Buffalo Pictures owns the "Doc Martin" TV series, and all credit goes to them and all the people who make the show what it is.

I don't own any rights to "Doc Martin," and I'm not making any money off it.

Let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews, and take them into account as I write. Thank you to those of you who already have, especially those who've read and reviewed other stories as well!

Oh...also...I have no experience in the medical field, much less the inner workings of obstetrics. If I get something wrong, feel free to correct me.

Chapter 38

(30 minutes later) Truro, Cornwall

Louisa gritted her teeth, her fingernails digging into Morwenna's hand.

The receptionist bit her lip and tried not to look at Louisa's agonized face.

"Where are we Martin?"

"Umm...10 minutes away, I should say."

"Can't you go any faster!"
"Louisa, I am going the legal speed limit!"

"Oh toss the legal speed limit Martin! I don't fancy having my baby in a moving vehicle!"

"How far apart are your contractions?"

"Eh...Martin, do you really think I'm counting my contractions right now?"

"Well...try!"

Morwenna leaned forward toward Martin.

"Doc?" she whispered loudly.

"What is it , Morwenna?" Martin snapped at her.

"I've never delivered a baby before...and I'd just as well not start now..."

"Morwenna, I'm doing the best that I can."

"Martin, step on the accelerator!"

"Louisa, if I get us all in an accident I won't do anyone any good!" He shouted back.

"If I die giving birth in the back o' your car, Martin, I won't do anyone a heck of a lot of good either!"

Suddenly she shut her eyes and let out a low scream.

"Another contraction," she said to Morwenna.

Morwenna closed her eyes.

"Is it as bad as it looks?"

Louisa looked at Morwenna. Clearly she was scaring the poor girl.

"Well...they give you meds at the hospital..." she said, trying hard to smile.

"With needles?"
Louisa's smile faded.
"Well..."

"The pain is pretty horrid isn't it?"

Louisa's nodded.

"Yeah."

Morwenna frowned.

Suddenly her eyes lighted up.

"But it's short right...over and done?"

"Umm...well...it depends..."

"The average duration of labour is about 8 hours..." Martin said dryly.

"Oh."

"...But labor times of up to 17 hours have been recorded."

"Lovely. Something to look forward to."

Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall (4 1/2 hours later)

Edith Montgomery panted a little as she ran through the halls.

'Whoever gave Brian the night off should be sentenced to performing DREs* for the rest of their career,' she thought as she reviewed the details he'd just heard over the phone. "Elderly Secundogravida, Primiparous**. Past history of anemia."

'It could Louisa,' she thought with a chuckle. After all, she was due any time now.

Finally, she found the door and coolly walked in.

Sure enough, there before her was Louisa Ellingham.

"It seems we can't stop running into each Mrs. Ellingham."

Louisa let out a loud moan.

"I'm afraid they can't send anyone else dear, we're a bit short-staffed tonight. She glanced at the pregnant woman with playful eyes, but Louisa was in too much pain to notice.

Thwarted, Edith turned to Martin.

"Will you be assisting Ellingham?"

He nodded, a hint of disgust on his face,

"The general lack of preparedness in this ward would leave me no choice it would seem."

Edith nodded appreciatively as she checked Louisa's information.

"Perhaps you'll put a bug in Parson's ear about it."

Martin nodded.

"Right. How far apart are contractions?"

"About 4 every 10 minutes," a nurse stated.

"Time since onset of labour?"

"About 5 hours."

"Progress has been fairly slow," Martin said flatly.

Louisa glared at him.

"I'm trying Martin. It's not as easy as it looks!"

She squeezed her eyes shut as another contraction came on.

Martin's eyes grew wide.

"Of course you are," he said gently, caressing her cheek.

Louisa returned a faint smile.

"Are you suggesting induction Ellingham."

"That seems like it may be a viable option," Martin stated, "but I thought I would defer to the veteran specialist in the room on this particular matter."

Edith suppressed a smile at the compliment, while running the array of options through her mind.

"VE, I should think. Less pressure on the head, no episiotomy required..."

"I'll prepare the ventouse."

"What's going on?" Louisa asked

Edith shot a glance at Martin, who knelt down by Louisa's side.

"Louisa, we're preparing to quicken the birthing process."

Louisa cringed.

"Is that what the VE thingy is?"

"Hmm...yes...Vacuum Extraction."

Louisa's eyebrows narrowed.

"Does that mean you...?"

"A suction device placed on the top of the baby's head and is used to essentially pull the baby out, in cooperation with the mother's own efforts, of course.

"You're going to suck the baby out then?"

Martin nodded, trying to avoid contact with his wife.

"It usually leaves a temporary but highly visible swelling at the top of the head."

Louisa's mouth hung agape.

"In rare instances the procedure has been known to cause potentially deadly internal bleeding."

Royal Cornwall Hospital waiting room (1 hour later)

"I didn't know you were a fan of Jamaican cricket."

Morwenna flipped the open magazine in front of her.

"All Out Cricket" Al teased. "We'll have to see about a subscription for that 'un."

Morwenna put the magazine down with a nervous smile.

"Are you worried about Louisa?"

"Well...it would be nice to hear news on that front..."

"So...not really..."

"I do hope Louisa's alright. But I mean she's got the Doc in there, and she's done this before. But..."

Al nodded appreciatively.

"...But you're more worried about when it's your turn."

She nodded.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone in so much pain." She sighed.

"I just don't know if I can handle it, tha's all."

"Umm..."

Morwenna looked at him, clearing hoping for some sort of encouragement

"..Well..."

"Mr. and Mrs. Large?"

The couple looked around.

"Dr. Montgomery!" Morwenna said, perking up quite a bit.

"I have some news on Louisa. Labour was progressing at a slow rate..."

Horrified looks appeared on both of their faces.

"Oh gosh!" Morwenna said, is she alright?"

A small smile appeared on Edith's lips.

"Why don't you come back and see."

Edith held open the door for the young couple to enter.

They were quickly greeted by a wide smile from Louisa, who was nearly radiating with joy.

In her arms was a small pink bundle, with a tiny head poking out the top. By her side knelt Martin, happily gazing down at the child.

"How are you...um...feeling?" Al managed to squeak out.

"Exhausted but happy at the same time. No baby blues yet."***

She held up the baby.

"Isn't she beautiful?"

"Absolutely gorgeous," Morwenna agreed.

Al couldn't help but notice the redness at the top of the baby's head

Martin noticed the look.

"The swelling at the top of the baby's head is a harmless condition called chignon."

Louisa rolled her eyes.

For a man with a rather odd-shaped head himself, he seemed rather sensitive about malformations of the heads of others.

"It is...temporary...of course."

They all grinned.

"We'll leave you two with your new addition," Morwenna smiled.

"Oh..umm...Morwenna...I bought a cake for you...it being your last day and all. Martin and I were going through a small little party for you, but obviously that will have to post-poned a few days. But vthe cake's in the fridge if you want some."

The couple nodded appreciatively.

"Thanks, that was really kind of you.

'Martin's idea actually," Louisa said with a mischievous grin. She watched affectionately as her husband's cheeks grew pink.

Morwenna and Al turned to leave.

"Oh...ummm...by the way Morwenna..." Martin called after her, "what with Gwenn breaking her leg and..."

"Don't worry Doc, I was already planning on staying on a few more days, if it's okay with Al," Morwenna said, a small twinkle in her eye. She looked at Al.

"I think I can spare her a few more days," he said with a grin.

"Right, now shoo" Edith said to the young couple, holding the door.

Once they had left, she turned toward the Ellinghams, only to find them mid-kiss.

After a brief moment the couple noticed they had an audience.

"Oh...um...sorry, Dr. Montgomery," Louisa said, blushing a bit.

"I have some work I need to do," she said in a relatively tender voice. "A nurse should be in shortly."

She turned toward the door, but hesitated for a moment

"Congratulations by the way."

As she exited the door and walked down the hall, she couldn't help but notice Al and Morwenna amorously embracing each other in a small alcove.

"Do you really think I'm up for it?"

"Morwenna Large, I have full confidence in you. You'll do just fine." He gazed at her affectionately.

"And just to make sure, I'll be right there by your side, all the way."

To be continued...

*DRE or Digital Rectum Examination is a procedure usually performed on men to manually check for prostate cancer and other health conditions. For reasons that may be evident from it's name, it has a reputation for being physically uncomfortable and somewhat awkward. On it's own, it also doesn't appear to be particularly precise.

**As many of you already know based on your inclusion of related terms in your stories, Elderly means the pregnant woman is over 35, Secundagravida means the woman has had 2 or more pregnancies (regardless of their final outcome), while Primiparous means the woman has previously delivered one live child.

***"Baby blues," as well as being an American comic strip, is a term sometimes used to refer to on and off periods of sadness many women (70-80% in the US) feel after the birth of a child, which can be caused by a mix of factors including anxiety/stress, changes in hormone levels, and physical exhaustion.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!