He can't seem to keep his hands off her once he knows. It's terribly distracting, the way he comes up behind her when she's attempting to get through cooking without gagging, just to find his hand slipping about her waist. Or when the surgery is empty save for the patients ensconced in the maternity home and he stands behind her while she puts files away, fingers hovering over her belt, pressing softly into the fabric of her apron and uniform dress. She can't be mad, scoffing slightly through giggles as she shoves him away more often than not, cheeks flushing crimson. She's not ready for anyone else to know their little secret quite yet, apart from her husband and Sister Julienne.

It isn't that she doesn't love the attention, because she does, but she's still wrapping her mind around the new reality that she finds herself in which makes it difficult. She chastises Patrick softly one night when they're lying in bed and he's stroking over her abdomen in circles.

"You're not even touching where my uterus is," she murmurs into the dark, voice thick was exhaustion that comes from growing a new human while constantly being ill. He chuckles against her neck, pressing a sloppy kiss to her exposed collarbone as he increases the pressure on her stomach just slightly.

"I know," he answers into the twilight. "I just figured if I moved my hand much lower you would say I was being indecent. Especially in places where anyone could walk in and see," he smiles against her skin. She can't help but let out a soft laugh at his reasoning, snuggling backwards until she's pressed completely against his chest, his arm encircling her until he's clinging to her.

"You're ridiculous," she mumbles, yawning as her body quickly drags her to sleep.

She wants to tell the children, unsure of how to approach it, but knowing that sooner or later they're going to find out. She's surprised Timothy hasn't brought up anything yet, the boy wise beyond his years and as observant as Sherlock Holmes in the way he approaches everything. She doubts Angela will understand aside from thinking there will be a new little one to push around in her pram that she got for Christmas. Shelagh won't have the heart to tell the girl no until the baby is actually there, knowing her instincts to protect the fragile new life will prevent her from letting her daughter play with the infant.

She says as much late one evening after he presses his hand to her belly in his office, eyes filled with so much mirth even though there's nothing to feel beneath her clothes yet, his fingers barely grazing the fabric. She can't help but kiss him then, knowing he's just as excited, if not more so, than she is in some ways. She hears him chuckle for a few moments even after she leaves the room, knowing he's picturing their son's disgusted expression when he will inevitably contemplate how his little brother or sister came to be. She shakes her head, letting her own fingers press against her stomach as she puts some files away.

"You're going to have a lot of people to love you little one," she murmurs. She can't wait until she gets to feel an answering movement from within at the words.