Heart Ache

I tried to shoo Martin out the door, so Ian and his friend could have privacy but he stood rooted to the spot. "Come on, Martin, time for us to go," I whispered. "They need time alone."

The woman broke off the lip lock she had on Doctor Exley. "Well! Ian, I can tell that you missed me!"

"Sandy! You have no idea, and… and…" Ian started, "and you're…"

"Pregnant?" The woman looked down and then put a hand on her pregnant belly, which was pushed hard against Ian's hip. "Yes. Glad you noticed. It's yours. Ours."

I gasped, hearing an eerie echo of mine and Martin's words. I turned to the father of my son and saw his eyes grow moist.

"Louisa, we should go," Martin said quietly. "Come."

"Well, Ian, we'll be off then," I said. ""Nice to erh, meet you!" I said cheerily as Martin tugged at my arm.

Ian Exley stood there with this beautiful creature wrapped around him, impending fatherhood only weeks away. His mouth gaped open, but words started to babble out. "Sandy, I uh, why… didn't you call me? Let me know… for God's sake? And I've missed you terribly! It's been awful here without you!"

"You stupid git, I tried! You wouldn't answer the phone – didn't take my calls. I didn't want to tell you by email!" She paused and rubbed his cheek. "And I've missed you too. Too much heart ache."

Ian buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed. "Sorry, I'm sorry!" More kisses and hugs followed. They broke their embrace and Ian looked at her. "My god, Sandy, you're beautiful!" He touched her stomach. "Kicking? Is that?"

"Yes!" she held his hand in place. "Feel it?"

"Yes. Boy or girl?" Ian asked her.

"I don't know. Healthy though. Told the doc I didn't want to know. So surprise!" She went back to hugging and kissing and Ian was helping.

I chewed my lip. "Well," I cleared my throat. "We should go. Bye!"

She turned her pretty face to us, and I saw tears on her cheeks. "I'm Sandy. Sandra Hawes." She stuck out a hand.

We awkwardly shook her hand in turn. "I'm Louisa and this is Martin." I said. "Glasson and Ellingham, respectively."

"Oh, are you a couple?" she asked brightly.

"Yes… erh, no..." started Martin, but he looked down at me. "Yes, we are!"

"Well we're living together, sort of," I added. "We're parents, too."

Ian hesitantly put an arm about Sandy. "It's complicated," he told her. "Their son is almost two months old."

Sandy turned to face Ian. "Almost like us, then?"

Ian took her face in his hands and kissed her. "No. Not like us. I will explain, later."

Martin cleared his throat. "We'll be off then. Come Louisa." He took my hand and dragged me out the kitchen door.

"Bye!" I said to the door which slammed shut behind us. I looked at Martin in the dusk and his face was solemn. "Martin, are you ok?"

"What just happened in there, Louisa? Did she… was that… erh, almost… like us?"

"No, Martin. As near as I can figure, Ian fled London, and it's pretty obvious that he and Sandy were a couple at one time; she… didn't know she was pregnant, when they broke up. So she had to do something, come here, and face him."

Martin stood at my shoulder looking into the cottage. "They're kissing again."

I craned my neck to see them. "Yes, they are." I took his hand in mine. "See, not like us. Not then, when… I came back."

"Yes, you did come back didn't you?" Martin said and I could his eyes shining. "Every time, every time…"

"Every time, what?"

He faced me and put his hands on my shoulders. "Every time, I, erh… drove you away. You came back."

"Well, it seems to me, Doctor Ellingham that you tried very hard to drive me away and keep me far away. All the nasty things you said when I came back…" I stopped and looked through the window. Ian turned and seeing us there, reached out and snapped the curtains closed. I glanced away then back to Martin's face. "Yet here we are."

"Yes. Here we are." He sighed. "Now what?"

I gave him a giant hug and kissed him deeply. "Maybe Ian and Sandy can teach us a thing or two?"

"Yes," he grinned wolfishly. "Maybe we need to take notes?"

That made me laugh. "I don't think reading an entire book would help us Martin." I sighed. "But perhaps we just need to try harder." I patted his face and he rubbed my back. "Let's go home."

"Louisa! Where have you left Philip?" he asked sharply.

"He's with Judy Ellis. I'm sure he's fine. Come on, Martin, let's go."

"Yes. Well I'm certain you're correct. He's fine."

We walked around the front of the cottage and Martin looked up at it. He said, "You have no idea how much I miss this place – the surgery. Heart ache."

I could only pat his back in reply.

We'd not taken more than a few steps in the street when the cottage front door flew open and Ian Exley rushed out. "Martin! Doc Martin! There's an emergency at the school! Someone's fallen off the roof! I need your help!"