a Peeping Tom. Who knows what you might have done to me last night when I was asleep!"

With a serious face, Adam answered. "If I were to do anything to you, it wouldn't be while you were asleep."

Sam opened her mouth and then shut it again. Adam climbed onto the seat, clucked at the horses and headed them toward the road to Virginia City.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dark clouds were beginning to appear way off on the horizon. Adam had been unusually quiet, completely different than he had been earlier. Sam attempted small talk. "Looks like we're in for some rain later today."

"Uh-huh."

"It'll be good for Ned and Matilda's crops," Sam added.

"Uh-huh."

"And it'll settle some of this dust." Sam kept trying to get Adam to talk.

"Uh-huh."

"You're angry with me, aren't you?" Sam asked, looking at Adam's profile.

"Uh-huh."

"Adam, I apologized to you and your family for what I did. I was wrong. Continuing to say that I'm sorry won't make things better."

Adam stopped the horses abruptly and turned to look into Sam's eyes. "I'm not angry with you for what you did, Sam. I'm angry at you for what you didn't do."

Sam shook her head, confused. Adam didn't call her "Gunga Din." He called her "Sam." He was angry at what she didn't do?

"You should have told me," Adam said. "About Gretchen and the hotel room."

"How did you know about that?" Sam asked, stalling for time.

Adam considered telling a lie but dispensed with that idea. "While you and Gretchen were in the kitchen talking last night, I was standing outside the door. I heard everything."

"Oh," was all Sam could say.

"Why didn't you tell me what you knew?" Adam's face was confused. "I thought we had a better relationship than for you to hide important information from me."

Sam thought for a minute. "First of all, I wasn't aware that we even had a relationship. Second, I wasn't deliberately trying to hide anything from you. I thought for a long time about how I should handle the situation and decided that it wasn't up to me to be the bearer of bad news. If I saw Gretchen committing an indiscretion, then other people probably saw her too. You would've found out sooner or later. You had to make your own decisions based on how you felt with what knowledge you already had. It's not my place to interfere."

Adam listened intently.

Sam continued. "The way things are between you and me, I wasn't comfortable telling tales about someone you cared for."

"And how are things between you and me?" Adam asked.

Slowly, Sam answered. "I don't know."

"I think you do know. And so do I ." With that, he clucked again at the horses and they began to plod forward.

Neither Sam nor Adam spoke a word all the way to town. Both were lost in their own thoughts.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While Sam was trying to sort out her thoughts, Adam was also thinking things through. What would I have done if the situation had been reversed? What if I knew Robert and caught him cheating on Sam? Would telling her what I had seen cause problems forever between us or would Sam have been grateful to know what was happening behind her back? Would she have believed me or would she have thought that I was making up a story to try to keep us together?

Moments before they arrived in town, Adam touched Sam's hand. "You did the right thing, Sam." And that was all he said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Adam drove the wagon into town, the stage passed by them in a cloud of dust. And, in front of the hotel, here came Henrietta sprinting across the street. Adam hardly had time to help Sam out of the wagon before Henrietta began chattering. And right behind her came Drucilla and Thelma.

"Oh, my dear," Henrietta cried. "Look at your poor face!"

Thelma glared at Adam. "You should have done something to stop this!"

Last in line was Drucilla. "You just missed the stage. Why, with the sedative Doc Martin gave Gretchen, she almost had to be carried onto the stage! Ilsa looked just miserable and Friedhelm didn't look much better!" Drucilla whispered, "They're taking her to Denver to some kind of hospital that specializes in mental problems."

To Henrietta, Sam said, "My face is much better than it looks. And I was wrong in slapping Gretchen."

To Thelma, Sam said, "Don't blame Adam. I stopped him from stepping in because I thought I could handle it. I used very poor judgment in an awkward situation, and the fault lies with me."

To Drucilla, Sam said, "It's probably best that we missed the stage. Doc Martin knows what he's doing. And there's no shame in getting help – either physically or mentally. Please don't judge her so harshly. I'd consider it a personal favor if none of you spoke of this ever again."

Turning to Adam, Sam said, "Thank you for the ride into town. I'm going to my room for a little while and then I need to get back to work with Doc Martin."

Adam nodded, touched the brim of his hat to all four ladies, climbed aboard the wagon and drove off. He had errands to run, and a beer or two might not be a bad idea…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In her hotel room, Sam shed her slept-in clothing, wondering vaguely if anybody had noticed how wrinkled her dress was. In fact, though she never knew this, more folks were interested in how her face looked than in what she was wearing. And nobody asked what she was doing with Adam at that time of the morning because they were more interested in Gretchen's trip to Denver. The word of the trip had spread like wildfire.

Sam rushed to wash up, put on fresh clothing, and then sped toward Doc Martin's office. She found him sitting in his chair with his feet propped up on the desk. He smiled at her as she entered the office, a little out of breath.

"I'm sorry I'm so late…"

Doc Martin waved his hand. "Hoss came by here earlier and told me what happened after we all had left. I trust you slept well?"

Guiltily, Sam answered, "Like a log."

Rising, Doc Martin took a look at Sam's face. She flinched as his expert fingers probed the bruised cheek. "Nothing broken. You'll live." Then he sat down again.

"Drucilla told me that Gretchen's going to the hospital in Denver. Is that true?" Sam asked.

Doc Martin nodded. "She's overwrought and not thinking clearly. I suggested to the Werners that they take her there where she could get the help she needed. I know that you are a specialist, but she would never open up to you. You understand, I am sure."

"Certainly, I understand," Sam answered. "I know about the hospital in Denver. It's a good place with wonderful people. You were right to suggest that she go there." She paused. "I had a talk with Adam. He overheard a conversation I had with Gretchen, begging me to keep my mouth shut about her…indiscretion. I explained to him my reasons for not telling him myself. I think he understands."

"Adam's a thinker. I believe you underestimate him sometimes," Doc said as he headed for the door. "I'm going to lunch now. I'll bring you back something to eat. You're okay to hold down the office?"

Sam smiled. "I'm fine. Enjoy your lunch."

Sam felt like playing something on her guitar. But it was missing from its corner, and she realized that it must still be at the Ponderosa. She decided that retrieving it would be a good excuse to visit the Cartwrights again. In the meantime, studying some of Doc's medical books couldn't hurt. When the doctor returned from lunch, Sam continued to read. The day passed quickly.

When Doc closed the office, Sam put the book back and headed toward the livery stable. She had completely forgotten about Fancy! But, arriving at the stable, she found the mare chewing contentedly on fresh hay. Her water bucket was full and she had been brushed until her mane and tail looked like silk. Hearing Jess in one of the back stalls, Sam walked around to him to thank him for taking such good of her horse.

"Don't thank me," Jess said. "Adam's been here twice today to take care of her."

Sam smiled. "How thoughtful of him." Adam was fast making a place in her heart.

Too tired to ride tonight, Sam ate a hasty meal at the restaurant, ignoring not-so-subtle looks from other people, and then returned to her room. She made the decision to take a bath early in the morning after riding Fancy. Right now, she wanted to sleep. And she dreamed happily about waltzing with Adam.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Today was Sunday, almost a week since the party. The bruise on Sam's cheek had turned a ghastly light yellow but could be mostly covered up by a light application of powder. And Sam, though she wanted to stay in bed just a little longer, got up, got dressed and headed toward the church.

She felt an arm at her elbow and looked up into Ben's smiling face. "Come sit with us," he said. Hoss and Joe fell in step behind the two.

"Where's Adam?" Sam asked.

Ben answered gently. "He's in Denver. He got a wire from Friedhelm Werner asking him to come to the hospital."

All Sam could say was, "Oh. I'm sure that's a good thing." But she didn't mean it. And she had no idea what the Sunday sermon was about. All she could think of was that Adam had gone to visit Gretchen.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This was haying season, and men worked from dawn to dusk as they gathered the hay in piles to let it dry and then began the laborious process of loading it into wagons to be put in barns as winter fodder. Wives saw little of their husbands, men left girlfriends to lend a hand, and Sam hadn't seen the Cartwrights in a very long time.

Drucilla, looking quite fit and having lost an incredible amount of weight, stopped in to say hello to Sam. Doc Martin, making up an excuse, scuttled out the door as Drucilla sat down. And that's how Sam learned that Adam was back – had been back for quite a while.

With a heavy heart, but trying to put on her best smile, Sam listened to Drucilla drone on and on. Drucilla was delighted that her back no longer hurt and that the swelling in her legs had all but disappeared. Sam made an adjustment in the woman's "medication," praised her for taking the pills as prescribed and then was delighted when Drucilla left the office.

Sam wondered about Adam. He hadn't been to see her. But she hadn't seen any of the Cartwrights lately either. Maybe they were involved in the haying.

The door banged open and Doc Martin hurried in and grabbed his medical bag, several bottles of pills, and talked in a rush to Sam. "Sarah Miller's having her baby. Her first. It's breech. You know what that means. I'll be back when I can."

"I'll go with you," Sam said as she reached for her medical bag.

"No," came the answer. "Somebody needs to stay here. I don't know when I'll be back. Say a prayer for Sarah and the baby." And Doc was gone in a flash.

An hour later, as Sam kept busy putting clean sheets on the examination table, she heard the door bang open and then heard heavy footsteps.

"Doc!" rang out a familiar voice.

Rushing into the outer office, there was Adam, carrying Ted Dodd. Wrapped around Ted's leg was a large make-shift bandage, soaked with blood. Ted's face was ashen.

"Quick, Adam! Bring him back here and put him on the table."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"Got cut by a scythe. Down to the bone from what I can tell. Where's Doc?"

"At the Miller house. Sarah's baby is coming and it's breech. He can't leave her."

Grabbing a pair of scissors, Sam began cutting Ted's trousers up to the bandage. For all she knew, the bandage might be the only thing holding Ted's leg onto his body.

"Please," Ted moaned, "don't cut off my leg."

"Nonsense, Ted. I don't cut off a man's legs," Sam answered, but she feared the worst. She needed Doc Martin – but so did Sarah. Ted was helpful – he immediately fell into unconsciousness.

Slowly, Sam cut the bandage and was elated to see that there were two bandages – one over the wound and a tighter one above it. "Somebody was smart in applying a tourniquet. How long has it been on there?"

"About twenty minutes." Adam's face was grim. "I got here as fast as I could. It's just good luck that I was at Ted's to begin with. I had to talk to him before coming to town.""

"Your getting him here so quickly gives me a little more time. Light that lamp and bring it here closer so I can see what I'm doing."

Quickly, Sam plopped instruments into a bowl and then poured alcohol over them and over her hands. Soaking towels with water from a pitcher, she hurriedly cleaned around the wound and then into the wound itself. Much relieved, she saw that the leg was not even close to being severed, but the wound was long and had cut deep into the muscle.

Sam looked into Adam's eyes. "I need to loosen the tourniquet to see if a major blood vessel has been cut."

"And if it has?"

"I've never done an amputation before. All I'll be able to do is to tie the tourniquet tighter and Ted's leg will begin to die."

Holding her breath, Sam loosened the top bandage and then removed it. She sighed with relief when only a small amount of blood seeped out.

"That's good. How that scythe managed to make a wound like this without severing a major blood vessel is a miracle. Wash your hands in that alcohol over there; I'll need you to assist me. We have to work quickly to get blood back into that lower leg."

Adam gawked at her. He was no novice when it came to fixing up wounds, both animal and human, but he had never worked on a something like this.

"Just do it, Adam!"

Ted's friend, Allen, came through the door, saw the blood, and promptly fainted.

"Leave him there, Adam. Maybe he'll be quiet until we finish this."

Following each of Sam's instructions to the letter, Adam managed to help get Ted's wound cleaned out and sewn up. It was a messy business. Allen, who was regaining consciousness, was instructed by Adam to go back and let everybody know that Ted was fine but wouldn't be doing any haying for quite a while.

Sam finished the last stitch and then added a pressure dressing. Sweat was running down her face; Adam noticed that she was now trembling. He discovered that he was a little unsettled too.

"You did a fine job," Adam said. "I'm proud of you."

Sam gave a wan smile and teetered on her feet. And suddenly, Adam's strong arms were around her. She felt him tremble and thought it was just the aftermath of what the two of them had gone through – an adrenalin drop. She looked up at him, sweat dripping off her nose. They washed their hands in silence.

"You are a most remarkable woman," Adam said abruptly. And then he kissed her. A kiss that felt natural. A kiss that felt right. It wasn't a passionate kiss and it wasn't just a peck on the lips – it was somewhere in between. Adam held her so tight that she couldn't tell if it was her heart pounding or if it was Adam's. He kept his arms around her for several minutes, neither of them speaking.

Then Ted woke up and interrupted the embrace. Bleary-eyed, he caught a glimpse of Sam in Adam's arms and then remembered what he was doing in the doctor's office to begin with. "My leg!" he shouted.

"Your leg is fine," Sam answered, leaving the comfort of Adam's arms. "You've got more stitches than the finest dresses in Paris, but you'll be just fine. But I want to let Doc Martin take a look at you before you go home. So just lie still, and I'll give you some powders for pain relief."

As Sam went into the outer office, she heard Ted say something strange to Adam. "Adam, you saved my life. About Gretchen…I'm so sorry. It just happened."

Sam heard the sound of Adam's voice but couldn't hear the words. She wondered what Ted meant. She would soon find out.