Mr. and Mrs.
"Now, William. You know we have to do this."
"But we don't have to do it right this minute, do we?"
"Yes, we do."
William sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless. Julia was holding his left hand in hers. The scars from the shooting in his left shoulder were still fresh and angry looking. Slowly she lifted his arm straight out in front of him. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. As she lifted it further he cried out involuntarily.
"I'm sorry. I know it hurts. But if you ever want full use of this arm again we must do this."
"We..."
"Very amusing. I realize it's you who must do this. But I'm going to help you. Now please. We'll do a little each day, alright?"
"Alright. Let's get on with it."
She continued manipulating his arm as tears rolled down his cheeks, but he refused to yell out again. By the time she finished with him his chest was wet with sweat. She released his hand and pulled him to her in a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder as he endeavored to steady his breathing.
"There. That wasn't so bad." He just stared back at her. "Let me draw you a nice hot bath and you can soak for a while."
"Alright. Are you going to join me?" he winked.
"Not this time, sweetie."
She kissed his forehead and he finally smiled. 'Sweetie', he thought. Where did that come from. He fell back on the bed waiting for his bath to be ready. As he eased into the hot water, tiredness overcame him. He had been putting in long days and it was nice to be off on this day and tomorrow as well. He sank down in the tub until his shoulders were submerged. Closing his eyes he dozed off.
"William, William," called Julia as she knocked on the bathroom door. "The water must have cooled by now."
She opened the door a crack and peeked in. William's head was back, his eyes closed as he slept. She smiled, but knew she must wake him. She knelt by the tub as she stroked the damp hair on his forehead. She kissed his nose and he jerked awake.
Grinning at him she said, "I think you're done now, Love."
He reached for her with a drippy arm and pulled her to him as he kissed her. "Alright. I am getting a little chilly."
As she left, she placed a large towel down for him. Shortly he came out with the towel wrapped around his waist. She wrapped her arms around him as the towel fell off.
"Planning to have your way with me, are you?" he asked.
"I think I may be."
Since the Leslie Garland affair, William had been living at Julia's. They were now engaged. Julia had told him she would take care of him and that she was never letting him go. And she intended to keep those promises no matter what anyone said. William agreed to stay, at first because his shoulder did need care. Then he found it most pleasant to be with her so much. If the wagging tongues didn't bother her they surely didn't bother him.
Julia turned on the bed toward William who had the sweetest smile on his face.
"We had better start getting ready. It wouldn't do for us to be late to a party given in our honor."
"I really wish everyone wasn't making such a big fuss." His sweet smile went away.
"Oh William. Relax. Our friends have been waiting a long time for this. Almost as long as we have."
"But an engagement party! It's all so anticlimactic."
"Ruby's in town. You ought to be glad she hasn't organized a grand ball and invited the whole city! Now, get dressed."
"Yes, dear."
Julia helped him. He could move his arm from the elbow but not away from his body at the shoulder.
"Let me tie your bowtie and we are ready."
They both stepped apart and looked at each other, grinning, pleased with what they saw.
"Shall we go?" asked William. Julia nodded and took his arm.
The ladies in their lives had planned this party, Ruby, Emily, and Margaret. Ruby was almost giddy with excitement. She had never cared for Darcy and knew Julia should not have married him. She remembered hoping that William would arrive at the last minute and stop the wedding. But she adored William. He was a most spectacular specimen in her opinion, smart, handsome, and above all he loved Julia with an endless passion.
As they entered the hall it seemed that they were the last to arrive after all. There was quite a crowd gathered-including all the men of Station House Four and theirs wives and dates; doctors and personnel that Julia worked with; James Pendrick , Mrs. Kitchen, the mayor of Toronto, and many others. William swallowed hard when he saw the crowd.
"Who would have thought so many people would be interested in our relationship!"
Julia squeezed his arm and smiled her beautiful smile. "It'll be fine, William."
There was to be a dinner. A small orchestra had been engaged for dancing for those who wished to afterwards. As they were entering all activity ceased and the guests broke into applause. William smiled and blushed. Julia just smiled. Ruby rushed over to them taking each by the arm and led them to the head table.
"Jules, take off that glove! We need to see the legendary ring!"
Julia pulled off both of her gloves, handing them to William, who stuffed them into his pocket. The ruby and diamond ring caught the lights of the room, sparkling brightly. When everyone was at last seated waiters began to serve dinner. The head table included not only Julia and William, but Ruby, the Brackenreids, and George and Emily, who were again slowly trying to rebuild their relationship. Wine was abundant and even William drank a little, for crowds often made him nervous, especially if they were centered on him. As the dinner wound down Thomas Brackenreid tapped his fork on his wine glass to get everyone's attention. Standing, he held up a glass of champagne, which had been poured for everyone.
"I would like to toast the happy couple. It's been a long and eventful seven years. And I'm sure many of us thought we would never see this day, including Murdoch and Dr. Ogden. But at last we can all breathe a sigh of relief as our intrepid detective has finally reeled in his doctor, despite the numerous obstacles. So we lift our glasses to you, William and Julia. May the rest of your lives together be long and happy."
There was a loud burst of applause. As William and Julia sat grinning, Julia took William's hand and he raised them both to his lips to kiss hers. Then he leaned toward her and kissed her for real and for a long time. This was met by laughter and more applause.
"Have you set a date?" someone yelled out.
"Yes, we have," answered Julia. "December 21."
The orchestra began to play and William rose, taking Julia's hand, leading her to the dance floor. Since he couldn't move his arm away from his body he pulled Julia in very close. She laid her head on his shoulder as they whirled around the room. After a few dances William began to flag. He wasn't back 100% yet since Leslie Garland had shot him, tiring easily. Julia looked into his eyes and knew immediately that it was time to go.
As they rode home Julia snuggled into William.
"That wasn't so bad."
"No. I guess not. The wedding will be smaller though, won't it?"
"Yes, dear. We can have any size wedding you want."
"Will Ruby be there?"
"I'll handle Ruby," Julia laughed.
They got ready for bed together.
"Remember, William. You're off tomorrow. I expect you to sleep in, alright?"
"I'll do my best. Are you going in to work?"
"For a while. I'll be home for lunch, though."
"I'll look forward to it."
They kissed goodnight and turned out the light. After a few hours William was woken by Julia's outcry. He woke her from her nightmare.
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"You died. It was awful."
"That's it?"
"I want to forget it."
"Well, try to go back to sleep. I'm right here. And I'm not dead."
He kissed her forehead and tightened his arm around her. Julia fell back asleep quickly, but William lay watching her for hours. He wanted to be sure she was alright. In the morning Julia slipped quietly out of bed. William had finally fallen asleep. She kissed him goodbye as he smiled slightly in his sleep.
Upon arriving home at lunchtime Julia anticipated finding William lounging in the bed, either asleep still or reading. But she was quite surprised to find him up, dressed, and cooking. He wore casual trousers and a natural color cotton shirt, open at the throat. Over that he had on an apron. He was barefoot and whistling.
"Julia," he spoke, as he looked up. "You're just in time. The omelets are just now done, as are the biscuits, and bacon. Here, sit down."
Julia's mouth hung open in awe. "William? You cook?"
"Well, yes. I have had to feed myself most of my life. I'm a little rusty, but I think everything has come out well, if I do say so myself."
Julia looked down at her plate. The aroma smelled wonderful and the food looked delicious.
"So...Go ahead. Eat."
William sat in his chair as well. Picking up his fork he dug in hungrily. Julia followed suit.
"This is..."
"Yes?" He looked up at her expectantly.
She took a bite. "It's marvelous. Are you going to do all our cooking?"
"I hope not," he laughed.
Together they washed the dishes.
"I hate to break up your good mood, but we need to to work on your shoulder now. Don't frown."
"Followed by a hot bath?"
"Sure."
"With you?"
"I think I can manage that."
"Then let's get to it."
They sat in the tub together, Julia leaning back in William's arms. He nibbled at her neck as she turned her face up to his for a kiss.
"This is the only way to bathe."
"You think so, do you, William?"
"I do. And speaking of 'I do', I think December 21 is a very long time away."
"You want to get married sooner?" He nodded. "When did you have in mind?"
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow!"
"We could go to the courthouse. By this time tomorrow you could be Mrs. Murdoch. That is if you want. You could still be Dr. Ogden, but we would be married anyway."
"I've been thinking about that. I want to be Mrs. Murdoch. I like the sound of it. Doctor Mrs. Murdoch. I like it." William laughed.
"What about tomorrow?"
"William, if that's what you want, it's what I want. Of course, Ruby will be fit to be tied."
"I can hardly believe this is going to happen. I love you so much."
"I love you too. I guess I always have."
"Then it's settled. We marry tomorrow...morning."
"Yes. Tomorrow it is. How exciting! I hope we can sleep tonight."
"I don't. We have other things we can do." He had that look on his face that she had come to adore.
She laughed. "Then let's get to it."
The next morning Julia called Emily and Ruby, and William called George and the Brackenreids to meet them at the courthouse. Julia and William again were the last to arrive.
"What's going on, Murdoch? Why have you called us all here?"
"To be witnesses."
"Witnesses to what?" asked Ruby, suspiciously.
"We've decided to get married today instead of waiting. We wanted our friends with us," answered Julia.
"Oh my!" Emily gasped, then hugged Julia.
George grinned and slapped William on the back.
The inspector took his hand, shaking it vigorously. "Bloody hell! Aren't you the impetuous ones!"
"Oh Julia! That's so romantic." This was not the reaction she expected from her sister, but was delighted with it.
"Come along folks. I don't think I can wait another minute," William declared.
The ritual was short and simple, over in minutes. William's smile lit up the room. The first kiss he gave Julia as his wife was one for the record books. They were both gasping for breath by the time they parted. Ruby returned to her busy ways and herded them all together to a little French cafe for lunch. William just kept shaking his head and staring at Julia. He could hardly believe it had happened. Never before had he been this happy, and he suspected neither had Julia.
"To Mr. and Mrs. Murdoch. May you be as happy as the Mrs. and me," toasted Brackenreid.
"Here, here," the others chimed in.
Julia took William's hand, "We will be."