Hello everyone! This is a chapter that I've been holding from you for, I myself even don't know how long, but it gets only better as the story grows. And belive me you will like the outcome, but maybe not an income;)
The last days of July were known to be extremely obnoxious by the Pontypandy firemen. Those countless forest fires kept them awake far longer than they wished. When it started finally raining, it rained and rained and there was no end of it to be seen. But after a few days of good rain at every hour, the sunny ones came back, but, fortunately, it was no sigh of fires to be seen. Maybe because Norman Price wasn't in town, or because it wasn't so dry after the raining days.
It was the end of Penny's and Sam's shift that day. They said goodbye to everyone and they quickly dissapeared behind the corner of the street. They decided to spend these day at the beach. Penny laid two blankets on warm sand, before they went to relax a little in cold sea water. When they ended splashing the water all around themselves, they sat at the blanket and took a sandwiches out of backpack. When they ate, listening to waves, Penny laid down her head on Sam's lap as he seeked resting on one of the stones behind him. And they laid like that all afternoon, Penny with her head in a book and Sam who fall asleep.
When it was time to return, Penny felt a little dizzy, that's why she blamed it on spending the entire afternoon in the sun without a hat on her head. Later at home it still didn't go away, and Sam told her that her forehead was slightly hotter. He did it before she went to take a shower, but it wasn't too good idea, because the dizziness came back. If it was a sunstore, as Penny suspected, cold water could only exacerbate the symptoms. She quickly wiped herself off and when she was ready to walk out, she went straight to the frigde to get herself a cold compress.
"It still didn't go away?" Sam asked as she sat next to him, placing a cold compress on her forehead.
"No" Penny answered briefly.
"Do you need something, sweetheart?" He asked caringly, as Penny curled up into a ball next to him.
"Thanks, Sam, but I think it's best if I go to bed" she decided after ten minutes passed, standing up and staggering up the stairs.
"As you think" Sam shrugged his shoulders. "We'll see each other tommorrow morning".
Sam checked on her a few time, before he laid down in bed as well, wishing her a goodnight. As soon as he felt her warmth next to him, he couldn't resist pulled her carefully to him, placing a kiss on her forehead as she gladly accepted his chest touching her cheek.
Next morning Penny still felt a little hot, but she was definately better. So the sunstroke didn't seemed to be so strong to her after all.
The day went smoothly, but Penny insisted on staying in the shade. She didn't want a repeat of the fun. Around six o'clock she had to be at firehouse on shift, while Sam was spending this time with his niece and nephew.
"We have to rewrite those raports that Elvis spilled coffee on" Station Officer Steele ordered, giving each firefighter a file of files that had to be rewritten. It was happening at the kitchen table, when Radar came through the dog's door which were mounted in the kitchen door. On the opposite side of the kitchen was his bowl of water, but, instead of approaching it, the dalmatian tucked his tail and hid between Elvis' legs. "What are you doing now, Cridlington?" The strange situation didn't escape Station Officer Steele's attention.
"I really don't know, sir. You have to ask Radar" the firefighter spread his hands helplessly.
"What got into him?" Arnold leaned down to stroked dalmatian's head, reaching his hand far under the table.
They got a few more requests from Station Officer Steele before they were able to start rewriting. Three of them sitting at the kitchen table, because the office was obviously occupied, rewriting line by line. And when Elvis invented to turn the kettle on for a cup of tea, Penny volunteered, however as soon as she passed by Elvis, Radar, who found himself a comfortable place there for a nap, fast as lightning ran away from the kitchen and he didn't come back upstairs that night.
Neither did he at the morning, when Elvis's shift ended. However Arnold swore that when Penny was away, putting the reports back to designated binders, the dalmatian came to drink all bowl with water and walked away almost unspotted.
The clock strike 8 o'clock, the time when the night change can start to prepare themselves to go back home. How much Penny wished she could be at such place right now as her stomach was burning like those forest fires. But she still had six hours before her. The stomachache started an hour ago and it would stop for a while, then bend Penny in half in pain. And when Elvis walked downstairs to his locker, she asked him if he had something for the pain and he confirmed. He gave her a single painkiller and, after thanking him, she drank water.
"Thanks, Elvis. Mine ended long time ago and I forgot to bring myself a new one" she explained.
"Are you sure it will be enough?" He asked caringly, looking at his colleague with worriness hidden inside of his eyes.
"It have to" Penny replied with hope, but she felt the pain and it still was a little stabbing.
"You didn't look too good today" Elvis pressured.
"You're stubborn like Ellie" she smiled. "Maybe I'm not so good. I might have spent too much time in the sun two days ago" she admited.
"It must have been really a lot of sun if it keeps you so long" Elvis examined.
"I'm sure it will be only better" Penny managed to put an optimistic smile on her face.
"You don't have to pretend in front of me, Penny. You're terribly pale. Seriously, go home" he laid his hand on Penny's shoulder to show that he really meant it. "I'll cover for you" Elvis proposed.
"But you have already a twelve-hour shift behind you" Penny protessted. It wouldn't be fair. "I only have six-hour one, I'll stay."
"But in difference to you, I don't need painkiller to keep me going and I'm not pale as a wall, am I?" Elvis smiled politely, pointing to his face. If he was tired, he hid it better than Penny.
"Maybe you're right" she agreed anxiously. "I'll just go inform Steele".
When she was walking to the office, she met Radar on her way. But the dalmatian looked at her for a second and ran to the end of the corridor, hiding behind Elvis, at the same time burying his nose in his hand.
"Did you spy me?" Penny turned around, crossing her arms on her chest.
"No, you know, I want to to apologize to Steele for those reports, so I decided to bake something" he explained. "Radar, it tickles" he started to laugh when Radar he buried his nose in his trouser leg this time.
"I wonder how bad I look comparing to him" she kneeled down to take a closer look at Radar, but it must have been something wrong with him, because he showed his teeth and growled.
"I'm wondering what's wrong with him..." But this time Radar let himself be stroked by Elvis.
"Maybe he's ill" Penny thought out loud before she knocked to the office's door.
"Come in" she heard. She opened the door and closed it when she took a step forward, seeing Station Officer Steele's surprising look. "Penny, what's brings you to me? Everything's alright?"
"Yes, sir" she answered habitually. "Indeed no, sir. I'm asking for a rest of my shift off" Penny sat down when the elder man showed her the chair, waiting for explanation. "I don't feel too good. I have a stomachache and I won't be useful in calls after all."
"Luckily for you there is not too much of them. However I understand, but I don't have anyone to cover for you" his caring smile told Penny everything she needed to know, he was willing to, but regulations were applicable.
"Elvis volunteers" Penny told about her former talk with firefighter.
"After twelve-hour shift? Out of question" Station Officer Steele objected. "With his clumsiness I'd rather would call on duty Ellie or Sam".
"Sir, I know how this two waited for a day off. I can't do this to them, if so, I'll end my shift" she decided, standing up.
"I'll see, but you said yourself you were not too well. I can't put anyone's life at risk" he looked at his firefighter suspiciously. "If Elvis is really still fit for duty, I can let you go" Station Officer Steele agreed after a longer moment of silence.
Then Penny said goodbye and one more thank you to Elvis, before she went to the house. She was grateful their house was so close to the firestation, because she wasn't really yourself today. She used to complain about it, but today she saw it as a advantage.
Something must have been really wrong with her, the painkiller she took, it provided relief for a while, but their effect was beginning to weaken. She went to the kitchen to make a tea, but strong stomachache didn't let her stand straight too long. Once she winced in pain, right after she snuggled into the pillows and pulling her knees up to her chin. She tried to slowly drink her tea, but the pain and nausea that came with it, made it hard for her to swallow. Sore and exhasted from this day she didn't notice how she fall asleep. The nap was barely a nap, because quickly she felt an urge that was not so pleasant. When she came back from a bathroom, she didn't have an appetite even for her cold tea. She saw something was wrong, and even though she firstly suspected it was sunstroke, now it slowly faded. She picked up her phone and choose messages.
"Can I come to you tommorrow? I feel terrible today. I tell you the details face to face" she messaged Helen briefly.
"What's happening?" Nurse Flood quickly answered. She knew that if such stubborn soul as Penny told she felt terrible, she must have meant it.
Penny quickly summarized what was going on, but she stipulates that she is not even suitable for a home visit today. Helen tried to convince her that if it was something serious she had to act immediately, but Nurse Flood had a hunch why Penny didn't want to see her today. So she just answered:
"It's your decision. See you tommorrow then."
Penny was still feeling pretty bad, however letting Helen know helped her relax her mind a little. Even though it wasn't much better that it was when she came home, but, after all, she didn't want to disturb Sam's day off with Charlie on Pontypandy Island. She knew how much her husband waited for this day. Even though Sam was the older brother, they got along with Charlie as if they were on the same wavelength. So she didn't call Sam, she just briefly massaged him that she was very tired and she would be taking a longer nap. It was part of the truth, because she was actually really tired. But she couldn't fall asleep or get any rest, Penny didn't know whether it is from pain and urge to go to the bathroom every moment she closed her eyes or rather from a suspicion from where it all can come from.