Disclaimer: Doc Martin is the property of Buffalo Pictures. I own nothing except my imagination.
Patience is a Virtue - Chapter 18
Louisa cuddled up to Martin in bed. He had insisted on a very early night as she was back to work in the morning. He was happy just to cuddle her and not expect anything more. He felt that it was a small price for him to pay compared to what she was going through, knowing that she felt sick, tired, and hormonal.
"I can't believe it's the first day of term tomorrow already, the summer holidays have gone so quickly," Louisa said to him.
"Yes, and I want you to pace yourself, not overdo things, make sure you take regular breaks, keep hydrated..." Martin started to tell her yet again.
"Martin! Stop lecturing me, I know it's only out of concern, and I love you for it, I really do, but you have to let me get on with my job. I'm pregnant, not ill," Louisa was trying to get him to back off a bit, she really didn't want him calling into school every five minutes checking up on her.
At least this time it wasn't a case of him trying to block her promotion as he had done when she'd been pregnant before – at the time she'd been furious with him, and although she still thought it unforgivable, she now realised that it had been his very clumsy way of trying to protect her, stop her from overdoing things, just as he was trying to now. At least now he was no longer a School Governor - when his term of office had come up for renewal, he'd stepped down on the grounds that he couldn't spare the time to attend the meetings, and Louisa had not been in the least bit surprised that none of the other governors had tried to persuade him to stay on.
"Yes, but with your history of fainting, not always eating properly, not looking after yourself adequately, I'm concerned for you. You get carried away at work, get involved in things and forget about eating. Being tired, hungry, and stressed are not good for you in your condition," Martin told her.
"Well I promise that I'll make sure to take regular breaks and eat properly. I did manage to look after myself before you know, I got through my first pregnancy alright, Luke turned out just fine after all," Louisa reminded him.
"Hmmm. Well in pregnancy your body automatically puts the baby's needs first, so it would be your body that suffered not the baby if you weren't looking after yourself, putting you at greater risk of osteoporosis later in life, there are all sorts of consequences that aren't immediately apparent you know.," Martin told her.
"Yes, but I have a perfect diet now, thanks to my superstar of a husband, so there really is no need to worry so much. I'll be fine," Louisa said as she tenderly kissed him on the lips and ran her hands through his hair.
"I hear what you're saying Louisa, but have you any idea what it feels like to be called out because you've been found collapsed and find an ambulance there for you? You're trying to brush my concerns aside, but there are good reasons why I'm concerned after all." Martin wasn't going to be fobbed off so easily, even if her ministrations were affecting his concentration as she knew they would.
"The ambulance wasn't necessary, and fainting isn't that unusual for me as you know by now Martin," Louisa pointed out, carrying on with her kisses round his ears and neck now and running her hands under his top.
"Yes, but...but you could hurt yourself when you collapse, it isn't just the fainting...Louisa you'll have to stop doing that...it isn't fair when..." Martin was now finding it very hard to resist her.
"Maybe I don't want to stop, there's no medical reason why we have to stop, is there, and we are having a very early night after all," Louisa said as she started to run her hand down his stomach, heading for another area.
"No, but with you starting back at work tomorrow, I really think it best if you get some sleep now," Martin said, exercising great self restraint and firmly removing her hands from him.
"Fine, if you don't feel attracted to me now that I'm pregnant you only have to say," Louisa huffed as she rolled over and turned her back to him. She knew that wasn't true because of his only too obvious response to her touch, it was just him being stupidly over protective again. As they both lay there not able to sleep now, she felt that the time could have been put to much better use.
xXx
The beginning of term went well for Louisa. She managed to stave off most of her bouts of sickness with a secret stash of biscuits and crackers in her desk drawer in her office, and she hadn't raised any eyebrows when the other staff had seen her drinking herbal tea as she often had it in any case. Nobody seemed to have guessed that she was pregnant so far.
She had to admit that she felt shattered by the time that she got home from work. Luke was being his usual demanding little self, he needed watching all the time in case he found something new to get his hands on. His latest fascination was with the TV in the lounge, the screen was covered with his sticky little finger marks, and if the remote control was left within his reach he would spend ages fiddling with it, rather than play with any of his toys. Lately she'd been so tired that she'd let him fiddle with it, knowing that he couldn't get the batteries out, while she just closed her eyes for a few minutes on the sofa, and now she wasn't sure that it was working properly – baby dribble probably didn't do it much good. Martin hadn't noticed yet, but she thought that she would simply blame the batteries in it when the time came, it would be easier. She didn't dare complain too much to Martin about feeling so tired in case it triggered another wave of his claustrophobic concern.
On her first day back, Martin had been worrying because it was his surgical clinic day.
"I'm afraid I'll be really busy today, I doubt I'll be able to call in to check on you at lunchtime," he'd told her.
"That's OK, don't worry, I'm feeling fine," Louisa had assured him, privately heaving a sigh of relief.
"But if I get a moment I'll ring you," Martin had said.
"Look you're going to be really busy, and so am I, so we'll just catch up at supper as usual hmm?" Louisa had suggested.
"I suppose so, but you know you can always call me at anytime..." Martin had told her.
"Yes, I know, now come on or we'll both end up being late," Louisa had reminded him as she'd scooped Luke out of his highchair and taken him to get ready for nursery, glad that Martin had a busy day ahead of him to keep him occupied and out of her hair.
In the afternoon, Louisa had been taking a class. The Head teacher role was mainly spent on administrative matters, budgets, form filling, forward planning and so on, but Louisa still loved teaching, so she timetabled herself in to teach a few classes a week. She also believed that it was the best way to monitor her pupils' progress and keep her finger on the pulse of the school.
She was in the middle of teaching a history lesson on the Tudor period, one of her favourite subjects, when Sally Chadwick put her head round the door.
"Doctor Ellingham on the phone for you," Sally told her.
"Can't you tell him I'll call back later, when this lesson has finished?" Louisa said, annoyed.
"Well this is the second time he's rung, the first time I said you'd call him back, but now he's rung again and says he needs to speak to you urgently," Sally explained apologetically.
"Right. I see. You lot, get on with reading the information sheets, I'll be back in five minutes," Louisa told her class as she left the room. Perhaps something was wrong with Joan, maybe that was why Martin needed to speak to her urgently, she worried.
"I'm between patients, so I thought I'd just check to make sure that you're alright, no fainting episodes or anything," Martin said when she took the call in the privacy of her office.
"Martin, you've hauled me out of a class of 30 children, who've now been left to their own devices, just to check up on me?" Louisa asked him incredulously.
"Well, I'll be tied up now for the rest of the afternoon, and I wanted to be sure that you were OK first," Martin explained.
"This has to stop Martin. I'm fine, I'll see you tonight," Louisa said as she put the phone down and went back to her class, smiling at Sally as she hurried by.
xXx
Martin knew that Louisa felt that he was being over protective, but he felt so responsible for her. Of course he hadn't even known that she was pregnant at this stage with Luke, so this was all new to him. Although he'd dealt with many expectant parents as a GP, he was now experiencing it from the other side and it was proving to be a bit of a roller coaster ride for him – elated one minute, worried sick the next.
"This early stage of development is very critical because the basic structure of the body and all the organs are formed in the first twelve weeks, and can be adversely affected by various different influences," he'd told her. He'd double checked that she was immune to rubella, this was very important considering that she worked in a school surrounded by lots of disgusting germ infested children.
"Yes Martin, I know, and of course I would never take any medication or drugs of any sort," Louisa reassured him.
"Once you've had your scan at twelve weeks, we'll be able to relax a bit more if everything seems OK then," Martin told her.
"Yes, it'll be really good to get passed that stage, won't it?" Louisa agreed, thinking that it seemed ages away at the moment. She wasn't allowing herself to think too much about this baby, or get too excited until that time, just in case things went wrong, but with Martin constantly fussing it was hard to push it to the back of her mind.
xXx
"So how are you feeling now, are you still suffering with wretched morning sickness? Joan asked Louisa, having called in one evening. "I just brought you some of my special chicken broth, I thought you might fancy it."
Joan's chicken broth was famed in the village for its healing qualities.
"Ah, thank you Joan, that's wonderful, your broth is always so delicious. Yes I am still being sick, trouble is it isn't just in the mornings, which makes it a bit tricky sometimes, especially at work, but I'm coping," Louisa replied.
Martin had been called out, Luke was tucked up in his cot upstairs, so the two women could talk freely as they sat at the kitchen table.
"Well I hope Martin is still looking after you properly, taking care of you, and helping with Luke," Joan said.
Louisa smile ruefully as she recalled the latest 'helpful' lecture from Martin this morning when she'd been sick again.
"At least it shows a good healthy level of the HCG pregnancy hormone in your body Louisa. A large amount is produced until the placenta is developed enough to take over at around 12 – 14 weeks, so hopefully your sickness should ease at that stage. Combined with extreme fatigue in the early stages, it's probably nature's way of preventing you from doing stupid dangerous things like climbing mountains or trekking through the jungle – or working too hard," Martin had told her.
"Bloody stupid nature, just being a pain in the proverbial," Louisa had grumbled.
"Well take some time off work if it's that bad..." Martin had started to suggest. He'd made no secret of the fact that he would be far happier if Louisa was at home taking things easy for now.
"Don't be stupid Martin, I've only just gone back, I'm only having a grumble that's all, it doesn't mean I can't cope," Louisa had told him.
So now Louisa said to Joan,
"Oh yes, he's certainly doing that alright," she confirmed, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh. Going a bit overboard is he? Never one to do things by halves that boy," Joan said. "Never mind, just be patient and try to make the most of it."
"I'm trying to, but I think if he had his way he'd wrap me up in cotton wool, and have me on complete bed rest for the next few months. To be honest, I've been at screaming point with him at times. I've always looked after myself, I'm more than capable...I don't need..." Louisa told Joan.
"Sorry, but I think you're just going to have to let him help you Louisa. Don't forget, he's never had anyone to look after like this before, and maybe he is going too far, but it's only because he cares about you and this new baby that's on the way. Maybe you have to consider what he needs too – he needs to feel that he's helping, especially after last time. Expectant fathers have to make adjustments too you know, especially one like Martin, it doesn't come naturally to him. I for one am delighted to see him like this, however annoying it may be for you at times. Would you rather he went back to seeming cold and uncaring?" Joan thought Louisa was being rather too harsh on Martin.
Louisa mulled this over for a while before heaving a big sigh and saying,
"No, I wouldn't, as usual you're right, I always wanted him to show his caring side more, and now that he is, I'm complaining like a spoilt brat. Poor man can't win, can he? Thanks Joan." Louisa smiled at the older woman.
"What for?" Joan queried.
"For telling me a few home truths, and not pandering to me," Louisa explained.
"Well you know me, tell it like it is, best way I've always found," Joan replied.
xXx
When Martin came home later that night, he was surprised by Louisa putting her arms around his waist and pulling him close to her as she nestled into his chest. When he'd gone out, she'd been in a pretty foul temper with him because he'd questioned whether it was a good idea for her to be one of the accompanying teachers on an educational school trip to The Eden Project in a couple of weeks time, thinking that the three quarters of an hour journey there would probably make her pretty queasy, and that it would be a demanding day for her looking after all those horrid, badly behaved children. She'd told him in no uncertain terms that there was absolutely no reason for her not to go, it would upset the teacher/pupil ratios if she didn't, and basically for him to 'butt out'.
"I'm sorry for being such a moody cow with you Martin," she told him now.
"Err.. you haven't been, it's... umm ...just your hormones affecting you," Martin told her, not sure what the right thing to say was.
"Yes I have, and it's no good always blaming my hormones, I shouldn't be so unreasonable. I always wanted a kind, caring Martin and now that you are, I'm being horrid to you, so I'm sorry," Louisa took his hand and placed it on her tummy. "You're going to be a great Dad to this baby, just as you are to Luke, you know that don't you?"
"Well, I hope so Louisa, I certainly intend to try my best to be," Martin replied, relieved that she wasn't snapping at him for a change, and enjoying having her in his arms and cuddling up to him.
'Mustbeanotherhormonalswing,luckilyintoagoodmoodthistime-Iwonderhowlongit'lllast?' Martin thought to himself, not realising that he had his aunt to thank for Louisa's change of mood. At the moment it was hard to know which way was up at times.
xXx
A kind of calm descended between Martin and Louisa as he tried not to fuss as much, and she tried to let him take care of her a bit more willingly.
Then one morning Martin brought in the post that had just arrived.
"There's a letter for you Louisa, same handwriting as the birthday card that you didn't want to open in front of me," Martin said as he put the letter down in front of her.
"Ah. Right." She'd been afraid this would happen.
"Aren't you going to open it then?" Martin asked, watching her closely.
"OhGod.Nowthebrownstuffisreallygoingtohitthefan' Louisa thought to herself.