In my haste to upload originally, I forgot to mention I own nothing of Doc Martin. I am borrowing the characters for some random speculation while we wait for the rest of the series to unfold.

The original concept of this came to me in a flash, and just as quickly, left. I was looking at it the other day and thinking it still had a few seeds worth exploring. So, here's the next chapter.

DIY: Louisa's Project

Chapter 3

In the past she had been a good student of whatever subject she was intent on mastering. This course of study, however, was akin to a doctorate … or so she would learn, likely the hard way, since that's how it often worked with these two.

What did Martin like in everyday life?

Up until now, he had led a neat, orderly, if somewhat, quiet and somewhat contemplative life, at least during his non-surgery hours when he wasn't being interrupted by villagers with no qualms about interrupting. Adding two much less predictable people into this life was bound to create a certain amount of stress, not to mention, disorder and general chaos. Upon thinking about it briefly, she wondered if she could impose some order on, say, the way the house looked, or where things were stored. No, that probably wasn't going to happen right away, because of the disorder around all things baby. Order would have to be created around areas which were decidedly less baby-centric, to add onto a theme from their neighbors.

The study offered some possibilities, as did the bedroom. The kitchen, too, was at least partially available for improvement.

She further realized that one of the things he liked most was being needed. If she could create reasonable scenarios where she sought, and accepted, his help, there could be all sorts of residual benefits for all of them. Now she was getting somewhere.

This was way more than just asking for help in decorating. It was more about thinking about process, how to improve their lives through better design and processes. It meant really rethinking how they did even the most basic things (cooking, storing food, eating, keeping the place clean and presentable). These were exactly the sorts of "problems" that Martin particularly loved to solve. Adding to the mix a careful consideration of how to baby-proof the place, and the challenge was even more daunting (and, therefore, more worthy) of time and attention.

The good news for her was, having put the matter in his hands, she could concentrate on other things over which she truly could exert more control.

Another area of recurrent bickering was over how much time she spent at work.

She pondered, what was the best use of her time at work? Really the best? Something he'd said to her at one point, challenging her use of time and talents at the school, sparked a germ of an idea within. She possessed a solid vision for what the school meant to the community. It was located centrally, it housed all the children during the day, was a source of activities usually up until tea time, etc. With the addition of the after school activities, it was also a substantial employer in the village.

This detail was not unimportant. She realized that in order to prepare for future mission growth, she needed to create a sequence of opportunities for the staff. A better use of her time was in sourcing funds or grants, creating better ties to other local businesses and employers, etc., in order to create unbreakable ties to the community for the children. If they had solid economic opportunities awaiting them in the future, they might be less tempted to leave following graduation, or consider returning, following their college years.

But she took on too many tasks personally. Martin was right about that. She began to appreciate his blunt insights, which, often expressed rather rudely, were actually quite accurate and useful. God forbid, something would make her unavailable, for a day, a month, or longer. Who would fill in, how easy could her plans and vision be executed. No, this was no simple task.

Succession planning was such a businesslike approach, but conceptually, it was a great idea. If one removed theseeming soullessness of the concept, the practicality of it was brilliant. It forced her to have a plan, it forced recognition of plan B, it required thoughtful approaches to her staff's careers, personal growth and satisfaction. Why hadn't she thought of this before?

Though she'd only been in this job for a brief while, it was always prudent to be planning for eventualities. One of the quite impressive things about how Martin ran his practice was the businesslike approach he took. She could do worse than seek his advice on this matter too, at least conceptually, especially since he had been pushing in this direction for some time.

As she began seeking out his advice more frequently, and he enjoyed having his advice sought, their relationship was naturally becoming more of a partnership and certainly more of a relationship between equals.

It was becoming more satisfying to both of them than they realized, because it allowed greater give and take on a regular basis. In fact, it was dawning on her that his methodical approach to any problem was more useful than she'd ever imagined.

Martin loved having her turn to him in this way. He never felt more alive and valued than he did on a daily basis in their home. It was a bit disorienting at first. He felt she was up to something, but the benefits were immediate and inclusive all at the same time. It was hard not to be captivated by her genuine desire for his advice, for it communicated respect on a basic level. Plus, it just felt good to be needed.

For him, in the past, that need had only been sought for things medical or surgical, rarely for living on a day to day basis. This opened a whole new universe of possibilities for broadening their communication. He himself could study … designs for more efficient, safer living spaces, etc., and could materially improve their lives. It pushed all of his "optimum living situation" buttons.

In matters of demonstrating love and affection with their son, however, she was eminently more qualified than he to set the appropriate behaviors and boundaries. Her expertise and comfort in being around children of all ages qualified her to take the lead in dealing with basic, sometimes seemingly inexplicable behaviors, from their baby.

Since neither of them had had decent parental examples to follow, they were in all respects free to create their own way. Not the irresponsible way of their neighbors who set no limits, nor the cold hearted way of his parents, nor the minor criminal ways of her father. No, they were going to set a completely different course for their son, if they could resolve their basic differences.

Although they didn't speak of these matters much at first, it was on both of their minds at least as an undercurrent. He appreciated her loving, easy nature with their son. For brief moments from time to time, he wondered how his life or he himself might have been different if his parents had cared for him at all. It was a bleak thought. He was going to do everything in his power to ensure that was not his legacy to his son.

For her part, she was thrilled that they could raise their son together. Having had her mum run off when she was young had deprived her of so many things. She had had to grow up at an early age, to take care of her brother and her father, once her mother was out of the picture. Moreover she had had to chart her own course and become completely self determinant and self reliant. It could be exhausting.

It was challenging at first, reacquainting themselves with each other, whilst having to learn all of the different behaviours that their son exhibited. They were a little on eggshells with each other, but that was exhausting and somewhat stressful, until they began to relax a bit more around each other. Once Martin realized that Louisa's lighter-hearted approach to things wasn't sloppy or irresponsible, and once she realized he wasn't being unreasonable when he asked for a certain amount of orderliness, they could begin genuinely enjoying each other. After all, they'd only had those brief few weeks together when they were engaged, before breaking things off and going their own ways apart. Suddenly agreeing to live together didn't immediately resolve everything, other than demonstrate a desire to try and resolve issues.

As they began to trust each other, and relax around each other, they were reminded why they'd been attracted in the first place. She was constantly amazed by the range and breadth of Martin's knowledge about so many things. After having been on her own for her entire adult life, and even a good part of her childhood, she loved his knowledge and skill. In the kitchen, he was creative and efficient. She really appreciated his willingness and skills there. Since they both liked cooking, it was something they could do together and enjoy together.