Rubbing ointment on Patrick's back, Shelagh sighed. This was the third time only this month she had seen Patrick in so much pain that he could do nothing but lay on his stomach as she helped soothe the aches and pains. He dismissed his uncomfortableness, saying it was only so she could massage him, but she knew differently and his gleamless eyes which normally glittered when he was teasing were not seen. Even at 68, Patrick was still as stubborn as he could be when they first married. Still, Shelagh couldn't help but smile when he hummed as he stripped off his shirt and vest. So much of their early newlywed magic had disappeared, but it had been replaced with the tenderness a happy married couple enjoyed. They couldn't ask for anymore than their undoubted love toward one another.
It had all started when she came into his office at the surgery to give him a cup of tea halfway through the afternoon. She noticed he was sitting at a slant, with a slight grimace on his face. Upon asking him what was wrong, and closing the door, he waved away her concerns which only made her more firm. Eventually he folded and explained that he couldn't sit upright for fear the constant twinging pain would return. She knew Patrick well, and as a doctor so concerned about other people, he didn't take much notice of his own health or illness. For example, if a cold came, he would simply remember to take an extra handkerchief with him and get on with the day.
"Patrick you need to slow down," She stated.
His eyes lowered and he slumped slightly in his chair. "I know Shelagh, I know. But I can't simply take a day off when I feel like it, even if my wife is the receptionist" He chuckled at the right of a gentle blush touch on her cheeks.
"Well you're not getting any younger" She quipped back
"Alright, alright. Shall we talk about it when we get home?" She nodded in reply "For now, a cup of tea wouldn't go amiss?"
Once home and pulling back the duvet to sit on the bed, Patrick couldn't help but think back to their earlier conversation. Was now too old? There was nothing he could do about his advancing age, but with Shelagh over a decade younger, did she think him too old?
As he slipped down and settled onto the mattress, a jolt of pain ran from his shoulder blade down to the base of his spine. His poorly hidden grimace caused Shelagh to swiftly move into action.
She knew what he needed.
"Again Patrick? You really must stop working yourself so hard" She said as skilfully glided her hands along his greased back.
"All those patients Shelagh...ooh...I can't just leave them...ah...And anyway..." He stopped mid sentence.
"Anyway...?" She encouraged, slowing her hands to a stop.
He gently lifted his head and turned toward her. "If I was to slow down, I'd be letting down the people of Poplar. I've done it too many times in the past, I'm not going to do it again."
She could see his mouth move but no more words would sound themselves out loud. "What is it?" She gently asked, her eyes warmly glowed in the dim light of their bedroom.
"I don't want to let you down, my love. I want to make your decision to leave the order seem like the right decision. I want you to know that I'll do anything for you, and for the children. I want you to always know that I love you"
"Oh Patrick! You silly man! There really is no need to prove yourself, to anyone, but most of all to me"
"But darling..."
"No buts Patrick. I love you. I love you for your need to help people, for the devotion you've shown to our children and the unconditional love you've given to me."