FWTE 7

Sam woke up on a comfortable bed. She could hear beeping and clicking of machines all around her. The air smelled of sterile things. A hospital?

She opened her eyes. She was staring at a white tiled ceiling. She turned her head. Stella was sitting by the bed, reading a magazine.

"What…" She managed to choke.

"Oh!" Stella said, looking up in surprise. "You're awake! Good."

Stella got up and kindly raised the head of the bed. She helped Sam drink some water.

"Thanks." Sam said, softly.

"Mac went to get some coffee. He should be back any minute," said Stella.

The room lapsed into silence.

Stella smiled. "You know you have good friends when they barely know you, yet they all come to see if you're okay when you're hurt."

Sam looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Besides Me and Mac; Flack, Lindsay, Danny, Hawkes, and Marty have all been by."

Sam smiled. She had met Hawkes and Marty just before going to pick up Whitford.

"How long have I been out?"

"All night." Mac said, entering the room. "You sleep pretty soundly."

Sam grinned, sheepishly.

"I brought some coffee," Mac said, handing a cup to Sam and another to Stella.

Sam carefully sipped the coffee holding the cup with her good hand.

They talked for a little while about the case. Sam learned that Whitford had been killed. The case was solved.

"So," Sam asked, "when do I get out of here?"

"Tonight." A middle-aged man in a white lab coat walked in. Sam put the coffee down and reached out to shake his hand.

"I'm Doctor Sheffield. You can leave tonight. I'll check up on you and you can sign some papers. Just keep the arm in a sling for a couple weeks and no field work for that time. You should be fine."

Later that night, Sam signed the papers and dressed with Stella's help. They walked outside to find Mac had already pulled the car up.

They arrived at Sam's apartment rather quickly, as Mac expertly maneuvered through the New York City traffic.

Sam's pain medication worked well, her shoulder didn't bother her one bit as she walked up the stairs with Mac and Stella. Mac handed over her keys and she unlocked the door. She was caught completely off guard, however, when she flipped on her lights.

"Surprise!"

Sam stood in shock. Lindsay, Danny, Marty, Flack, and Hawkes were all standing her front hallway.

Her good hand came up to her mouth as she stared at them. "What are you all doing here?"

"Well." Danny said. "We were gonna take you out for drinks after you finished the Myers case, but Whitford messed things up a little."

Lindsay smiled. "We still thought you deserved a proper welcome. Seeing as you can't have alcohol because of your pain medication we brought sparkling cider, pizza, and some good movies."

Sam smiled. Flack offered her his elbow and gallantly escorted her over to the couch. He plopped down next to her, still careful not to jolt her injured shoulder. Mac sat down on her right side.

As the opening credits for MI:II started Sam smiled at her friends.

"I just want to say, sorry for the way I behaved earlier. I know giving the cold shoulder to your new coworkers is not a very good way to start off a job. Luckily, someone gave me a wakeup call." She said, grinning at Stella who winked.

"Thanks for this, really guys." Sam continued. "I couldn't think of a better way to be welcomed to NYC."