The New Midwife

Chapter 24

Sister Huxley woke first. She began to stir in the doctor's arms causing him to begin to stir as well. She rubbed her eyes and sat up straight. Timothy rubbed his eyes and smiled.
"Good morning sister" he said sitting up and rubbing his eyes again.
"Good morning doctor, we seemed to have fallen asleep" they chuckled.
"Yes we have, what time is it?" He asked tying his tie but failing.
"Allow me" she chuckled swatting his hands away and taking over "there you are all done" I smiled, my hands remaining on his shoulders. After a few moments, she moved her hands from his shoulders and looked at her hands that now lay in her lap.
"I should get ready for compline" she said rushing off upstairs to get ready.
Madeline leant against the door of the bedroom, taking in deep calming breaths trying to steady her rapid heart rate. Madeline moved to her bedside table, opening the drawer carefully, trying not to wake Trixie she took out the book 'The revelations of divine love', taking out the picture of the baby girl again.
"This is dangerous Molly. So dangerous" She whispered, bringing the picture to her lips before she put it back in the book. Madeline went back downstairs, meeting all the sisters in chapel for compline.
When Madeline and the other nuns left compline Timothy had gone, leaving her with an immense sense of sadness. Madeline distracted herself for the rest of the afternoon working on the posters with sister Monica-Joan. By dinner time they had a stack of coloured paper piled high, ready to be handed out to the people of poplar tomorrow.
"They look wonderful sister" sister Julienne smiled widely across the table at her.
"Thank you sister. I think the ball is going to be very well planned" Madeline smiled.
"Good. Tomorrow we can hand out the posters" she smiled.
"Yes sister" chorused around the table.
Dinner passed quickly along with compline and still there was no sign of Timothy.

Madeline tossed and turned in her bed for hours on end but she still couldn't sleep. She quickly and quietly dressed and headed downstairs and eventually outside. She leant on the railing and stared up at the sky. 
"Nice night isn't it" Timothy's voice caught her of guard. 
"What are you doing here?" 
"Nonnatus at night is very peaceful. My mother used to come here when she couldn't sleep and she would pray or sing" 
"So why are you here?" 
"I couldn't sleep. And knowing that you're here makes this place more peaceful somehow. Why couldn't you sleep" 
"I was thinking too much" 
"About what?" 
"About my past" 
"Which part of it?"
"All of it" She muttered. 
"Do you regret anything you've done?" 
"I don't think that I can regret it, no matter how hard I try" 
"Then maybe you shouldn't regret it" 
"I'm not so sure about that" She muttered before she headed back inside, closing the door behind her, shutting him out.