Chapter 10 – Get Along

Sitting in my car along the river in Newquay I reflected on the many words, insults, advice and thoughts I had that first week about our wedding cancellation, our relationship, and our personalities in general.

Aunt Joan asked me after our lunch one week after our cancellation, "What do you want?"

Those words stuck with me and I was torn over them. Part of me wanted to call Chris Parsons and say that I was quitting so I could leave Portwenn. That idea held a certain attraction. If I did that I would no longer be hounded by the gossips, snoops, and busy-bodies of the village. But where would I go? I'd need a job, at least for the long term, and if I left the village in the lurch suddenly, I'd not be able to get another post easily, as the news of a rapid departure would dog my heels. Even if I did leave, I knew Louisa Glasson would cast a very long shadow over me; running would not take that away.

Another part of me wished to go to her house and try to talk to her.

What would you tell her, Ellingham? That you wished to be friends, lovers, or engaged once more? my internal voice spoke.

For me to say any of those things was extremely unlikely. Louisa would, that is, she would be able to say those things, if she wished to. I, however, was no great dramatic speaker. Feelings… always got stuck in my throat. It was only at great times of tension could my cerebral cortex be fooled into uttering what I felt most deeply about. My patients rightly assumed that I always spoke my mind, usually while yelling at them! But then I was cold, heartless; a bastard. Dealing with Louisa… was much more… difficult.

Why is that, Ellingham?

I knew the answer. It was a simple, one word answer - Fear.

Why are you afraid?

I clamped my lips together. I knew the answer. My prime reason was the fear of rejection. If I honestly believed that we could patch the rift; reach a new and better rapport, then I'd have to open myself up the possibility that she's say NO.

If I didn't ask her, then there was a 50/50 possibility that she'd say YES. But in asking the question… I shook my head at the notion. No, I'd just be stirring the pot once again. I'd hurt her enough. I was used to being bullied, gossiped about, and even being pitied. Louisa was a woman of great depth and emotion. Hadn't I hurt her enough?

I knew the answer. Best to try and get on; let the wound heal. Hope that in time she'd forget and start over with someone else. And I… would stay that grumpy bugger at the surgery. I arrived in Portwenn looking for a job, nothing more. That is the way it should remain. I was used to being on my own - a purgatory of my own making.

The Monday after my lunch with Joan was a normal day. That is, I was pestered by pig-headed patients, continuing to lay their opinion on me and about me. I plastered my best ex-surgeon face on and tried to keep their comments restricted to their medical issues and what I was to do about it.

I was instructing Julius Waters on the proper way to clean his ear canal as I heard the telephone ring in the waiting room. My instructions were very important as the last time he cleaned his ears, he drove a wooden toothpick right through his eardrum. "So, Mr. Waters, understand?" I told the elderly man. "Never put any pointed object into your ear! If the earwax is that impacted and hard, come to me! But make an appointment!"

He peered at me through rheumy eyes. His injured ear was stuffed with cotton from the injury. "Right, Doc! But my mum, she always just cleaned 'em right out. Did it so I could hear!"

I shook my head in frustration. "No. As I have said…"

The consulting room door flew as Pauline Lamb slammed it wide open. "Doc! Emergency at the school!"

Wonderful. At least I'd not have to hear Waters go on about local remedies for ear wax. "What's happened?"

Her eyes were wide in fear. "Something about two students; got in a tussle or something. A head injury, they said."

"Right." I stood and looked at Mr. Waters. "I have to go." I grasped my bag. "Keep up with the eardrops. Come see me on Wednesday."

The weekend storm had blown through making it clear but cool. Cool enough that I didn't even break a sweat as I trotted up to Portwenn School.

The secretary leapt up as I entered the office. "Doctor Ellingham!"

"Report of an injury?"

"Yes, follow me!"

I followed her chubby body down the hall and found Louisa and another teacher dealing with two children on the floor. The boy had a cloth held to his face by Louisa as well as the start of a black eye. The girl sat on the floor, sobbing from a red face. She did not appear to be injured, but she held her left hand oddly.

"Martin!" said Louisa. "Glad you could come so quickly! Bit of a dustup."

"What's happened?" I got down and looked at the boy. His mouth was dribbling blood through the cloth that Louisa held to his face.

"Timmy here thought he should get a little close to Charlotte."

"Close?" I pulled the cloth aside and a trickle of blood came from his mouth. "Erh…" saliva pooled in my mouth and a flush came to my face. "Let me see…" The boy opened his mouth and a chipped tooth was visible through a torn lip along with more blood and several dark clots visible on teeth and gums. That did it.

As I was vomiting into a bin, the other teacher spoke. "Sorry about calling you, Doc. You can see it is a bit of a mess."

I wiped my mouth on a gauze pad from my medical case. "Yes. No problem. Here," I pushed several gauze pads into Louisa's hand. "Hold these to his lips. Where's the tooth? The dentist might be able to…"

The teacher held up the girl's hand and I saw a white object protruding from the center knuckle of her left hand. "There it is, doc."

"What?"

She pointed. "That's it. His tooth. It's stuck in her hand!"

That's when I had to vomit again.

Louisa gave me a sympathetic look. "Martin, can you help? I know it's difficult for you…"

I held up a hand to stop her words. "I'm fine. How did this happen?" I decided to extract the tooth from her hand and dress it. She'd likely need a tetanus shot. I snapped gloves on and was able to pull the tooth from her hand as she squirmed and screeched.

Louisa rolled her eyes. "Timmy here has had a bit of a crush on Charlotte."

"Nu, uh!" shouted the boy. "I didn't say that!"

The teachers exchanged looks as I put a loose bandage and antibiotic on her hand. "Superficial. Looks like she punched him."

"Twice!" yelled the boy. "All I wanted…"

"You hugged me!" yelled the girl who lashed out with a foot trying to kick Timmy. "I told you to stop it!"

Louisa interjected. "Yes, he knows that he should keep his hands to himself, right Timmy?"

"I didn't do it!" blubbered the boy. "I was pushed by my mates into her in line, and then she just starting punching me!" He wailed for a few seconds. "She broke my tooth!"

I held his face while I probed his mouth with a fingertip. "The dentist will be able to fix this, I think. More of a chip, than a broken tooth. This upper lip needs to be sutured. A plastic surgeon should see to that. Hospital." The kid wailed as I probed his face. "Plus X-rays to rule out any facial fractures."

The girl held her hand out oddly. "What about my wrist? Timmy pushed me down after… well… after I hit him! Is it broken?"

I flexed the joint and she winced. "No. Sprained. Fighting is not a good idea."

Louisa looked me with wide eyes. "That's what we were telling them, Martin. People have to get along."

Her lovely blue eyes held mine for an instant. "Yeah." I looked at the other teacher. "I want two bags of ice. One for each. And call their parents and tell them what I told you. The boy should go to hospital. Parents can take him. The girl," she glared at me. "Home, ice, rest, Paracetamols." I pulled an elastic wrap from my case and bound her wrist.

The teacher stood and walked away. I heard a murmur of voices from the office so calls were being made. The bleeding from the boy's mouth was slowing, so he had good clotting. A few stitches should fix him, I thought. The trip to hospital was really for the X-rays and the dental repair.

The girl sat on the floor flexing her wrist. "It still hurts!"

"Yes, Charlotte. That's what happens…" Louisa told her then turned to face me. "When we don't get along."

I stayed until Timmy's dad arrived so I could explain what I expected. The man thanked me then bundled his son off to his car. Charlotte's mum had gotten her a few minutes earlier.

Louisa stood in the doorway watching until the car left. "Sorry, Martin. Totally unexpected."

I nodded. "Children. Hard to fathom at times. Nasty creatures."

She hugged herself as a cool breeze blew into the doorway. "They're just people Martin. Hard to teach them to see the other side. Apologize and so forth. Understand other people…"

I looked up her framed in the doorway. "Yeah. To get along." The breeze blew her hair, which she wore up today.

"Right. Martin, I was wondering." she started and then went on hesitantly. "If we could talk for a minute?"

"About what?" I dearly wanted to hear her voice.

She licked her lips. "I want to tell you…"

Hurried footsteps came down the hall, the school secretary. "Miss Glasson. I've got Mr. Sands on the phone. He wants to speak to you. Says he's returning your call."

Louisa rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Martin. I have to go."

I watched as she walked away and I'm certain my face took on a strained look.

The secretary stood by me. "How are you doing, Doctor? Getting on?"

"Fine," I answered with no enthusiasm.

"That's good. It hurts me to see you two like this."

I left the building before she could see the expression on my face.

"Goodbye, Doc!" she called to my back as I went back to surgery.

Auntie Joan had asked me "What do you want?"

I had an answer. She just walked down the hall to take a phone call.