Chapter 39

Joe was headed down to the Platt to retrieve the car of one of the Doc's guests when his mobile rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered, "PC Joseph Penhale, 3021".

He always answered on the first ring; you never knew when there would be a serious incident requiring his skills as a police officer. It could be a burglary or a traffic accident or a fight at the pub, any one of which would require his immediate attention, or if he were really lucky a murder investigation. He stopped halfway down the hill and listened intently, then turned and hurried back, waving his phone in the air as he ran, "Doc…Docs ."

Louisa and Doctor Ellingham were standing with one of their guests under the portico at the entrance to their new home, and he cried out again, "Doc."

Breathless with the exertion of running up the steep hill, he bent over as he reached the terrace, trying to catch his breath. Always impatient, Martin barked, "What is it Penhale?"

"Major traffic accident … A39 just south of Wadebridge." He took a deep breath and continued, "Thirty cars or more and lorries with multiple injuries. Medics needed immediately."

Martin didn't wait for any more information, but waved him to go into the house. "Ted …Nathaniel," he called into the lounge. Ted and Nate were enjoying a beer with Jack, and were deep in conversation about some medical problem or another when they heard Doctor Ellingham call. They both set their drinks down on the nearest table and walked over to where Martin and Penhale were standing.

When they arrived, he asked Penhale to tell them all that he knew. "Big collision, thirty cars, maybe more, lots of injuries.'

"Have they called for ambulances?"

"Yes, but it will take almost an hour for them to arrive. There was another pileup just south of Truro, several vans of holiday makers coming back from Falmouth." He pulled himself up straight with an air of authority and tucked his thumbs into his belt, asserting, "It's this storm. Blinding rain and slick roads make for dangerous conditions."

Martin looked out the door and up to the sky and scowled. The wind off the sea was picking up and the dark clouds to the south and east were drawing nearer as the rain intensified. "No way for an air ambulance to help in this weather." He turned to Ted and Nate, "Penhale, you need to escort Doctor Chen and Mr. Marshall to the scene. I will take my surgical staff to hospital and prepare for the injured. Has Frank Murphy from Wadebridge been notified as well?"

Penhale cocked his head, "Who?"

"Frank Murphy, Wadebridge GP. Sounds like they can use all the medics available."

"Right. I'll get on it." Penhale pulled out his phone as he led the way down to the Portwenn surgery.

Both Ted and Nate hurried into Martin's study to retrieve their coats, with Ted heading to the door and Nate to the kitchen to find his wife Emily to let her know what was happening. He handed her the keys to their car, "Dr. Chen and I will follow PC Penhale to the site of the accident and tend to the injured. We may be several hours. You should stay and enjoy the rest of the party. I'll keep in touch and let you know when I'll be home." Emily knew that Nate didn't accompany Dr. Chen on emergencies very often. He usually stayed in the surgery tending to patients with appointments, but she knew that he would want to help out with this major accident, and she gave him a hug, "Please be careful."

He quickly returned the hug and kissed her cheek, "I will", and then he turned to follow Ted down to the surgery. Martin had stopped Ted when he reached the front door, "Ted, call my mobile as soon as you have assessed the situation and let me know what to expect."

"Will do," Ted replied, and he ran down the hill toward the surgery with Nate close behind him pulling on his coat as he ran.

When Ethel heard Nate tell Emily what had happened, she excused herself from the other guests and ran down to the surgery herself to find Ted checking his medical bag for the needed supplies. She pulled the waterproof jacket and rain pants that he kept in the surgery for emergencies and home visits, and she handed them to him. There was a large rain poncho hanging in the surgery as well, and she handed that to Nate who nodded his thanks whilst throwing the poncho over his coat.

Chris Parsons had called the A&E department as soon as he heard the news and he joined Martin in the foyer, "I've just spoken with A&E. They are preparing for an onslaught of victims from this accident. They've been in contact with Saunders from Ortho and he will try to pull his team in to help. I told them that you would have your vascular team on site within a half hour."

Martin stared at Chris, "That's cutting it close. We'd better leave immediately. Are they preparing all theatres?"

"Yes, and they are calling in theatre nursing staff as well."

"Surgical registrars to assist with the procedures?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Honestly Mart, we have handled these situations before you know. In fact, we have written guidelines, a procedure if you will, to ensure all accident victims are cared for, and all is in hand. A&E is fully staffed; we put out an all hands-on-deck call. All surgical theatres will be fully staffed and ready for you surgeons and the injured by the time we arrive. Now let's go. From what I understand, casualties from another accident are arriving at hospital now. Going to be a long night."

Martin dropped his chin onto his chest and took a breath, "Right."

All the guests had gathered around Martin and Penhale to listen to the news, and they were whispering one to another speculating at the cause of such a tragic development, especially so near a major holiday.

"Quiet!" Martin clapped his hands loudly and the room grew silent, "Arthur, Colin, Priya and Jack. Just to confirm; there has been a multi car crash on the A39 just a few miles from here. Doctor Chen and his nurse Nathaniel Marshall have left to do triage on scene. Ambulances are on the way, but they may be slow in arriving. Nevertheless, we must prepare for arrivals in hospital within the hour, and we must leave immediately. I can take three in my car. Chris, can you take one or two."

Jack quickly pulled Martin aside, 'I'm not officially on board yet. Should I be helping?"

Martin looked at Chris, 'Yes. We are going to need all the skilled surgeons we can muster. Chris?"

Chris paused for a moment in thought and decided that tonight was not the time to fret over legalities; they needed all available skilled personnel they could muster. Nevertheless, it was irregular and he decided to contact the hospital legal team on the way in. He nodded his head to confirm Martin's decision, 'Yes. Jack … fine. Let's leave asap."

As the four surgeons were gathering their coats, Martin approached Julia, "Um ... Mrs. Lassiter, would it be possible for you to join us in hospital. It would be helpful if you could manage communications with the families and to work with me to document patient names and procedures, that sort of thing. Your daughter, ummm …"

"Olivia"

"Yes, Olivia is welcome to stay here with Louisa. We have a spare room where she can spend the night if need be."

Louisa hadn't left Martin's side since Joe had given them the news, and she spoke with Julia, 'Yes, certainly Olivia is welcome to stay with James and me while you help manage everything for Martin."

"That's very kind of you. Let me discuss it with Olivia. She is a bit shy." Julia left to attend to her daughter and came back a few moments later with Olivia at her side. "Louisa, Olivia understands that Mr. Ellingham needs me in hospital to help care for the people in the accident. She will stay with you. I will try to call once or twice during the evening to check on her and to let you know the status of the injured as well as our surgical staff."

Louisa reached out to Olivia, and put her arm around the girl's shoulder and tried to reassure her, "I'm glad you are able to stay with us Olivia. I'm sure James will be pleased to have someone to play with this evening."

Olivia looked up to Louisa as her mother left to grab her coat. "Thank you, Mrs. Ellingham. I hope that Mr. Ellingham and the other doctors can make all the accident victims better.'

Louisa gazed down at this young girl and replied thoughtfully, "I do too, Olivia. I do too."

Martin asked Mrs. Lassiter to sit in the front passenger seat in order to take notes should Dr. Chen call while they were on the road, but she demurred. "I would prefer to follow you in my car, if it's just the same to you. That way I'll be able to come back for Olivia tomorrow morning. Jack or Colin can take notes and I'll start transcribing when I arrive. "

Martin looked down at her as he processed her request. It was almost as if she could see the wheels turning in his mind, but he quickly gathered his thoughts and replied, "Yes. Fine. We need to leave now."

Louisa quickly pulled him aside, "Do be careful Martin." He gazed down at her and, placing his palm on her belly, he kissed her gently. "I will."

He turned to go, but she pulled on his sleeve, "Martin, Penhale is right. The roads will be slick and dangerous." She lowered her voice to a whisper, worry and concern etched in her features, "and sometimes you drive too fast. Just take care."

He grimaced at the truth of what she was saying, but tried to reassure her, "Don't worry. I will drive responsibly." He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head and was gone, ushering all his staff out of the house into the cars. He jumped into his car and sped down the hill. Louisa shook her head in dismay; had he already forgotten his promise to drive carefully? She hoped that he would remember his promise to drive responsibly once he reached the many narrow lanes he would encounter on his way to hospital.

She closed the door and thought about her husband, how he immediately took command of the situation from the moment that Penhale had rushed up to the house with the terrible news. His ability to step up without hesitation to manage a crisis was one of the things about him that she had always found attractive. Of course, she didn't always find his instinct to take control appealing, especially when they were first together. She recalled having an infection when she was pregnant with James. Martin insisted she take antibiotics and the midwife had convinced her they were bad for the baby. She was furious with him and she had lambasted him, "You always have to be in control, you're the doctor, you're the expert, you're so clever." Turned out, the midwife was wrong and Martin was right. But that was an exceptionally difficult time for them. Dr. Timoney was quite discerning when she recognised Martin's need to be in control and how that could cause problems for them as a couple. She had given them an assignment where Louisa was to plan an activity and Martin was to comply with her directions. The picnic she had planned had started quite pleasantly, but when one of the villagers had started to behave erratically, it became dangerous. Martin stepped up and took over, much to her relief. Even now, while she might chafe at his medical advice to her, when it came to caring for the village, she really did admire his role as community healer, how he took charge and made certain that the villagers were well cared for.

The storm was intensifying, with the wind hurling rain against the house and with the waves roaring into the harbour. Louisa closed the door and turned to gaze forlornly at each of her remaining guests, all of them women, and then she spoke, her fingers twitching nervously in front of her extended belly, "Well, they're off." She sighed. "I think it may be time to say good-bye. The storm is getting worse, and the water is rising up the Platt which means we need to move the cars."

All the guests moved towards the window to check on the weather, murmuring at the ferocity of the storm. Louisa continued, "I am so glad that each of you was able to join us today, but I think it is time. It's been a wonderful party until …" She waved her hands nervously in the air, "Well, we can only hope that this accident is not as bad as our constable described." She pushed her fringe off her forehead and continued, "Melanie has taken the children to the back of the house, so, If I can help you with your coats …"

She walked towards Martin's study and began to retrieve coats. As each woman gathered her children and bundled them for the weather, they turned to Louisa and gave her a hug, assuring her that her party was a success and expressing their hope that they would meet again soon.

Both Morwenna and Sofia helped guide the guests to their cars on the Platt and ensured that they were able to drive out of the village safely. Morwenna returned and bundled up Ruth to walk her down to her home. Ruth had already begun the washing up, and was reluctant to leave, "Louisa, I know that Martin would prefer that you stay off your feet, and I don't want to leave you on your own."

Louisa smiled affectionately at her husband's aunt, "I'm not on my own Ruth. Ethel and Sofia are still here."

"Very well. But keep me updated, will you?"

"Of course I will. Now be careful on your way home. That wind is frightful." She addressed Morwenna,"Will you be coming back?

"'Fraid not, Louisa. Al needs me at the pub."

"Oh, right. Thanks for coming."

She put on her coat, took Ruth's arm, and with a jaunty grin bade them good-bye. "Wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Louisa closed the door behind them and joined Ethel and Sofia in the kitchen. Soon their talk was of the accident and what it might mean for the remaining holiday celebrations, and hope that Julia would call them with an update soon.

Ted and Nate reached the scene of the accident within twenty minutes and immediately started assessing the casualties, identifying those with the highest priority for transport to hospital. Ted called Martin's cell as soon as the first ambulance left the scene, which was just before Martin arrived at hospital. It was evident that there were indeed multiple casualties, and he described the injuries of the first casualties scheduled to arrive at hospital. Jack was sitting in the passenger seat and he had volunteered to take notes, but Arthur, sitting in the back paid close attention as well. They all jumped out of the car as soon as they arrived and they apprised Priya and Colin, who had ridden with Chris what to expect. As Chris had predicted A&E was already bustling with patients from the Truro crash along with the usual evening A&E emergencies. Martin sent his team to prepare for surgery while he reviewed Jack's notes and consulted with the senior emergency medicine consultant and the intake coordinator to confirm which patients required his team's skills first. Mrs. Lassiter stood by his side during this assessment taking notes which she would transcribe into their system and update as procedures were completed and new patients were wheeled into theatre.

They worked tirelessly into the wee hours of the morning, and Martin was pleased to note how efficiently and effectively the emergency department worked. After his initial dismay at the staffing shortage at Truro hospital, the professional manner in which the A&E department functioned gave him more confidence in the hospital administration. He had worked with emergency departments often during his surgical years in London and the Turro department functioned on the same level as any one of those London hospitals. He made a mental note several times during the night to commend Chris on the emergency department operations. They did indeed have an exceptional procedure in place.