Chapter Text
After her odd encounter with the elderly nun on the stairs, Patsy walked further into the convent. She inhaled the clean, antiseptic scent that she always associated with nursing which made her smile slightly. After just a few steps a short woman in a dark blue skirt suite came out of an open doorway.
“Hello there, I believe I’m expected. I’m sorry for barging in but the door was open.” Patsy replied with a polite smile as she motioned behind her to the doorway she had come in.
“Greetings. We have no objection to people barging in, it tends to happen when pregnant women and labor is concerned. Are you Nurse Mount?” The small woman said in a Scottish accent that surprised Patsy momentarily.
“Yes I’m Patience Mount, but people call me Patsy.” She replied as she reached forward her free hand to shake the other woman’s hand in greeting.
“Patsy, how lovely to meet you. I’m Mrs. Turner. Come into the office and we can go over your details and then get you settled.” Shelagh said with a pleased smile. She turned to head back into the office she had been in and Patsy followed. Patsy was slightly confused on why an ordinary woman and not a stern nun was the one to greet her and take her into an office. Jenny had said she worked alongside nuns and other nurses at Nonnatus, but she thought it was the nuns who ran things. Patsy quickly shoved the questions aside and took the seat opposite the desk, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap.
“According to your paperwork you just finished your midwifery qualifications at the top of your class.” Shelagh said as she grabbed the neat pile of paperwork regarding their new midwife. She looked down at the papers she had already memorized so she could give the woman a moment to adjust to the dark imposing nature of the convent.
“Yes and I have been a nurse on the male surgical ward at the London. I wanted a change and midwifery stood out. I would love to get more experiences and it seems that being out on the district is the way to do that.” Patsy said quickly to fill the silence. She looked at the woman before her, trying to figure out if she was in charge or if there were nuns higher up than her. Her dark skirt suit and her hair gathered up in a twist showed her professionalism and she did seem to settle in well in the convent office. The convent school, including the nuns, that Patsy had grown up with were terrifying and she couldn’t imagine that being true of this place, especially not in this tranquil office.
“It is certainly a way to get more midwifery experience. It will be quite the change from the London and male surgical.” Shelagh commented, finally looking up to see how the young woman would react.
“Oh I am fully aware and ready for a change of pace.” Patsy said, the smile on her face showing her sincerity and excitement for the new job.
“Do you have any questions for me about the job before we take a tour?” Shelagh asked as she took in the new nurse. The carefully planned outfit and stylish hair and makeup showed that she would mix well with the other midwives, especially Trixie and Jenny. The nursing experience and fortitude to come top of her class showed that she might impress Sister Evangelina. Shelagh smiled, hoping she had truly found the great addition to Nonnatus that she had hoped for.
“Just about the convent part. You see, I went to a convent school and was not very impressed.” Patsy said hesitantly, not sure how to turn her concern into an actual question.
“Your religion is your own affair but there are certain rules as it is a convent. I’m sure these are no more strict than any nurses home that you may have been staying in. Meals are typically taken together if work permits. Mrs. B cooks every day but Tuesday so you do not have to cook for yourself unless you miss the meal due to work. Quiet hours are observed in the evening, as much as can be when the phone can ring at any time. The nuns pray several times each day, which you are welcome to join if you would like but it is not required. However they would prefer quiet and to not be interrupted during those times. Men are only allowed to stay for meals and never are allowed upstairs. Unfortunately you will have to share a room with Nurse Franklin due to the amount of rooms. Does that help alleviate your concerns?” Shelagh said kindly, her eyes softening at the nurse who she could tell had previously had negative interactions with women in the religious life.
“Yes. Jenny spoke so highly of all of you when she was seconded to the London. It inspired me to make a change so I was so thankful when I saw you were advertising for a midwife.” Patsy replied, the smile back on her face now that her concerns about living in a convent had been dashed.
“I’m so glad that you have already met Nurse Lee. She is away right now, her boyfriend recently passed away very unexpectedly and she decided to take some time to grieve. However there are other lay midwives. You will meet Nurse Franklin and Nurse Miller when they arrive for luncheon. How about we take that tour so you can get your uniforms and nursing bag as well as find your room?” Shelagh said before standing from behind the desk. Patsy stood to follow, admiring the meticulous way Shelagh organized the notes on the desk before they exited the room.
***
“More Scotch anyone?” Patsy asked as she proffered the bottle she had brought with her.
“Can I have quite a lot of Canada Dry this time?” Cynthia asked as she watched Patsy fill Trixie’s glass, resulting in a giggle from Trixie.
“I can’t believe you brought your own whiskey.” Cynthia added as Patsy filled her glass as well.
“Well, my father always says, one should never start a new venture without a bottle of something sociable.” Patsy replied with a gleaming smile as she refilled her own cup.
“Man after my own heart.” Trixie replied with a giggle before getting up out of the bed she was lounging on next to Cynthia. She went over to the record player and changed the record.
“Cynthia, grab a hoop.” Trixie commanded as she held up the two hula hoops. Handing one to Cynthia who had hopped up off the bed and using the other herself.
“Alright.” Trixie said softly as they began. As the next song started the two of them attempted to circle the hula hoops with their waists to disastrous results, both hoops ended up on the floor and all three girls laughed heartily.
Trixie and Cynthia quickly abandoned the hula hoops and returned to reclining on the bed with their respective glasses of whiskey. Patsy sat chatting comfortably with Trixie and Cynthia, all of them imbibing the whiskey she had brought. Patsy loved the relaxed atmosphere in her new bedroom and with these new ladies. The nurses home had never felt this inviting or sociable. Now that they had started talking it seemed they couldn’t stop and Patsy really did want a lay of the land before her first official day tomorrow.
"So who do I need to be warned about here at Nonnatus?" She asked, hoping Jenny's praise of district work at Nonnatus was felt by all of the lay midwives.
"Well you already met Sister Evangelina and she is our resident bossy boots." Trixie replied with a giggle as she leaned slightly on the smaller nurse beside her.
"But you already impressed her with your cleaning and initiative. If you're anything like that in a delivery then she will stay impressed." Cynthia added, trying to smooth over any of the new midwives' nerves.
"Sister Winifred is fairly new here. She is very cheerful but I think she has taken a little longer to get comfortable with midwifery." Cynthia continued as she looked down at her still full glass.
"Sister Monica Joan doesn't work with us but she does live here. As you could tell from tea time she is lively and full of odd remarks with a tendency towards cake thievery." Trixie commented as she knocked back the last of the whiskey in her glass.
"Sister Julienne is away right now at the Mother House as she isn't feeling well but she is normally the head nun here at Nonnatus. She is always calm and has a willing ear for any of our concerns." Cynthia said, a small smile danced across her face as she remembered some of the conversations she had shared with the dear nun.
“Are there any other lay midwives?” Patsy asked, swirling the whiskey in her glass as she watched the closeness of the other nurses.
“Our other midwife is Chummy. She is married with a lovely little boy but she works a few days a week. She is wonderfully friendly.” Cynthia added as she silently passed her glass to Trixie, knowing that she would appreciate the remaining whiskey more.
"And you've already met Jenny Lee who will hopefully return soon." Trixie added as her eyes brightened at her new full glass.
"So everything should be fine around Sister Winifred, Sister Julienne, Chummy, and Jenny. I need to watch myself around Sister Evangelina and watch my cake around Sister Monica Joan." Patsy said in summary with a cheeky smile. From the opposite bed Trixie and Cynthia both nod before delving once again into a fit of giggles. Once they had all calmed down again Patsy counted through all the ladies she had met today in her head while she refilled Trixie’s glass and her own.
"What about Mrs. Turner? She was the one I talked to over the phone and who guided me this morning when I arrived. Do we usually work with her?" Patsy asked after sipping her own whiskey. She had been rather impressed with the meticulous and friendly woman when she had arrived that afternoon. She seemed very well organized and definitely knew her way around Nonnatus House.
"Yes, we work with her. But ever since she married Dr. Turner, she retired from midwifery. She still helps us at Tuesday clinic and does the reception work at his surgery. So you will get to see her more when you are on duty at the maternity home. It appears she is trying to spend as much time at home with their son, Timothy, as possible. He had polio last Christmas. They were supposed to get married and had to delay until he was well." Cynthia explained with a sad look as she watched Patsy nod in understanding at the harrowing story.
"I was just a tad surprised to show up at a convent and not see a mother superior in charge. But like I said, the nuns I encountered at school were Catholic so I’m sure they have their differences." Patsy said, remembering the surprise she felt as she entered the Nonnatus office and saw it was not occupied by an austere nun.
"Well Mrs. Turner was always put in charge when Sister Julienne wasn't here so I guess it made sense to ask her back to help now with Sister Julienne away. She may be the only one who knows the office work part of Nonnatus." Cynthia replied, blushing slightly at what she had left unspoken about the previous times that Sister Julienne had handed over leadership to Mrs. Turner.
"Yes but that was when she was still Sister Bernadette." Trixie said in an exaggerated whisper, a slight slur starting to come through in her voice from all the whiskey. She leaned her head fully onto Cynthia and giggled again at the idea. Cynthia saw Patsy's eyes go wide and she hurried to think of what to say.
"She was a nun?" Patsy asked in a hushed voice, her eyes still wide in shock. These nuns really weren’t like the ones she was used to. If a nun had left religious life when she was at school the other nuns would have disowned her and never spoken her name again, not let her continue to work alongside them.
"Oh yes. The best one of the bunch. Would sit down and explain things to us and even gave us tutoring sessions. Always the one called out for difficult cases. I saw her do an external version at one of my first deliveries here." Trixie rambled from her reclined position, her eyes fluttering closed. Patsy stared at Cynthia, hoping she would continue the explanation.
"When she was still Sister Bernadette she seemed troubled for a while, emotionally. She spent a lot of extra time in the chapel. Then she was diagnosed with TB last year. I wasn't sure she would come back to us from the Sanatorium. But she did, just without her habit." Cynthia explained further, twisting her hands together in nervousness at Patsy’s wide-eyed stare.
“Then just a few weeks after her return she was engaged to Dr. Turner who was widowed a few years ago. It made me think back and I realized he had been smitten with her for a while.” Trixie piped up, despite her sleep-like pose.
“Trixie you can’t know that.” Cynthia said, a little louder than she had intended to. The shocked look on her face turned fully toward her blonde friend.
“The looks he kept giving her from across a room. And the way they defended each other at the Carter birth.” Trixie replied, her eyes popped open suddenly as she remembered that birth. She pulled herself up and leaned forward conspiratorially before she said, “And when she was in the sanatorium I think he wrote to her and she didn’t respond. You should have seen how he reacted when I told him that she was writing regularly to us.” At that Trixie leaned back again, content that she had made her point.
“Well whatever happened she has seemed happier in the last few months than I had seen her in the previous two years.” Cynthia said with a decisive nod of her head in Patsy’s direction.
“I’m all for doing whatever makes you happy. Just a little shocked that she was a nun.” Patsy replied smoothly before she finished her last sip of whiskey. She stood up and collected the three empty glasses and set them beside the empty bottle on the dresser. She took a deep breath while she was away from the other nurses. If these ladies could be so accepting of a former nun who had renounced her vows to marry a man, maybe with time they could accept her too.