They parted, sweaty, and she snuggled in his chest, feeling his arms around her. She smiled and closed her eyes in satisfaction, but the alarm clock rang loudly, making her head and her ears ache.

"That damn thing," she heard him say and she nodded with a moan, very different from the ones she had tried to hide just minutes before. She reached to turn off the annoying device and returned to Patrick's arms but he pulled away from her and sat up, searching for his pajamas among the rumpled sheets.

She complained and tried, with her eyes closed, to prevent him from finding his pants that were tangled near her feet.

"Shelagh, love, wake up."

She complained once more, covering her eyes with one hand.

"Just one more minute," she begged, but she heard him rise from the bed and wrap himself in the robe. She felt his lips on her tousled hair.

"I'm sorry love, but you have to get up. Children must go to school and we must go to work."

"I hate this," her voice sounded much louder and clearer, and he laughed a little.

"Well, I hate it too but we can't do anything else," she felt him lean over the bed and pat her legs, "Get up, sleeping beauty."

"I just want to spend time with you..." she reached out to touch him and tempt him back under the covers, but he was already too far from her. She complained as if she were a little girl, "Patrick, come here!"

He laughed, completely ready for a quick shower.

"I don't understand what you're laughing at!"

"You're never like that, what happened? You are always the one who forces me to get out of bed and take my hands off you," he sat down next to her and brushed her hair, "Are you feeling bad, darling?"

She turned and half-opened her eyes, watching him as she ran her fingers over her face in an attempt to wake herself up.

"I'm fine, I just want, for one day, to get up when I decide, and I want to spend time with you, alone, without anyone to bother us, or without fear that the phone will ring, and especially without this garbage..." the alarm clock rang again, "Do you see it? I told you, the alarm sounds every five minutes, there's no way to turn it off until I hit it," with that said she took the clock and slammed it against the bedside table, causing Patrick to laugh again and that she wanted to throw the offending object at his head.

"What is so funny?!"

"It's just that I'm a little surprised," he leaned toward her, gave her a soft kiss on the lips, "But you're right. I'd like to spend more time with you alone too, love. Above all, take my time to..." again he kissed her, and she tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him, to somehow convince him to return to her and spend even five more minutes together. But Patrick pulled away too quickly, with a mischievous smile on his face, "I wish we were the two of us in a secluded place, so you can scream and moan all you want without thinking that children can hear you and be traumatized by lifetime."

She felt her cheeks flush to the max and tapped his shoulder.

"Patrick I mean it."

"And I mean it too!"

"Really… When do we spend time alone? On our honeymoon. Later, never again."

"When Tim went to his granny's house and we still didn't have the little ones. Or in South Africa."

"I mean full days, and in South Africa we were never alone."

"We still managed to conceive a baby," Patrick arched his eyebrows, earning another tap on the shoulder.

"Patrick I'm not kidding."

"And I understand you, love," he kissed her gently again, and hugged her.

"My birthday is coming up and you have insisted on knowing what I want, and I have insisted that I have everything and I don't want presents...But I wouldn't be offended if you get even one day just for me. For the two of us."

"Shelagh you know that is impossible. Your birthday is in ten days ..."

"Patrick please...please, it's just silly...Just one day, in a cabin in the woods just the two of us..."

"A cabin?"

"It would be nice…I promise there won't be bears, or wolves…," she yawned, and he forced her to sit up.

"We must prepare, Shelagh, it is getting very late."

She yawned again and dressed, defeated, in her robe.

"It's just a favor I ask of you, Patrick..."


For the rest of the day Shelagh felt guilty. It was not in her nature to ask, much less demand something so selfish. Undoubtedly, her exhaustion and her sleep transformed her into a strange person during the morning, but when she woke up well and her day began, she could not get her reprehensible behavior out of her head.

Besides, Patrick did not deserve that she asking him for something like that.

And yet…It was her genuine desire to spend time with him, even if it was only in silence, but knowing that they were together and calm without interruptions of any kind. She knew it was healthy for any couple to spend time alone and that never happened between them. What if things in the marriage started to fall apart just because they were always surrounded by so many people and could not share something together?

"Auch!" she dropped the knife, she had been so immersed in her thoughts that she had almost sliced a finger along with the vegetables she was cutting.

"Mommy, did you hurt yourself?" Angela's little voice made her smile but also feel even worse.

She loved her children, how could she wish to spend time alone with their father and not include them as well?

"No my angel, everything is fine," she continued with her task, trying not to think more, until she was startled when she felt Patrick's big hands on her waist and his warm breath on her ear.

"Good evening, mom," he greeted her with a loud kiss on her cheek, while their daughters jumped around him telling all kinds of news. Patrick turned away from her, gave his attention to the girls and their young son, and when everyone told him about their day and returned to their drawings, Patrick returned to the kitchen and leaned against the counter, looking at Shelagh with a mischievous smile.

"What happened?" she asked, glancing at him.

"Everything is ready."

"What?"

"Your birthday present is ready. All arranged. We will go that day during the morning."

She stopped mixing in a saucepan and stared at him in amazement, trying to figure out if he was joking or serious. Patrick leaned closer, and whispered in her ear.

"We will make love countless times and then we will return the next day, at night."

"Patrick," she broke away, looking at him, "I don't understand."

"You asked for something and you got it," he smirked at her.

"But..." she waved her hands, trying to find the words to explain that it was an incredibly beautiful gesture and that she really appreciated it, but it was crazy. Also, leaving the children for no valid reason mortified her.

But Timothy entered the house, dropping his jacket and backpack anywhere. His father greeted him with a smile

"Tim, you are already grown up so I consider you responsible. You will spend two days here alone, taking care of the house, and your mother's plants and your sisters' rabbits. I don't want parties or friends or anything strange, do you understand me?"

"Patrick..." Shelagh tried to say, but Tim was too happy.

"Really? It is not a joke?!"

"Of course it's not. Teddy and the girls will go to Nonnatus. Mom and I must go to a medical conference in...Bath. It will be on the 17th and 18th."

"In Bath? Why are they doing a medical conference in Bath?" Timothy frowned.

"Why not? What have you got against Bath?" Patrick responded too cheerfully, and Shelagh knew her eldest son was not buying a word at all.

"Mom's birthday is on 17th," Tim said, clearly suspicious.

"Yes, it's a shame but there is no option. It's very important that we both go to that conference. "

"Too strange," the boy sentenced, looking like a teenage Sherlock Holmes.

"What's up, Timothy? Don't get smart with me, young man. If you want, I can leave you in Nonnatus in the care of Sister Frances."

Timothy changed his face.

"I'm an adult now, I don't need someone who's barely older than me to take care of me."

"Tim don't talk about Sister Frances like that," Shelagh decided to collaborate with her husband. Two angry parents would make Tim drop his suspicions, and worry about keeping his privileges. It worked, because Tim apologized in a whisper and then added:

"I will stay here and make no disasters, I promise."

"Fine, go wash your hands, dinner is ready."

With that, Tim left and Patrick turned to Shelagh, raising his eyebrows.

"Patrick you are crazy! What's wrong with you?"

"Shelagh, you asked me for something."

"But you shouldn't have listened to me, I just… I was delirious, that's all. No, no, they are many lies, and in Nonnatus they will know perfectly well that there is no conference and..."

Patrick smiled, took her waist in his hands and kissed her firmly on the mouth, releasing her only when Teddy screamed and started fighting with his sisters.

Shelagh backed away from her husband, trying to reprimand him with her gaze, but he just smiled completely satisfied.

"What? Are you going to punish me?" he winked.


Her internal torture did not end in the following days, not even when they left the children at Nonnatus, and Tim at the house, full of recommendations. As Poplar was left behind, Shelagh could not stop twisting her fingers in nervousness and guilt.

"Shelagh, you brought too many clothes!" she heard him laugh beside her as he drove.

"This is not right Patrick."

"For me it is. If you don't do it for you, at least do it for me. You asked me to do something and here I am, pleasing you."

"I appreciate your effort but..."

Her words died in her mouth as she felt and saw Patrick's hand resting on her knee, traveling gently up her thigh, wrinkling the skirt. She smiled embarrassed but also pleased.

When the trip was finally over, Patrick helped her out of the car but she had already forgotten her guilt. She threw herself into his arms to kiss him, first as a way of thanks because the place was lovely and perfect and second because she really, really wanted to take him to bed.

When they entered the small cabin they immediately parted, not because they wanted to but because the floor creaked loudly. They looked around and Patrick put into words what Shelagh was thinking.

"Oh, no."

They looked puzzled at the place that on the outside seemed almost magical, surrounded by trees and flowers, but inside it was just an abandoned space.

Shelagh burst into uncontrollable laughter, tried to sit on a chair but it creaked so loudly that she stood up again, with even more laughter. Meanwhile, Patrick went around the place cursing with all the words that crossed his mind.

"The guy told me this place was new!"

She let out another laugh.

"I'll go right now to claim him, or kill that guy!"

She stopped him.

"Don't even think about leaving this place, Patrick Turner. We are here, and all I want is a bed. Tell me there is one."

"There is," he replied, desire returning to his eyes.

Of course, things did not turn out as expected. The bed almost disintegrated when they both fell there and again Shelagh started laughing and he cursed as he opened a door that almost fell on him.

"I feel like if I don't stop laughing I'll pee!" she said still lying on the dusty bed, then she started sneezing, which brought her more laughter.

"Shelagh this is serious, this is a disaster, we'll get out of here right now."

"No! I like it."

"You cannot like this terrible place."

"We were in a camp a few years ago, and it was worse. Let's stay, please, you already convinced me to come here, and I like it! It's a very nice adventure."

Patrick took one of her hands and pulled her to her feet. As he always did, he kissed her palm.

"It's not what you deserve on your birthday, my love."

"What I deserve is that you kiss me a lot, and in many places," she stood on tiptoe to kiss him, but he pulled away from her.

"Shelagh, no, this is terrible."

She crossed her arms, looking at him.

"It's my birthday and what I say, will be done!"

"So it's your birthday 365 days a year, because I always do what you say," he laughed a little and earned a pat on the arm.

"You know Patrick? I saw a couch in the living room that is better than this bed... And also carpets, walls... The kitchen table looks very strong... Maybe you want...to please me in those places?" she began to unbutton her blouse, watching him swallow hard and approach her, only to kiss her hard.


"I think it's going to rain soon."

Shelagh heard a complaint next to her ear and smiled.

"I hope this roof doesn't fall on us."

"Don't be pessimistic."

She got up from the couch, looking for some clothes to wear. Through the window she could see thick clouds.

"Patrick I have a feeling that it's very cold here at night and I don't see any firewood anywhere. What do you say if we stop... well, and go looking for firewood?"

"It can't be true that you still can't say the word sex."

"Patrick!"

She heard him laugh and then saw him stretching. Indeed, the couch was very comfortable.

"We don't need firewood, we know how to warm ourselves."

"It's serious, and we should also eat something."

"We also know very well what to eat."

"Stop talking like a pervert old man."

Complaining even more, Patrick got dressed and when they were more or less presentable, they went outside. The surrounding landscape was really beautiful, and they even found a nearby stream where they collected fresh water. As they watched as the storm seemed to be deciding whether to rain or not, they gathered branches and Patrick began chopping wood with an ax that he found abandoned next to one of the cabin windows. She stared at him sitting on the grass, enraptured by the sight of her husband sweating, his sleeves rolled up, trying to make firewood with a rather battered tool.

"I perceive that you brought me to work as your slave."

"It is not a perception Patrick, it is reality. You make firewood and you give me...sex. You were my slave who pleases me in everything," he swallowed and she laughed out loud, "You see it? I can say the word. Let's go inside, we already have enough firewood. Or do you prefer that we have sex here? It would be fun, but I think there are a lot of insects."

Snorting the effort but with a lewd look in his eyes, he followed her to the cabin.


She raised the coffee cup to her lips, savoring it as she snuggled into the blankets. Outside, it was raining heavily, but they still had a couple more hours before leaving their little refuge in the world to return to real life. She saw him approach with a plate of biscuits and sat next to her.

"I must say that this cabin is destroyed, except for the roof and its food. I've never had biscuits as delicious as these," he said through a mouth full of crumbs.

"Maybe they are seasoned by rats."

"Shelagh!" he exclaimed, and she laughed, "How was your birthday?"

She put the cup on the floor and closed her eyes.

"Well... a very handsome man gave me many gifts..."

She heard him smile and put the cookies on the floor as well, to climb up her body to kiss her.

"Oh yes? What a good man..."

"Mmm, very good. Very skilled with his hands," she smiled mischievously before kissing him softly, "We should go?"

"I'm sorry, but our weekend is finished."

"I know," she smiled, stroking his face, "Well, I'll take a shower and pack our things."

Shelagh got up, dressed, and packed the few belongings they had brought. Patrick waited for her outside, next to the car, and came over with an umbrella as she left the house.

"One last wish Patrick," she said, closing the door to the rickety cabin. He looked at her with bright eyes, as she took the umbrella from him and closed it.

"I want a kiss in the rain, like in the movies."

He groaned but still fulfilled her wish.

When they separated, she reopened the umbrella, but they did not move from the place.

"Thank you, Patrick. It was the most beautiful birthday present in the world."

"Just wait for next year's present, my love. I'm already planning it."

Two days had been short. Along the way to Poplar they would think what lies to invent to hide the fact that they had not been to any kind of medical conference. Shelagh chuckled, the same they had to do when they returned from their honeymoon, claiming to have been in famous tourist sites when they never left their hotel room.

She felt her cheeks become colored no longer with shame but with the earlier memories of her marriage, to which these more recent ones would now be added.

"What are you laughing at now?" Patrick said next to her, also laughing, "You were laughing all weekend."

"It is because I am very happy."

The look in his eyes told her that he was happy too.