****CS 2016 and Season 6 Spoiler****
Nothing is mine
Another attempt at Shelagh's secret and telling Patrick. Wanted to get this up before we find out for sure exactly how this scenario plays out. Hope you enjoy and feedback is loved and devoured.
Oh and Dr Burton makes another appearance - he has become a very reliable locum lol!
Shelagh was looking forward to the return of her regular Wednesday afternoon tea with Sister Julienne, at Nonnatus House. She had been home for well over a month but the other members of Nonnatus House had only returned the previous day. The boat had been delayed by a fortnight so it had taken them over six weeks to return to England.
"Angela, it's time to get ready." Shelagh told her daughter.
"Where go mumma?" The two and a half year old asked her mother as she followed her into the tiny bedroom that Angela now occupied since their return from South Africa.
"It's Wednesday Angel. We are going to see Sister Julienne." Shelagh told her, unable to keep the grin from her face.
"Home?" Angela asked with excitement.
"Yes my sweet girl, she is finally home and our lives can finally return to normal." Shelagh sighed. Since she and Patrick had returned both of them had been run off their feet. Sister Ursula had arrived from the Mother House to take over the administration of Nonnatus and had told Shelagh in no uncertain terms that she was either a midwife or she wasn't, she would be rostered on in the same way as the other midwives or she could go home and look after her children. Shelagh was still seething from the brusque way Sister Ursula had spoken to her. So from the moment she had arrived home from South Africa she had been on call and working nights, it would be a relief to be able to return to her more flexible schedule with no night shifts now Sister Julienne had returned. She felt like she hadn't even had a chance to recover from her jet lag she had been so busy, the constant tiredness that had plagued her since she had returned might finally disappear.
"Nurse dress mumma." Angela said as she began to pull clothes from her tiny drawers.
"Let mummy do that sweetheart. Are you sure you don't want to wear one of your new dresses?" Shelagh asked trying to stem the flow of flying clothes.
"No." Angela said firmly. "I a nurse like you."
Shelagh sighed, not having the energy to argue over a dress with her daughter today. She leaned over and picked up the wee nurses uniform that had been a Christmas present, from the bottom drawer. As she straightened up a wave of dizziness, followed closely by nausea washed over her causing her to have to sit on Angela's small bed and take deep breaths to try and will the nausea away.
Shelagh was still feeling clammy and had a light sheen of perspiration on her face a minute later when Angela walked over and put her tiny hand on her mother's face.
"Mummy sick?" She asked with concern.
Shelagh didn't want to worry her daughter and smiled at her. "No my little nurse. Mummy just felt a bit dizzy but I am fine now. Let's get you dressed shall we and we can be on our way."
….
Sister Julienne answered the door half an hour later when Shelagh and Angela knocked on the door at Nonnatus House.
"Oh my dear, it is so wonderful to see you both!" Sister Julienne gave Shelagh a quick hug and noticed the younger woman seemed to have lost weight since she had last seen her. She then reached down and lifted Angela into her arms. "I know you are too big to be picked up now young Nurse Turner but I have missed you dreadfully so I am afraid you are just going to have to indulge me." Sister Julienne laughed.
Angela hugged Sister Julienne. "Miss you." The little girl said as she rested her head on the nuns shoulder as they walked into the sitting room.
"I'm afraid we will be taking our tea here in future." Sister Julienne explained. "Sister Ursula will be utilizing my office from now on." Shelagh caught just a hint of bitterness on her friend's voice. Not many would have even noticed but Shelagh had known her for over fourteen years and had lived in close quarters with her for ten of them.
"Whatever do you mean sister?" Shelagh asked getting a sick feeling in her stomach.
"With the closure of the Order's cottage hospital the mother house feel that Nonnatus House would benefit from having a full time administrator and have recommended that Sister Ursula remain which will allow me to do more midwifery which is what I was trained for." This time Sister Julienne was unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.
"Oh Sister. I don't know what to say." Shelagh said, truly distressed by the effective demotion of her friend and mentor.
"Enough of me. Tell me, are you well?" Sister Julienne asked her in that way she had that would not allow Shelagh to brush off her concern. Angela wiggled her way off the nuns lap and proceeded to the small basket that used to reside in Sister Julienne's office but was in the sitting room corner and contained her toys.
Shelagh cast a glance to her daughter, making sure she was occupied. "At first I thought it was the jetlag and then – well Sister Ursula has had me working nights and I just seem to be so exhausted. I have also had the odd dizzy spell and shortness of breath." Shelagh admitted, relieved to finally unburden herself. "I'm so worried it is the TB returning Sister. I was so careful in South Africa but we saw so many cases….what if the disease has become active again?" She finally whispered her greatest fear.
For the last few days she had been worried it was more than just exhaustion and done her best to hide the symptoms from Patrick. He had been working so hard since their return and while the trip to South Africa had begun the healing for both of them he was still dealing with the guilt of Thalidomide and she didn't want to add to his worries without knowing for sure if there was actually something to worry about.
Sister Julienne reached for her hand. "You must see a doctor as soon as possible, surely your husband….."
"No sister. Patrick is working so hard, I don't want to trouble him until I am certain there is something to worry about. Patrick has kept his locum, John Burton on, I have arranged to see him tomorrow while Patrick is on his morning rounds."
Sister Julienne squeezed her hand in support. "Then I shall pray all is well and remember, God only sends us that which we can bear. All will be well my child."
…
John Burton had been shocked to say the least when Mrs Turner had asked to see him. As the manager of the practice he had assumed it would be something work related that Mrs Turner wanted to discuss, never in his wildest dreams would he have suspected she would come to him asking him to do preliminary test to check for TB.
Shelagh explained her medical background and told him of the nausea, shortness of breath and dizziness and of the fact that TB had been rampant in South Africa. John looked at her with concern. Given her history it was entirely possible the disease had become active again.
Shelagh couldn't help but compare this exam to the one that Patrick had done so many years ago, before she knew the joy of being his wife and the mother of his children. While she had been confused about her feelings towards the doctor back then she knew she had so much more to lose this time.
John put the stethoscope to her chest and back and listened carefully.
"I can't hear anything Mrs Turner." He said with relief. "It doesn't mean you are in the clear and we will do some more tests but I would certainly say TB is unlikely." He watched as Shelagh visibly relaxed. "But you are experiencing symptoms of something that we need to get to the bottom of." Just as he finished speaking Mrs Turner turned almost green in front of his eyes. He had seen that look already this morning when Mrs Phillips had wanted to have her fifth pregnancy confirmed. John reached for a kidney dish just before Mrs Turner also emptied her stomach.
John Burton thought about the similarities of symptoms. Mrs Turner had told him the TB had caused infertility, while she quietly went about cleaning herself up John took the time to read through the copies of Ted Horringer's notes that were in her file.
Once Shelagh was sitting back in front of him he told her he would like a urine sample and to do a blood test. If it was what he was beginning to suspect, it was unlikely the test he could do at the surgery would be able to give him a definitive answer and he would have to send a sample off to the London to confirm it, but he was still going to do the test in the surgery just in case. Once Shelagh returned and handed him the sample she saw the apparatus he had set up.
She was almost angry when she spoke. "That is not necessary Dr Burton. You will see from my notes that I am unable to get pregnant."
John almost stopped the test when he heard the tone of her voice. "Forgive me Mrs Turner. I have just read Mr Horringer's notes and while he said the chances of conception were extremely unlikely he did not say it was impossible." John continued to conduct the test that they had only just started being able to do at the surgery. A few minutes later he smiled and turned to the woman sitting in the chair opposite him. "Well Mrs Turner, I think we might have your answer. Obviously we will still send a sample off to the London but given your symptoms and this result I think it is safe to assume there is another little Turner on its way."
Shelagh sat there in stunned silence. Of all the things she had imagined were wrong with her this one had not for a second crossed her mind. She was a mess of confused emotions, how would she tell Patrick was one she kept coming back to and what would his reaction be, what would Timothy and Angela think, how could she possibly work with a new baby, where on Earth would they fit another child in the flat, not to mention their busy lives? And what about their ages, she had just had her 36th birthday and Patrick was on the wrong side of 50. As she thought of all the questions and potential problems a baby could raise she was unaware of the smile on her face and the tender way her hand had slipped to her abdomen.
….
It was an anxious three day wait for the letter to arrive from the London. While she trusted John Burton they both knew that the new test they were able to perform at the surgery was not infallible which was why they continued to send samples to the London for confirmation.
Shelagh flicked through the mail and saw a letter with her name on it. She slipped it into her pocket and proceeded to open and deal with the rest of the morning's mail.
Around 11 am she was able to slip into the kitchen and make herself a cup of tea. She found some lemon puff biscuits and sat at the small table that was there for staff if they were able to slip away for a quick break. She knew everyone else would be occupied for at least the next half hour and she pulled the letter from her pocket and opened it.
As she read the typed words tears began to slip from her eyes and she smiled.
How was she going to tell Patrick? They had never considered expanding their family, like her, he was content with their two beautiful children and their current life. The worry over whether she was pregnant had now been replaced with wondering how she was going to tell her husband and what his reaction would be.
…
Shelagh tried to cook dinner while Angela pushed her dolls pram around the kitchen, consistently managing to be under her mother's feet. Patrick was running late from his evening rounds and Timothy was struggling with difficult biology homework and wanted her help. The smell of the mince cooking was making her feel sicker by the minute and by the time Patrick finally walked in the door it took all her willpower to make it to the bathroom before she was sick.
After reassuring the children and arranging for Tim to clear his homework and finish off dinner, Patrick knocked on the bathroom door before entering.
He saw his wife sitting on the floor by the toilet with her head resting on the cool tile and leaning against the bathtub. Patrick grabbed a face washer and wet it with cold water and slipped down to sit next to her. He gently began to press the cool washer to her face and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Do you think it was something you ate love? Or have one of the children bought home a stomach bug to share with you?" He asked, still pressing the cool washer to her face.
"No dear, we can blame you I'm afraid." Shelagh nestled into his side at such an angle that she felt protected by his embrace but could still see his face.
"Me? But I feel perfectly fine." He said confused.
"Well perhaps my new summer nightwear had a part to play….and the fact that we didn't have the children keeping us busy for four weeks."
"Shelagh what on Earth are you talking about?"
Shelagh took her husband's hand and gently placed it on her abdomen. "Darling it appears we may have bought home another little souvenir from South Africa. I'm pregnant." She whispered, saying the words for the first time.
Patrick sat there in stunned silence for what seemed like an eternity to Shelagh.
"Patrick please say something?" She begged desperately wanting to know if he was happy.
As the sound of his wife's voice penetrated the stunned silence he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. He moved back so she could see his beaming smile. "Just watch my face."