Disclaimer: Doc Martin is the property of Buffalo Pictures. I own nothing.

Chapter 20 – On the bottle

Louisa's new car had been delivered. Martin had gone over it with a fine tooth comb to ensure that it was exactly what had been ordered. It had taken a little longer to come than usual because although it was the top of the range model, Martin had insisted that all possible extra safety features had to be included, so it had been a special build. Louisa let him fuss over it, while she admired the paintwork colour – it was a gorgeous bright metallic blue. Martin would have ordered it in silver if he had been choosing, far more practical he thought, but this was Louisa's car, so it was her choice. Of course he wasn't really surprised when she chose the brightest colour possible.

"Now you can look after Luke while I go to Truro on Saturday morning, Martin. I need some new clothes, and now I have my car, I can take myself off without bothering you or Joan. He's quite happy with a bottle, so I can take as long as I need," Louisa had breezily told Martin. "And I checked, you're not on call."

Martin had looked up from the article he was reading with a look of sheer panic on his face.

"Louisa, I can't possibly, you always look after him, I don't think…can't Joan have him? I haven't looked after him on my own before," he'd stammered out.

"No, she can't Martin, and frankly it's about time you did," she said firmly, and walked out of the room.

It would be very strange to be away from Luke, but she thought it was about time that Martin got to grips with the finer points of fatherhood. He'd be just fine, she told herself, and anyway Joan would be on stand by – but both women had agreed that it was about time Martin had Luke all to himself.

xXx

Louisa had a wonderful time in Truro. Her new car drove like a dream, but frankly she would have been grateful for any old car, she hadn't had the freedom of her own transport for such a long time. She plugged in her ipod, and listened to some of her favourite tracks on the drive over. Taste in music was not something that she and Martin had in common for the most part, although she did like some of the classical music that Martin did, she usually chose much more modern music that Martin hated. Louisa allowed herself to buy some new clothes and not feel too guilty, she had more money to spare now that she didn't have any rent to pay. She still felt a bit uncomfortable about Martin buying their house and her car, but she was learning to be more relaxed about it, as she began to accept that she could trust Martin not to let her down, unlike every other man in her life before.

Martin did not have such a lovely time looking after Luke. Things started off well enough. Louisa had fed and changed him, and settled him down to sleep, before she left.

"He should sleep now until around one o'clock, don't on any account pick him up before he wakes, he hates being woken and will be really cranky if you do," Louisa instructed

"I have absolutely no intention of picking him up before it is strictly necessary," Martin replied, remembering the appalling racket Luke had made in the car on the way home after being woken up to have his six week check at the hospital.

"There is a bottle of formula in the fridge, just put it in the automatic bottle warmer that I've left next to the fridge and press the button. He may take all the feed, but I doubt it, I just thought it best to err on the generous side. He'll need changing afterwards, everything you need is on the shelves by the changing table – you've done it before, so you know what to do. Oh and don't forget to wind him," Louisa told Martin.

"Yes, I know," Martin replied testily.

"Then just cuddle him and talk to him until he's ready to go down to sleep. Simple," Louisa said brightly.

"I can't talk to him, he won't understand. I don't do baby talk," said Martin grumpily.

"Look, it doesn't matter what you say to him, he just likes the sound of your voice," replied Louisa. "You'll be fine. See you later, I should be back by five when he'll be due his next feed."

Then she left, with Martin glowering after her.

Louisa had put the pram in Martin's study where he intended to work. He had a whole raft of notes he needed to write up, so he got on with this while Luke slept. Every now and again, Martin glanced in the pram, anxious not to disturb his sleeping son in any way.

At around 1.15, Martin could hear Luke waking up, making funny little snuffling noises that began to develop into full blown crying. Martin quickly warmed the bottle, as Louisa had instructed.

He picked Luke up, took him into the kitchen and said to him,

"Well I hope you know what to do with this," as he offered him the bottle of milk.

Luke certainly did, he always enjoyed his feeds, and sucked enthusiastically on the bottle. Unfortunately, the milk came out much quicker than he expected, and he started coughing and choking, with the milk going every where, including all over Martin's trousers.

Martin had to sit him up, and pat him on the back until he stopped choking.

"Don't be so greedy," he told his son, holding him up to look at him.

Luke hadn't liked choking on his milk and started crying.

"Shush, quiet now," Martin said awkwardly, putting Luke up against his chest, and rubbing his back. Luke spluttered up some more milk all over Martin's shirt and tie.

"Bugger, forgot the muslin cloth." He remembered too late that Louisa usually had one over her shoulder to protect her clothes from the worst of whatever Luke burped up.

Eventually, Martin worked out that it was a fast flowing teat on the bottle, and that if he held the bottle at more of an angle, it slowed the flow down, and Luke could feed properly. Soon all of the feed had gone. The inevitable happened next, and Luke filled his nappy. Unfortunately, the contents of the nappy leaked out through Luke's vest and babygro, and seeped out onto Martin's trouser leg.

"Is there any other bodily fluid you wish to anoint me with?" Martin demanded of his baby son.

He took Luke upstairs to change him, but soon realised that the baby was in such a mess that the easiest thing to do would be to quickly bathe him, but then he got in a state trying to run a small bath while holding Luke and trying to find a towel. Martin ended up drenched.

Finally, a bit later, Luke was clean and ready to be dressed. Martin searched round and found the clean vest and a blue baby suit that Louisa had left out, which had the words 'Daddy's little helper' on the front.

"Ha ha, very funny Louisa," said Martin sarcastically.

He fumbled around trying to put a nappy onto a wriggly baby, and then his vest, and then finally his baby suit – but he looked in horror at the number of poppers on it – which ones lined up with which? Eventually Luke was sorted. Martin then took him into his bedroom and laid him on the middle of his bed while he changed his suit and shirt. When he turned round, Luke had brought up a little more milk – he didn't usually have that much and he was too full, and it had gone over the duvet cover.

"Good grief, is there no end to how disgusting you are?" he asked Luke in despair.

Then he remembered that he hadn't winded Luke properly, so he picked him up and put him against his shoulder again to rub his back – he was rewarded with a large burp, but Luke still brought up a little more milk, over Martin's clean shirt.

"Really?" Martin spluttered in disbelief – he decided to wait to change his shirt again until Luke was asleep.

He took Luke downstairs and sat with him tucked into the crook of his arm in his study.

"Now what do we do? Oh I'm supposed to talk to you aren't I?" Martin recalled.

He remembered Louisa saying 'it doesn't matter what you say to him, he just likes the sound of your voice'. He picked up the article he was reading from the British Medical Journal, and started to read it out loud to Luke.

"Latest studies have confirmed what has long been suspected by GP's – that the reported number of cases of erectile dysfunction has dramatically increased since the approval of Viagra for general distribution…"

Luke felt happy now, he had a very full tummy, a clean nappy, and he was being held in his Daddy's big strong arms, listening to his deep voice. He looked up at Martin, studied him for a while, and then gave him a big gummy smile.

"Don't think you can get round me like that, you're still disgusting," said Martin, looking back at Luke, but softening his expression just a little.

Before too long, Luke drifted off to sleep and Martin carefully put him in his pram.

"That's the sort of baby I like," he thought "Sleeping."

When Louisa returned from her shopping trip, Luke was asleep in his pram, and Martin was reading, pretty much as she had left them.

"Everything OK?" she asked.

"Yes, fine. Don't know what all the fuss is about, looking after babies," Martin said, hardly looking up.

"Good, you can look after him again next Saturday, I've got to go back again to collect some things that I had to order in," said Louisa as she went upstairs with her shopping bags.

"I'm on call, sorry," called back Martin, thinking he'd volunteer if he wasn't.