Hi! Sorry that this update has been so long coming; writers block is NOT fun! I just read the spoilers for Casualty in a couple of weeks time, and if you can hear someone screaming, that would be me...

11

Sam squinted and strained to make the text on the hospital data base come into focus but it remained blurred and distorted. The computer screen was florescent and bright; burning and stabbing at her worsening migraine. Her eyes were so tired and puffy from the tears that everything was wavy and blotched: the whole E.D seemed to be in some dreamy limbo since she'd left the staff room.

This time she had really tried to not let herself succumb to crying about it, but when she had had to make an Olympic dash to the toilet brim, it had become too much. Why was it that the moment she saw him, her stomach turned to mush? Her head suddenly started floating into oblivion and her beating heart worked over-time. Why didn't she think straight? It's amazing how you can fall in love with someone you didn't even notice the first time you met.

She'd managed to keep the sound to a minimal by swallowing the salty tears and muffling the sobs with her jacket. No one had come in and asked questions, (even Tom) so at least she had succeeded on that front.

Two days. Today was Monday; and since it was the night shift, Tuesday was rapidly approaching. She had two days.

Jesus, this is hopeless! Sam shut her eyes in defeat dropping her head in her hands; someone else would have to chase up the notes.

Tom had managed to get pretty close behind Sam without her noticing. Any other day, she would've clocked him a mile off, but her senses seemed to have been on holiday more recently; not really 'up-to-scratch'. Tom reached out an arm and as quick as a fish, patted her on the shoulder, hard. Sam practically had a heart-attack: is touch sent shocks up and down her body, pulling her back down to earth. The look on her face looked as if someone had just ambushed her with a bucket of tap-water. He grinned ever more persuasive and his ocean eyes glowed. Oh bloody hell...

"Yes?" Sam huffed. She had to strain her neck to look up at Tom: he was leaning right over her, close enough to touch. All Sam could think about were all the possible outcomes of her kissing him right there, right then. She defiantly wanted too; there was no point in denying that now. Would he tug away or ask for more?

She shook her head in despair, exhaling smoothly and tears stung her eyes. Seriously? Every single time?...

Looking up at his mouth beginning to form words, she slumped backwards and headed away from the main desk. "You know what? You're unbelievable!" she spat out, turning slightly back towards Tom. Her fingers curled while her rage moved her aching muscles. How had it got to the point where the only way she could walk, talk and breath was if her emotions took hold? All other energy had gone...

"Look." He clapped his hands together and his smile suddenly died out. Jogging to catch her striding pace, he waved a pardon to a nurse as he cut him off. "I don't know why your annoyed with me right now, God knows what I've done," He bit his lip and shook his hands as he saw Sam shoulders tense and her step quicken. "And I know you like if it I just pissed off, but..." He winced when Sam clenched her fingers.

"Jeez! Look who got the message." Sam tossed the words out her mouth, violently throwing her arms in the air. She sucked in her cheeks channelling anger under her skin. Oh my God. What the hell does he want...?

"But..." Tom rolled his eyes. He struck an arm out and grabbed onto Sam's sharp elbow. Not expecting it, she stomped to a halt; not turning to face him but not shrugging him off either. "Can you just look at me a second?" Tom sighed.

Sam let her pulse slow down. Oh my God. Oh. My. God. What, what if... She turned her head like a crank- one chunk at a time. Slowly time stopped around them. All the commotion in the hallway silenced as she looked into his ocean eyes, trying to catch the gale-force wind that made the far-away waves roll. And he was looking back- he was staring right back. Their pupils began to lock onto each other; starting to bind together- a window into someone else's mind. Please look Tom. Please, can't you see it yet?

Tom held his breath. It seemed obvious now but she was beautiful; really, really beautiful. Why hadn't he bothered to look before? It's not like he'd never had the chance, she had been there before; standing small at his feet, reaching up to him with her messy mane of shiny hair and pale, perfect skin. Her pouting blood-red lips had lingered below his chest before but never had he wanted so badly for them to be his.

Tom's stare wound into Sam's eyes; her welling, swollen eyes; she wasn't okay. In fact, she seemed to be crumbling away in his tensing hand. He squeezed it tighter but quickly relented not wanting to make a dent in her seemingly fragile exterior.

Thinking about it now, hadn't she looked like this all week? She didn't look like her usual life-injected self at all. Was it him- what if it was him? He couldn't remember doing anything wrong; after this one time a few weeks back, Sam had made flight by the time he woke up. When he asked why, she just ignored him, so he responded back in the same way.

She was broken inside, almost all-the-way deep; almost reaching the core of her shivering bones. Did she know he could tell she'd been crying? Sam, Sam the most amazing person ever, was right there in-front of him - he could feel a silent scream radiating off her chest, shooting itself through her panicked breath into his. Why did it take this to make him realise how beautifully imperfect she was? He couldn't just shake it off now. She had fought (and won) her way into his heart.

Sam was on the verge of collapsing with exhaustion; all he had to do was look at was the big black rings under her eyes and feel her trembling hand; but somehow she'd never seemed so gorgeous, so delicate. Sometimes the person you really love is the person you didn't think you wanted.

That second the store room adjacent to their freeze-frame, opened and Big Mac sheepishly appeared. In union, Sam and Tom's heads spun at him, their faces horror stricken. Walking past them, nodded slightly, he looked guiltily uncomfortable. He proceeded down the hallway, agonisingly slowly. She stared after him. Awkwardly he turned as if to say something but thankfully stopped, thinking better of it. Sam's cheeks boiled red from their semi-permanent green.

"Hmm..." Tom gabbled. Sam was grimacing at him in absolute dismay.

"He. Heard. All that!" Sam snarled, less mortified than she felt. She turned Toms grip against him; pulling aggressively at his arm. Quickly sliding the door open, she pointed desperately. "Get in."