This chapter is to hopefully make up for some of the angst in earlier chapters! I very much hope that you enjoy it, and again, I cannot thank you enough for the reviews; it makes writing even more rewarding and enjoyable.
Stretching to ease the stiffness of sleep, Patsy slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the sunlight. The little clock on the nightstand read that the time was two o'clock in the afternoon. In the quiet, she could hear the mechanism within ticking, cutting away the seconds one by one. It was a strangely comforting sound; one of stability and reassurance.
Beside her, Delia stirred in her sleep, but did not awaken. Her dark hair was splayed out over the pillow, and the sheets were tucked in tightly around her body. The steady rise and fall of her chest was soothing, and her lips were slightly parted. Each breath ruffled the fine, silky hairs fanned out around her head. Every movement was one of intricate perfection.
Patsy allowed her eyes to linger for a few moments longer before turning onto her back to stare at the ceiling. A breeze came through the window, which was ajar, and rippled through the net curtains, causing the beams of light streaming across the white surface to shift and scatter.
With one hand, she rubbed the sleep from her eye, and then propped herself up on her elbow, now fully conscious and aware. Through force of habit, she paused to listen for the noise of approaching footsteps or distant chatter. She heard nothing. Nonnatus House appeared to be empty, with the other residents no doubt out seeing patients or assisting with the storm clear up.
Relaxed in the knowledge that she was safe from discovery in Delia's bedroom, she lay back down, snuggling into her beloved's warm body. The peace gave her a chance to reflect on the events of the night before. Just lying there, she could feel the ache in the muscles in her back and legs from spending such a long period of time kneeling and standing. This discomfort, however, was of no consequence, for the triumph of a delivery of a healthy child eclipsed all else.
When she and Delia had arrived back to Nonnatus that morning, they had been met with an army of nuns and nurses desperate to hear their news. They had briefly traded stories from the night, and congratulated one another for braving the storm, until Nurse Crane had pointed out they all had places to be and jobs to attend to. It was then that Patsy and Delia had been excused to go and get some rest, while the others had hurried off to begin their work. As they had been on their way up the stairs to bed, Patsy happily recalled, Trixie had stopped them, and graciously apologised for her behaviour. They had all made up, the damage repaired, and hugged one another gladly. The knowledge that her friendship with Trixie had been mended now too was wonderful.
As she reflected on this, she felt Delia move beside her. When she looked over, Delia's blue eyes sleepily met her own. A small smile played on her lips as she began to shake off her slumber and recognise where she was.
"Good morning, Nurse Busby,"
Delia shoved her playfully, as she pulled herself up into a sitting position.
"How did you sleep?"
"Well," Delia nodded contentedly, "Especially with you here,"
Patsy pushed the covers over, giving Delia room to move closer to her. The Welsh nurse rested her head on the redhead's shoulder, and gave a happy sigh. Wrapping her arm around her, Patsy breathed Delia's delicious vanilla scent, memorising its sweetness. Using her fingers to hold back the dark hair, Patsy pressed a soft kiss to Delia's forehead.
"Are we going have to get up soon?" Delia asked sadly.
"Oh, don't let's talk about getting up yet. Can we not just be here like this forever?"
Delia laughed and shook her head in disbelief.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm just struggling to come to terms with the fact that I just heard Patience Mount ask for a lie-in,"
Patsy chuckled, but gently poked Delia in the ribs for her cheek.
"I didn't actually ask for a lie-in, thank you!"
"Oh, well, what did you ask for then?"
Sitting up straight, Patsy looked at her seriously.
"I asked for forever... With you,"
Delia's pale cheeks blushed, and she bit her lip, her eyes shining with delight.
"Patsy, are you… are you proposing?"
"Yes… yes, I am. I mean, I know that you and I have talked about marriage before, but I realised that we've never actually said it. We've never actually asked. Last night taught me that I don't ever want to be without you at my side. You give me a courage that I didn't know that I could have... I suppose you could say that you make me whole, like I was missing something before I met you... So, yes, I am proposing. To you,"
Grinning, Delia took hold of Patsy's hand, and noted the way it was trembling slightly, making her heart swell for the woman.
"You have to do it, Pats. You have to do it properly,"
"What?"
"You know what I mean!"
Giving a mock grumble of exasperation, Patsy swung herself out of bed, pulling Delia with her as she went, making her give a small yelp. They stood face to face at the edge of the bed, with Delia panting a little in anticipation. Giving her a wink and her signature smirk, Patsy stepped backwards and steadily lowered herself down onto one knee. Delia could not help but giggle at the sight of her Patsy, knelt on the rug in front of her, dressed in her striped nightshirt with her hair still somewhat tousled from sleep.
"Delia Busby…"
"Yes?"
"Will you marry me?"
It was by far the easiest question in the world. There was nothing that she could have been more certain about; there was nobody with which she could be more in love. Yes, they would have to wait for it to become reality, and yes, there were still obstacles to overcome. But, at the end of the day, when the rest of the world slipped away and they were alone, she knew that there was not another soul on earth that she would rather be with, and that, she smiled, would never change.
"Patsy,"
Butterflies fluttered through her stomach, and she gripped Patsy's hand tighter, needing to feel her there with her.
"Yes,"