Good evening!

I present to you: (Drumroll please) Chapter 2!

A collection of short scenes that involve the slow development of Patrick and Shelagh's relationship, very little of any of the other characters in this one I'm afraid - but they will make their way back to the fore in Chapter 3 (Promise)

I will warn you now - this chapter involves a scene that some may find upsetting, I've tried to write it as sensitively as possible, and I hope I've done it justice. I've tried to research it as accurately as possible but if anyone has any issues with that section, feel free to message me and I can make changes or even take down the passage.

Thanks for reading: and please review, thank you so much to those of you who already have - it's great to read what you guys think!

"You've got the words to change a nation, but you're biting your tongue, you've spent a life time stuck in silence, afraid you'll say something wrong, if no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song? So come, on come on, come on, come on, you've got a heart as loud as lions, so why let your voice be tamed? …" Hearing a knock at the door Shelagh turned down the radio in the kitchen and walked over to her front door, it was a little after 8 and she was still in her pyjamas with a cardigan over the top to keep herself warm in the chilly flat.

"Good morning Patrick, come in, come in."

"Thanks Shelagh, was that you singing I just heard?"

"In was a duet between me and Emeli Sande!" She replied with a laugh, leading him into her kitchen. Dr Turner rarely socialised with any of his colleagues outside of work, and he had certainly never seen the inside of any of their homes; Shelagh's small East London flat was nothing like his own Stratford home, but it was nice. Small and cosy and bright, walls were filled with photographs and posters and maps and fliers, every available space was full of memories and colour. He liked it.

"Do you want some tea or coffee or anything – I can probably stretch to toast?"

"Some tea would be wonderful thank you, and thank you so much for watching Tim last night. I really am very very grateful!"

"Ahh – don't be silly, I didn't mind at all. Are you sure you don't want some toast or something, you look dead on your feet." She asked gently, resting a hand on his forearm. He cast an eye down to where her hand lay, she followed his gaze and with a small cough she removed her hand and smiled broadly at him.

"Or I have bacon – I'm sure I could do a bacon butty …"

"Well – I think you may have just read my mind. I'll always say yes to a bacon sandwich! Oh, by the way, I took your advice."

"Oh?" Replied Shelagh, with her head in the fridge hunting out the packet of bacon, before turning to flick on the kettle.

"I rang Tim's school, to ask about the dyslexia - and … apparently they've sent me numerous letters on the subject."

"But how – you said that they hadn't said anything to you?"

"My kitchen table is covered in letters that I've never got round to reading, someone could have drained my bank account, I could have Russian mobsters sending me severed fingers in the post and I wouldn't know about it! I'm perfectly prepared to believe that the school's been sending me letters for the past 6months. I just don't have the time – things were so much easier when Clair was still … about!"

"… It must be hard."

"Yeah – it's not easy, but we get by. It's just hard to find time for everything – sometimes I think I should have been a shop assistant, less money for less responsibility and less shifts!"

"Don't say that – you're a good doctor Patrick, Asda's loss is the NHS's gain!"

"I suppose so, you talk such sense for such a young woman!"

"I'm not that young! I'm old enough to see someone who's good at their job anyhow. Right – do you want red sauce or brown?"

"Just plain actually – I'm a bit of a bacon based maverick."

"Clearly!"

Shelagh gently held Anna's knees apart and tried to smile encouragingly, it was hard to though, she knew that this wasn't going to be easy. The pain of labour wouldn't be soothed by the joy of a new born baby, this child was dead, in all honesty Anna had known from the moment she stepped into the hospital that her unborn child was long gone, but it had still taken a great deal of counselling from Shelagh and Dr Turner before she agreed that she would give birth to her still born child.

"Just a little bit longer now Anna, I want you to take a deep breath and then when you feel the next contraction I want you to push for me, OK?"

"Yeah … I can do that … it's coming now – I can feel it."

"Ok – gently does it, Dr?"

"Yes – I'm here Shelagh, don't worry."

"Alright then … have a little rest Anna, we've delivered the head. Dr? can you just …?"

"Yes – got it there." He replied,

"What is it? What are you doing?" asked a fearful voice from the head of the bed.

"Don't worry Anna, on your next contraction we're going to turn the baby a little, just to help the shoulders out, and I need Dr Turner's help."

"OK – can I push again, I can feel it coming?"

"Yes – you push when you need to … OK – there we are, Anna your baby's been delivered. A little girl Anna, now I'm just going to clean her up a little bit, and then would you like a hold of her?"

"Yes, yes please … before you clean her, can I just see her?"

"Of course you can Anna."

Shelagh carefuly walked over to the side, a laid the tiny child down on the side, carefully licking her lips she steeled herself before carefully cleaning down the babies skin as gently as she could. She started as she felt a hand on her back, turning to see its owner she was faced by Patrick Turner.

"Are you alright Shelagh?"

"I'll be fine thank you, I'm … fine."

"Alright then, well once you've finished up here go and get yourself some fresh air, Julie and I can deliver the placenta."

"No, honestly, I'd rather see this through – I insist Patrick."

"Right, ok then, but promise that after that – you'll take a break?"

"I promise." Turning around, she met the doctors eyes she have him a nod, before she quietly stepped over to Anna's bedside and gently laid the small baby in its mother's arms. She saw the raw love that only childbirth can bring, and saw the harsh pain that only the loss of a child can bring.

"Anna, in a little bit, you're going to have to deliver the placenta – now I can help, and it'll be reasonably quick, but you will have a few mild contractions and have to do a little bit of pushing. But don't worry, it won't be too bad – I promise."

"And Shelagh always keeps her promises." Said a voice from behind her, she turned and gave him a small smile.

"Can I steal a cigarette?"

"I didn't know you smoked?"

"I haven't since I was about 21, but it seems appropriate – thank you."

"What happened at 21 then?"

"Hmmm? Oh, I left university, you know what it's like when you're a student: a bottle of Blackthorn and 10 Lambert for under a fiver – that was every one of my Friday nights for 3 years."

"I'm seeing you in a whole new light! You were fantastic in there you know, calm, collected, supportive, pragmatic. Anna couldn't have asked for a better midwife today."

"Thank you, you needn't be so nice though you know – it's just my job!"

"No Shelagh, you're selling yourself short -"

"- that's not hard – I'm about 5"2!"

"Don't deflect - accept a compliment, you are far better that 80% of the midwives I've worked with, you're so committed, so … fantastic at everything you do in your work, and the worst thing is that you don't seem to realise it!"

"Oh look – it's the naughty kids smoking behind the bike sheds!"

"Evening Cynthia, how are you?" Asked Shelagh, jumping slightly in surprise as Cynthia Miller had snuck up to the niche beside the bins where they were sheltering.

"Oh not too bad, how was the day shift?"

"Pretty awful, Dr Turner and I had to deliver a stillborn, a little girl."

"Oh lord, I'm sorry – you both must be exhausted!"

"Oh I'll live, I think I owe Shelagh a drink though, more than a drink – a distillery perhaps. Where's your haphazard student?"

"Camilla, oh you haven't heard then? About the romance of the century?"

"No – who's her … who is it?"

"A policeman – the one she knocked over in A&E on her first day, apparently it's all going quite well."

"So …" Said Patrick, placing a bottle of cider down in front of Shelagh with a smile, "Tell me about yourself."

"About me? There's not much to tell to be honest, I grew up in Aberdeen ummm … I trained as a nurse up there, I moved down to London with my boyfriend at the time … we split up, I retrained as a midwife and … that's about it …"

"You should have been an KGB spy – you don't give much away do you … tell me about you, your likes, your family – I don't know, just something other than your CV."

"Right … umm … I have a cat called Bernadette, an older Sister Molly, and a younger brother Michael. I like … to bake, umm … I like P.J. Wodehouse books, my favourite film is the Poseidon Adventure … is that good enough for you? What about you?"

"Three older brothers, I think they tormented me a bit when I was young – I grew up in Blackpool, studied biochemistry at university, and then realised that all that equipped me for was teaching – so I started a medical degree, hated it – until I did my rotation on obstetrics and I fell in love, and once I'd found my place in the world of medicine that was it – I was sold!"

"So you never fancied the easy life of a GP?"

"Lord no, no I was never in for an easy life. How about you? Did you not fancy a nice quiet ward, maternity is never quiet."

"No – I enjoy it all, the noise and the long hours – it's all worthwhile, I like to see new-born babies, it's pain and joy and love and it's all so pure, nothing is so … hopeful as a new born baby, they've their whole life before them and whatever happens to them, in that snapshot of time I help with – they are … perfect and full of possibility!"

"That's beautiful, it really is – and that is why you're a fantastic midwife Shelagh. It's like I always said to Clair – if you truly believe in what it is you're doing, if you do your job and live your life because it makes you happy then nothing can go wrong. You might have a dead end job, that you hate and pays peanuts – but if you do it to look after your family – then things can't go far wrong. Clair always liked that …"

"Do you miss her?"

"Of course … everyday, but we get by. Things can be a little tricky between me and Tim though … I work long hours, and Clair was always so much better than me at talking to him, at doing all those … parenty things."

"I'm sure that's not true, it's always hard being a single parent – however it comes about. And Tim's a good boy, bright and kind, you're lucky – and I'm sure the only reason he gets annoyed about your long hours is because he loves you. My Dad was a tailor, and I hated how hard he worked and that I hardly ever saw him when he had orders on – because I loved him so much and it hurt me not seeing him."

"He must have been a spectacular man to inspire such strong feelings."

"Not really – he was just a dad really."