Patrick Turner stood outside Nonnatus House, waiting for the door to be answered and hoping that it wouldn't be Sister Bernadette who let him inside. The tension between the two of them was palpable. Everyone in Nonnatus House felt the awkwardness that arose whenever Doctor Turner and Sister Bernadette were in the same room. After several weeks, it was becoming too much for him to deal with.

To his delight, it is Nurse Miller who answers the door.

"Come in, Doctor Turner. Can I offer you a cup of tea? We have a fresh pot and were just enjoying some cake while Sister Monica Joan is visiting her family today."

"No, thank you, Nurse Miller. I wouldn't want to intrude. Is Sister Julienne here? I need to speak with her."

"Of course, I'll fetch her."

Patrick waited in the hallway, feeling it was a better choice than following Nurse Miller into the dining room where Sister Bernadette may very well be. After a few moments, Sister Julienne appeared through the doorway.

"Good afternoon, Doctor Turner. What can I do for you?"

"Might we speak somewhere privately, Sister Julienne?"

"Of course. Let us retire to my office. Did Nurse Miller offer you any tea or cake?"

"She did, thank you, but I declined. After you, Sister."

They walked down the hallway towards her office, his nerves beginning to grow with every step. He'd been mulling this decision in his head for days. It would be better for her this way, to not be reminded of him. Now all he had to do was tell Sister Julienne. As the office door shut behind him, he steeled himself for her reaction.

That evening, all of Nonnatus House sat at the table watching Sister Julienne as she conveyed the events of her conversation with Doctor Turner.

"Leaving Poplar? What about his practice? What about Timothy?" Surprising them all, Sister Bernadette had been the one to speak first.

"Doctor Turner has asked me to pass on his respects to all of you. He has arranged a locum to act in his absence until a more permanent replacement can be found. It comes as a shock to us all, but he has made his decision clear. Doctor Turner has given me no other information on where he is going or what has...influenced this decision, therefore I'm afraid I cannot comment any more on the subject."

Sister Bernadette walked back into Nonnatus House as the sun was beginning to rise. She'd been called out to a delivery right after pudding had been set out, and had remained there through the evening.

Pushing the door open, she looked down at the floor, noticing an envelope laying just inside the door's path. Bending over to pick it up, she immediately knew its author. His handwriting was terrible, like most doctors, but it was one of those things that was so distinctly him. Flipping it over, she noticed her name written in his messy scrawl and her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't tell if it was in excitement or fear, but she couldn't think of that now. She had to get to her room as quickly as possible so that she could read it without distraction.

Entering her cell, she shut the door tightly and slipped her finger under the seal of the envelope and began to read:

Dear Sister Bernadette,

I am a coward and a fool. I want nothing more than to say what I feel for you in person, but I can't. I also cannot stop myself from writing it to you now.

I love you. My mind is full of you. I want us to be a family: you, myself and Timothy. I would want nothing more than to give you my name and pledge my never ending love to you for eternity. To be the first person you see when you awaken and the last person you see as you fall asleep at night, held tightly in my embrace.

Sister, I can't stay in Poplar knowing that I can never have you. This tension between us is unbearable. I'm sorry for the distress my actions have caused you. I shall leave you in peace, with no reminders of what we've done. I hope this will lessen the pain I have caused you.

Please know that I love you, and will continue to do so no matter the distance between us.

Yours eternally,

Patrick