Fiona has become a skilled physician, compassionate and by far an excellent surgeon. By 1914, the end of spring Alaya and Fiona's life has developed a ritual.
They focus on getting a good night sleep which means no longer eat dinner with the mothers instead when Fiona comes home they will share a sandwich and go straight to bed. Vastra installed blackout curtains to keep the room dark while Vastra and Jenny did their best to stay quiet a floor below. The mornings Fiona is home she will exercise with the family and have a healthy breakfast. The new routine and diet has help Fiona be at a healthy weight and doesn't seem so tired all the time.
Louisa and Flora are jealous
The calendar in the kitchen has big red circles around two dates on May twelfth and twenty-sixth, there are x's marked from the first to the tenth. Alaya looks at the clock on the wall it is after six pm and paces the kitchen while her mothers eat their stew.
"My dear, she will be home soon. Doesn't she usually call?"
"Yes, but nothing." Alaya gets up and heads downstairs and she stops on the landing. She licks the air, 'she's here' and runs down to open the door. She looks down and sees her Fiona just sitting on the front step watching children play. Alaya sits down next to her, "Hi."
Fiona lays her head on Alaya's cool shoulder. "Hi."
"Bad day?"
Fiona nods.
"You want to talk about it?"
"Not yet."
"I have been worried. You usually call if you are going to be late."
"Sorry. A patient died today."
"I am sorry."
"The mother was beyond resolve, it was her first girl in a string of boys. I have seen it many times before."
Alaya grabs her wife's hand and they both sit in silence watching the children play cricket, hoops and spinning tops. The laughter was healing Fiona's pain.
Fiona continued, "She had over seven boys and then this girl. She cries and the husband comes to comfort her with words "we will try again". Louisa calmly told the husband that it would not be advisable to have more children that his wife could die giving birth. He told her to keep out of their family business."
"Why do they insist on having children?"
"You wanted twelve."
"Only if you health would not be affected."
Alaya shivered as the cool spring breeze blows down the row.
Fiona sits up, "Let's go inside. Besides I am hungry."
"I can tolerate a few more minutes."
Fiona stands, "No, it is too cold. I do not want your Mothers upset at me for letting their precious child out in the cold." She tugs at her wife's arm until Alaya stands up. "I promise when the summer nights are warm we will spend more time outside."
"Do you want to talk about today inside?"
"No, I didn't want to come home with the stress. That is why I was outside. I need to learn to keep hospital issues at the hospital. I mean I will share with you my day, but I must learn to stop bringing the hospital issues home. It doesn't belong in our lives twenty-four hours a day."
"That is going to be tough, but we'll figure this out."
They went inside, had supper and went directly to bed. Fiona holds her wife a little tighter before she willed herself to sleep.