Chapter 94

On Wednesday Martin got Pauline to rearrange several appointments so that he could go out.

"Where you going Doc."

"Just out, that is all you need to know. I don't want to be interrupted so just take a message. If it's an emergency, tell them to phone 999. Clear?"

"Yes Doc." Pauline pulled a face behind his back as he went back to his office.

Promptly at 1:30p.m. Martin was on Paul's doorstep. He was shown in to the study again, but declined anything to drink.

"You said on the phone that you are having difficulties with Mrs Tishell?" Paul opened the conversation.

"Hmm. For some reason she is besotted with me. I can assure you that I have not encouraged her in this at all. In fact I've done as much as I can to discourage her. She seems to save her snide remarks for Louisa, whenever she goes into the pharmacy."

"On Monday Louisa went in to pick up some things and leave a list of medicines for Mrs T. to order. Mrs Tishell made some comment to the effect she was surprised Louisa was still in Portwenn. When Louisa asked her to clarify her statement, she gave Louisa a cock-and-bull story about seeing me in a passionate clinch with a woman, on the terrace outside the surgery!"

" I think I told you about Edith Montgomery from my Med School days? She appeared on Friday to see me and ask for help with a paper she had written. I agreed to help, but on Saturday instead, as I was taking Louisa for her antenatal check, on Friday. Edith went away and I escorted her to her car. As she passed by, she briefly kissed my cheek. This is what Mrs T saw. Between then and Monday she'd magnified the incident out of all proportion in an effort to drive a wedge between Louisa and myself."

"As luck would have it, Louisa saw Edith leaving and was not unduly concerned about the salutation. After hearing Mrs T out on Monday, Louisa sprang immediately to my defence and told Mrs T to mind her own business or she'd have to tell Clive what was going on behind his back. She went on further to say that if she heard anything like this from anyone else Mrs T would be hearing from our solicitors about a defamation of character, claim. Something, which Louisa said, might get Mrs T struck off. Then Louisa said she stormed out of the shop."

Paul sat back and whistled in surprise. "I had no idea she was like that, at all. When she's playing the organ, or practising she seems very involved in the music. I can see why you are upset."

"Incidentally, Clive is Mrs Tishell's husband who works away on the oilrigs, and is often away for months at a time."

"Yes, I knew he worked away."

"Paul, my problem is that I don't know how to deal with Mrs T, at all. I've threatened to close my accounts with her, but that might annoy the village so much they stop coming to the surgery. When I first moved in, I inherited a receptionist from my predecessor who was so incompetent she was frankly, dangerous. I sacked her and was immediately ostracised."

"I thought about asking Mrs T to move to a different doctor's surgery. I'm concerned her obsessive behaviour will cause her to lie about me and say I'd made inappropriate advances or something."

Paul looked at Martin and could see the genuine worry in his face. "This is not an easy matter to come to terms with at all. I expect Mrs T is circumspect in her statements and doesn't make them when anyone else is listening?"

"That's right, although from what Louisa says, the whole village know she has a "thing" for me."

Paul considered the matter. "Do you have a practice nurse who could chaperone you, when you have Mrs T in as a patient? Or can you ask Mrs T to only come to the surgery for a genuine medical appointment?"

"Well it is a consideration, but I have to say she is in fairly good health and doesn't very often come in as a patient. Therefore a practice nurse would be an expense I could do without."

"She does come in with the latest MHRA magazine which provides valuable updates for potentially faulty equipment. She is a gossip, and always seems to know just what is going on, in the village. She is sanctimonious but doesn't realise that her own behaviour is questionable. In short, she's a damn nuisance!"

"You said 'accounts' do you have more than one?" Paul enquired.

"I have my business account, which is the main one, and a private account for toiletries and the like."

"I can understand your having the business account, why don't you let the private one fade away. Get your things from the big supermarkets, and pay immediately in cash for any purchases you have to buy in Mrs T's?"

"Yes, I could do that. I'll make sure both the accounts are paid up, and as you say, let the private one slide."

"I think I told you that I abhor having my private affairs discussed by outsiders. Sometimes it feels as though everyone knows about my affairs, even before I do. I resent it, Paul. Louisa has said that this is how the village operates. People look out for one another, but from where I stand it is just interference, and gossip."

"Well I'm sorry, Martin, that I can't be of much help to you. I know Louisa threatened to contact the governing body of Pharmacists, is this something you could report yourself? Your concern for her behaviour?"

"Professionally, Mrs Tishell does her job conscientiously and I haven't been able to fault her. Maybe the answer is to talk to Clive, and see if he can remedy the situation. The trouble is, that it seems as if I'm telling tales! When I was at school it was beaten in to me, not to do that."

"I suggest you keep an incident report book, and if any further comments are made, write it down so that you have record of what was said and when. Louisa could record stuff as well."

Martin brightened at that. At least he felt as though he was taking a more positive outlook on things.

Martin stood up, "Thank you for your time, Paul. I feel a little better just having discussed it with someone else."

Paul stood up to go to the door and show Martin out. "Anytime you feel like a chat, please feel free to contact me."

Martin nodded and made his way back to the surgery.

When he'd finished for the day, he cleaned up and went into the kitchen. Louisa was napping on the couch. He smiled and set about making tea.

When the noise from the preparations woke her Louisa said, "Sorry Martin. I was all set to do that when I drifted off."

They sat down to eat and Louisa waited until most of the meal had been eaten before she asked about his visit to see Paul.

"Paul couldn't be of much use. He does know what Mrs T is like and can see it is very difficult for me to do anything about her. He suggested we keep a report book and write down any instances of inappropriate behaviour or comments. That does have some merit, I think."

Louisa agreed. "At least then we have something tangible to offer if we have to take stronger action."

Martin got up and put the pots into the sink to wash them up. "Let's change the subject, Louisa. I'm fed up to the back teeth even thinking about that woman."

Meanwhile back in the vicarage, Paul was thinking about how to help Martin. He looked at his sermons and decided to try and construct one which should sound a warning to Mrs T and any other like-minded parishioners.

On Thursday, after school, Joan picked Louisa up from the gate and they headed off to Wadebridge. "Had a good day, Louisa?"

"Not too bad, thanks Joan. The children were all well-behaved and, would-you-believe-it, seemed to grasp the subject matter quite well! Having said that, the weekend homework will sort out the wheat from the chaff."

Joan laughed. "Things are certainly different from when I was at school. We were sat in two-desk seats, and woe betide us if we moved off the seat. I don't remember doing any homework though, in junior school. Except read a chapter of a book?"

"Well times change, Joan. Nowadays there doesn't seem to be a week goes by without some new directive coming down from on high. In one way I'll be glad to have a year off with Junior."

They parked up and headed to the high street. There were several shops which sold clothes so Louisa went to the biggest one, thinking that they might be a good bet for maternity wear. Browsing around she found one or two items which might do, but wasn't really fussed on them.

Moving on to the next shop there was nothing at all in maternity clothes. In a third shop, Louisa found a whole rack devoted to the sorts of things she was after. She picked out several tops and asked Joan, "What do you think of these?"

Joan considered, "I don't think the yellow one will suit you, and remember, the insects seem to like yellow."

Louisa nodded. "I'll go and try these three on, then." She went into the changing cubicle and tried the tops on. All fitted her and all looked good, with plenty of room to "grow" into them.

Asking Joan to hold the tops she inspected the maternity trousers with the elasticated waist. Again she held several up to the blouses and matched the colours, expertly. "I'll just take these two," she decided.

"Did you want anything, Joan?"

"No," laughed Joan. "I've got a wardrobe full of stuff I haven't yet worn! I buy them, but think they are too good for around the farm, and then I don't go anywhere "posh" enough to use them. I should just wear them instead of procrastinating."

Louisa grinned. "I know what you mean. I've several outfits tucked away in the back of the closet, like that. I'm going to make Martin take me out, after Junior arrives!"

They both giggled and Louisa went to pay for the items she'd selected.

"Time for a drink, Joan?"

"I thought you'd never ask!"

They popped into the nearby tea room and ordered their drinks. As they were sitting there, Joan remarked that she had been feeling a bit tired, lately. However she was putting it down to old age.

"You know Joan, you really should book an appointment with Martin. He'd be very upset if something happened which he could have prevented, if he'd known about it in time."

"Yes, but the trouble is, I fear he will want to stop me from doing my vegetables, if there's something wrong. I can't afford to pay anyone to come in and do it for me." Joan looked downcast at this.

"Let's not assume the worst, Joan. It may be nothing to worry about, unduly, but I do feel as though you should make the appointment."

"All right, I know when I'm beaten."

Louisa looked at her watch. It was nearly 5:00pm. "Time to go Joan, if we're going to beat his curfew!"

They made good time to Mrs Cronk's and purchased the promised fish and chips.

Coming into the kitchen, Martin had laid the table for three, and had boiled the kettle for the cup of tea. As the portions were being served, Martin almost managed to conceal a lip curl, but Joan saw it, and frowned at him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly.

Louisa bit into her fish and smiled an ecstatic smile. "Proper job," she laughed.

"Hmf," said Martin. However he didn't comment further.

"Martin," said Joan. "I'd like to book an appointment for a check-up."

"Why, what's wrong?" Martin was quick to pounce on a potential illness.

"Just a check-up. No need to panic," Joan responded.

"If you want to do it now, Martin, I'll wash up."

Martin caught the inflection in her voice. "Yes, Auntie Joan. You are family, so you don't need an appointment. Come through to my consulting room." He got up and left the kitchen. Joan looked daggers at Louisa, who just shrugged her shoulders.

When Joan entered the surgery office Martin asked her what was wrong.

"I was telling Louisa that I've been feeling a bit tired lately. She suggested I come and see you."

"Quite right. Have you had any other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, swollen ankles, frequently disturbed sleep?"

"Now and again, yes."

"Go and lay on the couch and undo your blouse so that I can listen to your heart," he directed.

Martin listened but could detect no abnormal vibrations. He put a blood pressure armlet on and found that her blood pressure was elevated. "Would you go over to the scales, please Auntie Joan?"

Joan glared at him but complied.

"Now let me measure your height – 5' 7". Right you may fasten up your blouse, and come and sit down at the desk."

"The tests I've just performed show that you are overweight, and retaining fluid. Your blood pressure is high although as I know, you exercise every day, that is a factor in your favour."

"All the indications point to an onset of cardiac failure, probably due to a reduced blood supply to the heart. You can help yourself by losing weight, at least 20lb, cutting out a lot of carbohydrates and generally fatty foods. You need to come and see me regularly so that I can monitor your blood pressure."

"I can start you off on a course of tablets, bisoprolol and see how you get on with those. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right tablet, so keep a check on how you feel for a month and we'll review the situation then. Joan, I can't emphasise enough that you must get your weight down."

"To be honest, Marty, you are depressing me because you are taking away some of the treats in my life. I don't drink a lot, and I look forward to my cakes, and meals."

"Well you have a choice. Do what I've suggested and be able to play with your grandchild, or continue as you are and risk dying." Martin was very blunt.

She looked shocked and began to tear up. "You don't call that a choice, do you? That was an ultimatum!"

"Joan, I've got to make you realise how serious this could be. If you do what I've suggested then you could live for years. I want you in my life for as long as possible. You've been a mother to me." Martin too, looked upset.

Joan reached out and put a hand on his arm. "Thank you, Marty. I'll try."

They returned to the kitchen where Louisa was putting the crockery away. "Everything all right?" she asked.

"I can't discuss my patients, Louisa."

Joan answered for herself. "I've got to lose weight and cut out sweet and fatty foods. Take the prescribed tablets, and have my blood pressure monitored, every month."

"It won't be easy, but I'll try." Joan looked despondent and Martin felt guilty, but he was trying to do his best, and what he'd asked would prolong her life.

"Well, I'm going home, so I'll see you two next week. Bye for now." Joan went out of the door looking as though the sky had fallen in.