When Patrick and Tim pulled up to Shelagh's building the next day, she was already waiting outside for them. Before getting out of the car to open the door for Shelagh, Patrick turned to Tim and whispered hurriedly, "remember what we talked about. We need Granny and her neighbor to think Nurse Mannion and I are in a serious relationship, but don't say something that will make her feel awkward. I don't want anything to affect our work at Nonnatus." Patrick hadn't slept much the night before, tossing and turning and wondering how he had found himself in this strange situation. He kept pulling out his phone and reading through his brief text exchange with Shelagh, worrying he hadn't said enough or had said too much. The last thing he wanted was for her to get the wrong impression, he knew what some of the nurses said about him, but he also wanted to act convincing because he really hoped this plan would work.
"Good morning, Nurse Mannion, I mean, Shelagh," he said haltingly. He chided himself for sounding so nervous.
"Good morning Patrick."
He couldn't stop his eyes from wandering slightly over her small frame, trying to recall a time he had seen her in something other than scrubs. Seeing her before him in such form fitting jeans and jumper was as jarring to his senses as if one of the Sisters had appeared in street clothes. "You look very nice."
"Thank you," Shelagh smiled nervously, "you look... " Shelagh couldn't figure out how to finish the sentence once she'd begun it. She could tell he had tried, but his choice of tie was unfortunate. Working up a bit of courage, reasoning that she would at least need to appear comfortable near him, she moved closer and straightened the garish tie. "Much better." Her breathing quickened involuntarily as she looked up, locking eyes with him for several moments before looking away suddenly and stepping into the car.
"I told him not to pick that tie!" Tim piped in from the backseat, oblivious to the slight tension that had arisen between the adults.
"Speak more kindly of your father, please Tim," Shelagh blurted before she could stop herself, beginning to feel embarrassed for being so protective over a man she wasn't really dating, but at least Patrick had still been coming around the car and had not heard her outburst.
She offered Tim a small smile by way of apology and he grinned back, somehow he had the feeling this was going to be a lot of fun.
The drive to Granny Parker's house just outside of the city went quickly and soon the trio found themselves on the doorstep to her small home. Tim was the first to comment on the unfamiliar car parked in Helen's driveway nextdoor, "That must be the hairdresser's car! I wonder if she'll take me for a ride, I've never been in convertible before."
"Tim, that would hardly be appropriate," his father reprimanded, inwardly wondering what kind of woman this setup must be to drive such a flashy car and thanking the heavens that Shelagh had agreed to intervene on his behalf.
Tim seemed ready to interrupt Patrick's rebuke when the door opened and he was enveloped in an immediate hug from his grandmother. "Come in! Come in! I'm so excited to intro…" Granny Parker stopped abruptly when her eyes landed upon Shelagh, a look of confusion crossing her features quickly.
"I'm sorry Granny, I should have warned you my girlfriend might join us," Patrick's emphasis was a little stilted, but it had the desired effect immediately.
"Girlfriend? But I thought… I didn't know… You've never mentioned... Oh dear," the puzzled woman muttered. She turned toward Shelagh with a genuine smile, "please forgive my 's not that you're not welcome, my dear, I just didn't know you existed!"
"Please don't worry, it's all quite new," Shelagh smiled shyly as Patrick grabbed her hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze that caused her heart to flutter in her chest, and led her inside.
The reactions of both Helen and her latest potential sweetheart for Patrick, an American woman named Jessica, were similar to Granny Parker's. Shelagh was grateful that neither seemed perturbed by her unexpected presence. In fact, Helen actually looked pleased to see her, the task of finding love for Patrick had turned out to be a much more daunting task that she'd thought it would be. "I'm so glad to see that Patrick has finally hit it off with someone," she said to Shelagh, "even if I couldn't be the one to introduce you. How did you two meet?"
It was at that moment, of course far too late to do anything about it, which Shelagh realized that they had not discussed what story, if any, they would tell about how their relationship began. She wanted to avoid too much lying, as lies were hard to keep up with and she did not want to teach Tim any bad habits. Not to mention the fact that she barely knew Dr. Turner and would have difficulty knowing if anything she said would be so out of character that the two older ladies would realize their charade instantly. So, after a small panicked glance toward the Turner men, she kept her response simple. "We met at hospital. I'm a midwife."
"Oh I just love babies!" Jessica interjected with enthusiasm, "Don't you just love their cute little faces? And feet? And their tiny fingers?"
Helen looked less impressed, clearly longing for more details, but unable to ask any more questions as Jessica began to monopolize the conversation. She decided to try her luck with Tim instead as they cleared away the china. "So, dear, tell me more about this Shelagh. Has your father been seeing her long?"
Tim shifted from one foot to the other nervously, though he had embraced the fake girlfriend idea eagerly, facing down Granny Parker and Helen was like being interrogated on one of those crime shows his dad enjoyed so much. "Not long. It really is very recent."
"Tell us more about her, sweetheart," Granny Parker prodded gently.
Once Tim began talking, he realized it wasn't that hard to say great things about her, she really was his favorite nurse at hospital. "She works way too hard, but she's really nice. She helps me with my homework in the breakroom sometimes and she always shares her biscuits. And we like to talk about articles from the Lancet too, which is great because sometimes dad is too busy to explain it all to me."
"You discuss Lancet articles?" Tim hadn't noticed Patrick enter the kitchen, but he continued undeterred.
"Yeah, and Disney movies. She thinks Beauty and the Beast is the best, but I say it's Lion King."
Patrick seemed astonished, and a little bit melancholy in realizing that his son was growing up quickly and he was missing so much. He hadn't realized how much time Tim spent with Nurse Mannion. There was a lot more to her than he'd ever known and he resolved to remember to thank her later for helping Tim with his homework. He knew from experience how difficult it could be to get Tim to concentrate on his maths. He began to picture the pair together in the breakroom, heads huddled together in concentration as they poured over the sums or revised history. He thought of her bright smile and wondered what kind of jokes she liked, what other movies besides Disney she enjoyed, and what kind of music she was piping through her headphones as she left for the bus each evening - things he'd never before wondered or cared to wonder about her.
He was broken from his reverie by Granny Parker. "She seems lovely. I'd like to get to know her better. Come to Sunday dinner this week."
It was less a request than a statement. He thought about arguing, but knew there would be no point. So much for this being an easy situation to navigate. What had been one tea and a Christmas party was turning into lunch with his mother-in-law and whatever else she had up her sleeve. He sighed internally in defeat. "I'll see if she has Sunday afternoon off."
Left alone in the sitting room with Jessica, Shelagh wondered what this outgoing American had in common with Patrick that Helen would try to set them up. Of course, Patrick did act as if there had been many introductions made over the months, so perhaps this was part of a last ditch effort to find him love. After all, opposites do attract sometimes. Jessica was a sweet person, really, but she talked quite a lot and seemed overly enthusiastic about everything.
"I am glad you're here," Jessica said, "I was very nervous about this strange doctor I was meeting and I almost didn't show. But I didn't want to disappoint Helen, so here I am."
"That was very kind of you."
Jessica peeked toward the kitchen to make sure the rest of the group was out of earshot, then leaned in to whisper to Shelagh, "He really is hot, though, lucky you."
Shelagh's cheeks went immediately red and she stammered for a response. If she had been confused how to respond to questions about how they met, she was completely baffled by a proper reply now. He was her real coworker, but also her fake boyfriend. She needed to keep a professional distance to him in her mind or things would become muddled quickly.
Luckily Jessica didn't seem to notice as she continued to prattle away, "I don't like to talk about other people's boyfriends, but I could watch him walk out of the room all day…"
She hadn't thought her cheeks could get any redder, but she was wrong. Her eyes looked up to the door to the kitchen unbidden, her mind conjuring up thoughts of Patrick without her permission. Jessica did have a point, she thought to herself before she could stop. Although she was much more drawn to his eyes, and the little wrinkles that formed around them when he smiled, and the way that his hair would fall just so into them… Things were becoming muddled indeed.