Is this destiny?

Urgent knock on the door got Sarah\'s and JoAnna\'s attention.

Jesse was supporting Penny who was very pale.

"She collapsed in the garden.", Emma explained.

JoAnna gestured down the hallway. "Let\'s do a checkup and see what is going on."

Jesse helped Penny to the bed and left the mini-lab with Sarah. The patient and medical workers should be left alone during the exam.

After several scans and blood tests, JoAnna looked at Penny and shook her head. "You need to take care of your body better. You are malnourished, dehydrated, fatigued, and that combined with stress and you crying most of the day was too much."

They made Penny lie down and gave her an emergency dose of nutrients intravenously. They have plenty of those around because of Aiden.

"How can someone have such a bad bloodwork?", Emma could not contain her displeasure while looking at the test results. "And this is due to prolonged neglect. What are you eating?", she asked Penny.

Penny sighed and responded while trying to hide her embarrassment: "Until recently, mostly scraps and dry bread. One meal a day."

Emma was not sure how to respond to this.

JoAnna patted Emma\'s shoulder and gave her a look to remind her that her professional patient-comforting expression is not on.

"Penny was kept captive for some time.", JoAnna explained shortly and turned to Penny. "We will give you dietary guidelines and multivitamins. And you need to rest and try not to stress. Take it seriously."

"Feel free to tell me if I\'m nosy…", Penny reluctantly started talking. "But that man in the room next door… Is that Aiden White?" She was dizzy, but she still got a good view of the man lying on the bed when JoAnna and Sarah responded to Emma\'s knocks.

"Yeah.", JoAnna exhaled. "He and Sarah were attacked… in October."

"Is that why you have all this here?", Penny gestured around the room filled with various medical equipment.

"Yes. That attack put him in a coma, and Sarah\'s arm needed a surgery.", JoAnna kept her explanation short. "All this is to take care of them. And patients like you."

The door opened after a knock and Ron peeked inside.

JoAnna gestured him to come in and spoke to Penny: "And there are also patients like him. I think it will be lucrative to open a real hospital here."

Emma nodded in agreement. "Let\'s not forget Charlie. He gets his treatments here also."

JoAnna and Emma laughed. Penny and Ron exchanged glances, they didn\'t understand the joke.

Few minutes later, there was a quick knock on the door. Sarah came to see how Penny and Ron are doing.

Sarah was relieved to hear that Penny will be fine as long as she eats well and rests, and she focused on Ron\'s exam. 

Ron is pestering her for a sparring match since they returned from Austin, but Sarah said that he is prohibited from any sparring until JoAnna gives her OK.

Ron was happy to hear JoAnna say that he is cleared for activity. His leg is OK!

"But start slowly and listen to your body.", JoAnna advised him.

Ron nodded enthusiastically, leaped off the bed and rushed outside after saying his thanks.

JoAnna frowned. Didn\'t she tell him a second ago to start slowly? But she could not make herself scold him. With a neatly trimmed hair and that boyish grin, Ron is adorable, and she feels like pinching his cheeks.

Checkups and exams for the day were completed, and they moved to the living area on the second floor above ground.

Charlie was there, waiting for Emma to return. Sarah would be surprised if he left.

Charlie was chatting with Sophia and Felix. JoAnna introduced them to Penny.

"It\'s late. Are you staying here for dinner?", Sarah asked JoAnna.

JoAnna shrugged. "Let me check with Jeff."

Sarah didn\'t bother asking others if they are staying. Charlie is a regular, and Penny is staying if JoAnna is since they arrived together.

Eight of them shared a meal with Kitty eating happily chopped raw beef on the side.

During dinner, other than responding to few questions, Penny was quiet.

Penny was thinking how after so many years of pursuing Jeff, she is finally able to get close to him and even have a dinner with the man. It\'s funny in a twisted way because now that it\'s happening, he is not available, and she is not interested. She wondered, how would her parents react if they could see her now? They would probably urge her to strike a conversation with Jeff. Or no… they would scold her while asking, what took her so long?

Penny likes watching Jeff with JoAnna. She can see that they share a special relationship. Whenever they are not actively putting food in the mouth, they are holding hands. Penny is confident that if they are not in this intimate setting, she would never hear Jeffrey White laugh.

Penny\'s attention moved to Sophia and Felix. The bond between them is almost visible. She likes how Felix is attentive toward Sophia… passing her a serving dish before she even asked for it. Like he can read her mind. And their every interaction is accompanied by smiles. It\'s all in the little things.

Her thoughts wondered toward Benjamin. Two of them held hands, and he smiled at her… and he made her smile as well. What is he doing now? Is he thinking about her? Yesterday, at this time, two of them shared a meal. Just the two of them, and her heart was full. Now she is surrounded with people, and they are nice and treat her well... but she feels alone.

Sarah noticed that Penny is quiet and downcast. She remembered that JoAnna said how Penny is by herself in the safehouse after Ben left (staff and security don\'t count, since they are trained to do their job and stay out of the way).

Sarah can relate to how Penny feels. Both of them don\'t have access to their loved one (in a way).

Sarah is aware that all the people around her are playing a big role in her not succumbing to the anguish which is pulling her in with some strong magnetic force. If she is by herself it would be impossible to resist... She would either fall into a depression and self-destruct or fly into rage and destroy everything around her… it could go either way. People present are reminding her not to give up, because it\'s not over. And she will not give up as long as there is a single sliver of hope, no matter how small it is.

"Do you want to stay here?", Sarah offered to Penny. "We have a room you can use, and it\'s livelier than a safehouse. The time will pass faster, and you can stay here as long as you wish."

Internally, JoAnna shook her head at the thought that Sarah likes to collect people (and animals). But JoAnna can\'t deny that she admires that quality her baby sister has… helping people (and animals).

Penny glanced at JoAnna who responded with a side-nod mixed with a shrug indicating that it\'s up to her. "This place is probably safer than the safehouse."

Jeff frowned at JoAnna\'s comment. That is THEIR safehouse, why is she talking badly of it?

Penny glanced around the table and saw smiling faces of Emma and Sophia looking her way, even Felix was smiling… and she accepted.

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