Chapter 4 - Moonlight and Love Songs, Never Out of Date
Tim had indeed brought home some extra biscuits - Sister Winifred had apparently made up a rather large bag filled with goodies for the couple to take home. Bernadette found the bag in the kitchen after her fifth trip to the bathroom that night as she wandered around, longing for sleep her body clearly did not want to allow. She told herself she would only eat one or two biscuits, just enough to ease the slight rumble she felt in her stomach. A short time later, looking down at the abundance of empty wrappers and piles of crumbs before her, Bernadette discovered she had lied. Feeling torn between the guilt of eating so many of the sweets that were probably intended for both of them to share over the course of days and the justification she felt at eating whatever she pleased, she was eating for two after all, Bernadette made up her mind to grab the rest of the pink wafers and head back to bed. They would make an excellent breakfast in bed in a few hours.
As beams of sunlight shone across the bed, waking Tim from a restful slumber, he smiled. He found himself waking with a smile on his face a lot lately, he enjoyed opening his eyes every morning to the sight of his beautiful wife, her stomach growing larger by the day as their child grew within her. Tim would marvel at how gorgeous she was, each morning wondering how it was at all possible for her to have become even more beautiful overnight. He chuckled to himself as he thought back over all the times he had genuinely hated seeing his parent's "mushy stuff" and how he now understood the overwhelming desire to simply be in his wife's presence, her soul filling his own with light and love. He really had turned into quite the romantic, hadn't he? Tim turned over on the mattress, reaching out his hand to caress his wife's stomach, but encountered something else entirely. Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and allowed them to adjust to the light. "What am I sleeping in?" he asked her, brushing the grit and crumbs off of his hands.
Bernadette gave him a sheepish smile, taking another bite before answering, "I got a little peckish last night… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eat them all!" She stretched out a hand toward him, "Biscuit? It's the last one, I'm afraid. Well, last half of one, anyway."
"Are those pink wafers? You've eaten them all?" Bernadette couldn't understand the grin that lit up Tim's face at that moment.
"Yes, why? What's going on Tim? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're not upset to wake up covered in biscuit crumbs, but… why do you have that silly grin on your face?" His face was exuding pure joy. She was certain hers was exuding pure confusion. "Really what is going uggghh" an uninvited groan left her lips before she could finish the question and she grabbed her abdomen. "I think I may have overdone it on the biscuits, dear."
"I think I'm calling my mother, sweetheart" Timothy replied as he jumped from the bed and ran to the telephone.
"Turner residence" the sweet voice called out. Tim was glad it was Mum who answered, he knew Angela had developed a habit of racing to get there first lately as Dad had made it a habit to try to embarrass her whenever her friends called. Not that Tim minded talking to Angela, but he wanted to get right to the point and back to Bernadette.
"Mum, Bernadette ate an entire packet of pink wafers overnight."
The the briefest of pauses followed, and Tim could practically hear his mum's smile through the telephone line. "I'm on the way."
Tim quickly replaced the receiver and rushed back to Bernadette's side. "Any more contractions?"
"I'm not even sure that was a contraction, I've only had the one. Really, you're overreacting. Please tell me you didn't already call Mum?" Her point was invalidated, however, by another small pain.
Tim checked his watch, kicking himself for not having checked the time of her first contraction so he could determine exactly how long it had been. He estimated about eight minutes, they still had quite a ways to go. "I'll go wake your parents, let them know we'll be having company soon."
Bernadette smiled in appreciation as she tried to clean up the evidence of her early morning feast. "I'm glad we convinced them to stay last night. And I'm glad they made peace with Mum." Relief washed over her face at the remembrance and she settled back into the bed. "Tell Mum to send Dad over to the Hand and Shears as soon as he's finished breakfast. I don't fancy him hearing me screaming all day."
It didn't take Shelagh long to arrive. After dropping her two youngest off with friends and promising Patrick that someone would update him when it was almost time for baby, she had raced over, probably breaking a few traffic laws in the process. Standing on the doorstep, she took a moment to slow her frantic breathing and will herself to calm down. I'm about to deliver my first grandchild, she sang joyfully in her head as she let herself into the house.
Mrs. Lewis had dutifully sent her husband away and begun preparing hot water and towels and anything else she thought her daughter might need. She really did marvel at Bernadette, at how opposite she was to her own way of thinking. With all these modern conveniences practically at her doorstep, her daughter was choosing to give birth at home. With her mother-in-law as her midwife. Thinking back on her rocky relationship with her own mother-in-law, Mrs. Lewis simply couldn't imagine it. She was startled out of her remembrances when Shelagh let herself in, reminding herself that Mrs. Turner was nothing like her husband's mother, and determined to continue to build the relationship they had begun the day before. "Bernie is upstairs. Her pains are about five minutes apart."
Shelagh rushed to the bedroom just in time to see Bernadette's waters trickle to the floor where she stood supported by Tim. "Looks like things are progressing nicely!" Shelagh could not help but grin from ear to ear, "now onto the bed so I can check your progress."
Labor progressed smoothly and without complication. Patrick closed the surgery much earlier than he had planned, afraid to miss the sounds of his grandchild's first cry, but he wasn't needed so he remained in the hallway with Mrs. Lewis. The two stood in silence as they listened to their daughter's cries, noting how close together those cries were becoming and hearing Tim's gentle encouragement through each one. Patrick strained his ears to hear his wife's lilting voice coach Bernadette through the process - he loved to watch her work and wished he could see her face in this moment.
Inside the room, Tim sat behind his wife, supporting her with his whole being, Mum having told him just how much it helped when Dad had done that for her. Tim marveled again at Bernadette's beauty in this moment and the strength she had to push through the agony. He held her hands, stroked her hair, and whispered encouragement into her ear.
Shelagh was so proud of her boy, sending him a smile that she hoped would communicate that to him as she coached Bernadette through the pushes. Soon their efforts were rewarded as she guided the baby into the world, followed by the sweetest sound any of them had ever heard as baby made his presence known to the world. Shelagh could not help but cry as she cut the cord of her grandson and placed a tender kiss upon his forehead.
"Mum, you're going to get him wet!" Tim teased her, his grin so much like his father's as he hugged his wife close.
"Well, he does need a bath!" she quipped back, handing the freshly bundled baby to an also weeping Bernadette, followed by a shout towards the doorway, "it's a boy!"
Patrick couldn't believe his ears - a grandson! He and Mrs. Lewis, with no other outlet for their great joy available to them, hugged each other tightly as they congratulated one another. Mrs. Lewis telephoned the pub, but Mr. Lewis declined to come home immediately, stating that he'd see the baby just as well later as he would now. Patrick was puzzled by this man, but, then again, he was probably not as accustomed to being near a birth as Patrick was.
After what felt like hours, Shelagh opened the door with a smile on her face bigger than Patrick had ever seen. Patrick's smile began to rival his wife's as he took in the sight of his son, cradling his wife in his arms as she cradled their boy in hers. Allowing Mrs. Lewis the chance to hold the boy first, Patrick crossed the room to embrace Shelagh. "I was right," he whispered into her ear, "you are the most beautiful grandmother I've ever seen."
Shelagh blushed at the comment, keeping her voice low as she responded, "and you are the most handsome grandfather." Looking up into his eyes and beaming once again, she wrapped her arms around his lower back, pulling him closer, "Patrick, I don't know if I've ever been happier. You would be so proud of both of them, they were truly marvelous!"
"You are truly marvelous," he responded, cupping his hand under her chin and giving her a quick kiss.
Patrick stepped out of Shelagh's embrace to place his hand upon the small of her back and lead her closer to the newest addition to the family. "May I?" he asked Mrs. Lewis, reaching for the boy he was longing to see. Patrick rocked the infant gently for a few moments before laying him on the bed to carry out a quick examination, wanting confirmation that all was well. "Fit as a fiddle," he finally pronounced, scooping the tiny babe back into his arms and turning to Bernadette, "so what are we going to call him then?"
The couple shared a knowing glance and Bernadette gave a soft nod toward Tim as he spoke: "Patrick Lewis Turner"