The middle of august in 1962, and the air was humid with an unsteady breeze, it was damp and moist and made anyone who was in the heat uncomfortably sticky.
Valerie and Lucille were only just cycling back to Nonnatus after an exhaustingly long delivery of twin girls that came into the world late morning. The breeze that fell past them helped to cool them down after the long hot morning.
“Looks like it might rain soon.” Lucille said as the both of them jumped off their bikes, and put them away.
“As long as it’s only rain.” Valerie replied, frowning up the thick black clouds.
“What do you mean pettel?”
“Listen - oh nevermind.”
Valerie still looked uneasy as they both walked into Nonnatus and into the clinical room, unpacking their bags and making sure they were all set up for tomorrow.
“Oh! Nurse Dyer, Nurse Busby, how did Mrs Kirby do?” Sister Julienne, smiled almost with relief at seeing the two of them, holding onto a piece of paper in her hand.
“She was superb Sister, and delivered twin girls this morning.” Lucille smiled.
“What’s that you have their Sister?” Valerie asked, frowning at the paper Sister Julienne was clutching in her hands.
“Seems we could be in for a rough night ladies.”
“Why?” They both asked in unison.
“Looks like we’re in for a heavy thunderstorm tonight.”
“A Th - thunder storm?” Valerie's eyes grew wide, you see she may but on the facade of being able to deal with anything, but unbenotes to anyone else Valerie’s biggest fear was thunderstorms.
What if she got hit by lightning? What if the thunder rumbled so loud that it tore through the earth itself.
Okay, so she knew it was slightly irrational and she was overreacting but she couldn’t help it. She knew the likelihood of that happening was almost zero, but her brain just sort of took over and made her think that actually the impossible was possible.
“That’s right so I need you both to be on standby in case we might need you, I know it was your night off but we really can’t do without you two.”
“Don’t be silly sister, Valerie and I will be here, day or night, Nonnatus is our family. We are here, we’ll make sure we are in Nonnatus if we are needed.” Lucille smiled.
“Thank you, now I'll let you go, you’ll want to have a shower or bath and some sleep before tonight I’m sure.”
“Thank you sister.” Lucille smiled, watching sister Julienne walk away and when she was no longer in sight she grabbed Valerie’s hand holding it tight “What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing. You’ll just think it’s stupid anyway.” Valerie hesitantly pulled her hand away, taking a deep breath “do you mind if I shower first?”
“No, it’s fine, go ahead.” Lucille frowned watching Valerie walke off, and up the stairs, she followed a few moments after going into her own room setting out some nightwear for Valerie after her shower, and she had just bought up a cup of tea for her too, putting it on the side.
Lucille lay on her own bed reading a book and drinking some horlicks whilst she waited for her lady friend, as Valerie’s grandmother had referred to Lucille as.
Valerie turned on the water before stepping in under the shower head, closing her eyes as the water trickled down her head and shoulders and the rest of her body, it felt the most calming shower ever. She just took some deep breaths, she couldn’t fathom why she couldn’t just tell Lucille that she was dead ass terrified of thunderstorms.
Valerie soon finished in the shower, she wrapped a towel around her body and then round her hair, and she quickly tiptoed down to Lucille’s room.
“Feeling better?” Lucille questioned, looking up as Valerie walked in.
“A little…” Valerie walked over to the window seeing the trees blowing about in the heavy wind “Gosh, it’s rather windy already.”
“I know, goodness knows what it’ll be like tonight, I hope there’s thunder and lightning. Right, I'm going for a bath.’ Lucille said quickly, grabbing her own towels and kissing Valerie on the cheek, before leaving the room and going for a warming and bubbly bath, that she was aching for.
Valerie dried and changed into the striped pajamas that Lucille had set out, and then she sorted her hair out, just brushing it through and she settled quietly into Lucille warm cosy bed, her pillow smelling of Lucille’s lavender perfume.
Lucille soon came back into the room, wrapped in her own towel, and once she was in her own nightwear, she got in beside Valerie, and Valerie was almost fast asleep but she maneuvered herself so she was laying her head on Valerie’s chest.
“Mmmm…” Valerie smiled “You smell yummy.”
Lucille just chuckled, “Shh, Pettel let’s get some sleep.”
“I am asleep.”
Lucille again smiled, she couldn’t put into words how much she loved this woman but she did with every aching bone in her body, she loved Valerie Dyer, more than anyone she had ever known.
They both fell asleep to the sound of the trees whistling in the wind, and the rain that had started to pelt against the windows, when Lucille woke it was dark and incredibly stormy, it was thundering and lightening, but Valerie was nowhere to be seen, and where she had been there was not a dent.
Lucille felt something was wrong but she wasn’t sure, so she jumped up just threw on her robe and slippers, and went on a hunt “Valerie?” she called out, in a low voice so she wouldn’t alert the others in Nonnatus.
“Val-”
“Lucille?” Trixie asked as she came up the stairs “Everything okay?”
“I’m not sure - have you seen Valerie?” Lucille frowned
“Yeah, she was in the bathroom last time I saw.” Trixie said as she was eating a banana, after another keep fit class.
Lucille padded her way to the bathroom, knocking gently as a rumble of thunder fell through Nonnatus house… “Val? Pettel?”
“I - don’t - I -” Valerie’s voice was clearly trembling and Lucille wasn’t going to let her be alone, she turned the door knob slowly and pushed the door open.
“Oh Val, what’s going on?” Lucille questioned seeing her girlfriend squished into the corner with a blanket covering her body and over her ears so all Lucille could see was Valerie’s fearful face.
Lucille closed and locked the bathroom door, treading carefully.
“You think I’m being silly don’t you?” Valerie spoke quietly.
Lucille shook her head, as she gently kneeled in front of Valerie “No, Valerie you gotta talk to me -”
“I’m terrified shitless of thunderstorms.”
“Thunderstorms? Val everyone has fears -”
“No, this isn’t a fear, I can literally get paralized from being so scared, Sister Julienne doesn’t know and I didn’t want anyone to find out.”
“Well did something happen for you to be so - scared?”
Valerie nodded “Remember I told you about my dad?”
“Yeah, you said he left when you were 14?”
“Yeah he did but -” Valerie closed her eyes “He was a drunk, he was a nasty abusive drunk and I remember stepping in front of my Mum protecting her from him when I was only 12, and it was the worst thunderstorm I’ve known. I guess that’s why…”
“Hey look at me.” Lucille pulled the blanket down to Valerie’s shoulders, placing her hands on her soft face. “Look at me, storms may have been scary to you growing up because of a situation you shouldn't have been in pettel, but to me storms are beautiful.” Lucille stood up, and held out her hand.
“Trust me?”
Valerie’s heart was pounding hearing the rumbles of the thunder, and hearing the heavy wind and rain on the windows. “Yes.”
“Take my hand, I'm going to show you something.” Lucille smiled nodding at an almost trembling Valerie.
Valerie smiled softly, looking hesitant but taking Lucille’s hand and keeping the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, Lucille led them both out the bathroom, down the stairs and almost to the front door before Valerie dug her heels in.
“Stop! I’m not going outside…” Valerie closed her eyes “he’ll throw me into the rain - he will, he’ll hurt me!”
“Val, val, listen to me, he left when you were 14 remember? He’s gone, it’s just me, nothing’s going to happen, just hold onto me…”
Most of the nurses and midwives from Nonnatus were out other than Trixie and sister Julienne who was in her office, so no one was going to come across Valerie panicking over the storm.
Valerie relaxed and held tight to Lucille as they walked outside, hiding in the alleyway next to Nonnatus, Valerie stood in front, and Lucille stood behind wrapping her arms around her body and resting her chin on Valerie’s shoulder, keeping the blanket around the both of them keeping them warm.
“I grew up loving storms, we could get some fierce ones and they can be scary but they are beautiful too, I know you’re not religious but i felt closer to God, I mean look at mother nature too, she is reading the lightning and the thunder and if you close your eyes my love and feel me holding you, and feel that it’s you and me and the storm and that is everything you need to know about storms.”
“Anything could be beautiful with you at my side.”
“You’re going to be okay Valerie, I love you and you have me, always, no matter what. You are everything, and a storm is a beautiful occurrence if you see it differently.”
Valerie and Lucille stood in the storm for a good twenty minutes before they started shivering, Lucille went to walk inside but Valerie tugged her back. “Just a little longer.”