"Get away!" Chummy mumbled as she felt a cold hand, even through the satin of her nightdress, as it snaked around her hip.

The reply was short and simple as she felt Peter bury himself under the eiderdown. "No".

Unfortunately for Chummy she was now wide awake having been interrupted in slumber by the pipes creaking in the bathroom as he washed before bed let alone him actually appearing beside her. "Do you want any breakfast?"

"I've been craving French toast for hours" Peter offered, breathing out heavily as he made himself comfortable, no idea why he was wanting fried bread soaked in egg, but the calling was there and he was in no mood to resist.

Chummy sighed. "Don't fall asleep and I will make it" she replied, now actually quite taken with the idea herself. His version of French toast was a far cry from the version she had as a child and the Ayah would never have allowed it. She tried to move. "That is, if you let go of me!"

"Five minutes" he muttered as she turned over his arms and gave him a kiss. "How's the baby been?"

"Oh fine" she replied casually. "I haven't had a peep out of him all night. I think between Timothy and me we wore him out and he was as good as asleep by the time Patrick came to pick Tim up".

"Picked up?" Peter asked, eyebrows raised not expecting that.

"Yes, he offered when I phoned to check the coast was clear" Chummy replied.

"Oh" Peter replied. "So you didn't go out?"

"No" she responded, half pleased Patrick had come round as the chill night was starting to close in and as much as she might have been quicker on the bus, she had been quite relieved to shut the door behind them and take Freddie up to bed.

"Good", Peter replied. He leant across to kiss her again, thumb gently brushing her cheek glad she had not been wandering the streets of Poplar last night as the shift he had had was interesting to say the least. He would have to tell her about it tomorrow.

"I thought you wanted your breakfast?" she mumbled feeling his palm drift to her neck resting there as she reveled in the attention he was giving her.

"Not any more...well not quite yet". Thankfully he didn't see her roll her eyes, albeit good naturedly, as she sunk into the pillows.

"Oh, go on then if needs must…."

Two miles away, Shelagh stood in the kitchen, the steam from the kettle clouding her glasses, lost in her own world. Half past six in the morning, Timothy was still asleep and she was dying to pick up the telephone. It was too early though and frankly Chummy was probably having to contend with Freddie to get him up, fed, dressed and ready to go. As it transpired she was contending with his father but that was bye the bye.

Behind her she heard Patrick's heavy footsteps down the stairs and he appeared in the kitchen, hair wild and clearly still half asleep. She had slept through the sheer exhaustion of worry but Patrick looked as though he had been dragged through a hedge backwards.

"Tea?" she asked letting the steam dissipated from her lenses.

"No, coffee please" he replied dragging a chair across the stone floor and sitting down, still in pyjamas and dressing gown.

"Coffee?" she repeated. That was a new turn. Tea, it was always tea first thing of a morning and this change made her nervous. Mind you, the slightest alteration in his behaviour made her nervous now, even if it was a product of her increasingly wild imagination.

"Mmmm" he replied. "I slept but I didn't sleep and I've three clinics and a trip up to St Thomas' today so I am going to need it!"

"Can't Lawrence help?" she asked, gathering cups.

"He's got the other clinic and the one for Nonnatus and arrangements for the next vaccination round, so no", he replied, not intending to sound harsh but the lack of sleep had caused a very short fuse.

"Oh" Shelagh replied, turning back to the kettle pouring the cups.

"Shelagh?" he asked, seeing clearly that his slightly sharp tone of voice had not helped proceedings at all.

"Hmmm?"

"I….I was thinking more on what we spoke about yesterday" he said, needing to ask and needing to move forward from what could well become an impasse for them and a hurdle far too enormous to contemplate.

"Oh yes?" Her voice was wobbling through nerves and she felt it was perhaps dangerous to be holding a kettle at that moment, not knowing how she may react to what he was going to say.

"You say you spoke to Dr Perry?" he asked.

"Yes" she replied, dropping sugar into his cup.

"If he's the same Dr Perry that I know of…tall chap, greying at the sides, always wears a striped tie" he started seeing her nod in the affirmative. "Do you want me to speak to him?"

"What for, Patrick?" she replied slightly exasperated, spinning around for the first time to face him properly. Her mood from yesterday had changed and she had ruminated over and over as she failed to sleep last night whether the operation was a good idea or not, swinging from one extreme to the next as the minutes slowly ticked by. One moment it felt entirely logical to find out, just as her head had been telling her all along, but her heart - now shouting at the top of its voice - was starting to wonder if a miracle could occur. It did all seem, from moment to moment, which part of her had the loudest voice. Logic versus emotion. Emotion versus logic.

"You said you wanted to find out, definitely find out, so I am offering my support just as I was last night. Nothing has changed and if you will allow me to telephone him I can see if he can carry it out sooner rather than later so we know" Patrick stated. He always preferred black and white; not those inexcusable grey parts in the middle.

"Yes I know I did" she replied. Still, despite her confirmation yesterday and the seeming steps she had taken to try and seek help, she was still wondering whether it was for the absolute best that she did. It may prove to be a finality that she was unsure how she would cope with. How she needed her confidante right now.

The morning slithered quietly into afternoon and evening and Chummy stood at the sink in the kitchen, one eye on Freddie in his playpen and one ear on the telephone. All of sudden Fred's bear arrived at her feet, slung healthily out of the playpen towards her as he had tried to climb the sides, clearly after his escape.

"Now, young man!" she said, quickly drying her hands and picking the bear up. "What did I tell you about throwing poor Bobby around?" Fred just smiled and started giggling at her.

"Mamma… Bear!" he shouted arms outstretched wanting his furry friend back.

"I think" Chummy started lifting the boy up as he obviously no longer wanted to be contained. "That its time for your Mamma's sit down and you, me and Bobby can have a quiet moment before beddy byes. Would you like that Freds?"

"Mamma sit!" he repeated as he bounced on her hip. She's noted these this past fortnight that he had started trying to string words together and she was on one hand proud hearing him progress, but he was becoming less and less of her baby boy as the days progressed. Chummy started to walk from the kitchen to the hallway, gently brushing his hair from his eyes. 'That hair needs a cut' she thought, mentally noting to take him to the barbers as soon as she had a free moment.

"Yes Mamma's going to sit down with her handsome boy and….."

"Does that include her handsome husband too?" Peter asked, standing at the top of the stairs leaning over the bannister half ready to go to work.

"Might do" Chummy replied with a smile. She was getting quite used to this flirtation business, although it was reserved for Peter and Peter alone. "If you are quick about it!"

Chummy just about sat down when the telephone rang, barely getting Freddie settled on her knee and she sighed audibly, ready to get up again.

"I'll get it" a voice came from the hallway as she heard Peter step down the last of the stairs. Chummy knew immediately who it might be and whilst she needed the peace she also needed to hear from her friend.

Peter had a brief conversation, passing the time of day when he reappeared at the door.

"For you" he said simply, buttoning up his tunic.

"Shelagh?" she mouthed to which she received a nod as he stepped into the room, going to sit with the baby and have a few moments before he absolutely had to leave.

"What-ho" Chummy said as she picked up the receiver, confident that Peter was not going to listen in. Freddie was making too much noise, far too awake for this time of night anyway for anyone to be earwigging on her conversation.

"Do you mind if I pay you a visit?" Shelagh asked, her voice in normal range so it was clear that nobody of importance was within earshot.

"Of course you can" Chummy replied softly. "It's just me and Freddie tonight so how about supper? I am sure I can rustle up something for us!"

Shelagh smiled. "That would be lovely".

"Good" Chummy replied. "About an hour?"