"Patsy, do you have a minute?"

Patsy glanced up from her clipboard to see Trixie's head poked around the curtain partition.

"I'm expecting to see another patient any minute now, Trixie, can it wait?"

The blonde nurse nodded, "Yes, of course, not a problem,".

When she was gone, Patsy could not help but breathe a little sigh of relief. Ever since their conversation in the kitchen several days ago, she had found that Delia was all that Trixie ever wanted to speak of to her. While she understood that her friend was just taking an interest, she was becoming increasingly tired of fielding questions, and was now actively avoiding spending long periods of time alone with Trixie, in a desperate attempt to evade further queries. She had always been a very private person, and disliked sharing personal information, even with those closest to her. It was only Delia who could really bring her out of her shell.

"Nurse Mount?"

Thinking for a moment that it was Trixie, Patsy raised her head sharply, ready to lose her temper. She was embarrassed to see Shelagh Turner stood patiently where Trixie had been a moment ago.

"Sorry, Mrs Turner, I didn't… I thought that you were somebody else,"

Shelagh gave her a cheerful smile, brushing off the incident.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I do it all the time! I just came to let you know that Mrs Gates is here for her appointment,"

"Right, of course, send her in,"

Smoothing down the front of her uniform, and taking a couple of deep breaths to set her head straight, Patsy turned to welcome in a heavily pregnant woman. Helping her onto the bed, Patsy eased into her professional role, instantly taking on her signature air of efficiency and order as she conducted the examination. She went through all of the routine checks, but found it increasingly difficult to remain entirely concentrated, with thoughts of Delia and Trixie flashing into her head as she worked.

"I trust that you have been taking plenty of rest, Mrs Gates?" she asked, trying to shake off all of the distractions, "It really is very important,"

"I do know that, nurse, but the business is as busy as ever and I'm not one for sitting around,"

"I understand, I'm the same. But, believe me, taking a few days to put your feet up and relax will do you the world of good,"

"But what about you, nurse?"

Patsy had just leant over to update the medical notes, and she looked back, surprised at the unusual question.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you look a bit worn out, if you don't mind my saying. Is everything alright with you?"

One of the many characteristics of the residents of London's East End that Patsy had always found endearing was their sense of compassion. Unlike in the sterile and impersonal environment of the boarding schools that she had spent much of her life in, where people only inquired into your health because social protocol dictated that they must, the EastEnders asked because they were genuinely interested.

"I'm quite well, thank you,"

"A lot on you mind, is it?"

Her intuition was startling, and her face was sympathetic.

"Yes, I suppose that there is,"

"Now, you see here, nurse, I think that you and I are the same. My husband, he's always telling me to slow down and take it easy, but I can't. Working hard; it gives you something to focus on, and takes your mind off the other things, but it's not always good for you. Maybe it's about time that we both started to try and take his advice, eh?"

Patsy nodded, feeling her anxieties being soothed by her kind voice.

"I think that your husband is a very wise man,"

"Oh, he is, God love him, but don't tell him that I said so. He wouldn't get his head out of the front door in the mornings,"

She heaved herself up into a sitting position, politely declining the offer of assistance. Her strength and determination were a source of great admiration for Patsy.

"I'll bring round your delivery pack in the morning,"

"That's very good of you, nurse. Take care now,"

Mrs Gates left the clinic, carrying her stomach proudly before her and exchanging pleasantries with other patients as she went. Patsy watched her go, mulling over her poignant advice. Once again, she became so lost in thought that she failed to see Shelagh reappear at the curtain partition.

"Nurse Mount, are you sure that there is nothing the matter? You seem very distracted, and look a little pale,"

"I… haven't been sleeping well,"

Strictly this was not a lie. Recently she had been sleeping badly, but it was not the cause of this particular moment of disarray.

"Do you think that you would benefit from taking the rest of the day off?"

"I couldn't put you to that bother,"

Shelagh placed her hand on Patsy's shoulder supportively.

"It's no bother. Go back to Nonnatus, take some aspirin and have a nap. We'll manage here perfectly well,"

There was no use in arguing, and Patsy handed over her clipboard.

"I'll explain the situation to Sister Julienne," Shelagh reassured her, "She'll understand,"

Feeling a little dejected, Patsy made her way through the queue of mothers-to-be and sidestepped a few misbehaving toddlers to reach the door. She had to admit that the cool breeze that she felt on her face as she stepped outside was refreshing, and suddenly the prospect of some time to herself seemed a little more inviting. She really did feel spent.

Saddling her bike, she leisurely pedalled through the terraced streets back to Nonnatus House. It was nice and quiet inside, and she was greeted by Sister Mary Cynthia, who was sat patiently beside the telephone.

"I'm just feeling very tired, that's all," Patsy explained when Cynthia asked why she was back so early, "It's nothing an afternoon of rest can't fix,"

"Well, if you need anything at all, give us a call,"

Patsy looked confused.

"Us?"

"Delia's upstairs. I believe that she is on a night shift tonight, so she only worked for half of the morning,"

Delia. There was a familiar swoop in Patsy's stomach, followed by an abrupt feeling of unease. Even though it had been three days since Trixie had been told the truth about their relationship, Patsy had not yet informed Delia that their secret was out. Delia, although it had slipped Patsy's mind until now, had, of course, been working night shifts all week, and so they had seen very little of each other. Usually this would have been very difficult for them both, but it had almost been a relief for Patsy, because she had not had to break the dreaded news.

"You really do look very white, Patsy, do you want me to call somebody?"

"No! No… I'm going upstairs now, I'll go to bed, it's fine,"

Her mind seemed to be filled with a fog as she took the stairs, and she had trouble coordinating her legs to lift her up each step. All that she really wanted was to go into her room, draw the curtains, crawl between the cool sheets and awake to find that nothing had changed at all. The panic that others could uncover her relationship as Trixie had done mingled with the guilt that she felt at not being immediately honest with her beloved Delia, and these two emotions made her feel physically ill.

Resisting the temptation to enter her own room, Patsy knocked softly on Delia's door.

"Deels? It's Patsy... Can I come in?"