B is for Bernadette!
He couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she stood between Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina at the summer fair, her gaze fixed upon the Cubs as they continued to put on a show for the community. It had been three weeks since the day that he had kissed Sister Bernadette's palm whilst they had been stood in the kitchen of the Parish Hall and she had turned away from him, blushing crimson as he had silently berated himself. He knew that he should focus his attention on his son as Timothy was up on the stage with the other Cubs; that it was wrong to still feel the way that he did about Sister Bernadette, but he'd never felt more attracted to her. Did he want her so terribly because he knew he couldn't have her? Probably. Even though he'd only ever been blessed with a look at her facial features and nothing else, he'd still found himself wanting to take her into his arms and kiss her until she forgot her own name. Patrick hadn't needed to see any more of her physical aspects to love her. He adored her because of her heart.
He remembered when things had been rocky between he and Timothy after Marie had passed away and how they hadn't really had a relationship with one another. He had arrived to pick Timothy up once his school day had finished, parking his car outside the school gates to see Sister Bernadette sitting on a bench across the street with his son. She had been listening intently as her bicycle had been leaned up to the wall, her brow slightly furrowed as Timothy had continued to speak words that Patrick couldn't hear. When the two of them had noticed him crossing the street towards them, Sister Bernadette had gazed up at him with a small smile and Timothy had leaned back against the bench. 'Good afternoon, Doctor.' She had greeted him kindly before standing from the bench and watching as Timothy had stood, briefly thanked her for listening to him and then made his way over to the car. 'Timothy seemed a little upset when he came out of school and I had just finished my rounds for the day when I saw him. I thought I'd keep him company until you arrived, and then he started to tell me that the bullying hasn't stopped.' Patrick remembered how he hadn't had a clue that Timothy had been getting bullied while at school, since the two of them never really spoke much about it, but he figured that before they began to form a bond with one another he was more comfortable speaking to Sister Bernadette when he felt a little troubled.
Timothy and Sister Bernadette still had a strong bond nearly four years later, which was probably why there was a beautiful smile upon her lips as she watched him perform. Patrick figured that the bond that they shared was something along the lines of one between a mother and son. Sister Bernadette was kind and gentle towards Timothy whenever they were together, always asking him how his week of school had been and asking if he'd been receiving any more trouble. She never failed to make him laugh, even when he had fallen sick with influenza and she had come round to give him his injection. Patrick smiled as Sister Bernadette cast a glance over at him, a small smile forming upon her own lips as her gentle blue eyes had sparkled beneath her glasses. He had to admit that the new pair of spectacles that she had invested in were much more stylish than her rounded ones, the small cat-eye detail at either side of the frames making her look so much more attractive in his eyes. Oh, he adored her. He was lovesick. They held one another's gaze for several long seconds before they joined everyone else in applauding for the Cubs, breaking the little bubble that they'd become caught up in as they snapped back to reality. Sister Julienne turned to speak to Sister Evangelina and Sister Bernadette for a moment before she and Sister Evangelina made to weave their way through the crowd of people, Sister Bernadette looking at Patrick.
She made her way over to where he was standing with Timothy a few moments later, her heart pounding within her chest as Patrick blessed her with his charming side-smile that made her weak at the knee, Timothy noticing her before he hurried over to her and embraced her. She was slightly taken aback for a few moments until she smiled down at the young gentleman that she had become rather fond of over the last couple of years, allowing her fingertips to stroke slowly through his dark brown hair as his arms were around her middle and she could feel Patrick's gaze burning into her. When the embrace that she was sharing with Timothy had broken, he smiled up at her and allowed her to ruffle his hair affectionately before the two of them made their way over to his father. 'Good afternoon, Sister.' His tone was soft.
'Good afternoon, Doctor, you're looking well.' Her heart was pounding so fiercely within her chest that she worried that either he or Timothy would be able to hear the rapid thumps of it against her ribs. Even thought it had almost been a month since their brief encounter in the kitchen of the Parish Hall, she still couldn't shake the feeling of his lips upon her skin out of her mind whenever he was around. His warm brown eyes had made her heart race when he had looked into them, Sister Bernadette being unable to move or make any kind of noise. When he had closed his lips over the soft skin of her palm, she'd felt a warmth that she couldn't describe. A slight longing for him to pull her close to his chest and kiss her properly, removing her headdress and running his fingers through her hair. Yet, she had come back to her senses almost as soon as they had left her, sharply pulling her hand away as she had turned away from him. It wasn't that she had been angry with him for what he did, it was just that she had been scared.
She had been part of the Order since the beginning of July 1948, just before the NHS had started, and ever since she had begun to spend more time with Patrick at births and at Antenatal Clinics, she'd felt it in her heart that she wanted something different. She thought that her heart was trying to trick her, however, considering he had been happily married to his wife at that point. It was wrong for her to feel so strongly about him. However, now, the feelings were stronger than ever and she was troubled about what she was to do. Was she to leave the Sisters behind, the only proper family that she had ever had, to accept Patrick's love? Or was she to ignore the feelings that she felt for the man who had always been so compassionate and warm towards her, staying loyal to the Sisters? Just thinking about the two scenarios had her stomach in knots. 'Sister Bernadette?' Patrick's kind and gentle voice was what snapped her back to reality once more, a soft gasp leaving her. 'Are you alright? You're quite pale.'
'I'm sure it's nothing.' She offered him a reassuring smile even though she felt as though her face was on fire, her heart pounding madly once again. 'If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go and get some water.'
She then turned away from the man that she wanted with every fiber of her body, her eyes stinging with the same tears that they'd done when he'd left her alone in the kitchen.
'Sister, I would appreciate it if you would explain to me how you're feeling.' Sister Bernadette's head snapped in the direction of where Patrick's gentle voice had come from, her grip almost relenting on the glass of water in her hand whilst he slowly made his way into the kitchen. 'As your Doctor, I know that you sometimes suffer from a little...breathlessness...' She felt herself tremble as he stood next to her and their gazes locked. 'But as your friend, I also know that you've been feeling some awkwardness around me since I pushed my luck in this very spot.' His voice had taken a slightly huskier tone since his gaze had dropped down to her hand, Sister Bernadette allowing him to take it kindly in his palm before he stroked his fingertips against the faint white line that had been left behind from the cut she'd had.
Kiss me. She begged silently as she watched him caress her palm with light strokes of his fingertips. Kiss my cheek, my hand, my arm, my wrist, anywhere! Just please...kiss me. Despite her slight need to have his lips upon her skin again, Patrick continued to stroke her hand with his fingertips as she felt her heart-rate slowly begin to even out. He used slightly more pressure when he placed his fingertips on the inside of her wrist, their eyes meeting again as he smiled kindly down at her. 'The perfect speed.' He spoke gently to her before she felt a rosy blush rising in her cheeks, a small smile forming upon her lips when he took her glass from her and set it down carefully on the kitchen counter. 'Sister, please let me tell you how sorry I am for-' She silenced him with a simple raise of her hand, a smile on his lips.
'Don't tell me.' She couldn't find the courage to meet her gaze as she was slightly shocked that she had even found the courage to speak, her heart beginning to speed once more as she closed the distance between them, their chests almost touching. 'Show me.' Her eyes fell closed for a moment as she knew that her words had shocked him, hearing the trembling breath he released. The next thing she could feel was his finger hooking beneath her jaw before he lifted her gaze to his, their eyes meeting as delicate tears were in hers and love was in his. 'I want,' A tear came from her eye. 'I need you to kiss me.' As he moved his strong and yet loving hand to cup the curve of her cheek in his warm palm, he leaned in to kiss the tear off of her skin and she felt herself begin to settle slightly with a sigh of satisfaction.
'There is nothing that I have ever wanted to do more.' He reassured her as he allowed his hands to cup the sides of her neck lovingly, his thumbs tracing her jaw as he smiled and the slight crinkles that he had at the corners of his eyes became more defined. 'My darling.' He breathed as he dipped his head to catch her lower lip in a long and tender kiss, her hands slowly finding his strong chest as she allowed herself to lean into him. The next thing she knew, his arms were slowly wrapping around her waist and he was drawing her flush against his chest as their lips caressed perfectly and she let out a light hum into his mouth, his hands travelling over her back through her habit as she stroked her fingers through his thick dark hair. 'I don't even know your name.' He breathed in between warm and delicate kisses.
'Shelagh.' She murmured as her hand slid around to the back of his neck and she rose slightly higher upon her tiptoes to better the angle of their mouths, feeling his lips curve up into a smile beneath hers.
'Patrick.' He replied as he cradled the back of her head through her headdress, allowing their lips to part several moments later as she returned back to her mediocre height and she gripped his shirt gently.
'There.' She breathed as they allowed their foreheads to kiss, the tips of their noses rubbing affectionately against one another's as she sucked her lower lip. 'We've made a start.' He chuckled in adoration.
They certainly had.
Author's Note: Thank you all for reading, and please review! Next Chapter - C is for Cuddle! (Cheesy title I know, but also means a lot of Turnadette fluff, so...:))