Call the Midwife Characters are not mine. Lydia Owens is an original character made up by me.
Checking her watch for the third time in just a few minute she. If the shop owner doesn't wrap this up she is going to be late and that means….
"There you are ma'am.
"Thank you."She pays the shopkeeper and waits for the change coming.
Lydia had to stop in for some ingredients for the dinner she was planning to make for her and her father. She wasn't a very good cook, but she knew how to put things together, and they were out of necessary ingredients. She had come into the shop right after work, hoping that it wouldn't make her too late, but then she really couldn't cook a meal with what they had in the house. Lydia had been living with her father since she was a child and her mother had left. She wasn't married, being a late bloomer, as the other women in her building liked to call it. She had a job caring for children of working mothers, and if she admitted it to herself caring for her father in the evenings.
Snapped out of her relverie by the outstretched arm handing her the change, Lydia picks up her back from the counter and tries to rush out the door to get going. In her hurry she did not take note of her steps and where her feet were. Before she knew it her bag went flying through the air and she is falling to the ground. Her bag spilling its contents all over the street, her foot painfully left behind in the doorway of the shop. She fights the tears that are threatening to spill from the pain of the fall and the fact that this is going to make her even later. Lydia starts to try and stand up. Placing her hands on the ground she slowly starts to push herself up.

Timothy had just been walking down the street with, Shelagh headed to the same shop when they witnessed the incident. He looks back at his mother and with a nod they both head to the fallen women, with Timothy getting their first. He reaches down his head to help the woman up. Shelagh approaching right behind him.

Lydia looks up just in time to see Timothy's hand for her to use. Just what she needs now, someone else to have seen her

"Are you alright?"
"Yes just fine." Placing her hands on the ground, ignoring the boys help, Lydia starts to push herself up. The shop owner also comes rushing to her aid, picking up her purchases from the ground.
"Here, let me help you."The boy helps her.
"Thank you." Lydia offers a small smile to the boy and the shop owner. "I'm such a clumsy thing. Always falling down." She tries to put weight on her foot and pain shoots through it. Gritting her teeth she tries again. This time she is able to stand on it, although painful. She'll wrap it up tight when she gets home. The shop keeper hands her packages with a "here we are"' Lydia then tries to walk away wanting to get home and off the street. However, she can't move very far or very fast at all. She lifts her foot and it flops back down. They only way to accomplish her goal is by dragging her foot behind her as she tries to push on. She will not ask for help, help means exposure, it means…. from her thoughts she can hear another woman, one with an accent speak up. No no no she doesn't want it. Does she? Will this help or hinder?

"I'm a nurse, Miss." Lydia looks towards the voice. "Timothy why don't you help her bag? You might have broken that foot. Why don't you let us take you to have it looked at? Let's take you to the surgery shall we?

Alarm bells go off in Lydia's head. Doctors mean questions, and she can't deal with any of this right now. However the woman the woman has tells Lydia that she means business. There will be no escape she has to go. The boy, Timothy, takes her bag and she leans on the other woman for support as they make their way to the surgery.

"Thank you for helping me." Another one of her artful smiles. Lydia is practiced at the art of smiling through pain. Putting on the mask that nothing is amiss, nothing is wrong. She has been doing it all her life. "I don't even know your name."

"It's Shelagh, Shelagh Turner. This is my son Timothy, and it's no trouble at all. Shelagh responds sensing the other woman's protest. Having her own carefully hidden feelings she knows this woman is hiding something. Her heart aches in the silence between them. She sends a quick prayer that they will be able to help her. She doesn't know why, but there is an instant connection between them and she wants to be able to help. "Won't you please tell me?" She silently implores.

""I'm Lydia Owens. Thank you. You mentioned we are heading to a Doctor?" Feeling like she would have to keep her plastered on smile. Although she was sensing a trust that she could have with this woman. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Who knows? Lydia thought to herself.

""Doctor Turner has been here for ages. I am surprised you weren't made aware before now?

"We, my father and I, just moved here. I take care of him you see, not having a family to look after myself. He was offered a job and wanted took the chance. We haven't really needed any medical care. We stocked up at the chemist before we moved

"It seems like a good time as any to be introduced?"

"I suppose so."A real smile crept in unawares of the owner.

It was slow going with Lydia's foot, however, they made it to the hospital. Lydia had not told Shelagh a thing about herself. They had chatted about other things, trying to keep Lydia's mind off the painful progress. Lydia had refused an ambulance. An ambulance would cause unnecessary attention and nothing she needed. She could make her way on her own down the street. If she was really truthful it was Shelagh whom carried the brunt of the weight, Timothy was a help as well. Barely able to walk further they were at the doors of the surgery. Shelagh helped Lydia in a chair in the waiting room while she peeked into Patrick's office.

"Patrick I've a young woman in the waiting room. I think you should take a look at her foot. She fell coming out of a shope and can't seem to put much weight on it. Can hardly walk for that matter. I think it may be fractured. She seems, I don't know sensitive about drawing attention to herself. Wouldn't talk much and refused the ambulance altogether, almost refused my help but I wouldn't hear of that."

"And you helped her all this way?" Patrick smiled at his wife. "Let's get her into the exam room." He reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

"Thank you. I know it's almost time we were home. She just moved into Poplar as well." Shelagh came out of the office followed right behind by Patrick. Timothy once at the surgery had taken his leave and scampered off to see what friends could be found outside.

"Doctor will see you now."

Lydia took one look at the Doctor and then darted her eyes back to Shelagh. She didn't trust men, and it was no wonder. She knew the Doctor had to be male, but when they time came to actually be here her determination had failed. She sensed a friendship between her, wanted it for that matter. She didn't have very many friends. She braved her question. Shying away from the Doctor.

"I...um….Shelagh, will you stay with me?"

"Of course. I'd be glad too."

"Now, I hear you've taken a bit of a fall?" Patrick said. "Let's get you and into the exam room, shall we?" He held out his hand and Lydia took it. They made it into the exam room before Lydia spoke.

"Yes rather." Lydia replied. She rushed to add. "I'm just clumsy, always have been. Always falling down stairs, burning myself, things like that." She tried to make it as nonchalant as she could.

"And is that what happened there?" Patrick pointed to a wrap on her arm he had noticed.

"Yes." No. was what she thought and she quickly pulled it behind her back. "Aren't you meant to be seeing about my foot?" Lydia wasn't a child anymore, but being that everything was always her fault she didn't want anyone to know about it. After all, wasn't it she who would provoke her father?

A look pasted between Patrick and Shelagh. Shelagh made her way to sit beside the woman. Hoping to soothe into a confidence. There was something not right about any of her answers. Her heart tried, as much as it could, to reach out to her new acquaintance. Lydia's shoes and stockings had been removed and Patrick sat down. Looking more at her limbs, he noticed old contusions on her legs, before looking at her foot. "Well it is definitely swollen, but I can't tell if you've broken it without an x-ray. We'll order one for you, it can be done in a few short minutes here and then I'll know what we're dealing with. I will bandage the scrapes on your knees now though. I am also concerned about these bruises on your legs? They aren't knew, how did you happen on these?"

They were old and faded. She'd hope he wouldn't ask about those. Her carefully concealed world was unraveling around her. It was a strange out of control feeling, and one she didn't like very much at all. She looked at Shelagh, whom had been sitting at her side and practically pleaded with her for help. Lydia didn't know how, but surely Shelagh must know how to help. She looked back at Doctor Turner, trying not to shrink from his gaze.

"I really must be going. My father will be worried, especially since he doesn't know where I am. Might I come back another day?"

Another look past between the Turners. Patrick had taken note of Lydia's actions and gaze as well as the avoided question. This girl was hiding it, or trying to, but why? She had all the reactions of domestic abuse. Surely she didn't believe she was the cause. He had to be sure though. The last time he thought it was domestic abuse was that little child and he wasn't going to be wrong this time. And if it was domestic abuse no matter how old or strong this woman was she needed to get help, needed to get away from her abuser. He pulled up a chair and sat down. Softening his face he looked into her eyes he continued.

"Lydia. It is Lydia isn't it?" Lydia nodded her head. "I am here only to help. Your foot is going to probably need a cast and I would like to find out what's wrong before I send you home. We will get word to your father. Might I have a look at your arm?"

With his soft prompting she brought it from behind her back. The dizzy feeling she sometimes gets came, probably because she could feel her whole world spinning. She reached out her hand, finding another one she drew strength from it. Was it her imagination or was the room also spinning?

Shelagh saw the slight action of Lydia reaching her hand out. Lydia needed support now, and so she took it. She did remain quiet as Patrick worked, being a silent partner.

"I haven't been quite honest with you. It isn't a burn…." Trailing off she didn't want to tell him what he was soon to find out for himself.

"This is a fine wrapping job you've done."

"Yes. I've taken a course or two. I work with children and wanted to be able to help them in case I ever needed to. I feel very dizzy all of a sudden." Lydia had tried to power through, but maybe this will take the attention off of her other injuries.

"Dizzy, did you hit your head?" Shelagh shook her head. "Alright Lydia I'm going to need you to take a deep breath. Have you had this before?"

"Yes. I think. Episodes where the room spins. Not like this though. Might I have a glass of water?" Forgetting herself she struggled to stand. Only to have the room go black.

Lydia's eyes fluttered open. She looked around only to find herself in a bed in the hospital room. How did she get here? The last thing she remembered the room was spinning and had suddenly gone black. She must have fainted. She was not the fainting sort. All through the injuries that she had sustained she hadn't fainted. Just then Shelagh bustled into the room.

"Awake are we?" Shelagh proceeded to check her vitals. "I'll inform Doctor and he can come and check on you."

"You must think the worst of me. I've never. This is not like me in the least." Lydia responded.

"We think no such thing. Now you seem settled, I'll just pop over and be right back."

In the office Patrick was finishing up the paper work for that day when he heard the familiar knock followed by the presence of his wife.

"Patrick, Lydia Owens is awake. Her vitals are stable. I'm not sure what more we can do for her. She seems tired and I don't like the look of those bruises. A healthy woman should not be fainting like that."

"I'm not so sure she is. I'll have to write to her last Doctor. What we can do right now is admit her overnight. I'd like to have her observed. She will also need her foot x-rayed as I am quite positive there is a fracture. She will be safe tonight, if she accepts the help she is being offered.

"You're right of course. "

"You want to do what?" Doctor Turner had reentered the room, saying he wanted to admit her overnight. This was just getting worse and worse by the minute. "I've never fainted before. I'm not sure what came over me, however, I assure you I am quite alright now. I am not some weakling that…" Her sentence was cut off by Doctor .

"All the more reason for us to observe you overnight."

"I have a job to get to in the morning and a father who needs looking after. He'll be passed out by now and will need my help." Doctor Turner moves closer to her and she shrinks back. He doesn't give up, however, and sits down in one of the chairs by the bed.

"Passed out by what Miss Owens? "Does he need help as well?

Lydia shakes her head and Patrick tries a different tactic.

"The bruises on your legs and arms. The fresh one on your arm you had wrapped. Miss Owens the one a perfect imprint of a hand.

"Lydia chose her words carefully. "I can be clumsy sometimes. It is always my fault."

Patrick looked at her arm. He never would understand why anyone felt the need to abuse others like this. Patrick could feel Shelagh's eyes on him, imploring and questions, but he couldn't look at her right now. Not after the conversation they had had the other night. So much love in this house isn't there? And sometimes so little in the world. Shelagh had said this regarding the child's case of gross neglect, but he could feel it apply here as well. "I think I have a guess about how this happened and it doesn't involve you being as clumsy as you say you are. Is it your father? Did he do this to you?"

"He did. But only because I got in the way. It was my fault you see. He was upset at something and I, I said something. Don't worry it's only if I do something wrong.

Patrick looked back at her arm. They were large and deep and dark purple. The perfect shape of fingerprints as well as a handprint, her fathers. She had wrapped them so no one would notice. He didn't seemed surprised, just saddened. He touched one of the marks and Lydia flinched. Obiviously it still hurt her. "And how often does he think you are in the wrong

"Would it help if I said I really did fall down the stairs?" Lydia was nervous now and her new found friend wasn't saying anything. But then wasn't that how it always was?

Patiently Patrick starts again. "Lydia you can't have been wrong so often that you have multiple contusions before the others have even healed. Please tell us your story. All I want to do is help. Help you and maybe get some help for him."

She looked between the two of them. "Doctor Turner if I'm not back I will get more. I'm already going to have to answer for much as it is. It's all my fault for rushing and now." She takes a fortifying breath before continuing. Knowing this is going to get her nowhere. "My father finds something wrong nearly every day, but doesn't always respond. I'm not very good for much. I fell down the stairs after being pushed for not going fast enough, we were in a hurry and both late. I'm not late very often. The last time the kitchen hadn't been cleaned up the kitchen all the way, as I wasn't feeling exhausted that night. He pulled me by my arm into the kitchen and told me that it needed to be cleaned. I had left a few pots in the sink to be taken care of in the morning.

Patrick could just barely conceal his thoughts. How could this be going on and Lydia thinking this was all her fault? "Please considered being admitted here. We still need to x-ray that foot. You certainly can't walk on it all the way home. I also want to make sure you don't have any more fainting spells."

Lydia shook her head to clear her thoughts. She shrank back from the emotions she was sensing. It wasn't very English of her, but from her experience this could turn into a volatile. Shelagh caught her arm around Lydia and somehow the presence of a new friend, someone her age, strengthened her. Perhaps this was the help that she needed. That they both needed. Lydia slowly nodded her head.

"Alright Doctor I'll follow your recommendations."