Chapter Text
All the nurses are relaxing in Trixie and Patsy’s room in their pajamas. The wireless is on and Patsy is mixing everyone drinks. Laughter fills the room as they recount the day’s hijinks and mishaps. The song “Lollipop” begins, and both Trixie and Delia perk up.
“Oh, I love this song,” they cry at the same time. Barbara and Patsy laugh.
Trixie gets up, Bitter Lemon in hand, and starts dancing at the foot of the bed. She holds out her hand to Delia.
“Come on, sweetie.”
Delia gets up and joins her, and giggles as Trixie gives her a twirl. Barbara and Patsy bounce along with them from their seats as they dance to the song. When the song ends, they both collapse onto Patsy’s bed and dissolve into giggles. Barbara claps enthusiastically.
“Oh, it’s been ages since I’ve gone dancing properly – to a proper dance club,” Trixie says.
“We should all go,” Delia says.
Trixie presses her lips together. “Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t gone to a club since …starting AA,” she says shyly.
Delia and Barbara look down and nod solemnly, understanding.
“Don’t let that be an excuse,” Patsy says. “Delia and I are drinking now, and it doesn’t bother you.”
Trixie tilts her head, and her hair flounces after her. “I suppose not. No, it doesn’t really at all. But this is my room, and you’re my friends. What would I do if some handsome gent offered me a drink? One’s got to be polite.”
“You know, Trixie, you don’t have to accept a drink just because a man offers you one,” Delia says, teasing. “When my hospital friends take me out dancing, I always decline if someone offers me a drink, and no one thinks it’s rude. Usually.”
Trixie puts her glass down with a snap. “Honestly, Delia,” Trixie says in mock horror. “It’s no wonder you haven’t got a boyfriend, if that’s the way you behave.”
“No wonder at all,” Delia giggles. She shoots Patsy a mischievous look; Patsy is pressing her lips together to disguise her smile, eyes twinkling.
Trixie watches the look they exchange disapprovingly. “Don’t tell me you don’t want a boyfriend either,” she says in disbelief.
“Why should I? They seem like more trouble than their worth,” Delia says.
Trixie shakes her head disapprovingly. “Honestly, the pair of you are both absolutely hopeless,” she says.
Delia holds her hand out for the cigarette Patsy is smoking at her perch at the foot of the bed. Obligingly, without looking away from the conversation, Patsy hands it over, and Delia takes a drag. Trixie watches them.
Patsy cuts in. “Trixie, you know you can always ask them for something non-alcoholic.”
Trixie’s eyes widen. “I wouldn’t want him to think me a …prude,” she says with a shudder.
“Well, you’re not a prude. And if one man doesn’t like what you order, you can always find another who does,” Patsy says matter of factly.
Trixie considers for a moment. “What do you think, Barbara? Would you like to come dancing?”
“I’m not very good, but I’d love to ask Tom to come, if that’s alright. Although I don’t know if he likes dancing.”
Patsy and Trixie look at each other.
“He’s scared of dancing,” Trixie says with a laugh.
“He’s got two left feet, but he can dance,” Patsy says.
“Thanks to Patsy,” Trixie says with a smile. “And I’m sure he’d love to dance if it means dancing with you.”
“Alright, then,” Barbara says brightly. “I’ll ask him.”
“Then it’s settled,” Patsy says decisively. “We’ll just have to convince Nurse Crane to give us all the same evening off.”
Delia has emptied her glass. She moves to get up and refill it, but Patsy is already reaching out to take her glass. Trixie notices as she refills it and hands it back with a smile.
“Excellent!” Trixie says, returning her attention to the conversation at hand. “Barbara and Tom sharing their first dance. And as for the three of us –” She points threateningly at Patsy and Delia. “None of us are leaving until we’ve been treated to a drink by someone sufficiently good looking.” She raises her glass. “Promise?”
“Whatever you say,” Patsy says.
***
The next week, thanks to some maneuvering of the schedule on Nurse Crane’s part, Patsy, Delia, Barbara, Trixie, and Tom find themselves standing in a basement East End dance club, one Trixie has frequented in the past, and she’s brimming with excitement to be back. The dance floor is crowded with energetic couples throwing themselves around to the music of a live band, and the surrounding tables are crowded with couples and gaggles of friends socializing. The bar at the back of the room is busy.
Trixie is bouncing on her toes, eager to dive into the fray. Her hair is elegantly curled to provide just the right amount of bounce. Patsy wears her hair down, and both of them wear colourful blouses and dressy trousers. Delia and Barbara wear dresses with flouncy skirts. Barbara has her arm through Tom’s, who is looking a little bit out of his element at the dance floor in front of him.
They all look at each other with wide grins and then dive in.