Shelagh sat on the camp bed. She took a bed close to the door not wanting the others to see her. She still felt as if she betrayed them all, the nuns and the nurses. She snuck out early the next morning, so that no one saw her.
Timothy creeped into the sitting room, knowing that Shelagh was in the kitchen making breakfast. He quietly placed it onto the table and quietly opened it, taking the pills out.
"Timothy, would you like some toast?" Shelagh called.
"Yes please that would be smashing" Timothy called back. He put the pills back into the bag and closed the locks.
Tim sat at the kitchen table and placed the pills into his mouth taking a quick sip of juice to wash them down.
"Doctor is out on a house call nurse Noaks. Do you want to step into the sitting room and wait?" Shelagh asked, keeping it formal.
"I was actually hoping to see you. And I'm no more nurse Noaks these days than you are sister Bernadette" Chummy commented.
"I suppose not" Shelagh smiled slightly.
"I don't suppose your up for doing an old pal and a lot of small boys a favour?" Chummy asked hoping for a yes.
The boys ran around the chairs in the living room, shouting and yelling, and hitting eachother with balloons. Shelagh shouted over the noise to jack to be careful with little Freddie.
Shelagh walking into the sitting room and chuckled at Timothy who was standing on a chair looking at his tongue in the mirror.
"What on earth are you doing Timothy?" Shelagh asked.
"I'm looking at my tongue the cherryade turned it red" he said sticking his tongue back out. Shelagh began cleaning when Timothy poked at his neck.
Shelagh sat on the sofa waiting for Patrick to get home, whilst Timothy was fast asleep. She kept her gaze fixed on her wedding dress box. She quietly got up, unwrapped the box and in that moment she decide to put it on. Once she was dressed she pulled a chair over to the mirror and stood on it. Gazing at herself, like she had done before. This gown wasn't right, it wasn't her, it wasn't the future Mrs Turner. It was somebody else. It was sister Bernadette. It wasn't Shelagh.
Timothy sat playing with his bowel of cereal.
"One last quick visit to the surgery then it's the barbers for us two, meanwhile auntie Shelagh's gone up west something to do with her outfit for the wedding" Patrick smiled.
"Women" Timothy huffed.
"Eat up and get dressed son" Patrick smiled heading towards the dining phone.
"I have to go to the rescue center, I'll be back as soon as I can" Patrick said pulling his coat over his shoulders.
"But what about the barbers? You said we we're going to go together and you said I could have brylcream" Timothy moaned.
"We'll go tomorrow, first thing in the morning and tonight I'll take you for a fry-up at capriani's caff, it can be our stag do" Patrick smiled.
"Stag do?" Timothy asked.
"Well you are going to be my best man aren't you?" Patrick smiled.
"Really?" Timothy said eyes going wide.
"I need somebody to keep me in order, shinny shoes, ironed shirt best bib and tucker, I wouldn't have anyone else" Patrick smiled taking his bag and leaving.
Timothy ironed his dad's shirt and polished his shoes, ready for the wedding being extra careful and making sure it was all perfect.
"Just so you know we do part exchanging if you want to push the boat out and go for something fancier. Have you considered ballerina length? You've got a lovely pair of ankles, you really aught to be showing them off maybe with a satin stiletto?" The woman called through the curtain to Shelagh.
"I'm not sure" she said looking at herself in the mirror in nothing but her slip "is it usual for a bride to go off her dress?" Shelagh asked.
"It happens but once you do a bit a prodding you usually find that what's really going on is that it's the groom she's gone off" the woman answered truthfully.
"Would you put the original dress back in it's box, please" Shelagh asked quietly.
"There's plenty of stock you haven't looked at yet, we've got three designs inspired by Princess Grace of Monaco though we normally only recommend those for the taller bride" she smiled.
"No, thank you" Shelagh said sternly.
"As you wish" the woman said walking off towards the counter.
"I wonder if your dithering because you came in on your own. Most people bring their mothers" the woman prodded.
"My mother died when I was a child" Shelagh admitted.
"That's a shame, brides need mother's. How else are you going to get your veil on straight" the woman commented.
"I'm not wearing a veil, I'm wearing a hat" Shelagh answered.
"Have you got any sisters?" The woman tried again.
"No" Shelagh answered after pausing. She had sisters in Christ once but they were no longer apart of her life only who she used to be.