Coming in the door after accompanying Tim to the library Shelagh immediately headed to the kitchen to start cooking dinner while Tim headed to the table to read some of his newest book. Shelagh tied her apron strings behind her as she moved to pull items from the fridge. She heard the soft thump of Tim's books on the table and smiled to herself. He was such a good kid. He didn't need to be told to start on his homework and now he was reading during his free time. She put the kettle on to make tea for them both and pulled out a cutting board to start chopping vegetables. Once the kettle whistled she made two cups of tea and took one, with some biscuits on the saucer, to give to Tim. He thanked her but kept his focus on his book.

Upon returning to the kitchen Shelagh began cooking the steak, kidney, and vegetables. She stirred the contents of the skillet as her mind wandered again to Tim. He had been doing so well these past few months especially with his recovery from polio. She could tell his braces bothered him sometimes but he tried to be brave about it. She also saw how brave he was with her addition to the Turner family, losing a mum then gaining a new one was not easy. She swallowed hard at the thought that there would be no other additions to their family. Dampness gathered in her eyes at the thought but she quickly dabbed it away with the end of her apron before Tim could catch her crying. Taking a deep breath she set the food off to the side to cool. Moving on, she pulled out the pastry dough she had mixed up that morning from the fridge. She began pounding it out with a rolling pin when Tim walked in.

"What are you doing?" Tim asked, intrigued by the noise.

"I need to roll out the pastry for our steak and kidney pie. It has been in the fridge so I have to pound it a little to get it suitable to be rolled." Shelagh explained with a small smile.

Tim could tell she had been crying, the redness around her eyes gave it away. He didn't know what the doctor had said after her surgery a few weeks ago but he knew she had cried a lot ever since. Even after she had healed from the surgery and stopped wincing when she sat down. "Can I help?" He sputtered out quickly after realizing how long he had been silent.

"That would be lovely." She replied. She grabbed her spare apron and tied it around Tim to protect his clothes from the flour. "Pound it out till it is softer, then you can roll it thinner. Add flour before you roll so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin." Shelagh explained. Tim got to work. He quite enjoyed pounding on the dough. Shelagh smiled at his work and grabbed the pie tin. Once he switched to rolling she supervised to make sure flour was applied well and that it was rolled evenly.

"Perfect." She commented as he finished. She took over to transfer the crust into the tin before getting out the second block of dough from the fridge. "Ready to do it all again?" She smiled as she asked. Tim noticed that her smile reached her eyes that time and agreed readily. While he pounded the dough she filled the bottom crust with the filling. When he finished pounding and switched to rolling he noticed that she was humming. He couldn't figure out the song but he felt she must be happy if she was humming. Once he finished again she transferred the second crust on top of the pie and then taught him to pinch the edges together. They worked quickly and when finished she let him do the egg wash on top.

"Now I will put it into the oven for 40 minutes." She proclaimed as she slid the tin into the oven before turning to face him. "How did you get flour on your forehead?" She asked with a giggle.

"Must have been when I wiped sweat away, it's all over my arms too." He added with a smile before showing her the mess that was on his left sleeve.

"Why don't you go clean up then head to the settee and I can massage your legs." She instructed while removing his apron.

"My legs are fine. It's not like I did anything today to tire them. I can't play out and cookery didn't hurt them." He added snarkily before heading to wash up.

What just happened? Shelagh thought to herself as Tim left her in the kitchen. They had had a wonderful afternoon at the library and then he seemed to enjoy helping her cook but then he turned on her at the mention of his legs. She grew concerned at his attitude and thought back over their day to think about anything else he had said so negatively or that she had said that could have angered him. She could think of nothing of the kind so the worry over him continued to build in her mind.

An hour later Patrick arrived home for the evening to a wonderfully smelling dinner and a worried looking wife. He kissed her quickly after setting his bag in its spot by the door then she turned back into the kitchen. She watched through the hatch as Tim set the table. He wasn't forceful with the dishes but he also wasn't his cheerful self and Patrick knew something must have happened today.

"How was your day Tim?" Patrick asked his son, trying to get to the bottom of this quickly.

"Fine, we went to the library." He replied curtly.

"How many books did you talk mum into checking out?" Patrick asked, knowing Tim's love of reading often led to multiple books being read at a time. Instead of responding Tim just shrugged and sat down in his seat. Patrick watched him carefully for a moment but saw no obvious signs of injury, illness, or duress. He then looked up as Shelagh entered with their food. She had a forced smile on her face and that worried look in her eyes that seemed ever present lately.

"Steak and kidney pie." She announced as she set the tin on the table.

"Your steak and kidney pie?" Patrick asked with gusto as he unfolded his serviette to place on his lap.

"Timothy helped a bit this time. I think I might have a rival on my hands." She replied as she scooped out the food onto their plates.

"I only rolled some of the pastry." Tim commented with an eyeroll.

"Well it looks delicious. You keep him at it." Patrick commented with a smile.

"It's the summer holiday! I don't want to be inside doing cookery. I want to play out!" Tim forcefully replied.

"You can't play out, Timothy. You can't keep up with the other boys just now." Shelagh insisted as she continued to serve their food.

"They'll slow down for me." Tim insisted.

"I don't want you getting hurt." She replied softly before sitting down. "I thought we'd get the bus into town one day and go to the science museum." She continued with a smile.

"Oh I can't wait." Tim replied sarcastically with another eyeroll. The phone rang and Shelagh got up to get it. Patrick leaned towards his son and said "Behave yourself Tim."

"I don't get the chance to do anything else. Polio damaged my legs, not my brain." Tim said in exasperation.

"Patrick, you're needed at Nonnatus House. It's Sister Julienne." Shelagh said as she entered the room with a confused look on her face. As Patrick got up to leave with Timothy accompanying him she sat down at her seat to stare at her steak and kidney pie. She had such a wonderful time making it with Timothy that afternoon but now all she felt was worry. Worry over Timothy and his health. Could he be covering something more serious like he had with his polio in December? And worry for the health of her former sister who she felt so close to. Could something seriously be wrong with Sister Julienne? She sighed as the tears started to come again, slowly tracing their way down her cheeks.