Sister Winifred stepped through the doors of Kenilworth Row maternity home to be greeted by the peaceful silence of late afternoon. The bustle of arriving visitors had passed leaving just the gentle murmur of voices behind the closed doors of the ward and the occasional piercing cry of a newborn. Surgery having ended, the reception area was in semi darkness being lit by a single desk lamp and the last low rays of pale winter sunshine slipping through the window blinds. Hanging her coat on the rack in the corner she proceeded up the steps at the far end of the reception area. The open doors on either side of the corridor revealed empty rooms and the promise of a peaceful night shift ahead of her.
Light spilled from the doorway of the Doctor's office. She approached with the silent footsteps common to all the religious sisters, her arrival going unacknowledged by the man sitting behind the desk. His elbows were on the desk, his head resting in hands whose fingers curled through his tousled dark hair. Sister Winifred couldn't tell if he had noticed her in the doorway so spoke softly to avoid startling him.
"Doctor?"
His head shot up and he frowned as if trying to recall where he was or what he should be doing.
"Sister? Can I help you?"
"I was just wondering if there was any news from Sister Julienne? How are things progressing with Mrs Turner?" She was aware that the Sister had been called to attend their most precious mother-to-be and was anxious for reassurance that all was as it should be.
Patrick gave a half smile that was quickly replaced by a frown.
"Sister Julienne said that everything was 'ticking over very nicely' but she wouldn't let me speak to Shelagh and that was some time ago." He glanced at his watch with a sigh.
After a slight hesitation Sister Winifred walked fully into the room closing the door behind her and took a seat at the desk opposite the doctor. The man was clearly worried about his wife and she wanted to offer him some comfort but wondered if she was being presumptuous, they had been colleagues for nearly four years but although she had developed a close friendship with Shelagh in that time the same couldn't be said for her friend's husband. Nevertheless she felt she had to try. Wringing her hands together she took a deep breath and plunged ahead.
"Everything is fine, I'm certain of it. If it wasn't Sister Julienne would have let you know."
Patrick opened his mouth to speak but Sister Winifred interrupted him.
"Doctor, in our work we see so many problems and even the occasional disaster but we also see far, far more births that are trouble free with a happy, healthy outcome for both mother and baby. I know you had a scare early on but Shelagh has been perfectly well in all her checks since then and baby has been developing normally, there's no reason to anticipate any difficulties - a textbook mother and baby in fact." She smiled warmly at him.
Patrick sighed and a little of the tension seemed to leave his body. He rubbed a hand over his eyes.
"I know that but it's hard not to think of everything that could go wrong, these things so often come with no warning."
"They do, but not this time", Sister Winifred stated with conviction.
Patrick gave her a quizzical look.
"You can't know that."
"There are many things in this life that I can't know but that I believe with all my heart," she answered with a beaming smile.
"I wish I had your faith, Sister. If anything were to happen to this baby I don't know how Shelagh would go on and I don't see how I could survive if I lost her." He leant back in his chair, blinking away the tears that threatened and swallowing hard as he attempted to control his emotions.
"Faith doesn't always come with certainty, Doctor, you should know that more than most."
The questioning tilt of his head encouraged her to continue.
"Last year I suffered a period of doubt. Sister Julienne had sent me to help at the school when one of the teachers left suddenly. It reminded me how much I loved teaching and left me questioning whether I was really called to nursing. Shelagh somehow sensed that I was struggling and one afternoon when we were alone I found myself pouring my heart out to her. She was really quite wonderful," the nun smiled wistfully at the memory, "I could tell that she didn't like to talk about it but she told me how confused and alone she felt before she left the Order. She explained how her call to the religious life had been so strong that when she felt an equally powerful call to leave she was left doubting her ability to recognise what God wanted from her. Shelagh's faith is as strong now as when she first came to Poplar but she told me that certainty only came when she opened her heart to the love growing within her. She said that's when she came to realise that God wanted another path for her." She paused briefly before continuing. "I felt then, and I still do, that she was wrong."
Patrick shot upright turning an angry glare on the Sister. She raised a hand and cut him off before he could speak.
"Not wrong to leave the Order but wrong in thinking that she was taking a different path. It seems to me that this was just another turn in the same path, the path that had led her to the Order, to Nonnatus House and, ultimately, to you. You and Timothy needed her, God knew that and the Order was the door that He opened to bring her to you."
The anger left Patrick and for the first time in hours his face relaxed into a warm smile.
"We did need her. We still do."
"Yes, and she needs you too, that's why I'm so certain that all will be well with Shelagh and the baby. You and Shelagh have what everyone in this world is searching for Doctor, the certainty that you are just where you are meant to be, in the place that is the perfect fit, where you are loved for everything that you were and are and can be. God knows how much you all need each other and he hasn't finished with you yet. You all have so much love still to give, the way you opened your hearts and home to Angela is proof of that. This baby is God's thank you gift to your family for accepting the path he's sent you down."
Still smiling, Patrick nodded and got to his feet. As he walked around the desk Sister Winifred rose to meet him.
"You're a wise woman, Sister Winifred, and I think this conversation may be one of the reasons God brought you to Poplar. Thank you." He took her hands in his, squeezing them gently in gratitude. Sister Winifred blushed red under his warm gaze.
"If that's true then it's God you need to thank." Composing herself she took a step backwards as he released her hands. "Now, surgery's over, why aren't you home with your wife?"
"Because she didn't want me to be at the delivery. She wanted us to be just like any other couple." Patrick sighed, resigned to following his beloved wife's wishes but still not fully understanding them.
Sister Winifred shook her head.
"I've seen many marriages in the course of my work, Doctor Turner. Some are just a companionship, some are filled with love and some have no love at all. I've never seen a couple more bound by love, more meant for each other than you and Shelagh. You're not like any other couple and you both know it. Go home Doctor, be there when she remembers how much she needs you to hold her. Go home and be there with her to welcome the gift that God is giving you." She took his coat from the hook on the door and held it out to him.
Patrick didn't need telling twice. With a nod and a grin he grabbed the coat from her and dashed out. His parting call of "Thank you, Sister" echoed down the corridor as the surgery door slammed behind him.
Sister Winifred allowed herself a moment to offer a brief prayer of thanks to the Almighty for helping her to find the words to comfort the Doctor before hurrying off to start her shift. She couldn't help feeling that perhaps she had already done her best work of the night.
Author's note: This is my first ever story in the CTM fandom (and the first of any variety that I've written for many years). I adore CTM in general and Turnadette in particular. This 'fill the gap' story started going round in my head and in the end I couldn't resist the urge to write it down. I would really appreciate any feedback. Thank you xx