Chapter 3

As promised, the 'prop' that started it all can be found in this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this section and am very grateful to Ginchy and Birdy for their extremely constructive feedback!

The next week and a half passed in no time at all with the staff run off their feet due to a record number of deliveries. Still, Trixie had managed to make good on her promise and the notices for the ward staff were on display rather quickly, informing those who were interested of an exciting evening at a local club which featured karaoke. Shelagh had, in fact, heard of karaoke, even though it was the last thing she would have ever chosen to participate in. Remembering her promise to herself, she reasoned that she could still go along but would manage to linger on the periphery. A handful of the younger members of the medical team had enthusiastically committed to attend; this included several of the other young nurses and a few orderlies plus their respective partners.

When the night arrived, although some had planned to meet at the club, Shelagh and the other nurses just getting off of their shifts intended to ready themselves in the staff changing room then leave straight from the hospital. The time spent preparing, with the addition of giggles while helping each other with attire and primping, served to ease her nerves a bit, and gave her the opportunity to become more comfortable with her colleagues. By the time the group left the hospital in a rush of excitement, she began to feel a thrill at the prospect of finally being part of what in the past she had only been a witness to.

Once at the club, her nerves were back in full force and she wondered why she had agreed to this in the first place. Sensing her discomfort, Jenny and Trixie made sure that she and Cynthia had proper drinks, a half pint of cider and a Pimm's cocktail respectively, and found the four of them an out of the way table that was still near their co-workers. Cynthia helped soothe her anxiety by steering the conversation towards a safe topic, the upcoming hospital benefit. Shelagh's church held the annual fete and she soon felt at ease discussing the plans and preparations. After offering to assist with the cakes stand and tombola, the young nurses quickly turned to considering which interesting young men could be expected to be in attendance.

"Will the new curate be there?" Trixie wanted to know, eyebrows raised over the rim of her glass. Shelagh was sure he would be.

"Or the chap in the dispensary?" Cynthia asked shyly. Jenny, kind enough to let that go, was more concerned about the junior doctors from the Children's Ward.

Trixie spoke up innocently, but with a mischievous glint in her eye, "What about our own doctors?"

"What about them?" Jenny retorted, passing her drink from one hand to the other, "they're all married!"

"Not all of them…" she teased. Shelagh colored slightly and looked away.

"Trixie…" Cynthia warned, and the matter was dropped in favor of a toast to the first successful Obstetric Ward's Night Out.

Half-way through her cider, Shelagh found she was pleasantly relaxed and enjoying her time with the girls, even as she knew that the alcohol was partly the reason behind this. As much as she liked feeling less uncomfortable around them, she reminded herself that relying on any outside source for confidence was very risky, and she would not make a habit of it. She was brought out of her reverie when Trixie jumped up from the table and, just as quickly, returned brandishing a packet of paper.

"These are our choices!" she announced, dropping a stack of what appeared to be lists in the midst of their glasses.

Shelagh was confused, "Choices?"

"For the song we're going to sing," Jenny enlightened her while reorganizing their drinks to make room for the sheets of paper.

"Oh, I wasn't intending to sing," Shelagh informed her, noting that Cynthia didn't look too keen either.

"Well, of course we're going to sing something," Trixie enthused, "that's what made this idea stand out and it's the reason I chose it!" She spread out the lists in front of them, running her finger down the rows of words.

"And we'll be singing as a foursome," Jenny reassured, "so there's no need for anyone to be nervous." Her pointed look included both Cynthia and Shelagh.

The two in question shared a helpless glance, even as Shelagh became aware that this idea sounded much less intimidating than it had a week ago. Again, she credited this to her mild intoxication, unless perhaps this was a delightful consequence of being 'one of the girls.' She hid a secret smile at the thought.

Trixie was calling out options, "We can do something from a musical, Shrek's always fun...or go with a classic, they have loads from The Beatles."

"How about something more recent, there's Maroon 5," Jenny suggested, leaning over to see the choices, "or Caro Emerald."

"Oh, I like her!" Shelagh interjected, surprising even herself with her response.

Trixie raised her eyebrows as she passed her the song list, "Do tell, then! Which do you fancy singing?"

"Let's see," she murmured while perusing the list, "Tangled Up is a fun one, or they have That Man..."

Trixie and Jenny shared a smirk as they reached for their drinks.

"Oh, this one's very catchy, do you know Dr Wanna Do?" Shelagh asked, but was startled by Jenny's giggles and Trixie choking on her cocktail. Cynthia was out of her seat in a heartbeat, making sure her friend was alright.

"I'm fine," Trixie reassured, "but thank you. Now Shelagh, that is precisely the song we should sing tonight!" she twinkled, shooting a meaningful look at the two other girls.

"Absolutely it is!" Jenny grinned in agreement. Then added, in response to the perplexion on Shelagh's face, "isn't it?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," she answered primly.

"I should think more than one nurse has had a crush on a doctor," Jenny explained, a little defensively.

"You did just admit that you have your cap set for the pediatric specialists," giggled Cynthia, giving her Pimm's a stir.

"True," Jenny accepted, "but I wondered if maybe it wasn't just me..."

Shelagh pursed her lips, then added quietly, "I'm not sure this conversation is entirely appropriate."

Trixie, attempting to turn things around before they lost all the ground they had made with Shelagh, came to the rescue, "The main thing is, we're nurses; we should most certainly be singing about doctors!" The tension broke, and laughter encircled the table.

Shelagh relaxed again, "Then we're all in agreement." She turned to Cynthia and mistakenly interpreting her uncomfortable expression as nervousness, began to uncharacteristically be the one to offer reassurance about their upcoming performance.

Twenty minutes later, the little group made their way onto the stage. The introductory music began to play and Shelagh was caught up in the rhythm and instrumentals, happy they had decided on this lively number. Before she knew it, it was time to sing; they started out a little wobbly with all four of them giggling and muddling the words and she looked to the others for confidence as she tried to pretend the audience wasn't there.

"I just made an appointment

For a special rendezvous

To see a man of miracles

And all that he can do.

I checked in at reception

Put my hat onto my lap

And when he walked in dressed in white

I had a heart attack."

As they reached the end of the first verse, it was obvious to all that Shelagh was an excellent singer. The three other nurses eyed each other in surprise but stepped back, effectively taking the role of backup singers while non-verbally offering Shelagh the lead.

"My eyes went ooh

My voice just cooed

My mind let loose

I'll stay forever, it's up to you."

As the song continued, Shelagh rose to the challenge, truly enjoying the opportunity, her voice bright and clear.

"Doctor I want you

Ooh, my Doctor Wanna Do

I can't get over you

Dr do anything that ya Wanna Do."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Patrick's shift ended late in the evening as he added the files from the day to the growing stack on the corner of his desk, realising he had reached his limit for the night. He promised himself he would get to them first thing next morning. Walking out of the ward, he sighed, knowing he just had an empty flat to look forward to due to Tim's last minute invitation to spend the night at Jack's. He waved a quiet goodbye to the women in the nurses' station, and as he did so he caught sight of the staff night advertisements. Although he had originally declined to attend, he now thought he might just stop by, seeing as he had nothing else of worth in line for the evening. Doubling back he found some only briefly worn street clothes in his locker, which he deemed appropriate enough for the occasion, then chose to walk to the club, allowing the mild weather to clear his head as he transitioned from another taxing workday to a rather unexpected pause for leisure.

Walking into the establishment he headed for the bar and put in his order for a pint. He could hear a giggling group of female voices starting their karaoke number, the tune was catchy but they stumbled over the beginning lyrics. He shared a few words with the barman as the giggling subsided and a single, stronger voice took the lead in the melody, while the others faded back. As he paid for his drink he chuckled, realising ironically that their cheeky song was about a doctor.

Taking a first sip of his drink, he turned to the makeshift stage and leant against the bar, then swallowed hard as he realised that several of the nurses from Obstetrics were the performers. Nurse Mannion it seemed was the one with the stellar voice; standing somewhat in front of Nurses Franklin, Miller and Lee, she was handling the song with a confidence he had seen from her only in professional situations. Had he ever seen her dressed in something other than scrubs? Gazing at her now, in close fitted black trousers and a slightly looser fitting blouse, he was absolutely sure he had not. Her petite figure was normally obscured by the baggy uniform the nurses wore, but here her stature and her appealing curves were clearly evident. The flushed complexion, which his diagnostic eye attributed to a combination of nerves, alcohol and performance energy, enhanced her features with a captivating glow. He had to make a conscious effort to close his mouth, then ran his hand over the hair at the back of his neck while at the same time sparing a sidelong glance to see if anyone had noticed his admiring stare. Immediately, his eyes were drawn back to the platform.

"I sat down and I waited

Til I heard my name get called

It's like I'm at the races

And I think I won them all.

He asked me to step forward

First I caught my breath, and ran

For endless observation

In the hands of Superman."

She really was an accomplished singer, he observed, and the way she moved as she delivered the lyrics was...well, the word that came directly to mind was sexy. He had occasionally registered her beauty, but had not given much more thought to it out of practicality, he assumed. But now as he watched her he couldn't help but notice it in the subtlety of her pouting lips, the way her hips moved ever so slightly as she swayed to the music, her gestures as she acted out the meaning behind the words; she was mesmerizing. Exhibited by another woman, these actions would hardly have registered but, given her usual restraint, her understated movements were not only clear but completely beguiling. He cleared his throat and set down his forgotten pint, continuing to enjoy her performance. Every so often she raised her arm and pointed to emphasize a line, not at anyone in particular, just off to the side or an empty corner. She was not aware of his presence, none of his colleagues were, but in that moment he knew that if she pointed at him he would be hard pressed not to act upon it.

"My eyes went ooh

My voice just cooed

My mind let loose

I'll stay forever, it's up to you.

Doctor I want you

Ooh, my Doctor Wanna Do

I can't get over you

Dr do anything that ya Wanna Do."

His physical reaction when she sang that last line was as surprising to him as it was powerful. Again he glanced around him as he shifted his stance in an effort to conceal his body's response. He carded a hand through his fringe, then ran his finger around his collar in an effort to loosen it. When had it gotten so warm in here? His dress shirt felt slightly damp and looking down he noticed it was a bit crumpled as well. Sustaining himself with a large gulp from his pint he briefly wondered if he ought to leave, but she was still singing and he was effectively entranced.

"Come over here and give me some medicine

Move a little closer so my head can spin

A little bit of potion makes my fever go

Get it outta me like a volcano.

My eyes went ooh

My voice just cooed

My mind let loose

Ooh, Dr Love...

Doctor I want you

Ooh, my Doctor Wanna Do

I can't get over you

Dr do anything that ya Wanna Do."

He watched as their number ended to appreciative applause plus a bit more enthusiasm coming from the St Cuthbert's staff seated off to one side. The four nurses, giggling with what looked to be relief as much as triumph, met in a group hug before bouncing back to their seats. He remained where he was by the bar, stunned by what he had just witnessed not only on the stage but within himself. It was definitely time for him to leave before anyone from the hospital noticed he was there. He wasn't at all confident he could as yet form words into sentences. Leaving his unfinished drink he slipped outside, once again thankful for the cool night air and the brisk walk back to the car park, he needed the distraction of the empty streets as much as the time to think.

How had he never noticed her in this way before? She had been in his life as a co-worker for, what was it, six months? He hadn't really even viewed her as a friend; he saw her instead as an accomplished medical professional otherwise relegated to the background of his mind most likely due to her shyness and reservation. Yet, now that he thought about it, he had at times observed her remarkable tenderness with terrified patients and at others an uncanny wit that surprised him. And then there was her relationship with Timothy, if he had to describe it, it was almost beautiful. He stopped himself, his appreciation was getting too personal and there was no point in going there; she was his colleague, what was wrong with him? She was a young woman, who surely had admirers her own age, and this bordered on indecent. He tried to file such thoughts away, but everything he had seen and felt tonight refused to be quieted. He would take one more lap around the hospital before finding his car, then drive home to the empty flat where he already knew no sleep would be waiting for him.

I was introduced to Dr Wanna Do (Caro Emerald) thanks to a Tumblr reblog from thatginchygal of a post by sincerelygeertje . The song is a must listen for Turnadette fans everywhere and was my inspiration for this fic!