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

Chapter Twenty-one

After Martin left, Louisa was treated to a parade of consultants, all with their entourages. They all treated Louisa with care, consideration and what she eventually identified as trepidation. At first Louisa was puzzled but then she overheard one of the consultants mentioning Martin's name and realised that they were nervous about his reaction to their care of her. Secretly amused, she listened attentively as the consultants told her exactly what Martin had told her this morning; she should make a full recovery in time, most of the memory loss would probably come back and her arm would be in plaster for six to ten weeks.

After they left, she slept for a while only to be woken by the sound of children whispering fiercely to each other,

'She's asleep. We have to go!'

'Dad promised I could visit her.'

'Chelsey, we can come back tomorrow.'

'No! Dad said I could see Miss Glasson and I'm staying until she wakes up.'

Louisa didn't have to open her eyes to know what she would see; Chelsey Baker stood with her arms folded and glowering obstinately. Chelsey's strong will and independent attitude would be a blessing when she was an adult but could make her a very difficult child. Smiling, Louisa opened her eyes and was delighted that her eyes decided to focus clearly for a few seconds; Chelsey's pose and expression were exactly as she had imagined and were mirrored by Emily.

'Hello, you two. Have you come to visit me?'

In a flash, Chelsey's glower disappeared and was replaced by a huge smile,

'Miss Glasson! You're awake. Are you better?'

'Not completely, Chelsey. I'm going to be in hospital for a while, I'm afraid. Are you all right?'

'How long do you have to stay in hospital for?'

Louisa noticed the panic in Chelsey's eyes and the way Emily stiffened when she asked if Chelsey was okay and she made a mental note to ask Martin about it. Sighing, she replied,

'I don't know. It depends how quickly my vision returns to normal. At the moment everything seems rock from side to side as if I'm on a boat or else it's blurry.'

'But you're going to get better?'

Chelsey's voice was high and panicky and Louisa quickly reassured her,

'I'm going to be fine. It's just going to be a few weeks.'

Chelsey relaxed slightly but her eyes were haunted so Louisa decided to distract her,

'So, Emily, are you still enjoying secondary school? How's the maths going?'

Emily happily started to tell her about her friends and teachers and Chelsey sat down in the visitor's chair, the strain vanishing out of her face.

By the time Martin got back to the hospital it was nearly lunchtime. Peter had needed feeding and changing and he'd had some repeat prescriptions that couldn't wait and then Aunty Joan had insisted on coming to the hospital with him,

'I want to see Louisa too. Oh, don't worry, I'll let you go in first.'

'But Aunty Joan…'

'Besides, Martin, I know you; you're going to check on all the children whilst you're there. What are you going to do with Peter then?'

Silenced, he had sighed and opened the car door for her.

Luckily she had vanished to 'see how the children are getting on' although he could have given her far more accurate information on their condition than she'd get from visiting them, so he and Peter could see Louisa alone. As he entered the ward, he was annoyed to hear children's voices coming from Louisa's room. He was about to rush in and order them to leave when he recognised Emily Baker's voice talking about university. Intrigued, Martin entered quietly. He was certain that Emily was not old enough for university, fifteen at most and he'd have said she was younger from her developmental markers. As he slipped in, Emily was saying, gloomily,

'And now Oxford have offered me a place too.'

Martin joined in without bothering to say hello,

'A place to do what?'

'Maths.'

'Maths? At your age?'

'Yes. I'm very good at Maths. And Mum and Dad really want me to go but they can't afford it and I don't want to go.'

'Aren't there scholarships?'

'Yes, I get all the scholarships but it's not enough because I have to have a chaperone because I'm too young. So Mum and Dad are talking about taking out a second mortgage to pay for it but they can't afford it.'

'I'm sure they know what they're doing,' said Louisa, soothingly.

Martin was about to make a scathing reply but was beaten by Emily calmly explaining,

'No, they don't. I've done the calculations and when interest rates rise they'll fall behind on the payments and end up losing the house.'

'You can't be sure of that,'

Louisa sounded slightly shocked and Emily continued,

'I've been helping Dad with his tax returns for five years now and I looked up Mum's salary on the internet. They can't afford it and I don't want to go anyway.'

'Why not?'

'I want to stay here with my friends. At Oxford or Cambridge I'd be the weird genius kid who everyone wants to beat but no one wants to talk to. I'm only thirteen and I don't want to go away from home somewhere where I won't know anyone and where my friends won't even be able to come and visit.'

Martin looked at Emily, who was visibly distressed and said,

'The Open University.'

Louisa and Emily looked blankly at him.

'Do an Open University degree instead then do your postgraduate studies at Oxford or Cambridge.'

'Martin, you're a genius!'

Louisa's exclamation made Martin shift awkwardly.

Emily was still puzzled so Louisa explained how she could do an Open University degree part time and still go to school and do all the other subjects with her friends.

Whilst Louisa and Emily talked excitedly, Martin observed Chelsey who was playing peek-a-boo with Peter. She had shadows under her eyes and there was an air of fragility about her. Martin decided to get Pauline to book the whole family in for an appointment as soon as possible. They needed to decide the best way to help Chelsey.

After Chelsey and Emily had gone, Martin took Peter out of his buggy and lifted him on to the bed. Louisa reached eagerly towards him so Martin helped her hold Peter in her good arm. Peter gurgled happily and Louisa's face glowed. Martin felt an overwhelming surge of love and somehow knew that the time was right to tell Louisa how much he loved her. He cleared his throat as he tried to find the right words,

'Doctor Ellingham! Come quickly!'

Pauline burst into Louisa's room, panting heavily,

'Stu Mackenzie's threatening to kill a reporter!'

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