Chapter 14

So, against my better judgement, I found myself on the way to Truro hospital at the back of an ambulance, holding Danny's hand. Actually, I was quite grateful that the oxygen mask had been firmly installed over his mouth. I just knew that I would have screamed if Danny had started reciting psalms again.

Don't get me wrong, I do respect everyone's belief, but there are times for worship, and times for reason. And using your last breath for reciting the bible wasn't a sign of reason for me.

So the journey was pretty uneventful. Danny was just clinging to my hand, until they wheeled him into the A & E department.

Seeing the doors closing after Danny I took a deep breath. Then there was nothing left for me to do but wait. I looked for a vending machine, got myself a much needed cuppa and settled in the waiting area, skipping through the laid out journals without much interest.

I didn't leave Danny until they had stitched him up and he was back in the ICU. I overheard a few of the medical staff discussing the immediate medical support Danny had received. The assessment of Martin's work wasn't short of superlatives.

'Brilliant' and 'outstanding' were just some of the adjectives used.

As soon as the treating doctor entered the emergency unit, he threw one glance at the tube in Danny's chest and immediately asked the paramedics: "Don't tell me, you picked him up in Portwenn?"

"Sure enough." The paramedic responded. "That miserable bugger gave us another lecture how to do our job."

"Miserable bugger maybe, but he knows his stuff." He pointed to Danny's dressing. "Excellent work. So what's wrong exactly?"

"A classic. Sanding the floor without a mask." The paramedic smirked.

The doctor rolled his eyes. "In a spare moment I hope someone explains to me why we go through all that trouble to keep people from killing themselves. Right, off we go."

I waited in the waiting area, remembering the last time I was waiting for a result. Again waiting for good news made possible by the quick intervention of Dr Martin Ellingham. Again an incident caused by irresponsible behaviour, although there had been a warning of the possible consequences.

Back then it had been me ignoring Peter's complaint that team games would be all of the others against him. I wanted him to be part of the class and egged him on. Basically, it was me causing the ruptured spleen of that poor boy.

Again, it was Martin Ellingham who saved him with skills far beyond those of a normal GP, undoing the damage others had caused.

When they wheeled poor Danny past me after his operation, he looked relatively normal again. His skin had lost the grey-palish shade it had been just hours before and the breathing was steady.

The treating doctor assured me that Danny would be fine, thanks to the quick and skilled first aid of the GP.

I was relieved. Danny would live. No matter how stupid he had been.

When I left, I bumped into Roger Fenn. He was beaming from ear to ear. The old miserable bugger I had visited before his cancer operation some time ago was gone and replaced by a boyish, quite sociable guy.

"Ah, Louisa. So good to see you." He smiled, then looked around and added. "Though not good to see you here. Anything amiss?"

I told him the whole story. When I finished he put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer as if telling me something in confidence.

"That miserable bugger did it again. Gosh, sometimes I really want to shake some sense into our lovely villagers. How many wouldn't have made it if it hadn't been for Martin? He simply doesn't sell himself very well. I needed to be on my deathbed to recognise his true colours." Roger lowered his voice to a whisper. "He's a good sort, but I don't have to tell you that. I tried to tell my Maureen." He chuckled. "Instead she convinced me of the opposite. I was at the poor man's throat last night. I guess it's time for an apology."

"Maureen, how is she? Everything's alright?" I suddenly remembered her poor state lately and Roger being here wasn't a good sign.

"Haven't you heard? I put her up the duff! Imagine! At our age!" He slapped my back. "Bloody marvellous! That's what it is. Bloody brilliant marvellous!"

"You mean?!" I couldn't believe it! I was worrying about my biological clock, and Maureen, who must be a good ten years older than me, was pregnant! "You and Maureen are having a child?"

"Not a child - children! Twins! Bloody marvellous! They'll be the best bloody wonderful kids in the world."

I touched Roger's arm. "I am so glad for you. You are so lucky."

Roger's smile vanished from his face. "Yeah, I am. You know, I lost almost everything I'd had - first my job, the prospect of a decent pension, then I was afraid of losing my life or my voice, and I'm still not sure which of the two would have been scarier."

"I am so sorry." I nodded, but Roger stopped me with his hand held up.

"No, I mean, it was a tough time, but maybe Maureen and I wouldn't be together if I hadn't lost it completely during one of her singing lessons. If she hadn't picked me up when I had felt most vulnerable, giving me her support. I always wanted to bulldoze through life on my own, proving that I was capable enough, that I could stand up against all the big guys. A remnant of the rebellious youth in me." He flashed me a boyish smile. "Maureen is different. She might appear weak, but she can muddle through, stick to you - in good times and bad times. She won't give up on you. She accepts you the way you are. So, with her, I learned to tolerate my weaknesses and I learned to let her pick me up when I am frightened."

"I tell you, having cancer is bloody scary, and if I hadn't had her to help me through it, I don't know what I would have done. Her and that bugger Doc Martin. He has the most astounding sense of humour."

"Martin?!"

"Haven't you noticed? He can make you smile into the face of death. Gosh, he depressed the life out of me, but he also made it clear that what's going to happen is going to happen, no matter if I like it or not. Strange to say that about him, but he also made me see the funny side of it."

To be continued…