Prompt 7: "Do you want to kiss as bad as I do right now?"
Summary: AU Season 2 Christmas Special: Sister Evangelina finds out that Shelagh is staying with the Turners during the bomb scare and goes to collect her.
A/N: I'm not even sure what this has to do with the prompt anymore, but here we are.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"I want all cubs off to bed now, especially you, young Jack." Chummy ushered her wolf pack back into bomb shelter and the finally-exhausted boys made their way through the maze of beds to find their families. Chummy watched Jack with some concern. All the boys were tired, but he seemed more out of sorts than the rest. Probably just the exhaustion of the party and the days of relocation, nothing to worry about...but still.
Freddie must have noticed her attention was elsewhere as he immediately began to fuss.
"Oh, dear, what now, young sir? Shall we walk a bit?" She gently bounced Freddie and his cries calmed, but his face still threatened to wail. She couldn't blame him. Truth be told, she was as grateful as the cubs to get out of the cramped hall for a bit. The air was thick with all manner of unsavory smells as well as a growing feeling of anxiety.
She walked towards the back of the hall towards the small corner she'd carved out for her family. With any luck, Peter would be back from his shift at the bomb site soon and she could grab a few cuddles and some much-needed sleep. At least Dr. Turner was kind enough to bring the boys back for her. Passing the nurses' station, she quickly realized they were just as tired as her, however, and she couldn't fight the need to offer assistance.
"I say, can I do anything?" asked Chummy.
"I think you've got your hands fully, Chummy," said Cynthia, smiling at Freddie, "but the gesture's appreciated."
"Besides, you got the boys out from under our feet for the night, and I'd say that's more than enough work." Added Trixie.
"Oh, it was no bother at all." Chummy insisted. "Actually, I really just had to drop them off. Got to sit down for most of it."
"Where did you bring them that's not closed off?" asked Sister Evangelina.
"Dr. Turner's." explained Chummy, feeling very inspired with her choice. "Kennilworth wasn't evacuated and they thought it might be nice for Timothy to see his friends as well."
"They?" asked Jenny.
"Oh, Dr. Turner and Shelagh." said Chummy, unaware of the secret she was spilling and the raised eyebrows on Sister Evangelina's face. "Poor thing got evacuated from her lodging house, but it was bally good of her to plan the boys a party."
"And she's staying there?" Sister Evangelina asked as her voice began to rise. "With him?"
"Yes, she - oh." Chummy stopped as she realized what she'd said. "Oh bugger, I don't think I was supposed to say anything. Oh, I didn't even think."
"I told you, it's always the quiet ones." Trixie giggled.
"That's enough cheek from you, thank you very much, Nurse Franklin." Sister Evangelina scolded. "Here, take over." She thrust her pile of folding into Trixie's hands.
"What, where are you going?" Trixie asked.
"She's not staying another night in that house until after she's married if I have anything to say about it, I don't care if the wedding's in two days!" Sister Evangelina proclaimed as she determinedly marched from the hall.
"Oh no." Chummy lamented. "What have I done?"
"We'll be lucky to see either of them alive in the morning." Sighed Jenny.
"Should someone go with her?" asked Cynthia.
"So they can be a casualty of war?" asked Trixie. "No thank you."
Turner Residence
"I think that's everything." Shelagh sighed as she snuggled into the couch in Patrick's (her's now) pajamas. Patrick sat at her side and rubbed soft circled on her hand. She was sleepy, but happy, and he was glad to see some of the worry disappear from her face.
"You didn't have to clean up, love, you're a guest." He gently brought her hand to his lips, forever marveling that she was sitting next to him at all.
"I won't be a guest for long, Patrick." She reminded him excitedly. "Besides, I'm happy to do it."
"It was really good of you to put all this together for them. I can't imagine all that energy pent up in the hall." said Patrick.
"It was no trouble." She replied honestly. "It was actually quite fun."
"Preparing for the future?" He asked teasingly.
She laughed and shook her head.
"I don't think we need that many, but I can't deny that one day, I hope we have one or two more." Suddenly she realized she'd never asked him about any of this. "If you want, that is." She corrected. "I just assumed, I mean, do you want more children?"
"Oh darling, of course I do." He assured.
Her sigh of relief saddened him a bit. How could she not see that he wanted everything she wanted?
"Shelagh, I've always wanted more children, I just never thought it would be possible after Marianne died. And then I started having feelings for you even though I didn't think it would happen, I couldn't stop wondering about how formidable a little mini Sister Bernadette would be, or how much you would dote on our little ones, or how you would teach Tim to be a big brother, and now...now everything is so clear and I've never been more excited for the future."
Shelagh felt tears in her eyes and Patrick reached up to gently wipe them away as she moved to hide them. How was it possible for her to love him more with every second.
"Do you want to kiss as badly as I do right now?" She asked, somewhat overwhelmed by the intense feelings and desperately wanting to build them and break the bubble at the same time.
"I always do." He whispered with a smile before closing the gap between them.
Their lips barely touched when an aggressive banging on the front door shocked them apart.
"Who on earth…" Patrick muttered.
"Dr. Turner, open this door right now!" Sister Evangelina's voice boomed through the wood and Shelagh felt her heart drop into the floor.
"How did she know?" Shelagh gasped.
"I don't know, but you don't have anything to be ashamed of." He quickly reassured her.
"She won't see it that way!" Shelagh panicked.
"Shelagh," He gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Doctor Patrick Turner!" Sister Evangelina shouted.
"I'd better go before she breaks the door." He muttered.
Patrick walked slowly, steeling himself to face the Sister's wrath. On the one hand, he knew perfectly well that his fiance should not be sleeping in his house mere nights before their wedding, but on the other hand, he and Shelagh hadn't done anything improper and she was clearly far too nervous to be lodging with the Nonnatuns. Also, if he was being completely honest with himself, he rather enjoyed the sight of her curled up on his couch in his pajamas.
Taking one last calming breath, he opened the door as Sister Evangelina was about to knock again and he had to back up quickly to avoid her fist.
"Good evening Sister, how can I help you?" He asked as though nothing was out of the ordinary in any way.
"Where is she?" she asked. Straight to the point, then. Patrick thought.
"She's in the sitting room. Would you like to come in?" he invited.
Sister Evangelina scowled, but managed to walk past him into the flat without maiming him.
Patrick followed closely behind her, not wanting to abandon Shelagh, who, for her part, was fidgeting on the couch with the blanket pulled up to her chin to hide her clothing.
Sister Evangelina was clearly on a mission as she entered the room.
"Come on, up you get, gather your things." she instructed to a confused Shelagh.
"What?" Shelagh asked, somewhat dumbfounded.
"Did you lose your ears when you lost your habit, let's move." Sister Evangelina snapped as she pulled Shelagh off the couch.
"What on earth are you doing?" Patrick stammered as the older Sister manhandled his fiance off his couch.
"What am I doing?" Sister Evangelina asked in disbelief. "I think the better question is what on earth did the two of you think you were doing? Do you think we don't hear the gossip? Do you think people don't ask us the questions they're too embarrassed to ask you?" She turned to Shelagh and her eyes narrowed even further. "What did you think you were solving hiding out here in his clothes? Look at you!"
"I'm sorry, Sister." Shelagh said softly. Patrick wasn't nearly as subdued, however.
"How dare you? She hasn't done anything wrong, stop yelling at her like she's a child, especially when you've done nothing but treat her coldly for weeks." He rattled.
"Patrick, don't." Shelagh pleaded.
"She didn't give us a chance to treat her any other way!" Sister Evangelina bit back. "She's been avoiding Nonnatus like we have the bloody plague. Well, I'll tell you something. Sister Julienne might be willing to give her time and prayers, but I'm not about to stand around and watch you let her ostracize herself from the entire community, and I'll be dead before I let her spend another night unmarried in a man's flat when her family is more than happy to look after her."
Patrick was about to fire back, but Shelagh's voice stopped him.
"My family?" she asked softly.
Sister Evangelina finally took a pause from her tirade and truly took in Shelagh's face and appearance.
She was practically swimming in his pajama shirt (made even bigger by her lost weight during her recovery) and the tiny bit of slip poking out of the bottom barely covered her knees - she must have been freezing, it explained the pile of blankets. It also meant that she hadn't had time to grab anything on her way out of her lodgings - or she didn't have many belongings yet. Her eyes were tired, but not tired from work as Sister Evangelina had become accustomed to seeing on her. No, she was utterly, emotionally exhausted. It had been easy for the older woman to harbor hurt at Shelagh's leaving when she could imagine her skipping and happy, but the young woman before her broke her heart. She'd been such a fool.
"Yes, Sis-Shelagh." said Sister Evangelina. "Your family. Whether you like it or not." She paused for a moment, unwilling to relent on taking Shelagh with her, but realizing the need for a calmer approach. "And they would never forgive me if I returned empty-handed, they miss you very much, so put yourself together."
Shelagh didn't bother to try to stop her tears. She'd been prepared for disappointment, resentment, really anything besides acceptance, and yet, the Sister she most thought hated her had just proclaimed her family. She couldn't believe it. She also didn't want to leave Patrick, though.
"Patrick," she started to apologize.
"Go, love." He smiled. "You've missed them just as much...and in two days, you won't ever have to leave again."
She blushed at the secret smile he reserved only for moments of teasing her and she could've sworn she saw Sister Evangelina roll her eyes in her periphery.
"Let me just get changed." said Shelagh, looking lighter than she had in days. She'd loved staying with Patrick, but she missed her Sisters and the Nurses desperately and hadn't Patrick just said the other day that it wasn't too late to invite them to the wedding?
She kissed Patrick goodbye, much to the Sister's chagrin, with all the love she had and made her way out the door.
The Hall
Shelagh walked nervously, but excitedly into the hall behind Sister Evangelina carrying her simple wedding dress - which she now planned on exchanging - and wearing her basic dress suit. Nestled safely in the box with her dress was Patrick's pajama shirt, but Sister Evangelina didn't need to know that. She walked over to the nurse's table as Sister Evangelina went to inform Sister Julienne and Sister Monica Joan and Shelagh immediately found herself surrounded by hugs.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Shelagh." Chummy apologized.
"You're lucky she made it here in one piece, Chummy." Trixie chided with a smile.
"It's quite alright." Shelagh insisted. "I'm," she paused, "I'm so glad to see you all."
The sincerity in her voice melted the group.
"Shelagh." Sister Julienne's soft voice cut lovingly through the group and Shelagh turned to the woman who might as well be her mother. "Did you think for one moment that we wouldn't want you here? That we wouldn't welcome you with open arms?"
"I didn't want to intrude." Shelagh admitted sadly.
"You could never be an intrusion." Jenny insisted. "We love you."
"And we've missed you terribly." added Cynthia.
"And it certainly wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of hands around here." Trixie hinted.
"Well, I can see nothing's changed." Shelagh laughed. "I'm happy to help. To be honest, I miss the work."
"Of course you do." Sister Julienne smiled. "But for now, you need to rest. You're still convalescing. If you're feeling up to it tomorrow, you are welcome to help, but I don't want you to push yourself, especially with the wedding so close."
The nurses gasped. In the chaos of the relocations, they'd nearly forgotten than Shelagh rejoining them meant wedding details and many a welcome distraction from the seemingly constant needs of the people around them.
"Oh you must tell us all about the wedding," Jenny gushed, "and if there's anything we can do, we're happy to help."
"Absolutely anything." Cynthia agreed.
"Thank you." Shelagh nearly cried. "Thank you for being so kind."
"We would never be anything else, my dear." said Sister Julienne. "Now then, let's find you a place to sleep."
"We'll find her a cot near us." Trixie insisted. "After all, if you stick around, you'll be Nurse Turner in a couple of days."
Shelagh beamed. Mrs. Turner made her heart flutter, but Nurse Turner felt like coming home.
7 down, 43 to go! Hope you enjoy!