A.N. Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter. I am a happier with this chapter. Please keep reviewing. This story is slowly making its way to the finish.
Disclaimer - I don't own the rights to Rookie Blue.
The Talk.
After her lunch with John, Noelle went home and completed all the chores that she missed in the morning. Then all of a sudden it hit her again that she was going on a double date. Noelle was full of emotions again, anger, happiness, annoyed and everything in between. She needed someone to talk to. So she pulled out her phone from her pocket and dialled a familiar number.
"Hello Sam." Noelle spoke.
"Hi, Noelle. How are you?" Sam replied wondering why Noelle is calling.
"Yeah, I am ok. No scratch that. I don't know how I feel." She admitted.
"Why, what's up?" Sam gently prodded
"Remember at yours last night. You offered if I wanted to talk to call you." Noelle reminded Sam of his offer of a listening ear.
"Yeah, I remember. So you want to talk?" he said worried for his friend.
"I think I would like to talk but not over the phone. Can you please come to mine." Noelle's voice was shaky. She felt like she was about to cry.
"Yeah, no problem Noelle. I will be over in about 20 minutes."
"Thanks a lot Sam. See you in a few minutes." Noelle said thankful that Sam would be over soon.
"No problem Noelle. See you soon." Sam shut his phone.
While she was waiting for Sam to come over Noelle busied herself with getting some snacks together just to say thanks. Then she walked over to the alcohol cupboard to find the bottle of Scotch that she won on the day of retrain. That was something that they both had in common were their love of Scottish Whisky. Sam's favorite was 12-year-old Balvenie double cask single malt. Noelle loved Laphroaig 10-year-old single malt.
20 minutes or so later there was a knock at the door. Noelle answered it; it was Sam.
"Hey Sam thanks for coming over." Noelle stepped aside to allow Sam to enter the house.
"You don't need to thank me. What are friends for? When they can't be there for each other in times of need." Sam genuinely admitted. Noelle had been there for him when he went through a rough patch with Sarah a few years ago. Plus in most recent times when he was going through the love struck period of his life waiting for Andy to finish with Luke.
Sam sat down on the chair and Noelle offered him a drink of Scotch. "Is this from the bottle that Frank gave you for kicking ass at retrain." Sam questioned.
"Yeah it is. Do you want a drink? Noelle offered.
"Yeah, I was wondering if I was ever going to get a drink of the good stuff." Sam teased Noelle to try and get her to relax.
"Your lucky buddy that I am feeling like I am or you wouldn't be getting any of this." Noelle quipped back holding up the bottle of Scotch.
"Your right. I have never really known you to allow anyone to have a snifter of the good stuff. Noelle, what's going on? In the all the years I have known you. You have never been like this." Sam's tone of voice conveyed a real sense of worry for his friends well being.
"In one word – John is what is going on. Ever since I saw him at your party and we had a talk about what happened. I have been full of conflicting emotions. I don't know what to do." Noelle sighed and tried to keep it together too.
"Well tell me what happened and then I can see if can be of any help." Sam sat back in to the chair waiting for Noelle to start to talk.
"Promise me that you won't tell anyone. Until I know what I am doing. This means you can't even tell McNally. So no pillow talk from you." Noelle pleaded with Sam.
"I promise Noelle. You know that I don't kiss and tell." Giving Noelle the promise so she would let go of her own guarded emotions and open up.
"Good, thanks Sam." Noelle took a deep breath and a sip of her scotch so she could build up the courage to say what had happened. Sam gave her a smile and a nod that he was ready to hear what was troubling Noelle.
Noelle started from the beginning of the story of what had happened from the moment that Traci left John and her in Sam's living room. Then what happened at lunch that day at DeLucianos. Sam was stunned at all this information that he was being given and trying to think of the best thing to say.
"Wow, now I know why you were angry at him. It makes sense now why you left the party and how you are feeling now." Sam sympathized with his friend.
"Life knows when to throw you a curveball and this is mine." Frustration was evident in Noelle's tone. She took a large gulp of her scotch. "I really don't know what to do for the best! I still have really strong feelings for John. He is my first love but I am angry at the fact that he never got in touch with me when he came back into Toronto."
"Noelle, you know my track record when it comes to relationships. I have only just found the love of my life and it took me to put it all out there to get to where I am at the moment. I have gone from women to women having no string relationships, Monica is a prime example of that." Sam recalled his relationship failures.
"Yeah, you have found love and contentment with McNally. I hate to admit this even though I was part of helping get you both together. I am jealous of what you have. Someone to come home to at night and share the ups and downs of this job with." Noelle hated feeling like she does.
"Noelle your time will come and it may have already come with John coming back into your life. Goodness I am turning into a old romantic." Sam quipped to try and lighten the mood a bit.
"You have always been the romantic Sam, under that hard street cop exterior there is a warm, caring and loving individual." Noelle smiled at seeing the blush that was coming into Sam's cheeks.
Sam laughed. "I am not here to talk about me. I'm here to talk about your situation." Sam changed the subject to the situation in hand.
"Before I forget, you will be getting a call from John some point tonight. He wants to us, meaning McNally, John, you and myself to go out after shift tomorrow. Seems like I have got myself into a double date situation. I still no idea how I got into it. He suggested that you both came along to give me some moral support. What ever that means?" Noelle laughed again. This is great we are talking about the situation plus still teasing each other and I am still able to laugh. You maybe making more progress on how to work things out with John than you realize.
"Andy and I will be there if you want? I can't let my friend down." Sam promised Noelle.
"It would be good to have both of you there."
"Right Noelle, I am going to cut to the chase. You know me by now apart from the Andy situation. I like to get straight to the point." Sam thought that being that would help Noelle make the decision quicker and easier on herself. "I am going to ask you questions. I want the first word, reaction, emotion that comes into your head. It's usually the right decision it's what your gut is saying. Are you okay with the way I am going to handle it?"
"Sam yeah I am happy with it. You and your gut instinct." Noelle shook her head.
"Here we go. Starting with the toughest question. Do you still love John?"
"Yes, I do!" Noelle gasped
"Good, Do you want to see John again after tomorrow night?"
"Yeah, I would like to see him again."
"See we are making progress now. Can you trust him?"
"Not at the moment but I hope in time I will be able to."
"Do you want to be friends or more than friends?"
"More than friends" Noelle was really shocked at that admission. She wants more than what she thought.
"Will you be able to forgive him totally for leaving you and not contacting you?"
"In time maybe."
"Do you think that John would have picked your favorite restaurant and the same booth that you sat in on your first date? If he didn't still have feelings for and that he wanted to show you how much you mean to him?"
"No, the John I knew was always thinking of others and doing the most romantic things to show that he cared."
"Okay, final question. What is your gut saying to you at the moment about how you are feeling right now?"
"It's saying that I am feeling better now. Thanks Sammy." Noelle rose from the sofa and walked across and gave Sam a hug.
"Glad you are feeling better. It's the least I can do for all you did for me when I was feeling crappy over the Andy situation. I know its not going to be easy for you on the trust and the forgiveness stuff. Remember you have got everyone apart from Dov and Callaghan to talk to. We can be your emotional punching bag or if you feel like going all retrain again. We will happily offer Dov for that and I will happily give you Callaghan. " Sam laughed and so did Noelle.
"Noelle, what John said to you isn't that unusual when you go into a high stakes operation. You fear for your family, friends and loved ones that there are consequences to the actions that you do on the job. There was one case in across the border that a cop got so far into his job once it ended there was a contract put on his head. Him and his family were put into witness protection not to be heard from again. So when we go into UC work we know these dangers. You know that as well.
I know now that I wont be doing UC again as I have got Andy but for John it was different in a way. He had you but when I.A. come a knockin at the door and they want you to do a UC you don't have a choice. I am not defending him at all but in the heat of the moment he was thinking that was the best for you both." Sam explained it from his many years of UC experiences
Sam's phone rang and he noticed on the caller ID it was John. Sam looked over at Noelle "It's him"
"Hi John!" Sam said trying not to laugh
"Hey Swarek" John replied
"Whats up? I don't hear from you in years" Sam gave a wink to Noelle " then in a space of a week I hear from you twice."
"Yeah, I know. Swarek can you do me a favour? I met up with Noelle for lunch today but my cell went and I had to go. As I was on the way out of the door I said to Noelle could we meet up after shift tomorrow, I suggested that you and your lovely girlfriend Andy could come. Can you and Andy please come? I know it would make it easier for Noelle if you were there. She has trusted you for years." John pleaded with Sam unknowing that Noelle had told Sam the whole story.
"Yeah John. Andy and I will be there. Where and When?"
"I will call you tomorrow with the where and when. Once I book the restaurant. Noelle, Andy and yourself don't have to worry about everything. I will take care of it all. See you tomorrow Swarek."
"See you tomorrow too John." Sam snapped his phone shut.
Noelle shook her head. "I knew you were good at lying but not that good. I bet McNally can see right through you." Noelle teased Sam. "So you told him that you were coming on the double date. Thanks"
"You heard me saying I would be there. Yeah, I can't hide anything from Andy. She sees straight through me and I can with her." Sam hated to admit someone had broken through and got to know the real Samuel Swarek. "Noelle, how are you feeling now?"
"Actually I feel good at the moment. I don't feel like I'm suffocating with the emotions. I feel a bit freer. Thank you so much Sam."
"Stop saying thank you. Its no problem helping a friend."
Noelle holds her hands up in surrender. "Right Sam. I am feeling better now. I just now want to go and have a bath before going to bed before shift in the morning. So would you mind going. I am sorry about kicking you out as you have come to help me. You will want to go and have some time with Andy before sleep."
"Its fine and are you sure that you are going to be ok?"
"Yeah I am sure." Noelle said with certainty and conviction.
"Right if you need to talk again. Don't hesitate to pick up the phone."
"Yeah if I need to I will call."
Sam stood up and walked towards the door, gave his friend a reassuring hug.
"See you tomorrow Sam. Goodnight"
"Yeah see you at the barn tomorrow, Noelle Goodnight."
Noelle shut the door headed for a bath and went to bed.
What will tomorrow and the double date bring.