Chapter 11 - Stage fright.

Everything was organized now for the journey across the Channel: Morwenna had accepted the arangement to come to Amsterdam too, the tickets were bought, the subscription to the congress and the hotel reservations confirmed. Martin also booked a B&B near Calais in France, to stay overnight.

Louisa had convinced Martin to come with her to Truro and to buy a really solid travelling cot for James. Martin had reluctantly accepted it, but only after Louisa sketched the lack of hygiene and unsafety of cots borrowed at a hotel. Of course they couldn't leave the baby shop without a lot of other stuff James probably wouldn't need, but as it made Louisa smile her most beautiful smile, Martin gave in in the end.

'Ehmm', he said, 'Louisa, 'I guess you can spend another twenty minutes here, don't you? I just want to go to another shop, in the mean time'.

'OK, Martin, see you in twenty minutes then', Louisa answered and with a distracted wave of her hand she continued browsing the CD's With lullabies and children's songs.

Martin quickly went to the nearest men's shop.

'What can I do for you sir?', the salesman asked when he saw Martin staring at the cloths exposed with a somewhat bewildered look in his face.

'You've got twenty minutes to sell me some casual cloths, trousers, shirts, maybe a pullover, but no fancy images or brand names printed on the front - something modest.'

The salesman had to think quickly. This could be the catch of the day, when he handled this well. The guy in front of him was wearing a three pieces suit, white shirt, blue tie and immaculately brushed black shoes, but wanted to get dressed 'casual'. No jeans, he thought, that will make him run away.. He looked at Martin in order to estimate the measures and then gestured Martin to follow him to the back of the store. He selected a pair of light brown trousers, a modestly checquered white and blue shirt, adark green poloshirt and a dark blue pullover.

'Try this on sir, I think this is what you're looking for..'

'Hmm', Martin grumbled, glad that the man didn't dare to say 'it matches perfectly well with the colour of your hair' or other rubbish like that.

The salesman had quite some experience with men like Martin, so he left him alone while he was trying the cloths on. The salesman did some steps back to give him the privacy he apparently needed.

'Unbelievable, Martin said when he came out of the cabine, 'it fits like a glove, how did you do that?'

'Tricks of the trade, sir. I bet you also have your specialties as sollicitor, dentist or doctor?'

Martin, as always refraining from social chit chat, didn't answer. 'Ok, I'll take them. Two pairs of the trousers and some other shirts as well.'

They agreed on a couple of other shirts and polos in different colours. Martin paid, left the shop, got to the car to stow the bags away and joined Louisa exactly twenty minutes after he had left her. Just in time to use his credit card and pay the purchases Louisa had made on behalf of James. Loaded with packages of which the travelling cot was the biggest, they returned to the parking.

Martin thought that he should give Louisa the opportunity to do some shopping for herself as well, but he hardly knew how to bring it up. There's always the risk Louisa would interprete his wordings totally wrong...He didn't want to spoil their afternoon. Finally he said:

'Louisa, we've bought something for our son, I've bought something for myself, maybe you also whish to...'

'Martin, how thoughtful of you!'. Martin looked at her, not knowing if she meant it or not. 'But', she added, 'I prefer to do some shopping in Amsterdam if that's OK with you?' For the second time that day, Martin was rewarded with Louisa's fabulous smile. Lightheaded and in a very good mood, they drove back to Portwenn.

The last working day before their departure, Morwenna had a lot of difficulties to schedule all the appointments. The complete village seemed suddenly to suffer from something they absolutely wanted to see their doc for..

Even after all the years he spent at Portwenn, Martin still didn't understand them. That morning, he entered the reception room, his morning coffee in his hand. The waiting room was packed already, al chairs occupied and even more people leaning against a wall.

Martin frowned, sighed and bellowed 'First patient!

All morning he had to deal with different kind of excuses of patients wanting to see him, without a genuine medical need.

'Mrs Richards, how many times do I need to tell you that you can simply call the receptionist to repeat this prescription! You don't need to spoil my time for that! - Next patient!'

Along the day, Martin got grumpier and gruffier than ever. He wouldn't admit it, but he was nervous, anxious to what would happen at the congres and afterwards. All those well meaning, chit chatting villagers that all whished him 'have a nice holiday Doc', made it worse, because they made him think about it all day.

In the afternoon, the locum, a young docter called Alex Brown, arrived. Obviously, Chris had warned him in advance concerning the village and its dedicated, intelligent but ever so non communicative, rude GP. For that reason, he refrained from any comments that might offend Martin or that the latest would interpret as arrogant. On the other hand he showed interest in the cases and Martin let him examine most of the cases, merely to test the young fellow's skills and to assure that this one wasn't like dr. Dibbs.

When closing time of the surgery approached, the waiting room was still full. Martin stood in the doorframe of the consulting room and gestured Alex to join him. He said : 'this young fellow here will take care of the surgery while I am away. He passed my tests gloriously, so you don't have to be afraid to come and see him. So to every one who doesn't have a real medical reason to be here and only came to wish me and Louisa a good time, thank you, but please go home now and make an appointment with Dr. Brown. Alex Brown didn't know Martin, otherwise he would have understood that he just got a compliment from th GP he would be replacing. Morwenna looked at him from behind her desk and quickly made a thumbs-up sign, meaning 'you're doing great!'

Most of the people stood up mumbling 'have a nice time Doc'. One coughing boy of about ten years old, also stood up, but he was stopped by Martin immediately. 'Not you, young man, I want to look at you, come through'.

Ten minutes later, the boy left with a prescription for antibiotics to cure his bronchitis. 'Follow the indications to the letter, young man and finish the cure. We don't want to send you to hospital with a pneumonia!

'Wow', Alex Brown said, 'in fact you diagnosed him when still in the waiting room, right? Chris Parsons told me about your skills - I have to say you deeply impress me, Dr. Ellingham! '

The only answer he got was a grunt. 'I'll let you take care of the remaining patients. If you need me, I am next doors. I have made a room reservation for you at the Crab and Lobster. You'll be more comfortable there than here at the surgery.'

When Alex entered the waiting room to call the next patient, Morwenna said: 'Our doc seems to like you, don't spoil it while he's away!'

Tired and still in a bad mood, Martin entered the kitchen, where Louisa and James were already waiting for him to take an early dinner. James amused himself with his favourite toy, a wooden spoon, that he tapped on the table in a nearly regular rythm.

Martin sat down next to him and - wishing to eat quietly - immediately took the spoon from James. James, the spitting image of his father, now made a grumpy face, just like his father's, but he didn't start to cry. He was obviously not content with his father's action.

'Look at you two', Louisa said. The two spitting images both frowning and being cross with the world around them made her smile inwardly. 'What's wrong, Martin?'

'Oh those villagers, all day a waist of time really. Except for one boy, no single real serious case. I still don't know why there was such a rush to the surgery today..'

'Well, they simply want to tell you this way that they are going to miss you, I suppose!'

'Nonsense, the young lad Brown, will be as good as any other qualified doctor!'

'I meant that they are going to miss YOU, Martin, not A docter...', Louisa replied. She added, 'now boys, if you both keep faces like that, I am not sure that I will go on holidays with you!'

'NO Louisa!' Martin's face turned from cross to scared now and so did James', who was frightened by the exclamation his father did in a very loud voice. Again two identical faces looked at Louisa anxiously. It made her laugh out loud.

She stood up and positioned herself between her to men, comfortingly striking their backs and smiling to both of them alternately.

'Just joking, Of course I will go with you! Martin, I can understand that you're a bit nervous with the congres and all, but try to relax a bit now, OK? Our holidays are just about to start'.

At the sight of his mother's smile and feeling the softness of her gestures, James face brightened immediately, he smiled back and mumbled 'mumm'.

Seeing the two smiling faces of both his wife and son, Martin also melt. His face softened like it could only happen in presence of the two persons he loved.

'Yes James, you're right, what would we both be, without your mummy?!'

Lonely, Louisa thought. Desperately unhappy, Martin thought.

To be continued. Sorry for having you wait so long, I was out of a correct wifi area...