God Gave Me You 26
"Up!"
"Down!"
"No! Up!"
"Down, I say!"
Shelagh sat on her bed as Trixie and Nurse Mount continued their argument, pulling her hair every which way. During yet another impromptu wedding planning session, the question of how to style her hair had become the most important detail to the two opinionated nurses.
Cynthia, ever the peacemaker, tried to intervene once again.
"Perhaps we should let Shelagh have a say? It is her wedding day after all...and if the two of you continue in this vein, she may not have any hair left to style!"
Shelagh shot Cynthia a grateful look and smile.
"Of course we will let her have a say, Cynthia. But we have to give her options!" Trixie retorted, catching Shelagh's eye in the vanity mirror.
"Now, Shelagh...what do you think? Your hair curled delicately around your face, which will look lovely with the veil you've chosen." She placed a few tendrils of her hair down so Shelagh could get an idea.
"Or...up in the severe twist that you wear nearly everyday for work, like Patsy has suggested?" Trixie offered again, pulling her hair a bit tighter than normal, barely keeping the disdain from her voice.
Shelagh, having had enough of being the center of attention and passive aggressive fighting over hair of all things, sighed.
"I think they both look lovely, to be honest. I just don't know why we need to be concerned with my hairstyle when there are still so many other things to do."
"Shelagh. You're getting married in less than a fortnight...your dress is sorted, Angela's is all set, the flowers ordered, our dresses are almost finished and the Sisters have organized the reception. The only things left are your hair and makeup...and making sure Doctor Turner doesn't show up in a horrid tie from his never ending collection."
"Trixie!" Cynthia hissed at her friend, placing a hand on Shelagh's arm. "She doesn't mean that, Shelagh. She's just excited."
"It's alright, Cynthia. I've already chosen a tie for Patrick as well as one for Timothy, so there won't be any worries on that front. Besides, I may or may not have been..."she paused, trying to choose her word carefully "...liberating his wardrobe of some items."
Patsy and Trixie shared a look of amusement and sat forward, trying to stem their laughter.
"Have you, now?" Patsy smiled, amused by the sudden deviousness of the former nun.
Shelagh looked down at her lap, but couldn't contain her smile. "Only a few things, mind you. I couldn't let him come home one day and realize that his half of the wardrobe was completely empty. So, every few days when I'm there with Angela and Tim, I remove something else."
"Hasn't he noticed?"
The three women stared at Shelagh, eyebrows raised.
"Not exactly...he's so busy with the surgery and the wedding coming up that I don't think his mind is completely in the moment. Although, he did ask the other day if I'd seen one of his ties, the grey, red and gold stripe."
Shelagh pursed her lips in disapproval and averted her eyes from the other nurses as she spoke, shaking her head.
"I once told him that it was an appropriate choice...but I couldn't go on looking at it any longer."
The nurses all began laughing so loudly they didn't hear the swift double tap on the door.
"Well, it seems we've found where everyone is hiding today haven't we, Angela?"
Sister Julienne appeared in the doorway, a very sleepy and unusually calm Angela resting on her shoulder.
"Good afternoon, Sister. We were just going over how to do Shelagh's hair for the wedding." Trixie explained in a rush.
"Not long now..." Sister Julienne responded in a hush, a look of excitement mixed with a bit of sadness apparent on her face. "However, I think your time would be better spent downstairs for the time being. This little one seems to be in need of a nap."
Angela, who hadn't moved from her godmother's shoulder, placed her thumb into her mouth while her eyelids fought to stay open.
Patsy, Trixie and Cynthia nodded, quickly grabbing their hair accessories and made their way out of the room.
"Sister? Is everything alright?" Shelagh asked, the look on Julienne's face had not escaped her attention. She stood from the bed, reaching for her daughter, pacing the room with her as Angela finally succumbed to sleep and placed her in her cot.
Sister Julienne hadn't moved from the doorway, watching as Shelagh stroked her daughter's hair from her face and kissed her forehead.
"Sister?" Shelagh whispered, moving closer to her former superior. "I've known you long enough to know something is wrong. Either you can tell me, or I'll have Sister Evangelina needle it out of you. Your choice." She paused, a warm smile gracing her face. "Though we both know I will be far and away the more gentle listener."
Sister Julienne could do nothing but smile back at her. It still surprised her how much Shelagh had changed since she had left the Order, but sometimes, like now, Julienne could see a shadow of Sister Bernadette in her words and mannerisms.
"I don't wish to wake her, shall we go somewhere else?"
Shelagh nodded, closing the door behind her, but leaving it cracked open slightly so that they could hear Angela if she awoke. Following Sister Julienne down the hallway, she was not surprised to find themselves seated in the chapel a few moments later.
"Sister? Whatever it is, you can tell me. I hope you know that." Shelagh's voice sounded strained with worry, though she would never admit it.
"Everything is starting to become very real, isn't it? You and Doctor Turner will be married by the end of the month, your family unit complete."
"Sister? Do you think-" Shelagh felt her voice cut off by emotion. "Do you think I'm making the wrong decision?" Her heart was in her throat, afraid of the response she was about to hear.
Julienne, who had been staring at the stained glass window since they sat down, turned to her with tears in her widened eyes and a shocked expression on her face.
"Oh, Shelagh. Not in the least, my dear. You and Doctor Turner were put on this Earth to be together, and in no way do I think that the love you two share is wrong." She grasped Shelagh's hand.
"Then what is it, Sister?"
"I'm sorry, you will think me ridiculous and selfish." She looked to the window as she continued speaking. "I realized today, as Angela and I were in the sitting room that it may well be one of the last chances I'll have to watch over her. Two weeks from now, you both will no longer live here...and Nonnatus House will be very quiet, and perhaps a bit lonely."
Shelagh, who had been keeping her tears at bay, fumbled in her pocket for her handkerchief and handed it to Sister Julienne.
"You're right...you are being ridiculous."
Julienne's head snapped to look at Shelagh as she continued.
"A very wise woman once told me that Nonnatus House would always be my home. Just because I'm joining a new family, doesn't mean I plan to forget the old one. Angela and I are a part of Nonnatus. Her aunts, godmother and as close to a grandmother as she's ever going to get live within these walls. Besides, she's not nearly old enough for school. She'll have to come with me while I'm working, and I'm fairly certain that she would rather spend time with you than watch me sterilize equipment and answer the phone."
Sister Julienne squeezed Shelagh's hand, unable to speak.
"Now, I could do with a nice cup of tea before your goddaughter wakes up...and I'm sure a bit of cake wouldn't go amiss. Shall we, Sister?"
Julienne stood up with Shelagh, pulling her young charge into a fierce hug. As they stepped apart, the nun tenderly stroked a lock of Shelagh's hair behind her ear. "I think you should consider wearing your hair down, it's quite lovely, you know."
Shelagh smiled as they walked from the chapel to the kitchen, whispering conspiratorially.
"I was always going to. I just let the nurses fuss over it so they wouldn't be so opinionated over other topics. But please, don't tell Trixie."
"I wouldn't dream of it."