Doc Martin and all characters owned by Buffalo Pictures.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

As I lay in bed that night, I began thinking about the disastrous visit from my parents and all the turmoil they had caused—not just for me, but also for Aunty Joan. I was furious and disgusted with my father for stooping so low as to ask for half the share of her farm; until he needed the money, he couldn't have cared less about the place. As much as I hated the idea of giving him any money or support whatsoever, selling my flat in London was the best decision I could have made, if it made him go away and leave Aunty Joan alone once and for all. As I told him before he left… she was my family, the only one who ever cared what would become of me. For that, I would do anything to make her life easier.

When thinking about the whole situation began to make my head ache, my thoughts turned to Anna. For starters, I had been surprised at the telling-off Anna had given me for snapping at her to 'shut up'…and equally as surprised at her willingness to accept my apology and move on. I thought about her quiet assurance that I could trust her, that she would always be available if I needed her. But mostly, I relived the feeling of Anna's arms around my waist, offering –and providing—a source of comfort in an otherwise horrendous day. When I finally drifted off to sleep, I immediately began dreaming of her.

In the dream, the two of us were seated in a huge field of lush, green grass, high up on a hill overlooking the sea. The sun had almost finished its descent into the night and it was nearly dark. I sat with my back against a tall tree, with Anna in front of me, her back against my chest. I held her with both my arms wrapped tightly around her. I wasn't wearing a suit jacket or tie, and the sleeves of my dress shirt were casually rolled up to my elbows. A large tartan plaid blanket was draped over our legs, its warmth warding off the chill of the evening. I gently brushed her hair from her neck and placed a kiss just behind her ear, and she breathed a sigh of contentment, cuddling even closer to me. Neither of us spoke a word in the dream, but I remember feeling completely at peace, as if the two of us were in a private oasis of calm.

Had I ever felt so content in my waking hours? Was there ever a time in my life when I had been so comfortable in the company of another person that I could completely relax, like in that field of grass with Anna? Was it something that could ever possibly happen, or was it something I could obtain only in sleep? The dream had been so vivid; I could smell the fragrance of the grass, mingled with Anna's distinctive warm sweetness. For several minutes after I woke, I could still feel the presence of her, the way her body felt pressed against me. I stayed in bed far longer than I should have, unwilling to stop my mind from replaying the details of the dream.

Consequently, I was running a bit late when I went downstairs that morning, and Anna was already sitting at her desk, talking on her mobile phone. Seeing her there made me feel awkward and embarrassed, even though there was no way she could have known I had spent a good portion of the night and morning thinking about her.

'I'm fine, Granny…yes, of course I am,' I heard her say. She smiled up at me and whispered, 'good morning!'

I mumbled a reply as she went on with her conversation. 'Granny! Yes, I'm eating enough…too much, really…no, Granny, it's August; I haven't had to break out the thermal underwear. No, no chance of freezing to death, at least not yet,' she chuckled. Glancing up at me as I stood trying to pretend as if I wasn't listening, she went on. 'Yes ma'am, the doctor is taking good care of me…we're getting along fine. No, I really love working here! Well, yeah, he has his moments, but he's not nearly as grouchy as he was in the beginning.'

My head snapped to attention from the filing cabinet, and she gave me a huge, mischievous grin. 'He's kind of a big teddy bear once you get to know him.' My mouth dropped open, indignant, and she laughed silently as I scowled at her and stalked from the waiting area into the kitchen. A big teddy bear…the very idea…I tried to remain appalled, but felt the corners of my mouth curve into a smile, feeling a curious pleasure at her description.

XXXXXX

My last patient of the day was Emma Williams, who was nineteen years old and quite visibly pregnant. From her patient notes, I gleaned that the last time she had been to the surgery was at the age of twelve and had been suffering from tonsillitis.

'Go through,' I gestured toward the consulting room door. She stayed seated, glancing at Anna with a panicked expression.

'Doctor, may I speak to you in the other room?' Anna asked, rising from her desk. I looked at her blankly.

'I have a patient,' I stated the obvious.

'We'll be right back, Emma—you just sit tight,' Anna told the girl, and nudged me gently toward the hallway.

'What is it, Anna?' I looked down at her crossly, wondering what was so urgent that needed to be discussed at that very moment.

'It's about Emma,' she replied quietly. 'I met her a month ago, and it's taken me this long to convince her to come in for an exam. Up until now, she has had no prenatal care, and she is absolutely terrified. If you wouldn't mind, she would like me to go in with her while you check her; she was too scared to ask you herself.'

'I, uh…yes, that's fine,' I told her. I appreciated that she discussed it with me first instead of just getting on with it; it was nice to be respected as the doctor in charge. Not many others seemed to bother.

She smiled at me. 'Thank you,' she said. I nodded, and Anna went back to the waiting area to bring Emma in for her exam. She and Anna both sat down across from my desk as I asked questions regarding her medical history. Emma answered them in a soft, shy voice.

'And the father of this baby—is he in the picture?' I asked.

She glanced at Anna. 'My husband, Sean…we got married in April,' she said slowly. 'We decided we should go ahead when we found out…'she trailed off, looking down at her distended belly.

'Right.' I made some notations in her file. After getting her weight and blood pressure, which were both well within the normal limits, I instructed, 'go behind the screen and remove your clothes from the waist down, please.' Emma looked at Anna, her eyes filled with terror, but Anna took her hand and squeezed.

'It's all right, Emma. The doctor is just going to make sure you and your baby are healthy. He'll listen to the baby's heart and measure your tummy to see how big it's getting. Nothing to worry about—and I'll be right here with you, okay?' Emma nodded, but she didn't look too convinced. I impatiently pursed my lips…what in the world did she think I was going to do, pull out her fingernails one by one? Anna went on. 'Doctor Ellingham is going to take very good care of you. I know he's big and intimidating and doesn't ever smile, but he's really quite nice once you get to know him. Not to mention the best doctor in Cornwall.' Anna grinned at me, and I cocked an eyebrow.

'Yes, all right…let's just get on, shall we?' I testily replied, waving Emma behind the screen. I handed Anna a clean sheet and told her, 'have Emma lie back on the exam couch when she's finished undressing.'

Emma had been sketchy on the date of her last menstrual cycle, but after I measured her belly, I estimated the gestational age of the fetus to be approximately 28 weeks. 'Your due date will more than likely be mid-to late October. I'm going to send you to Truro to have a scan, which will be able to pin down a more accurate date. I am also going to schedule a glucose tolerance test to rule out gestational diabetes, and Anna will take some blood before you leave today,' I told her brusquely. I took out the fetal heart monitor and placed it on her exposed belly. The sound of the heartbeat was loud and clear.

'Is it supposed to be that fast?' Emma asked, biting her lip with worry.

'The average fetal heart rate is 120 beats per minute; it's within the normal range.' We listened a second longer, and I saw Emma relax a bit and break into a smile. I glanced at Anna, whose eyes were large and shining. Although she was smiling, she looked to be struggling to maintain her composure. I looked at her quizzically, but she only shook her head slightly.

A brief routine pelvic exam revealed nothing out of the ordinary. 'Get dressed. Anna will make you an appointment—I'll want to see you again in two weeks,' I told Emma, removing my surgical gloves. 'I am also prescribing you prenatal vitamins, which you should have begun taking when you found out you were pregnant.'

'Thank you, doctor,' she answered in a small voice. 'I know I should have come in sooner…I just…well…' she trailed off, shrugging.

Anna squeezed her hand. 'The important thing is you came in today. Now, go ahead and get dressed,' she said, pulling the screen around Emma.

After Anna did Emma's blood work and scheduled her next appointment, Emma left. I immediately locked the front door and went to finish the day's paperwork at my desk in the consulting room. Anna came in a minute later.

'Thank you again for letting me stay with Emma,' she said. 'She's become attached to me, I guess—and I do feel protective of her. Her mother died a few years ago, and her father hasn't spoken a word to her since she got married. Her so-called 'husband' is eighteen, can't manage to hold down a job for more than a few months at a time, and spends most of his time with his mates at the pub. She has no one else.'

'She needs to take better care of herself—and now she has a baby to look after as well,' I commented. I continued to make notes as Anna approached my desk, and I glanced up at her.

'Stand up, please,' she instructed, motioning with her hand.

'Why?' I asked warily.

'Because I'm leaving, and before I do, I'm going to hug you.'

I was incredulous. 'What—now?' I exclaimed. 'Anna, I don't think…this is highly…'

'Oh, hush. There's no one here, and I told you to get used to it. Just humor me.' She pulled on my arm, and I reluctantly stood up. She snaked her arms around me and pulled me toward her. I awkwardly returned the hug, my face burning from a mixture of pleasure and embarrassment.

After a few seconds, Anna stepped back and peered up at me. 'Hmm,' she nodded, impressed. 'Not bad, Martin. I think you're getting the hang of it.' I gave her a withering look.

'Are you going to insist on doing this every time you see me?' I groused.

'Yup,' she answered firmly. 'Are you going to insist on pretending that you don't really like it?' She raised one eyebrow at me, challenging me to deny it. My mouth opened to reply, then closed again abruptly. How was I supposed to answer that question? Before I could say anything, her face broke into a grin.

'Uh-huh. That's what I thought,' she nodded. 'Right—so now that's over with, I'm going home. I'll see you in the morning.' She reached up and straightened the knot of my tie, her hand lingering on my chest for a fraction of a second. I swallowed convulsively.

'Yes. Good,' I croaked, my voice wobbling. I held her gaze and added, 'uh...tomorrow.' There was a palpable charge in the air between us; after she exited the room, I sank into my chair, no longer trusting my knees to support my weight. My God, what was this woman doing to me?

I sat there stupidly for a few minutes, waiting for my heart rate to return to normal. Just as I was beginning to feel like myself again, my mobile rang. I looked at the incoming phone number and was surprised to see it was Louisa calling.

'Louisa?' I glanced at my watch, but I already knew it was past school hours—there was not much chance of her calling because of an incident with one of the children.

She answered in a rush, 'I'm at Danny's Mum's and…I dunno, he's collapsed…I've called an ambulance, but…can you come?' I could hear the edge of panic in her voice.

Without hesitation, I told her, 'yes—I'll be right there.'

Many thanks to Melinda H. for answering all my stupid medical questions. I owe her a lot of gummy bears.