KNOCK KNOCK

'That'll be Shelagh. I'll get the door.' Cynthia scurried out of the room. 'Hello Shelagh. Hello little one.'

'Can you take-thanks.' Sister Julienne's head shot up the instant the oh so familiar voice wafted through the hall. Tears sprung to her eyes- she was here, she was finally here again.

'Well uh..come on in then.'

'Thank you.' The gentle click clack of heels on wood sounded before the face Sister Julienne had longed to see for 18 months appeared nervously around the corner a young child in her arms, his head resting on her shoulder as he sucked on his thumb. 'Hello Sister Julienne. Long time no see.' She smiled nervously.

Slowly, carefully Sister Julienne stood and walked over to her. Everyone held their breath. The nun stared at her for second, her eyes roaming over her face as if to check her over for damage. She took in the long flowing waves on golden hair that spilled over the former nuns shoulders, the subtle yet effective dusting on makeup that accentuated the features she knew so well, the basic dress that showed a better figure than the nun have ever imagined her to have-especially after having a child. Her gaze moved swiftly over to the young boy in her arms-he looked so much like his mother it was almost scary. She let out an audible sigh of relief. They were fine. Sister Bernadette and her child were alive and looked healthy.

'Who's this?' She asked quietly, smiling as the boy turned his gaze to her and fixed her with the same piercing blue eyes she had known for so many years.

'This is Mattie. And this is Kitty.' Shelagh smiled proudly as Cynthia carried her daughter in. Sister Julienee's face lit up.

'Twins?' She clapped her hands together joyfully, clutching them to her heart as it swelled.

'Yes. My twins.' Shelagh nodded proudly.'Oh Si-Shelagh. They're beautiful. They're perfect.'

'Not when they work together against us at 3am they're not.' Shelagh rolled her eyes as the nurses laughed knowingly having heard tales of, and lived through, the awesome power of the twins' innate ability to gang up against whoever was watching them.

'May I-' She gestured towards the boy who reached out a pudgy hand to her.

'Looks like he's decided for himself.' Shelagh smiled handing him over.

'Hello Mattie. Oh aren't you precious!'

'We'll leave you four alone.' Cynthia smiled handing Kitty to her Mummy before the nurses all left with a parting glance and the newly reunited pair.

'Thank you.' Sister Julienne sat down stunned as the boy snuggled into her. She softly ran her hand over his downy hair and trailed her thumb over his features, her eyes roaming all over him, drinking in as much as she could and committing it to memory. She had many months of memories to catch up on with him, his sister and his Mummy. His Mummy. She quickly glanced up at the woman who was currently burrowing her face in her daughters hair with a soppy grin.

'Sis-Shelagh, I don't know if I can ever apologise enough for what I did that night. You needed me, you needed my unequivocal support and I turned my back on you. I loved you and I betrayed you when you needed me most. That's unforgivable.' She looked down into her lap, too ashamed to meet her friends eyes.

'No it's not. What I did was shocking and I betrayed you all. I never expected it to go well.'

'I can't imagine you expected it to go as badly as it did though.'

'No. I didn't.' Shelagh admitted sadly. 'I truly am sorry for how I did it but I refuse to apologise for what I did. I have a husband who adores me and the three greatest children anyone could ever ask for.' She smiled brightly as her thoughts turned to them.

'Three?'

'I have a stepson, though honestly I love him just as much as his brother and sister.'

'I see.' This didn't surprise the nun. Sister Bernadette had always been good with children and certainly had a large enough heart to embrace a child who was not her own. 'All I cared about after the shock wore off was that you were okay, that you were safe and healthy and happy.'

'I am. I've truly never been happier.'

'I'm glad. Oh Shelagh I have missed you so much. Every day and every night I would pray for you and your child. You are completely recovered from the tuberculosis? It didn't affect the children did it?' She frowned.

'I am fighting fit and the children are fine. No lasting effects so far as anyone can tell.''I am glad. I tried to find you whilst you were at the sanatorium but they wouldn't tell me anything. I suppose I didn't really even know who to ask for. You may well have been married by then.'

'I know you visited. You nearly bumped into Jenny. I got into quite a panic. Jane calmed me down thankfully else I'd have gotten into rather a state and that wouldn't have helped these two at all.'

'They really have known all this time?'

'They've known everything since about an hour after Ieft here. After I left they went out searching for me, and they found me. Everytime I've sneezed or coughed since then they've known abut it. I don't think I could have done it without them. I thank the Lord every day for their help and support. Cynthia was my midwife-I could only ever chose a Nonnatun. They all consider these two their niece and nephew. I've been incredibly lucky. We both have.'

'Shelagh-I'm sorry but I have to ask, who are you married to? Who is the father of your children?'

'Doctor Turner.' Shelagh revealed nervously. She heard the shocked gasp emanating from the nun and looked further down at the child in her arms.

'Oh. But he didn't leave when you did?'

'We agreed there was no point raising alarm bells by running away together when I was going to the sanatorium for several months anyways. He staggered his departure. We married the day I entered there though. I didn't want to spend any more time not being his wife than I had to.' Sister Julienne smiled. As surreal as the situation was she was glad that her former sister had married such a good man.

'Shelagh look at me. I'm not mad. Far from it. He treats you well?' Shelagh nodded, smiling shyly.

'So very well. He's completely besotted with me and he's the most fantastic father. Tim is a great brother too. We're all so happy. Oh Sister I never imagined I could be this happy.'

'My dear girl. Shelagh. I'm so very happy for you. I'm so proud of you. You found the life He wanted for you even though it must have been incredibly hard to do.'

'So you don't hate me?' Shelagh asked in a small voice.

'Of course I don't. I love you.'

'You forgive me for breaking my vow?'

'If you'll forgive me for the way I treated you?'

'Of course. Oh come here.' Shelagh moved her daughter onto the floor, the nun following suit, and pulled Sister Julienne into a hug. 'I love you too Sister. I've missed you so much.'

'As I have you.' Sister Julienne's eyes filled with tears. 'Please don't ever run away again. I have been so very scared-you know how much I love you, how much I see you as my own child. Every day I've been without you has been so very painful. Knowing you could have died from the TB, that your child could have been lost to it, or that you could be happily married and living the perfect life was so hard. Not knowing how you were was unbearable. Please Shelagh-please don't ever leave me again.' The nun broke down into sobs. Shelagh drew her tighter and let the nun cry into her, muttering words of comfort to her.

'It's okay. I'm here. I'm not going to leave I promise. You'll never lose me again. I'm here. I'm healthy. The children are healthy. We're all okay.'

'I'm sorry Shelagh.'

'No problem Sister. I didn't want to leave you you know. I didn't have a choice. I couldn't stay here-not with the gossip. That wasn't fair on the kids, Timmy, Patrick, you or myself. I couldn't keep in contact with you because every time I thought of you I would start crying.'

'I understand.'

'Sister-where is Sister Evangelina?' Shelagh asked, well aware of the conspicuous absence from the area.

'I think she's hiding. She's somewhat embarrassed by how she treated you. Once the shock and anger wore off she was horrified by what she'd said. She loved you. She still does.'

'Jenny said Sister Evangelina was perpetually grumpy after I left?'

'She was angry at herself for how she reacted, angry with you for upsetting the status quo, angry with me for not being able to move right on.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be. You did what you had to do for yourself and your family. You made the right choice. Deep down she knows that and she hasn't even met your children or know they've doubled, or it could be argued tripled, from the amount she thinks. She'll see you soon I'm sure. It was quite a shock to her to suddenly discover you were only an hour or so away from being here once more.'

'Thank you.' An almost comfortable silence descended as they watched the twins babble to each other. Sighing heavily Shelagh returned the conversation to the original purpose of her appearance. 'Sister-is Sister Monica Joan really going to die?' In that moment Shelagh looked younger than the nun had ever seen her.

'I think so sweetheart. Barring an actual miracle of divine intervention.''Oh.''Would you-do you want to go and say goodbye.' Sister Julienne asked tentatively.'Not really. But I have to. Is she in her room?''Yes. Do you want me to come with you?' She offered. Shelagh smiled at her thankfully but shook her head gently.'No. Thank you. I need to do this alone. Will you be okay with the both of them?''If you're willing to trust me with them?'

'Of course I do. I'll be back in a few minutes my darlings.' She brushed a kiss across the twins foreheads. 'Be good for Nana.' She grinned at Sister Julienne who's jaw dropped. 'We may not have been talking but you are still my mother. These are still your grandchildren.' With that Shelagh left Sister Julienne grinning widely at the children.

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