Penny had been unable to sleep and when her tears finally stopped she slipped back downstairs, no longer afraid of the mice. She would probably be fired in the morning and that would mean having to find another job. Sam probably wouldn't give her a good reference either. 

She dressed in her usual outfit of a tweed skirt and loose sweater set making sure every hair was in place. Then, prepared for her day, she started by rooting around in the cabinet under the kitchen sink and finding the mouse traps that she knew where there. She set them up in her room before deciding to make herself some peppermint tea.

She moved onto the back porch and cried a little more as she watched the sunrise, she was sad for all that she was about to lose, sad that she wouldn't be able to see Sam again, sad that he could think such things about her.  She should be mad but she couldn't find any anger, all she could be was sad.

Penny was still too nervous to go into her room so she went to look at herself in the half-bath under the stairs. She closed her eyes when she saw her tear stained and puffy face. Realizing that there was nothing she could do about it and her pallor, she washed it with cold water and it helped some.

An hour later she was in the process of plating up a quiche when Sam walked into the kitchen not saying a word. She could still feel his displeasure and she did her best not to look at him as she kept her face turned away from his. She had hoped he would feel different in the new light of day but she knew he didn't.

She fixed herself a plate and stood at the counter eating in silence. She wasn't really hungry but it gave her something to do. She had just taken her third bite when she heard a loud snap and a high pitched squeak. It made her jump and brought more tears to her eyes.  They were evil little mice but she didn't want them to die. She set her fork down and left the kitchen, moving to the half-bath under the stairs again, where she closed the bathroom door and cried some more.

She waited until it was well past the time that Sam usually left the house before she washed her face again, exited the bathroom, and walked right into a solid wall of male chest.

He stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry Penny."

She was upset that he was still standing there, he should have left for work. "You mean you actually believe me, how do you know that I didn't plant the mouse and the mouse trap?" She pulled away from him and stomped into the kitchen cleaning up the dishes.

"I deserve that." He followed her.

"Aren't you going to be late for work?" she asked, her movements jerky as she pulled out a Tupperware container for the leftovers. 

"I cancelled my first two appointments." He leaned against the counter watching her.

"It's fine Dr. Evers, there was no need to do that. I'll have my notice to you by the end of the day." Her voice broke by the end of the sentence. She really didn't want to leave.

"I don't want you to leave," Sam said, his voice a little gruff.

"How can you want me to stay after what you accused me of?" She turned to load the dishwasher and he stopped her again, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her towards him. When she refused to look at him he placed his finger under her chin forcing her to look up and meet his eyes

"I'm sorry Penny, I don't want you to leave." He took a deep breath, "Maybe this house is haunted, haunted by my past. What happened yesterday, what your friends said, it brought back some painfully memories. At first I did believe you, but when there was no evidence of mice I automatically went back to the past and what would have, or could have, happened then."

"So now that you have evidence you believe me?" she asked with a bite to her voice.

Sam gave a sad smile. "Yes, be as mad at me as you want for as long as you want, but please don't leave, and please don't cry anymore." He reached up and wiped a tear with his thumb.

She nodded. "Will you tell me about it, about your past?"

He was silent for a minute, considering it, then nodded. "It might be the only way you'll ever forgive me."

Penny shook her head, "No, I forgive you, and I only want you to share with me if you want to."

He pulled her in for a hug and held her close for a minute, "Thank you, I'm sure it's more than I deserve." When he finally released her he turned around and reached for his suit jacket. "I got rid of the mouse for you."

"Which one was it?"

"There were two, one looked as if it had been dead longer.  One was white and one was grey." He watched her as she nodded biting her lip as she tried not to cry again.

"They were planning a sneak attack, it had to be done," she said to herself, and she missed his amused smile.

"I should be home this evening," he said as he reached for his phone on the table next to him.

She nodded turning back to her dishes. "Have a good day Dr. Evers." Her back was to him so she missed it when he flinched at her use of Dr. Evers again.

"You too Penny," He said, then he was gone, not bothering to correct her.

*******

Sam's day had started off rough with Penny's tears and it had only grown increasingly worse. It was half past five, he had finished his rounds and was just entering his last patient of the day's room when Penny popped back into his mind.  He had managed to set the thought of her aside through most of the day but now the memory of what he had accused her of reared its ugly head.

He pushed through the door to Colten Owens's room. Colten was a ten year old boy who was in need of a heart transplant and had been his patient for the past two years. He was wise beyond his years and by far one of Sam's favorite people.

"Hey Colt, how are you doing today?" he asked as he walked over to the computer in the room and pulled up Colt's information. He had already checked it several times that day from his office but he wanted to make sure everything was as good as it could be considering the circumstances.

"Fine, I'm waiting for Mom to get here, she said she would bring me double cheeseburger with bacon and fries," he joked.

"I hope there's chili on those fries," Sam said, and it immediately brought Penny to mind again.

"Of course, it's not like I have to take care of this heart.  When you get me my new one, then I'll eat healthy." Just then Robin walked into the room to do her half hourly check.

"Hey Doctor," she said smiling at him as she checked all of the devices surrounding Colten's bed and made notations on her computer that she had wheeled into the room. "How's your day been?" She looked over at him with a wide smile. Robin had never hidden the fact that she would be open to having a relationship outside the hospital but Sam had never felt any interest in her in that regard.

"I'm glad it's almost over, I saved my favorite patient for last so I could spend some extra time visiting." Sam looked at Colt with a smile.

Colt smiled back, flushing a little at the compliment.

"Well then I'll just get out of the way." She gave a little wave as she exited the room.

Colt sighed. "I wanna marry her."

Sam smiled and sat in the visitor's chair, leaning back and relaxing as if he had all the time in the world.

"Have you ever been in love Sam?" Colt asked, looking at Sam seriously. Sam had asked Colt to call him Sam early on, he found that it made really nervous patients able to relax when they called him by his first name.

"Why, are you in love with Robin?" he asked, watching the boy flush. "Don't worry your secret is safe with me," he assured him.

"She likes you though." Colt frowned as he said it.

"Nah, not really." Sam shrugged off the comment.

"No, she does, she always watches for you and comes to see me when you're here."

"Does she really?" Sam had never noticed it before. There was almost always a nurse with him throughout the day and he very rarely noted which one it was, not because he didn't care, but because he was always wrapped up in his patients. He knew all the nurses, their names, ages, if they were married, or had kids, but he never paid attention to their comings and goings.

Colt was quiet watching Sam closely. "You're different today, what's wrong, you seem sad."

"I'm just tired, I didn't get much sleep last night."  And he hadn't.

"No, I've seen you tired, it's a girl isn't it?" Colt sat up a little straighter in bed.

"How'd you guess?" Sam gave a sad smile as he remembered Penny's tears.

"I'm just smart like that, what's wrong, is she not interested? Robin doesn't know I exist, at least not like that."

Sam remembered when Penny had bumped into him in the hall the day before, and how she had felt the previous night as he had carried her up the stairs, she was definitely interested in him, there was no mistaking that. His heart rate sped up just thinking about how she had felt pressed against him as he had held onto her, she had smelled so nice. Just as suddenly as he remembered all of that he also remembered what he had accused her of and how he had treated her.

It was obvious that she had spent the whole night crying. Damn Celeste! The only way he would ever be able to make Penny forgive him was to tell her the whole sad tale.

"You love her don't you?" Colt asked, nodding his head, sure of the answer even if Sam wasn't.

Sam thought about it, he definitely admired her, he had from the first moment Regan had introduced her. She did her best to look meek and plain even though she was anything but plain, she was a woman with plenty of curves and in all of the right places. It had made him nervous at first, but she had quickly settled in and managed him and the house very well.

He had quickly become accustomed to seeing her every morning and every night, and the thought that he might not see her threw him into a panic. When she had mentioned resigning he had felt his stomach drop. Even if what he had accused her of had been true he still wouldn't have wanted her to leave.

He stood up and walked over to the window, looking at the cars below. "Maybe," he answered Colt softly. "Let's just say I said something stupid and I made her cry."

Colt shook his head sadly. "That's not good. You should buy her something?"

Sam was silent for a moment as he thought about that option, then it was as if a lightbulb went off in his head. He knew what he could do, it was playing dirty but it might mean she would stay until he could sort through the mess he had in his head.

He turned to Colt with a grin. "It's early days yet, but you'll keep it to yourself?"

"Sure, you'll keep mine and I'll keep yours, on one condition."

"What's that?" Sam eyes narrowed.

"I want to meet her." Colt looked at him with his big pleading brown eyes.

"You sure know how to work it don't you?" he laughed.

"What do you want to bet I really am getting that hamburger?"

Shaking his head Sam moved to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." When he walked into the hall he bumped right into Robin, but he barely saw her as he wished her a goodnight, his mind full of plans.