Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.

Chapter 22

When I awoke the following morning, I knew for certain that I had the flu. Not only was my fever raging, my throat was also burning, and my nose was blocked. When I sat up, I started coughing.

Once the coughing spasms had past, I flopped back down onto my pillow, feeling completely exhausted. Since there was nothing else I could do, I settled down to go back to sleep.

Sometime later, I felt a hand gently brush my fringe up off my forehead. Whimpering, I rolled over onto my back.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" granddad asked me tenderly.

"Not good," I whispered hoarsely.

Granddad felt my forehead again. "I'd better take your temperature. You feel hotter than you did yesterday."

I let granddad place the thermometer in my mouth. While we waited for it, I glanced over at the clock on top of my dresser. It was eleven-fifteen in the morning. I've slept for about eighteen hours! I thought, shocked. Granddad removed the thermometer from my mouth. He whistled softly when he read it

"Thirty-eight point one. I'd better get you some paracetamol, and then I'll phone your parents."

"No! Please, don't tell them, granddad!" I begged. "Mum will only make a fuss."

"That's her job," granddad reminded me. "I'll be back in a minute. Do you think you can swallow a pill, or would you prefer a capsule?"

"Capsule."

Granddad returned a few minutes later with a paracetamol capsule and a glass of water. Despite my sore throat, I managed to swallow the capsule.

"There now," granddad soothed. "Hopefully, that should do you some good."

"I'm late for my university classes," I muttered, concerned.

"Never mind about that now, Sam. You're too sick to go anywhere."

"If mum comes here, she's going to find out about my Fire Cadet training." I was starting to fret with worry, but just as quickly, I collapsed back onto my pillows, exhausted. Without saying another word, Granddad tucked me in snugly before he quietly left my room.

…

Once Tomos was sure that Sam was asleep, he went downstairs to phone his son and daughter-in-law. He knew that David wouldn't be too concerned about Sam, but he was sure that Mary would be worried. After all, Sam was he youngest son and therefore her baby. He was amazed that she'd even let Sam leave Pontypandy at all.

Tomos picked up the phone's receiver and he dialled the number without thinking about it. Mary answered after four rings.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mary. It's Tomos."

"Hi Tomos. How are you going? Is Sam okay?"

"Actually, that's what I'm ringing you about. Sam's come down with the flu. I took him to see my doctor yesterday, but there wasn't much he could do. I've just given Sam some paracetamol to help lower his temperature."

"What is his temperature now?" Mary asked.

"Thirty-eight point one."

"I'm coming."

"There's no need, Mary. Sam's fine. He's sleeping right now."

"I don't care what you say. I'm coming to see how he is for myself."

Tomos sighed in defeat. I knew you would. "All right. I'll prepare the spare bedroom for you then. See you in a few hours."

Mary hung up the phone without even saying goodbye. Tomos put down his receiver with a heavy sigh. Guess I'd better go and prepare the guest room.

…

Loud talking woke me several hours later. I lay quietly for several minutes while I tried to make out what was being said. I sighed with annoyance when I recognised mum's voice.

I sniffled as I tried to breathe through my nostrils, but it was to no avail. My lungs were too congested to enable me to breathe normally, so I breathed through my mouth. That caused me to start coughing so, frustrated, I sat up.

Just as my coughing spasms subsided, granddad entered my bedroom, followed closely by mum. I flopped back onto my pillows, exhausted.

"Oh, Sam!" mum exclaimed. "I just knew something like this would happen to you once you'd left home."

"It's just the flu, mum," I muttered miserably. "Let me sleep."

"Not until I've taken your temperature," mum replied sternly. I reluctantly opened my mouth, so she could place the thermometer under my tongue. I saw granddad smile sympathetically at me.

While we waited for the thermometer, mum went through her standard nursing routine of checking my pulse and listening to my lungs with her stethoscope. When she'd finished, she removed the thermometer from my mouth.

"No change in his temperature," mum announced. "We'll let you rest now, Sam."

About time, I thought as I pulled my blankets up around me. I sighed tiredly when I heard mum and granddad leave my room.

…

Mary and Tomos made their way downstairs to the kitchen. Tomos put the kettle on to make some tea, while Mary sat down at the kitchen table.

"I know you think I'm overreacting," Mary said. "But Sam's my baby, and I couldn't bear it if anything ever happened to him."

"He wouldn't have much of a life then," granddad muttered.

"What?"

Sighing, Tomos brought the cups of tea over to the table, and he also sat down. "Look, Mary… Sam is growing up very fast. He's already finished school, and now he's at university. Next year, he'll more than likely be getting his learner's licence. What I'm trying to say is that you need to start letting him go. Otherwise, he'll only end up resenting you."

Mary took a sip of tea while she considered what Tomos had just said. After a few moments, she spoke. "You're right, Tomos. I've known that for a long time now, but I've found it difficult to accept. I suppose that's what all mothers struggle with – letting go of their youngest child. I will try to make an effort though, just as soon as he's over this flu."

"I'm sure Sam will thank you for that. He's already become very independent, even though he hasn't been here for very long. Of course, as we agreed, I am ensuring he obeys my ground rules. He's been very good about that."

"Really?"

"You sound surprised."

"Oh, I was just expecting Sam to…"

"Go off the deep end as soon as he'd left home?" Tomos finished.

"Yes."

Tomos shook his head in disbelief. "You really don't know him that well then. Sam's a great kid."

"He's also extremely stubborn."

"I know you blame my side of the family for that, but he gets most of his stubbornness from you."

Mary smiled wistfully before drinking more of her tea. "Well, I suppose the English can be just as stubborn as the Welsh. What has Sam been doing in his spare time?"

"Studying mostly."

"He can't be spending all of his spare time studying."

Tomos sighed. He knew it was time to tell Mary the truth. "You're right. He isn't. Every Wednesday evening, Sam has been attending Fire Cadet training at the Cardiff Central Fire Station."

Mary stared at Tomos in astonishment. "Do you mean to tell me that Sam's been deliberately going behind my back to become a fireman?"

"He really didn't have a choice. If he'd told you what he'd been planning to do once he got to Cardiff, you'd have packed him off to Cambridge or Oxford. He didn't want that, so he agreed to follow your wishes, so he could also follow his own. Mind you, Sam's so smart, he probably would've done the same thing no matter where you'd sent him."

Mary slumped back in her seat, stunned. She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't quite believe I'm hearing this! Why did Sam disobey me?"

"Calm down, Mary," Tomos soothed. "Before you decide to run upstairs and yell at him, you should know that I've been supporting Sam in this ever since he first approached me with the idea. Sam's been wanting to become a fireman for years. This is what he wants to do for his career. I know it isn't what you want, but if you drive a wedge between you both now, he'll resent you for the rest of his life."

Mary sighed heavily. She knew when to accept defeat. "Is he well supervised?" she asked quietly.

"Yes. The Station Officer personally supervises his training. I haven't seen any of his training yet, but Sam talks about it a lot. It's obvious that he loves the training. He's learning a lot about discipline, responsibility and fire safety."

Mary's curiosity was starting to get the better of her. "Could we see him train?"

"I can phone the station and ask. I don't see why we couldn't watch. But it'll have to wait until Sam's better. Speaking of which, it's time for his next dose of paracetamol."

"No, Tomos. He's sleeping, and it's best not to disturb him. We'll give him some more paracetamol when he wakes up."

"Okay. Still, I would like to go and check on him."

Together, Mary and Tomos made their way quietly upstairs. They entered Sam's bedroom as silently as they could. Sam was sleeping on his left-hand side, with his arms tucked up neatly under his pillow. As expected, his breathing sounded congested, but he was in a very deep, healing sleep. Mary tenderly felt Sam's forehead with her hand. Sam didn't even flinch. Satisfied, Mary and Tomos left the room as silently as they'd entered it.

…

Two days later, I was starting to recover. I'd slept a lot, waking only to take some medicine, drink or eat a little soup made lovingly for me by my mum. My fever had peeked at thirty-eight point four before dropping the night before. I awoke mid-morning feeling tired, but far less congested than I had been. At that point, I didn't yet know that granddad had told mum about my firefighter training.

Mum entered my bedroom just as I sat up. "Ah! I see you're feeling a bit better today," she said.

"Just a bit," I agreed. "Did granddad talk to my lecturers like he said he would?"

"Yes, and they've given him some work for you to do while you recover."

"Good. I was hoping they would. Do you think I'll be able to go back to university tomorrow?"

"No, Sam. You need to rest. Now, lie back down."

"It's Monday today, isn't it?" I asked as I lay back down on my pillows.

"Yes."

"I need to go to university on Wednesday then."

Mum smiled slightly. For a moment, I though I saw a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "We'll see how you are tomorrow, okay? Try and go back to sleep now."

"But I'm hungry!"

Mum chuckled. "You are getting better! I'll be back shortly with some food for you. Stay in bed."

True to her word, mum returned a few minutes later with a tray of food. Granddad followed her into my room.

"I'm glad to see you looking more alert, Sam," granddad smiled. "I was hoping you would be, so that you can go back to your Fire Cadet training on Wednesday."

"Granddad!" I exclaimed, shocked. "How could you?"

"Relax, Sam," mum soothed. "I've known about your Fire Cadet training since I arrived here."

I stared at mum, half afraid that she'd start yelling at me. Instead, she sat down on the edge of my bed.

"I can't deny that I'm disappointed in you, Sam," mum continued. "You went behind my back to do something I'd forbidden you to do. But, in a strange way, I'm proud of you for doing that. It shows that you have initiative and drive, and that's something I don't want to discourage. So, I've decided to come along with you to your next training session to see why you enjoy it so much."

I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. "You mean, you're not going to stop me?"

Mum shrugged. "I want to, but I know I can't. You'd only find some other way to do what you want."

Relieved, I gave mum a big hug. "Thank you! I didn't want to disappoint you, but I knew that I couldn't give up on my dreams because you wanted me to."

"Yes, well, I think you've had enough excitement for now," mum said as we ended the embrace. "Eat your breakfast, and then I want you to go back to sleep."

"Can't I do some study first?"

Mum and granddad exchanged a glance.

"Just for an hour," granddad decided. "Then you must rest. Otherwise, you won't be well enough to go to training. Station Officer Michaels knows that you've been ill with the flu, so he's going to take it easy with you."

"Okay," I agreed. Then, I gladly began eating my breakfast.

…

On Wednesday afternoon, Tomos and Mary both agreed that Sam was well enough to attend his Fire Cadet training that evening. Sam's fever had gone, and although he was still a bit tired, he was no longer congested either. Tomos drove them both to the fire station, arriving at five minutes to six.

As soon as Tomos had parked his car in the carpark behind the fire station, Sam leapt out and he ran inside. Mary looked questioningly at Tomos.

"He has five minutes to change into his uniform," Tomos explained. He and Mary then got out of the car, and they headed over to the rear garage entrance of the fire station. A fireman, dressed in casual clothes, stopped them.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go inside without an escort."

"Station Officer Michaels is expecting us," Tomos replied. At that moment, Station Officer Michaels appeared from around the corner of the stairwell.

"It's all right, Fireman Peters. I'll take care them."

The fireman left, and Tomos and Mary went over to Station Officer Michaels. "Station Officer Michaels, this is Sam's mother, Mary Jones."

"Mrs Jones. It's a pleasure to meet you at last."

"Likewise. I'm not happy with the way Sam has gone about this, but I know I can't stand in his way anymore. The least I can do is to see for myself that he's happy. That's all I want for him."

Station Officer Michaels glanced at his watch. "I need to go sound the assembly alarm shortly. For now, I want you to just stand over here next to this wall and watch. If you hear an alarm sound, please go over to that room over there and stay inside until the alarm stops. That's just a common room, but it's the safest place for you to be during a turnout. You can stay against that wall for this alarm though."

Tomos guided Mary over to the wall Station Officer Michaels had indicated. It was right near one of the fireman's poles. Station Officer Michaels disappeared inside the watch room. Seconds later, an alarm sounded throughout the fire station. Almost instantly, Mary and Tomos heard what sounded like a stampede overhead, followed by doors slamming. Firemen burst into the garage area from the stairs, while others slid down the poles. Mary gasped when she saw Sam, dressed in his full firefighting uniform, amongst the firemen sliding down the poles. Tomos grasped Mary's arm to reassure her.

The firemen lined up neatly in the garage just as Station Officer Michaels emerged from the watch room. Sub-Officer Smithers was right behind him.

"White Watch! Atten-shun!" Sub-Officer Smithers barked. The firemen immediately snapped to attention. Sub-Officer Smithers then began calling the roll. He finished a few minutes later.

"All present, sir, except for Fire Cadet Jules, sir," Sub-Officer Smithers reported to Station Officer Michaels. "He's still on suspension."

"He'll be back next week," Station Officer Michaels replied. "At-ease, White Watch."

The firemen obeyed.

"Today, as soon as you've completed your watch commencement duties, I want you all to come out the back with the pump-ladder. We're going to practice slip-and-pitch over at the training tower. Fire Cadet Jones will be joining us. As you can see, we do have guests with us today. Fire Cadet Jones' mother and grandfather will be observing us today, so please make them feel welcome. Also, Fire Cadet Jones has just recovered from the flu, so go easy on him today. That's all I have to say for now."

"White Watch!" Sub-Officer Smithers called. "Atten-shun! To your duties, fall out!"

After they'd been dismissed, the firemen spread out around the appliance bay. Mary and Tomos watched Sam follow one of the firemen over to one of the fire engines. Both of them climbed inside the fire engine, with Sam in one of the front passenger seats. The fireman driving the fire engine started it up, and he began to carefully reverse it out the back of the garage.

Station Officer Michaels went over to Tomos and Mary. "Please, follow me."

The three of them went outside to the back of the fire station. They watched on as Sam, leaning out of the cab window, helped the fireman he was with to park the fire engine. Once it had been parked in the right place, the fireman turned off the fire engine, and then he and Sam got out. They came over to Station Officer Michaels.

"Pump-ladder is now in position for the training exercises, sir," the fireman said.

Station Officer Michaels nodded. "We'll commence the exercise shortly. Mr and Mrs Jones, this is Leading Fireman McArthur. Fireman McArthur, this is Sam's mother and grandfather."

"Pleasure to meet you both," Leading Fireman McArthur replied, shaking hands with them. "I've been assisting with Sam's cadet training, alongside Station Officer Michaels." He placed his hands on Sam's shoulders. "You can be proud of him. He's been showing a lot of natural talent."

"Really?" Mary replied sceptically. "He's also shown natural talent for many other things. Why should this be any different?"

"Because I enjoy it, mum," Sam insisted.

"Assemble the team, McArthur," Station Officer Michaels instructed.

"Yes, sir."

Minutes later, the training exercise began. Mary watched closely, with curiosity and growing pride, as Sam helped pull an extension ladder off the fire engine, then later when he unrolled several hoses and connected the ends to the outlets on the fire engine. She sighed contently.

"You're right, Tomos. Sam is very happy doing this. In fact, I haven't seen him this happy in years. I won't interfere with his decision to be a fireman anymore. I can see that he's well-supervised and safe. I only hope that I don't live to regret this later."

"I'm quite sure you won't," Tomos assured her.