The drive back to Hastings was long, and from the start Foyle knew Sam was unhappy. Sure, she'd had to say goodbye to her Uncle Aubrey, but something seemed to be bothering her.

In actuality, Sam's mind was plagued by numerous unpleasant matters, one of which was her sadness at the possibility that their little team might disband at any moment. First Mr. Foyle had mentioned retirement, then Milner…

And to top it all, her spine and neck were absolutely nackered from the accident earlier in the day. The only way she could comfortably sit was with one shoulder slightly above the other, and she knew Foyle would mention it sooner or later. With all that was going on, she didn't want to concern him with trifles like this.

The silence was broken by Milner.

"What do you think you'll use your half for, Sam?" he asked. Foyled looked back at him through the rearview mirror.

"Half of what?" he asked.

"Sam and I won the onion," he smiled, gesturing toward the driver's seat with his brow.

"Ohhh, right!" said Foyle with a frowning smile, his brows raised in amusement.

"Congratulations."

"I don't know when I last chopped an onion. I almost miss the tears," she said, attempting a lighthearted smile.

Foyle and Milner locked eyes, and they always did when Sam was being charming. Foyle hoped Milner didn't notice anything deeper in his countenance – though he certainly felt it behind his smile. Such things were hard for him to conceal, but he'd had plenty of time to practice.

They took a brief break at the halfway point, with Sam feigning a need to stretch her legs. Really, it was her spine in need of a stretch, and her neck had started to throb.

They all got out of the car once it was safely parked beside the road near a particularly peaceful stretch of field and trees. Milner took the opportunity to tend to his gammy knee, while Sam casually strolled further toward the hedgerow.

'Do you think Sam looks alright?' Foyle asked, seating himself next to Milner on the end of the pavement.

Milner looked up momentarily before refocusing his attention on relieving the pressure of his knee brace.

'I think something's on her mind,' he said, softly.

No, Foyle thought, that isn't it.

When something was on Sam's mind, she certainly looked out of sorts, as she had the last hour or so. But, this was different. Occasionally she'd wince, ever so slightly. Especially when she changed gears or checked the mirrors.

She also seemed impatient, which was far from normal. She usually approached every drive as an opportunity for discussion and found some way to enjoy herself – even when he himself was less inclined to talk.

After thinking this over a few minutes, Foyle got up and made his way slowly down the hill toward the hedgerow to join her.

'You feeling alright?' he asked, getting straight to the point.
Sam had just been reaching up to massage her neck, and tried to mask her movements as an attempt to fix her hair.

'Er-yes! Of course! Why shouldn't I be?'

Foyle lifted an eyebrow, and Sam instantly lowered her gaze to the ground.

'It's not… too bad, sir. Really. I just need a bit of rest once we get home,' she said and he sucked the side of his cheek.

'Rrrrright,' he said, slowly.

'Truly, sir,' she said, desperately. 'I'm perfectly capable of doing my job. It's just a few sore muscles. Nothing to worry about.'

'There's nothing wrong with taking a break. When we get back, if you feel uncomfortable driving-'

'I can do it, sir' she insisted.

They were both quiet as they walked together further from the car. He wondered when they'd turn around and return to poor Milner, but she seemed determined to keep walking.

'Sam,' he started again, this time more gently. 'If you're hurt, you need to address it. You need to take care of yourself… just as you take care of us.'

She seemed struck by that last part, but she continued to stare ahead.

He saw her back stiffen one again as she closed her eyes from the sudden shock of pain. Then it was gone again.

He'd seen it happen – the details had all stood out to him in an almost clinical form:

The small of her back tightened, sending waves up through her spine and over her shoulders. He could see the offending spot, a mere 17 inches from his left hand. If only it weren't out of order for him to help her relieve the pain.

He felt his arm move involuntarily to her back, resting against her spine, which immediately became tense.

'You should sit down,' he said gently, his soft tone taking her by surprise.

She felt the fluttering in her stomach return as she took his advice, seating herself on a large downed log beside a nearby oak.

'What can I do?' he asked, not sure what he expected to hear.

She was similarly perplexed, though she knew the only way he could really help was to tend to her back and neck. She was not about to ask him for such a thing.

'It will be set to rights, sooner or later,' she said with a small smile.

He nodded, eyes lowered to the painful spot.

Without speaking, he shifted slightly before gently pressing the small of his hand against the stuck joints.

'There?" he asked quietly. She nodded, eyes shut again as she held her breath. He nodded, surveying her twisted seating position and tilted shoulders. Clearly there was more amiss than she'd let on, though he was already pushing his luck as it was. He wasn't about to give her any more nonsense to worry about.

'How's your head?' he asked, eying her brow and remembering the sight of her bloody face once she'd gained consciousness. The thought momentarily left him queasy, with a slight tingling in his hands. He was relieved as the sensation started to fade.

'I've a bit of a headache,' she said, 'I think I'll just have a hot compress before bed. Should help a bit.'

'You're sure you won't see a doctor?'

'There are more important patients than me,' she said. 'I'm sure it'll all be fine.'

'Thought as much,' he murmured to himself as his brows creased with supplication.

He was becoming increasingly aware that his hand was still resting on the small of Sam's back. Reluctantly he drew it away.

Sam made a motion to get up, but caught herself off-guard and strained neck and shoulder. She yelped before she could stop herself, freezing in place as she waited for the bolt of pain to subside. The sound had made Foyle jump, his heart clenching in empathy as he tried to think of some way to help. When he realized he couldn't, he simple held her arm and back protectively, as if holding her still would somehow help.

'You alright?' he asked breathlessly after allowing her a moment to collect herself.

The sudden pain had left a massive crack in her brave façade, and Sam knew she could no longer pretend everything was alright. There, with Foyle's arms around her and the cool early drops of evening showers falling from overhead, Sam's shoulders shook as she succumbed to her exhaustion.

As a tear escaped her downturned eyes, Foyle's sheepishness seemed to vanish for a moment. His hand lowered to hold her hand, which he was startled to find had turned cold in the shifting breeze.

He squeezed the hand tightly as he shifted to face her full-on.

'Sam, you don't have to drive. Let Milner take over. You can sit in the back. Really, you shouldn't strain yourself anymore.'

'I think I'm just tired, and it's making the pain worse.'

'Even so, that's just as bad,' he said, trying to make eye contact with her, which had suddenly become rather difficult.

The rain was now starting to come down steadily, and Foyle could see Milner standing again and trying to wave them back to the car.

For a moment he looked back at Milner, who immediately called out to them about the need to return to the car.

'Get in, we're coming back!' Foyle called back, waving Milner into the car. Milner didn't need convincing, and swiftly vanished into the back.

Foyle turned back to Sam.

'Look, Sam, we've got to get out of this rain. The last thing you need is pneumonia as well. Come on.' With that, he helped her return to her feet, and supported her arm in his as they made their way back to the Wolseley.

'I'll be fine driving, sir. I can make it work, I have until now.' continued Sam after a short pause. Foyle shook his head in disbelief. Injured or not, she's still obstinate, he thought. Still, he had to admit, he would have her no other way.

'If you're sure. But if you do, you've got to promise you'll visit a doctor,' he said.

Sam thought for a moment and sighed as he reached out to open the door for her.

'Righto, sir' she said, giving a small smile as she climbed into the driver's seat.