The characters, places and situations of Doc Martin, are owned by Buffalo Pictures. This story makes no claim of remuneration or ownership, nor do I make any attempt to infringe upon any rights of the owners or producers.
Thank you for reading and reviews are much appreciated.
WARNING! This is a post-Series 6 story. If you have not seen Doc Martin Series 6, this story may ruin any number of surprises for you as it begins just at the end of series 6 - Episode 8. Therefore, proceed at your own peril…
Leaping up, I ran a few steps around a pile of rocks and could hear the noise better. I wasn't clear that it was human voices. "Probably seagulls," I told Louisa who'd trotted up to stand with me, holding James on her hip.
She cocked her head then turned her head slightly. "Not sure."
The piercing yells came again. "Over there," I pointed towards the cliff near the neck of the fat Y-shaped peninsula.
Louisa took a few steps turning her head this way and that. "Martin! Come on!" She ran away and I had to follow.
It was human voices and now I could hear words; angry words and shouts.
Coming out of a slight defile on the rolling hillside, I caught up with Louisa who was confronted by three people. Al and Morwenna I knew, but the third person was a tall young man brandishing a knife.
"Oh God," I groaned, while Louisa backed up a step turning to shield James.
"Doc! Louisa!" screamed Morwenna when she saw us. "Call Joe Penhale! It's Tom Denner!"
Al Large was slowly approaching the man, arms held wide. "Come on mate. That's enough of that. Just put that fish-scaler away."
I didn't recall seeing the man before. He was tall and dark-haired, with a burly build above the waist, likely worked out, and if he was anything like Pauline's uncle had been into the anabolic steroids, based on the size of his upper arms.
Louisa backed up a step. "Martin? Be careful!"
I shook my head as the circus of Portwenn had just dropped another strange performance on us. I went forward my hand outstretched. "Come on, now. Put that down and stop threatening people!"
"Martin! Don't antagonize the man!" Louisa hissed as I marched forward.
The knife-wielder glared hatefully at me. "Stand back! Or I'll…"
"Or you'll what?" I bellowed. "You're Thomas Denner?"
The man turned to me slowly. "I am, more's the pity." I could see his face was drawn, eyes white and staring, and though the air was cool and breezy, his entire face was bathed in sweat. He gulped and his prominent Adam's apple bobbed.
"You're not well," I said to him. "Just calm down so we can get you help."
Al shook his head. "Doc, I don't think reasoning with him will help."
"What's this about Morwenna?" Louisa piped up.
She said "Al and me was up here for a walk, and this guy jumped outa nowhere. Said he wanted Al's scooter."
Al nodded. "Yep. I paid good money for it; needed a bit of work is all and some paint. Not a lot to look at but it works. Now, mate, put down your knife." He walked slowly towards Denner.
Denner yelled, "No! The faeries; the little people; I need it I need to get away from here! Them goblins'll eat you up if you aren't careful!"
I took out my mobile. "Man needs to be Sectioned."
"Don't!" the man screamed and held the knife, a four inch blade at least, to his own neck. "I'll hurt him!"
"Now, you don't want to do that mate," said Al slowly while I stayed silent and the two women made noises of distress.
Denner's eyes roved from me to Al to the women. Morwenna had backed away and had put herself between the madman and Louisa. "Louisa, take James and get out of here."
"Oh enough of this!" I muttered. Taking my mobile again, I rang nine-nine-nine and reported the problem.
Dispatch responded they were sending officers (I noted the plural) and an ambulance. "Out on Rump's Point? Yah, know it well," the tinny voice told me. "Get a couple of jumpers every few years there. Dandy cliff," she said and rung off.
Denner made as it to slice himself so I put my phone away. "Now," I told him levelly, "let's just talk, shall we? I am a doctor."
He actually pulled the knife away from his throat when he heard my words. "You must be Doc Martin. My auntie was tellin' me 'bout you."
"I am." I took a slow step forward.
"Martin!" said Louisa in a stage-whisper. "For God's sake, not too close!"
My palm itched where Aunt Ruth's unwelcome guest had cut me a month and a half ago. "I remember." I sidled a bit closer. "What's this about goblins?"
Denner peered at me in an almost pleading look. "She was sayin'… sayin' that I ought to come see you. Been having night sweats and the shakes."
"You're taking steroids, right."
He nodded. "There's this bloke. Give me some new stuff – super juice he called it. Said it puts the muscles on you straight away!"
"Plus making you aggressive, paranoid, and enraged," I observed. "I should post a notice at the gym – Take Steroids If You Wish To Be Even Stupider Than You Already Are!"
"Martin!" Louisa advised. "That's not helping!"
Denner waved the knife in wide sweeping arcs eyes open and mad.
"I can see that!"
"Me? Stupid?" he said to me. "Nah. Always got good marks in school and meek as a lamb."
"So how do you explain this sudden rage and the seemingly bad behavior?"
"I… I… need that scooter! Got to get away!"
"That's the paranoia. Now… I can help you," I told him. "Let's put the knife down." I slowly advanced a step, holding my hands out and down.
Denner waved the knife in front again. "They're all about. Here and here!" he stabbed the air. "Been talkin' to me, scrabbling up the walls at night, trying to get inside the house! And they been sayin' I should do things. That's why I got this!" He held out his knife as proof. "When I got this they can't get to me!"
I pointed to his large arms. "You work out."
"Yeah. I can bench press…" he stopped and got a faraway look. "Damn me. Look at that!" he muttered and dropped the knife. "I'd no idea they could do that!" he buried his face in his hands, shoulders slumped, somehow seeming far smaller than before.
Al picked the knife up and put it behind him. "Now mate, let's just back away from this here cliff. You don't want to…"
Denner's face came up, suddenly shifted from glowering to glowing. "Yeah. Yeah. I like that idea as well! That's a good 'un. Let's do that!" He turned to his right and took two steps, right off the cliff.
"God," I sighed.
I'd warned Louisa about the cliff edge and it was very crumbly and eroded shot through with fissures. I'd seen the effects of falls from a height, even off cliffs, so I did not relish what the man had done to himself.
Al and I went forward, and I tried to look down from a yard away but Al dropped to his knees and crawled forward. "Oh good," he yelled. "He's on a ledge!"
"Is he?"
"Ain't moving though."
I sighed. "Damn."
Al smiled up at me. "Nope, he moved an arm. Guess he's alive."
Louisa called to us, "How is he?"
I managed to glance down and saw the man wave.
"Hiya Doc," he said weakly. "Look's I done myself an injury."
Morwenna approached. "I hear sirens."
"I thought you said you were busy this morning," I bristled at her, "You told me you would come to the office, then left a message and called off."
Morwenna reached down and rubbed Al's shoulder. "Me and Al, well, something came up."
Al grinned far more than I'd seen him do since Pauline had left.
Heavy footsteps pounded the ground as Joe Penhale and a policewoman ran to us, their equipment jangling.
"Stand clear! Stand clear! " Joe shouted. "I've got the sit-u-a-tion under control." He braked suddenly when he saw the drop-off at our feet. "Oh," he shrank, "a cliff."
The policewoman was obviously of sterner stuff, for she dropped to her knees right at the edge. "Only down about eight feet," she observed. "No sweat. Be down there in a sec, luv! Don't you move! Help is on the way!" She dropped her hat and scampered down the cliff like an expert while Penhale rubbed his arms muttering and shaking slowly backing away.
"Look at her go," said Al still leaning over the edge. "I think she's done this bit before."
"Cliffs - don't like cliffs, not at all," Joe was saying. "Ughhh."
"It's okay Joe," Louisa told him. "No harm done."
Joe pointed to the cliff. "That there is Officer Sharon Dibble, down from Launceton. They sent her to help me find Thomas Denner. Ain't seen any trace of him so far."
"Well, you found him Joe," said Morwenna. "That's him down the cliff."
"Really?" Joe brightened. "Well, that's good, right?"
I nodded and tried not to sneer too much at him while Louisa whispered to our quivering constable.
