This chapter is for everyone who is wondering where the rescueteam went and who didn't want Senny to die - like myself, by the way. Everyone else should stop reading now 😉

>>Daylight by Shinedown + You are the reason by Calum Scott<<

Cardiff hospital, 18 hours later (Penny's POV)

A blinding light blinded me when I opened my eyes. I squinted and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. I noticed a steady beeping sound, then I noticed that typical hospital smell. I squinted against the brightness as shapes of faces appeared above me, slowly taking on familiar shapes.
"Ellie? Gwendolyn?" I asked, amazed and in a tired voice. I was still in a daze. I looked from my right to my left to see who else was there. "Aunt Moira. Cynthia, you too? What are you doing here?"

"Do you think we'll miss out on welcoming you back to the living?" Ellie teased, grinning, but I could see the tears in her eyes. They immediately shot into my eyes too.

"Man, you've got us all excited. You've been in the news non-stop since last night," Cynthia said excitedly. "You're a sensation, Jenny...I mean Penny...Julie? For God's sake. What's your name?" Cynthia then said frustrated.

"Penny. I am and will always be Penny," I replied with a smile and looked at Ellie, who was opening a folder at the foot of my bed.

"That's right. It says so in your papers too!" said Ellie, grinning, who had quickly pulled out my medical records from the pencil case that was hanging on my bed. I rolled my eyes, smiling at her lack of discretion. At least she immediately put the file away instead of reading it.

"How did the media get wind of this?" I asked the others, noticing that my aunt next to me was holding my hand and clearly not planning on letting go too quickly. I could see how worried she was - still was. So I gave her a reassuring smile as Ellie sat on the bed next to my legs.

"Are you kidding me? Since Sam was kidnapped, Dooley has been hanging around town with her team and nothing is kept secret in Pontypandy, as you know. When the whole pack of police and Scotland Yard expressed themselves last night, they immediately followed them, just like Helen and I did," Ellie explained to me.

"Why you two? You didn't even know what was going on. You could have been in danger," I replied to Ellie, shocked at her rash actions.

"Our team leader had disappeared and it was clear that they had a lead when they started such a large-scale operation," Ellie objected with a shrug. "I intercepted Helen as she followed the convoy and she took me with her. On the way, she let me in on what she knew and that the water corpse couldn't possibly have been you. So it was clear to us that if you were still alive and Sam was in trouble, you couldn't be far either. We thought you might need help. "

"Thanks, Ellie." I couldn't help but feel my heart warm, grateful for the friends I'd made. "What about Snider? Is he really..." I trailed off. The fear still simmered inside me that he might have survived after all. I wouldn't endure having to meet him again - not on the street or even in the courtroom.

"Dead as a mouse. He won't hurt anyone anymore. What he did to you is bad enough," Gwendolyn interjected and I could see that she still looked worried.

The door opened and I saw Helen enter. She smiled as our eyes met.

"So, dear ones, when our patient has finally woken up, I want to give her a quick check and then you should give her some rest. You'll have her back with you soon enough," the nurse interjected as she came into the room and the others quickly said goodbye to us. Aunt Moira told me she had a hotel room in town and would be back tomorrow before following the others out. I watched her go and only now realized that it must be dark outside because the hallway and the room were bathed in artificial light."So Penny, how are you?" Helen tore me out of my thoughts.

"Ragged, but good. I'm assuming it's because of the painkiller though, so please don't let it run out for now," I tried to joke as she took my blood pressure.

"We won't, even though we had to reduce your dosage to a minimum."

"Why?" I asked in surprise as she wanted to check the flow on the infusion bag. She paused in surprise and looked at me.

"You don't know?" she replied, visibly confused and that slowly startled me a little.

"What don't I know? Helen, what's up? Is something wrong?"

"I wouldn't say that. Actually, quite the opposite. You were damn lucky. The bullet in your left side narrowly missed your organs. But your baby is fine. It..."

"My...what?" I asked shocked and Helen looked at me like I was the eighth wonder of the world.

"Your baby. You're pregnant. I thought you knew about it?!"

"Why should I know about this? I...that can't be right!"

"But it is true. There is no doubt about it! You are already at least in the 7th week. I really envy you that you seem to have been spared so completely from the first symptoms that you didn't notice anything."

The night with Sam. This one night. It was perfect for the time and I hadn't given any thought to contraception because of my past. Not with Sam. I knew he was healthy. He would have told me if our annual check-up had revealed anything different about him.

"They always said that Snider hurt me so badly that I would never have children," I said quietly, but Helen heard it anyway.

"Then I guess it's a miracle, but a miracle that actually happened," she said smiling and sat down next to me to put her hand on mine. "Penny, you should be grateful for that."

A smile crept across my face. I couldn't do anything about it. "I am Helen, I am. Where is Sam? Does he know about this?" I asked her excitedly. What would he say if he found out about it?

"We are subject to medical confidentiality. Of course he doesn't know anything about it. He's next door. He just came out of the operating room." Even though she tried to appear relaxed, I didn't like Helen's face at all when she suddenly tried to avoid my gaze and when I asked her she jumped up to fiddle with the monitor that was recording my vitals. Something was wrong and I didn't want anything now more than seeing Sam and being with him.

"Helen, what's wrong? Is something wrong with Sam? I have to..." I groaned in pain as I tried to sit up and my whole body seemed to protest painfully. Helen gently pushed me back into the pillow, but she left no doubt that she would not allow me to exert myself in any way.

"The doctors had to do a lot of work on him to fix his broken fingers and treating a 24-hour-old gunshot wound in his leg isn't anything nice either," she simply explained to me and I sensed that that wasn't all.

"Will he...retain any injuries? Will he be able to work again?" I asked her in fear. I knew Sam would be heartbroken if he never got to work as a firefighter again.

"Sure. His hand will definitely cause him problems from time to time because it was so late to fix it, but I think he'll learn to deal with it. It definitely shouldn't be allowed to stop him from doing his job," she explained me with a smile, but I saw clearly that it didn't reach her eyes.

"I don't want to say that you're lying to me, but you're not telling the whole truth either," I said and Helen sighed deeply.

"He fell into a coma. The doctors have tried everything, but they hope this will help him heal better," she finally gave in.

"What? How can he heal better in a coma?" I replied in fear and tried to sit up again, which Helen immediately vehemently prevented.

"Penny, you saw what happened to him yourself. He had an operation that lasted over 16 hours, during which they had to carry out serious interventions in several places. The purpose of the coma is to allow his body to recover from all the strain and injuries in peace and, above all, painlessly. It is a natural protective reaction. If everything heals well, he will wake up in two to three weeks."

"And if not? What if something goes wrong? There's a risk involved, isn't it?" I asked her, my thoughts racing.

"It'll be okay, Penny," she replied reassuringly, but I didn't want to calm down. I knew that something like this could always have side effects and dangers.

"What can happen, Helen. Tell me!" I asked her tonelessly, while desperation began to boil up inside me. Why couldn't it just be over? Why didn't fate grant us a future together?

"It's always possible that he won't wake up at all. The doctors say he was in very bad shape when he got here. It has happened before, but the doctors don't plan to keep him in a coma for too long. It'll be okay, Penny. Don't worry."

"Don't worry? Helen, even you worry and I love this man with every fiber of my being. I need him. It's only because of him that I've been able to get through all of this in the last few weeks. God knows I've really wanted to do all this often enough put an end to it and not just with a fake funeral," I pleaded desperately, unable to hold back the tears any longer. I saw Helen startle and looked down at my fists clenched on the blanket.

"Penny, if you need a listening ear or a pastor, please let me know. I'm always there for you and will do everything I can to make sure you feel well and come to terms with everything," she objected, concerned.

"I need Sam," I sobbed desperately. "I really thought that fate had been kind to me when I just woke up. Why does it have to be so hard on Sam? It's not his fault."

"It wasn't your fault either, Penny. So don't tell yourself that!" she tried to comfort me again, but she couldn't. The news that Sam was in a coma and that it would take weeks to see whether he actually made it or not hurt me too much.

"I need to see him, Helen, please."

Helen looked down at me for a moment as I saw the conflict in her eyes. "Wait a minute!" she then said and left the room. It took a few minutes for her to come back, but when she did, she left the door open so she could wheel a wheelchair in. "If you promise me to be very careful, I'll take you over to him for a moment, " she then said reluctantly.

"Really?" I asked her happily and she nodded with a smile as she placed the wheelchair next to my bed and came over to help me. "Thanks, Helen," I then said, trying unsuccessfully to keep from moaning as she helped me up and every bone in my body seemed to protest.

"You're welcome," she simply replied as I sank heavily into the chair.

"Will I still be here when they wake him up?" I asked her as she pushed me out the door.

"Depends on how quickly your wounds heal. Maybe. He'll be happy to see you when he wakes up."

"When he wakes up," I mumbled as she left me standing at the neighboring door to open it.

"Don't think so negatively, Penny! If hope has given you the strength to hold on so far, then you shouldn't lose it now!" she replied and pushed me into the room.

Sam was lying on his back in bed. He was so pale it almost took my breath away. Only the constant beeping from the surveillance equipment showed that he was still alive. He was connected to oxygen and several IVs. I couldn't even imagine what they were pumping him full of to keep him in that condition.

When Helen had parked me next to him with the wheelchair, she went back and closed the door before sitting on the empty bed next to and not saying a word. I no longer had an eye for anything other than Sam. I looked at him, his eyes still black from Ridley's beating, countless bruises on his face and arms, as was obvious. The laceration was stitched up and his hand was heavily splinted and bandaged. Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought that it was all my fault. How would he ever forgive me for this when he woke up? Tears welled up in my eyes for all the pain and torment I had caused him.

"Can he hear me or does he notice that I'm there?" I asked Helen quietly, without taking my eyes off Sam. I carefully stroked his cheek while my other hand slipped into his.

"Some say no because he is in a deep sleep phase. However, there are voices that claim that patients react to the proximity and voice of their loved ones, which can be seen by their heart rate changing. However, I don't know if it's true. But I think it won't hurt to talk to him, right?" Helen objected and I heard the confidence in her voice. "I keep an eye on the door and turn on the red light. The nurses then think the doc is in here, but some people just can't help but disturb themselves," she then made it clear to me that she was giving us a moment alone and left the room.

"Sam? Can you hear me?" I asked him quietly and looked up at the monitor. There was nothing to indicate that he noticed me. "I'm here, Sam. We made it. Ridley is really dead. We can finally be together. Do you hear?" I continued, but he neither moved nor changed anything in his vital signs. "Don't let Ridley win, Sam. Please. Rest and come back to me. Do you hear me? I don't want to be without you. I need you," I whispered quietly and a smile appeared on my face, thinking that fate had at least given us something good. Maybe that would help him? "Actually...we need you. You're going to be a daddy soon. It's so unbelievable," I said, my voice choked with tears. I was so happy about it and yet there was still a feeling of fear that I had to experience this without Sam. "It's a miracle, Sam, and I have you to thank for it all. I want to experience this miracle with you. Please don't give up, darling. Please!" I sighed softly and rested my forehead on his temple. "I love you so much, Sam."

I heard the door close quietly before footsteps came towards me. I knew Helen was back.

"They are just making their last rounds for the night. We should get you back to your room, Penny. If the doc finds out what I've done without his permission, I've had the authority to take care of you here for the longest time," she said quietly and I only then realized that I was crying incessantly. I quickly dried my tears before I placed a soft kiss on Sam's cheek as I felt his hand seem to squeeze mine a little tighter. It wasn't strong enough for him to hold me, but it was definitely noticeable. New hope arose in me as I held his hand and squeezed as well to show him I was there.

"I'm just next door, Sam. I won't leave you alone, okay? I'll wait for you to wake up. I love you," I sighed again and then had to let go of him when Helen started the wheelchair in motion.

I now looked forward to the night a little more confident, knowing that tomorrow I would fight to have my bed brought into his room. I wouldn't give up until I could be with him day and night, to really be there when he woke up. Never again would I allow anyone or anything to separate us.