In the soft glow of the first rays of morning sun creeping through the drapes, Shelagh Turner lay on her side, one arm under her head, the other making
gentle circles on her abdomen as she watched her husband sleep beside her. She knew she would have to tell him soon enough, after all; he was a doctor
with trained eye in these things. Bernadette hadn't yet sought the opinion of one of her fellow midwives, but all the signs were there; her monthly period was
now 9 days late, her breasts were becoming more tender and swollen, and the nausea and tiredness she had been putting aside as a catching bug had yet to
ceased. Having heard such symptoms hundreds of times, there was not a doubt in her mind that she was pregnant.
Not that there was any reason for surprise. Even though Shelagh, having entered the convent young, came into her sexuality quite late, she found
that she enjoyed love-making immensely. She couldn't quite understand the women of Poplar, who she had listened to for years, often complaining about their
husband's sex drives, and how they would simply lie back and wait for them to finish. While Patrick was perhaps the same as any other man,
Shelagh found that she desired sex as much as he did, it made her feel whole and filled in ways she couldn't put into words, and she had found nothing
that made her feel so connected to her husband, physically, emotionally and spiritually. After they had been married for several months, use of any
contraceptive measures had become rare. The couple felt that within the happiness of their marriage and family, any child conceived was a more than welcome
blessing. If anything, Shelagh was surprised it had taken so long.
The alarm clock at her husband's bedside began to ring. Patrick Turner stirred, without opening his eyes, reached for and fumbled with the alarm to turn it off,
then, also without opening his eye, reached to the other side of the bed for his wife. His hand found Shelagh's, and his eyes fluttered open as her entwined
his fingers with hers. She giggled softly, "good morning Dr. Turner." She whispered, pressing her lips to his. She felt him smile into her kiss, "good morning Mrs.
Turner." He replied, drawing her into him. Shelagh cherished their morning rituals, she loved waking up to him, having him gaze at her everyday as if it were
the first time. Shelagh caressed his arm, "I hope you slept well, I expect with the arrival of spring, the antenatal clinic will start to fill to the brim, and we
mustn't forget Timothy's violin recital at the church this evening." Shelagh groaned softly, "Surely I thought you were my wife, not my secretary." He said
teasingly, drawing her in for another kiss, which he grazed across her lips, lingering on her cheek, "I love you." Without a hesitation, Shelagh replied, "We
love you too."
At first, she was sure her husband would not pick up on her choice of words, and for a moment that seemed to be the case. However, within moments,
Patrick pulled away until he could see his wife's entire face, he must have made out the slight flush of her cheeks even in the dimly lit room, and his raised
his eyebrows quizzically, Patrick Turner was a sharp man, and he relished hanging on every word his wife spoke, a slip of the tongue such as this didn't get by
him so easily, "What did you say?" Instead of repeating herself, Shelagh, with a shy smile playing on her lips, took her husband's hand in hers, and placing
it on her belly. Patrick tried to suppress the joy that was welling up inside him, but he was making a very poor job of it, and it danced in his eyes. "Are you
sure?" Shelagh folded her arms over her chest, "Patrick, what a question, I of all people should know when I am carrying you child." She said in mock
offense as an unconstrained smile spread across her face. "If you must know, I should like an outside evaluation, but all the signs are there, and we of all
people should have known it was only a matter of time." Apparently the weak dam that had been controlling Patrick's emotions had bust, He swept his wife up
in his arms, flipping them both so that his body covered hers, and kissed her full in the mouth. "Oh you clever girl, we do have our fun don't we! I can't believe
it, but yes, I believe a good, unbiased checking over is in order, perhaps you can pull someone aside at clinic today, oh, my dear, my dear dear Shelagh, thank
you!" He pressed his lips to her neck and she laughed, "Thank you? Whatever for, you are as much to blame for my condition as I am I believe." He stared
down at her,his eyes soft and impassioned, "Thank you love, for everything, thank you for loving me, thank you for leaving Nonnotus for me, thank you for
being my best friend, my lover, thank you for being a wonderful mother to Timothy, thank you for making me a father again, thank you for letting me love you."
Shelagh smiled and reached up to caress her husband's face. She gasped as he resumed him ministrations to her neck and, pulling aside the fabric of her
night-gown, her collar-bone. "Darling," She said breathlessly, "as much as I could do this all day, we will be late for clinic, and Timothy will be late to
school. Patrick groaned, giving Shelagh one last peck on the lips and grazing his hand once more over her stomach as her rose from the bed," Alright you two, I
suppose we should get a move on."