Patrick closed the door to the flat behind him quietly. Both him and Timothy had learned that a slammed door meant a crying baby followed by an unhappy Shelagh. He set down his bag and hung up his coat. He grabbed the sandwich Shelagh had waiting for him in the fridge since he had been called out in the middle of dinner and ate it in a few bites. Heading up the stairs as silently as he could he flicked on the hall lights and was about to go into Tim's room when he realized the door was already open. Peaking in he saw nobody in the room and when he turned around Patrick saw Tim sitting on the floor outside of his and Shelagh's room.

"Tim, what are you doing? Are you hurt?" Patrick said as he took a few steps before kneeling down next to his son.

"Shhh dad, listen." Tim whispered back. Leaning his head closer to the door to hear better.

Patrick went silent and listened for whatever had drawn Tim out of bed, or at least away from his reading. He heard singing. It was faint and gentle and Patrick realized it was Shelagh's voice. He smiled thinking of the picture on the other side of the door. Shelagh was probably sitting in the new rocking chair with Angela snuggled up against her after her evening bottle. Angela could already be asleep but Shelagh would still sing a song or two before placing her in her cot and readying herself for bed. He hadn't realized Tim was aware of this particular evening ritual that had been happening since they had brought Angela home a few weeks ago.

"Do you sit out here often?" Patrick whispered before joining Tim in fully sitting on the floor.

"A few nights each week." Tim admitted honestly.

"You know she would welcome you into the room if she knew you wanted to listen too." Patrick pointed out.

"I'm too old for lullabies but it is nice to hear her singing them. It is nice she is getting to do all the things she missed with me." Tim replied with a sad smile.

Patrick hugged Tim closer before responding, "Your mummy used to sing you lullabies too. She loved you with every breath she took Tim. And now you have a mum who loves you too and would do anything for you."

"I know, I just miss her and I am still figuring out how we all fit together in our new family." Tim said before pressing his head into his dad's chest.

"We all have to figure that out but I do know that no matter how big our family may grow you are the one that brought us all together. I think Shelagh fell for you before she fell for me." Patrick commented with a smirk. As he held on to his son he realized he could no longer hear the gentle singing that had brought them both to this position on the floor. He looked up and saw Shelagh standing in the doorway of their bedroom with her nightgown and robe on.

"You know you are both welcome to join us girls for our bedtime routine instead of sitting on the floor." She pointed out before marching past them to the bathroom, shaking her head at their antics on her way. Patrick smiled before adding to Tim, "Maybe you should actually get to bed now." Tim agreed before getting up and heading for his room down the hall.

"Lovely lullabies dear." Patrick remarked when Shelagh came back into their bedroom a few minutes later.

"Maybe I should leave the door open tomorrow so you and Timothy can join us." She replied before crawling under the covers on her side of the bed.

The lights were off when Patrick returned home on that frightfully cold winter night, he couldn't remember if this was the third or fourth night in a row that everyone was asleep when he got home. The big freeze that had been hitting them for weeks now was taking its toll and he felt that he could never get warm or finish his work on time. He kept getting called out to snow or cold related emergencies and it was growing frustrating. All he wanted was a nice evening with his family, they had a new baby to enjoy and an elder son he wanted to spend time with before he went off to school.

He was too tired to think about food and went straight up the stairs. He checked that Tim was already in bed and was surprised to see he was already asleep. Patrick stepped into the room and took the book from Tim's lap and set it on the bedside table before turning off the lamp. Next he checked on Angela who was also fast asleep in her toddler bed. He carefully pulled the blanket up over Angela a little more and pressed a soft kiss to her temple before leaving the room.

After taking a few steps towards his own room he realized he could hear Shelagh softly talking. As his hand reached for the doorknob he realized she was singing. He stood there for a minute listening to her soft Scottish lilt of "Hush Little Baby" but he didn't think he heard any crying or whimpering from Teddy. He slowly opened the door and saw her sitting in the rocking chair cradling their 3 month old son in her arms as she nursed him. She was already ready for bed and her hair was loose around her shoulders, exactly as he liked it. He realized he had forgotten to check the time when he came in so he wasn't sure which feeding this was and if Shelagh had already gotten some sleep or hadn't been in bed yet at all. A glance at the mussed bed told him the former was correct. Her eyes stayed closed as she sang, switching from one song to another. She must be so relaxed, he thought. He watched her for a few minutes until she finished the song.

"I know you are standing there Patrick. Now come into the room and get changed for bed, you must be exhausted." She stated softly. He watched as her eyes fluttered open and she got Teddy to unlatch before adjusting him to be burped.

"Do I get a lullaby too?" Patrick asked with a glint in his eye.

"Only if you behave and get into bed quickly. The water bottle is already on your side and I've laid out your best flannels since I didn't know when you would get home." Shelagh replied before getting up to put Teddy in his cot.

Patrick didn't have to be told twice and he quickly changed before going to the bathroom. When he returned Shelagh was already in bed and he slid in next to her. She moved to rest her head on his chest and began "Once I had a Secret Love, that lived within the heart of me..." As she sang to him quietly he breathed in the scent of her hair and rubbed circles on her back. She felt so warm to his touch that he quickly forgot how cold he had been for the past several hours. As his lullaby finished he kissed the top of her head and whispered an "I love you" before they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

She had just gotten Teddy to sleep and was spending time with Angela and May reading books on the settee before their bedtime. She was so glad that May had been adjusting so well in the few short weeks since they had taken her in. She was bonding well with all of the family, especially Angela, and she was learning English quickly. Night time had become their only hurtle as May didn't trust being left alone even though she was sharing a room with Angela.

Shelagh finished another reading of "Goodnight Moon" before telling the girls it was time for bed. Angela groaned in response, because she wanted another story. May began to cry because she didn't want to go to bed at all. With May crying, Angela joined in. Quickly Shelagh scooped both girls up into her arms on the settee and began to sing. She started with "Hush Little Baby" which she had sung many times to Angela and then Teddy. As the girls still wouldn't calm down she switched to some of the old hymns she used to sing at Compline. Suddenly both girls quieted. Shelagh started rocking back and forth to the best of her ability with two four-year-olds piled on her lap. She went from one hymn to another, focusing on the ones that had given her some respite in her months of questioning that led her to Patrick and this wonderful family.

Angela fell asleep on her first and she yelled for Patrick who was reading some medical textbooks at the dining table to come get her. Once relieved of one child she could more fully pull the remaining one onto her lap. May curled into her, laying her head firmly over Shelagh's heart. Shelagh continued to sing more hymns. After a little while longer May finally fell asleep. Shelagh leaned back into the settee, continuing to rub circles on May's back now that she had stopped rocking.

"Did you finally get her calmed down?" Patrick asked as he sat on the chair nearby. Shelagh noticed he had changed into his blue striped pajamas, her favorite pair, when he took Angela upstairs.

"Yes. It seems to be getting easier to settle her down at night but I can't wait until it sinks in that nighttime doesn't mean we all disappear. It makes me wonder what has happened to her in the past. How many times did she wake up at night and her mother wasn't there? Or what could have happened at night that she is so afraid of?" She shook her head sadly at the thought of the trauma the little girl had already experienced in her short life.

"We will never know what she has been through but we can help make her future much better than her past." Patrick replied before taking Shelagh's free hand and gently kissing it.

"I know, she just seems to fit in our family, doesn't she?" Shelagh asked with a sigh.

"Yes. Now let me take her upstairs and I will meet you in our room. I'd like a lullaby tonight as well, if your voice isn't too tired." Patrick said with a wink before taking May from her arms.

"My voice will never be too tired to sing a lullaby for you, or the children." She replied back before standing to give him a peck on the check. They both made their way upstairs for one more lullaby before they went to bed themselves.