Nonnatus was dark.
Pitch dark and as Chummy flicked on the light, knowing her husband-to-be was a few steps behind her, the oak panels were starting to quietly close in on her. They were in the depths of their mission for Sister Julienne in the bowels of the building to move all the charity supplies to a better home and they were almost done and dusted; a fact that Chummy was somewhat glad of.
It had been all the nurses' charge that afternoon to get it out of the way and they were almost finished; Cynthia, conveniently, running off for a delivery but not before she roped in the off duty bobby who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Trouble was though, whilst the switch may have clicked healthily, light was not abundant.
"Do you think they are ever going to get this power problem sorted out?" she asked, with a sigh, turning the switch back to 'off'. It was becoming bally boring now with the electricity supply dropping out every hour or so and now in the chilly, dark, winter evening away from the tall windows that lined the exterior of Nonnatus she could barely see two feet in front of her. It had been the case of relying on instinct now; knowing these walls and floors well from her months under this roof but still not wanting to send herself flying.
"The electricity board told the Inspector it would be Friday week…" Peter replied, he too carrying his own wares - a pile of freshly laundered blankets neatly piled over one arm. They had had enough of it at the station and he'd nearly broken his neck tripping over a step the other night to boot.
"Friday week?!" she exclaimed as they continued to walk along; her leading the way carefully in amongst the shapes and shadows the building threw from its walls. Another two weeks of this was all they needed.
Carefully Chummy adjusted the box she was carrying in her arms. It wasn't particularly heavy; just awkward, and as they stepped around the corner she felt something ever so slowly glide around her hip; taking what she might describe as a generous handful. "Peter?"
"Hmmm?" he replied. She was not sure whether he sounded innocent or not.
"Please tell me that was you?" Chummy asked quietly. She was sure it wasn't her imagination and almost ninety percent certain that what she felt was more human than perhaps of a more supernatural nature. Not that anyone had said Nonnatus was haunted, but you never knew what walked these corridors after the lights were out.
"What was me?" he asked, sounding at best curious and as she was walking ahead and his face couldn't be seen, his tone had to do.
"That" she replied, still walking as otherwise if she stopped she might just feel her arms give way; the corner of the box digging into the flesh of her arm already and the sooner it was away the better. "When you..." she started, nodded down to her side, almost embarrassed to say the words she needed to say in company.
"That was me?" Peter responded, twisting her words quite deliberately.
"Peter, stop being silly…" She glanced back, only just about seeing the white collar of his shirt and eyes sparkling in the dim light as he stopped walking and saw her spin around towards him with her reproach.
"I'm not. What was it that I did?" he asked, wanting to laugh but knowing it might truly give the game away.
"Stop it" she replied, turning on her heels and walking again, until that very next second she felt it again. The exact same; but loitering just that little bit longer almost making the point as he heard her catch her breath. "Now that better had be you…"
"What had better be me?" He knew where she was in the dark and stretched out his spare hand. "This?" Peter asked before there was a moments pause as he rather deliberately took his time.
"I didn't feel anything...", Chummy replied deadpan, not remotely joking as she genuinely hadn't.
"I did though…." Trixie whispered quietly...
