Chapter 40

It was half four when Martin slipped into the house, made his way up the stairs and quietly removed his clothing in an effort not to wake Louisa.

"Martin?" She rolled over and opened her eyes.

"Shush. Go back to sleep."

"What time is it?"

"4:30." She heard him place his watch and phone on the bedside table and then he disappeared into the bathroom; not long after, she heard the toilet flush, the tap run and the door open, and felt him slip into the bed, settling onto his back with his hands resting on his chest. He had considered staying in hospital and sleeping in one of the on-call rooms, but immediately dismissed that idea. Colin and Priya had volunteered to stay and monitor the accident victims post-op. He wasn't needed, and he wanted to see Louisa and James before returning to hospital in the morning.

Louisa rolled over to face him, "It's very late. Must have been bad."

He was already dropping off, but he managed to mumble, 'Terrible … tell you … morning."

"Martin … Martin," she whispered, but she could tell he had already fallen asleep. She would have to wait to learn more. True to her word, Julia had called early in the evening to talk with her daughter Olivia, and she had updated Louisa with what information she had. It appeared that there were many injured in the pileup. In addition to Martin's team, they had called in an orthopaedic team and gastroenterologists in order to care for the injured as quickly as they were able. Julia expected they would be working until sometime well after midnight. Many of the injured would require additional surgeries in the days and weeks that followed. Julia told them that there were three cars with teens driving back from carolling at several local care homes. The saddest news of all was that all of the young people in one of the cars had died on the scene when a lorry had rolled onto the car in which they had been driving. Louisa was horrified and was still thinking well into the night about those children and their families.

She snuggled up next to Martin as best she was able, thankful that he was able to help many of the injured. It was just this sort of incident that had impelled him to take the job at Truro, and certainly the hospital would have been unable to care for as many of the injured if he, and the two surgeons he had recruited, not been there. She lay her hand on his shoulder and felt his chest rise and fall as he slipped further into a deep sleep. Eventually she slept as well.

A faint light was sneaking in past the window shades woke her as the morning twilight began to brighten the sky. The rain had stopped, and already the piercing cries of the gulls were reverberating off the cliffs. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was just after 7. James would waken soon, but she hoped he would sleep a bit longer. Martin needed as much sleep as he could muster this morning. She knew he hadn't any routine procedures scheduled this week, but he might have consultations. Those usually didn't start until nine; he could sleep another half hour and then she should wake him. She wondered how Olivia was doing in their spare room. She seemed comfortable when she tucked her into the bed the previous evening, clutching her stuffed angel, the gift that Louisa had given her, to her chest. Julia hoped to come fetch her sometime this morning; Louisa was sure she would call before driving over.

Louisa turned over and rested her hand on Martin's arm; he hadn't moved all night, still on his back, his chest rising and falling in a deep sleep. Since the start of his time at hospital, he had had a few other emergencies requiring him to work late into the night, but never after midnight. This night was the worst, but she was sure that it was an anomaly. In all her life here in Portwenn, she had never heard of an accident so severe or that encompassed so many vehicles.

It wasn't unusual for him to be called out at night when he was working as the village GP, and he was frequently tired when he arrived back home, but the surgical work late at night seemed to be more exhausting. She was beginning to realise that surgery was a much more demanding profession than general practice. Was that why he loved being a surgeon, that and the ability to make such a difference in people's lives?

She was starting to doze when Martin's phone began to chime. He startled and in one coordinated movement, he rolled over to grab it, turned off the alarm, threw back the duvet, stood up and marched to the bathroom to prepare for the day. At the same time, James wandered into their room, "I'm hungry mummy."

She tried to roll over and reach for James, but she had become entangled in the bedclothes that Martin had thrown off, so she lay back down and pulled on the duvet until it loosened. She shook it to free herself and then, propping her pillow up against the headboard, she sat up against it, motioning to James, "Come here, darling."

He scooted over to her side and she gave him a hug, kissing his cheeks and smiling at him, "Did you sleep well? Have you used the bathroom yet?"

"Yes mummy, but I'm hungry."

She tousled his hair and smiled at him, "So you said. Let's go downstairs and find some breakfast."

Louisa settled James in his chair with a banana and she was just putting some bread in the toaster when Martin entered the room, greeting them, "Good morning." He stroked James' cheek as he moved over to Louisa's side and wrapped his arms around her, brushing his lips against hers. She put her arms around his waist and reached up to kiss his cheek, "Good morning to you as well. I've just put some eggs on to boil; they need another two minutes. Should I go wake Olivia?"

"Olivia?"

"You remember. Julia's daughter Olivia. She spent the night here last night."

"Ahh … yes. I sent Julia home around one. I told her to get some sleep and come to the office at ten. She said she would call and come retrieve Olivia before then."

Louisa tilted her head to the side and gave him a questioning look, "Can you tell me how it went last night?"

Martin glanced over at James, "Not in any detail just yet. It was bad, but we stitched up the injured as best we could. Priya and Colin stayed back to monitor the patients. I will send them home early today. Several of those involved in the crash didn't make it."

"I heard there was a car full of teenagers …. "

"Yes, I heard that as well. Louisa, I don't think now is the time to discuss this. We can talk tonight."

She glanced down at James who was listening attentively to his parent's conversation, "Yeah. You're probably right."

When his father and many of the guests hurried out of the house the previous night, James had discerned that something bad had happened. He was a sensitive and perceptive little boy and he wanted to understand … what was it that had so upset his elders? Louisa explained it in simple terms, a bad car accident where several people were hurt and his daddy had to go help make them better, but he was still curious.

Martin had removed the eggs from the hob and Louisa had finished making the toast when Olivia wandered into the kitchen. "Good morning," she murmured tentatively.

Louisa turned around and greeted her cheerfully, "Olivia, Good morning. Did you sleep well. We have some eggs and soldiers. Would you like some?"

"Yes please."

She sat down at the table next to James who grinned at her, "Good morning, Olivia." He offered her some of his banana.

Olivia turned down James' offer of banana with a simple, 'No thank you James," and she waited patiently for the eggs.

Louisa dished up the breakfast and turned to Martin, "When do you have to leave?"

Martin looked at his watch, "In fifteen minutes. Thomas is coming at 8:15. We have a staff meeting at nine."

Martin was never one to eat his meals quickly, bad for the digestion, but he managed to eat some of his breakfast before he rose from the table, took one last gulp of his espresso, and took his dishes to the sink. "I think I hear Thomas outside now. I must go."

He went into his study to gather his case and went to the front door to leave. Louisa followed him and reached for his hand. Not knowing what to say, she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, "Be safe. Let me know when you will be home, okay?"

He returned the kiss, "Yes." As he was headed to the car, he turned, 'I almost forgot to tell you. Rob and Valerie got caught in that pileup."

Louisa gasped and threw her hands up to her face, "Oh no. Were they badly hurt?"

"Both have serious concussions and one of Rob's arms sustained a compound fracture. I don't have definitive information, but I don't think their injuries are as serious as many of the others." He climbed into the backseat of Tom's car and closed the door. "I will call you later."

She was still at the window watching his taxi drive down the road when her mobile rang, Julia Lassiter's name popping up on her screen and she answered cheerfully, "Julia, good morning. How are you this morning?"

"Good. I was just calling to say that I am driving over to your home in a few minutes to pick up Olivia. How did she do last night?"

"Just fine. She is such a sweet little girl." Louisa walked into the kitchen, 'She's eating some breakfast right now. Would you like to speak with her?"

"Definitely."

Louisa handed the phone to Olivia, "It's your mum."

"Hi mummy … yes … good … okay. Bye"

Olivia handed the phone back to Louisa, "Mum wants to talk with you."

"Julia?"

"Yes. I told Olivia that I will bring some clean clothes for her to change into and her toothbrush and hairbrush, so don't worry about any of that."

"That sounds fine. I gave her one of my nighties so she wouldn't have to sleep in her pretty dress. It's a little long but I think it worked. And Julia? Martin told me that he expects you at hospital at ten. Would you prefer to let Oliva spend the day here? It looks to be a fine day and we could explore the rock pools in the harbour and go over to the village playground."

"Oh, that's so very kind of you to offer, but my sister usually watches her on holidays when I have to work, and she has some special activities planned for today. I'll be there in a half-hour or so."

"Okay." Louisa had walked into the hall while they were speaking in the hope of learning more about the casualties from the previous night. "Uh Julia, can you tell me any more about last night? Martin didn't arrive home until half four and he fell right asleep, and he was off back to hospital shortly after he ate a quick breakfast. He didn't have time to tell me much. He did say that Rob and Valerie sustained some injuries."

"Yes. I heard that they were both admitted to hospital, but as they weren't vascular patients, I have no other information." She paused and then continued, "Louisa it was horrific. A&E was chaotic, teeming with so many family members looking for information about their loved ones in the crash. I understand that it gets that way sometimes, but I believe last night was particularly hectic. I usually handle the team's administrative needs; I never spend any time near theatre, but last night I was stationed near the surgical wing. I watched as the staff would wheel each patient into theatre and when they came out again. Patients were lined up in the hallways, waiting their turn in theatre. There was so much suffering. Martin and the other surgeons usually dictate their notes after the surgery for me to transcribe in the office, but last night they dictated their notes as they worked and gave me their recordings after each patient went in to recovery and I transcribed everything in the moment as best I could.

If Martin didn't return home until half four, there is probably more for me to transcribe. I'd better get a move on. See you soon."

"Right, see you soon."

Julia didn't really give her any more information than what she herself could have guessed. Julia arrived a few minutes before nine and bundled up Olivia and had her in the car by 9:10. Louisa could tell she was anxious to be off to deliver Olivia to her sister and to reach the office by ten. Louisa and James saw them out the door and waved good-bye. "It was nice to have Olivia visit with us, wasn't it James?"

He was leaning against the front window watching them drive down the road, 'Yes. She is nice. Could she come visit again?"

"Maybe. I'll ask her mother."

James looked up to his mother and responded directly, "Good," and then he marched into the lounge and gathered his bricks and farm animals to play with.

"Good." He sounded just like Martin. Louisa knew children modelled their behaviour after their parents, but she was surprised that James would start so early. While she was pleased that he cared so deeply for his father, she couldn't decide if she really wanted James to model his social interactions after Martin. Much as she did love Martin, his social intelligence wasn't his strongest attribute.

She followed James into the lounge and then pulled out her mobile and dialled Ethel, who answered almost immediately, "Louisa, I was going to call you. Do you have any news about last night?"

"Ohhh …" Louisa groaned. "That's why I was calling you. I was hoping Ted had shared what he had seen at the accident site. Martin was only home long enough to sleep for a few hours. He didn't have time to tell me much."

"Would you like to come over and we can trade notes?"

"That would be good. Yeah. Let me do the washing up from breakfast and we'll come over. Might take a half hour or so."

"Actually, it looks like a nice day, not too windy after the storm last night. Would you like to take the children down to the Platt, or up the coastal path to the play area? I think my girls need some physical activity."

"Great idea. James could use some outdoor time as well. And the children can play without listening to our conversation. See you in a half hour."

"Yes. See you then."

Ethel and the girls were waiting when Louisa and James arrived at the Chen's door. They walked the children down to the Platt where the tide was out and they were able to search the harbour floor for shells and sea glass. Buddy had followed them and trotted along behind James, sniffing at his heels and running towards the water, stopping at the water's edge. Even though the sun was shining and the wind was light, the temperature was still cold. It was December after all, but despite the chill, there were a number of tourists milling about.

"I've been surprised at how many tourists are here. I suppose it is the holiday season. My sister and her family are driving down to visit from Bristol. I expect them to arrive this evening. Mrs. Trappet helped me find a holiday cottage to rent for the week. There were very few available, but we were able to find one just down the street from our cottage that is suitable. I've been cooking since early this morning so this is a nice break."

Louisa nodded her head, "That' so exciting, to have your sister visit. Will they be here long?"

"Yes, for most of the week. We are planning a few excursions: some of the places we haven't seen since we arrived. Of course, Ted will be holding surgery so he won't be able to join us every day."

Louisa nodded, "Yes. I know how that is. It's always been difficult for Martin to get away." A glint of light caught Louisa's eye and she bent down to pick up a piece of sea glass, "Light blue. We don't often find blue sea glass down here." She pocketed the glass and looked around at all the tourists on the shingle, "We always have a lot of visitors during the holiday season. People want to get away from the cities and enjoy the fresh air. And the village is decorated nicely with all the lights, and Father Christmas comes in on his boat on Christmas Eve if the weather is fine. That's tomorrow. Be sure to come down to the harbour just after lunch. He motors onto the beach and hands out candies and trinkets to the children. The whole village joins in and the village band plays a few holiday songs, all very festive."

"That sounds lovely. We will be sure to join in. I think the weather will cooperate."

'If they're still here on New Year's Eve, there will be fireworks as well."

Louisa and Ethel sat on a ledge and began to compare notes on the previous afternoon and evening.

"Ted didn't arrive home until after nine," Ethel began. "Of course he had to take Nate home, but still. He said there were dozens of injuries, everything you would expect from bruising and lacerations to spinal cord injuries and death.

"Martin did say it was terrible, and Julia said there was a car full of teen agers who were killed. I feel sick just talking about it."

"Yes. Ted mentioned that, but there was nothing he or Nate could do for them. Mostly he evaluated the injuries, triage he calls it. Who likely had internal injuries, those were the ones Martin and his team were likely to see. And those with fractured bones. They shipped everyone but those with the most minor injuries off to hospital. He said that soft tissue injuries are difficult to recognise at the scene, so they sent pretty much every one. And yes, it did sound terrible."

Louisa noticed James following Buddy near the water's edge, "James stay out of the water or we will have to go home."

She turned to Ethel, "Perhaps we should take them to the playground. Do you have time?"

"Yes. I want the girls to burn off some of their energy."

"I brought a towel to wipe the rainwater off the equipment to make sure its dry."

Ethel nodded, "Good idea."

The stood up and approached the children, 'Let's go up to the playground."

The children laughed and started to run up the hill towards the coastal path, with James in arrears crying out, "Wait for me."

"Do you need help James?" Louisa caught him up and reached for his hand, but the girls had turned around and arrived just at that moment to walk with him, each taking one of his hands. "I'm okay Mummy. I can walk with Lilli and Tina."

The two women watched the children walk up the path, and Louisa commented, 'You have done a lovely job with those girls. They are so kind to James."

Ethel responded, "Thank you. They are kind. Of course, they do have their moments from time to time." She grimaced, and then she laughed, "But they are good children."

"How are they settling in? Any problems?"

'I think they are doing well. Each has a friend or two from school. We are thinking of signing them up for some sports leagues, maybe football or the running club to meet other girls outside of school. And we have signed both of them up for swim lessons, so important if you live near the water."

"Hmm. I hadn't really thought about it, but it would be wise to sign James up for swim lessons eventually."

"The leisure centre has lessons for children as young as two. You should look into it. If they are the same time as Lilli's and Tina's lessons, we could carpool."

'That's a good idea. I will look into it. It almost sounds like you have taken to Portwenn life. Have you and Ted talked about staying on after Ted's contract is up?"

"We do like Portwenn, or what we have seen so far and we've briefly discussed it. But it all depends on Martin's plans. Is he going to continue at hospital?"

Louisa shrugged her shoulders and gazed out past the cliffs towards the sea, pondering Ethel's question. Out past the harbour, the wind was steady and there were several sailboats skimming along the top of the swells, their skippers attired in wetsuits and straining to manage the sails. It was very picturesque and there were several visitors filming the scene, storing memories of the holiday to take back home. Instinctively she knew Martin would want to stay at hospital, but that he would return to the village surgery if she pressed him; they needed to discuss the future soon, and she replied in a vague manner. "I don't know what Martin is thinking. We haven't really discussed it. The plan was for him to work in the vascular unit until the baby is born and then return to work as the village GP. But I can tell he loves being a surgeon again." Louisa shook her head, "I don't know what will happen. But if he does continue at hospital, I would love to have you and Ted and the girls stay and live here. It's so nice to have you as a friend."

The children had reached the play equipment and were about to climb when Louisa shouted out, "Wait! I want to dry off the bars and the slide."

After tending to the children, the two women sat on one of the park benches as the children began to play. "It really is cold today." Louisa pulled her down jacket closer.

Ethel replied, "And windy up here on the hill … makes it feel even colder. I may not be able to last very long."

Louisa nodded, "I know it's cold, but it is a beautiful day. I always marvel at the view up here. It's magnificent. The sea is still a bit rough, whitecaps as far as I can see. And the clouds, scooting across the sky, big and fluffy. We should ask the children if they see any animals in the clouds."

Ethel pointed up, "I think that one there looks like an elephant."

Louisa craned her neck, 'No, I think it looks more like a bear."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, speaking of bears. Ted said he saw Mrs. Tishell at the accident site. She was among the injured."

"Really!? Did he say if she was badly hurt?"

"He didn't think her injuries were severe. He said she had some broken bones, her collar bone and perhaps her shoulder, maybe some ribs. I can't remember what he said, but he did say they sent her on to hospital because of her cervical collar, just to make sure there were no spinal injuries."

"Wow. I wonder if she will be able to open her chemist's shop or if they will send a pharmacy locum."

"Hard to know. Ted will be asking, I'm sure, since he sends his patients to her shop for prescriptions."

They sat in quiet contemplation as the children played and Louisa said, "I wonder if Martin knows." Ethel responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

Louisa turned to face Ethel and grinned, "So … Mrs. Tishell reminds you of a bear?"

Ethel laughed, "Not physically of course, but she is a bit of a mother bear, especially when one of the villagers makes a nasty remark about Martin."

Louisa tilted her head and quirked her eyebrows, "If you think about it, Martin is more of a bear than Mrs. Tishell." Ethel laughed, and then Louisa added, "Both physically and temperamentally, at least to the villagers. I can say that because I'm his wife and I love him. But he's a sweetheart to me … most of the time."

Louisa cocked her head to the side, then added, "She does have a thing for Martin. Remind me to tell you about the time she kidnapped James Henry."

"Really? She kidnapped James Henry?" Ethel was shocked.

"Yeah, but ... brrr ... it's cold. That's a long story for another day. I'm thinking it may be time to take the children home."

They stayed up on the hill for a few more minutes until the wind prompted them to return home.

Louisa asked Ethel if she would like to join her and James for lunch, "We still have some leftovers from the party."

Ethel shook her head, "I really need to get back to my own kitchen, finish preparations for tonight's supper. And I am planning to prepare some of our favourites for the holiday dinners and I need to start on them as well. This was fun. If I don't see you soon, have a good Christmas."

"We will, and Happy Christmas." Louisa called out to James and then turned back to Ethel, "Don't forget about Father Christmas' arrival tomorrow afternoon. I think the girls would enjoy it."

As she took James' hand and started the climb up to their home, Louisa thought it was just as well to have the afternoon to herself; she was starting to tire, the walk up the steep road to their home was becoming challenging with the added weight of the baby, and she longed for a nap.

Later that afternoon, Louisa started to make preparations for their dinner. Martin had called to tell her he planned to be home by 5:30 and she hoped to have dinner on the table by six. She had picked up some lamb chops at the market and planned to braise them in olive oil with a garlic, lemon juice and red pepper sauce; she had used that recipe once before and both she and Martin enjoyed the flavour. She would serve them with smashed potatoes and a side of sliced brussels sprouts sautéed with minced dates. They would pick up a fish for dinner the next day, Christmas Eve, when Ruth would join them.

The baby started to kick at her side and, as all was ready, she sat down on the sofa and put her feet up. James was playing on the floor with his bricks and he called over to her to see his latest construction. "Will Daddy be home soon?"

"Yes. He should be here in a few minutes." She closed her eyes and before she realised it, she had fallen asleep. She and James were on a tropical beach where several other families were enjoying the sand and water. She was reclining on a beach chair under the shade of a palm tree and James was playing in the sand. Suddenly James cried out, "Daddy, Daddy." She lifted the brim of her sun hat to see Martin, clad only in a pair of swimming trunks, approaching them barefoot through the sand. Oh! She felt her heart flutter in appreciation as she gazed at his broad shoulders as he greeted her with a gentle kiss. He turned to greet James, and she observed his equally broad and muscular back, his legs long and lean as he stood straight and tall. How many times had she admired his perfect physique in the privacy of their bedroom? She watched as he bent down to take James' hand, ushering him into the water so that he could enjoy splashing safely. It was odd how the sounds of the other families faded away. It was as if they were the only people in the world until … a marching band approached with clashing cymbals. She turned to see from where the band had come and noticed the sound had changed to that of plates clattering. Martin and James were talking and she realised that she wasn't on the beach anymore. That was disappointing, but to be expected. She roused herself.

Martin in swimming trunks? Hah! Her imagination was working overtime. She sat up and turned toward the kitchen. James and Martin were setting the table and serving up dinner. "Martin, when did you get home?"

In this season of Thanksgiving here in the US, I will once again give thanks for the Doc Martin fan fiction community, and my faithful readers, who have been patient with my slow posting of new chapters this fall. There is more to come in this story, I promise. Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating and to those who aren't as well ... K