Hello everyone! Sorry that it has been a while but please enjoy and please review! Love Miffygirl18 xxx
Chapter 41 – Doctor, Doctor:
A couple of days later, on a miserably grey and wet morning, Jane, Tarzan and Archimedes together with William bundled into a horse drawn coach, all of them wrapped up well against the bitter November cold. Tarzan knew that England was much colder than Africa but he had no idea that it rained so much! As he tightened the thick woollen scarf around his neck, he couldn't help wondering if they were going to stay long enough to see the spring or summer. From what he had witnessed, he didn't believe that England was a warm country at all, despite his wife's assurances that English springs and summers were indeed very pleasant and sometimes very hot.
As Jane settled down in her seat and placed the Moses basket holding her sleeping son on her lap, she looked up to see if her daughter was looking out of a window. But the curtains remained drawn, as they needed to be. Tarzan and Jane had both agreed that was for the best for Annabelle to stay home. They both felt that it would be easier just to deal with one child and not have the other sitting idle in the waiting room.
Annabelle was a little miffed to hear that she was not coming but Jane quickly made it up to her by allowing Daisy the morning off so that the two girls could play together, under Martha's supervision. She was also placated by her grandfather's surreptitious promise to get her and Daisy a little treat whilst they were in town.
The horses' hooves clip-clopped along the roads as they travelled to Harley Street where Dr Willis-Turner's surgery was situated. It was a long journey but Jane felt that they risked less chance of being seen travelling by horse and coach than by the subterranean Metropolitan Railway. Tarzan wished he could peek through the drawn curtains but didn't dare. But from the sounds and smells, London seemed like a fascinating place. The family didn't speak for the whole of the journey, all of them too nervous and jittery to make small talk.
"Woah!" the coach driver suddenly called out to the horses and knocked on the roof to let the Porters know that they had arrived at their destination.
"Oh jolly good!" Archimedes beamed a reassuring smile at Tarzan and Jane before opening the door and stepping out into the busy street. As Jane climbed out of the coach, Archimedes took the Moses basket for her and she lowered the brim of her hat in a vain attempt to hide her face.
"Ta sir!" the coach driver nodded as Archimedes paid him and nodded again to say that he would wait outside for them and return them to Montpelier Square.
The family entered the building and climbed the three flights of stairs to Dr Willis Turner's surgery. They knocked on the door and a few seconds later a middle-aged woman opened it, all dressed in black.
"May I help you?" she asked, eyeing the Porters a little suspiciously. Jane wondered if the woman thought that they were vagrants or missionaries trying to preach their particular brand of gospel.
"My name is Professor Porter," Archimedes tipped his bowler hat and made a benign smile, "I have written letters to Dr Willis-Turner about my grandson possibly having an operation under his direction. We would have booked an appointment, but we have just sailed in from abroad and this is to us is somewhat of an emergency."
"Yes of course, please do come in," the woman nodded and stood aside so that the Porters could enter the waiting room and gestured them to sit down on some chairs.
"I am Miss Perkins, Dr Willis-Turner's secretary," she added as she sat down at her desk positioned close to the door leading to his office. "He is seeing another patient at the moment but will be finished presently."
The family sat down and Tarzan placed his hand on his wife's slightly trembling knee to comfort her. Jane took her son out of the Moses basket and bounced him on her other knee, quietly playing with him as they waited for the doctor.
A little time passed and the door to Dr Willis-Turner's office opened and a man, smartly dressed with a large brown beard came out, albeit walking a little stiffly. "Dr Willis-Turner!" Archimedes jumped out of his chair and bounded over to the man, "It's so good to meet you, no, an honour to meet you!"
"I am sorry sir," the man looked completely befuddled as Archimedes vigorously shook his hand, "but I am not Dr Willis-Turner. My name is Arthur Dewsbury, I am a patient of his."
"Oh I do beg your pardon sir! I am so very sorry." Archimedes felt utterly foolish as he let go of the man's hand.
"Oh that's quite alright," the man was not all offended, in fact he was quite pleased to be thought of as a doctor. "I must say though Dr Willis-Turner is a genius. A craftsman, a sculptor of flesh and bone. He operated on my clubfoot you see and now I can walk without a cane. A little rigidly I admit, but still it is a million times better than it used to be. You will certainly be in good hands."
Archimedes beamed, pleased to hear from a patient who had undergone a successful operation. It certainly put his mind at rest, as he was still a little unsure of his beloved grandson going under the knife.
"I see that you are singing my praises again Mr Dewsbury," a kind voice interrupted and Archimedes turned to see Dr Willis-Turner standing in the office doorway with a stethoscope around his neck. "If you keep it up I will no longer need to advertise!"
"You certainly deserve it Doc, especially after all you have done for me." Mr Dewsbury beamed as he patted the doctor's shoulder and Archimedes could clearly see that Dr Willis-Turner had a friendly, approachable rapport with his patients.
"Now remember to do those exercises everyday and I will have you in for another appointment. Miss Perkins, can you please book Mr Dewsbury in for the same time in three weeks?"
Miss Perkins nodded as she wrote down the details in the hefty appointments book as Mr Dewsbury nodded at everyone and walked somewhat stiffly but proudly out of the waiting room.
"This is Professor Porter, he said that he has written to you about you possibly operating on his grandson." Miss Perkins explained after Mr Dewsbury had left the waiting room.
"Ah yes!" Dr Willis-Turner nodded. He remembered the letters well as it smelt strongly of the faraway lands and salty seas. "Well I can certainly examine your grandson, please do come in."
Jane and Tarzan stood up and followed Archimedes into Dr Willis-Turner's examination room. Tarzan took in the clean, highly organised office with its red damask walls, large dark wooden desk with the wall behind it having built in bookcases filled with medical textbooks. There were other glass-fronted cabinets filled with various medical tools, medicine bottles and a leather examination bed in the middle of the room, standing on an elaborately woven Turkey carpet.
Tarzan was so taken in by the rug's intricate design that he wasn't looking where he was going and backed into something!
"Tarzan!" Jane called out and Tarzan spun round just in time to stop what he backed into from falling. He was shocked when he saw it was bones, looking like a human without any flesh or skin!
"I do apologise Doctor," Jane rolled her eyes somewhat exasperatingly as Dr Willis-Turner helped Tarzan set the anatomical skeleton model back up. "My husband can be a little clumsy sometimes!"
"That's quite alright Mrs Porter," Dr Willis-Turner reassured her and Jane observed his features. He had mousey brown hair, parted to one side and slicked with pomade and he wore small, round spectacles. He was a little taller than her with a slim build and even though Jane reckoned that he must be in his early thirties but he had a babyish face, making him look as young as a boy finishing grammar school. Dr Willis-Turner sported a moustache in what seemed a vain attempt to himself look older, more manly. Jane couldn't help doubting that he was experienced enough to operate on her son. He looked so young; did he really have the skills to fix her dear William's face?
"So how may I assist you today Sirs, Madam?" Dr Willis-Turner's question interrupted Jane's thoughts and she dismissed them immediately. She knew full well from experience never to judge a book by its cover. Clayton's betrayal taught her that many years ago.
"My son was born with a cleft palate and lip. We live abroad in a remote part of Africa and there are no doctors of calibre to operate on him. We saw the article about a similar operation that you did on the one year old boy and we hope that you can do the same for William?"
"Ah yes I remember, little Johnny Collins," the doctor nodded as he recalled the operation, "a very sweet tempered boy he was… so let's examine your William shall we?"
"Yes of course," Jane nodded and placed William on the examination bed, holding him up as he wasn't old enough yet to sit up unsupported. Dr Willis-Turner started to examine William, using a wooden tongue depressor to assess his mouth and lip. Unused to such probing and attention, William started to whimper.
"Come on little soldier, it's alright. I'm just having a look-see," Dr Willis-Turner said in a calm, patient tone but William started to whimper more loudly and Jane began to dread the possibility of her son starting a crying fit in the doctor's office!
"Hey William, look! Look what I've got!" Tarzan called to his son and pulled two objects out of his coat pockets, "It's Terk and Tantor!" He held up a wooden elephant and gorilla that he had whittled himself and started to make soft gorilla and elephant sounds. William instantly stopped whimpering, stared at the wooden animals for a moment and then started to chuckle and squeal in delight! Jane felt a huge sense of relief wash over her as Dr Willis-Turner was able to continue his examination whilst Tarzan distracted his son.
"Your husband is very good at impersonating animals Mrs Porter," Dr Willis-Turner smiled at Jane, somewhat bemused by Tarzan's antics. Jane smiled back politely, yet inside she was relishing in the secret that her husband was actually talking in gorilla and elephant tongue rather than just making random animal sounds.
"So can you help him Doctor?" Archimedes asked once Dr Willis-Turner had finished assessing William.
"How old is your son Mr and Mrs Porter?" Dr Willis-Turner asked Tarzan and Jane.
"He was born on the 10th July so he will be 5 months old next month," Tarzan said and Jane nodded in confirmation.
"He is quite small-"
"He was born a week or so early," Jane hastily interrupted, "and I have been unable to breastfeed him so we had to use a makeshift bottle so that we could feed him."
Dr Willis-Turner nodded and stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger in thought. "Mr, Mrs and Professor Porter… shall we sit down at my desk?" Tarzan felt his palms begin to sweat and his stomach ominously churned as the doctor gestured to them to sit down in front of his desk. He sat himself down in his burgundy leather desk chair, twiddling the stethoscope in his hands.
"I can operate on your son. William has a unilateral cleft lip and palate, which I believe that I can rectify in one operation. He will have some scarring but nothing a boy cannot handle."
"Oh that's fantastic!" Tarzan gasped and turned to his wife who was looking just as relieved and happy as he was. This was the best news that they had ever heard! All those weeks sailing the endless seas had been more than worth it after hearing the doctor's answer.
"However-' the doctor interrupted and the Porters' felt all their stomachs drop at hearing that word.
"However," Dr Willis-Turner continued, his face sporting a very serious expression, "William is very small for his age and I feel that it would not be wise to operate on a child this young and this small. I am prepared though to operate when he is a year old like with Johnny Collins."
"But Doctor," Jane hastily replied, her heart racing a mile a minute, "we have a home and family back in Africa. We cannot afford to stay here until next July! It's out of the question! Is there any possibility to have the operation sooner?"
"Mrs Porter," Dr Willis-Turner put the stethoscope down on the desk and placed his fingertips together before taking a deep breath. "With all due respect, I can understand that as a mother you want your son to be healthy and well, to no longer suffer a disfigurement, especially a facial disfigurement. You want the very best for William, I can see that but I am not prepared to operate on a 5-month-old child. It is imperative for me to provide the safest, cleanest operating room not just in London but also the whole country and I use the latest anaesthetics and antiseptics. But every surgery has its risks and I feel that William is too young and small for this procedure, hence why I wish to wait until he is a year old."
Jane looked down at William who was happily sucking on the wooden elephant, completely oblivious to the seriousness of the adults' conservation. So young, so innocent, the thought of him not surviving surgery was unthinkable. Even though she found the first few months so tough and so trying, she loved her son and would go anywhere, do anything to make him better. Despite being for weeks at sea, it failed to cross her mind that the thing William needed to help him could easily and irrevocably hurt him. She had put so much hope, blind hope in this man, in this doctor healing William that she never even considered that she was putting her son's life in his hands, that there was a chance that she could loose him.
It was a wake up call and Jane instantly knew that she would wait as long as it was needed for William to be deemed strong enough to survive surgery. Even if Tarzan had to sail back to Africa before her it was a sacrifice she was more than willing to take.
"I tell you what," Dr Willis-Turner continued, "why don't we book another appointment for the New Year? I will assess William again and then we can make a fully informed decision from there."
"Jane?" Tarzan looked to his wife and she nodded silently whilst William babbled contentedly.
"Good, good," Dr Willis-Turner nodded, relieved that the Porters were not going to cause a fuss. "Miss Perkins will book you in for the 10th January, when William turns 6 months old."
"Thank you Doctor," Archimedes shook the doctor's hand as they left the waiting room.
"Thank you Professor Porter and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."
Archimedes nodded and the Porters politely wished Dr Willis-Turner a Merry Christmas before heading down the three flights of stairs to their horse and coach waiting patiently outside. They again didn't say anything to each other on the journey back to Montpelier Square, with a brief stop for Archimedes to buy sweets for the girls.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Annabelle cried in delight as the family came into the kitchen via the servants' entrance.
"Hello sweetpea!" Archimedes beamed as he saw his granddaughter sitting cross-legged with Daisy on the kitchen floor, their fingers entangled with string as they played 'cat's cradle', Simpkin dozing on Daisy's lap. Daisy helped untangle Annabelle and she jumped up to hug her grandfather.
"How was the doctor?" she asked as Carson and Mrs Fairfax helped Jane, Tarzan and Archimedes out of their coats, scarves, hats and gloves. "Can he help William Papa?"
"Yes," Tarzan nodded, "but we need to wait until after New Year when he is bigger and stronger before he can have his operation."
"So… we will spend Christmas in England then?"
"Yes, it seems that way," Jane added and Annabelle's cheeks flushed with excitement.
"So will I see snow Mama? Can I go ice-skating? Ohh, ohh, Daisy told me that in her village in winter the pond on the village green freezes over and the children skate and they build snowmen and have snowball fights and slide down the snow banks on sledges! Can we do that Mama?"
"I don't see why not?" Jane smiled, leaving the disappointment of her son's delayed operation completely to one side and was now getting into the spirit of impending Christmas. After all this was going to be her daughter's first and probably only experience of an English Christmas and she decided that she was going to make it the most magical time ever, despite being in hiding.
"Oh Mama!" Annabelle was giddy with excitement and hugged her mother's waist in fervent anticipation. Her young mind was already racing with ideas of what presents she wanted and what presents she wanted to get or make for her family.
"Shall Daisy go to back to her duties Madam?" Mrs Fairfax enquired and Daisy immediately stood up and smoothed down her own plain brown day dress, knowing full well that she would have to change into her uniform right away.
"No, no continue playing girls," Jane smiled, seeing that Annabelle was very much enjoying Daisy's company and it would be a shame to end it, "Daisy, you can have the rest of the day off."
"Thank you Madam," Daisy politely bobbed a curtsey whilst Annabelle gave her mother's waist a grateful squeeze.
"Daisy, shall we go to my room and play with the dolls' house?"
Daisy nodded silently but soon the girls began to giggle and started to run out of the kitchen.
"Girls!" Archimedes called out and they turned back to face him. Archimedes beckoned Carson to bring over his coat and he pulled out two paper bags and held them out to the girls. Annabelle took them and handed one to Daisy who opened hers with slight wariness.
"Thank you very much Sir!" she replied, overwhelmed by the glorious sights of different delicious sweets nestled in the brown paper bag.
"Thank you Grandpa!" Annabelle added, equally delighted at the sight of sweets that she had never even seen or tried before. "Come on Daisy! We can eat them whilst we play! You have to tell me what flavours these are!" The girls giggled again and dashed out of the kitchen, clutching their bags of sugary treasures with Simpkin following suit.
Jane and Tarzan chuckled as they heard the sounds of the girls' feet bounding up the stairs in excitement as they raced up to play with the splendid dolls' house and gorge on sweets!
"So we are staying for Christmas then," Tarzan said as Martha took William from his wife so that she could put him down for a nap in the nursery.
"Yes and we are going to make it magical," Jane smiled as Tarzan put his arm around her waist, "for Anna, for William, for you, for all of us."
"Will it snow? Will we really have a white Christmas my dear?"
"Let's keep fingers crossed," Jane smiled as the heat from the kitchen range warmed her from the bitter cold outside, "let's keep our fingers crossed."