Disclaimer: Doc Martin is the property ofBuffalo Pictures. I own nothing except my imagination.
The Bitch is Back- Chapter 27
Louisa did a double take. Surely it couldn't be..? What on earth was she doing back here? But there was no mistaking that aggressive red flicked hair even from behind, and sure enough, when she turned round, there was that supercilious look, that slight smile playing around her lips, the confident manner that came from her belief that she was superior to the rest humanity. Edith.
Louisa felt herself starting to panic, hyperventilating, a cold sweat running over her, as she looked round, thinking that Edith couldn't be waiting for her, it must be someone else that she was beckoning to. She turned to Martin, and saw him smiling at Edith in recognition.
"Ellingham, you've brought the little school teacher from your village to see me, how sweet of you," Edith said as she swept up to Martin, ignoring Louisa as she placed her hand on his arm and pecked his cheek.
"Edith, good to see you," Martin replied, not able to take his eyes from her.
"Come along then, better get on with this scan, we'll need to check for inter uterine growth retardation. No doubt there'll be a mistake with dates as some people can't count it seems," Edith said, leading Martin towards the room with the scanner in, glancing behind at Louisa and indicating that she should follow.
"I'm not sure...I really don't want..." Louisa tried to get the words out, but they just stuck in her throat.
"Come on Louisa, what are you waiting for? Doctor Montgomery hasn't got all day," Martin said to her brusquely.
Louisa found herself following meekly and then getting up onto the bed, watching as Edith chatted to Martin about how the RCOG had just awarded some prestigious special status to her.
"Lift up your top then," Edith commanded impatiently, then carried on her conversation with Martin as she squirted gel on to the transducer and proceeded to scan Louisa's tummy.
"Of course, your help with my report was invaluable. We'll have to get together again for the next one I'm undertaking," Edith said to Martin.
"Yes, I'd like that, I really enjoyed the process last time," Martin smiled at Edith as he agreed.
"Oh dear. That's not what I'd have expected, not at all," Edith said, staring at the screen with a disapproving look on her face.
"What? What's the matter?" Louisa asked in a panicky voice.
"SShhh! I'm measuring, keep still will you, for goodness sake," Edith told her irritably.
"Martin, what is it, what's wrong?" Louisa asked him, grabbing his hand for reassurance.
"Don't make a fuss woman, we're just trying to assess how bad things are," Martin told her, pulling his hand away.
"Yes, this foetus is not even close, not in the least what's expected at this stage," Edith said, tutting and shaking her head.
"Really Louisa, this is all your fault," Martin told her in his coldest tone.
"I'm so sorry Martin, I don't know why this should be," Louisa said as she started to cry, heartbroken.
"Oh for God's sake, don't start with the waterworks, we'll just have to get rid of it if it's substandard," Edith told her, raising her eyebrows at Martin.
"Yes, that would be the most appropriate course of action. Let's make the necessary arrangements now, best get it done straight away," Martin agreed.
"No! What are you talking about, what's wrong, you haven't even told me what the matter is, Martin?" Louisa pleaded with him.
"Nurse, move this patient to the operating theatre will you?" Edith called out.
"No, no, no, no, please Martin, help me, no, no," Louisa screamed out.
xXx
Louisa sat up in bed, her heart pounding, feeling hot and sweaty. It took a little while to realise that she had been dreaming, having a nightmare. She was so relieved to discover that it wasn't true, it wasn't real, but it had certainly seemed it just now. She took several deep breaths, and put her bedside light on to help break the spell of the nightmare and dispel it.
Martin stirred when she put the light on.
"What's the matter, hmm?" he murmured sleepily, reaching over to her.
"Nothing. Nothing is the matter at all," Louisa replied, looking at him next to her in their bed. She felt an overwhelming surge of love for him as she cuddled up, revelling in his warmth and the feel of his big strong arms going round her protectively, with his hand now resting on her bump.
"Everything is fine, my Martin," Louisa sighed contently as she settled back down to sleep, having switched her lamp off again.
xXx
They sat together having their lunch in a little restaurant in Truro after the scan which had been in the morning. Martin didn't want to have to go to the Coach and Four on the way home from the hospital again. They'd both taken the whole day off, as Louisa wanted to do some shopping in Truro, and had somewhat reluctantly agreed to Martin accompanying her for this after the scan. She supposed she only had a few things to do, and his opinion might actually be quite handy.
Although Martin hated shopping, he wanted to go with her to make sure she didn't overdo things. Joan was on standby to collect Luke from Nursery in the afternoon and bring him back to their house if they needed her to. If Martin had his way they would be back in plenty of time to collect him, he had no intention of spending hours mooching round loads of pointless shops.
"I can't tell you how relieved I am now that we've had the all clear from the scan. Mr. Stewart is so nice, so different from...well from last time," Louisa said, not even wanting to bring that woman's name up. They were looking together at the latest pictures from the scan. She hadn't been able to help herself, she'd found herself looking round at all the hospital staff, relieved that there hadn't been a certain red head there. Then she'd scolded herself for being so paranoid, why on earth would Edith be back here in Cornwall, she was settled back in her high powered job in London now. It was just her horrid dream that had unsettled her.
"Yes, he seems pretty thorough," Martin agreed. He'd watched avidly as Charles had gone through all the very detailed checks and measurements at the twenty week anomaly scan. Louisa had been adamant that she didn't want to know the sex of the baby, and had made him promise not to try and see what they were having. He'd been spellbound, hardly saying a word, just fascinated both as the father of the baby, but also as a scientist. He still hadn't said much, but Louisa had been very pleased when Martin had given her a big hug and put his hand on her bump as they had got back to his car, which was tucked away in the corner of the car park, so was quite private. She had happily kissed him back, thrilled by his show of affection.
"I didn't sleep very well last night because I felt so nervous," Louisa confessed as she ate her lunch hungrily. She hadn't told him about her nightmare, as she really didn't want to talk about Edith to him.
"I thought you were tossing and turning rather a lot," Martin said. He'd also noticed that she could hardly eat any breakfast because of nerves, so he was glad that they'd decided to book an early lunch at this restaurant. It made a nice change to have a day out together.
"And there was no query about the baby being small for dates this time," Louisa smiled at him. She still didn't really understand how they had got it so wrong last time, but felt very reassured as Charles had explained each measurement that he had taken, and confirmed that it was within the normal range.
"Yes, it's very good to know there is no issue regarding SGA," Martin agreed. How Louisa must have worried going through all that on her own last time, no wonder she'd looked so exhausted and tired in the later stages of her pregnancy. He was determined that she would not feel like that this time if he could help it in any way.
"So, twenty weeks, half way there. Now we've got the Charity Ball, and Christmas to look forward to. Of course I'm going to look all fat and bloated, you'll be embarrassed to be seen at the Ball with me this time. Hopefully I can find a dress that doesn't make me look too awful. My bump seems to be expanding at a very fast rate now," Louisa told him, patting her tummy.
"You're pregnant. It's perfectly normal to increase your girth to accommodate the baby. Of course, with it being your second pregnancy, it will be even harder for you to get your figure back afterwards, so..." Martin started to lecture her.
"Alright Martin, I know the score, no eating empty calories, keep up with some gentle exercise, make sure I do my pelvic floor exercises," Louisa told him with a glint in her eye. She didn't need any reminders.
"So, where exactly do you need to go after lunch, something to do with a dress for the Charity Ball, wasn't it?" Martin changed the subject before he risked upsetting her any more. He was slowly learning the danger signals and knew by now that the flash of her eyes meant that he was treading on dangerous territory.
"It's a maternity shop that stocks evening wear. I've spoken to them on the phone and they have several dresses that might be suitable. Fingers crossed, because I'm a bit stuck otherwise," Louisa explained. She had looked everywhere else and hadn't found anything she liked or that fitted very well.
"Right...I see," Martin said.
"I also need to get a few bits and bobs for Luke, and there's a great big Mothercare shop just round the corner from here where I should be able to get what I need for him," Louisa added.
"Ok, well we'd better get going, if you've finished eating I'll get the bill."
Although Martin wasn't keen on shopping, he thought they might as well just crack on with it, he had volunteered to come after all.
As they wandered around Mothercare, Martin looked in amazement at the huge range of baby equipment – there were prams, buggies, strollers, and pushchairs in a whole range of colours and styles. He'd thought Louisa's choice of a red pram and buggy for Luke had been quite unusual, now he realised that she'd really been quite conservative, she could have had something much more radical. Seeing all the available equipment he thought that Louisa had been really quite restrained with what she'd bought for Luke.
"Are we going to need much more equipment for the new baby do you think?" he asked her.
"Not too much, we have most things already. I think we're going to need a double buggy, but I haven't researched all the different types yet," Louisa told him.
Martin wandered over to look at the double buggies – they seemed huge and cumbersome, he couldn't imagine using one in the shops in the village, it was bad enough with a single buggy.
"Come on then, let's go to the dress shop now," Louisa told him once she'd bought what she needed for Luke. It was nice to see Martin actually showing some interest in baby equipment, maybe she could even get him involved in researching the double buggy for her. It did look odd though to see him carrying the Mothercare shopping bag which he insisted on taking from her. A black medical bag was much more his style.
In the dress shop, the assistant produced four possible evening dresses for her to try on. Sensibly, the shop provided a big comfortable armchair which Martin sat in while she went and tried the dresses on.
The first one was made from a bright floral fabric with ruffles round the neckline, and was a fitted style that hugged her bump.
"What do you think Martin?" Louisa asked him as she came out of the changing room to show him.
"Too fussy and too clingy," was his assessment.
"Hmm, I see what you mean," Louisa agreed as she looked in the mirror, and so went to try the next one on.
The next one was turquoise and fell in little pleats from under the bust, allowing plenty of room for her bump.
"This one's quite nice," Louisa said, as she twirled in front of him.
"Not too bad," Martin agreed.
The next dress was a very simply styled empire line dress in a chiffon type fabric with a low v neck, in a striking scarlet colour.
As she came out of the changing room, Louisa saw Martin stare at her, as his eyes lit up.
"That's the one, that's the dress you should buy," Martin told her decisively. He'd always liked her in red, and the colour of this dress suited her perfectly. It was a very flattering fit, falling in soft folds around her bump. It had some satin ribbon detailing around the edges of the neckline, and under the bust.
"Well, I've just got one more to try on, a black one, although I did wear black to the last ball..." Louisa considered.
"Don't bother with it, get the red one," Martin insisted.
"OK, the red one it is then," Louisa decided. She liked it, and it was very comfortable too. Knowing that Martin had very good taste she was happy to go along with his choice. Of course, when she looked at the price, it was the most expensive one, naturally.
As Louisa paid for her dress and it was wrapped up, Martin asked hopefully,
"Is that it, can we go home now?"
"Well I'm going to need a new bra to wear with this dress, 'Exclusive Elegance' where I got all my other special lingerie from is just a couple of streets away, so we might as well go there now," Louisa told him.
"I can't go into a woman's lingerie shop," Martin said, horrified. There were limits as far as he was concerned. He thought he'd done pretty well up to now, but he drew the line there.
"I don't see why not, you've never objected to viewing their wares before as I recall," Louisa teased him laughingly.
"Yes, but...that was in private...I couldn't." Martin was blushing now.
"OK...well, there's a lovely antique shop round the corner that you could have a browse round while I get sorted. It's a bit pricey, but you might find another clock to restore or something else to take your fancy," Louisa suggested, knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea to push Martin too far – he'd been pretty good about the shopping, to her surprise, but antiques were much more his thing.
"Yes, that sounds a better idea, just phone me when you're done," Martin agreed relieved. He'd restored Jenny's clock for her and had enjoyed doing it, so was happy to browse the antique shop for a possible new project.
As they met up afterwards, shopping now completed, Martin felt rather pleased with himself as he looked at the packages that he'd sneaked into the big Mothercare carrier bag that he was still carrying, so that Louisa wouldn't see them.
"Christmas shopping done. Maybe shopping with Louisa isn't so bad after all," he thought to himself.
"I'd have dithered over which dress to have for ages without his opinion. Maybe shopping with Martin isn't so bad after all," Louisa thought to herself.
They even got back in time to pick up Luke from Nursery.
xXx
Edith Montgomery sighed as she pulled into the car park at Truro hospital late one morning in December. It was a real pain having to come all this way, she really thought it was unnecessary for her having to be here in person, but the senior managers at Truro hospital had insisted that she attend the meeting to discuss the controversy caused by the results of her study concerning 'geriatric' expectant parents based on evidence gathered from her common obstetric clinics at their hospital. What was it that they didn't understand, surely a five year old could have understood her report, she'd thought to herself. Still, it had given her a chance to try out her new car, a nice sporty little number that she had treated herself to.
Her eye was caught by a very tall man walking past towards a silver Lexus car parked right over in the corner. She was surprised to find that her heart lurched when she realised that it was Ellingham. Then she realised that on the other side of him was...that woman, Louisa Glasson.
She watched as they walked up to his car, and then stopped as Ellingham pulled Louisa towards him and hugged her. Then she noticed, as Louisa's coat fell open, that he put his hand on what was obviously a pregnancy bump. Louisa reached up and kissed him back before they got into the car and drove off. So she'd managed to seduce him again – well that had always worked for her, she supposed, and there couldn't be many available women in that little village. Poor Ellingham, he'd always been a sucker for a pretty woman under that tough exterior, typical public school boy, not used to dealing with feminine charms.
Edith had convinced herself that she didn't want Ellingham after he had walked out of the hotel on her, and then turned down the London job to remain in that biscuit tin village after all her efforts to help him. He was damaged goods, she'd convinced herself, and she'd tried her best with him after all. Now she analysed the feeling she had just experienced, and assessed it as jealousy, much to her surprise.
When they'd first met up after all those years, it had brought back memories of when they had been medical students together. In those days, she had encouraged him to experiment with her in the practical application of all the theoretical anatomy lessons for sex. Ever the perfect student, Martin had soon mastered the basics, and then the advanced techniques, and so could 'hit the spot' pretty much every time, making him a damn good lover. It had been such a shame that he was so old fashioned, so traditional, that sex equated to marriage in his book, so he had proposed and had expected her to turn down a fantastic opportunity in Canada to settle down with him. That had not been part of her life plan, so she had simply gone to Canada without him.
When they had met up again so many years later, Edith had fantasised about testing out his techniques again – she hadn't had good sex for quite some time, and he had seemed the perfect candidate to fulfil her needs – he'd never been able to resist her in the bedroom after all. She doubted that he would have forgotten any of his skills either.
She'd been very shocked when he'd left the hotel, clearly not wanting to spend the night and have sex with her. Her pride had kicked in, so she'd declared him riddled with phobias, a hopeless case that she gave up with. But the funny thing was, it now transpired that she really wanted what she couldn't have – Ellingham. Hence the pang of jealousy that she had experienced on seeing him with...that woman, and pregnant again too, to add insult to injury. Maybe she had been too hasty in giving up on him so quickly?
Edith sat for quite a few minutes after the Lexus had driven off, contemplating her options, before stepping out of her car and heading off for the meeting at the hospital. She had never given up on getting what she wanted before and she didn't intend to start now.