Chapter 3
Phil heard someone leaving their seat rather abruptly and was taken aback when he looked up to find it was Sam. As she grabbed her coat, knocking her chair over in the process and left the office before anyone had a chance to stop her, Phil fought an overwhelming urge to follow her and make sure she was ok.
Leave it, he told himself, it’s not like she’d tell you if anything was wrong now anyway.
He gave yet another wistful sigh as he remembered the days when he and Sam used to talk about everything. He saw Jo get up from her desk and make like she was following Sam, so satisfied that someone cared, and feeling rather defeated, he returned to his work.
Stuart, who had been on the phone while witnessing Sam’s rather strange departure, after hanging up his phone call, rose to his feet, aiming to find Sam and ensure she was ok.
However, he was intercepted halfway to the door, by a dark-haired woman.
Jo, I think the Governor called her, Stuart remembered, thinking back to the previous little welcome home party they had had only a few minutes earlier.
“Mind if I go?” she asked.
Stuart gave her a dubious look, wanting to find Sam himself really.
Jo persisted, “I’ll make sure she’s ok.”
Stuart seemed content with that and turned to make his way back to his own desk.
As Jo made her way down the stairs from CID and into the main reception area of Sun Hill Police Station, she noticed Sam, standing at the far edge of the car park, leaning on the railings.
She walked up behind her, only speaking when she got closer, “Sam, listen, I’m sorry. You know how much my foot likes to live in my mouth. I shouldn’t have said what I did about Phil.”
Only when she came up beside Sam, did Jo notice that her mascara had run when she’d let a few unruly tears fall.
“Oh Sam”, Jo coaxed, pulling her into a hug. Sam rested her head on Jo’s shoulder for several moments, while Jo felt her body shake as she sobbed.
Then, Sam seemed to regain a little more control, pulling away from Jo, sniffing and rubbing the tears off her face.
“Jo, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I never . . . “
“Cry?”
Sam looked down at her feet a little sheepishly.
Jo attempted to make her feel better, “Hey, don’t worry Sarge, your secrets safe with me.”
Sam smiled by way of gratitude.
“Sam, feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but are you gonna tell me what has the great Samantha Nixon crying like a baby?”
“Hey?” Sam protested, slapping her playfully on the arm. Jo giggled a little as Sam continued. “It’s just . . . Phil”, she admitted after a minute.
“He’s not very happy about you going out with this DS?”
“No, it’s just the opposite. I mean, when we first started going out, he tried to put Stuart off by telling him I was a grandma, but apart from that . . .”
Jo rolled her eyes and commented, “Typical Phil.”
Sam smiled at this, knowing the young DC was right; he was definitely a Phil thing to do.
“It’s just . . . I like Stuart, I do, but I thought Phil would be . . . I don’t know?” she resigned.
“Jealous?” Jo asked.
Sam shrugged, not sure herself. “I’m a horrible person aren’t I?”
“Well . . . “ Jo began, but didn’t get a chance to finish, as DS Stuart Turner came up behind them.
“Hey.”
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