It had been two weeks since Tim had come home from the hospital. Plans for the larger wedding were well under way and things were moving smoothly. Shelagh was spending even more time with the Turner boys than she had been before Christmas. With the visiting time limits of the hospital gone she was happy to spend all afternoon and evening helping Tim with homework, reading with him, or listening to records together. She would cook them all dinner and relax with Patrick in the evening until it was time for her to go back to her boarding house.
One evening after tea Patrick was in the armchair with the latest copy of the Lancet while from the settee Shelagh and Tim took turns reading aloud from the insect encyclopedia Tim had gotten for Christmas. Patrick kept losing his place in his reading as he stole glances at Shelagh and Tim. Their sides touched as they sat close enough for them both to see the book spread across their laps. Shelagh kept smiling as Tim read aloud, her bright eyes focused on him as he read. When Shelagh read Tim stayed engrossed in the book but he would lean into her to get a better view of the page. He smiled at the sight and love swelled in his heart at his little family. Suddenly he pictured Shelagh sitting in the exact same spot with an older Timothy on one side of her reading the Lancet and a little girl leaning into her other side to get a better look at a children's book. The little girl, with Shelagh's golden hair and his brown eyes, looked like the perfect mix of the two of them. While Shelagh's right hand held the book open towards the toddler, her left hand gently stroked the large mound of her stomach. She smiled in reaction to what must have been a kick and the book was soon forgotten as the little girl wanted to feel too. Tim got up to fetch the stethoscope so he could let the little girl listen for the baby's heartbeat. The clock mantle chime startled him from the lovely thought and he smiled at what their future might hold.
Patrick interrupted their reading to announce that it was time for Tim's bath. Tim grumbled but acquiesced and slowly made his way upstairs. Patrick followed him to help him remove his leg braces and get to the bathroom safely. Shelagh stayed on the couch and watched them both go. She couldn't help but think what a wonderful father he was and she loved that he was making more of an effort to be home for the evenings. She smiled at the thought that one day he would be herding along a child of their own for bath time or carrying them upstairs to bed if they had fallen asleep on the settee. She reminded herself again that she needed to talk with Patrick about more children in the future, she knew she wanted them but she wasn't sure about him. The thought had not left her mind since Chummy had brought it up last week, but she couldn't think of a way to bring it up.
With Tim in the bath Patrick came back downstairs and joined Shelagh on the settee.
"You always amaze me with how well you care for him." Patrick commented as he leaned towards her, he reached out an arm to put around her and pulled her closer to him.
"He makes it easy. I love him just as much as I love you Patrick." She said softly before winding one arm around his middle and leaning into him too. Her face pressed against his chest and she smelled his cigarettes mixed with Brylcreem and antiseptic.
"We both love you too and can't wait for you to officially move in. I noticed Tim has a countdown on the calendar in his room. He loves having you around, I think you have already become his favorite." He joked with her as he tilted his head to rest atop hers.
"You do realize I have noticed the countdown you have on the calendar in your office at the surgery." She chuckled, happy to tease him back.
"Don't tell me you don't have a countdown, you might break my heart." He whispered and squeezed her closer to him.
"Don't worry. It is constantly in my head. 14 days. Or 13 days, 15 hours, and about 30 minutes, to be a little more exact." She said with a slight glance at the mantel clock to check the time.
"You are just as soft and sentimental as us Turners." He replied before kissing the top of her head.
"Dad, I'm ready." Tim yelled from upstairs. Patrick sighed before releasing Shelagh and getting up to help Tim go from the bathroom to his bedroom without his leg braces and tuck him into bed. Shelagh also sighed at them being interrupted. She was ready to say something and then he had changed the conversation to focus on the wedding. She shakes her head at her own inability to speak up and goes to do the dishes.
When Patrick returns downstairs Shelagh is finishing cleaning up the kitchen and he offers to drive her home due to the chilly weather. He also enjoys the idea of spending a little more time alone with her. They put on their coats before heading outside and getting into Patrick's car. Once they are both in he immediately turns the heat on full blast and points the vents towards her.
"Patrick, I will be fine. I'm not going to freeze in the five minute drive." Shelagh said at the sudden blast of hot air.
"I know, I'm just doing what I can to take care of you. You already do so much for me and Tim. Plus this way I know your hands won't be cold when I do this." He said before reaching down and grabbing her nearest hand off her lap and bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. He keeps her hand in his as he drives, resting gently on her lap.
"I was thinking of taking Tim to the barbers after school tomorrow to finally get his haircut, it has grown horribly long during his time in hospital." Patrick commented. Shelagh swallows hard, knowing what else Patrick could get at the barbers. She nods at his comment to show she agrees but she doesn't say anything, concentrating on how to bring up the subject she wants to talk to him about. Patrick glances over and sees the look of concentration on her face.
"Darling, what are you thinking about?" He asked softly, squeezing her hand to make sure he had her attention.
"I know this is going to sound out of the blue." She paused and took a deep breath before continuing "Patrick, do you want more children?" She blurted out.
"Yes." He replied automatically with his lopsided smile.
"Yes?" She repeated back, a shocked look across her face at his quick response.
"Only if you do as well." He replied back, seeing the shock on her face. He pulled the car to a stop on the side of the road to fully engage in this conversation with her.
"Oh I do." She replied and nodded vigorously. "I was unsure if you did. I never knew why you and Marianne only had Timothy and I didn't know if you would want more children now."
"Marianne didn't want a large family. She knew with my job that I wouldn't always be able to be there for everything and she wanted to be able to focus her attention on one or two children instead of a whole house full. I had hoped we would at least have one more so Tim would have a playmate but it never happened." As he explained she caressed his hand in her lap with her thumb, knowing that speaking about Marianne sometimes made him emotional.
"I don't know that I want a house full but I would love for us to have more children. I also don't know that they will be a playmate for Tim, since there will be an age difference. Do you think Tim would be okay with having siblings?" Shelagh asked, only now thinking of how Tim might disagree.
"He always wanted a little sibling, although the thought has probably slipped his mind since his mum got sick. I can ask him about it if you want." Patrick replied with a smile.
"Yes please. If we are to be a family we need to make these life altering decisions together." Shelagh replied before bringing Patrick's hand to her mouth and kissing the back of it gently. She then placed their entwined hands back in her lap.
"You really must have been reading my mind this evening to bring this up." Patrick remarked.
"What do you mean?" She questioned.
"While you and Tim were reading tonight I had a vision of a future evening with a larger family crowded on that settee." He replied before pulling the car back on the road.
"Oh really." She replied with shock evident in her voice.
"Yes. You and Tim were reading but with a little girl next to you hovering over a children's book. You were pregnant and the little girl got distracted by a kick while you were reading." He said, smiling at the thought again.
"To be honest it was a conversation with Chummy last week that brought the idea to my mind. But I have been having dreams about it ever since then." She said, smiling at how well his vision fit in with the dreams she had been having.
"Well you have already made my dreams come true by agreeing to marry me so we will have to see if we can make your dreams come true too." He commented as he pulled the car to a stop outside her boarding house.
He got out to open her door for her. Once they were both out of the car he put his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. When he pulls back from the embrace she stands up on her tip toes and kisses him. She loves the softness of his lips mixed with the slight scratch of his cheeks in the evening. She breaks away after just a few seconds, afraid of who might see them in this very public display of affection. She takes a few steps backwards and then turns to head towards the door.
He calls after her, "Goodnight darling. Remember we can talk about anything, anytime."
"I know. Goodnight Patrick, I will see you and Timothy tomorrow for tea." She replies before heading in the door.
He waits outside in the cool night air until he sees the light turn on in her bedroom upstairs. Only then does he get back in his car. The vision of his future family on his gold settee dancing in his mind the whole drive home and staying with him even as he went to sleep.
Shelagh smiled as she brushed her hair out before bed. She knew she would have that dream again tonight. Her and Patrick curled up together on the gold settee, both of their hands stroking her very large stomach. She set down her hairbrush, then got down on her knees by the bed. She prayed for Timothy, all her friends at Nonnatus House, and lastly she prayed for Patrick and the future they would share with each other. She crawled into bed, turned out her bedside lamp, and waited for the sweet dreams to come.