Patsy had been called out to a delivery right on the other side of town in the early morning and, after an uncomplicated but very long labor and birth of a healthy baby boy, she was finally ready to pack up her medical bag, hop on her bike back to Nonnatus and call it a day. However, upon opening the front door and expecting to be greeted by a calm spring evening, Patsy was instead greeted by a complete downpour; the rain was coming down so fast and hard that it was almost impossible to see past arms length.
However, Patsy being the determined survivor that she is decided to brave it, not wanting to waste another second being away from Delia as she knew that the rest of the evening was the last of the brunette's day off, noting that Delia had an early start with the ambulance service the next morning.
After saying her final goodbye to the new parents and wishing them well, Patsy stood in the doorway taking a few deep breaths to build up her confidence before running as fast as she could to her bike which was parked against the wall just a few meters up. Before she had even fastened her bag into its place on the back, she was soaked through and knew that the journey home wasn't going to be a pleasant one.
XXXXX
Finally, after what felt like the longest ride home of her life, Patsy turned the corner onto the homestretch and saw Nonnatus House just up ahead, radiating warmth and comfort from its glowing windows. Upon reaching the bike rack and grabbing her bag, she ran inside just as quick as she had ran out, even though it made no difference as she was as soaked to the bone as one could get.
Closing the heavy front door behind her, Patsy sighed and leaned against it, taking a moment to bask in the highly welcomed change in conditions before heading to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and attempt to dry herself off a bit. As she made her way there she could hear the delicate clinking of china being placed on the draining board and braced herself for a stern few words from Nurse Crane for not 'utilising her automobile' during times when the weather was as atrocious as it was tonight. Fortunately, the person placing the freshly washed crockery on the side was not Nurse Crane, but was in fact Delia who (even from behind) looked absolutely stunning; her hair was pinned up in the usual bun and she was wearing a dress that Patsy had never seen before. (Patsy knew she'd never seen it before because she'd definitely remember a dress that clung to every curve on Delia's body like that).
Delia turned from the sink to the sound of squelching nurses shoes, seeing a dripping wet Patsy smiling at her as she laid her bag, cape and red cap on the kitchen table. Patsy was so delighted to see her love after such a long day and thought that the warmth from Delia's oh-so-welcoming smile would be enough to dry her up.
Leaving the rest of the dirty dishes to focus on what was more important, Delia grabbed a tea-towel from the back of one of the kitchen chairs and stepped in front of Patsy, smiling at her sympathetically whilst looking her up and down.
"Oh Pats, you're absolutely soaking." the brunette giggled, quickly glancing past Patsy to make sure they were alone before raising the towel to Patsy's face to gently wipe away the drips on her nose and cheeks.
Patsy smiled and bowed her head slightly, relishing the smaller woman's gentle touch.
"I know, I feel horrendous and I bet I look it too." Patsy scrunched up her nose and gave a small breathy chuckle, her gaze returning to Delia as her warm fingers grazed Patsy's forehead, brushing her dripping hair from her face.
Delia smiled at her adoringly as she cupped the taller woman's cheek, "You could never look horrendous, silly. Even after cycling across Poplar during a freak storm like this you still manage to be the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on."
Patsy never tired of Delia's flattery and compliments, no matter how often it was that the shorter woman praised her looks or intelligence. It was almost as if the intense frequency of Delia's kind words was her way of trying to make up for the years Patsy spent enclosed within the walls of the camps in Singapore, where all kindness and positive talk vanished.
Patsy exhaled a breath she didn't even realise she had been holding and gave Delia the sincerest of smiles, raising her hand to grasp at Delia's which was still holding her cheek and brought it to her lips, placing a gentle kiss upon her lover's knuckles. However, instead of Delia being the one to shiver at the intimate gesture, Patsy started to tremble, both girls quickly snapping back to reality remembering the disheveled state Patsy was in.
"Oh cariad, you're going to catch a chill if you stand here any longer in those soaked clothes! Look at you, you're trembling!" Delia stepped forward and began rubbing the tops of Patsy's arms in an attempt to warm her slightly, "Go on upstairs right now and take a warm bath. I'll finish washing these dishes and make us some tea."
Patsy remained where she stood and smirked at the commanding brunette in front of her; she loved it when Delia's fiery welsh spirit came out, even in the subtlest of ways. A few seconds went past and Delia raised her eyebrows in question, not understanding why the soaked girl was still stood in front of her in the kitchen, her dripping clothes creating a puddle on the tiled floor.
Delia rolled her eyes playfully, 'Go! There will be time for you to smirk at me when you're warm and dry."
She stepped back and gave Patsy a tap on the arm in encouragement before Patsy let out a small laugh, relenting and doing as she was told. Delia took a moment before turning back to the dishes in the sink to watch her love walk away into the darkened corridor of the big house, biting her lip as she now saw just how drenched Patsy was, and just how tightly the water had made her uniform stick to her. Delia never liked to see her love walk away from her, but she had to admit that it wasn't exactly a bad sight, so to speak.
XXXXX
Delia made her way upstairs with a tray of tea and biscuits in hand; luckily Sister Monica Joan hadn't managed to finish the whole packet this time so there were just enough left for the two of them to have a nice nibble with their drinks. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, she could see that the bathroom was still occupied and smiled to herself at the gentle humming coming from inside as she made her way into her bedroom, closing the door behind her and placing the tray on her dressing table under the window. She glanced outside and saw that the rain was still coming down hard and fast, and that the clouds looked blacker and heavier than before, grimacing at the knowledge that things were only going to get worse.
As time would have it, just as the first crack of thunder and lightning erupted Patsy entered the room, causing Delia to jump dramatically, almost knocking the tray of untouched food and drink to the floor.
"Crikey Pats! It's like you knew that would happen so you came in just to give me even more of a fright!" Delia exclaimed as she laughed nervously, her heart racing a little from the momentary scare.
Patsy giggled like a child as she made her way over to Delia, slowly wrapping her arms around the smaller woman's waist and pulling her close. Her porcelain skin was warm and soft from the time spent in the bath and she smelt like fresh pyjamas and talcum powder, a scent Delia breathed in contently.
"I certainly did not know that was going to happen but I'm so glad it did. It was very amusing on my part." Patsy grinned as Delia scoffed playfully, bringing her hands to rest upon the redhead's shoulders where she could entangle a few loose strands of auburn hair in her fingertips, wrapping and unwrapping it like a practiced dance.
"Well, I'm glad my fright could bring you some much needed amusement after what I imagine was a very treacherous journey home" Delia said sympathetically as another clap of thunder boomed, "I think we're in for a rough night by the sounds of it."
Seconds later a bright flash of lightning pierced through the night sky and in an instant Delia's room (and the entire rest of the street) were plunged into darkness, television sets and record players all falling silent.
"I'd say we're in for a rough night by the looks of it now too." Patsy was quick to comment, sending both girls into fits of laughter. They knew they had to keep their relationship in the dark but they didn't think it'd literally be in the dark.
"Right, stop it you, we need to get some light in here," Delia turned from Patsy and began scanning the dressing table "There should be some candles and a small box of matches in one of the drawers by my bed. I'll check these drawers for my torch. Fred said he put one in every room for emergencies like this."
Fortunately, it didn't take long for the pair to find what they were looking for (even in the near pitch black of Delia's bedroom) and once the candles were lit and the torch turned on, the room was filled with an ambient golden glow.
Patsy returned to Delia at the dresser and took her cup of tea.
"You know Deels, when I said I wanted a candle-lit dinner I didn't picture it as us sharing some tea and biscuits during a blackout." Patsy smirked over her teacup as she brought it to her lips.
Delia simply rolled her eyes and took a bite of one of the biscuits, "This isn't what I had in mind either but it's all we've got right now so we're just gonna have to deal with it. Anyway, storms are supposed to be romantic… what with the lack of electricity, we'll be forced to find our own… entertainment." She smirked.
Patsy almost choked on her tea as she registered what Delia meant, "Gosh, I think the electricity in the air is getting to you Delia Busby." She chuckled softly.
Delia feigned innocence but the mischievous glint in her eyes could not be disguised, "I don't know what you mean! I was simply suggesting at cards or listening to the Wireless."
Patsy couldn't help but laugh softly at Delia's childlike mind, always being cheeky whenever she could. It was this that intrigued her from the beginning, seeing someone be so free to be who they wanted to be, almost without a care in the world. She loved it. And she loved the effect and it had on her.
"Cards and the Wireless sounds like a thoroughly enjoyable evening to me." The redhead smiled sincerely and leaned down to give Delia a sweet peck on her slightly shortbread-sugar dusted lips.
XXXXX
"SNAP!" Delia's hand slammed down on the pile of cards situated between the pair of them as they sat cross-legged facing each other on her bed, "And she's back in the game. Sorry Pats, hope you didn't think you were about to win because if you were, think again!" The fiery brunette laughed devilishly as she scooped up her rather hefty winning hand and added it to the meagre few cards that were left in her hands.
Patsy looked at her and narrowed her eyes competitively, "It's not over yet Deels."
And with that they were off again, the game continuing for a good ten more minutes of back and forth before finally a victor was crowned. Patsy sighed a worn-out breath and had a good stretch; too long sat hunched over in concentration is hard on anyone's back.
"Gosh, I don't think I've ever played such a tense game of Snap before," she commented, "well done Deels." She gently squeezed Delia's hand as she was tidying the pile of cards ready to be packed away, and smiled tenderly.
Delia stopped what she was doing and met Patsy's gaze.
"As the winner, I think I should get a prize." She stated quite matter-of-factly.
Patsy raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? And what kind of prize did you have in mind?"
Delia gave it a thought whilst putting the cards back into the pack and upon coming to a decision, leant back against the headboard, smirking. "I would like a victory kiss please." She grinned widely.
The redhead gave a breathy laugh before moving to her hands and knees to crawl the small distance along the bed in order to lie next to Delia. She raised hand to the brunette's chin and brought their lips together in a tender kiss.
After a few seconds, Patsy broke away, momentarily leaving Delia with her eyes closed and inhaling a small breath as her body was still caught up in the kiss.
Patsy smiled. "I hope that was a kiss worthy of a winner?"
"Definitely." She giggled as she could tell Patsy knew just how much she enjoyed it. She opened her arms and Patsy shuffled down, embracing her as she nuzzled into her side, laying her head on her chest.
"It's a shame we've had to be cooped up inside during your evening off." Patsy said as she absentmindedly traced light patterns with her finger on Delia's stomach. She had hoped they could maybe have gone to the pictures or had another fish and chip meal in the park.
"I don't mind really. Although it would've been nice to get out for a bit before my shift, I do rather like getting all cosy with you like this." Delia admitted giving Patsy a small squeeze.
Patsy tilted her head slightly to look up at Delia and gave her a small lopsided smile. "Me too."
"I'm glad." Delia returned her smile, "and seeing as we're both comfortable and in our pyjamas, I have no objection to staying in this position all night… that's if you don't mind being woken up at 5am when I need to get up and get ready for work?"
Patsy shook her head gently. "I don't mind that at all. Anyway, seeing you off tomorrow means you not only get a victory kiss, but a good morning kiss too." She looked up at Delia again and winked.
"You sure know how to please a girl, Patience Mount." Delia said and they both giggled.
Delia leant over and blew out the candle on her bedside table before tugging at the duvet beneath them, hinting at Patsy to get underneath it. Both girls did so and Patsy quickly reclaimed her position snuggled into Delia's side, and through sheer cosiness and exhaustion after playing such a heated game of cards, they both drifted into a peaceful sleep within minutes.