Summary: Patsy and Delia's relationship is tested.
Disclaimer: Call The Midwife belongs to the BBC and others - I am simply borrowing their beautiful characters.
Author's note: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews. I must admit I was a bit nervous about submitting this one as I hadn't seen anything similar and I know how adored Pats and Deels are. As I got such nice feedback I thought I'd update a bit earlier than I had originally planned. Oh, and this is quite likely going to be a long-haul fic, so please be patient.
For the next two days Patsy busied herself with work, welcoming the distraction while Delia was on nights. Delia always seemed to cope better than she did, although that probably had more to do with the longer hours Delia had to spend at work and less time to sleep. She was usually so exhausted by the time she returned from the London, that it was all she could do to drag herself upstairs and get into bed. However, today was her 'rest after nights' which would mean her grabbing a few hours sleep before getting up and trying to switch back onto a day routine. Patsy had promised the brunette that they would go out for a late evening coffee and catch up, which would not only afford them some privacy away from Nonnatus House but would also ensure that Delia stayed up to a reasonable hour before going back to bed.
Patsy had spent yesterday and the morning out and about on rounds, but was back at the clinic for the afternoon. As she arrived, she noticed Dr Parker walking out with a patient and talking in a heated whisper. Sensing trouble, the red-haired nurse moved over to see if she could help.
"I'm just saying Mrs Jameson that seven children is plenty for any woman."
"It's none of your business how many children I have," an older woman, with ingrained dirt on her clothing and face, spat back.
"Mrs Jameson," Dr Parker tried again.
"Mind your own business. Just because you're a woman, it doesn't give you the right to interfere." Mrs Jameson's voice was getting louder.
Patsy took one look at the scene and stepped up. "I'm sorry, Mrs Jameson. Would it not be better to talk about this in private?" She suggested in a conciliatory tone.
"She's tried that already nurse Mount. Perhaps you can tell her to keep her beak out of matters that don't concern her!" With that, Mrs Jameson stalked away and headed for the exit.
Patsy winced before smiling sympathetically towards the brunette doctor. "I'm thinking that didn't go exactly to plan?"
Dr Parker laughed. "Goodness me, you would have thought I was asking her to perform a ritual sacrifice. I just told her she might want to use contraception in future."
"Did you mention the Pill?" Patsy asked, intrigued.
"I didn't get that far. She got up and stormed out the second she understood what I was trying to talk about. Apparently, it's not up for discussion." Jo sounded frustrated.
"It's all very personal to them," Patsy supplied with sympathy.
"But they seem to listen to you," Dr Parker pointed out reasonably.
"I think being a midwife is somewhat less imposing than being a doctor."
Jo laughed again, although it was genuine this time. "No one's ever called me imposing before."
"I don't believe that for an instant," Patsy rejoined, enjoying the light banter. It seemed very easy to relate to Dr Parker and Patsy found herself smiling at her again.
Joanna smiled back as she secretly jumped for joy. Was nurse Mount flirting with her? She could barely believe her luck. She had missed the tall Titian-haired beauty yesterday at the clinic but had nevertheless enjoyed working with the other staff, and it certainly paid to be cautious about developing relationships. However nurse Mount seemed so relaxed around her. No matter what happened between them, Dr Parker was certain of one thing; she wanted to spend more time with this woman.
As clinic slowed down to a close, Patsy found herself talking with Dr Parker about the latest theories on infection prevention controls and was pleased to find such a staunch ally. "It's a real shame really, as many families here do their best to be clean but the living conditions are automatically against them."
"We could talk for hours about what's against the poorest in terms of health and hygiene, nurse Mount," Dr Parker commented sadly.
"I know. And we are making inroads, but it feels like a drop in the ocean most days." She looked at the brunette. "Are you coming back for tea or heading home?"
"I'd love to come back and have tea with you. It certainly saves me having to consider cooking." She smiled broadly. "How do you always manage to have such a good spread?"
"It can be a bit hit and miss, but Mrs B seems to work her magic with just about anything. All the locals round here know that the nuns have a vow of poverty so they are forever bringing gifts round. It doesn't seem to matter that they don't have two farthings to rub together."
"The East End does seem to have big-hearted people," Dr Parker agreed. She looked at Patsy more appraisingly. "And it seems to attract its fair share of big-hearted workers too."
Patsy smiled, thinking of Delia, Trixie and Barbara at the comment but totally failing to consider that Dr Parker might be talking about her. "As you said the other day, Doctor; the biggest challenges get the best rewards."
Joanna looked round quickly and saw that the rest of the team were heading out. It was time to take a small gamble. "Listen, I've got a load of research papers on infection control back at home. I know this is going to sound terribly dull but did you want to pop back and take a look?"
Patsy smiled apologetically. "I would love to but I promised Delia we'd go out for a coffee this evening."
"Delia?" Parker enquired.
"She lodges with us at Nonnatus. She's a nurse at the London. She's been on nights this week which is probably why you haven't bumped into her yet."
"I didn't know that the convent took in boarders from everywhere," Dr Parker remarked in surprise.
"I think sister Julienne has a soft spot for Delia. She'd been helping me with the Cubs and spent some time there before..." Patsy caught herself quickly, reluctant to share the details of Delia's accident and protracted absence.
Joanna frowned slightly. There was obviously more to the story than Patsy was prepared to give, and this Delia woman clearly meant a lot to her. It would be interesting to scope out the potential competition she decided.
"Another time then," she suggested and Patsy nodded.
Dr Parker gestured for the taller woman to lead the way out of the clinic. She felt like she was making some headway with Patsy, but it was so difficult to really know. She could sense that Patsy was a cautious woman however so she would have to play this very carefully before she revealed her hand, especially if Delia had already caught her eye.
As Patsy walked through Nonnatus House she couldn't help an expansive smile radiating across her face when she saw that Delia was indeed up and sat at the kitchen table. She looked wan and tired, but as always, to Patsy she looked just beautiful. "Hello Deels," she greeted warmly.
Delia turned round immediately and returned a dazzling smile and appeared to draw energy from the older woman. "Afternoon, Pats. You look like you've had a good day."
From behind nurse Mount, Dr Parker frowned, picking up immediately on the close relationship the two women had. The smiles they shared with each other were radiant and loving and they also clearly only had eyes for each other. She wondered if there was anything more to their relationship or if they were still dancing around each other, but at least it confirmed her suspicion that Patsy was certainly welcome of female company. She would have to test the water to see how strong their attachment to each other was.
"I've had a very good day. We have our new doctor working at the clinic now. Have you met yet?" Patsy gestured behind her to where Dr Parker was hovering.
Joanna immediately stepped up and extended her hand towards the seated nurse. "Joanna Parker. Pleased to meet you."
Delia looked slightly surprised by the forward manner. "Delia. Delia Busby."
"From Wales?" Dr Parker asked rhetorically. "How very provincial." There was an undertone of a sneer, and Delia flicked a glance at Patsy to see if she had caught it but the tall midwife was putting the kettle on.
"Provincial?" She queried. Delia was well used to comments about her background having endured the most horrible snobbery from her fellow trainees, but she had learned to deal with them a long time ago, realising that it was quite often most effective to deal with something head on.
Dr Parker smiled back coldly at Delia, expecting her to drop her stare first and was surprised by the slight brunette holding her glare expectantly and not backing down. "It seems an awfully long way to come and be a nurse," she said finally, recognising a tiny flash of victory in Delia's eyes. This girl might be from the valleys but she was clearly not cowed by anything.
"London has the best training on offer. Why wouldn't I come here?" There was a challenge in the Welsh woman's tone that hinted that she had had this conversation on many occasions.
Joanna assessed the small woman carefully. She seemed to be the opposite of Patsy in that she was quite happy to display her emotions openly and she was certainly attractive, she admitted grudgingly. She would have to probe and see if there was a weakness in the link they shared that she could exploit to her own advantage. "Isn't it a bit far to get to the London from here? I would have thought you'd stay close by."
Patsy had been talking about her then, Delia surmised as she hadn't mentioned where she worked, or that she was residing at the convent. That gave her some reassurance as, most unusually for her, she had taken an instant dislike to the brunette doctor. She didn't know why, but she didn't trust her. "It suits me staying here," she rejoined, wondering where this was going. She was also wondering why she was bristling so easily at the doctor's line of enquiry, it was most unlike her.
"Who's for tea?" Patsy interrupted brightly. She could sense a tension between Dr Parker and Delia but could not fathom the reason why. Before she could analyse it further however, they were joined in the kitchen by the other midwives and nuns and each fell into an easy pattern of working together to get tea on the table.
As they ate, Dr Parker discretely observed the interaction between Patsy and Delia and came to the conclusion that her initial assumption was right, they were closely connected. What she couldn't understand was why. Patsy was clearly cultured with good breeding and the Welsh girl was a rural bumpkin. She seemed bright enough, but Joanna couldn't see what Patsy would find so appealing about the girl. Surely Patsy would prefer someone with a similar background and common interests.
Delia could feel Dr Parker's eyes on them, or certainly more focused on Patsy. She was scrutinising them both carefully, but when she had snatched small glances at the brunette doctor as they shared tea, Delia could see the appraising look she gave the red-haired midwife. She had the distinct impression that it was more than a friendly interest and Delia was having a hard time suppressing her feelings of distrust. She could see that Patsy was oblivious to anything other than the superficial overtones from the doctor but that reassured her and worried her in equal measures. She would need to discuss it with her later in private.
To be continued