Village

Louisa got through the day, but the desire to have a lie down was constant for she felt without energy. She drank some decaffeinated tea, but the taste put her off, leaving a metallic taste on her tongue she could not shake until lunch time. Fortunately, the egg salad sandwich and green salad she'd brought from home helped a lot with the feeling of having a coated tongue. She was finishing her late lunch, having worked through the usual time, when she'd monitored the cafeteria, and was eating a mandarin as Sally Chadwick appeared. The school secretary looked flustered.

"Problem, Sally?" Louisa asked.

"Sorry to interrupt, Louisa," Sally said in a rush, "But Edie Marrack's mum is here. She's saying that her daughter is in hospital and your husband drove her there!"

"Oh?" Must have been serious, Louisa thought. "Bring her in."

A platinum-blonde older woman came in, twisting a handkerchief in her hands nervously. "Mrs. Ellingham?" she began, "I'm here for my grandson. His name is Harry Marrack."

Louisa stood and came around the desk to take her hands, which she noticed were slicked with perspiration, but she put on a smile anyway. "Hello. And you are?"

"Barbara Chenowith," Sally threw out.

"I'm the Head Teacher, Louisa Ellingham," she told the visitor. "Now, Mrs. Chenowith, how may I help you?" She helped the woman sit then pulled a chair near, sitting down herself. "Tell me about it."

All in a rush the woman spun out how her daughter was in hospital over in Truro, something going on with her pregnancy, but the baby was fine but still five weeks from due date, and how the village doctor had driven her there. So, they were keeping Edie overnight and shew was to pick up her grandson.

Louisa nodded again. "Oh dear," she told the woman. "Sally, I think that Mrs. Chenowith could do with some tea and a biscuit or two?" Martin drove her? Must have been serious she realized.

Sally answered, "Right" then sped off to the task.

Louisa touched the woman's elbow. "But your daughter and the baby are fine, that's the good news."

"Yesss," the woman hissed. "At least there's that but my son-in-law is stuck across the Channel. Some defect with his lorry and he can't get it repaired to drive onto the ferry. So, he's in France, Edie's over in Truro, and probably scared as all get out, Harry's here in your school and I…" she started to weep, "I don't know what to do!"

Louisa took a deep breath. "Right. Would it help if I called a taxi to take you to Truro Hospital?"

The woman nodded. "I don't have much money but, yes that would be nice."

When Sally brought tea, and Mrs. Chenowith had some, she began to clam down.

Louisa let her settle then asked, "Do you have any other family, or friends, who might take your grandson overnight?"

The woman shook her head. "Small family, we are. I have a niece in Exeter and my ex-husband lives in Bath. We don't see him very often and Edie is our only child see, tried to have more but it was not to be, " she sighed. "And Tim, my son-in-law he's an orphan."

Louisa breathed deeply. "So, we will see to you and little Harry." Saying that, Louisa thought of the struggle when Peter Cronk's mum burned her hand, as she and Martin had traded poor Peter back and forth between houses.

Luckily, Sally had lingered by the door. "There's his teacher?" she suggested. "Mrs. Welles?"

Louisa thought that over. Maggie Welles was a mum in her forties, with two children now away at uni; one in London, the other up in Glasgow. Louisa had heard Maggie say that teaching the little 'uns filled a hole in her heart. Louisa looked at Sally and with a nod of her head and a mouthed 'go get her' sent Sally on her way.

While Sally was gone, Louisa mothered to the grandmother, telling her it would all work out, plying her with biscuits, plus more tea and fresh tissues, until Maggie Welles came in. Maggie was a tall and striking woman; dark-haired with grey eyes, who had a happy demeanor as well as having a good head on her shoulders. Louisa had relied on her several times as mentor to new teachers, in the profession of teaching pleas dealing with fractious young children and anxious parents.

Louisa made the introduction. "Mrs. Chenowith this is Maggie Welles, Harry's teacher." Then she added that Harry's mum was in hospital and so forth. "Might you be able to take Harry to your home tonight, just we get things sorted with his dad and so on?"

Maggie's face broke into a smile. "Why me and Bob would glad to help out!" she exclaimed. Maggie almost laughed for Bob was her dog.

"But… but," Mrs. Chenowith stammered, "he doesn't have any night things or anything for tomorrow."

"We can make do, there's always things in the lost and found, yes?" Louisa answered. Plus, the village shops she thought.

Mrs. Chenowith shook her head, "I don't know, what if it didn't work out?" she squeaked.

Louisa stood. "I'll make sure it all goes well. Now… let's have you talk with Harry, explain what's going on. Please stress that mummy is just fine, and we'll take care of him."

Mrs. Chenowith started to blubber. "I don't know how to thank you…"

Louisa reached for her mobile. "I'll get on to a taxi."

"But… I haven't any money," Mrs. Chenowith protested.

"We'll see to that," Louisa told her then when she had her handbag open, two 20 Pound notes and slipped them into the woman's hands. "Incidentals." She bit her lip, knowing her school budget was tight, the hour-long taxi ride for the woman to Truro would eat up this month's emergency funds so, she'd have to accept that the 40 Pounds could only be considered money spent in a good cause.

Maggie put her arms around the woman, got her up, then turned her towards the cafeteria. "We'll have Harry meet us in the lunchroom and you can have a chat." She caught Louisa's eye. "I'll call you later."

"Right," Louisa told her, then said, "Mrs. Chenowith we will make sure all's good. Yes? And we'll give you all our mobile numbers."

Smiling in encouragement, Maggie got the distraught women down the hall.

"Well," said Louisa to herself, "takes a village," then she returned to finish more paperwork, plus draft a report for the files on the school intervention she had just arranged.

At the end of the school day, Harry Marrack walked home with Maggie Welles, his grand mum had called Louisa with the happy news that she had arrived at Truro Hospital, her daughter was stable, and the baby was still 'in there.'

Louisa stuffed a pile of paperwork and her laptop into her hobo bag, got her coat on, picked up handbag and hobo bag and headed for the door.

Sally met her on the way. "Another fun-filled day at Portwenn Elementary, right?" she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Louisa sighed. "Not just a school, are we?"

Sally chuckled. "Hardly. You okay?"

"Just tired is all."

Sally hugged her boss around the shoulders. "Hang in there. See you tomorrow, Louisa."

"Good night, Sally."

Louisa trudged home, almost turning left out of the school to her old house (where her furniture and most things still resided) but turned right towards the Platt and up Rosscarrock Hill to Martin's.

As she entered the cottage through the kitchen, she heard Pauline clattering about in reception. "Hi, Pauline," she said as she entered that room.

"Louisa! Helloo. How are you?"

Louisa bit her lip. "Oh, fine."

"The Doc had a busy day."

Louisa nodded. "I heard."

Pauline got into her coat and picked up her handbag. "He can be grumpy and rude but my he does care for his patients."

Louisa flashed on the other morning when Martin performed a pregnancy test on her. "I know."

"And you look tired, Louisa. Make she," she winked, "you get enough sleep?"

Why did everyone assume that she and Martin were shagging each and every night? I mean, sometimes… but at the moment Louisa felt like she could sleep for fifteen hours. "I will."

Pauline headed to the front door. "We girls have to stick for one another. G'night." With a slam of the door, she was gone.

Martin's exam room door opened. "Ah, hello," he said when he saw his wife. In fact, when he saw Louisa his mood always brightened. After his emergency drive to Truro and back his afternoon had been filled with trying to catch up, plus he'd missed lunch.

Louisa went to him and hugged him. "Hi, Martin," she said putting a kiss on his cheek.

"Are you… well?" he asked warily.

She yawned. "Tired, but I'm okay. I think… well now I know what the pamphlets say about first trimester fatigue."

"That's the hormones," he answered. "Progesterone specifically." He looked at his watch. "You have time for a nap before dinner."

She smiled. "I'll do that. Just don't let me miss dinner." She headed to the sofa, then curled up there, pulling a rug up over her legs. "I heard you drove to Truro?" she asked Martin who had just come into the kitchen.

"Yes," he replied. "Ambulance… was unavailable."

"Scary for Edie," she answered.

"Edie?" Martin asked. "Edie who?"

"Edie Marrack. Her mum came to the school for her little boy. Honestly, Martin, you don't recall her name?"

"Oh, yes. But… she's in good hands. All's well."

"Harry, her son, as well. Maggie Welles took him in." Louisa's head got heavy, feeling her eyelids droop. "Good. Good that… Edie is fine," she murmured. "Village stepped up." She relaxed as a wave of rest started to creep over her, body and mind. She was aware that Martin had walked towards her.

"Louisa, today at Truro Hospital," he was saying, "I… met… that is… saw… a…"

"Hm…" Louisa told him, drifting off. "Saw what?"

"A who. An… old…. that is not that old… but actually…" Martin was nervous, because of who he was trying to tell Louisa about. "I met a… colleague."

"That's nice, " Louisa sighed as sleep took her away.

Martin looked down at his wife and asked, "Louisa? Louisa?" Then he heard her begin to snore. Damn, he thought. I'll tell her later; about Edith Montgomery that is.