Chapter 15

When Martin's alarm went off the next morning Louisa groaned and said "Nooo". Martin roused himself and went off to the bathroom. Finding her still in bed he chided her and reminded her that it was at least an hour's drive to Portwenn.

"Yes, yes" she grumpily replied. "You had me up until all hours, you know."

"I didn't," squeaked Martin. "Anyway, pot calling kettle, I think!"

Louisa struggled to her feet and departed for the bathroom to have her shower. Dressing hurriedly, she went downstairs for breakfast. She was glad that her morning sickness wasn't apparent that day. They both had toast with marmalade and a cup of tea before collecting their things and paying their bill. Martin stowed everything in the boot and they were soon on their way.

A little after 8:15 they arrived back to the surgery. This left Louisa with barely enough time to grab her school things and hurry off with a "love you" farewell to Martin.

"Yes" he responded whilst watching her totter down the hill to school. He turned and went back inside to begin his usual Friday surgery. By the end of the day, he could feel a headache coming on and was glad to see the back of his last patient, Malcolm Raynor. The hypochondriac was convinced he had a pertussis cough which warranted immediate hospitalisation. It took Martin quite a few minutes to explain that whooping cough was largely a childhood disease and that all Malcolm had was a bit of a cough and cold. He prescribed rest, warm drinks and a painkiller only if strictly necessary.

He wrote up the notes before giving them to Pauline, to file. A few minutes later he heard her call "Goodnight," and he slumped back in his seat, relieved that the day had gone reasonably quickly. He tidied his desk and checked his bag was fully packed. When he arrived in the kitchen it was to find that Louisa had broiled some salmon and was making a light salad to accompany it. She smiled at him before going over to give him a quick kiss. "Nearly done, wash up and have a seat," she advised him.

Gratefully he sat down at the table and began to spoon some salad onto his plate. Louisa gave him his cup of tea and seated herself opposite. They didn't speak as each savoured the meal and allowed their tensions from the day to ease.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I for one am glad my week is over. The pantomime is drawing closer and the children seem even more excited than they were last year. I suppose it's just I'm getting older and not so resilient." Louisa sighed.

Martin reached across the table and with the back of his hand to her forehead he commented, "You don't feel hot and you are still beautiful, even if you are tired."

Louisa beamed at him. "Thank you, Martin."

"You go and put your feet up and I'll bring some more tea when I've washed up." He ushered her to the sofa and then went back to run the hot water into the sink. Louisa watched him as he meticulously rinsed each item before placing it in the rack to dry. The kettle went on and the teapot was soon filled again. As he walked over with her tea his phone went off. She took the cup from him and listened as he said "Ellingham."

"How many casualties? Have you called an ambulance? Where exactly are the victims?" His questions were issued staccato to the person on the other end of the line. "Right, I'm on my way. Keep an eye on the person with the head injury."

Martin turned to Louisa – "Would you get me some sheets, please? A couple of blankets too if we've got some spare. There's been a car accident on the B3314 road. I'll go get my bag and some more drugs."

Louisa hurried upstairs to get the requested items and took them out to the car. Martin stored them in the boot and turned to her. "I don't know how long I'll be, don't wait up as it's important you get your rest."

She laid a hand on his arm and said "You be careful too," her eyes expressed the love she felt for him. He lightly returned the pressure and then strode to the driver's door.

She went inside and sat down to finish her drink. She hoped that the accident wasn't too bloody a scene as she wondered yet again how Martin coped with doing everything he could for his patients whilst battling his haemophobia. Picking up some of the children's school books she tried to do some marking as a way of passing the time. She got about halfway through them and found that she was not really concentrating. A glance at her watch showed that she could go and get into bed to wait for his return. She opted not to have a bath but a shower would be welcome.

Meanwhile Martin drove as quickly as he safely could and soon came upon the scene of the accident. Penhale's vehicle with its lights flashing halted the traffic in one direction, and Martin found him kneeling by a boy on the floor.

"He got out of that car, Doc, and then collapsed. I didn't see if he hit his head when he fell."

"Penhale, go and see how the other victims are, I'll look at the boy." Martin knelt by the boy, feeling for his pulse and looking for external injuries. There were no obvious injuries but the pulse was thready. The boy's pupils were reactive normally to light. He palpated gently down the boy's arms and legs and elicited a groan when touching the left shin. It seemed as though the boy had fractured one of his shin bones.

Moving to the other side of the road he inspected the woman laid at the side of the car. Martin almost threw up when he saw the amount of blood on her face and throat. He couldn't see her breathing and checked for a pulse. The wounds to her neck were severe and the blood was no longer pulsing out. He determined that she had exsanguinated due to the large tear in her neck. No doubt her carotid artery had been severed when she went through the windscreen.

The driver was slumped over the steering wheel and the windscreen in front of him showed a bulge where he had hit it, during the collision. Feeling for a neck pulse Martin was relieved to find a fairly strong one but was concerned about the danger of spinal injuries. The man's breathing seemed laboured which could indicate broken ribs and further crush damage.

At that moment the fire brigade arrived and Martin quickly relayed his findings about the injured driver. The firemen said they would put a neck brace on the victim before trying to extricate him from the vehicle. Martin saw the ambulance pull up and soon brought the paramedics up to speed. They dealt with covering up the woman and putting a splint onto the boy's leg.

The fourth casualty was rocking back and forth at the side of the road, clearly in shock. "Can you tell me what happened?" asked Martin. The man stared blankly at him and continued to rock. "How did this happen?" he demanded.

At last recognition appeared in the man's eyes and he said that the other car was speeding around the blind bend. It had hit his car as he exited the camp site, spinning them around. "Where's Davy?" he cried. "Where's my son?"

Martin put a hand on his arm and said "He doesn't appear to be severely injured just a fractured leg. He'll go to hospital in the ambulance shortly. Was there anyone else in the car?"

The man shook his head and said "No. My wife is back at the cabin."

"If you've a phone on you I suggest you tell her what's happened and that you will be going to Truro hospital with your son." Martin left him and went back to the injured driver.

"We could smell alcohol on his breath, Doc. We think he's drunk."

Penhale stepped forward officiously. "He OK to have a blood sample taken Doc?"

"As soon as he's been protected from further damage and splinted, I'll get a sample." They watched as the firemen gently managed to get the driver out and on to a waiting gurney. The ambulance set off quickly with the injured driver and boy on board, as well as the boy's father.

Penhale radioed in the car details and got the driver's details. He looked into the passenger side and found a handbag. Identification in the woman's purse gave her age as just 17, and her name, Jackie Fenham. He called for a coroner's vehicle and set about taking a good look at the accident scene.

Meanwhile Martin went to a clear part of the side of the road and threw up. Wiping his mouth a few minutes later he reflected on the stupidity of people who drank to excess before driving. "There's nothing else here for me to do, Penhale. If you need a statement, you know where to find me. Oh, and thanks for the help."

Joe positively beamed at the unexpected praise. "Dynamic duo back in action, eh Doc?" Martin looked at him blankly and went to his Lexus, to drive home.