Patrick woke up with a stiff back from being hunched up in the chair overnight. He had forgotten for a moment what had happened. Shelagh looked as if she was just sleeping except she was pale and there was a bottle of maroon blood hanging next to her bed. He took her hand again as he had for most of the night. The doctors had said little of comfort. There was no point icing the cake when he knew just as well as they did how bitter it tasted. They said the classic, "one in a thousand to miscarry like that." They had not hesitated when it came to the transfusion because she had lost a tremendous amount of blood, far more than she should have. The baby that she had wanted had been there all along. Yet now it was gone. He should have known - he was a doctor - if anyone should have spotted the signs it was him. He shook his head and prayed. He had never prayed like it before but if Shelagh was awake she would do it. It was the only thing that he could to stop him from feeling as if the dissolution would swallow him whole.

A nurse in came and checked her, a doctor came in for his morning rounds and a nurse a little bit later. She reminded him of the cafeteria but he would not leave his wife's side until she awake. The sun began to set and the blood transfusion was finished before he felt her hand weakly squeeze his. He held his breath not sure if after so long he was imagining it. Yet then he felt it again and he saw her cheeks were no longer translucent but had some colour in them. Her eyes were still closed but he knew she could him hear.

"Shelagh." He just didn't know what else to say. For a while he had wondered if he would ever get to say it to her again.

Her eyes fluttered slightly and she squeezed his hand again. "I'm here Shelagh and I won't leave you I promise."

She seemed to hear him let out a little sigh but did not open her eyes. He thought about going to get a doctor but he knew there was little they could do except tell him that the blood transfusion seemed to be working. He checked her pulse but it was stronger. A nurse came in to check if she was still bleeding heavily and do her other checks. He had popped to the loo and was surprised to find her there when he got back. "She nearly woke up."

"Excuse me?" The nurse had not noticed him and he half smiled," she squeezed my hand and her eyes fluttered slightly when I said her name."

"You should have told the doctor or at least gotten a nurse." She shook her head.

"I am sorry but as a doctor I saw no need to react. After such a heavy blood loss she won't be jumping up and down anytime soon."

The nurse was rather taken aback but she sighed heavily relenting slightly. "I am sorry Mr Turner I forgot that you yourself are probably more qualified than half the doctors in this hospital. Her bleeding is tapering off; it's halved since she arrived."

"Thank you nurse, you have no idea how much of a relief that is to me." She considered telling him that he was not to stay with his wife but she did not have the heart and the doctors had said the turners were an exception. Patrick sat beside her for one more night but when he woke up in the morning she was watching him.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Half an hour." She smiled at him.

"Shelagh I…"

"Please don't, I think I know what it was and I would rather not." She was fighting something inside her he could tell but he did not press.

He nodded and tried to find his hanker-chief. He could tell tears threatening to slip down his cheeks but he couldn't find the blasted thing in his pockets then he remembered he had given it to Timothy. Exhaustion overtook him and he burst into sobs on her bed. She stroked his hair softly.

"I thought I had lost you." She kept her hand where it was. "I didn't know what I would have done… but you here and you're…"

He looked up his eyes full of words that did not need to be spoken and she weakly smiled. They sat for a while in silence as his tears abated and he held her hand. She yawned quietly.

"I'm tired but before I fall asleep, how is Timothy?"

"He's with Douglas and Ishbel, I've not been back."

"When did we leave Mull?"

"Two days ago."

"Go to him." He could see the force in her words trying to come through her eyes but she was struggling to hold them open.

"I can't leave you. I'll phone Douglas and ask him to bring him up to Glasgow today with the car."

"He needs you too." With that she fell asleep and Patrick kissed her hand gently, too exhausted to shout for joy he just smiled. Shelagh would be okay.

I'm sorry about this all happening but it does get better. I could never kill of Shelagh, I would rather die myself. If you have time please review it really does make my day especially since I'm at home sick in bed.