There's Too Much Green To Feel Blue

When Pete wearily walked into his home, he found Sam devouring a bowl of ice cream on the couch.
"Sam, have you been eating all day?"
Sam jammed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, "No." she managed through her full mouth.
Peter surveyed the different bags full of muchies on the couch surrounding Sam. "Did you at least get off the couch?"
"Yeah." Sam said, "when I went to go buy the munchies."
He placed his hands on his hips and looked at her, "Well, you're talking now, that's good."
Peter closed the door, walked to the kitchen. "How was--" he turned in time to see Sam walk out the door.
Peter sighed, "Poor girl." He turned to Lily next to him and bent down, "How was she?"
"Sad." Lily answered.
"All day?" Peter questioned. Lily nodded.
"Did she make dinner?"
Lily shook her head.
"What do you feel like?"
Lily threw her arms in the air, "Jello!"
Peter smiled, "How about a sandwhich?"
Lily nodded.
"Okay, go play." Peter said.
She ran to her room.
As Peter pulled out the ingredients and got to work, he wondered how Sam would ever go back to her bubbly self. She usually lightened up his day and kept his mind from his sad reality. Actually, she made his reality just bearable. Peter was always awed at Sam's ability to work so easily through the situations life sent her. The fact that a dog was causing her sadness was weird, all the life was drained out of her. He decided he would pay her a visit just as soon as he could but, right now, he was tired. He gave Lily and her sandwhich, made himself something to eat and sat and watched tv. After a while, he found himself dozing off. So for the first time in a while, Peter and his daughter went to bed early.

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Pete woke up the next morning from an uneasy dream. He dreamt that Sam cried a river of tears and he sat in a paddle boat with Lily sitting across from him eating a bowl of jello. When Pete and Lily were eating breakfast, Peter's mother called and complained that she missed Lily. So after breakfast, Peter threw on a white shirt, a bright blue jacket and jeans and dropped Lily off at his mother's. On his way back, he stopped by the corner store and then went to the apartment building. He went up to Sam's floor and found William, sitting on the hallway floor with his back up against his apartment door, asleep. Peter shook William's shoulder.
William awoke and saw Peter, "Aw, man, where am I?" he said as if just made the biggest mistake in the world.
"You're in the hallway." Peter said.
"Oh, yeah." William said looking around and chuckling.
He suddenly stopped laughing, looked at Peter and pointed at Sam's door, "She--did you see her?" he stuttered.
"No, that's why I came." Peter said.
"Was she any better when you came home?"
"No, as soon as I got there, she left. It was weird, I usually can't get her to leave."
"Mmm, you're that good, huh?" William said preparing to stand up.
"What?" Peter asked confused.
"Nothing." William stood up and went into his apartment.
Peter knocked on Sam's door. Sam usually answered in the first few knocks but it took a grand total of seven knocks before the door was slowly pulled open. Sam, looking glum, peeked out.
"Sam," Peter said, "I thought you might be feeling sad still, so I bought you a present."
Peter brought forward the small jar of mini pickles. Slightly smiling, Sam accepted the pickles.
"May I come in?" Peter asked.
Sam left the door open and headed to the kitchen.
Peter quickly strode forward and pulled the purple blanket off her shoulders. "Take that sad blanket off." he said fighting off a smile.
Sam fought to keep the blanket on but Peter pulled it completely off her reavealing a tight fitting, red, cotton dress and long white socks pulled over her knees.
"Aw, you look nice." Peter said gripping the blanket.
Sam groaned loudly and went to the kitchen. "But I don't feel nice!" she whined, pulling on a beanie that matched her dress.
"Cool, now you're talking and not muttering." Pete noted aloud.
"Yes, I'm past my silent suffering stage and have entered the 'whine about how everything sucks' stage." Sam said rummaging through her uncharacteristically cluttered counter top. She grabbed a whip cream bottle and shook it.
"Sam, you're going to have to face it," Peter said sitting on the couch, "the dog is gone."
"I know and without Bowey all I want to do is just sit on the couch and eat until I explode." Sam threw back her head and squeezed out a stream of whipped cream into her mouth.
"Well, you're doing better. You're talking and you've got company."
"Yeah," Sam said gripping the whipped cream can, "about that-----get out."
"What?" Peter turned to her half laughing.
"Get out." she strode forward, can in hand, and pointed at the door.
Peter stood and stared at her incredulously, "Sam, what are you saying?"
Sam turned him around and pushed him toward the door, "Look, Peter, you're a good man. Coming over here to make sure I'm okay is very gentleman-like of you and I respect that. But I'm not ready to interact with humans just yet." She pushed him out the threshold, "See ya." She attempted to close the door.
"No!" Peter tried to get back in, "Let me make you feel better!"
Sam tried to push him out while Peter tried to push his way in. After a few minutes of fighting, Sam finally aimed the whip cream at him and sprayed.
"Aah!" Peter cried out as the cream soaked his right sleeve but he continued to try to get in.
Sam sprayed more and got his cheek, chest and right shoulder.
"Sam!" Pete cried.
Sam took the chance to squeeze cream into Peter's open mouth. Surprised, Peter froze and Sam pushied him out and closed the door. Before Peter even had time to fathom what had just happened, Sam opened the door, grabbed her blanket back and shut the door again.

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Peter sat at the foot of the hospital bed and watched Hash sleep. For once, he wasn't dwelling on thoughts of his fallen wife, he was thinking of Sam. He rested his chin on both his fists while his elbows rested on his knees. Peter had come to the hospital after he couldn't find anything else to do. With Lily gone and Sam refusing to spend time with anyone, he had nowhere else to go but the hospital. He figured he might as well, he already felt dead inside.
Brendon walked into the room and immediately froze.
"What's wrong?" he asked gripping his clipboard.
"What?" Peter asked.
Brendon gave him an 'oh, come on' look, "Peter," he strode into the room, "you've been coming here for two years, I know when something's wrong. You don't have your usual pain on your face, you look preoccupied. What is it?"
Peter had to hand it to Brendon, he read the signs well. But Peter supposed he was a little obvious. He had entered the hospital pouting and he wasn't sitting on his usual chair next to Hash. Instead, he was sitting on the stool at the foot of his wife's bed and although he appeared to watch his wife, he was lost in his thoughts.
"Sam's been depressed and it's taking its toll on me." Peter answered.
"That cute, crazy chick?" Brendon asked.
"Yeah." Peter said as the green scrub clad Brendon closed the door and leaned his back against the wall.
"Ha, you agreed with me. You think she's cute." Brendon teased.
Pete grinned.
"So, why is the cute girl depressed?" Brendon asked.
"She had a dog in her apartment and the manager took it away because dogs aren't allowed in our building."
"So...?" Brendon asked, not understanding.
"She loved that dog!" Peter exclaimed.
Brendon groaned, "Women!" he said, then his face turned thoughtful, "So, um, what did they do with the dog?"
"Huh?" Peter snapped out of his thoughts, "Um, I don't know." he said absentmindedly.
"I've been thinking about getting a dog." Brendon said.
"Yeah?" Peter said hardly listening.
"Yeah, my apartments' too lonely. I have no time for a girl, I might as well get something that'll greet me at the door, but not talk..."
"Wait, you want a dog?" Peter asked suddenly hanging on to Brendon's words.
"Yeah." Brendon said slightly annoyed that Peter hadn't been paying attention.
"Oh, my God," Peter exclaimed standing up, "you can have Bowey!"
"Well, she doesn't sound very attractive." Brendon said.
"No, Brendon, it's perfect," Peter strode forward, pulled Brendon to face the door and placed an arm around him, "if you get Sam's dog, she'll be happy knowing it's in a safe place. If Sam's happy, I'll be happy." Peter turned to Brendon gravely, "Brendon, you have to do this for me. If I can get the dog, will you take it?"
"What, um, yeah, I guess--"
"Fuck, yeah." Peter said doing a small jump, "I gotta go see if it's not too late." he pulled open the door and ran out.
He came back shortly and faced a confused Brendon, "She's okay, right?" Peter asked pointing at Hash.
"Yeah." Brendon whispered and slowly nodded.
"Everything's normal." Brendon confirmed.
"Cool." Peter ran out again.
Peter hightailed it to the apartments, he flew up the lobby stairs and threw himself into the elevator. When he reached Sam's floor, he saw a sight that instantly made him stop running. A man was exiting Sam's room as Peter walked closer. It was the guy from the picture in Sam's phone. He was tall with the same pale, pointed face. He was wearing black pants and a leather jacket. Peter surveyed him as he slowly walked by him.
"Hey." Peter greeted.
"Hey." the guy said back, not glancing at him.
Peter turned and looked at him as he walked to the elevator. Sam and the guy seemed like an odd couple.
Peter went and knocked on the door.
"If this is an axe murderer, come in, what took you so long?" Sam called miserably from inside.
Peter took that as an invitation and went in. Sam was sitting on a tall stool behind the kitchen counter.
"You're my murderer?" she asked raising an eyebrow. She still had the blanket draped around her.
"Was that your boyfriend?" Peter asked pointing a thumb over his left shoulder.
"Yes he was here to 'make me feel better'," she used her fingers as quotes, "Idiot." she muttered. She crinkled her eyes at him, "What are you doing here? I thought I told you that I didn't want human contact."
"Well, you were just talking to--" Peter shook his head, "No, wait, Sam, I think I've solved your dog problem!"
"What?" Sam groaned.
"Listen to me, Sam." Peter scrambled to sit across from her. He took her hands in his, "Would you feel better if Bowey went to a safe home?"
"Hell, yeah!" Sam exclaimed.
"Brendon down at the hospital said that he wants a dog." Peter informed.
"The gay nurse?" Sam cried pulling her hands away.
"No, hear me out," Peter grabbed her hands back, "Bowey would be going to a safe home and you could check up on him whenever you want."
Sam stared at him shocked, "I'd like to evaluate him first."
"Evaluate." Peter let go of her hands and turned it over his head, "Yeah." he nodded, "Okay, I'll just have to tell Brendon."
"It's still early," Sam said her eyes lighting up at the possibility, "invite him to dinner."
"Okay, but first I better find out what happened to the dog."
Sam gasped and pulled the blanket up to her face as she covered her mouth with her hands.
"Don't worry!" Peter said immediately, "I'm sure it's fine. Just let me go talk to the manager."