Summary: Nurse Training School - The London Hospital

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

Author's note: Thank you as always for sticking with this. A huge shout out to Sitingonthis for the sense check and for once again really pushing me to evaluate every word, and Jlynsca for the corrections and proof-read. I should also say that I'm off on hols next week so there will be a short hiatus until the next update (probably about 3 weeks). Enjoy...

Despite finding it difficult to concentrate long enough to revise, the student nurses found that the exams on the Friday were a welcome diversion. Without exception, they grumbled about having to take them, and they all fretted that they would fail, but it was also a relief to get them out of the way. The New Year would mark a new placement and a fresh start for them all.

With the conclusion of the last exam, the students hurried back to their rooms. The Christmas break had begun and most were going home today.

"I can't believe you're staying here, Delia," Penny commented as they walked back more sedately than their classmates.

Delia winced. She hadn't intended telling anyone else of her change of plans but some of the girls had asked if she was heading home on Friday or Saturday and she didn't want to lie. "Neither can my mam," she replied darkly.

Mrs Busby had replied to Delia's telegram with one of her own. Delia had been almost impressed by just how much disappointment and annoyance her mother had managed to convey in the limited number of words allowed. However, it didn't really matter how much her mam didn't like it. Delia just knew that she wouldn't be able to spend any time on a train without completely panicking. She wasn't even sure she had the courage to board a train.

"Was she very cross?"

"I think she's sent my Christmas present to the church so that it doesn't go to waste."

"She wouldn't do that would she?" Millicent was shocked.

Delia shrugged. "I don't know. I'll find out once she decides to write to me again."

"She'll come round," Patsy said assuredly. "It was probably just a bit of shock."

"Well, if it's any consolation I don't think I'll be in my parents' good books when I get home," Penny sighed.

"What have you done?" Patsy asked bluntly.

"I haven't done it yet. I'm not quite sure when to tell them." Penny was stalling and her companions knew it. Subconsciously, they slowed down and allowed a gap to form between them and the group ahead.

"What's wrong?" It was clear that Millicent didn't know what was going on either.

The willowy nurse sighed heavily before drawing back her shoulders and standing upright. "I'm giving up nursing," she declared finally.

"What?" There was a chorus of astonished queries as Patsy, Delia and Millie all stopped suddenly.

Penny shrugged. "I can't do it anymore."

"You can Penny, you're just doubting yourself. You had an awful job to do, but you'll feel better after the holidays." Millicent sounded as if she was going to cry.

"Please don't do anything hasty," Patsy interjected. "It's only been two days."

Penny shook her head, her face flushed as she tried to hold back tears. "I can't do it, Patsy. I won't be able to step onto a ward without thinking about Tuesday."

Delia took Penny's hand and squeezed it gently. "Have you spoken to Matron yet?"

Penny shook her head, grateful that Delia wasn't also questioning her decision. "No."

"In that case, I will make a suggestion. It is completely up to you what you decide." Delia took a steadying breath. It had crossed her mind to quit too. "Speak to Matron and see if you can take some time. Perhaps join the class behind us. That would give you three months away and you may think a bit differently after that."

"No. I don't want to lose you." Millicent looked bereft.

Penny smiled wanly at Delia. "I'm not sure I will change my mind. I haven't slept for three nights now."

"I understand, truly I do. But I think time will give you an opportunity to see things differently."

Patsy looked at the Welsh nurse sharply but didn't say anything.

"Please, Penny. Give yourself a chance. At least if you come back, we can still see each other regularly." Millicent sounded desperate.

If it wasn't for the fact that Patsy knew Millicent was seeing Dr. King, she might have been inclined to think there was something much deeper than friendship between Millie and Penny.

Penny pulled a face as she thought about it. "Do you think Matron would allow me to do that?" She asked tentatively.

Patsy smiled tightly. "It's better than losing you altogether."

Penny looked at the concerned faces of her friends. "All right. I'll speak to Matron. But I'm not making any promises."

There were sighs of relief all round. "Do you want me to come with you?" Millicent offered tentatively.

Penny nodded and after saying their goodbyes to Patsy and Delia, they retraced their steps back to the Lecture Hall.

There was silence for a while as Delia and Patsy returned to their rooms. As they reached their corridor, Patsy could hold back no longer. "Did you think of giving it up?" She whispered.

Delia nodded. "Yes, I did," she admitted honestly.

"And?" The tall nurse pushed slightly.

Delia opened the door to her room and stood to one side, silently inviting Patsy in. When she closed the door, she leant back against it and looked steadily at Patsy. "I can't give up nursing, Pats. This is where my life is." She paused a beat. "This is where you are."

Patsy stepped forward and pulled Delia into her arms, holding her tightly for long moments.

The pub was noisy and crowded. Patsy and Delia had managed to secure a small table in the corner but they needed to speak loudly to be heard.

"I've never been in a pub on Christmas Eve," Patsy admitted, finishing off her gin and tonic.

"Me neither. Mam always insisted on help with the food preparation before we all went to church for the late service," Delia replied. She gestured towards the blonde woman's glass. "You up for another?"

Patsy looked at Delia steadily. "Have we got any early morning plans tomorrow?" She asked.

"I haven't planned anything," Delia confirmed, grinning widely. "But I can't guarantee I won't wake up early. It is Christmas after all."

Patsy narrowed her eyes at the younger woman. "I will be setting a strict curfew. I don't wish to be disturbed before 8 o'clock. I don't care how excited you are about presents."

"Come on, Pats. 8 o'clock? I'll be going up the wall by then." Delia made no bones about getting excited on Christmas morning.

Patsy thought it was absolutely adorable and the stern look she attempted to give Delia was ruined when she grinned back. "Go on then. I'll have another G & T. But I will be a bear with a sore head if I am not allowed to recover from my hangover at a leisurely pace."

Delia beamed widely before springing up and heading for the bar.

"Taffy!" Benny called over to her from where he was standing.

"Hello, Benny. Nadolig Llawen!"

The cafe owner blushed. "I hope you've just wished me Merry Christmas," he managed.

Delia looked delighted. "That's exactly what I did. You've been paying attention."

If it was possible, Benny went even redder. "It's a lovely language, Taffy. Well, it is when you speak it."

"Thank you." Delia smiled graciously at him.

"Let me buy you and Patsy a drink," Benny offered generously.

"Oh no, don't be daft. We're fine."

"Nonsense. Brian!" The barman turned to Benny immediately. "Those two in the corner there are my favourite customers so I'm buying them the next round." His tone brooked no argument.

Delia nodded. "Diolch."

When Delia returned to the table with their drinks she saw Patsy regarding her with an amused look. "What?"

"I told you he's sweet on you," the nurse said knowingly.

"Bless him. He insisted on getting us a drink. What a thoroughly decent man."

"They generally are around here," Patsy mused. "They may not have two pennies to rub together but they have the most generous natures."

Delia nodded as she sipped her drink. They chatted idly for a few moments before they realised someone was hovering near the table and looked up.

"Good evening," Patsy acknowledged politely, if slightly nervously.

A tall, gangly man wearing a donkey jacket and heavy trousers smiled at them. "You're nurses at the London, ain't ya?"

Patsy winced. She was not keen on their profession being well known in the pub. They didn't want gossip to get back to the hospital, and she had no desire to be called upon to treat a dubious malady when they were trying to enjoy a night out. "That's right," she acknowledged.

"You do a marvellous job. Especially last week." He missed Delia pale slightly at the reference.

He looked towards the bar. "Brian. The next round is on me," he declared decisively. Brian nodded and the man looked back at the seated women. "Merry Christmas, girls." He walked away without another glance as Patsy and Delia stared wide-eyed at each other.

It seemed that a trend was set and Patsy and Delia found themselves plied with drinks all evening. At first they were anxious about taking the drinks, but the other patrons were insistent. It was a way of saying thank you without all the embarrassment of actually saying thank you.

As the night drew on, the pub grew more rowdy and someone sat down at the piano. After a couple of false starts, a sing-a-long began in earnest, and Delia and Patsy found themselves singing as loudly as the rest. The landlord put out heaped trays of sausage rolls and mince pies for his patrons, knowing that more rounds of drinks would be bought if they didn't disappear off to get food elsewhere.

For the first time in a week, Delia wasn't pushing thoughts of the rail crash from her mind. She was blissfully drunk, singing woefully off-key next to the woman she loved, even if she couldn't publicly declare it. This Christmas Eve was turning into something really rather memorable. The fact that they were holding each other round the waist and swaying as they sung added an extra frisson. Their closeness was undetectable given that the pub was so crowded, and many of the patrons were also hugging each other and singing with gusto.

The Welsh woman looked discretely at Patsy. The tall nurse looked absolutely radiant and relaxed. It made Delia's heart soar.

Patsy looked towards Delia and smiled unguardedly. Here she was, surrounded by strangers and holding onto the one person who meant everything to her. Up until this point, the only happy memories of Christmas she had, were when she was a child before the war. It had been a long time, but the feelings of goodwill, and generosity, and love had been rekindled. No, they had been reignited. This was what Christmas was supposed to feel like.

Patsy couldn't quite relax fully. She was still concerned about showing too much outward affection for Delia. Patsy was careful to ensure that a line of propriety was maintained, but she couldn't help the way she looked at the younger woman. Delia's decision to share Christmas with her was the best gift she could ever have received. She didn't know how she could ever repay her.

Eventually, the clock struck midnight, and the landlord regretfully had to ask his guests to leave. It took some time. Patsy and Delia were accosted by many of the men leaving for a 'Christmas kiss'. Both women were gracious and patient with them, but accepted kisses on the cheek only.

Delia, impudent as ever, would not allow Benny to simply wave goodbye and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Benny. Give our love to the wife and kids."

"Will do, Taff. I'm open on the 27th if you fancy a fry up."

Delia laughed. "We might just take you up on that."

Delia turned and put her arm round Patsy again as they headed back to the Nurses Home. "Sorry, Pats, I'm going to need a pair of steady legs to help get me home," she said loudly to excuse their closeness.

"I was rather hoping to rely on you, Deels. This could be a long walk." Patsy was equally loud as wrapped her arm around the shorter girl's shoulders.

"You want an escort back ladies?" Benny offered chivalrously. It was a generous gesture given that he would be going completely out of his way.

"No, thank you," Patsy declined politely. "We'll be fine."

He was about to offer again when Delia stopped him. "Honestly, Benny. It's lovely of you to offer, but it's not far. It's a clear, crisp night, and I can assure you that Patsy here is very capable of looking after me." She grinned wickedly.

Benny laughed. "All right. But head straight home. It's freezing." He paused as he tried to remember what Delia had said earlier. "How do you say it again?"

"Nadolig Llawen."

He shook his head. "Nope. Never going to get that. Thank god it only comes round once a year. Goodnight, ladies."

Patsy and Delia chorused their goodbyes before turning back down the street. They walked in companionable silence for a while, revelling in their closeness. As they approached the Nurses Home, however, Patsy suddenly stiffened. "Goodness, I've completely forgotten about curfew. The door will be locked."

Delia shook her head. "Relax. I have everything under control."

"Delia Busby, I am not letting you shin up a drainpipe. You almost gave me a heart attack when you climbed all the way up that tree the other weekend."

Delia snorted. "We couldn't let that lad lose his kite. And that was an easy climb."

"Delia," Patsy replied, a steely hint of warning in her tone.

"I'm not climbing anything, silly. I've got a key, remember?"

Patsy blinked. "I thought you were joking when you said you had made a copy."

"Why would I joke about that? I'm a great believer in making life easy where I can." She dug around in her coat pocket and retrieved the key triumphantly. "Ta da!"

"Shhhhh! We still have to get inside without alerting Matron," Patsy hissed.

Delia shrugged but when she spoke again it was a whisper. "All right, but I wouldn't be surprised if Matron was blowing her pigs to market in her room after half a dozen sherries. There's next to no one staying here at the moment who isn't working."

Patsy giggled and then struggled to keep quiet, shooting Delia another look.

Delia grinned back devilishly before using the key in the door. They managed to keep quiet all the way up to their corridor and creep silently into Patsy's room.

Once the door was shut, Patsy grabbed the 'door book' and jammed it into the bottom of the door. She turned round and leaned back, sighing with relief. She watched as Delia unbuttoned her coat and couldn't help smiling expansively. "Merry Christmas, Deels."

Delia smiled back. "Are you drunk, Patience Mount?" Without looking, she slung her coat towards the corner of Patsy's room, watching as Patsy removed her own.

"I am deliciously drunk, thank you very much." Patsy's coat and scarf were thrown in a similar direction.

Delia raised her eyebrows. This was new. In all the time she had known Patsy, she had always fastidiously hung up her clothes before doing anything else. Her nostrils flared slightly as she stalked towards the tall nurse, resting her hands on the woman's hips. "Do I get a Christmas kiss?" She whispered.

Patsy lowered her lips in response and captured her love's lips with her own. Patsy wrapped her arms around Delia and deepened the kiss, moaning slightly as she felt Delia respond, tasting gin and lipstick, and all things Delia.

The women crushed themselves together, getting lost in the sensation of the kiss. Patsy couldn't get enough of kissing Delia. Her body was reacting to every touch of Delia's tongue and she could feel the younger woman gripping her shoulders tightly. She wanted more. Patsy knew now. She wanted more. She wanted... "Delia?" she gasped as she broke the kiss eventually.

Delia looked into Patsy's smouldering eyes and could see exactly what she was asking. Knowing that she was mirroring Patsy's look of desire, she simply nodded before moving in to kiss Patsy, hard.

Patsy was reeling. She knew it was the alcohol making her bold, but she also knew that it wasn't simply the alcohol making her reckless. She had been holding back her feelings for so long. She had told herself for so long that it was wrong to feel this way. But it wasn't. How could it be wrong when every touch, look and taste of Delia sent her dizzy with want and love. Nervously, she brought her hands up and attempted to undo one of the buttons of Delia's blouse. Her hands were shaking so much she could barely control them but eventually she managed one.

Delia kissed Patsy again and tried to be patient but the taller woman's hands were trembling. After the third fumbled attempt, Delia took pity on Patsy and disengaged from her embrace, stepping back slightly. "Let me help," she murmured, her voice thick with need.

Delia found her own hands shaking as she tried to unfasten the next button down. She looked up in frustration after her second failed attempt and her breath caught as she saw Patsy staring at her, completely hypnotised by Delia's actions.

Delia didn't know if it was a year's worth of want, the alcohol in her system, or an after effect of the train crash demanding that she need affirmation of love, but Delia needed Patsy now.

Her eyes burned with desire and she returned Patsy's stare as she grabbed hold of either side of her blouse and yanked it open. She hoped that the buttons would simply take the path of least resistance and slip through the holes. Two buttons flew off the blouse.

Patsy gasped.

It was the catalyst Patsy needed and she stalked straight up to Delia and grabbed Delia's now open blouse and tugged it off her shoulders. As they kissed again, she pushed Delia back towards the bed and they tumbled onto it.

Patsy ran her fingers over the newly exposed flesh before using her lips to repeat the exploration. She could feel Delia tugging at the zip of her dress and absently shifted to help her remove it, no longer concerned about what Delia might think of the scars that marred her skin. She had seen the look of lust and love in Delia's eyes, and felt secure in her embrace. She arched into the brunette's touch, even as she felt Delia writhe at the attention she was lavishing on her.

Patsy's hands drifted towards the fastenings of Delia's skirt and moments later it joined the other garments on the floor. The blonde lay kisses along Delia's neck and lower. Her hands moved almost without volition as they reached behind Delia to unclasp her brassiere. Delia lifted herself slightly to help the process, finding Patsy's lips again and kissing her deeply as Patsy at last touched Delia's breast almost reverently.

Delia bit down on a groan. She knew that they were alone in their corridor, but she was not going to take any sort of risk that might frighten Patsy into backing off. She had wanted Patsy to do this for over a year. As Patsy broke the kiss and moved her lips lower to caress Delia's breast, Delia realised that her imagination had been a poor substitute for the real thing. She felt like she was seeing stars. Her own hands drifted slowly towards the clasp of Patsy's bra but she ran her hands gently over it several times to ensure she wasn't rushing the older woman.

Patsy was almost surprised to find that her brassiere had been removed but there was no time to be worried by it. The sensation of her breasts touching Delia's as she reached up for yet another kiss was almost overwhelming. It felt as if all of her blood was pumping into her core and she could feel an insistent pulse pounding there. She needed... She wanted... Suddenly, Patsy wasn't quite sure how to proceed. She didn't want to be inadequate for Delia. She wanted it to be perfect. She needed it to be perfect. Why was her brain suddenly functioning when she should be running on instinct?

Delia could sense the hesitation in Patsy and raised a hand to her cheek. She guided her face so that they looked at each other, their lips just inches apart. "Are you all right?" She whispered gently.

Patsy nodded. "I want to, Deels, but I don't want to disappoint you."

"You'd never disappoint me, sweetheart," Delia replied. Gently, she rolled them over and took the lead, somehow knowing that was what Patsy needed. She kissed her again, lightly at first, before once again building up the intensity.

As Patsy responded to the kiss, Delia shifted slightly and drew her hand lower, lightly tracing random patterns on exposed flesh. Her hand went ever lower but paused just above the waistband of Patsy's knickers. She broke off the kiss and looked at Patsy lovingly. "Are you sure?" She breathed.

Patsy nodded and Delia smiled softly, lowering her lips down to kiss her again, even as her hand dipped underneath the thin material.

"Pats?"

Patsy felt a nudge, to go with the whisper of her name. She grumbled incoherently and nestled down into the covers.

"Pats?"

The whisper was more urgent this time. Patsy opened one eye and smiled as she saw Delia looking at her with a huge grin on her face. "What time is it?" She asked groggily.

"8 o'clock on the dot," Delia said innocently. "I waited as instructed."

"You haven't just changed the time on the clock have you?" The tall nurse asked suspiciously.

Delia looked almost affronted. "No, of course not." She paused for a second. "I wish I'd thought to do that. I've been awake for ages."

Patsy groaned as she opened her other eye and rubbed the sleep out of eyes. She realised that she was still cocooned in the blankets and quite nude. Delia was sat up and wearing pyjamas. "When did you get dressed?"

"When you stole all the blankets."

"I'm so sorry." Patsy was immediately contrite until she saw a twinkle in Delia's eye. "You've only just got dressed, haven't you?"

Delia nodded. "I managed to sleep under a tiny corner of the blanket, but I didn't freeze to death," she continued dramatically.

Patsy grinned, not taken in for a second. "You should have woken me. I'm sure we could have found a way to keep warm," she teased.

Delia winced. "Try moving Pats. I think you'll find that you've worked muscles you didn't even know you had. I know I have."

Patsy looked at the brunette sceptically before sitting up. She groaned, this time in pain and her eyes widened in surprise. "Goodness me, everything hurts." She rubbed her left hip absently and then blushed, recalling several moments that could have attributed to that particular ache.

"Everything?" Delia teased, a rather self-satisfied grin on her face.

Patsy narrowed her eyes. "Yes." She paused for a second as she ensured that the blankets maintained her modesty. She gave Delia a lop-sided smile. "I wouldn't change a thing though," she admitted softly.

Delia's grin transformed into a full-on smile. "Me, neither." She leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Patsy's lips. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart. I love you."

Patsy smiled as she returned the kiss. "I love you, too."

To be continued...