"Polonium? Where are you? We know you're here?" Sam called as he walked down the long hallway. Already in front of the bunker they had spotted a car between trees and poorly covered with branches and now Malcolm and Elvis were also sure that they were in the right place.

Sam stopped abruptly at a door that was open. Crompton sat there at a monitor and looked anxiously at him and Malcolm. "Where is she?" Sam now asked him and the coward pointed to another door that led into an adjoining room.

Sam pushed it open and spotted Polonium fiddling with the IV bag before turning to Sam.

"Oops," she greeted him with an evil grin and Sam involuntarily looked up at the bag, which was quickly emptying. Too quickly.

"What did you do?" he asked in a panic and wanted to run to Penny to pull the needle out of her arm when Polonium hit him with something. At the last moment he fended off the iron bar and pushed Polonium into a corner, where Elvis held her at bay when Malcolm came in and handcuffed Polonium, as he had previously handcuffed her assistant in the next room.

Sam immediately rushed to Penny's side and pulled the tube out of the IV needle. But a quick look at the bag told him that it was almost empty. That couldn't be good.

"Elvis, go out and get radio reception. Call Helen and tell her that Penny has taken half a bag of sleeping medication in one sitting. She shall explain what we can do about it."

"Roger that, Sam," Elvis shouted and ran out with his cell phone.

"What's wrong, Sam?" Malcolm asked him worriedly. "What does that mean?"

"I don't have to be a doctor to know that an overdose of painkillers can kill you. Tell me what I should do to reverse the effect?" Sam now turned to Polonium, but she only laughed scornfully. He hadn't expected anything less, so he had sent Elvis to call Helen. Still, it took a lot of restraint not to grab Polonium by the collar and shake her until perhaps a little compassion was released in the back of her brain.

"Polonium. You are charged with kidnapping, deprivation of liberty and, if things go well, just assault. Don't let it turn into murder!" Malcolm jumped to his friend's side, but Polonium didn't say a word.

"Adrenaline, Sam," Elvis called from the hallway and reached the door to the room a moment later. "A syringe full of adrenaline into the infusion port, says Helen."

Sam immediately searched the stainless steel table that stood against the wall behind Penny and was full of bottles and test tubes. He grabbed a syringe and found it shortly afterwards, holding a bottle in his other hand.

"Sam, her vitals are getting weaker." Malcolm pointed to the monitor and sure enough, her heart rate had slowed immensely. He quickly pulled up the syringe and ran back to Penny. He inserted the tip into the drip line and slowly drained it before he and Elvis released Penny's bonds. He looked spellbound at the monitor and after two minutes, which seemed like an eternity, he was relieved to see that her values ​​had improved somewhat.

He pulled the electrodes from her head and carefully placed her in his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder and it pained him how helpless he felt with Penny's almost lifeless body in his arms.

"I'm taking her to Helen, okay?" Sam turned to his two friends again.

"Sure. Make sure she'll make it," Malcolm replied.

Sam turned and ran out of the bunker with Penny, placed her in Venus and checked her pulse again. He found it, not very strong, but still there.

"Stay with me Pen. Fight it, please. I need you," he whispered to her, hoping she could hear him and ran around Venus to get in and hit the gas.

He kept reaching over to Penny and putting his fingers on her wrist to check her pulse, which really wasn't easy while driving. He made the trip to Pontypandy in just under ten minutes and hadn't yet parked Venus properly when he jumped out and scooped Penny up in his arms again. Only then did he see how pale she had become and pressed her body a little tighter against his. Her face rested on his neck and at least a little relief spread through him when he thought he could feel her gentle breathing.

"Sam, put her here on the bed. Mike brought me the ECG," Helen instructed him and he carefully laid her down as Helen immediately began to connect Penny to the monitor. "How much did you give her and what exactly? "Helen asked him as she continued to work with concentration and Sam dug the bottle and the needle out of his pocket to place them on the table next to her.

"A syringe full like Elvis passed on to me."

"Very good," Helen replied after a quick sideways glance at the medicine as she switched on the device and very slowly wavy lines became visible. She drew up another syringe and administered it to Penny before looking at the monitor and waiting a moment. Sam followed her gaze, but he couldn't see any change. Panic tightened his heart. What would he do if Penny died? He wouldn't be able to forgive himself or live without her.

"Will she make it, Helen?" he asked the nurse hesitantly.

"I hope so, Sam. Penny is strong, but she's struggling hard. We should know more in the next hour. Let's just hope she doesn't give up," Helen sighed quietly, knowing it wasn't what Sam was hoping to hear.

Sam's stomach churned and for a moment he thought his legs would give out. He was doomed to stand by helplessly while the love of his life fought for her life? But no! He wasn't that helpless. On a spur of the moment, he went to the other side and pushed the next bed close to Penny's.

"Give me sleeping medication Helen. I want to go to her. I want to be with her and support her. Maybe I can at least be a support for her. She shouldn't have to go through this alone."

Helen smiled mildly, drew up another syringe and walked over to Sam, who had already laid down and grabbed Penny's hand.

"Are you sure, Sam? No matter what happens, you will sleep until you wake up on your own. I can't wake you up early again in such a short space of time."

"I can't do anything for her here, Helen. But I can be there for her in her dreams and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I won't leave her alone." Helen put the syringe on and pushed the drug into his vein. Sam squeezed Penny's hand a little tighter and watched as Helen walked back to the chair next to Penny, now seeing that the whole team had gathered around them at a little distance, watching them worriedly. "Take care of her, Helen."

"You too, Sam. Bring her back," she replied with a smile, but the concern didn't leave her eyes and Sam took a deep breath as he slowly felt the effects of the sleeping medication and closed his eyes.

Penny rolled onto her side and wrapped her arms around herself. Her body felt like it was tearing and burning at the same time. She had never had to endure such pain and wanted nothing more than for it to go away quickly.

Voices reached her ears as if from far away. Voices that seemed familiar to her and yet she couldn't place them because the pain was so captivating.

Then the wrenching pain slowly subsided and only the burning sensation remained. She relaxed a little, but remained lying on the sand. What was Sam doing right now? Was he in danger? She hoped so much that he was safe and healthy.

"Stay with me Pen. Fight it, please. I need you" Sam, that was Sam's voice. He had found her and was fine, she thought with relief, and the next moment she heard Venus' siren wailing loudly. What just happened to her?

Time had no meaning here. If Sam hadn't enlightened her once or twice, she wouldn't be able to say whether she had spent hours, days or weeks here.

But the pain made everything meaningless to her. Her work, her life, her house, her hobbies...everything no longer made sense to her. She only had one wish: she wanted to say goodbye to Sam, she wanted to tell him how much she loved him and she wanted to follow the path that seemed to lie ahead of her without secrets. And then she just wanted to sleep. Could this even be done in a dream or was this really such a bad sign as she thought it was?

"Penny!" His voice was closer than before and the next moment he carefully turned her onto her back. She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes, which always reminded her of the ocean and into which she had wished she could sink a thousand times. Now she could, but she wasn't granted it. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his strong arms around her, rocking back and forth in silent desperation, but she just enjoyed being able to be with him in this moment.

"You're back, Sam. Have you found the real me?" she murmured quietly.

"You're safe. We're just waiting for you to wake up."

"I don't know if I will again, Sam."

"Don't say things like that, Pen. You'll wake up. Helen will take care of you there. The whole team will and I'll be here with you."

"I'm so tired and my whole body feels like I'm on fire even though I'm in a dream. Sam, I know there's something wrong. Polonium told me you came and that she won't leave me to you." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm glad you're safe. Sam, I want to tell you something else..."

"Whatever you want to say, save it until you wake up," he interrupted her, hot tears trying to break through.

"Sam, don't kid yourself..."

"I'm not kidding myself, Penny, and neither are you. I believe in you. You're stronger and fitter than anyone I know. You can do it. I'll help you, I'll be there for you, always. I don't let you go so easily. I need you. My life is meaningless without you."

"That's not it, Sam. You'll be happy, even without me."

"Never. You are my true love, Pen. I have never loved anyone like I love you and I never will again. How could I? Ever since I met you, all I have thought about is what makes you happy, how it would be to hold you in my arms or kiss you. Every touch from you electrifies me, every laugh makes me happy and your scent is like the air I need to breathe. I imagine what our children would look like. What it would be like to live with you. I dream of our wedding and growing old with you. When I wake up, my first thought is you and also my last thought before I fall asleep. I can't lose you, Penny," he said getting his grief off his chest as tears that he hadn't been able to stop running down his cheeks, hoping that it would give her the courage and strength to fight.

"That was beautiful, Sam," she replied touchedly, snuggling closer to him and also unable to hold back her tears. Everything Sam wanted were her wishes, his dreams were hers, and his thoughts and feelings were also the same. They had always wanted the same thing and wasted so much time and now their future together was uncertain...maybe even in ruins?!"I love you Sam. You are my true love," she sighed contentedly. The burning sensation had disappeared and she was overcome by an inner peace that completely absorbed her and allowed her to fall asleep blissfully.

Sam was about to answer her when his arms gave out because they were empty. He stared down at himself in disbelief, trying to understand what had just happened and hoping with all his heart that Penny had simply woken up.

He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around himself, rocking back and forth, trying to fight the fear. The fear of waking up alone.

To be continued...