Chapter Four: 'Tis The Season Of Love and Understanding
'It's not my fault!' Martin said squeakily as Louisa had the look of blame.
'What!' she said, her eyebrows burrowing into the bridge of her nose and her cheeks going even redder.
'OK, so three…' Pauline began again hastily.
The rest of the locals joined in, including James. Louisa looked to the front, where Martin still stared at her.
'Two, One!'
The village lit up all different colours making the sea look like a huge oil leak in the moonlight. Al carefully balanced on a ladder while he placed a large yellow star on the top of the tree. The Christmas tree showed a large scale of red, green, blue and yellow lights as they emitted the Primary colours into the eyes of the fascinated villagers, who cheered.
In the distance a boat was setting off fireworks, to the surprise of the village. Many children were now on their father's shoulders clasping together at the brightened deep blue sky, with the stars becoming dimmed by the contrast in enlightenment.
'Wow!' James laughed, but his enjoyment soon ended as Martin lifted him off his shoulders.
'So what happened?' Louisa asked Martin as though he knew.
'I don't know?' he said, 'I know just as much as you do'
'Sorry, I don't mean to blame you, I'm just so…' she placed her hand on her head.
'Daddy! I want to see the fireworks!' James began to cry.
'Not now James' Martin told him briefly and returned back to Louisa.
Morwenna came walking through the crowd carrying a cup of hot chocolate, wearing matching scarf, gloves and earmuffs noticeably. She was beaming at Martin and Louisa.
'Alright Doc' Morwenna said cheerfully, 'I bet that was embarrassing Louisa, I mean I would run a mile if I found out about that –'
'Shut up!' Martin barked.
'I want to see the fireworks!' James cried and tugged Martin's coat.
Ruth was bewildered between what had just happened. Since she was not around when James was born all of this was none of her business. Ruth saw that James wasn't getting attention and that he was becoming confused from all the bickering going on before him.
'Come with me James' Ruth took hold of his hand and led him near the front, so that he could see the display.
'Right, so what happened?' Louisa asked Morwenna.
Martin and Louisa hadn't noticed that James had gone as they were so engulfed in getting this situation sorted.
Louisa wanted an explanation; she needed to reassurance that it wasn't too embarrassing having your first childbirth transmitted across the village on a busy day such as the summer festival.
'I don't know' Morwenna said, looking bewildered, 'I just came out of the bakery right, and I heard this sort of screeching noise and followed it. There was Pauline holding a mobile up to a microphone and everyone at the Harbour Day festival gathered around it'
'Oh my gosh!' gasped Louisa, biting her bottom lip.
'I asked what was going on and Mrs Tishell said that you'd gone into labour'
'What, Mrs Tishell heard?' Martin said, rather annoyed.
'Yes and you telling Louisa you're feelings' she laughed and imitated his voice, 'I was wrong about you…. Something like that!'
'It isn't time to make fun of the situation, I am you're boss and have the right to get you fired' Martin told her.
Louisa rolled her eyes, whereas Morwenna stopped talking and took a sip out of her drink, so that she didn't speak.
'Sorry Doc' came Pauline's voice.
Pauline walked over with the speakerphone still in her hand and her face looking frightened as she stood in between Martin and Louisa. Louisa looked astonished by all this information she had heard.
'What on earth happened?' he demanded off her.
'Well it was your fault!' said Pauline accusingly.
'What?'
'You didn't hang up' Pauline shared the blame.
'Sorry?' Louisa said.
'Well when you rang to see where the nearest pub was, you didn't hang up and I could hear everything' said Pauline, innocently.
'It couldn't have been my fault' Martin adamantly said.
'It was!'
'So, all the village heard?' Louisa said, with worry in her eyes.
'Yes, well it was that summer festival thing' Pauline said.
'The Harbour Day Festival' Morwenna interrupted, now eating a doughnut.
'Are you still here?' Martin sneered at her.
Morwenna's eyes widened again, and she backed away to find her Granddad.
'We were listening in to what you were talking about, well to see if Tommy was alright and if you found a pub' Pauline said, 'Then you two kept arguing'
'More like eavesdropping' Martin said, frowning deeply.
'No!' Pauline said, 'We were concerned about Tommy. How was we meant to know that after Bert handed me the microphone, Louisa was going to go into labour?'
'So you didn't listen specifically to James being born?' Louisa asked.
'Of course not,' Pauline said, 'We all cheered once we heard him cry and that he was a boy'
'Oh right well it's all OK then' Martin said sarcastically, scowling at his practise nurse.
'Really?' smiled Pauline.
'No!' he said, 'And Bert gave you the microphone?'
'Yes, but it was only because they all kept asking me questions and then I missed what was going on from all the noise' Pauline explained.
'It's alright' Louisa gave in, 'It was a simple mistake'
'What!' Martin almost shouted.
'It's OK' Louisa said, 'Pauline didn't know that I was going to give birth. I understand what happened and it was nobody's fault and if it was, you'd have to share the blame as well'
'Me?' Martin said.
'Yes. By the sound of it, it was your phone' Louisa said to him, 'Martin, it's over three years ago, nobody has given us any grief over it'
'I suppose' he muttered.
'Right, so everything is sorted?' Pauline said, as she clasped her hands together.
'Not really' Martin said.
'Yes, Pauline, thank you'
'Aw thanks Louisa' Pauline smiled and gave her a hug, 'See no harm done'.
Pauline looked at them both, 'Right I better get going. See you Monday Doc!'
She smiled at him and wandered off to find Al, somewhere in the crowd.
'Louisa' Martin said.
'I accept your apology' Louisa said to him.
'No, where's James?'
Louisa instantly became aware that her son was not standing beside her. Her face immediately went white and fear overcame her eyes.
'Oh gosh!' Louisa panicked looking around where they were standing, she placed her hands on her head, 'He wanted to see the fireworks!'
Martin looked over to where the fireworks had finished being set off.
'He might be near the front' Martin said, taking hold of Louisa's hand and dragging her through the crowd.
'Excuse me, emergency!' Martin shouted at all the villagers.
'Alright Doc, we're having a good time here' the locals were telling him.
Louisa inspected every child that she walked past, but neither of them was her James.
There was now a small RNLI Lifeboat production going on in the sea, where the boat drove around the harbour showing how they did their job.
Louisa began to shed tears as they got near the front and still couldn't find James. Flashbacks from how she felt when he was kidnapped by Mrs Tishell washed over them both and the accusing finger was pointed at the psychotic chemist again.
'Martin!' she tugged his coat, tears running down her face.
Martin turned and saw Louisa's face and knew he had to stay calm, even though inside he felt the same.
'It's alright, we'll find him'
'We've done it again!' Louisa cried, 'We've left him to be taken away again. What type of mother am I?'
'A very good one' Martin told her, looking truthfully at her worried face, 'Ruth might have took him to see the fireworks'
'Yes, but…' Louisa was cut off by a small boy calling and it sounded familiar.
'Daddy! Look at this!'
Martin and Louisa turned round and saw James standing on one of the panels of the harbour fence, with Ruth holding him so he didn't fall.
Louisa breathed a sigh of relief and barged through the crowd towards her little boy.
'Thank goodness!' she said as she grabbed James and hugged him, kissing him repetitively.
'Why did you go off with him?' Martin asked Ruth, fairly angry with her.
'Well, we didn't want to hear you two arguing and James wanted to watch this' Ruth pointed in front of her, 'He's only three Martin, he cant simply listen to his parents bickering'
'We don't bicker that often'
'No, exactly, he will pick up on it and begin to think something's wrong' said Ruth.
Martin looked hesitant.
'Thank you' he said, now understanding he was in the wrong.
'They saved a man in the water' James told Louisa, 'and then they had to go onto the boat'
Louisa held James as he stood watching, she was so relieved to have him in her sight and this time she felt a great feeling that she never wanted to leave him ever again.
Martin walked over to Louisa and wrapped one arm around her as the display continued.
They watched as a man in a bright yellow suit jumped into the freezing water, the audience shuddering at the thought of the temperatures he was enduring, and another man taking a smaller boat into the dark sea, with just a small headlight to guide his way. James watched on in amazement and excitement, as he loved anything to do with the Lifeboats.
The man in the smaller boat reached out for the one that was in the water and helped him up. The crowd was amazed by the immense bravery that these volunteers had to risk their lives and not even get anything for it, but just the realisation that another life had been saved.
The production ended and the crowd cheered the Lifeboat on, as it did a circular motion in the water to show its appreciation.
'Wow!' James gasped.
'That was good' Ruth nodded.
Martin and Louisa were now calm in each other's arms with their son safely in front of them.
'Thank you for staying calm' Louisa said, looking up at him.
'I knew he'd be alright' he nodded, glancing over at James who was now talking to Ruth.
Louisa kissed him on the cheek and smiled to see his face soften and a small smile forming.
…
Martin held Louisa's hand while they walked around the different stalls, nosing at all the different things that were on display. Martin was getting quite bored and was distracted by a large crowd gathering over by the Christmas tree.
'… and we could put them on the table whilst…' Louisa looked round to see him not paying much attention, she sighed and then loudly said, 'Won't they Martin'
He turned quickly, 'What?'
'These little candles, look' she pointed to a range of candles all with different Christmas related decorations on them, such as a snowman or Father Christmas.
'Right' said Martin.
However, before Louisa could say any more, Pauline came running over, her skirt swaying and her large wedges making it impossible for her to actually run.
'Doc! Doc!' her voice shrieked through the crowded people.
Martin stood tall like a meerkat searching for predators. He let go of Louisa's hand, who was now analysing the different candles.
Pauline reached him and her eyes filled with tears, she was breathless so leant on her knees, bent over trying to breathe normally again.
'Al' she was trying to say.
'Doc!' Penhale's voice was heard as he too ran over, 'It's Al, he's fallen off the ladder'
'What? Where?'
'Over here' he said, urgently.
'I'll be right back' he told Louisa.
Louisa nodded, worriedly and went off to find Ruth and James, who had gone to look at the toy stall.
Martin squeezed through the people surrounding Al's body. He took one look and observed the situation. Al's legs were entwined in the steps of the ladder, a small puddle of blood gathered around his left arm. He was unconscious and in deep pain, he knelt down and began to examine him.
Thank you to everybody for reviewing this story, it has brought be aspiration and feedback towards my writing. It has also gave me encouragement to continue.
This will be the last time I update until after Christmas. I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and happy writing for all your fabulous stories!
Hannah xxx
