It had been a long day at the surgery and by the time Patrick Turner walked into his home, he was exhausted. All the lights were off except for the hallway, indicating that his wife and the children had gone to bed.

He had wanted to be home a lot earlier than this, but the Milford baby had other plans. He slowly made his way down the hall, checking his son's bedroom to see him sprawled across his bed, fast asleep.

Smiling to himself, he shut the door once again and continued down the hall to his own bedroom. The door was cracked open and he stifled a laugh. It had become a habit of Shelagh's to leave their door cracked open when she and Angela were asleep before he came home. Apparently, his years alone had made him a bit heavy-handed when it came to opening and closing doors. It was her subtle way of reminding him that there was a sleeping baby in the room.

Slipping inside, he saw her curled up on the bed, having left only his bedside light on. He crept around the bed, stealing a quick glance at their sleeping daughter to make sure she was settled before readying himself for bed.

As he slid under the covers, he felt Shelagh shift closer to him, still asleep but attuned to his proximity. He lifted his arm slowly so as not to startle her and wrapped it around her shoulders as she nuzzled into his chest and sighed.

"Patrick? What time is it?"

"It's late, my love. Go back to sleep." He replied, kissing her forehead.

She whimpered as if to protest, but a second later, Patrick felt her head nestle further into his shoulder indicating she was asleep once more. He sighed deeply in contentment and in a moment followed her into a sound sleep.

The next morning, as if by some miracle, Patrick woke up not to the sound of his daughter fussing, but to his wife getting ready for the day.

"Good morning, dearest. Did you sleep well?" She asked as she caught his eye in the mirror while she pinned up her hair, still clad in her dressing gown.

"I did...but I'd be able to start my day on a much brighter note if I got to say good morning to my wife properly." He lifted his eyebrows, hoping she would get the hint. Watching her cheeks turn red, he knew she had but was disappointed when she didn't move from her vanity.

"Not this morning, Patrick. As it is, you'll have to get dressed now if you've any chance of getting to work on time. Angela woke up early to play, so she's in the living room now, waiting for her breakfast. I've just woken up Timothy, he'll be getting out of bed in a moment and we've a very busy day scheduled at the surgery."

Patrick sighed, dragging himself out from beneath the covers. If there was one thing he'd learned since Shelagh had come to work at the surgery, it was that her schedule was not to be messed with.

"Patrick, you're not on duty this Saturday, are you?" His wife asked that evening as she tried to settle Angela in her cot.

"I don't believe so, not this weekend in any case. Why?"

"Oh good! We're going out on Saturday night."

Patrick's mood brightened at the thought of an evening out with his wife, sans children. It had certainly been a while since they'd been able to enjoy adult-only conversation. His smile fell as she continued.

"I ran into Nurse Mount earlier and she was telling me all about this fundraiser for the Cubs, a square dance to raise money for their trip to the jamboree...so I got us two tickets." She placed the now-sleeping Angela into her cot and turned to her husband.

"Do we have to? Can't we just give them the money and spend the night out together?"

"Yes, Patrick. We have to. It's a fundraiser for the Cubs. Even though Tim's a Scout now, it's only right to support them." She changed her tone, knowing how to win him over. "Besides, dearest...I thought you liked dancing with me."

"That's not fair, Shelagh. A square dance isn't dancing...it's group aerobics with a banjo."

"Alright, dearest. I suppose I'll just return my new dress and tell Sister Julienne that Angela won't be staying over anymore."

"Stay over?" He asked as she slid into bed next to him, taking off her glasses and fluffing her pillow.

"Yes. Timothy had asked if he could stay with the Monks on Saturday after their outing, and I thought it would be terribly unfair for him to stay home and watch his sister, so I asked Sister Julienne." She sighed as she continued. "But, if you'd rather not go...I'll call her in the morning. Good night, Patrick." She kissed his cheek and settled on her side, facing away from him.

He huffed as he put his book down on his bedside table. "Fine. We'll go to the square dance...".

Shelagh grinned in triumph before turning to face him. "Thank you dearest." She leaned in to kiss him slowly before whispering "And just wait until you see the tie I've bought you to wear." He groaned internally, but decided that for an evening without the children, he'd suffer the consequences of fashion.