Chapter 3 - On This We Can Rely, No Matter What the Future Brings
Shelagh breathed a sigh of relief when the day of the party arrived. She had been somewhat worried with how big baby was growing and how early baby had turned that it would come before they could celebrate its arrival. And while Shelagh knew no one at Nonnatus would mind having the baby come and celebrate with them, it would throw a wrinkle in her plans and as much as she loved her future grandchild, she did like things to be done in their proper order. But, the day was here and baby was not, so all was well.
Shelagh had asked to take Nurse Anderson's overnight on-call so that she would not have to worry about being called to a birth the next day. As she finally relaxed into a chair at 6am, she was glad she did. There had, by some miracle of God, only been one call overnight, and that was simply a case of Braxton Hicks contractions terrifying a first time mother, so Shelagh was left with a lot of free time as she listened for the telephone. The nurses and nuns were astounded as they came down the stairs for breakfast, their dining room transformed overnight by a diligent, and now napping, Shelagh.
"My dear Shelagh," Sister Julienne whispered as she shook the sleeping woman's shoulder gently rousing her for breakfast, "you know I was planning on helping you this morning! You did not have to do all this by yourself! Come have some breakfast so that you can have a proper rest in a real bed. You won't be doing anyone any good later if your muscles are so sore you cannot stand up!"
Shelagh smiled at her friend. Their relationship had certainly changed over the many years they knew each other. When she first arrived at Nonnatus as Sister Bernadette, the timid nun viewed Sister Julienne almost in fear, as not many authority figures in her past had been kind, at least not since her mother's death. But that view quickly changed, and she came to view the elder Sister as a mentor, even a mother. One of Shelagh's biggest fears when she left the order was how her relationship with Sister Julienne would change, she was terrified the older woman would be too disappointed in her to continue their relationship. She could not have been more wrong. Of course, the time of transition was difficult, there was pain and hurt involved in her leaving that could not be ignored, but as those rocky patches smoothed, it paved the way for a friendship stronger than Shelagh had ever had with anyone besides Patrick. More than a mother to her now, Sister Julienne was her closest friend. Wiping the memories and the sleep away, Shelagh was able to sit up slowly. "I wanted to surprise you. Besides, I've left plenty of baking for you to help me with."
As Sister Julienne helped her to the table and handed her a warm cup of tea, Shelagh examined the room once more, this time seeing beyond the decorations to the memories this room held in the past. Yes, so much had changed - has it really been more than 20 years? The thought seems unimaginable, yet one glance at the table proved its truth. So many of the people who were there when she first arrived as Sister Bernadette were gone, with new faces having replaced them.
Sister Winifred had taken over the running of Nonnatus House under the supervision of Sister Julienne three years earlier. The shift came as a part of their, thankfully successful, attempt at proving that both Nonnatus House and the Maternity Home were not relics of the past, but still essential elements of Poplar. The modernization of the Maternity Home was a difficult transition, but it allowed them to remain open for far longer than most would have assumed. Just prior to the modernization, Nurse Crane announced her decision to retire, hanging up her nurses' cap for good - although rumor had it that she may have taken up a position in a small practice out in the country shortly thereafter. Nurse Franklin was now in charge of the nurses, and she ran a tighter ship than Shelagh had ever expected of her, it would have made even Sister Evangelina proud. Yes, times had changed drastically, but life was also still very much the same.
By the time Tim and Bernadette arrived that afternoon, everything else was in place for the party. Bernadette had not taken more than two steps into the building before nurses and nuns were offering her tea, a place to put up her feet, and marveling at the seemingly quick progression of her pregnancy. "Are you sure you have your dates right?" Trixie asked, "You look rather farther along than 36 weeks!"
"I'm beginning to wonder that myself! But you know Tim won't be told he's wrong" she said with a wink at her husband, who put on a face of mock disbelief. Bernadette truly liked Trixie and wished she could have known the nurse in the days of Tim's childhood. She respected Trixie's openness about her struggle with alcoholism and had found that she was quite fun to be with when off duty. Bernadette linked arms with the nurse and walked away from her husband toward her parents, who were standing in the corner of the room alone. "Come on Trixie, my parents look in need of cake!"
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis looked terribly uncomfortable, despite the many people trying to make them feel welcome. The farmers always felt out of place while in the city, they were far more comfortable when they could see green for miles than when tall buildings boxed them in, blocking a proper view of even the sky. Their comfort level at the party was not helped by the awkward relationship that existed between themselves and Dr. and Mrs. Turner; they would not even be here at all if Bernadette had not insisted that they come.
Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Turner had not gotten off to a very good start, even before they were introduced. As their daughter had weaved the tale of the fascinating boy she met at a party, they smiled sweetly, until she mentioned his mother had been a nun. Mrs. Lewis didn't take too kindly to those who could not keep their word, even when it was inconvenient. Her assumptions about Mrs. Turner's character, that her faith could not have been genuine and that she must be a flighty and reckless woman to abandon her vows, made their first interactions rather painful for the family to watch. To her credit, Mrs. Lewis had at least not gone as far as her friends had, insinuating impropriety in their relations before she left the order or that their marriage was invalid in the eyes of God, leaving Teddy an illegitimate child. No, she wouldn't go that far at least.
Bernadette was determined that her two families would share the love she knew they could, and not just for the sake of their shared grandchild. "Mum, why don't you go talk to Shelagh, I'm sure she'd love to chat with you!"
"No, thank you dear" came the curt reply.
Trixie knew of the tension between the mothers. Both Bernadette and Shelagh had lamented the strained relationship, and so she had decided to take matters in her own hands. Steering Bernadette back away from her parents by their still interlocked arms, she gave a slight nod to Delia.
Seeing her cue, Delia approached the lonely couple with a broad smile. "Hello! I'm Nurse Busby, I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you at the wedding, but babies don't wait for ceremonies to finish!"
The couple smiled politely, Mrs. Lewis speaking first, "You're a midwife, then? That's nice."
"Yes, I really enjoy it. I did not begin as a midwife, but now I know there is nothing I would rather be doing!" Then, changing her her cheerful tone to one she hoped was not overly obvious in its melancholy, "I just wish my mum could understand that."
"She doesn't want you to be a midwife?"
"She didn't want me living in the city. We haven't spoken in several years. I miss her, but I won't give up my calling and my friends, even for her."
Trixie watched the interaction from the opposite of the room, smiling broadly, assuming from Mrs. Lewis' astonished and then crestfallen face that her plan appeared to be working.
As Delia, who gave a quick wink to Trixie, walked away, Mrs. Lewis stood stunned. She mulled over the words of the Welsh nurse in her mind, realizing that she too was pushing her daughter away by her actions. Quickly turning to her husband she informed him, with no room for argument, "I will not lose my daughter over hasty judgments of character and an inability to compromise. And I definitely will not lose my grandchild!"
Mrs. Lewis walked determinedly toward Mrs. Turner, who was by a table covered with all manner of cakes, pastries, and biscuits, facing the opposite direction as she conversed with two nuns. Mrs. Lewis overheard the tiny woman talking excitedly about Bernadette, throwing in some medical jargon she assumed had something to do with the pregnancy. Sister Winifred smiled at Shelagh, "I know you're excited about baby, but you really do need some rest tonight, I cannot believe you haven't slept since yesterday! I'll ask Nurse Franklin to remove you from tomorrow's rounds. We can cover it."
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it!" Shelagh exclaimed, "all the effort was worth it to see Bernadette's face! And you all did more than I did, those clothes must have taken you many evenings to knit and Sister Winifred, your painting for their nursery is beautiful!"
She knew it wasn't right to eavesdrop on conversations, but she figured the nuns would be forgiving, so Mrs. Lewis grabbed a biscuit to nibble as she listened to the conversation, her back turned. She had only interacted with Mrs. Turner at their respective homes and at the church during the wedding, she had never really had a chance to see Mrs. Turner conversing with her former sisters. She had walked over determined to not let Mrs. Turner's past bother her, but the longer she listened to this conversation, the longer she realized that perhaps her judgement really had been too hasty. She had expected some sort of icy silence to exist between Mrs. Turner and the nuns, or at most a professional civility, but they genuinely cared for one another. How could that be if Mrs. Lewis' first impressions of Mrs. Turner's faith had been correct? And did she really decorate all night for this party? The more Mrs. Lewis heard, the more she knew she had been incorrect about Mrs. Turner, especially when the sweet Scottish woman could not seem to stop singing the praises of her precious Bernadette.
"Mrs. Turner," Mrs. Lewis stepped toward the woman, knowing she had to be brave, though admitting her faults was not one of her strengths, "can I speak to you a moment?"
"Of course!" Shelagh smiled politely, though clearly with her guard up, not sure what the interaction would bring.
Sister Julienne gave Shelagh a reassuring smile before the pair of nuns walked away to give the two mothers some privacy. Mrs. Lewis swallowed back her fear and stated simply, "Mrs. Turner, I'm sorry. I was wrong about you and I want nothing more than your forgiveness." Shelagh was quite taken aback by this statement and started to speak, but Mrs. Lewis held up a hand to stop her, knowing that she needed to get everything out in the open at once. "I have heard the way my daughter speaks about you and your family. I honestly thought you had somehow duped her, and I'll admit to straining my relationship with her over our disagreements about your past. I cannot pretend to understand it, but I see now that she was right. I'm so sorry."
So much was running through Shelagh's mind that she wasn't sure where to begin. She glanced over at Patrick, who was talking with Fred but whose eyes had not left her since Mrs. Lewis approached her, ready to come to her aid if necessary. Looking back at the woman before her, Shelagh allowed two small tears to trickle down her face before embracing Mrs. Lewis, whispering into her ear, "The past is behind us now, today is about new beginnings. Please, call me Shelagh."
The room had quieted to utter silence, even young Teddy, who never seemed to stop chattering, mouth agape in shock over seeing the two women embrace so fondly. Tim pulled Bernadette close as she began sobbing into his shoulder, apologizing for her pregnancy hormones, though he was shedding a tear or two as well. The revenant moment was not broken for several minutes until the ringing of the telephone shattered the silence, the party resuming as if life had not completely been altered forever for the two families. "Thank you" was all Bernadette managed to choke out to her mother, but it was enough.
Several hours later, those who had entered Nonnatus House as strangers left it as a family, Shelah glancing toward heaven in silent prayers of thanks. "Thanks for everything, Mum!" Tim beamed as he hugged her, "I'm not sure I'm going to need to eat for two days after all that cake!"
Bernadette offered both her mothers hugs goodbye, promising Shelagh she would phone at the slightest twitch of labor. I don't care if he's full, she thought to herself, I hope Tim grabbed some of those extra biscuits to bring home, I could really go for a pink wafer...