Chapter 38

Louisa tweaked the sprig of holly in her table's centre piece, and looked around her new home. The entire house was decorated for the holidays, their first Christmas in their new home and Louisa was determined to celebrate in style. When she had first approached Martin about hosting a holiday open house the weekend before Christmas, he had responded with an unequivocal "NO." It was the answer she had expected, but she reminded him of his position as head of his department and the social obligations attendant to that position, how a simple gathering at their home could help bond his team and make the new hires feel more at home in Cornwall. After considering her arguments over several days, he relented and she found herself excited over the prospect of hosting a party.

Satisfied that all was ready for the party, she stepped back smiling to herself, "That's perfect, don't you think Martin?"

"Mmm…" he grunted in reply. "Yes, and now I think you should lie down and rest for a few minutes before our guests start to arrive."

'I just need …."

Martin took her elbow and escorted her to the sofa, "You just need to rest."

As she stood before him defiantly, Martin pulled himself up to his full height, and looking down at her commanded, "Louisa, I insist that you lie down and put your feet up. The weight of the baby is compressing the blood vessels in your pelvis. You have been on your feet all morning and that can exacerbate the pressure which can cause, among other things fluid build-up in your legs and ankles, leading to varicose veins as well as haemorrhoids…"

"Okay, okay. I will lie down for a few minutes." She cut him off. Listening to his nearly constant medical lectures was becoming tiring.

"You have a full half hour before Ethel said she would arrive. Now, lie down."

Louisa sighed as she lay down and propped both her head and her feet on the pillows that Martin insisted she keep nearby for just this purpose, thinking, "Having a doctor for your husband does have its downside."

Martin reached for the quilt that they kept on the back of the sofa and laid it gently over Louisa, "There. Is that comfortable?"

"Yes. Thank you, Doc-tor."

"You're welcome."

Despite her harsh tone, his eyes were filled with a tender gaze, and she felt a wave of remorse wash over her. He had been so accepting of her desire to have a party, and here she was, being churlish. She reached for his hand, "I'm sorry Martin. I know you only want to make sure I'm healthy, and I thank you for that."

He gave her hand a squeeze, "Mmm. Now close your eyes."

"Yes. Be sure to wake me when Ethel arrives." She rolled over on to her side as best she could and closed her eyes, trying to relax even as her mind raced ahead with all the little things she wanted to do before their guests arrived.

James was sitting on the floor near the fireplace, playing with his bricks and some of his farm animals. Martin had taken him up to the village playground earlier in the morning. Even though it was cold with a brisk wind off the sea, it was a lovely sunny day, perfect for James and his friend Arthur to play for a half-hour or so. Despite the distance he had to travel to work in Truro, living in Portwenn had its advantages, the connection to nature's rhythms being one of the more significant. Martin actually enjoyed these little outings; he found it refreshing to be out of doors watching the whitecaps on the ocean and listening to the calls of the squabbling gulls, and the sound of the children chattering as they played. It was satisfying to know that his child was happy, that James would never have to endure the fear and pain of an angry parent. As Martin walked past James towards the door to his study, he looked up, "Daddy. Look at the big barn I made for my animals. There's a stall for the cow and one for the horse, and I made a little house for the chickens."

Martin crouched down and picked up the cow, "Very nice James." He placed the cow in her stall and added, "Mummy is trying to sleep. Can you ask your animals to be quiet for a little while?"

"Okay Daddy."

Martin continued on through the door to his study, and opened his laptop. Protocol required that the hospital staff record the status of each surgical patient on a regular basis throughout the day, and he made a point to check those records several times each day on weekends for any postings that might indicate an evolving problem. Satisfied that all was as it should be, he closed his laptop and picked up one of his journals to read while they waited for the arrival of their guests. He returned to the family room and sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs across from the sofa and glanced to see that Louisa had fallen asleep. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing rhythmically. He was still sceptical about this open house; and despite her assurances that she had done very little to prepare, she was obviously tired. This whole event was a terrible idea, and he was dreading having to act as host to all these people. Three hours, and then it would all be over, thank God. He opened his journal and began to examine the contents.

As Louisa lay on the sofa with her eyes closed trying to appear to be asleep, she ran over the guestlist in her mind. It would be a relatively small gathering, as small as she was able to manage. She had worked with Julia Lassiter, Martin's administrative assistant to make up the guest list. The four surgeons who were currently working with Martin in his department and their families would be attending. She was looking forward to seeing Priya and Jack and their wives again. She had never met Mr. Bender, the varicose vein specialist, although she had several friends who had benefitted from his expertise, and found his manner to be congenial. Colin Westmore would be bringing his wife and two school-aged children. She had a vague memory of him introducing himself just before the surgery on her AVM*. Julia had thought it prudent to invite Rob and Valerie Kirkham as well. Louisa had hoped they would decline the invitation with previous commitments, but no such luck. Valerie called her up shortly after receiving the invitation, confirming that both she and Rob were looking forward to seeing her again. She and Julia had debated about inviting two of the unit's regular theatre sisters, but had decided against it in order to keep the guest list as short as possible. Their new home was certainly more spacious than their previous home in the surgery, but it wasn't meant to accommodate large groups. Louisa also knew that too many people in their new home might disturb Martin and she had wanted to invite the Portwenn surgery staff as well.

As it was, there could be quite a crowd even though each guest might stay for a short time, an hour or two at the most. She kept a head count in her mind, eighteen to twenty adults and possibly ten children. The Bender and Kirkham children were teenagers and they had declined the invitation, but Colin Westmore, Jack Harding, Nate Marshall and the Chen's all had young children, and Julia Lassiter had a pre-teen daughter. Louisa had engaged her regular child minder Melanie to help manage the children, and she and Melanie had setup several children's games in the family room off the kitchen. And just in case things became too chaotic for Melanie to handle, they had stockpiled several children's videos guaranteed to calm even the most sugar crazed child.

The refreshments, were to be set up in the dining room, and she had placed drinks in the kitchen. Al had volunteered to act as "bar tender" for the first two hours to keep things orderly. Having drinks in the kitchen wasn't ideal with the children in the adjoining room, but at least they would be able to keep an eye on the children in case they became too difficult for Melanie. She was sure that she herself would be in and out of the kitchen and able to monitor the children while the adults socialised in the dining and living rooms.

Martin was enjoying the quiet before their guests arrived, and he was totally absorbed in a fascinating and troubling article in his journal, and he didn't hear the knock on the front door. James looked up and ran over to him, pulling on his sleeve, "Daddy. There is someone at the door."

Martin turned down the corner of the page in his journal; he had heard whisperings about this syndrome, a potentially fatal vascular condition linked to a newly emergent virus, but he wasn't familiar with it, and he knew that his unit would need to be on alert. A second knock sounded, and he stood up and took James' hand. "Shall we go see who is at the door?"

Together they opened the front door to see Ethel and Ruth standing in the sunshine, baskets in hand. He directed them to the dining room where Louisa had set up the table to hold all the savouries and sweets she had planned for their guests. Ethel had brought her famous "longevity peach buns", a family favourite holiday treat, and Ruth set down a tin of holiday biscuits that she had picked up in a bakery on her most recent trip to London. She eyed the offerings set out so far, a plate of vegetables with a creamy dipping sauce and a platter of cut up fruit, and a few platters of small cakes and biscuits. "Table's a bit bare. How many guests are you expecting?"

"I don't know, do I? Fifteen, twenty, I imagine." Martin had not shown the slightest interest in the guest list. "I believe Louisa asked Al and Morwenna to bring savouries from the pub."

"Ahh. Sounds good." She held up the bottle of whiskey. "Where should I put this?"

Martin rolled his eyes, "Really?"

"Yes. It is a holiday party, I believe. Spirits are in order."

Martin tilted his head towards the kitchen where the table was covered with various glasses and cups. Louisa had arranged with Al to tend the drinks so he left Ruth and went into the family room to retrieve his journal and return it to his study.

Al and Morwenna and Melanie arrived a few minutes later laden with four trayfuls of savouries and a basket of small pasties. James was gleefully greeting each of the adults as they arrived and his happy chatter disturbed Louisa who had finally fallen asleep. She heard the hubbub and groggily rose from the sofa, "Oh, hi Al."

"Sorry Louiser. I was trying to be quiet, but I guess it was hopeless. I just brought in the bottled ales and cider. Do you want me to set up the drinks?"

"Yes. That would be good. There are bags of ice in the freezer if anyone wants it, and juice for the children along with soft drinks in the fridge. What time is it?"

"A few minutes before two. Guests should be arriving soon."

"Is Morwenna here?"

"Yes, she helped me carry up the savouries. Melanie helped out as well. I think they are in the living room with the Doc and Ethel. The Doc wanted to keep things quiet so you could sleep a bit longer."

Louisa wandered into the foyer and peeked round the entrance to the living room where she saw the first of her guests gathered around their Christmas tree. Ethel saw her first and ran over to hug her, "Happy Christmas Louisa. The house is beautiful."

Ruth was sitting in a rocking chair next to the fireplace, a tumbler of whiskey already in her hand. She looked up and grinned at Louisa, "Yes. Very festive."

Morwenna greeted her with a hug as well and then, covering Louisa's eyes, she guided her into the dining room, "Come see what Caitlin and Al prepared."

Morwenna uncovered Louisa's eyes, "Ta da."

Louisa's hands flew to her mouth, "Oh, my. This is brilliant. Everything looks so good." She turned around and saw Martin coming out of his study, "Martin, come look at all the wonderful Christmas savouries Al and Caitlin prepared for us. And the Peach buns that Ethel brought and the other sweets I bought from the bakery yesterday." She pulled him over to the table and put her arm around his waist. "Isn't this wonderful?"

Martin frowned at the sight of the pasties, the assorted canapes, the fried fish fingers and the cheese sticks along with the cakes, biscuits and custard tarts; he could only think of all the butter and fat that was weighing down his table. "You do realise that none of this is healthy, don't you? We are vascular surgeons, Louisa. We see the damage that results from this type of fatty food every time we open an artery."

She batted him on the chest and defended her table, 'It's only once a year, Martin, and it's very traditional holiday food. I think our guests will enjoy it"

"Humph" Martin scowled back at her, but she continued, "… And it's not all heavy food." She reached for a small bunch of grapes on the fruit platter," Here have some grapes. And we also have a small plate of crudités for something healthy."

"Yes, I see. With the operative word being, 'small'." He continued to grumble.

At this point Ruth piped in, "I for one think this is a lovely holiday table with something for everyone. I think I just may have a few of these cheese and sausage puffs to go along with my whiskey."

Martin grimaced, shook his head and walked away to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Morwenna peeked out the front window and exclaimed, "Looks like your first guests are arriving."

Louisa looked out and groaned inwardly, "Yes." She turned toward the kitchen and called out, "Martin … Rob and Valerie are here. Would you come and help me greet them?"

He placed his water glass in the dishwasher and strode to the front door and opened it just as they arrived, "Rob … Valerie. Welcome and Happy Christmas." He was careful to greet them just as Louisa had instructed him. "May I take your coats?"

As Martin took their coats to his study, Louisa put on as gracious a smile as she was able and also wished them a happy Christmas. As she was making introductions, Ted Chen arrived with his daughters Lilli and Tina. James squealed with delight and greeted the girls as soon as she opened the door, "Lilli, Tina, come see our Christmas tree. Mummy and I decorated it and it's the beautifulest tree ever."

"Um … most beautiful James." Martin corrected, but James and the girls had already run into the living room to inspect the tree. Martin glanced up to see the expressions on the Kirkham's faces, Rob bemused, and Valerie disapproving. Louisa spoke up, "Please excuse our son James. We don't entertain often and he is very excited to have some friends visit. And the whole concept of Christmas is so new to him that everything about it is just enchanting."

Rob chuckled, "Yes, he seems quite spirited. I can remember when ours were that age, wide-eyed with wonder." He paused for a moment and shook his head as if in despair, "Now? … ahhh … teenage years, so cynical."

Valerie glared at him, "Perhaps, but our children have always been well-behaved."

Ted was still standing in the doorway and Martin took a moment to greet him and introduce him to the Kirkhams. Rob shook Ted's hand vigorously and then took him aside, "I've been looking forward to meeting you. Chris Parsons has mentioned you ... very interesting background. I'd love to hear more about your experiences in Hong Kong hospitals. See if there is anything we can learn."

"Why don't you come in and have a drink before escaping into some corner to talk medicine?" Louisa said while guiding them into the kitchen to offer them a drink. Valerie trailed slowly behind them and Louisa noticed her studiously looking around. She wondered if she would be able to hold her tongue for the entire afternoon. She couldn't believe that Valerie implied that James wasn't well-behaved. How rude could the woman be?

As Louisa passed Valerie the glass of white wine she had requested, Valerie took a sip and then smiled, "This is such a sweet little cottage … and the views of the harbour are quite nice, but I imagine it is a difficult commute for Martin. Have you considered moving? You could find a much larger more modern home in Truro near the hospital, plenty of room for entertaining and much closer to all the cultural amenities that Truro has to offer."

Louisa took a deep breath and blew it out between her lips, "Actually Valerie, we love Portwenn, and we just moved into this home. The villagers are like family. We couldn't possibly think of living anywhere else."

Her voice was more tart than she intended and it was apparent that Valerie understood the irritation in her retort perfectly as she tilted her head to the side and said, "Well!" Raising her eyebrows and peering around the room, she continued, "I suppose it takes all kinds."

Louisa glanced down at the floor, gnawing on her bottom lip and quietly chastising herself for her inability to hold her tongue, then thought, "No I will not be intimidated by this woman." She steeled herself and put on her most gracious and insincere hostess smile and steered Valerie into the living room, "Let me introduce you to some of our other guests." There was another knock on the door and Louisa left Valerie with Ruth, Ethel and Morwenna with the hope that she would refrain from insulting any of them. She could just imagine what Valerie might say to Morwenna who was wearing one of her more inventive outfits, one she had created just for this Christmas.

She opened the door to Priya and Sofia who were chatting with a young couple who had two children in tow. "Louisa, Happy Christmas," the two of them trilled as they presented her with a bottle of what she knew was an expensive red wine. "We were just telling Colin and Genie how envious we are that you and Martin live in such a beautiful village."

Louisa laughed, "Yes, we do love it here. Come in, please." She leaned out the door, "I know we are a little short of parking space, but I see that PC Penhale is taking one of your cars down to the Platt. I'm sure he will be back for the other in a moment. We are lucky that the tide is going out and we can park the cars so near to the house."

Turning to Colin and his wife, she welcomed them, "Colin, I know that we have met, but the circumstances were a bit unusual and I don't remember it. So … it's wonderful to actually meet you whilst I'm not drugged into oblivion. And Genie, so nice to meet you. Happy Christmas. Come in, come in. Let Martin take your coats."

She closed the door behind them and opened her arms wide in welcome, "Please make yourselves at home. There're all sorts of wonderful munchies in the dining room and drinks in the kitchen. The children are in the family room just off the kitchen. Our child minder Melanie has all sorts of activities and games they can play."

Over the course of the next hour or so, more guests arrived, and Louisa was enjoying chatting with all Martin's new colleagues and their partners. Martin had noticed Joe Penhale hanging about in the foyer talking with some of their guests. Surely Louisa hadn't invited him to join them, and he walked up to her as she was talking with Genie Westmore, Emily Marshall, and Sarah Harding, "Louisa, a word?"

She glanced at him curiously, "Certainly." She turned to the other three ladies, "Will you excuse me?"

He pulled her aside into his study. "Why did you invite Penhale?"

She sighed, "I didn't. He heard we were having a party and he offered to manage parking for the cars."

Martin raised his head, shaking it and sniffing in irritation, "Fine … That's fine, but he doesn't need to stand in the house and talk with our guests. He's an idiot. I heard him tell Rob that the villagers called the two of us the dynamic duo."

She was tempted to laugh, knowing how Joe looked up to Martin, but she held it in, "Oh, you know Joe, he doesn't mean any harm by it, and I'm sure no one will pay him any attention. Besides, I can't make him stand outside in the cold."

"I don't see why not. If he plans to park the cars, he needs to be there as soon as any guests arrive."

She put her hands on his chest, "He's keeping an eye out through the window. Can you just let it go for once, for me? Please?" She turned toward their living room, where there were sounds of conversation and laughter mingling with the soft instrumental holiday music that she had playing in the background. "I think everyone is having a good time. Let's just enjoy it, right?"

"Humph." Martin rolled his eyes as she took his hand and headed back to their guests. Shortly after they walked into the room, one of their guests started singing in a beautiful baritone. It was Rob Kirkham and he had chosen to sing along with an orchestral rendition of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer". Soon Sofia joined in followed by Joe Penhale. Louisa loved to sing and she picked up the tune and a few others joined in. By the time the song was over, all the children had run into the room and everyone clapped and laughed. "That was wonderful Mr. Kirkham", Julia Lassiter exclaimed.

"Yay. Sing another one." Several of the children cried out.

"Well. What song would you like to hear?" Rob loved to sing and he was enjoying the attention and the children's enthusiasm.

"Frosty the snowman … Jingle Bells … We wish you a Merry Christmas … I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus … Grandma got run over by a Reindeer."

"Whoa, that's quite a list, and I don't know the words to all of them. Let's go with Jingle Bells shall we. Does everyone know that one?"

A chorus of 'yes' and 'yay' resounded through the room. Rob raised his hand and started in … "Dashing through the snow…." And the entire room joined in … with the possible exception of a tall stern surgeon who slipped quietly from the room into his study. Halfway through the song, Louisa felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to see Chris Parsons grinning at her. "You've got quite the party going on here."

She beamed at him and took his hands, "Chris. I am so glad you could make it. I was afraid something had come up."

"No … no… just a little last-minute paperwork. A chief executive's work is never done, it seems." He nodded his head towards the window, "I don't know if you noticed, but the weather may turn nasty soon. There're some ominous clouds gathering on the horizon and it appears the fog may be rolling in sooner than usual. Either that or a bad storm, maybe both."

"Oh. That's too bad. It was so sunny just an hour ago. I hope it waits a bit longer until our guests can get on home." She shrugged, "Well this is Cornwall after all. Rain is to be expected this time of year. We were lucky to have such nice weather earlier today," and she guided him to the dining room. "We had some wonderful food, and there's still a good bit left on the table. Could I interest you in some savouries or sweets?"

"Umm. I may just fill up a plate. I didn't get any lunch."

"Take as much as you like. We don't want many leftovers." She leaned over and whispered into his ear, "Too much fat and sugar you know. Martin won't have it in the house afterwards."

He whispered back, "Such a stick in the mud, my old friend is. I'd be delighted to take some home if there's any left. We bachelors are always happy to fill our fridge with whatever comes our way."

Louisa gave him a sympathetic glance, "No luck with the couples counselling, then?"

Chris shook his head, "'Fraid not."

"I am so sorry."

"Maybe it's for the best."

"Yeah."

In the next room, the singers were clapping and laughing as they belted out the last strains of Jingle Bells. Rob clapped his hands along with the rest of the guests and then raised them up, "Well that was fun, but now it's time for me and Valerie to go."

There were cries for one more song, but Rob was determined. Valerie had been hinting it was time to leave even before he had started singing, and he knew her ire would be up if he delayed much longer. "Martin, our coats please."

"Certainly." Martin headed to his study and brought them back.

"Louisa, so sorry we have to run. It's been fun. We will have to get together after the new year."

Valerie nodded her head in agreement as Martin helped her with her coat, "Yes, very nice party."

She gave Martin and Louisa both a strained smile while Rob took her arm and paused in the doorway to wave good-bye, "Happy Christmas everyone."

As they closed the door on the Kirkhams, Louisa walked into the family room to ask Melanie to escort the children into the living room. Once they had all gathered, Louisa stood in front of the Christmas tree, "Once again, I'd like to wish you all a very happy Christmas. Now that everyone is here, I have a surprise for the children, a small gift that I hope they will like." She leaned over and addressed James, "Could you help me by handing the gifts to me?"

"Okay mummy."

Louisa had selected a plush cuddly toy for each of the children, a reindeer, a snowman, an angel, a toy soldier, all a little different, but somehow the same. In addition, each gift contained a small kaleidoscope for the most of the children and a small toy music box playing holiday tunes for the little ones. She had wrapped each present in colourful holiday paper and placed them under the tree; and now, she and James handed them out to each child, one by one. When all the children had a gift, there was one left and she handed it to James, smiling. "You didn't think I would forget to give you a gift, did you James?"

His eyes lit up. James grabbed the gift and tore it open to find a plush reindeer and special kaleidoscope of his own. She held the kaleidoscope up to his eye and rotated the tube. "That's so pretty." He held it up and turned it himself, but set it down shortly afterwards and turned his attention to the reindeer which he held close, "My deer is so soft mummy, and look it has a red nose."

"Yes, it does. You could call him Rudolph, couldn't you?"

James grinned and held his reindeer out in front of him, "Yes. Happy Christmas Rudolph."

The gifts were a hit with all the children. After they had opened their gifts, Louisa encouraged everyone to enjoy more of the buffet, "I don't want anyone going away hungry."

As several guests made their way to the table or to the kitchen for drinks, Sofia drew Louisa away into a corner and handed her a beautifully wrapped gift, "Do you remember two weeks ago when we were in Martin's office and I was playing around with my new camera? I took some photos of the three of you, and some of them came out pretty well … sooo … I picked out the best one, and here it is."

"That is so nice of you, Sofia." Louisa was starting to tear up, the excitement of the day and her hormones making her emotional.

"Well … open it."

"Okay, okay," She gently tore at the paper and gasped. "Oh my, it is so perfect. I have to show this to Martin. Where is he?" She looked around and couldn't find him until she peeked into his study where she found him along with his four colleagues and Ted Chen deep in a weighty discussion, "Martin. Come see what Sofia gave us."

"Louisa, we are in the middle of a very important discussion."

Priya stopped him immediately, "Martin. Whilst I agree that this topic requires serious deliberation, I do think you should take a look at what Louisa is holding in her hand." Priya knew that the discussion of this new virulent virus was important to their work and the work of all practitioners in the country, but she felt it could wait. After all this was a party, not a medical conference, and her partner, Sofia had gone to some trouble to bring them a present.

"Very well. We will discuss this further tomorrow morning. Ted, I will make you and Nathaniel a copy of this article as well."

He turned to Louisa and took the photo from her hand, and as he examined it, the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly in appreciation, "This is excellent." He peered at it more closely, 'Professional quality."

Louisa agreed, 'It's beautiful. Remember when Sofia brought her camera to your office a few weeks ago?"

"Ah, yes. Very nice."

Priya agreed, "Sofia isn't one to blow her own horn, but she is quite skilled, and she does do beautiful work. Her clients in London were sad to see her move here."

Louisa responded, "I thought photography was just her hobby; I had no idea she was a professional."

Louisa took the photograph from Martin and took it to show her other guests, and Sofia was suddenly surrounded by others in the party asking about her photography and whether she could make time for some of them as well.

It was closing in on four o'clock and, as Chris had predicted, a light rain was beginning to fall. Arthur Bender searched out Martin to say that he and his wife Carol would be leaving. Martin brought them their coats and they asked Penhale to bring their car around. As they were standing in the doorway, making their good-byes, Louisa watched Joe walking down the hill and saw him stop and reach for the mobile in his pocket. Joe only received a call if there were some incident requiring police response. She sensed that this call likely wasn't a good sign and she watched him warily, biting her bottom lip waiting to see how he would react.

*AVM – arteriovenous malformation. Martin diagnosed this anomaly after reviewing the scan of her brain after her automobile accident in series 6 episode 8.

Author's note of appreciation: I'd like to thank all of you who have left reviews and comments letting me know you are enjoying my story. They are all encouraging. I had a chuckle when I read Blue Morpheus' comment about my 'fertile mind'. I still laugh when I think about the many ways I could take it. I haven't been feeling particularly creative lately so I took it as a compliment and found it helped motivate me to finish this chapter. Thanks again. There's more to come ... eventually ... K