Learn to Dance in the Rain

The sight of his friend caused his heartbeat to race.  It was silly, Mikael knew without a shadow of a doubt the thing he wanted to ask her she would not get upset over.  Regardless if she said no, he knew nothing in their friendship would change.  Yet, here he was with a shaky voice greeting one of his closest friends.  With the two settled down in the booth, he offered a soft smile as she sat across from him.  “You are too kind darlin’.”  Mikael nodded as he listened to her, thrilled she was back home.  As much as he liked to think of himself as a longer in the small town, the truth was he was a social person who needed interaction. And Samantha happened to be one of his closest friends and he missed her terribly.  “I am starting to think I should have tagged along and made a visit to the Big Apple.  I miss the city.  I am glad you got to see your friend and help out.  Also glad you made it home safely, it has been awfully boring without you.” Thankfully, the tension started easing up as they conversed.  “Shopping for me?”  His voice going up all excitedly.  “You know you didn’t have to,” though he always loved when people did…well people who actually knew and got him.

As she asked about him, he lightly shrugged.  “Well, I am finally back at my place.  I love my family dearly…girl you know I do.  Just it is hard being me around them,” he simply stated. No matter how open minded his family was and how accepting they were of everyone, Mikael never thought it appropriate to be fully himself in front of them.  More than likely it was all in his head, but the notion of being shunned terrified him.  “Also, I think Roscoe is happy to be back at home in his own yard.  Besides that just been working and really keeping to myself. I hate to say it, but I think town life has made” he took in a breath.  “Boring.”  He whispered dramatically.

Sammi and Mik had been friends long enough that she was attuned to his shift in emotions. Mik wasn’t the type to be nervous over things. Certainly not with her, anyway. She couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with what he had said he wanted to talk to her about, which made her shift uncomfortably in her seat. Usually the “we need to talk” conversation wasn’t a good thing, but Sam decided to try not to focus on it for now. “Of course for you. Who else do I have that would appreciate the sort of good stuff I can find in the city? I mean, I love my dads, but neither of them are exactly the epitome of fashion,” she added with a chuckle. “I know you love them, but I get it. It doesn’t mean you’re comfortable with them knowing everything. Same as I’m not really down with my dads knowing everything.” Her parents were great - even Susan - but as cool as they would be knowing all the things she’d gotten into when she was younger, she still didn’t feel comfortable with them having details. “Aw, poor Roscoe. He probably felt really out of place in a different house. I’m glad he has his own space back again. How did the rebuild go? I can’t imagine it was easy.” She paused to take a sip of her wine before offering Mik a mischievous smile. “Oh no... You? Boring? The gods forfend...”

Emmi put her things away first and then made her way towards Sammi with a big smile on her face. Life had a renewed sense of excitement and even though the year was coming to a close, Emmi felt like a new chapter was starting. “Hi, Dr. Scott!” She did call her Sammi, but usually when they were off the clock. Sammi didn’t know about Emmi’s struggles with food, but she’d been a lot better lately so she opened up the box and looked at the types she got for a second. “Oh wow, you went all out! Bacon maple? I didn’t even know they had these.” She went for a sugar donut and sat down instead. “It’s like a weight off my shoulder honestly.” Emmi kind of knew were all of this was going, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up too early. “I feel like I’ve been in school forever, but it’s worth it if I get to do what I love for the rest of my life. How are you? Did you enjoy the holidays with your friends? You were helping them open up a dance studio, right? That’s exciting!”

“There’s never an excuse not to go all out on donuts,” she retorted with a chuckle. Once she’d stopped pursuing dance professionally, Sammi had realized just how unhealthy her eating habits had been getting, so she opened herself up to eating different things more often. She still watched what she ate because there would never be a day she didn’t want to dance, but she was a lot less strict with herself now. Donuts were one of her favorite guilty pleasures, though she tried not to bring them into the office too often. “I remember that feeling.” Sam smiled fondly, recalling her own graduation and finishing her internship. “It was great, honestly. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the city til I actually got there again. It’s always so much better around Christmas time, even if just because of all the lights. We got her dance studio up and ready to roll. All she had left to do once I took off was have her grand opening and get people excited to come - not that that’s difficult in New York.” She shrugged her shoulders before grabbing a glazed donut for herself and sitting down across from Emmi. “How were your holidays? I still can’t imagine how chaotically fun they must be with such a huge family.”

Now that Emmi had graduated, it didn’t make sense to have her as an intern. She’d put in the time and work necessary to move on in her role, and Samantha had every intention of telling her so. Having arrived at the clinic bright an early on a Monday morning, she found Emmi already there in the back room, getting the meds ready for the animals they were holding for observations. “Hey! Look at you being all bright eyed and bushy tailed,” Sam teased, setting down the box of donuts and cupholder with coffees she had brought in. Waving toward the table, she offered Emmi a bright smile. “Sit down and have a donut. Chat with me for a few minutes. How does it feel to be completely done with schooling and your internship?” 

The sight in the mirror caused Mikael to groan as he undid the tie and threw it across the room.  You do not want to look too formal.  Placing his hands on his hips, he bit down on his bottom lip debating if he should just change the whole outfit for what felt like the millionth time.  No, no you look fine.  Still, he remained in front of the mirror for several minutes trying to gauge every angle. As he got closer, he sighed heavily noticing the dark bags under his eyes.  Last night, he could not get a wink of sleep given his nervousness about today.

For a couple months now, Mikael had been wanting to ask Samantha something, but every time he had the opportunity he chickened out and just would go about their usual conversation. Today though, he planned to finally take the dive.  Even to the point, he informed Samantha he had something to ask her so this time he would be forced to confront it.

At the restaurant, Mikael showed up nearly half an hour early.  In the back booth of the fancy place, he ordered a glass of scotch neat in hopes it would soothe his nerves as he sat there with his knee bouncing up and down under the table.  When Samantha was escorted to the table by the host, Mikael stood up and leaned in towards her to kiss her softly on each cheek.  “You look beautiful as always Sammi,” he softly smiled waiting for her to sit down, before he returned to his seat.

“I hope you do not mind I ordered a drink while I waited.”  As his blue eyes lifted, he stayed quiet for a moment to try and determine her current mood. After all, everything needed to go according to plan.  Which meant he needed to confirm she was in a pleasant mood.  “Thank you for having dinner with me, I am sure you are busy with other things.”  He commented trying to make small talk.  Usually, he was a chatterbox with the brunette, but right now his nerves was getting the best of him.  “How um, how are you love?” @sammiscott​

As much as Sam loved New York, she was glad to be back in town and back in her own house. She’d missed her friends, the kids, Mojo. She even missed work. Thankfully she had the ability to leave town for awhile without worrying about who would watch her cat or her house. Her dads watched Mojo and Evie checked in on the house for her. All in all, the trip to the city had been time well spent with an old friend and Sammi felt accomplished and ready to get back to her own work. 

She hadn’t thought it would take long for the chance to get together with Mik, but she was a bit surprised when her friend told her he had something to ask her. It was even more surprising and confusing when he looked almost nervous to see her. As far as Sam could remember, things hadn’t ever been awkward between her and Mik, but maybe something had happened that he was worried about? Regardless of the strange attitude, Sammi smiled at him and slid into the booth across from him, smoothing her dress under her legs as she did. “Not at all! And of course I’m not busy. Never too busy for you, lovely.” She gave him a bit of a strange look at the sudden stutter, but elected to not call attention to it. “I’m good! Glad to be home, although it was nice going back to the city for a bit. I helped Ellie get her studio up and running and I even managed to do some shopping for you while I was there,” she added with a grin, knowing Mik appreciated fashion just as much as she did. “How about you? How have you been?” 

Text Message - Sammi

@sammiscott Kara: Guess who’s back in town and staying until ?? Kara: we need to catch up…. miss your beautiful face lol. I feel like our video chats didn’t do any justice for us haha

friday afternoon closed starter: @sammiscott​ angel vet & rescue

“Hey, Sammi. Thank you for meeting me so last minute.” Cameron stepped into the veterinary with his dog Mavis in his arms. “She started throwing up last night last night and I gave her some anti-nausea medication in boiled chicken this morning hoping it would settle her, but it’s not any better.” He didn’t know what else to do, but Cameron loved his dog more than anything else in the world and although not many things scared Cameron, Mavis in pain did. He looked at the woman and placed Mavis on the examination bed and stayed by her side, trying to pet her and ease some of the dog’s nerves. 

“Of course!” Samantha would never turn away a friend in need, even less so a friend whose pet needed help. The clinic had already closed for the evening, but she was still there along with a few of the evening techs who would take care of the animals overnight, but Sam gestured for Cam to come in, leading the way to the exam room as she listened intently to him. She asked a few specific questions about the symptoms as he set Mavis on the table, nodding in response before she turned her focus to his dog. She knew how much Cam loved Mavis, so she could understand why he was worried. If she wasn’t a vet, she’d probably panic over every little odd noise her cat, Mojo, made. After a gentle but thorough physical check over, she turned her attention up to Cam. “Have you changed her diet recently? Or is there any way she could have eaten anything out of the ordinary?” 

Her smile and laugh was just as amazing as ever. Hugh didn’t know if there would ever come a time he tired of making her smile and laugh, even if his jokes were terrible. “True. Depends on the person.” It was a very different story if it was, say, Sam. All the times they had spent lazy afternoons on the couch curled up together. He’d always loved her hair and he loved running his hand over her soft locks while they relaxed. She had called it ‘petting’, and while it wasn’t the word he would’ve assigned to the action, it was what he was reminded of nonetheless. Sometimes it was difficult to remind himself that he had left New York for a reason. At the same time, even as he broke up with her he knew that a part of him would always love and miss her in some way. It didn’t make it easier when she was here and happy and away from the toxic part of her life that had torn them apart. How could he not want to be in her life?  "Yeah. I mean, New York may not have been my favorite place in the world, but that was mostly on me. There were plenty of good things about it. As much as I love Asteria, it is… a little smaller than I would like. I’ve only lived in two extremes. A city with 8 million people and a town with 5000. If nothing else I can miss that Thai place we used to like,“ he laughed. A nice medium would be his ultimate preference. "Well, I’m biased, but Rosewood Hills is great. The houses are pretty good for the price point. There’s a few places around the little cul de sac where I live that look nice.”

It was impossible not to wonder if his mind went to the same memories that hers had, which then of course made her wonder if he had done his best to forget most of their time together. That possibility seemed so far outside the realm of all things 'Hugh', but even still Sam was almost tempted to ask. Would it be wrong to admit she missed those days? Sure, they had both changed, but it was entirely too easy to imagine curling up next to him now. No. She had to shake those thoughts out of her head. She couldn't let herself think like that. Then he was talking about New York again and a wide smile spread over her face at the realization that he did still remember the little things, even now. "Oh man, I miss that place, too. Charlotte was pretty nice. Big and busy, but not like New York big and busy. I actually kind of liked living there for awhile. It was really nice for college, honestly." What would things have been like if she'd just gone to school for veterinary medicine to begin with? Would they still be together? "You want me to live with you?" Sammi's voice came out a little incredulous sounding, her face flushing brightly when she realized just how awkwardly she'd phrased that question. "I mean near you. Not with you, obviously. Like neighbors..." she amended before barreling forward with the conversation. "It would be great to live so close to the clinic."

Hugh set down his plate of food and settled further down into the pillows with his glass of wine. He felt bad for leaving Sam to be the one steering the conversation, but his mind was a thousand miles away and for a moment he forgot he was there. That they weren’t 20 with the world at their feet, so sure they could handle whatever life threw at them. “I always want to tell you,” he whispered. He looked over to her, eyes clouded with memories of things in the past. Suddenly he was forced into the present and he stiffened a bit. “Sorry. I… shouldn’t have said that.” After taking a sip of his wine and setting it down, he cleared his throat. His brain needed to shut up. It had been ten years since they had been together. Seeing her again had made him realize just how much he had missed her, but he wasn’t sure if he missed her or the idea of her. It was selfish and pathetic to think about trying a relationship again. Their shared past wasn’t a reason for them to get together. What happened when the haze of nostalgia wore off? Would they still love each other, be compatible together? “Uh. Not really. Can’t say much has changed. The recycling center is getting closer to completion, so that’s cool. All in all his life had been monotonous in Asteria. He was in almost exactly the same position he was in when he had moved back. "How about you?”

For a long moment, Samantha just stared at him in confusion. Had he really just said what she thought he'd said? Just as suddenly as he'd spoken, Hugh's entire body went rigid and he was apologizing. Honestly, she didn't even know how to respond, so she just tipped back her newly refilled glass of wine and chugged it to avoid saying anything. She used to be so comfortable around Hugh, and now it was like her brain melted into a puddle of moosh around him. There was still that underlying feel of comfort, yes, because he was still Hugh. But everything else felt a little like trying to navigate through the fog. Ever since they'd run into each other again, she'd been trying to sort through whatever it was she was feeling, and she still hadn't gotten any closer to any sort of answer. Not even after hashing things through with a few of her friends and countless hours ruminating out loud with Mojo. Ela had spoken of second chances and how it was obviously fate that had brought her and Hugh together again, but Sammi wasn't so sure of things as her friend seemed to be. They were still trying to navigate being friends. What if she broke the fragile bond they were rebuilding by taking a misstep? As soon as Hugh started talking again, answering her previous question, she realized she needed to get her mind out of the 'what ifs' and try to focus on the now. "That's good... It's about time we got a recycling center in town." While refilling her glass a third time - maybe not the smartest move - Sam replied, "Nothing, really. I mean, there's been a few discussions about what to do with the money that the auction earned, but nothing has been set in stone yet." The two of them sat quietly for a time after that, during which Samantha finished off another two glasses of wine. She'd never been much of a drinker, so it was definitely helping to relax her finally. Maybe a little too much. "Where were you earlier? When you said that?" she asked, turning her eyes to meet Hugh's.

He was unsure of who was happier when it was over, him or Sam. Despite his lack of squeamishness, he was feeling a little woozy himself. “Glad I could help. Don’t worry about me being stuck here, it’s not a big deal.” As long as Sam wasn’t uncomfortable with his presence after their basket date, he was fine being there since he parents knew he was okay. If nothing else he was glad Sam wasn’t alone anymore. He didn’t think it was a good idea for anyone to stay by themselves during the storm, much less with so many animals to take care of. 

“Oh, yeah. She’s fine. Everyone’s safe in my parent’s basement, they can last down there for a while,” he assured, finishing up cleaning her wound. Afterwards he cleaned up the items they had gathered, washed his hands, and sat across from her. The second after he sat down Samantha was standing up. He immediately stood up with her, ready to catch her if she fell. “Don’t push yourself. Stay here, I can get her.” The last thing he wanted was for Sammi to exert herself too soon and get hurt even more. Hugh stepped over to the small area in the other room that she had set aside for Clover. The cat looked better now that she wasn’t out in the cold rain to Hugh’s delight. It looked like she had a bit of food as well. She had curled up in the fluffy bed, tucking the fleece blanket around her. Clover opened her eyes as she heard his footsteps come over. “Hey, there. Doing better?” She didn’t respond, and he scooped up the bed and blanket with her inside it so she wouldn’t be more disturbed than she already had been. He brought it into the other room and set the bed down on the table so Sam could bring her chair over and sit down to look at the cat. “She looks a lot better. Ate a few bites of food, but I couldn’t tell if she drank any water.”

Sam made a face about his 'don't worry' comment, but she didn't argue. It felt like a big deal, given how awkward things between them felt. After their date, she felt even less like she knew how to act around Hugh than she had before, and that was saying something. She was glad to hear his grandma was with his parents though - it was much safer for her to be with someone than alone in this kind of storm, although she hoped it wouldn't come to anyone having to last for awhile anywhere. The ferocity of the storm outside made her think it was more likely than she wanted, though. 

Even though she didn't topple over, Samantha was more than okay with sitting back down and letting Hugh get the cat. She hated feeling like some sort of damsel in distress, but she also didn't want to pass out or cause more problems than she already had. While Hugh was gone, she took several deep breaths, almost meditatively, while gently rubbing the temple opposite the one now adorned with stitches. By the time he returned with the cat, she felt a little more level headed as well as physically better. Clover did look better now that she was warm and probably realized she was safe. Animals were smarter than people often gave them credit for, and the little cat was no exception. "She doesn't look dehydrated, but I'll double check." It was too hard to stay seated and do a thorough exam, and since she was feeling more steady, Sam went ahead and stood up slowly, leaning over to scratch the cat behind her ears and murmur soothingly to her as she started to check her over for injuries. The poor thing squirmed and let out a warning yowl when Sam's hands moved over her back left leg, causing Sam to frown softly. "I know, baby, I know." To poor Clover's disgruntlement, she continued to feel along the leg, grateful that she couldn't feel any breaks or open wounds. "She's fine other than her leg, which I'll do an x-ray of when the power is more stable... Thanks again for bringing her in..." 

“Yeah, she’s great.” Cass was great, but not really what he planned on talking about during their platonic date. If it meant they could keep things light and easy, though, he would accept it. He felt awful for putting Sam in this position without thinking how it might look. This was the date she had paid for after all. He had gone and fucked up what had been a perfectly fine hour together with the constant reminder of their past and asking her to relive something special to them. Ten years after their breakup made it difficult for him to want to get overly emotional about it, but at he moment he was beginning to feel it. Sam sat on the blanket while he busies himself with the food. There was little he could do to change the situation now. All that was left was to try and keep any awkwardness away. Hugh wasn’t sure if if the non-question was a compliment or not, but he bit his lip and turned his gaze away from hers. “Uh, yeah,” he said, not exactly ashamed but a bit bashful about it. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.” While he might not be as good as his grandmother, he wasn’t helpless in the kitchen. More than anything it made him happy when he made things the people he loved enjoyed. Whether he was in love or not, he would always love Sam and wanted to make her happy. Being here made it impossible not to think about all the times they’d shared like this. Getting away from all the urban squalor of the city and being able to enjoy a small area with grass and trees and happy people relaxing amidst the busyness of their daily lives. Laying back on the blanket while he watched Sam eat, curling together as they read a book and let the warm breeze wash over them, holding hands when they strolled down the pathway to reach their favorite spot. Suddenly he wasn’t sure what to talk about anymore. They had exhausted small talk, so every question felt like too much to ask anymore. It wasn’t as if their relationship was fully repaired. He doubted she wanted him to bring up the past when all she was trying to do was have a simple few hours of fun and relaxation. Where was the boundary of their relationship now? What constituted as too much? He was at a loss.

Aside from the awkwardness between them, they could have been transported to the past. Spending time in the park had been one of their rituals in New York. No matter how busy they got, they had gone on their weekly picnics. At least they had until Samantha let it all slip through her hands. She shook her head, trying to keep herself in the present. She just had to keep reminding herself that she had had her chance with Hugh, and she had blown it. If she could keep that in mind, maybe she wouldn't feel this confusing push and pull within herself. Maybe. All of the food was good, which didn't surprise her. Hugh had inherited his family's ability to cook and had always been better in the kitchen than she had been. He'd probably be appalled by the number of frozen meals she ended up eating throughout the week if he knew. Neither of them spoke for awhile and the food gave them a good excuse for remaining quiet, but after a bit, even that would fall through. Samantha cleared her throat self-consciously before taking a generous swallow of her wine, finishing off what was in the glass faster than she should have. "So, uh..." she rooted around in her head for a topic as she refilled her glass and settled back on the blanket a little closer. "Anything exciting going on at work? Or in your life? I mean, if you want to tell me." Clearly she wasn't doing a very good job at keeping those earlier thoughts in mind because all she could think about was how right she and Hugh had felt curled up together on their picnics - how nothing else mattered, even if all they were doing was reading their separate books or talking about anything and everything. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get rid of the mental images, but that did her no good either, as she swore she could almost feel his arms around her again.

Hugh was happy to get on a topic that was a little less nerve wracking than dating. “Definitely. Humans just aren’t as fun to pet,” he joked lamely. Of all people Samantha would know how special a bond with an animal could be. He knew he had already been crumbling when he spent time at the shelter, hating to leave all the animals there. It was hard enough knowing that he couldn’t find them an amazing forever home with the snap of his fingers. He smiled as she talked about Asteria. “I know exactly what you mean. Even I miss New York sometimes, although maybe not the speed.” He stopped himself before he could say he didn’t know how she had lived alone for such a long time. It had been his fault, one of the things he still felt terrible for. Leaving her all alone in a city with 8 million people when they were so young and had relied on each other for so long. “There are lots of great places around, though. Decent price point too compared to other places,” he rambled, knowing the information was useless but not knowing what else to say after remembering what she’d gone through because of him.

While most people might not have appreciated his humor, it had always been one of Samantha's favorite things about him. Which meant that when she laughed without hesitation at his joke, it was a genuine reaction. "I'm sure there are some people who appreciate it just as much as animals, though." And just like that, her mind stupidly flashed back to all the times they would spend together, quietly cuddling on the couch while reading or watching television, and Hugh would almost absent mindedly run his hand through her hair and over her head - something she'd referred affectionately to as him 'petting' her on more than one occasion. She was pulled from her reverie by the surprise his words sparked in her brain. Unable to stop herself, she asked almost incredulously, "Really?" Hugh had always seemed to hate the city. Sam was sure that he had been more than happy to be free of the confines of it when he left, so to hear he missed even parts of it felt jarring. For as many people as there were crushed into small areas, the city was a lonely place, and in hindsight, Hugh had been her only true friend there. Everything else had been fake. "Yeah... I guess I mostly just have to decide which side of town I want to live on, really. There aren't many places I liked in the downtown area, but I have found a few I really liked in Rosewood Hills..." Of course, mentioning that she couldn't help but wonder if he lived there still.

Only when Sam started getting off her horse did Hugh follow her, wanting to make sure she wanted to stay. “I mean, not enough trouble that I would be offended if you didn’t want to stay. I guess I… didn’t really think about how it looked until now. I swear I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable or hash up anything.” Hugh would feel horrible if she was uncomfortable on the date she had paid for. Perhaps the thought of all their picnic dates in Central Park, laughing and teasing and feeling like the world was at their feet, had influenced him just a tad. He wanted to tell Samantha that he didn’t mean to bring up the past. It was more than enough that he was in her life at the moment. His heart clenched in his chest at all these thoughts, but he was interrupted when Cass made a noise to get his attention. She mouthed something unintelligible to him. He cocked his eyebrow and shook his head that he didn’t understand. Cass mouth slower, and he mouthed back “WHAT?”, before he saw that Cass was looking back at Sam. Fantastic. Cass smiled as if they hadn’t been caught by Sammi before taking the horses away and giving them a thumbs up. Hugh tugged his ear as he did when he was nervous. “Oh, Cass? Yeah. Yeah, she’s cool.” If this turned out terribly, he was so getting back at her. “So. I hope you’re hungry.” He knelt down to take off his shoes, setting them next to the blanket, and sat down on the picnic blanket. Uncorking the wine, he poured two glasses and handed one to Sam. Then he opened up the basket and took out the containers of food he had prepared; BLTs, some pasta salad, fresh pineapple, and, of course, two healthy servings of his grandmother’s triple berry pie.

"Okay." Samantha wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed that he hadn't meant to set up the picnic this way. Hell, she wasn't even sure how she actually did feel, and she wasn't about to dive into her feelings right then. "Thanks!" she called after Cass, trying to rein in her curiosity on what the woman might have been pantomiming to Hugh. Sam didn't miss the way his hand went to his ear, but she didn't comment on it. In a way, knowing he was nervous made her feel a little less so, odd though that was. Maybe because it put them on even footing? "Oh, cool. I only know her a little through work. She seems nice." Honestly Sammi knew her brother better, but she didn't mention that part. "Yeah, starving actually," she admitted before following suit, setting her shoes off to the side and settling onto the blanket before accepting the glass of wine with a thanks. She watched as Hugh pulled out various bits of food, her smile widening when she saw the pie at the very end. God, she loved that woman's pie. "You really did kind of go all out, didn't you." She said it as more of a statement than a question, but she meant it in good humor. Grabbing one of the BLTs, she sat back and took a bite, humming in enjoyment. "This is really good, Hugh," she told him after swallowing the mouthful she had taken.

Was he sure he wanted to? He was sure he didn’t want to, that was for sure. But if it was necessary for Sam, he would do it. Hugh nodded and watched as she thought about things, trying to calm his nerves. It wasn’t as if he was particularly squeamish, but this wasn’t putting a band aid over a paper cut or cleaning up a mess. This was literally sewing up Sammi. There was nothing in the world that could calm his nerves. She told him she would go without anesthetic and his face went pale. “What? You’re sure? There isn’t, like, some sort of cream or gel you can put on it? Even some ice, if nothing else.” It was hard enough to do it despite knowing she couldn’t feel it, but having to see her in pain because of what he was doing was going to make it ten times worse. 

His face was white as she came back into the room. Despite the anxiety within him, he paid close attention to what Samantha showed him. Once she had finished, he took a deep breath and threaded the needle. He did his best to make it quick and painless and neat. Finally he tied off the thread, just like she had shown him, and he leaned back to admire his handiwork. Objectively, he felt he did pretty decent. He would be happy as long as the doctor that did end up seeing her said it wasn’t a complete mistake. “Okay. All done. I can clean it up and you can look if you want,” he offered.

"Yeah. As sure as I can be, anyway. I don't have anything I feel comfortable putting so close to the wound. I'll be fine, I promise." Sam wasn't actually sure she would be, but it couldn't hurt worse than it already did, right? Well, she was wrong on that count. It hurt a lot more than she had anticipated, but she gritted her teeth and stayed as still as possible, doing her best to focus on walking Hugh through the necessary steps. He did well, but she still breathed a sigh of relief when he was done, dropping the gauze onto the exam table and frowning at how shaky was. "Alright. Honestly I think if I stand up just yet though I'll fall right back over. I'm still feeling a little..." Sam held out a hand and tilted it side to side, mimicking the swaying motion people felt when woozy. "Seriously though, thank you again. I know that wasn't easy. And even though I'm sorry you're stuck here, thank you for bringing Clover in. I know a little girl who is going to think you're a superhero." The little cat was safe in the other room with food, water, and a soft bed, but as soon as Sammi felt steady enough, she had every intention of going and checking over the poor cat. 

"Your grandma is at your folks' place?" It wasn't just small talk, though it did give her something to focus on. She truly still cared about all of Hugh's family; she still privately thought of them as just an extension of her own, despite everything that had happened. She watched as he started to clean up the rest of the blood around the wound, only wincing a few times when he had to dab over the fresh stitches. Even with the pain though, she found herself just as mesmerized by his blue eyes as she'd always been, and she didn't realize she was staring until he pulled away from her after finishing. Clearing her throat, Samantha finally pushed herself up from her chair, only swaying a little in the process. "Do you think you can help me with Clover?"

"Don’t have to imagine since that’s what happened with my other date. Could’ve been a lot worse I guess. She’s great as a friend, and I’m more than happy to make new friends, but, well, it’s called a dating app for a reason.” Perhaps deep down he knew that he was chasing something impossible, that he was trying replicate a relationship that made him feel the way Samantha had. It was scary how quickly he could see feeling that same way again after all these years. He knew rekindling their romance should be far from his mind when this was only their second time seeing each other again after so much time apart. It was hard when they still seemed so compatible. When Sam had made it clear that she was very much single and letting fate take the wheel as he was. 

The topic shifted and Hugh grinned. “For shame. Although I guess it’s good to know some things never change, right?” Sometimes Sammi was too ambitious, too busy, for her own good. He would take a few skipped meals over ruining her relationships any day of the week. “I have no doubts about that. She’s a very awesome person.” Emmi was kind and genuine and caring and he had no doubt she could do whatever she set her mind to. “A senior cat isn’t a bad idea. She’s got a pretty steady stream of people to keep her company but I know she misses having an animal too. Maybe I should come to you with all my problems if you’re going to fix them this easily.” That had sounded a lot better in his head. He laughed at Sam’s comment, seeing a light blush spread across her cheeks when she said it. So far they seemed to be neck in neck when it came to awkward comments. “Crazy old cat lady seems like a pretty good idea to me. That’s great you’re looking into buying a house! Still in Asteria, right?” He tried to make it seem nonchalant, like he wouldn’t be upset if she left Asteria. It was just his luck that they ended up reconnecting right as she was leaving town again.

Samantha winced at his words, figuring that had to have been a huge letdown. Even if the woman had ended up as a friend. Though part of her was sort of glad to hear that he wasn't actually dating anyone, having Mikael's words confirmed. Then again, that feeling of being glad was probably getting ahead of herself. Just because they were both single and talking again didn't mean anything. Hell, it didn't even mean they would actually ever be friends again. But still... 

She managed to laugh at herself, shrugging her shoulder and grinning ruefully, knowing that he didn't mean anything rude by his comment. Besides which, it was completely true. She might not be trying to be a professional dancer anymore, but she was still the sort of person to be focused and driven; sometimes a little too much was all. "Having people to visit is good, too, but I don't think anything replaces the companionship an animal can offer," Sammi mused, thinking of her own affectionate cat with a smile. Her brows jumped in surprise at the last bit, wondering if he actually thought she had come up with a good solution or if he was just saying that. "Yeah, still in Asteria. I think the dads would revolt if I tried to move anywhere else anyway. Not that I want to," she added quickly, unsure of why that was important for Hugh to know. "It's home, you know? I can't actually imagine living anywhere else, even if I do occasionally miss the speed of the city."