Tom was worried. Not about his impending charges or the fact he was sitting in a jail cell most likely next to several real criminals, no, but about Sam. She had been completely out of it when he had been arrested at St James's ED, mumbling something ponies, and he highly doubted she was any more lucid now.

He had received one update from a police officer, who told him that the drugs Sam had in her system were high strength sleeping pills and that until Sam sobers up he was unfortunately stuck in that cell as her attacker was maintaining his story about Tom assaulting him for no reason. That and the fact there was also a chance that Sam may not remember the entire night, in which case he would be forced to rely on Zoe's statement for freedom and had already been warned by the police that her statement would not be strong enough to release him nor get the charges dismissed.

All he could do was sit in his cell and worry about someone who barely knew a thing about him and whom he doubted had remembered his name after her drinking spree last night. He had never been very good at keeping track of time and so now was stuck guessing. He estimated he'd been in the cell around 8 hours, and had been in the police station about 9, as he had had a rather lengthy interview to endure before they imprisoned him in a 6x4 cell.

It was around half an hour after thinking this that the various locks on his door were finally released and he was allowed out of his cell and straight into the interview room. He was hoping they were going to inform him that he was free to go, but instead he was faced with something that would have struck terror into the heart of the bravest man.

"Z-Z-Zoe?" He managed to stutter after staring at her irate expression for a few moments.

"What the hell" Zoe began in a voice that Tom immediately knew meant interrupt and you're dead, "Were you thinking?"

After deciding that Zoe did in fact want him to reply, Tom nervously answered "I was protecting Sam."

"You mean your wannabe girlfriend," Zoe muttered under her breath before continuing, "If he wasn't half your size he could have really injured you for one thing, and don't tell me you didn't know this could happen.

Zoe finished by gesturing around the drab interview room exasperatedly before returning her furious gaze to Tom, who was still caught on the first part of her sentence.

"What did you just say?"

Zoe sighed, or rather let out a furious hiss of air, before answering, "Did you really not listen to a word I just said? You could have been really injured and-"

"Before that." Tom interjected forcefully.

"Glad to see you have your priorities straight," Zoe said with a roll of her eyes, "Tom you could be facing charges! You may lose your medical license!"

"..Or everything may work out fine." Tom said in a voice which made it clear he had had enough of all the doom and gloom, "As long as Sam is ok I don't give a damn what happens to me."

"You are a complete idiot;" Zoe replied flatly, "Sam is not ok."

Tom sat up a little straighter on the plastic chair and stared at Zoe with a gaze of intense worry.

"Why? Has something changed since the last update I was given? They said she was recovering well but they could have been wrong I guess… Has there been a complication?"

"Tom stop! Sam is going to make a full recovery. I'm not talking about right now; I'm talking about the last couple of months! She lost ten years of her life! It's changed her and only the man upstairs knows why but she seems to trust you, and she lives with you, and you're the only person who can get her to remember! If you end up in jail what's she going to do? Move back into her house? Keep seeing her psychiatrist? Keep going on with her life? She can't! Sam would never admit it but she needs you to help her get her life back on track!"

Tom stared at her for a few moments before answering.

"But the worst of the hangover should be wearing off by now and she should remember what happened, then I'll be out of here!" Tom shouted after his dumbstruck expression had finally worn off.

"Tom wake up! You're a doctor and you know that alcohol and sleeping tablets are a nasty combination- there's no guarantee that she will remember, and when I left her she was still a sleepy, hung over, forgetful mess!" Zoe shouted into his face.

Tom took a moment to absorb these words.

"I bet you took that well." Tom replied flatly.

"I…" Zoe said slowly, her angry composure slipping into a guilty one, "I may have told her if she didn't remember soon I'd kill her."

"Zoe!"

"I was angry! You're a good friend and a great doctor and I don't want to lose you as either!" Zoe said as her defensive composure replaced the guilty one.

"Well then you better hope scaring her half to death makes her remember quicker." Tom replied in a moody tone.

"I'm not sure that would work. I don't even know if she understood me." Zoe replied with worry slipping in to her tone.

"Are you sure there was nothing else wrong with her?" Tom asked with worry in his eyes.

"Yes. We ran every test the hospital would allow on her and I examined her to make sure she wasn't harmed by that man." Zoe said sadly.

"So... she's ok." Tom said, "That's the best news I heard all night."

Zoe was about to reply when a police officer knocked on the door and burst inside.

"Dr Hanna you need to get back to St James ED. Sam Nicholls has suffered a complication."

Zoe was on her feet and out of the door in three seconds flat, leaving Tom to only yell after her in panic.

…