Here's a slightly more dramatic story. I know: there are too many and too strange accidents happening at once to be realistic, but that's just Pontypandy ;) and you can blame the rest on artistic freedom - LOL. Have fun while reading.

"Norman is hanging on the cliff above the sea and can't hold on much longer," said Station Officer Steele's voice over the loudspeaker just as the siren was already blaring.

Everyone immediately jumped up and rushed to the poles.

"We need the mountain rescue equipment, Penny. Elvis, you drive to the ocean rescue center and support us with Ben from Titan. Ellie and Arnold, you drive with Phoenix," Sam told everyone as they all put on their appropriate emergency clothing.

"Roger that, Sam!" they replied in unison.

They jumped into their vehicles and drove off towards the cliff. While driving, Penny prepared everything for the upcoming mission by putting on the 3-point harness and storing everything from carabiners to steel picks in and on the suit.

It was clear to both of them that Penny would be relegated. She always did, and even though Sam knew she was the best at the job, he never liked knowing her in such danger. But today something was different and he couldn't do anything about the nausea that suddenly appeared in his stomach. Definitely the excitement, he thought anyway.

When they reached the cliff, they looked over the cliff. Norman was hanging on a root whose strength made it a wonder it had held him up until now. Mandy, Sarah and James stood aside while Bronwyn and Helen crouched on the cliff and quickly told them that Norman, in his usual high spirits, had gone too close to the cliff and slipped. Penny got ready immediately. Arnold backed Phoenix onto the cliff and extended the crane arm, which Penny hooked onto.

"Stop Arnold and stabilize! Sam, please attach a second rope with a rescue sling and let it down to us," Penny ordered and had already disappeared over the edge. Sam followed her to the edge and lowered the belt. Penny quickly reached Norman and wrapped her arm around him.

"Norman, what are you doing with the old sign?" Sam heard Penny say annoyed to Norman.

"I found that. It's definitely an old Roman relic."

"Throw it away Norman! It's too dangerous for the ropes." Sam leaned further forward and saw that Norman was holding an old piece of metal under one arm and didn't think about dropping it.

"No, that's definitely worth a fortune!"

Meanwhile, Penny had put the belt around him and looped one arm through it. Norman switched the shield to his other hand and Penny backed away to avoid being cut by the sharp edge. What none of you saw was the cut in her rope that Norman had caused when he had looped his arm through it and switched the shield back to his other hand - which again ended only lightly for Penny by another evasive maneuver.

"Norman, throw that sign away now, it's just an old gas station advertisement!" Penny lost her patience and snatched the shield from Norman's hand, throwing it to the side.

Elvis and Ben would immediately fish it out of the sea.

"No," Norman cried in horror, fidgeting wildly. Then it all happened at once: Norman's belt wasn't tensioned yet because Penny hadn't given a signal to pull it up yet. As Norman struggled wildly and Penny tried to grab him to calm him down, Norman's belt wrapped itself around Penny's right arm and the next moment Penny's rope broke due to his struggling. They both fell a good five feet before the rope was under tension and Sam heard the crack of Penny's arm and her groan of pain all the way to the edge of the cliff.

"Penny!" Sam saw that she was only being held up by Norman's belt and it was only a matter of time before she slipped out of the loop she was in. "Arnold hold the belt steady! Ellie, alert Tom. We need him here. Quick! I'm going down." He quickly put on his harness and put a rope through the carabiners on it, secured himself to Phoenix and lowered himself down the steep wall.

"Hey Sam, nice of you to stop by," Penny tried to joke, but he clearly saw the pain on her face.

"It's going to hurt again when I free your arm from Norman's belt. Can you do that?" He encouraged her as he secured himself, putting his arm around her good side and holding her there. She put her left arm around Sam's shoulders and gripped the fabric of his jacket before nodding weakly and then gritting her teeth as Sam started to work on Norman's rope. Sam tried his best to move quickly but carefully, but Norman's weight in the rope made it a little more difficult to free Penny and he was amazed at how strong Penny was - she didn't even cry out, even though the pain must have been unbearable. Was her arm broken? Judging from the noise, that was probably the case, but he couldn't see anything. But Penny just gritted her teeth. When Sam freed her arm, she let out a pained moan and buried her face in Sam's jacket on his shoulder to smother it.

Sam slowly lowered her arm and placed the now freed hand on the back of her head as she showed no sign of pulling away from him. If the situation wasn't so dangerous and Penny wasn't in pain, he would have enjoyed it.

"Pull Norman up," he called to Arnold from the edge of the cliff and Norman immediately started moving - with constant assurances that he was sorry - well at least he had understood that he had caused Penny's accident with his disobedience. Where was Tom?"Everything will be fine in a moment, Penny. Tom will be there soon and then you'll soon be climbing like a young chamois again," he encouraged her and she looked up at him and smiled painedly.

"Thanks Sam, today doesn't seem to be my day."

"No one has a good day when Norman's around. He's definitely missing a fatherly hand...on his rear end," Sam growled, watching wistfully as Penny laughed slightly but immediately winced again in pain.

"You're great Sam, thank you," she murmured weakly.

"Not nearly as great as you. You're doing great," he said soothingly, putting his hand from the back of her head to her cheek. "You're gorgeous, Penny," he replied with a smile and kissed her forehead.

Penny only had a moment to wonder about his words and actions before Tom appeared above them and stabilized Wallaby2.

"Do you two need a taxi?" they heard Tom over the radio. "I'll let the harness down for you."

And less than 20 seconds later, Sam carefully began to put the harness on Penny. A stretcher would certainly have been better, but strapping her onto it in this situation seemed almost impossible. Penny would have to use all the strength she had left.

When she was hanging tightly in the harness, Sam also put the second one on and released his rope from the holder on the belt. He wouldn't leave Penny alone on the way to the hospital for anything in the world.

"Okay Tom, we're ready. Pull us up!" Sam then ordered and Tom moved a little away from the cliff towards the sea and started the winch unhindered.

However, Sam hadn't expected the sign that Elvis had just fished out of the sea. A strong wind came up and ripped it out of Elvis's hand, up into the air and the next moment it whizzed through the air at breakneck speed above their heads and bounced off Wallaby2 to fall back into the sea.

Over the loud noise of the rotors, no one heard the breaking of the rope above them, where the sign had damaged another strap - the one to which Penny was hanging again this time.

Sam instinctively reached for her as she began to fall next to him, but only managed to grab the last corner of the strap; but this too immediately slipped out of his hands.

"Penny! No!" he screamed when he saw her fall and released the slider on his harness. He wouldn't give up on Penny. If he didn't come to her aid, the waves would hit her against the rocks and kill her - and if they did the same to him, then so be it, but he wouldn't abandon Penny or go on living without her.

He stretched his arms in the air and slipped out of his harness. Just seconds later he dived into the water. He struggled against the crashing waves and emerged to see Penny's yellow suit just a few meters away from him.

He immediately swam towards her and grabbed her just as a wave was about to hit her against the cliff. He stabilized her in the rescue hold and turned towards the wall so his back hit it. It pushed the air out of his lungs and they were swallowed by the wave for a few seconds. When they resurfaced, Sam saw a bay a few meters away. If they reached that, they would be safe. There Elvis and Ben were able to pick them up with Titan. During the next wave, he braced himself against the rock wall with his legs and managed to move her forward with the wave. He worked his way forward meter by meter and finally reached the bay.

When he pulled Penny ashore and placed her on the sand, he immediately examined her - she was no longer breathing. In a panic, he took off her belt and opened her jacket, looked for the spot and began chest compressions. He pressed 15 times before ventilating her twice. Then he started to push again, but Penny showed no movement yet.

"Come on Penny!" He gave her breath again and then pushed again. "Don't leave me alone!" 12, 13, 14, 15. Ventilation."I need you, Pen."He gave her ventilation again and this time she wheezed, then coughed and spit out a gush of water. He now knelt over her and helped her sit up, holding her and resting his forehead on hers until her coughing calmed down.

"Sam, are you crying?" she then asked him weakly and he had to smile before he kissed her without warning, just happy that she was still alive after this series of worst misfortunes; and she immediately let herself fall and returned the kiss. The adrenaline and that moment even made her forget the pain in her arm, but only for a moment. As soon as their lips parted, everything rushed over her and she lost consciousness.

"Penny? Penny, come on, stay with me. HELP!" he then shouted loudly and the next moment he heard scratching and shouting and when he turned to the sounds he saw Helen and Arnold running down a steep path down the cliffs "Her right arm is injured. And I just had to resuscitate her. Helen, help her, please."

Helen immediately began the examination and when Penny bucked at her touch despite her unconsciousness, she took a cannula out of a bag and injected her with a strong painkiller. Although it seemed like an eternity to Sam, after less than a minute Penny visibly relaxed and Helen continued the examination. Sam sat next to the two women as if in a trance. He had failed and struggled with himself and sank into his doubts.

Elvis suddenly stood next to him, invited him and helped him to stand up before he put an arm around Sam's shoulders and led him to a rock a little ways away where he could sit down.

"She's going to be alright again, Sam. We'll put her on the stretcher now and Arnold and I will bring her up. Tom will fly her to the hospital."

"I'll fly with her, Elvis. I can't leave her alone."

"That's good, then you can get yourself examined."

"There's nothing wrong with me Elvis. The main thing is that Penny gets well. I could never forgive myself if..." His voice broke at the thought of the worst. "And that under my leadership. I failed."

"You didn't, Sam. It wasn't your fault."

"I was responsible. Penny got hurt because I didn't consider everything, because I wasn't paying attention, and she almost died because of it, it still could happen." Tears ran down his cheeks again. "Elvis, I don't want to lose her."

It frightened Elvis to see his superior and friend, who always remained rational and calm, so frightened and depressed. Nevertheless, he kept calm. While Ben had piloted Titan into the bay, he had been able to observe how Sam had revived Penny and what happened afterwards. It was a terrible and tragic accident. It was no wonder that Sam let himself be guided by feelings, even ones that he had probably always suppressed out of a false sense of duty. Elvis had noticed that something had changed between the two of them for some time, but he never knew that they loved each other so much.

"It was an accident Sam. Our job is dangerous, we all know that and accept it. You can't help the mistakes others make. You can't save the whole world. But you saved Penny and she'll be okay. I know you would have saved any of us if this had happened to one of us. But you would have acted differently. What you did today when you jumped after her was more than just dangerous. It was suicidal and not only put her in danger, but also you. Ben and I would have pulled Penny out. We were already on our way when you jumped. You've never done anything as stupid as today. But maybe you should use this chance to really do something to find your happiness in life and clear the air."

Sam stared at Elvis, speechless. Since when was Elvis such a talker? But Sam had to admit that he was right.

"I love her, Elvis."

"I know and since today I know how much. Make yourself, her and all of us happy and finally tell her."

Elvis was called by Helen and helped Arnold lift Penny onto the stretcher. Sam stepped next to Helen and watched her. Helen put a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

"She's going to be okay again, Sam. As far as I could see, it's just a few bruises and a dislocated shoulder. I straightened it out and immobilized her. At the hospital, they'll determine if there was any damage to ligaments, tendons or nerves and, if necessary, they'll operate on it. But in a few weeks she'll be back to her old self. How are you?"

"Nobody has to worry about me. Penny needs all the help and prayers she can get. I'll fly with you," he replied as they followed the two men with the stretcher.

Once at the top of the cliff, they loaded Penny into Wallaby2 and Sam and Helen got in too. Tom started and took off. They would arrive at the hospital in a few minutes.

The next three days were torture. Not because Sam woke up at Penny's bed every day and slept in a chair next to her bed at night, but because Penny had a fever. She didn't wake up. Every now and then she opened her eyes as if delirious and when Sam offered her some water, she took it gratefully in small sips, but then she immediately fell back into a deep sleep. She wasn't even responsive. In addition, she seemed to be tormented by violent nightmares, especially at night, and she usually only calmed down when Sam held her hand or stroked her cheek and spoke soothingly to her.

There had been no question in his mind that he would stay with Penny while she was in such critical condition and so he had taken a few days off - after all, he had saved up enough vacation to treat himself to something without Steele could object to it. He noticed the surprised looks from everyone who wanted to visit Penny, but no one said anything. He then used these opportunities to eat something in the canteen - even if he didn't have much of an appetite, his body still demanded at least something to keep him strong.

Charlie brought him new clothes and laundry supplies because it was clear to him that Sam wouldn't be coming home any time soon. He was not only Sam's brother, but also his best friend alongside Tom and Elvis. Sam was able to laugh and joke with all three of them, but he was only able to have deeper conversations with Charlie - and with Penny. Charlie knew that he had been in love with Penny for a long time, but had never confessed anything to her for fear of jeopardizing their friendship and their good working relationship. Penny had never let on that she felt more for him. She was always professional and confident in her job.

He had no idea that Penny felt the same way as he did. Had the same impression of him and the same fears...

Penny woke up delirious. It all seemed so unreal, as if in a fog. She couldn't remember much, only the unbearable heat and the pain that almost drove her crazy. But no matter when she opened her eyes, Sam had been there, feeling Sam's presence and hearing him when he spoke to her.

The fog cleared and she found herself in a room with stark white walls. Where was she? Suddenly she remembered everything. Norman's rescue, her arm getting tangled in his rope and her fall from the helicopter's harness. And also to Sam, who was holding her, resting his forehead against hers and crying before he laughed with relief and kissed her. The kiss had been so innocent, yet something she had never dared to hope for. Was that just a dream like she have had so many times in the past few years? But it had seemed so real to her, so different from her dreams.

Voices reached her ears and she turned her head a bit to make out Sam and Charlie at the window, who were standing with their backs to her.

"You have to rest sometimes, Sam, otherwise you'll collapse sooner or later. You've been by her side almost non-stop for three days. She'll be able to manage without you for a few hours."

"She has nightmares in her delirium. I don't know if it's really me, but she calms down when I touch her and talk to her. Who will do that if she has one when I'm not there? Certainly not nurses. They rarely come in here."

"Because they know that you are here and look after her better than they could. All the nurses on the ward rave about you," replied Charlie and giggled.

"What?" asked Sam, horrified. "Why?"

"Well, because you look after her so devotedly. They think it's romantic."

Penny could understand it - she too felt warmed by Sam's care, but had a hard time understanding that he was really doing this for her. Was she wrong? Did Sam have eyes for something other than his work? Maybe even for her and with more than friendly feelings?

"They wouldn't think so if they knew that it was my fault that she was lying here. I had responsibility for her. It was my duty to protect her."

'So he just has a bad conscience!' Penny thought disappointedly when she heard that. So she wasn't mistaken about Sam after all.

"Sam, there was an accident that Norman caused. You did your best, as always. Norman's stupid behavior is something that no one can plan for or predict. That's just real life. You're the best firefighter, just like Penny is the best female firefighter that Pontypandy and all of Wales have ever had. But you're only human and you're not immortal. You should remember that the next time you plan to jump from a helicopter into the surf on the cliffs below, when there is already a lifeboat ready. It worked, but it could have gone wrong. You of all people, as the son of a fisherman, should know how deadly what you did was."

Wasn't the moment on the beach a dream after all?

"I wasn't thinking, Charlie. It was Penny who was in danger, after all," he said, leaving it as if that explained everything. It probably did for Charlie, because he patted Sam on the shoulder with a smile.

Did he mean that he wouldn't have done that for everyone? It was really absurd that he had thrown himself after her under the circumstances, and she had to agree with Charlie. Elvis and Ben had been there and would have saved her. Sam always did the most heroic maneuvers, it was not without reason that he was the hero next door, but he always had a plan. Mindlessly putting himself in danger wasn't his style.

"You should really come clean slowly, brother."

"With what?" Penny interjected and the two brothers turned to her in surprise, before Sam smiled so brightly that it warmed her heart.

He immediately rushed to her and Charlie followed him slowly.

"How are you, Pen?" he asked her gently as he sat down next to her so he could look into her eyes.

"Pretty beaten up, but I'm alive, what more could I ask for?" she replied with a smile. "Thanks Sam."

"There's nothing to be thankful for, Penny," he replied, smiling. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

The next moment the doors opened and the ward came in, thrilled that the patient had finally woken up. Now the two had to leave the room and wait while the doctor explained to Penny about her injury and the healing time. The only positive thing was that he offered her the prospect of being able to go home in a few days if she remained fever-free, as nurse Flood had promised to take care of her and provide physiotherapy.

The doctor left the room and the nurse took the blood pressure.

"You're really lucky with your boyfriend. He must love you very much. We've never seen anyone here before who was so stubborn about wanting to stay here," the nurse said with a smile.

"He's not my boyfriend, but just a friend."

"Oh, really? We all thought he is. He pays so much attention to you and cares for you so devotedly. He's been here with you day and night since you were brought in." She packed the blood pressure monitor into her bag and made a note in a file before she came back to take her temperature. "But if I were you, I would grab him and not let him go. I think he's really serious about you," She added with a wink and pushed her cart out the door, which she left open for Sam, who immediately came back in and sat down next to her.

"Charlie had to go home, Gwen called. I shall excuse him. How are you? Is there anything I can give you or get you?"

"Water maybe?" she asked hesitantly and he immediately poured a glass full and held it to her lips. "Thank you," she then said.

"I'm very glad you're feeling better."

"You saved me and sat here with me day and night?" she then asked and he just nodded with a smile. "Why Sam?" she then asked quietly.

"I...I thought that was obvious after the...incident on the beach," he replied, slightly embarrassed, running his hand nervously down the back of his neck.

"I can only vaguely remember it," she replied seriously and saw how his expression became perplexed. "Would you... help jog my memory again?" she then asked, smiling hesitantly. She didn't know why she was so daring all of a sudden, but what did she have to lose? She could still play dumb and claim not to remember the kiss if he backed out.

But he didn't do that. He moved his chair closer to the bed without taking his eyes off hers. He looked so deeply into hers that she sank into his sky-blue eyes, which came ever closer to hers. Sam's lips brushed against hers and he paused for a moment, looking questioningly into her eyes, which were still looking intently into his. But then she closed her eyes and kissed him. At first innocently and gently, they quickly deepened the kiss and Sam carefully pushed one hand at the back of her head, the other he placed on her cheek to feel and hold her, as he could hardly believe that he was actually kissing the woman of his dreams that it was actually reality and Penny hardly believed it either, letting her good hand slide over his cheek and into his hair. They were so soft, his lips so warm and his scent and taste so wonderful. She had been waiting for this for so long, hoping for this day to come. She knew that no matter how many times or how long she kissed him, she would never get enough of it.

"Wow," he then breathed breathlessly against her lips and rested his forehead against hers again, looking into her eyes as he continued to hold her and rub his nose gently against hers. "I wish this would never end."

"We're just getting started," Penny replied with a smile and he smiled too before he kissed her briefly again. "I love you, Sam Jones," she then breathed between two kisses.

"And I love you, Penny. More than my life, more than anyone else in this world."

THE END