p class="p1" style="text-align: center;" /p
p class="p2" style="text-align: center;"strongspan class="s1"Welcome To Wales/span/strong/p
p class="p1" /p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The rainy weather sadly didn't ease the following day and Patsy was beginning to suffer a bit of cabin fever. Delia was also walking around aimlessly. Their itinerary (that Patsy had so meticulously planned out to the nth degree) allowed for one day rest after the journey - Patsy had considered that checkbox ticked (although their escapades in the shower that morning, and consequently that evening, could hardly be considered 'rest'). But today she had scheduled in a walk around the local area and the Welsh weather was seemingly very uncooperative to the idea./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"At a loss for what to do, Patsy decided to clean. There was plenty to be done. Although the little cottage was very neat and organised, there was still some dirt and grime if one looked hard enough./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia had dispensed herself onto the sofa and had turned on the wireless to give them some sort of entertainment. The nasty weather was affecting her shoulder as she woken up that morning stiff and sore. Patsy had mused the weather might not have been one hundred percent to blame for this, but had bit her tongue. They should have been more gentle, her inner nurse chided. But Delia's face loomed large in her mind, her eyelids hooded, her mouth open wide as she cried out in pleasure.../span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy flushed, her hand slipping as she scrubbed the underside of the sink./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Pats?" called Delia from the sitting room./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Yes love?" Patsy called back./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"She surprised herself sometimes. The word 'love' had just slipped out without warning, making her heart rate spike. Clearly it had had a similar effect on Delia as there was a bit of a silence before she replied./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Could you make me a cup of tea please?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy grinned and ceased her cleaning efforts./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"By the time she'd sauntered into the living room with a tray full of tea, milk and biscuits, Delia was taking up the whole two seater sofa and almost falling asleep to the sound of Billy Fury on the radio./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy laid down the tray on the coffee table and folded her long legs, trying to budge in beside the brunette. Delia huffed in feigned indignation and shifted over, allowing her head to fall onto Patsy's shoulder./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They stayed like that a while, enjoying the simple domesticity of the scene. Patsy could smell Delia's hair as she inhaled. And what a beautiful sweet smell it was too. Almost on instinct she kissed the brown locks. Delia shifted a little, a small arm snaking its way around her waist and holding on tightly. They sighed happily in tandem before giggling./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I hope it's going to be exactly like this when we get our flat." Delia mused./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy chuckled throatily. "Perhaps not exactly like this, I don't think there are many quaint cottages for sale in Poplar."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"That earned her a gentle prod in the ribs./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I mean it Pats, I want to be able to sit and snuggle with you on a sofa, listen to the radio and the rain on the window outside, while we're all cozy inside."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy smiled, that did sound pretty marvelous./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""And when you get in from work I can cook you dinner and you can tell me all about your day and how many beautiful babies you've delivered." Delia inched closer./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""And when you get in, I can wash your dishes and iron your uniform." Patsy said./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Hey!" Delia pouted, sitting up slightly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Shh, I'm joking." Patsy smiled, flattening away the frown line on her girlfriend's forehead with her thumb. "It's going to be wonderful," she whispered, sincerely./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia dimples appeared. "I can't wait." she flopped back down onto the sofa again, wincing as her shoulder moved./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy's eyes narrowed astutely./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Can we have chips for tea?" Delia enquired, her face illuminating with childlike excitement./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy chuckled. "Of course we can! I'm amazed it's taken so long for you to ask."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia squealed in delight and attempted to give Patsy a lopsided, one armed hug. Taking pity on her, Patsy pulled the smaller woman into a proper embrace, kissing her neck. There was a clear purple mark there which seemed very stark contrast against the Welshwoman's pale skin. Patsy flushed again as she recalled the mark was her doing. Delia hadn't seemed to have minded, in fact when she'd caught sight of it in the mirror that morning she'd remarked it was nice to have a matching bruise for her shoulder - especially one put there by much more... positive, means./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"This reminded Patsy./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Oh, I spotted a tube of arnica cream in the bathroom cupboard. Would you like me to rub some on your shoulder - it might help ease the stiffness."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia's eyelashes fluttered. "Why Patience, a massage and chips for dinner, are you trying to seduce me?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Oh, of course I am." Patsy smiled her lopsided grin. "I have every intention of extorting you for nefarious purposes today. Seeing as your homeland cannot offer even a slight ounce of sunshine - I'll have to find my warmth elsewhere."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia laughed. "You may think you're a smooth talker, but you really aren't."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy stood up with a face of mock hurt. "I have you know Busby, my 'smooth talking' has got me out of many an unwanted date with a junior doctor."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Well, in that case, I can't fault to too much then can I?" Delia grinned. "But, yes please, some arnica would be lovely."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy smiled broadly. Little moments of flirting openly like this were what normal couples did all the time. It felt amazing to feel just that tiny ounce of normality for once./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Returning shortly after with the generous tube of arnica cream, Patsy perched on the edge of the sofa, carefully considering the logistics of their next exercise. She helped Delia gently out of her shirt./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Where do you want me?" Delia fluttered her eyelashes again./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy blushed deeply. God, this woman was infuriating, but also so irresistible she got away with almost anything./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I'm going to sit on the sofa, can you sit between my legs, facing the other way?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia obeyed, presenting her back to Patsy. The redhead squeezed a generous amount of cream onto her fingertips and began working it gently into Delia's bruised shoulder. The bruise had started to turn yellow around the edges, a good sign it was starting to heal./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The brunette hummed as Patsy's fingers worked gently into her tense shoulder./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""It's looking better than yesterday." Patsy remarked./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia hissed a little as Patsy went over a sensitive spot./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Urgh. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself for the rest of this month while this heals." Delia exclaimed dejectedly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy smiled sympathetically to the back of Delia's head. "A wonderful patient does not a nurse make."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Harumph."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy continued rubbing the cream in for a while. Delia sighed and became more relaxed with every little motion./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""How are your headaches?" Patsy asked softly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia shrugged a single shoulder. "Not had any since... since then."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy frowned a little. "Do you have any idea at all what was causing them?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I was just tired. And stressed." Delia replied honestly, turning round to face the redhead./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""And you weren't getting enough sleep." Patsy finished her triplet./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia nodded, sighing sadly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy made to open her mouth, but decided against it. She knew it was her fault that Delia had been all of those things, yet the conversation she'd had with Trixie reverberated loudly in her mind. Delia chose this. She chose to be with you, through the good and the bad. Patsy reached out a hand and stroked the gorgeous face in front of her./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""We'll get through this. Together."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia grasped Patsy's hand tightly in her own. "Of course we will, Cariad. We've survived a lot worse."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The redhead rebuttoned the brunette's shirt carefully before wrapping her in a firm, yet gentle hug. She could feel Delia's heart beating, a grounding thud echoing through her chest that told her she was still here, she was still very much alive. It was a beautiful sound, one that Patsy swore in that moment to never take for granted./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"~/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Thankfully, the rain subsided the next day, leaving in its wake contrastingly beautiful blue skies and sunshine./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy had awoken early and made her way downstairs. She'd done her best not to let the brunette stir as she padded down the rickety (and as she was conveniently now discovering) loud, creaky staircase. She made haste toward the kitchen to pop on the kettle and prepare her best attempt at a cooked breakfast. Today she wanted to surprise Delia with some form of culinary delight to wake up to. Ideally a nice sunny side up egg with some sausages, toast and maybe, if the larder would permit it, some baked beans./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Having assembled what could be considered a pretty good attempt at a full english, Patsy loaded up the breakfast tray, finally being used for its intended purpose, and headed back towards the master bedroom. It seemed her plans for a complete surprise had been thwarted however by the delightful smells radiating from the kitchen. By the time she'd kicked open the door with a foot, Delia was upright in bed, pillows propped up and a huge grin on her sleepy face./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Good morning, Cariad. For what do I owe the pleasure for such a grandeur morning meal?" she blinked away the sleep from her eyes./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy smiled and laid the tray down onto the bed./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Happy Birthday, Deels."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia jolted awake. "Wait. What?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""It's your birthday. Or at least, it should be, unless Wales has a time difference that I don't know about."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Goodness me, you're right. I completely forgot." Delia blinked./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy chuckled. "Well, I certainly didn't, and neither did the weather by the looks of it. Seems like we're in for a sunny day today which is just as well. I've planned us a picnic."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia paused, her mouth full of toast and swallowed hard. "But... but your itinerary says today is for 'exploring the local area and sights'."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Feeling bold, Patsy retorted in a stage whisper, "Oh trust me Busby, I have every intention of exploring the local sights..." Patsy raked her eyes from Delia's head to toe, "thoroughly."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia blushed deeply and stuffed more toast in her face to save embarrassment. Murmuring her approval at the taste she swallowed and turned back to the redhead./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""So what do you actually have planned today?" she giggled, the redness receding from her cheeks./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Well, I was thinking we could take a little walk around Tenby together. And perhaps have a picnic lunch?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia grinned from ear to ear. "I can give you the guided tour!"/span/p
p class="p1" /p
p class="p1" /p
p class="p1" /p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia's 'guided tour' consisted mainly of pointing out various points of interest from her childhood. They ranged from 'the tree where Owain Ramsey broke his leg falling off it' to 'Mrs Morgan's house, the village gossip' and of course, the infamous 'rope swing'./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"It was nearing lunchtime and the pair had walked a considerable distance around the little village. Delia had been accosted by several locals who had recognised her in passing, asking her how she was, how the big city was treating her and of course, if she'd found a lovely husband yet. The smaller woman met all the queries with a broad smile and polite replies before (to Patsy's utter surprise and yet delight) introducing the redhead to them./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""And this is Patsy, my very good friend and colleague. We're working together now I've qualified as a midwife."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Everyone had been more than friendly towards Patsy. Clearly having a stranger with an accent such as hers was somewhat of a novelty around this tight knit community. Patsy was reminded of Poplar in a sense. It was obvious everyone in this village looked out for each other, everyone knew everyone. The difference was, they seemed to welcome newcomers and visitors with open arms. Poplar could be quite standoffish when it came to change, but this little village, or at least what Patsy had seen of it so far, seemed to be very hospitable./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""You dears must pop by for some tea later," Mrs Hoggarth was patting Delia on the hand, "Only if you have the time of course, I wouldn't want to keep you from your parents. Give them my best will you cariad?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia smiled and thanked the little old woman as she went back to watering her begonias./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Delia..." Patsy ventured, the thought only just forming in her head, "did you tell your parents you were coming to Tenby?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia stiffened a little and dropped Patsy's arm that she'd been holding./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""You didn't did you?" Patsy sighed./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I didn't want to ruin this..." Delia waved vaguely, "and I know mam would find some sort of a way to ruin it, I know she would." She finished darkly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Delia! You can't come past their doorstep and not say hello." Patsy exclaimed. Her upper class upbringing was beginning to show but she thought surely it was universal - when one was in the neighbourhood, one usually made time to see relatives, whether or not one enjoyed their company was irrelevant./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""You're right." Delia sighed./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy smiled./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""But only because Mrs Morgan's seen me walking up the high street and she'll be knocking on mam's door within the hour asking how I've been."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy rolled her eyes. "Delia!"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Fine. We'll go see them later. But right now I want to spend this afternoon with you. With ONLY you."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy tucked the picnic hamper tightly under her arm. "I think we can do that." She smiled. "Now, can you possibly direct us to a secluded field, preferably one with no sheep droppings, I don't want to spoil the lovely tartan blanket we have on loan from our host."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"As luck would have it, Delia did know of just the place. It was far from any sort of prying eyes, human or animal for that matter. Unfortunately the secludedness of the spot came at quite the price of hiking. By the time they reached their destination, an idyllic hilltop overlooking Tenby and the sea, the midday sun was beating down overhead and Patsy's heels had blisters from walking./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"She looked over briefly at Delia, worried the smaller woman would be tiring, but Delia was in her element. It was clear she missed the countryside. The brunette simply stood, her arms out wide, sling abandoned, letting the sea breeze whip her hair up around her as she laughed merrily. Patsy wanted to burn the image into her brain to keep forever. Seeing Delia this happy made her insides flutter uncontrolably, a warmth spread through her chest and seemed to swell up inside her./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia had sensed she was being watched and looked over towards the guilty party./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""What?" she asked nonchalantly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Nothing." Patsy qualified quickly, "Just... enjoying the view."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They laid out the thick tartan rug on the grash. It was very lush and green from the previous days' rainfall and Delia quite contentedly removed her shoes, allowing her toes to be ticked by the little green blades./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They ate their little picnic of sandwiches and scones, enjoying the tranquility of the scene. There was no sound to be heard apart from the wind and the far off call of seagulls. Patsy closed her eyes and let the bright sun warm her face. This is what heaven is like, she thought as Delia's hand found hers and squeezed questioningly. She met the bright blue and grinned goofily./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Having a good time?" Delia asked./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Oh yes." Patsy stared back, "It's beautiful. You're beautiful." She added./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia discarded her half eaten scone into the picnic hamper and leaned forward, kissing Patsy briefly on the lips. She tasted of strawberry jam and cream, Patsy noted, before she pulled the brunette forward and kissed her back. They sat and kissed lazily for a while as the cool breeze gave them goosebumps and pleasant tingles up and down their arms./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy maneuvered them down so they were lying on the rug, out of the direct breeze. They lay staring up at the sky, hand in hand, watching as tiny wisps of little white clouds floated by. They talked about everything and nothing. Delia laughed so hard she cried and Patsy's stomach ached from happiness and from all things Welsh and Delia. Delia's smile faded and they locked sparkling blue eyes, the atmosphere changing in an instant as they took each other in./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"A stray wisp of brown hair was falling into Delia's eye and Patsy reached out to tuck it behind her ear. Delia sighed and closed her eyes./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I want to stay here forever." She whispered, her Welsh lilt very pronounced./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Me too."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia shifted propped herself up using her good shoulder and hovered her face above Patsy's. She paused for a brief moment before leaning down and capturing the redhead's lips in a searing kiss./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy's eyes closed and she returned enthusiastically. Delia's tongue darted out, coating the redhead's bottom lip. Patsy sighed as she felt a small hand on her waist, holding her tight. Perfection. She parted her mouth, allowing Delia more access and soon their mouths were dancing a delightful tango of their own. All the while Delia's hand was moving lower, caressing Patsy's hip and dipping under her dress.../span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Delia..." Patsy began to protest but suddenly realised she didn't care./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Mmhmm..." Delia replied, now feathering kisses down Patsy's jawline, towards her neck./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The errant hand was now making its way up Patsy's dress and into her stockings. Patsy gulped, the risqué nature of this little tryst was to say the least, rather exhilarating. There was still a tiny niggling part of her brain telling her this was wrong, this was dangerous, but right now, couldn't care less what that part had to say./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"She gasped audibly as Delia's hand slipped inside her knickers./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia grinned, kissing back up to Patsy's lips again. Patsy whimpered as she felt Delia's fingers stroke her folds gently. Her eyes slammed shut and she sucked in a breath, her whole body tensing./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Pats..." came a gentle whisper./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"She opened her eyes again to see Delia staring back, her expression open, baby blue eyes as deep as the ocean that lay behind them. Patsy could make out the individual freckles forming on her nose./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Relax. It's just me."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy took a deep shuddering breath and tried to calm herself. She focused on relaxing her muscles and letting her shoulders drop./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""That's it, you're safe." Delia maintained eye contact./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy smiled weakly as Delia's fingers began to circle her gently. Little frissions of pleasure shot up her body and down her legs. She bit her lip as she tried to focus on keeping her body calm. Delia leaned down and kissed her lightly before returning to her previous position, hovering directly above her./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Is this alright, Cariad?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy nodded./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The delightful tingly sensations were starting to build with every circle of the brunette's fingers. Delia increased her speed ever so slightly to catch up with Patsy's growing desire. All the while she stared deeply into those eyes./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy let out a little whimper. She could feel herself climbing. The wave of pleasure inside of her was building up and up. She found herself desperately clawing at it, trying to reach the peak, trying to regain control of her out of control body./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Relax, Pats," Delia's voice wafted through her ears. "Let go, it's alright, I have you, I have you safe."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy let out a long exhale. Let go. Delia's fingers were moving faster. Let go. She could feel something warm spreading up her legs. Let go. Panting she took one final gasping breath./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Let... Go./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Her eyes locked with Delia's as her body convulsed uncontrollably. She saw nothing but love and tranquility in those eyes. Waves of pleasure rippled through her as her mind and body finally caved in and still all she could see were those beautiful blue eyes./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Cariad?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia was holding her as she floated back down to earth. A heaviness seeped into her limbs and she found herself unable to move. But she was safe and that's all that mattered./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I have... no words, Deels." She finally said, her voice husky./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia leaned in and kissed her lightly on the forehead./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""You don't need any. I know." came the reply./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They lay side by side, Delia's head resting gently on Patsy's chest, listening to the thrumming of her heart./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The scene around them had not stirred, the sea breeze still cast a cooling air and the seagulls cries still sounded from far away./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy's eyes fluttered closed as she felt the sun warm her body from the outside, Delia warming her from the inside. Yes. She thought to herself, this - this was what perfect bliss felt like./span/p
p class="p1" /p
p class="p1" /p
p class="p1" /p
p class="p2"span class="s1"~/span/p
p class="p1" /p
p class="p1" /p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The next day Delia had decided she couldn't put it off any longer. It was time to visit her parents./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The more selfish part of her wanted to have this entire week with Patsy alone. In a way she wished Patsy hadn't chosen Tenby - any other lovely little Welsh seaside town would have been perfect, why did it have to be here? But on the other hand, she wouldn't have gotten to show Patsy all her favourite childhood places. And the cottage was rather perfect./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Tossing and turning that night and eventually internally huffing in acceptance, she'd decided they would visit her mam and da the following morning./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Afterall, she did feel a little guilty. Not replying to her mam's letters at the start had felt like a good idea. They were so many, most of them worried about her health (as was now a common recurring theme following her accident) but now she was beginning to miss her parents, especially her da. Walking around Tenby with Patsy was wonderful, but it didn't quite feel complete. The thing was, she was dreading her mam's reaction to seeing Patsy again. The last time they had locked horns was in that posh little teahouse when Patsy had boldly asked for Delia's passport. Her mam had clearly known something was going on between them, but none of her consequent letters seemed to mention either Patsy or her daughter's inclinations. There was an awful lot going unsaid between mother and daughter. Delia supposed her mam was, for all pretence and purposes, burying her head firmly in the sand, hoping it would all go away if she ignored it. Ironically, the same technique Patsy deployed in unsettlingly situations too./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia put on her best and brightest sunflower yellow dress that morning and plaited her hair into pigtails. Patsy also dressed smarter than usual, favouring a clean cut white blouse and well fitting olive slacks. Delia tried not to blush as she watched Patsy button her blouse. There was something about the redhead wearing slacks that gave her stomach butterflies./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""You're looking ever so dapper." She commented idly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy smiled and eyed Delia's outfit. "And you look completely adorable."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia flashed her dimples and gave a twirl, her pigtails swinging through the air. "I was thinking I'd charm my mother through my outfit rather than through words."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Well, you've certainly charmed me." Patsy winked./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia giggled and fixed a stray wisp of hair that had escaped. She looked at herself in the mirror on the dresser. The pigtails made her look even more youthful than ever. She'd been 'blessed' with a young face and often got mistaken for half her age. It was irritating, especially as a nurse; people sometimes questioning her ability and skill. But today she wanted to turn the charm up, perhaps the more childlike she looked, the easier her mother would go on her./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Are you alright?" Patsy was suddenly behind her, hands on her waist, looking over her shoulder and watching her reflection intently./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia sighed and nodded. "Just a bit nervous."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""You don't have to go if you don't want to."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""No, I want to go. It's just... "/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""You're worried what she'll think about me being here?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia turned around and gave an apologetic grimace./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Deels, I can stay here, if it's easier."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""No!" Delia exclaimed firmly. "That would mean she's won. And besides you've always taught me to rise above fear and do the things that scares us most."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"After a quick breakfast they headed out. Delia decided their first port of call should be her Da's drapers shop. He normally worked there on Fridays and she figured it would be best to see him first./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They entered the quaint little shop and the bell on the door announced their arrival with a bright tinkle. Inside was quite dark and smelt thickly of fabrics. There was an old fashioned till but nobody behind the counter./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia hadn't been in her father's shop since she was a teenager, but the smell was just the same. Even some of the products on the shelves seemed to be identical - some covered in a layer of dust. She frowned, usually the place couldn't replenish stock fast enough due to the high demand./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Suddenly a rich Welsh baritone voice spoke from the shadows./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Delia bach, is that you?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia's head whipped around to see her Da standing behind the counter, his blue eyes wide. He was a short man with a balding head of grey hair and a scruffy beard - at christmas he could pass as santa claus, given the right getup. His hair was a lot greyer and thinner since she'd last seen him but his deep laughter lines were exactly the same./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Da!" She exclaimed before running towards in and enveloping him in a one armed hug./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They stayed like that for several moments, Delia enjoying being wrapped in the safe cocoon of her father's arms. His hug was weaker than she remembered and he felt thinner. Eventually they parted and her Da's eyes flickered towards Patsy who was shuffling her feet awkwardly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Da, this is Patsy, Patsy, this is my Da." Delia made the introductions./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Patsy, what a lovely name. I'm Huw."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They shook hands warmly. "Come through to the back, the both of you - I've got a kettle on."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""What about customers?" Delia asked./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Oh never mind them bach," Huw grinned, dimples appearing on his cheeks./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They made their way into the back of the shop, taking care to avoid large reams of fabrics and cardboard boxes that littered the corridor. The back shop consisted of a little sink kitchenette area and a sad looking sofa. Huw pulled out a rickety wooden chair and sat on it, letting Patsy and Delia take the sofa./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""So!" Huw clapped his hands together in glee, "what brings you back to Cymru, cariad?" His eyes flickered to Delia's sling, "and what on earth happened to your poor arm?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I hurt my shoulder and Patsy and I decided to take a holiday, while I recover."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""How did you manage that? Last I heard you were a midwife, not a dock worker!" Huw laughed jovialy at his own joke./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""It's a long story." Delia admitted./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Huw chuckled, "I bet it is - did she ever tell you about the time she nearly broke her ankle climbing the tree in our back garden?" he asked Patsy./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy's eyebrows raised, "No, I don't think she did."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Huw's face lit up as he told the story, his face the splitting image of Delia whenever she recounted and exciting tale./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Thankfully the only thing that got hurt was her pride." He finished, winking in Delia's direction./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia rolled her eyes./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""So Patsy, you're clearly not from around here, " Huw addressed the redhead, "What's your story?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia felt Patsy stiffen next to her. She never liked being the subject for interrogation and Delia was about to interject with a deflection but Patsy beat her to it./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Not much to tell really, I grew up in singapore, moved to England and studied to be a nurse, that's where I met Delia."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Huw met her eyes. "Singapore?" the jovial nature was completely gone from his voice, "Was that during the war?" He frowned./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy nodded./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Da, shall I get the tea?" Delia hopped up, startling everyone./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Quick as a flash, Huw was back to his normal bubbly self, "Ah thank you bach, kettle is just over there so it is."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia busied herself making the beverages and Patsy continued the small talk./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Love shop you've got here, Mr Busby." She gestured./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Ah thank you, and it's Huw, no need to bother with all the formality - any friend of Delia's is a friend of mine." He smiled warmly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia smiled to herself as she poured extra milk into her cup. This is why she'd come here first, she knew her da would be much more welcoming towards the redhead than her mother and wanted to build up slowly to the encounter./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"She returned with three steaming mugs of tea, all made perfectly to their recipients tastes and settle back onto the sofa next to Patsy. She sat closer than before, their thighs touching slightly. To her delight, Patsy did not back away./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Delia tells me you've had this shop for a while." Patsy continued./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Aye that I have, opened just after the war so it did." Huw proclaimed proudly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia frowned, "Da... Why's it so quiet?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Oh you know, it's not really the season for drapery. Besides, nowadays folk often go to Swansea to buy their fabrics, we're a little antiquated apparently. Just because I refuse to keep up with 'Good Housekeeping' or 'Women's Realm' doesn't mean I don't know how to hem a pair of trousers or reupholster a chair." He winked./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia's eyes narrowed. She knew him well enough to know there was something he wasn't telling her. But then again, he perhaps didn't want to talk business in front of Patsy./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They all sat in amicable silence for a while, sipping their tea./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""So you two met in training did you?" Huw asked./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Yes we did, Patsy was a few years behind in school so we started studying at the same time." Delia explained./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Ahh, and you've stuck together ever since?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""We bonded over our ward rounds." Patsy smiled, remembering how they'd first met. "And I haven't been able to get rid of her."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Got drawn in by her sense of humor and stayed for her taste in music did you?" He winked at Patsy./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy flushed a deep crimson and suddenly became very interested in her tea./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""So where are you staying?" Huw asked./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Oh, Patsy rented us a cottage near the chip shop." Delia explained./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Huw frowned, "The one with the red door and the laburnum bush outside?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy nodded./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Ahh, Morag Ramsey's place, yes she said she was going away for a while to see her cousin up in Inverness."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Everyone really does know everyone in Tenby don't they?" Patsy smiled./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""That we do. That we do." Huw hummed. "I'm not one for gossip though, that's Mrs Morgan's job - I suspect you've met her?" he asked Patsy./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy's smile grew bigger, "Not in person, but I have seen her."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""She was rapping on the door last night and we plain ignored her. Probably spotted you both and wanted to let us know." Huw chuckled. "However, I am delighted with the surprise, bach." He leaned forward. "But why didn't you tell us you were coming, I'm sure your mam would've let you stay with us."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia tried her best not to snort. "We didn't want to bother you."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Nonsense, you could never bother us, cariad! You and Patsy are welcome any time, I mean it."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Shooting a side glance towards Patsy, Delia realised with a slight jolt in her stomach that the redhead's eyes were watering./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Thank you Mr Bus- "/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Huw held out a hand in protest./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Huw." Patsy corrected. "That is most kind of you." She added sincerely./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""You two should come round for dinner later, I'm sure Enid would cook us up a lovely spread."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"There was a silence./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""We were going to pop by after seeing you and say hello, there's really no need to invite us to dinner, da..." Delia rambled./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Nonsense." Huw exclaimed, "I'm closing up for lunch anyway, I'll come with you."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia sighed. Having her Da as backup would certainly help ease the tension of surprising her mam./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Thanks, da."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Huw closed the shop, locking the door securely and putting up a handwritten sign that read : 'Off On Lunch, Be Back Soonish!' and the trio began walking towards the Busby family home./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia felt a lot lighter than she had that morning, the encounter with her da had gone really well and it had put both her and Patsy's anxieties at ease a little. But she knew the worst was probably yet to come. She hid her injured arm under her thick coat, hoping to stave off any unwanted questions from the get go about her mishap./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"After a ten minute walk they came to a little gate which led up a path to the Busby's house. It was a small one storey bungalow with a neatly kept front garden and several potted plants lining the path. The same gaudy looking gnomes from Delia's childhood still littered the front lawn. Her da loved collecting them, he thought they brought good luck to the house. The nostalgia hit her in waves as they walked in a line towards the front door./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Of course she had been back here recently after her accident. But then she was only just regaining her memories. It felt completely different to be here, fully aware of everything and able to appreciate all the little details without having to concentrate like mad. And this time it had been her decision to come here, she was here by choice, not by necessity. That thought filled her with courage as Huw rapped loudly on the bright green front door./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Enid!" He called, "There's someone special come to see you."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"There was a little kerfuffle from inside and Delia's mam's voice rang out, her accent thick, "That rag and bone man has been round four times this week, Huw, I've bloody well had enough of him - " she opened the door and froze in place./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Hello mam." Delia smiled./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Mrs Busby's eyes flicked from Delia to Patsy hovering behind her and her jaw dropped to the floor./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Come on cariad, you'll catch flies." Huw chuckled. "Let us in will you, it's starting to rain out here."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"He pushed open the door, leading Delia and Patsy passed a stunned looking Mrs Busby./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Why don't you get Patsy settled in the lounge bach, I'll sort out your mam." Huw whispered in Delia's ear. "I'll take your coats."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia led Patsy into the sitting room. It was covered in lilac floral wallpaper and smelt thickly of lavender. Everything was perfectly neat and clearly had its place. Her mam always liked to keep a tight ship and would be ever so out of sorts if someone moved one of the ornaments so much as an inch from its rightful place./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They sat on the sofa together, Patsy's hands were clasped in front of her. She looked tense. Delia reached over and stroked the back of her hand gently. The redhead all but jumped a mile in the air./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""It's alright, cariad." Delia whispered. "We'll get through this."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy smiled weakly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia took off her sling and held it out to Patsy. "Could you put this in your pocket?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""What? Why?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""If mam finds out I've hurt myself it'll be mayhem all over again."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy's lips pursed, her inner nurse clearly against the idea, but her compassionate side won out and she tucked away the bandage into the pocket of her slacks./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"There were muffled sounds coming from the hallway. Clearly her Mam and Da were locked in a fierce Welsh discussion together. Delia strained her ears, trying to pick out what they were saying./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Pam mae hi wedi dod yma?" came Mrs Busby's angry whisper, "A chyda hi. O'r holl bobl."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Beth sydd o'i le gyda Patsy?" Huw retorted, "Mae hi'n ferch ifanc braf."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Oh Huw!" Mrs Busby chided, "ydych chi'n gwbl ddall?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Dydw i ddim yn gwybod beth rydych chi'n sôn amdano, cariad." Huw said defensively. "Ac er eu bod o dan ein to, maent yn ein gwesteion. Felly, yr wyf yn awgrymu eich bod yn mynd a rhowch y tegell ymlaen."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy leaned over. "What are they saying?" she whispered./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia shrugged. She knew exactly what they were saying but didn't really want to repeat it to Patsy. One thing was clear though, her mam's hostile feelings towards the redhead and not changed./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Mr Busby appeared in the doorway, a smile plastered on his face again. "Enid's just getting us some lunch."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia gritted her teeth. She didn't really want to stay here for lunch. The plan was really to say hello and then get out of there as quick as possible./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""That's very kind of her." Patsy said. "Isn't it Deels?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Taking a few deep breaths, Delia smiled. "Yes. It is."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Huw beamed. "I think it's liver pate and cucumber sandwiches, homegrown cucumbers that is." He added proudly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy looked impressed. "You grow your own vegetables?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""That we do." Huw bounced in excitement. "I've got a little allotment, it's not much but it's been doing pretty well these past weeks, considering we had such a horrible winter."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Did you get snow here too?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Aye, we were buried in it so we were - trapped for a good few weeks. Thankfully Enid's supply of tinned food kept us going. Although, I'd quite happily never eat another can of baked beans for the rest of my life."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The idle chatter continued and Delia began to relax. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad afterall. They'd eat lunch, make small talk then leave. Then she'd have the rest of the holiday without feeling guilty about seeing her parents. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy their company, it was more so the longer they stayed the more likely her mam would say or do something to upset the apple cart. And in all honesty, Delia did not have the strength right now to cope with a full blown confrontation./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Eventually Mrs Busby called them through to the dining room for luncheon. They trooped through, Huw taking the seat at the head of the table and Delia sitting opposite her mam, Patsy to her right./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""What a lovely spread you have Mrs Busby." Patsy smiled politely./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Enid sniffed and nodded curtly in acknowledgement./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They all tucked into their meal, the odd sentence passing between them politely./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""So, Delia." Huw said with a mouthful of sandwich./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Mrs Busby batted at him, "don't talk with your mouth full Huw."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"He swallowed hard and continued, "How's life being a midwife eh? How many little ones have you delivered so far?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I hardly think that's an appropriate subject for the dinner table do you?" Enid responded scathingly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Actually it's been amazing so far." Delia's face lit up, "I helped Valerie, my colleague, deliver a baby a few weeks ago, it was very exciting."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Well done bach! Isn't that wonderful?" Huw applauded./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy grinned. "It was pretty wonderful yes."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia blushed at the praise from her father and girlfriend. "I was only doing my job."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Modest until then end this one." Huw chuckled. "Even if she's bringing new life into the world."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Enid coughed. "She's hardly birthing the children Huw, I wouldn't go that far."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Oh hush cariad, just because Dylan's not married yet doesn't mean you'll never get any grandchildren."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Dylan?" Patsy asked, puzzled./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""My brother." Delia clarified. "Younger brother. He's in the merchant navy and travels a lot."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""At least he'll have a chance of meeting a lovely wife on his travels." Enid sniffed, replacing the lid on the teapot with a soft 'clink'./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The knuckles of Delia's left hand were turning white under the table as she balled her hand into a fist. She refused to let her mam win this stand off./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""You never told me you had a younger brother Deels." Patsy smiled./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Well, perhaps you don't know her as well as you thought you do." Enid snarled, sipping her tea./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The tension in the room teetered on the edge, Delia and her mam both exchanging death stares over their cups of tea./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Well, what a lovely meal." Huw exclaimed loudly. "I'll just go do the washing up now shall I?" He didn't wait for an answer, just began clearing the plates, some with half eaten sandwiches still on them. "Patsy, why don't you help me dry?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy stood cautiously, sending a glance Delia's way, but right now she also didn't fancy being at the middle of a Busby shouting match and decided to cut her losses and join Huw in the kitchen./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"The moment the kitchen door closed, Enid rounded on Delia. "What on earth is she doing here?" Her thumb pointed towards the closed door./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Normally Delia would back down and submit to her mam, but this time she'd had quite enough. Why should her own mother stop her from being happy and living her own life?/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""We're on holiday together mam. Patsy rented us a lovely little cottage for the week." Delia tried to keep her voice level./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Mrs Busby's face had started to inflate like a giant red balloon. "You're doing what!?" She hissed./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""We're sharing a cottage together." Delia repeated. Sharing a bed too. But she didn't push her luck by adding that./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Are you doing this on purpose? Rubbing it in our faces? What if word got out you and her were... were..."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Were what mam?" Delia's voice rose./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Enid it seemed, couldn't bring herself to complete the sentence, her eyes darting around as if expecting a cohort of neighbours to be perring in through the dining room windows./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""What you do in your own time is your business, " Enid hissed in a low voice, "but the moment you start bringing that filth into our home I- "/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I'm sorry, what!?" Delia didn't care about controlling her volume anymore, her blood was boiling./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""People will talk, Delia. People do talk. I've heard them. Ever since your accident, ever since all those letters.. from her."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Patsy mam. She has a name." Delia spat./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""She's a bad influence on you." Mrs Busby shot back, "No wonder her father abandoned her, honestly I don't understand why you even bother - "/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"SLAM./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia's fist came down hard on the table, the force and the noise making Enid jump. The brunette's eyes were stormy grey, almost black./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Don't you dare." she whispered, dangerously quiet./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Mrs Busby tried to backtrack. "I didn't mean, I just... Oh cariad, I just want what's best for you." Her voice dripped with honey./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia slumped back down into her seat, trying not to grunt in pain. She'd used her injured arm to make her point and now said limb was throbbing angrily./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Patsy is what's best for me mam." She sighed. "I know you can't see it the way I do but please, trust me."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""It's such a lonely life caraid." Enid's voice was suddenly very small. As if she was clinging on to the last remnants of her daughter's innocence./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia smiled and shook her head. "No. No it isn't." She sighed again. "I love her mam."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Enid's face was an array of emotion, she was scrabbling at the pieces, trying her utmost to pull Delia back from the edge. "Delia...can't you just... " came her last, desperate plea./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia shook her head. "No mam. I love her. She's it for me, there's not going to be anyone else."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Enid eyed her daughter intently, but Delia held her gaze firmly, for perhaps the first time ever in her life./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I think you should go." Enid said./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia nodded, tight lipped and rose from the table. As if on cue, the kitchen door opened and in came Patsy and Huw. She wondered if they'd heard the row - how could they not have. Right now she didn't really care what they thought, she was tired, she'd had enough fighting. She blinked a few times, steadying herself with her good arm as she swayed a little on the spot./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy rushed to her side to help prop her up./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Deels, are you alright?" she asked, looking down at Delia's right fist in alarm./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia followed Patsy's gaze numbly and saw blood on the bright white table cloth. Her knuckles were bleeding./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""This is ridiculous." Patsy muttered, reaching into the pocket of her slacks and pulling out Delia's sling. "Put this on," she ordered, "Huw, can you get us a clean dishcloth please?"/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia allowed herself to be helped into a chair in the sitting room as Patsy wrapped her hand and reassessed her shoulder. Huw hovered awkwardly in the background as Patsy worked, Enid had disappeared upstairs without another word./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Right. I don't think there's any more damage done." Patsy checked the range of motion of Delia's shoulder one more time./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Oh bach I'm sori," whispered Huw, "I should have said something."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia shook her head. "No da, it's alright. We needed to talk." She massaged her right hand with her left./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""I don't think that was really talking was it?" Huw said kindly./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Delia's lip wobbled threateningly. "I'm sorry, we shouldn't have come."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Nonsense." Huw began./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""No da, it's fine, really. We should be going anyway." Delia stood up and made her way towards the hall./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy followed her, grabbing their coats as Delia opened the front door./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Tell mam thanks for lunch." Delia said, her face expressionless./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1""Bach..."/span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"But Delia had ushered Patsy outside and had closed the door behind her./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"They walked in silence back towards their little cottage, the rain lashing down and drowning Delia's hair causing her fringe to stick to her forehead./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Patsy said nothing, just linked her arm with Delia and helped her walk./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"Eventually they reached the warmth and safety of their accommodation. Only when the door closed did Delia finally break./span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1" /span/p
p class="p2"span class="s1"She collapsed sideways into Patsy's arms with a monumental sob. The rest was a blur, she vaguely remembered Patsy helping her upstairs, out of her sodden clothes and into a pair of soft pyjamas. There were warm self arms enveloping her and that wonderful soft mattress consuming her body. If only it could consume her grief too, she though as finally she drifted off into an uneven sleep, Patsy knelt by her bedside, stroking her hair, her tears staining the pillow she was lying on./span/p