Sam's doctor approaches us.

"Here comes Sam's surgeon," I announce to everyone.

Sammy immediately stands up, along with everyone else. We anxiously wait for him to come over and tell us how Sam is doing.

"Dr. Preston." I reach out my hand, and he takes it.

"Mallory," he greets me.

"How is he?" I asked, concerned.

"He had a substantial amount of internal bleeding due to the ruptured spleen. The damage was severe enough that he needed a splenectomy. We were able to drain the blood from his abdomen, and his blood pressure is rising. We inserted a tube into Sam's pleural space to remove the excess air from his chest. His lung re-inflated nicely. We stitched up his lacerations and wrapped his ribs," he explains in detail.

Sammy speaks up, "How long till we can see him?"

"As soon as he's out of recovery, the nurse will give you his room number," he responds; his calm voice gives me peace.

"How long will he be in the hospital," Sammy asks as she nervously plays with her necklace.

"You can expect him to be here for about a week. Full recovery can take up to six weeks." He replies with a caring smile.

"Thank you, Dr. Preston," I say with appreciation.

"Mallory, can I see you over here for a moment," Dr. Preston asks.

"Of course," I reply, surprised by his request.

We step away from the group.

"Sam was beside himself before being put under anesthesia. He more or less demanded that you be able to come into the recovery room. Something about you needing to see him as soon as possible: normally, we would never allow family or friends into recovery, but since you're an employee here at the hospital, I don't see a problem with giving Sam his request," he explains.

Tears well up in my eyes, knowing I was first and foremost in Sam's thoughts.

I nod. "Give me one minute."

"Take your time. You know where to go." He smiles at me before walking away.

I go over to the group. "Sam wants me in the recovery room."

"Is he awake?" Scott inquires.

"No, he requested this before going under for his surgery."

"Go," Sammy demands, giving me an approving nod.

"We'll be right here for you and Sam, okay?" Kendall adds.

I take a deep breath, "Okay."

I enter the recovery room, where I see Sam lying in peace and looking very pale from the internal bleeding. I walk over to his bedside, careful to keep out of the way of his nurses. They smile as I wipe away the loose tear that escaped my eye.

I speak out loud, "Hey, Babe. I'm here; you scared the shit out of me. Sam, I love you so much. My heart hurts so much for you. I promise I'll take good care of you, Baby."

I stand there, ensuring I'm touching him somewhere while the nurses check his vitals. When they walk away, I take his hand into mine and wait.

Forty-five minutes later, I see Sam begin to move.

"Sam, baby. I'm here, Sam."

He squeezes my hand.

I wave the nurse over.

"Dr. Daniels, can you hear me? It's time to wake up, " she attempts to rouse him.

I can see that he is trying but struggling to wake up; I'm not worried, considering he was under such strong anesthesia.

The nurse continues to talk to him, "Come on, Doctor."

After several minutes of coaxing by the nurse and me, his eyes finally flutter open. He sees me first and smiles—my heart bursts.

I feel the tears threatening to fall, and I fight to hold them back because I want to be strong for him. "Hey, Babe."

"Hey, Dr. Daniels. Welcome back. Your surgery went well. Just relax. You're going to be just fine," the nurse reassures him while checking his vitals.

"Mal..." His voice is scratchy and hoarse from the removal of his breathing tube.

"Sam?" I lean my head down to him, my ear close to his mouth.

"I love you!" he growls.

"I love you too, Sam. So damn much," I confess, and the tears I've been fighting to hold back fall freely.

He squeezes my hand and then closes his eyes.

I kiss his cheek. "I'm going to let everyone know that you're awake. I'll be right back."

Sam squeezes my hand tightly. "Please... Don't leave me."

My heart completely melts. Wild horses couldn't drag me away now.

"I'm not going anywhere," I promise him, gently squeezing his hand.

I see a faint smile come across his lips as he continues to hold my hand as if his life depended on it.

"I'll send a group text. Okay, Babe?" I ask.

Sam nods his head, not letting go of my hand. I get my phone out of my scrubs pocket and text the group with one hand.

I just wanted to let you know Sam is awake and doing well. I'll tell you when they take him to his room. It'll probably be another half an hour or so.

Scott responds first.

Good news!

Kendall was next.

Thank God!

Finally, Sammy responded.

Thank you for the update. I feel like I can breathe now.

They moved Sam to a private room. His color is already looking better, and his blood pressure is on its way back to normal. He's permitted two visitors at a time, so Kendall, Scott, and I go to the cafe to grab something to eat while Sammy and Tim visit Sam.

"How are you holding up?" Kendall questions me, concern evident in her eyes.

"I'm much better. I must tell you that I was terrified when I got that call from Sammy," I answer honestly.

"I bet. I admit I had flashbacks to Ben," Scott adds, and I see him shiver at the thought.

"Me, too. I don't think that my heart would have survived another..." I can't even say the words.

Kendall places her arm around me. "Us, too."

We sat quietly and ate our sandwiches, each in our thoughts.

Thirty minutes later, I get a text from Sammy that they're leaving for the night and want to say goodbye. We clean up our trash and make our way back up to Sam's floor.

Kendall and Scott quickly say goodbye to Sammy and Tim before visiting Sam. Sammy and I hug for a long time.

When she pulls away, a lovely smile appears on her beautiful face. "I don't think I ever told you how happy I am that you came into Sam's life. He loves you so much."

"I love him, too, with all of my heart." I give her one last squeeze before I release her.

"Are you ready, Babe? You look exhausted," Tim asks Sammy, taking her hand.

"I'm ready," she replies, beaming up at him.

She gives me a final look. "Please call me if anything changes with Sam, okay?" she says before Tim and her walk towards the elevators.

"I promise that I will. Now go home and get some rest."

"What about you? Are you staying?" she asks.

"Absolutely."

Sammy smiles. I think she feels more comfortable about leaving, knowing I'm staying.

"Goodbye, Mallory."

"Goodbye, Sammy and Tim."

Tim gives me a side hug. "Thank you for being here for my girl."

I hug him back. "Of course."

I watch them leave and decide to get a refill for my coffee while Kendall and Scott visit Sam.

I text Kendall.

Hey, Ken, I am running to refill my coffee. Do you or Scott need anything?

She responds.

We're good. After you get your coffee, Scott and I will head out. So just come right to Sam's room.

I text back.

Will do!

It takes about fifteen minutes for me to get back to Sam's room. I knock before entering, and Kendall and Scott wave goodbye to Sam as they exit his room.

Scott hugs me. "If you need anything, Mal, please call."

I hug him back. "I will."

"Love you, Mal."

"Love you too, Ken."

We embrace, and then I head into Sam's room. His eyes are closed, so I quietly sit beside him and gently place my hand over his. He turns towards me and opens his sleepy eyes.

"Hey." He smiles weakly at me.

"Hey. Time to rest, Babe. I'm not going anywhere."

He shuts his eyes again, and it doesn't take long until I hear his deep breaths. I sit and watch this fantastic man sleeping before me. I say a little prayer, thanking God that he spared Sam's life.

"You ready to go home, Sam?"

"You have no idea, Babe."

I had just pulled my car up to the curb of the hospital exit. Sam was sitting there in a wheelchair, waiting for me. The orderly that brought Sam down helped me get him into the car. Once we buckle up, I pull out and head towards home.

"I can't wait to sleep in your comfy bed with your warm body snuggled up against mine. A week in a hospital bed was not my idea of a good time," Sam informs me.

I laugh, "Do you think sleeping together is a good idea?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?" Sam's eyebrows draw together.

"What if I roll over and hit your ribs, or I inadvertently touch the incision on your leg or arm?" I say, voicing my concern.

"Baby, I need to be close to you. All of my injuries are on my left side. You can sleep on my right side, okay?" he says with pleading eyes.

"I guess we can try it, but Sam, you must let me know if I hurt you." I attempt to sound stern, failing miserably.

"It will only hurt if you're not beside me, Beautiful."

He reaches over and takes my hand into his. We interlock our fingers, and I glance at him, smiling, then return my eyes to the road. I wanted to sleep with him, too. I've missed him so damn much!