Chapter 25 – Obligations

Theo Wenn's parents had spared no effort in making him the perfect image of themselves – vain, self-centered, and so selfish it was beyond belief. Dealing with this sick child, his horrible parents and everything else had been difficult.

It had been a very hard two weeks. It started with an excellent interview with Robert at Imperial Hospital in London. The sky was blue that day and my spirits rose as I strode along the Queen's Walk. I felt good, wonderful, and the walk made me quite confident. The bit of blood I saw as Robert finished surgery didn't even bother me, although I had chosen to skip breakfast that morning.

On the train back to Portwenn that stupid oaf Jim Selkirk sat down next to me humming, eating crisps, and swilling a beer, just before he died of a coronary. I could only pull the emergency signal and deal with the conductor and emergency responders. As the ambulance pulled away from the siding my mobile rang and Louisa alerted me to the breathing incident that started the entire chicken coop problem.

Doctor Milligan was far younger than I expected and although he seemed to be confident that psycho-analytical claptrap would help my haemophobia. His attempt to have me playact my way through surgery left me speechless. I left his office feeling no better for the experience. Milligan claimed I was derailing the session on purpose. Little did he know that I was starting to suffer a small panic attack right in front of him.

That took me back to the village and the path report that Pauline read me clinched the facts. Aunty Joan's unfortunate action of locking the unruly Theo into her chicken hut had not made him sick. Panicked the child yes, but not infected him.

Theo lay on his bed with a sickly expression, but his eyes had a spark of life, as he fired another pea at me from the shooter clutched in his hand.

I sneered at the boy, as he put the shooter to his lips and started gasping. Those sneaky eyes turned to alarm. I heard a panicky gasp as his airway closed on the pea. I flipped his skinny body over and pounded on his back until the pea flew out into my hand.

I next ruined the luncheon party of his parents and their smarmy friends with the revelation that their au pair was infected with a very nasty Central American organism, ameobiasis, who had then infected their son with it. A lack of personal hygiene got the infection started and the girl passed it on all too easily by not washing her hands. As I left the Wenn's house, with startled parents and guests in my wake, I felt like I should go back to the surgery, strip off and take a long hot shower and wash my shoes with disinfectant.

But my obligation to the patient overrode my personal feelings about his rotten behavior, and his terrible parents who were far more concerned about their business problems than caring for their child.

Aunty Joan spoke words to me that cut to the core. "You're definition of family isn't even in the dictionary." She spoke these hurtful words as I rolled up my blood pressure cuff, as she had fainted a few days back as PC Penhale questioned her. Joan seemed to be alright, but her financial problems did worry me. I noticed that certain bits of furniture in her house had disappeared, I presumed to the jumble shop and the brake lights on her truck were still not repaired.

She also told me that she'd been borrowing money from the bank, and I resolved to pay them a visit and see how much she owed. Perhaps I could help her. Joan's idea of family might be one thing, and mine another, but I would help her.

I walked from the Wenn's disease filled house and found Louisa heading up the walk.

"They've got me delivering school work!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah."

"Got the right shoes on!" she said and showed off her matching shoes. Unbelievably she smiled at me.

We had quarreled terribly last week nearly in this very spot and our mutual anger and frustration with the Wenn's had spread into our personal hell. I called her emotional due to hormonal imbalance. Of course, she bristled and called me unemotional.

She finished with "Why don't you complain to your friend Edit? I'm sure she's the type who wouldn't let annoying things like emotions get in the way. I'd rather be hormonally imbalanced than cold, prickly and intimidating! So if that makes you feel better, then good for you!" She ended on a shout.

She had whirled about and left, ponytail flying about, handbag swinging, and mis-matched shoes clip-clopping on the pavement.

Yet here we were commiserating with another about how awful Theo's parents were.

"Sooner or later they'll have to," I began.

"Take responsibility for their own boy," Louisa finished for me, as I said the exact same words.

Louisa gave me a look of embarrassment and I know I must have looked just the same.

She dressed in a sort of wrap-top maternity blouse, blue pants, and beige shoes. The shoes were some kind of flat affair. No laces, and not very practical for support of the arch, but likely practical for a pregnant women to put on and off easily. The bulge of pregnancy removing any possibility of bending forward, having no waist to speak of.

Louisa wore her hair pulled into a ponytail and it was glossy and a beautiful dark brown which set off her blue eyes.

She gave me a rueful look and turned towards the Wenn house to deliver the schoolwork. I knew that she'd make the best of it inside. She'll be polite, direct, even apologetic, and I could only imagine the chaos in the dining room as their guests tried to depart quickly. I'd taken no prisoners and Louisa would march straight on into the mess.

She had an obligation to the boy, to maintain his schooling through the sickness. She would be fine though. She'll breeze in and out keeping her composure, unlike me who felt that my obligation to my patients began and ended with only their medical care.

I thought back to surgery. My patients then were unconscious, totally unaware as sliced into their innards. Thusly limiting my interactions with them to a brief consultation before surgery and even less time after.

But I was obligated to provide the care, not make them feel better about it.

Mrs. Selkirk Lyme disease induced hallucinations of her dead husband came to mind as well. If I had only questioned her more fully, I might have sorted that before she fell in the sheep pen and was injured. Now the woman will be telling everyone that her dead Jim was a better doctor than the GP.

Louisa stopped briefly, and I thought she would speak. The rueful grin came and went again. I nodded apologetically and she went to the house and knocked on the door.

I didn't trust myself to call her name. I should have and explained to her… well, what would you say to the woman Martin? Sorry I got you pregnant? Sorry I asked you to marry and didn't follow through? Or worse, sorry I made myself believe that I loved you? That I was wrong? Wrong about all of it? Sorry that I've caused such pain?

I sighed. We all have obligations and responsibilities, don't we? Louisa to her students and their parents no matter how horrid they behaved. Me to the patients of the village even when I could not stand them, their quirks, smells, and their words.

Robert would expect me to be the best surgeon at Imperial Hospital that I could be. I'd have to make that happen. As I walked away, I glanced back at Louisa going into the Wenn's cluttered house. Louisa, I have a responsibility to you too. Obligations as well.

I wonder how much money I will have to provide all together so she can raise our baby? After all, I will be in London.