Title: New beginnings
Fandom: The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Author: Ceindreadh
Characters: Matthew, Alice
Rating: 15
Spoilers: Set just after the Family Portrait telemovie
Summary: Prequel to 'After the honeymoon'. Matthew makes a surprising discovery about Alice.
Word count: ~ 1,500
Disclaimer. I don't own the characters, I'm only borrowing them, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Matthew Lawson has always known that he's not likely to be the smartest man in the room at any given time.
He doesn't mind it, because he knows that while he may not have the highest level of education, he does know how to do his job and he's bloody good at it. Besides, if there's something he doesn't know the answer to, he likes to think that he is smart enough to ask the right person to explain it to him.
No, Chief Superintendent Matthew Lawson is well aware of his educational limitations and he has no issues with them. But Matthew Lawson, currently walking out, or more usually, staying in, with one Doctor Alice Harvey is well aware of his limitations when measured up to her. Oh, he has no problem with the fact that she's miles more intelligent than he is and better educated to boot. And to her credit, Alice has never commented on his educational shortcomings.
But sometimes he feels like he's holding her back, that when Alice is with him that she's forced to slow down her intellectual flow in order not to leave him behind. Much the same way as she and indeed most of his acquaintances are forced to slow their pace to accommodate his injury. She's never said anything to him about it, and maybe it has never occurred to her that it is an issue, but Matthew hates the thought of holding back this wonderful woman in any way. So, he makes every effort that he can to keep up with her both physically and mentally. He's suffered through Lucien's physical therapy sessions and has managed to see some improvement in that respect. And when Alice gives him a medical report, he asks her questions and does his best to remember the explanations so that she won't have to repeat herself if the same thing crops up again. He's even taken to having an occasional gander at Lucien's medical books just to make sure he's remembered her explanations correctly. It hasn't been easy going, and some of the illustrations and diagrams have been enough to turn his stomach, but he's persevered, and his reward is the smile on Alice's face when he shows his understanding of something she's explained to him.
He had that opportunity one evening, when he went to meet Alice in the morgue and bring her home for dinner.
She was reading through a report and barely seemed to notice as Matthew came in and limped over to her desk. Almost automatically he glanced at the pages, and when the name of a test he'd heard her use before jumped out at him, he didn't hesitate. "Looks like somebody's expecting," Matthew said, nodding at the page as he put his hand on Alice's shoulder.
To his surprise, she shied away from his touch, slamming the report shut and glaring up at him. "Have you no concept of privacy," snapped Alice, "I should never have started explaining lab tests to you."
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Matthew, surprised by her reaction. "It's not like I'm going to go up to some bloke and start congratulating him."
Alice held his gaze for a few seconds before sighing heavily, "You just did." Matthew looked at her blankly until she opened the file again and showed him the patient name…Alice Harvey.
Matthew looked from the file to Alice and back again, his mouth open with shock, "Bloody hell. Are you sure?"
Alice looked at him with narrowed eyes, "I *am* a fully qualified doctor."
"Yes," said Matthew, "but your area of expertise is in dead people, not live ones."
"That's a fair point," conceded Alice, "But I also specialise in pathology…and the tests were conclusive." She reached down and took out two more patient reports from a drawer. "I ran them twice to be sure…and sent a sample to Melbourne…just to confirm. They all came back positive."
A smile came over Matthew's face, "So we're having a baby! Bloody hell, that's, well that's a shocker I'll admit, but a good one." He cleared his throat, "So, well, do you want to get married then?"
"That's not exactly what I'd call a romantic proposal," said Alice.
"Sweetheart, you and I both know that if I get down on one knee, I'm not getting back up without assistance, and well, in your condition, I don't think hauling me up off the ground would be a good idea."
"In my condition? Matthew Lawson, I'm pregnant, not incapacitated!" A smile came over Alice's face.
"What's so funny?" asked Matthew.
"Nothing, it's just…" Alice took a deep breath, "I think that's the first time I've said it out loud…and the first time the words haven't filled me with a sense of dread." She sighed, "Ever since I suspected it, I've been scared to think of what it might mean, how would I manage. Should I even try to manage." She looked up at Matthew, "I thought about calling a doctor that I trained with. She works in Melbourne and, well, helps women in need of help. And then I thought maybe I should just go away for a few months and come back when it's over. And there's my job, and what will the hospital board say. I didn't want to worry you until I knew for sure. And then I thought that maybe if I waited long enough, well at my age the odds of a successful pregnancy, they're not the best."
Mathew squeezed Alice's hands gently, "It's all right love. Now you know for sure and I know as well, and I want you to know that whatever you decide, and whatever happens, I will stand by you." He cleared his throat, "But I would be honoured if you'd allow me to do so as your husband."
Alice could feel tears pricking her eyes as she said, "Now that's a much better proposal."
"Doesn't matter how good the proposal is. What matters is the answer," said Matthew, his tone deliberately casual, but Alice could see by his face that he was serious.
"Yes," she said, "Yes I will." She allowed Matthew to pull her into a hug and let her head fall against his chest.
"We'll figure things out," said Matthew, "You'll see." He held Alice closely for a few minutes before finally letting her go, carefully avoiding her gaze as she wiped her eyes discreetly. "So, now that you've said yes, do you want to set a date? We can do it in church or a registry office. It'll take a few weeks to organize, but if we got a special licence we could probably get married sooner."
"Are you sure you want to do it so soon?" Alice was hesitant, "I don't want you to rush into something you'll regret."
"The only thing I could possibly regret about marrying you, Alice Harvey," Matthew took a deep breath before continuing, "Is that I won't be able to see the look on Lucien's face when I tell him what we're doing!" He watched as Alice smiled involuntarily and then a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.
"What if you could see the look on his face?" said Alice. She hesitated for a few seconds before continuing, "We could always wait until they've returned to tell them…not just about getting married, but about…everything…and we'd be able to see how they'd both react."
Matthew's face creased in a smile, "Bloody hell Alice, you are a devious woman…I think I'm going to enjoy being married to you." He planted a quick kiss on her lips. "Of course, if we want to be sure nobody spills the beans to them, we'd better hold off on telling anybody else in Ballarat…but I get the feeling you'll be happy enough about that?" Alice sucked in her breath sharply. "It's all right Alice, this is all a shock to me as well, and I can't deny it'll take a bit of time getting used to the whole idea. But I think I'd much rather get used to it all without the world and his wife poking their noses in, and I'm guessing you're thinking along the same lines."
"You know me so well," said Alice, softly.
"Well then, tomorrow I'll look into getting a special licence and booking a spot in Melbourne registry office. Once we've got a date, we can schedule a few days off and do the deed. When Jean and Lucien get back, we can tell them, and then tell anybody else who needs to know. We've plenty of time to make plans for the future, but tonight…" Matthew put his arm around Alice, "Tonight all we have to deal with is going home…together."
The End.