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 to everyone who kindly took the time to leave a review. Once again it has spurred me to update more promptly than I originally intended. I do know that the next one will take a bit longer as I have a mad week at work ahead. Enjoy...
Patsy smiled as she took another sip of tea while Delia gave her a potted description of her night shifts. She didn't know why the Welsh woman put up with Male Surgical but listening to her recent work, with a flurry of emergency cases and two patients that had required rapid interventions, she had to acknowledge that the ward did have its moments. She was particularly impressed that Delia had been put in charge for one night and was delighted that other senior staff had seen her potential.
"I'm sorry Pats, I've been monopolising the conversation," Delia apologised as she paused to take a gulp of her rapidly cooling tea.
"Nonsense. It's lovely to hear you so enthused about the ward. It's usually just the opposite."
"I know. I think that's why I stick it out. Every now and again something special happens that makes me really think or tests my skills and I really enjoy it. I'm just not sure those occasions happen often enough." Delia took another sip. "So how was your week? What's it like working with the new doctor?" In reality Delia had been talking about anything and everything in order to avoid this particular conversation but she knew they would have to discuss it eventually. More accurately, she would have to raise her concerns with Patsy soon, but she was unsure how to broach the topic. Delia felt certain that Patsy had no clue as to the doctor's interest in her. To be fair, she was not certain herself, but if Delia had learned one thing in her life, it was to trust her feelings.
"She's an absolute breath of fresh air, Deels," Patsy enthused immediately. "She's really interested in the patients, and not just their medical needs. She talks to them about their social issues and it's obvious that she wants to help. And she has none of the usual pompous mannerisms one usually finds with doctors." Patsy continued on for a few moments, describing the interactions she had seen along with the discussions she had had on clinical advances.
"She is a bit of a snob though," Delia stated, thinking about the comments she had made regarding her background, as Patsy finally paused her monologue.
"Really? What makes you say that?" Patsy was genuinely surprised.
"She made a crack about me being from Wales," the brunette replied, wincing to herself as she realised how petty that sounded.
"How odd." Patsy was taken aback and tried to recall all the other interactions she had witnessed. "I didn't see any of that with the patients. Are you sure that's what she meant?"
Delia pulled a face. "Patsy, I went through all of nurse training having to put up with comments about my background. I think I can recognise it when I hear it."
Patsy was immediately contrite. "Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just surprised. I didn't notice anything at all."
"I know. Perhaps I'm just being oversensitive because of lack of sleep." Delia allowed. "There's just something about her. I don't trust her," she admitted finally.
"Why?" It was most unlike Delia to view people in a negative light.
"I don't know." Delia did know, but she wasn't sure she was brave enough to say it to Patsy.
Patsy had known the younger nurse long enough to tell when she was evading something though. "Something's triggered this. Come on Deels. What's up?"
Delia looked at Patsy as she tried to order her thoughts. There were a hundred different ways to say what she wanted to say, but she was not sure any of them were appropriate or indeed helpful. She took courage as she recognised concern in Patsy's face. "This is going to sound really silly," she prefaced, stalling as she searched for the right words. At Patsy's raised eyebrow, she suddenly found the strength. "I saw her looking at you."
Patsy's confusion was evident. "Looking at me? Of course she was looking at me."
"No. Looking at you." Delia emphasised the word clearly. She shook her head as it became obvious that she was not making sense. "She was looking at you the way I used to look at you, still look at you, sometimes," she admitted the last part mostly to herself.
"Don't be ridiculous," Patsy demurred instantly.
"What's ridiculous about someone finding you attractive?"
Patsy frowned sharply at the younger woman as she glanced around the cafe, silently indicating for Delia to keep her voice down. They were seated out of the way in the corner, but for Patsy, one could never be too careful.
"I didn't get the feeling she saw me as anything other than a colleague." Patsy protested.
"And how long did it take you to think of me as anything other than a colleague?" Delia pointed out reasonably.
Patsy smiled softly again. "Not long at all. I just kept telling myself not to." Her grin widened. "I didn't listen though."
Delia couldn't help but chuckle. "Fool," she accused, affectionately. "Listen Pats," she continued slightly more seriously. "Please be careful around her. I know what I saw."
"Delia Busby, I only have eyes for you - you do know that don't you?"
Delia nodded. "I trust you, I don't trust her."
"Well it takes two to tango, so please don't worry."
Delia flicked her eyes round the coffee shop before replying, her voice barely a whisper. "It's not you I'm worried about. I don't like the way she looked at you."
Patsy's eyebrows shot up; the penny finally dropping. "Delia, are you jealous of her?"
The denial was instantaneous. "No!"
"Fibber," Patsy rejoined, earning a pointed look. She decided to take pity on the brunette. "I think it's sweet."
"Pats," the Welsh woman said warningly, provoking another grin from the midwife.
"Delia, honestly, who could possibly compare to you? You really have nothing to worry about."
Delia nodded, feeling foolish for having irrational concerns, recognising that it was indeed jealousy she was feeling. She decided that her reaction probably was due to lack of sleep and oversensitivity and yawned as she thought of that.
"Come on, let's get back," Patsy suggested, finishing her tea. "You're falling asleep in front of me, and although no amount of sleep could possibly make you any more beautiful, you do need to get your energy levels back."
"Charmer."
Delia's concern about Dr Parker seemed to be a moot point for the next few days as Patsy's work responsibilities kept her away from the clinic. Even when the doctor visited Nonnatus for tea, Patsy had been out with a difficult delivery, and did not return to the convent until late in the evening.
Dr Parker did however, manage to be present for one evening meal when Delia was there. After their initial interaction, Joanna was more cautious with the Welsh woman and kept her conversation limited to work. She could not keep completely away from testing their connection though. "Nurse Crane, when are you going to allow me access to the wonderfully efficient Nurse Mount again?"
"Oh, none taken, I'm sure," Trixie interjected, rising to the implied slur.
Delia looked down at her plate and suppressed a grin. Good old Trixie. She was certain Dr Parker was baiting her, and had indeed been about to bite, but the blonde midwife had managed to get in first, probably saving a lot of embarrassment.
"I'm sorry nurse Franklin, I meant no offence. I simply found nurse Mount to be exceptionally capable and I am a fan of efficiency."
"As am I," agreed nurse Crane. "But our team all have their individual strengths." She nodded warmly at both Trixie and Barbara who were slightly taken aback - this was almost outright praise from the senior nurse. "And in answer to your question, nurse Mount will be back at the clinic on Wednesday, depending on how her on-call responsibilities go."
Delia refused to look at the doctor, even though she could feel eyes on her and instead concentrated on finishing her meal at a steady pace.
"Excellent news," Dr Parker declared. "She had some very good ideas on hygiene that I'd like to explore with her."
"Try to go gently with the folk of the East End," Phyllis advised. "They don't take lightly to big changes." The nurse from Leeds could see the tension in Delia's face and felt it prudent to engage doctor Parker, rather than give Delia the opportunity to comment and perhaps say something she might regret.
After the doctor had excused herself and left for the evening, Delia found herself playing cards at the kitchen table with Trixie and Barbara. Trixie took a long drag of her Sobranie before dealing. "Dr Parker does seem to have settled in well," she declared. "Even if she has her favourites among the midwives."
Barbara looked up from studying her cards. "You mean Patsy?" Trixie nodded as she flicked ash into a nearby receptacle.
Barbara thought for a moment. "I think it's quite common for people to drift towards others with a similar background."
Delia made herself pause before speaking, carefully controlling her voice. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, they're both boarding school girls and come from the same sort of class," Barbara continued obliviously. "They can relate to each other without having to explain anything."
Delia could feel a vein throbbing in her temple. It was astonishing that just one sentence could crumble her resolve to just ignore the other woman, knowing that Patsy loved her. Now she felt vulnerable and threatened. What was worse was she couldn't explain how she was feeling to either Trixie or Barbara without giving their relationship away. She didn't think she could discuss it again with Patsy after she teased her for her jealousy. It was a truly crushing, destructive emotion, and one she had never experienced before.
"We do alright," she commented flatly. Trixie shot her a look, concern on her face. Delia was sure that the blonde suspected that her relationship with Patsy was anything but platonic, but so far she had chosen to say nothing about it.
"Well that's because your common bond was nurse training. Actually, it really amazes me. I don't keep in touch with any of my old classmates." The vicar's daughter was doing a spectacular job of unknowingly unraveling the nurse from Wales.
Trixie saw a flash of pain and doubt ghost across Delia's features and realised that it was time to change the subject. "Your lead Barbara. I saw the most fabulous handbag in Liberty's at the weekend. I think it's going to be my next big gift to myself."
Delia swallowed and offered a small smile at Trixie as she followed Barbara's play with her own. She had no idea how she was going to deal with this.
To be continued...