The waiting room was a sea of anxious faces, but for Sam, time seemed to stand still. He stared at the floor, each passing second feeling like an eternity. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air, mingling with the muffled sounds of distant conversations and the occasional cry of a child. Mike's hand remained a steady presence on Sam's back, a silent offer of comfort.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Sam whispered, his voice barely audible.
Mike nodded, though his eyes betrayed his worry.
"He's tough. He'll pull through."
Just then, the sliding doors of the waiting room opened, and a gust of cool evening air swept in. Sam looked up to see Fi rushing in, her face a mask of concern. She spotted Sam and hurried over, her eyes wide with worry.
"Sam!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him.
"I got here as fast as I could. How is he?"
Sam hugged her tightly.
"We're still waiting."
Just then, the door to the treatment area swung open, and a nurse stepped out, her expression neutral but professional. Fi, Sam, and Mike turned simultaneously, their hearts pounding.
"Family of Charlie?" she called.
Sam's breath caught in his throat as he stepped forward.
"That's us."
The nurse gave a reassuring smile.
"He's stable, but unconscious. The doctor will come to talk to you in a moment, but you can see him now."
Relief washed over all three as they followed the nurse down the hallway. When they reached Charlie's room, Sam took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Fi rushed over, sitting on the edge of the bed as Mike and Sam stood beside the bed.
"We've added a bed and an oversize chair for 2 to make things easier. If any of you need something, just hit the nurse button." the nurse whispered.
Neither Sam nor Fi said anything, just stared at Charlie. Mike smiled at the nurse, saying,
"Thank you."
As she left, once the door was shut, Fi's breath hitched, and Sam wrapped his arms around her. Soon a knock came, and the doctor stepped in,
"I'm doctor Petrenko, Charlie is stable, but he's still unconscious. He suffered a significant concussion from the fall, which is why he's not waking up right now. The good news is that his vital signs are strong, and there's no indication of any other injuries. We'll continue to monitor him closely over the next few hours to make sure there's no swelling or bleeding in the brain. It's a good sign that he's stable, but it may take some time for him to regain consciousness. Do you have any questions?"
Fi, still holding onto Sam, looked up with tears in her eyes.
"Will he be okay?"
Dr. Petrenko nodded reassuringly.
"We're optimistic. Most children recover fully from concussions, especially with prompt medical care. We'll do everything we can to ensure he has the best possible outcome. Right now, rest is the best thing for him."
Sam took a deep breath, trying to absorb the information.
"Thank you, doctor."
Dr. Petrenko gave them a small, encouraging smile.
"You're welcome. I'll be nearby if you need anything or if you have any more questions. Just press the call button."
As the door shut, Michael took a seat in the chair. All three just sat there forever, after a while Michael reached for Fi's hand squeezing it as she looked at him he said,
"Lay down for a while, Sam and I will take the first shift and wake you if something changes."
Fi shook her head, leaning farther into Sam.
"Babe, go lay down, it's going to be a while." He whispered in her ear.
She sighed and sat up looking at Michael then Sam.
"Okay." She whispered, leaning toward Sam for a kiss.
Sam kissed her, she got up and as she passed Michael she kissed his cheek. She laid down, facing away from them. Sam moved sitting beside Michael, he leant into Michael. Mike knew what he was doing,
"Sam just let it out." He whispered.
Tears streamed down Sam's face as he buried his head against Michael's chest, his body shaking with suppressed sobs. Michael held him tightly, offering silent support as Sam finally allowed himself to release the emotions he had been holding back. As he calmed down, Mike pressed a kiss to the top of his head. They laid like that until they both fell asleep. Mike woke up, seeing Charlie still out and Fi awake watching him. He looked down, not seeing Sam.
"Where's Sam?"
"I don't know, I just woke up."
Michael sat up, watching Charlie.
"He still hasn't woken up." Fi whispered.
Michael got up coming to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her as she laid her head on his shoulder.
"He will Fi, just give him time."
"Will you go look for Sam? I'm worried about him, he's been acting weird."
"For how long?"
"About a week before you came back, last year he did the same for 2 weeks."
Michael thought about this information, and looked on his watch at the date then at Charlie. Fi nodded, her eyes filled with concern as she watched Michael stand up. He gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before heading out of the room. As he walked down the hall, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Sam. Losing a child was a pain that never truly healed, and it made sense why Sam might be acting strangely around a hospital. Michael found Sam in the hospital's quiet waiting area, staring blankly at a vending machine lost in his thoughts.
"Hey, Sam," Michael said gently, approaching him.
"How are you holding up?"
Sam looked up, his eyes distant and tired.
"Hey, Mike. Just... thinking, I guess."
Michael nodded, giving Sam the space to open up if he wanted to.
"Let's sit down." And lead Sam to some chairs.
After sitting down, Michael looked at him saying,
"Fi's worried about you. You've been acting differently lately."
Sam sighed, rubbing his temples.
"It's just... that time of year again, you know? I thought after all this time I could handle it better, but it's still hard."
Michael placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I know….. You don't have to go through this alone, Sam like I told you all those years ago if you want to ever talk, and we have, about it I'll listen. I think now is the time Fi hears it, I'm assuming she doesn't know?"
Sam shook his head no.
"I just... I can't bring myself to do it," he admitted, his voice trembling.
"Why not?
"Because…. You know how I come off… I don't do feelings…"
Michael listened quietly, his expression sympathetic as Sam struggled to share his feelings. He took a gently squeezed Sam's shoulder.
"I understand, Sam. It's okay to feel overwhelmed. You don't have to do this alone, and Fi cares about you, I care about you. We both want to be there for you, however you're feeling."
Sam nodded slowly, appreciating Michael's support.
"I know you two will. It's just hard to admit when I'm struggling."
"It's a strength, not a weakness, to reach out," Michael assured him.
"Letting us know what you're going through will only bring us closer together."
Sam sighed, contemplating Michael's words. Deep down, he knew his girlfriend and dare he say boyfriend? were there to support him, but the vulnerability of admitting his struggles still was hard.
"Do you want to go back?"
Sam nodded, getting up as they made their way back to Charlie's room, Michael grabbed his hand saying,
"Do you want me to stay with him, while you guys go get some food and talk?"
Sam nodded, not saying anything Mike could feel his hands trembling slightly. He squeezed his hands, pulling him into a hug whispering in his ear,
"Everything's okay."
"What if it's too much for her?"
"She put up with my crap for years. Trust me she will be okay, we all have pasts we don't like to talk about. She might even open up to you more."
"She's not told me much about her family, just the stuff that's obvious Sean…. Claire."
"So you've both held things back. Okay then, let's go back, I'll stay with Charlie and you and Fi can have a talk. She's worried about you so don't chicken out."
"I won't, I should have told her ages ago, thanks for the push."
Mike nodded and they headed back to Charlie and Fi. They got to the door where Sam hesitated slightly before going in followed closely by Mike. She looked up and smiled warmly at them, but her smile faltered when she saw the serious expressions on their faces.
"Hey, is everything okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.
Michael nodded reassuringly.
"Everything's fine, Fi. I was thinking you and Sam could go grab some food and have a chat. I'll stay with Charlie. Any Changes?"
"No, he's still out, the doctor said they were going to do more tests in the morning."
Fi looked at Sam, sensing something was up, she got up coming over to him putting her hand on his arm and rubbing it encouragingly, she asked
"Sam? You okay"
Sam took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
"Yeah…. I have something I need to tell you. We can go get something to eat whilst we talk. Mike said he'll stay with Charlie."
"Sure."
As they headed out she looked at Michael for any clue about what was wrong with Sam, Michael just nodded as they headed out together walking in silence until they reached a quiet corner of the cafeteria, with their food. Fi looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.
"Fi, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," Sam began, his voice shaking.
"It's about... it's about my child. My child who... who died."
Fi's eyes widened in surprise and empathy.
"Oh, Sam, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I didn't know how," Sam admitted, his voice breaking.
"I didn't know how to talk about it, Mikey only knows because it happened right around the time we were in Afghanistan and I didn't know how to deal with it. It's hard when it gets this time of year, and harder this year because of the baby and I didn't want to burden you."
Fi reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently.
"You're never a burden, Sam. I'm here for you, no matter what. You don't have to go through this alone."
Sam felt a wave of relief wash over him as he realized that, despite his fears, Fi was there for him, ready to support him through his pain. He squeezed her hand back, grateful for her understanding and love. He leant in and kissed her, moving his hand to rest on her stomach. They sat there for they didn't know how long until Fi got a text from Michael,
"Charlie's awake." She said, as she stood.