Summary: Nurse Training School - The London Hospital

Disclaimer: Call The Midwife belongs to the BBC and others - I am simply borrowing their beautiful characters.

Author's note: Many thanks for the lovely reviews - it convinced me to make more of this story. Once again, my grateful thanks to Sittingonthis for the feedback. I'm not sure why I decided to juggle two multi-part stories, but hey-ho.

Delia sat at the desk in her room with a spiral bound notebook and pencil in front of her, and some proper letter-writing materials to one side. She picked up the pencil and compiled a list of things to include in her letter home to her parents. It was Friday night and most of the other student nurses had gone home for the weekend after their first week of training at the London.

Delia was missing home and her family, but the cost of travel and the journey time had put her off making the trip. She had instead decided to wait until she had finished the first six weeks of training. This would mean lots more to talk about when she did get home and by then she would be able to face the journey. Substituting weekends home with a letter would just have to do.

Delia paused for a few moments to allow her mind to recall the events of the last few days and then made her checklist;

1. The journey from Pembroke and the bus breaking down

2. The Bursar

3. New uniform and first day of nursing school

4. Accommodation and the hospital itself

5. New friends

6. Plans for the following weeks

She was satisfied that the list would provide a lengthy enough letter to keep her parents happy, and so grabbed the more formal paper and a pen, and began to write. Delia made good progress until she got to the 'new friends' prompt. She stalled and put the cap on her pen, mulling over what had happened in the first few days at Training School.

Delia's initial meeting with her new neighbour, Patsy, had been a delightful and welcome surprise. The following morning however, the tall blonde was completely different. When she knocked for her at 0730 for breakfast, she was aloof and remote, and highly guarded in any conversation Delia tried to start. The Welsh woman decided to put it down to the fact that everyone was now in uniform and wanted to make a good impression. After being spectacularly late the day before, it didn't bother Delia to be like this to start. She could certainly do with not having any more attention focused on her, but it felt like Patsy was deliberately pushing Delia away and she didn't know why.

They sat together in the Lecture Hall for classes but Patsy remained silent during lectures and said very little else. She was slightly more animated at lunch, where there was more of an opportunity to mingle with the other student nurses, but it all felt very superficial to the Welsh woman. As the conversations sprang up among the women, it became clear that many of them were trying to weigh up background and social standing. Delia sighed inwardly. With her accent and rural upbringing, it was obvious from the start that the others tolerated her presence but did little more. She was an amusing oddity to them, which meant that they would involve her when it suited them, but there would be little genuine interest in her. Delia supposed that it was no worse than what she had been anticipating but she didn't like cliques and implied social orders. At home, everyone spoke their mind and got stuck in together.

It was interesting to witness their dynamics with Patsy however. The other students did their best to engage with the woman, encouraging her to join them for drinks and other social events that they were already planning. Patsy dutifully played along to a certain extent, but the other students got very little out of her, and absolutely nothing of her background. Again, it was clearly superficial. The difference was that the other girls didn't seem to mind at all and it was obvious they would simply pursue their line of questioning whenever the opportunity arose. Patsy's aloofness made her a mysterious member of the intake, but it simply fuelled the student nurses' curiosities.

When they finished for the day, one of the more gregarious groups of new students asked Patsy to join them at the local pub to celebrate its successful completion. There had been no such invite extended to Delia and she was just about to extract herself awkwardly from the group when Patsy looked at her. "Coming for a drink Delia?" The brunette was sure that Patsy had only asked to make a point and embarrass the other girls, but she couldn't help but smile gratefully at the taller woman. "Okay," she agreed nonchalantly. Patsy cocked an eyebrow to the other girls, almost daring them to raise an objection. Nothing was forthcoming and Delia found herself accompanying Patsy back to their rooms so that they could get changed.

"You didn't need to do that," Delia stated simply.

"Do what?" Patsy asked with a knowing grin on her face.

"Ask me to the pub. It's quite obvious who they want in their group." Delia couldn't help a tone of resentment colour her voice.

Patsy laughed. "I didn't ask you to annoy them. If I'm honest, I asked you so that there would be one person I could bear to engage in conversation. They won't leave me alone until I at least do something with them. Hopefully they'll get the hint that I don't hold with the importance of status and they'll stop pestering me. I just know that the evening would be unspeakably irritating if I didn't have one person I could rely on to have a conversation that doesn't have a hidden agenda." She winced slightly. "I hope you don't think I was using you."

"No, not at all. To tell you the truth, the only reason I'm going is because you asked me."

"Well then, we can keep each other company and tolerate the others. Hopefully, there will be some other genuine girls there that aren't all about status." Patsy opened the door to her room. "Knock for me at 7pm?" She asked cheekily.

Delia smiled back widely and nodded acquiescence.

Unfortunately, the group dynamics at the pub turned out to be exactly as anticipated by both Delia and Patsy. Delia found that when she was spoken to, it was almost viewed as a kindness and always with a strong hint of condescension. None of the other student nurses could believe that she had travelled all the way from Wales to undertake training. Some even asked her if she was going to take elocution lessons to minimise her regional accent. She shrugged off the comments and happily put on a front of cheerful optimism, but inside her heart sank and she looked for an opportunity to leave as soon as possible. Patsy provided the excuse she needed by stating that she wanted to go through the notes she had made during the first day. Delia hurriedly agreed and although there were protests from the others mainly over Patsy leaving, the women managed to extricate themselves from the pub without too much fuss.

Once back at the nurses home, Delia followed Patsy into her bedroom and sat down on the chair at the desk. She sighed as she looked at the older woman. "Well, that wasn't much fun," she commented dryly.

Patsy winced as she lit up a cigarette. "Well we can't pretend to be surprised, I suppose," she commented, blowing a long stream of smoke out.

"Why is social standing so important to them?" Delia was genuinely bewildered by the whole charade.

"It's just an extension of private school education and wanting to know one's place in the world," Patsy advised knowingly.

Delia shook her head. "You're not like that," she pointed out reasonably.

"I never really fitted into private education. I had to go through it to catch up, but I was distinctly out of place."

"Catch up?"

Patsy shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's in the past now." She inhaled another long drag of her cigarette. "Anyway, did you want to go through today's notes? I wasn't just making an excuse to leave you know."

Delia grinned and nodded. "Let me get my stuff." The two women spent an hour going through the day's lectures and tidying their own notes before Delia finally excused herself back to her own room to give Patsy a bit of peace.

Delia sighed. That first day pretty much set the tone for the whole week. Patsy would be aloof and stand-offish while in uniform and in class. At breaks she ensured that Delia was not excluded by the other members of the class by actively involving her in general conversations. Once class had finished and they were in civvies, Delia would knock on Patsy's door and they would spend an hour going through notes. They had also gone out to explore one evening, and see how long it took to get into town on the bus. They had discovered the Embankment and taken a stroll along the Thames, taking in the sites before hopping on the bus in order to get back to the nurses home before curfew.

Delia twirled her pen over her fingers absently as she thought about what she could write. The Welsh woman didn't want to worry her parents about the snobbish attitudes of the other nurses; that would simply give her mother more ammunition to question her choice to train in London. It would be easier to just talk about Patsy, but Delia felt strangely reticent to do that too. There was something about the tall blonde nurse that Delia couldn't quite put her finger on but she felt like she didn't want to share her with anyone. They had become fast friends within days and she loved spending time with the taller woman. With every day that passed, Delia was more grateful than ever that she had serendipitously ended up being placed as Patsy's next door neighbour.

Uncapping her pen, she decided to simply inform her parents about striking up a firm friendship with the girl next door, but did not actually mention her by name. Even as she wrote the words, she smiled as she recalled cracking open her dad's whiskey. So she told them about that too but decided that was enough information about Patsy for the moment.

Delia shook her head at her thoughts. She didn't actually know a great deal about Patsy anyway. She had observed her masterfully avoid questions from the other girls, but she had done the same with Delia. At first it bothered Delia, but she realised that Patsy was an intensely private person. It hadn't stopped Delia getting to know Patsy's character and what she liked and disliked. Although it would be nice to know more about her, she didn't want the woman to feel uncomfortable or obliged to answer questions she did not want to. Delia shrugged to herself. She was sure Patsy would reveal what she wanted to, in her own time. They would be going through a long period of training together so there was no need to rush.

Delia reviewed her checklist and added a few final items including possibly attending a dance that had been organised by the London's social fund to welcome it's new intake. Delia had always loved dancing but was not sure if she would fit into one of these social events. She would just have to convince Patsy to go with her so that she didn't feel too out of place.

Patsy strolled back from the Off Licence with two bottles carefully wrapped up in a bag. She smiled wryly as she thought back over her first week of training. Lectures in the main, were as she had anticipated and highly dependent on the skill of the tutor delivering them. It would be a long hard slog for the next six weeks before they would be finally allowed onto the wards for the first time for placements. By then they would have learned basic resuscitation skills, bed-making and patient care in addition to the anatomy and physiology they were currently getting bombarded with.

What she hadn't anticipated was Delia Busby. The Welsh woman had arrived in a late flurry and had ended up being placed next door to Patsy. She was smart and mischievous, and Patsy had found herself instantly comfortable in her presence. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Patsy recognised immediately that she found the other woman attractive and she knew that she would have to be extremely careful around her. After spending part of the first evening with her, the tall student nurse decided that it would probably be best if she kept her distance and didn't allow Delia to get too close.

She managed to keep the barriers up until lunchtime of their first proper day. Once the group were all sat down to lunch, the inevitable jockeying for position and assessment of status began and cliques were cemented. Patsy saw instantly that Delia was viewed as a bit of an oddity and would be tolerated at best by most of the girls. This attitude appalled the woman. Having spent three formative years in an internment camp where everyone had been stripped of everything other than their own character, Patsy had long ago learned what really mattered, and it certainly wasn't money or family background.

When she was invited out for drinks with one of the more vocal cliques, Patsy decided to invite Delia as well, rather than turn them down politely as she originally intended. She hoped that once the other women started properly talking to the diminutive nurse, they too would see past the regional accent and recognise the charming and clever woman behind it, but it was clear right from the outset that they had already made up their minds. Delia would be in for a tough time for a while until the others saw her for what she really was. Up till then however, Patsy would make sure that she didn't feel too isolated.

She shook her head slightly at her own thoughts. Patsy was already feeling protective towards the younger woman but she was determined to put it down to being her friend and nothing more. Patsy remembered the loneliness she endured at boarding school, and would do all she could to make sure Delia didn't suffer in the same way.

The nurses home was eerily quiet this evening. Most of the resident students had gone home for the weekend so it was only occupied by students on placement. Patsy paused for a few seconds outside Delia's room. The Welsh woman had told Patsy that she would be writing letters home this evening and Patsy had originally said that she would leave her in peace. Despite every warning she was giving herself, Patsy just wanted to spend time with Delia. She couldn't stay away. Patsy knew she was playing a dangerous game, but told herself that she was developing a friendship with Delia and nothing more. Besides, they were the only two here for the weekend. It would be foolish to spend the weekend in solitude.

Patsy quickly slipped into her own room to retrieve her tumbler before knocking on Delia's door.

"Come in Pats," Delia called.

"How did you know it was me?" Patsy grinned at the brunette, sat at her desk.

Delia rolled her eyes. "You're the only other student who hasn't gone home this weekend, and I haven't had time to strike up any friendships with anyone from the other years yet." She narrowed her eyes as she noticed the glass in Patsy's hand. "Have you made plans for my scotch this evening?"

"Not your scotch this time, although I'm sure I'll be assisting you with its disposal in the coming weeks. I decided it was my turn to contribute to our contraband booze selection." She held up the bag in triumph.

Delia grinned. "Lovely. What have you treated us to?" She got up to retrieve her own glass.

"Gin and tonic, as promised," Patsy replied, unwrapping the bottles with a flourish. "Up for a toast to surviving the first week?"

"It does feel like that," Delia agreed, watching Patsy prepare two generous drinks. They clinked glasses and Delia moved to her bed, patting it to encourage Patsy to sit down too.

"Still happy that you picked nursing?" Patsy asked as she sat down elegantly at the foot of the bed.

"The training is wonderful. I'm really enjoying lectures," Delia answered.

Patsy immediately saw through the comment. "Not so much fun with the other students though?"

Delia shook her head. "I know it will get better. And I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but it does. I'm just so grateful I met you before the others. At least I get spoken to by association."

"It's not like that at all," Patsy refuted instantly.

"Nice of you to say, but it's true. I know that they'll get used to me soon enough, and I'm sure I'll make some more friends in time, but I do know I would be feeling a whole lot lonelier if I hadn't already found you."

"Well the feeling is entirely mutual." Patsy took a sip of her gin. "And it will get better once they get to know you."

Delia nodded. "Did you not fancy going home for the weekend, Pats? You can't live that far away."

Patsy winced, not at all comfortable with talking about her personal life. "I have a strained relationship with my father," she admitted. "I don't often visit."

Delia noted that Patsy made no mention of her mother but some sixth sense told her not to ask. "Well, his loss is my gain. I can't tell you how grateful I was when I found out I wasn't going to be on my own."

Patsy smiled. "Me too. Are you staying every weekend?"

"Only while we're in lectures. I plan on going home the weekend after first exams."

"We'll have to make some plans and do some sightseeing," Patsy decided.

Delia looked slightly worried. "I am fairly limited for funds," she admitted with a wince.

"As long as you have enough for bus fare and a spot of lunch, I'm sure we'll still be able to do lots," Patsy replied reassuringly.

Delia looked relieved as she took a sip of her drink. "Thank goodness for that. Sorry to be a bit of a pain."

"Not at all. I'm glad you told me right at the outset so we can plan accordingly. Anyway, enough of that right now, I need to celebrate the end of week one. Cheers." The two women clinked glasses again and relaxed into an evening of gentle chat and, as the gin flowed, a more giggly character assassination of their fellow students.

To be continued...