Chapter 26
Happiness
More or less
It's just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Oh, my, my
Happiness
Coming and going
I watch you look at me
Watch my fever growing…
"Lucky Man" by Verve
More the Merrier
"What is it Penhale?" I ask.
"Some out-of-towners caused a fight in the Crab. Your medical expertise is required Doc."
"Louisa, I…"
"Go Martin, Phillip and I will be fine."
I hold the door open for Louisa to enter, before saying,
"I will lay him his cot. Do not lift him if he wakes."
I turn to Penhale and continue,
"Penhale, go pick up Poppy at her cottage and bring her here. I'll drive myself to the pub."
I rush up the stairs as quickly as I can without waking Phillip. Once I have him settled, I call Poppy to watch out for Penhale and explain our emergency. I finish my call just as I enter the kitchen where Louisa is standing at the sink filling the kettle, after stopping first at my study to retrieve my medical bag.
"Poppy will wait with you while I deal with the dunderheads in the pub."
She turns to face me with that smile that I love, as my eyes slowly fall from her face to her extended mid-section, my thoughts … my worries about leaving her alone with Phillip race across my face. Will she be safe until Poppy arrives?
As always Louisa senses the emotions of her husband.
"Martin, I will be fine. When the water is ready, I will make a cuppa and sit at the table with my computer and order the baby items we talked about. I won't pick Phillip up, I promise."
"Please keep that promise, sit and wait for Penhale to bring Poppy," my voice begs.
I take the kettle from her and place it on its base to warm, and then I wrap my arms around her shoulders, gently pulling her towards me. I kiss the top of her head before releasing her.
She plants a kiss on my lips and places my key fob in my hand. "Now go," she says.
ME/LE
I walk into the Crab, met immediately by Morweena, and she gives me the medical facts as she sees them. A few bloody noses, plenty of scraped knuckles, and a lacerated head which was caused by an ale bottle swung by my receptionist protecting Bert. She smiled when she told me that bit. Bert Large was the most serious. Considering his age, weight, and known medical problems. He was shoved into the wooden bar as he was calling Penhale on the phone.
I see Al standing in the middle of the room, everyone separated, with each group watching the other waiting for someone to cross that imagery line.
I examine Bert first, asking my usual medical questions as I pull out my stethoscope to listen to his lungs and watch his rib cage move as he breathed. My physical examination shows a contusion to the underlying soft tissue on his right side from his forced collision with a solid object, the wooden bar. Gently I press on his lower ribs, Bert's reaction is minor but I am concerned about a crack or broken bone.
"Morweena, dial 999. Bert needs to go to the hospital for scans of his ribs on the right side."
From the tables on the far side of the room, the loud drunk voices start up.
"My friend needs to see the doctor too. He's bleeding through the towel."
"I will examine each of you in order of medical need. This innocent bystander is my priority," I announce as I cringe at the thought of Bert as innocent.
Once I finished with Bert, I make my way around the room prioritizing my patients. I noticed that the villagers and or fishermen didn't have the severity of injuries as the visitors – they truly looked like they received a beating. The village continued to take care of their own – Tom and one of the waitresses were filling bags with ice and handing them to those that needed them. Shots were lined up along the far end of the bar waiting to be circulated by a villager to his own.
Only the head wound required my attention, the rest were badly bruised faces, some bleeding from cuts, and many would be visiting a chemist for pain relief, hopefully in another village.
As I stitch the back of the head wound, I overhear his mates complain about their treatment from the villagers. It seems the village didn't take kindly to the rude comments regarding the school's headmistress. She led their best friend on when he visited earlier this year. I look around the room, scanning for that weasel, as my surgeon's hands finish with the last knot.
"Is your friend here among the injured?" I ask. "I would remember a tourist that time of the year, as we don't see many."
"Nah, he's visiting his mum at some old folk's place not far from here. He grew up here and thought his school sweetheart would want to get together again and maybe move to London with him. Get out of this place and have a life."
It all fit, Danny told his mates his version and placed all the blame on Louisa.
"Is he meeting you here after his visit?" I ask.
"We were to meet later at some restaurant called 'The Large Restaurant'. They can't even name their restaurants with proper names," came a mumbling response from a bloody towel sitting on the chair next to me.
Deep down I wanted to know what was said about Louisa, but I needed to keep my emotions under control.
"I suggest you contact your friend and change your meal location. You won't be welcome to dine at any establishment in the village when word gets around. Besides the owner of the restaurant was my first medical assessment. They won't be opening their restaurant tonight."
"That's not very friendly."
"The headmistress was born and raised here and you alienated yourselves with your words and actions with her village. She is loved by all the people in this pub. Try eating in any place in this village and I will be treating you for possible poisoning." 'If I would treat you at all.'
I notice Penhale enter the pub, and it doesn't take long for him to spot me and walk over adjusting his belt as he walks closer.
"Doc, are you finished with these lawbreakers? I need to fingerprint them and get them over to Wadebridge."
A sudden rise in upset voices around me set my nerves pulsing. I stand and grab Penhale's arm, pulling him away from the boys of London.
"Joe, instead of jail,* can't you write them a ticket?"
"No Doc, they broke the law."
"Are you arresting Bert, Al, or any of the fishermen involved in the fight?"
"No, they were defending the village and Louisa."
"Who caused the damages? Are you saying that not a thing that is damaged is this pub was caused by a villager?"
"I can't be sure. I haven't interviewed everyone."
"All the out-of-towners are mates with Danny Steele. He told them his version of his visit and placed his problems on Louisa. He is visiting his mother at the moment but plans to come here to meet his mates. What do you think will happen when the villagers realize he is to blame for their words regarding Louisa…?" I nod to our guests behind me… "I think the wise decision if the law needs to be enforced, would be to ticket the ones that injured Bert with disorderly conduct and ask all of them to leave the village immediately."
I can see my words float across Penhale's face and slowly his lopsided smile makes an appearance as his head starts to nod in agreement.
"Doc, you're right. Good thought. Once again the Dynamic Duo works together again."
With satisfaction there won't be any more trouble, I walk over to my medical bag to gather up the used bloody items and place them in the medical waste bag. Once everything is packed, I check one last time on Bert. Finally, after waiting another twenty minutes the ambulance arrives to take him to the hospital. I bid Morweena goodnight and walk to the exit of the pub. Looking one last time around the room, I give a small nod to the villagers to show my appreciation for their support of my wife, one of their own, before pushing on the door. I walk straight into Danny Steele.
Startled and stammering, "Doc.. tor Ellingh… am, what a surprise running into you here. I didn't think I would run into you here… I'm… you don't drink."
"No, Mr. Steele, I was here doing my job. Your London friends repeated your stories regarding Louisa loudly to a pub full of her friends. Her loyal friends did not like what they insinuated since they knew the truth. You didn't mention to your friend that Louisa is married when you visited, or how you inserted yourself into her life trying to destroy it. Now I would like to get home to my wife and son, so I suggest you call your friends and find somewhere else to meet up. The village is likely to tar and feather you before they run you out of the village."
"This is my village too, I grew up here," he says in a raised voice.
With a belittling voice, low and threatening I responded, "And you left. Louisa came back when she finished her education to help the village, and you tried to hurt her when she said NO to you."
In true Danny Steele fashion, he backs away from me. I stand taller, all one-hundred-ninety centimeters, and with my best Doctor Ellingham sneer across my face stare at him one last time then turn and walk to my car.
In the doorway across the way, a lone figure watches, her anxious fingers playing with her ring as Doctor Ellingham gets into his car and drives away.
ME/LE
The next morning, I am surprised to find Morweena not at her desk as I walk into the surgery. She wasn't in the kitchen making her morning tea, and her computer wasn't on with the schedule lit up on the screen. I noticed mail on the ground at the door and walk over to pick up a single envelope. I take it and my medical bag into my consulting room to prepare for the early morning appointments.
The sound of the lock disengaging pulls me into the reception room to find my nervous receptionist scurrying in.
"Sorry Doc, I know I'm late, but I thought I would top to check on Bert this morning and you know he just keeps talking and I couldn't get away."
I watch as she quickly turns on her computer and pulls her prepared patient files of morning appointments from the file drawer.
"How is Bert this morning?"
"A bit sore but no bones broken," she stops talking and reaches over to the fax machine pulling sheets of printed paper off, and hands them to me. "He said his extra padding in the area prevented the bones from breaking from the impact with the bar. When Al bought him back to the village, they went back to the Crab. Bert was able to weasel a free pint out of Tom."
Out of my peripheral, I see mail dropping through the mail slot. 'I thought I picked up the mail.'
"I thought the mail was delivered. Morweena don't you pick up the afternoon mail before you left on Saturday?"
"I did, it is right here on the corner of my desk," she says as she holds up a small stack from Saturday. "Oh wait, there wasn't any mail on Saturday, this is from Friday afternoon."
"But I found mail on the ground when I came in this morning."
Morweena gathers up the mail dropped through the slot as I walk into my consulting room for the envelope I found this morning. Walking back into the room holding up the piece of mail to show her what I was talking about.
"I see we received another one," she says.
I look more closely at the front of the envelope and notice the obvious information on normal mail is missing – no stamp, address of the recipient is missing, there is only my name. Only Doctor Ellingham is on the front of the envelope.
"You said another one, how many of these have we received?"
"Three previous to this one, the envelope was the same, just your name."
"Why haven't you given them to me?"
"You said when I first started that I should open anything that looked informal. You didn't have time to answer the, and I quote, 'rubbish thank you for doing my job', unquote," she says with a smile. "I saved them," she says as she digs in her desk drawer. "There is always just a note with some romantic poetry in them."
She hands over the notes and makes her way to the kitchen to make her morning tea while I read through them.
"I think one is from Shakespeare, but I'm not certain. That kind of stuff never made any sense to me."
"Yes… they are quotes from Shakespeare but this latest one is from Albert Camus.**
Morweena walks in from the kitchen with her tea, "So who is sending them? It has to be someone not from the village. Nobody in the village can sprout Shakespeare off the top of their head. Ohhh… wait, maybe it is Mrs. E, she knows that stuff."
I look at my young receptionist with a sneer, "Why would my wife send me notes at the surgery and not place them around my study or under my pillow at home? A few people in this village know Shakespeare – my aunt Joan for one."
"Would she send you these notes?"
"No."
I find myself frustrated – 'who would send me love notes?' I ask myself.
My thoughts are broken with the entrance of my first patient coming through the door.
Morweena hands me my stack of patient files and my mail and I return to my consulting room and close the door. I need a moment to think. Louisa will know of anyone that fits with this knowledge, I'll ask her at lunch. With that settled I place the notes in my drawer and pull the first patient file out of the stack and walk to the door, calling Mr. Jarvis back.
ME/LE
When the last of my morning patients were examined, and prescriptions were written, Morweena knocks on my door.
"Enter… What can I do for you Morweena?"
"George said you looked a bit peaky, so I thought a hot cup of tea would help," she responds.
"Thank you," I say as I accepted the mug of tea and remember a question I had for her regarding the notes. "Did you always find the envelopes among the mail at the front door?"
"No, I found one on my desk when I came in one morning. I thought it might have come in the late mail delivery and you left it on my desk. Sometimes it comes when I am gone for the day and you are in here finishing the patient files."
"Do you remember when that was?"
"I think a few weeks ago, not exactly sure."
"Thank you, if any other shows up inform me immediately."
"Okay, Doc." She turns and closes the door on her departure.
ME/LE
Louisa and Melanie enter through the back door after their morning swim. I am catching up on my assignment from Doctor Hayes for our appointment the following day.
I put my journal in my desk drawer and leave the room, as I stand in the hall I can hear the giggles of my son upstairs in his room with Poppy. Louisa and Melanie's voices are coming from the kitchen. I notice they are discussing the incident from last night. By the time I returned yesterday Louisa was sleeping upstairs. Poppy informed me that they both ate and Louisa said she was tired. I thanked her for coming on short notice and offered to call her a ride but she wanted to walk since it wasn't too late. I listen to find out if Louisa knew who and what was said that caused my medical emergency. I knew the time had come to tell Louisa when she all but said 'I'll ask Martin'.
I walked into the kitchen and both women looked at me making me feel guilty that I hadn't said anything earlier.
"Martin, what was the medical emergency at the pub that Joe drugged you off to?"
"The village had some visitors from London that spoke ill of you," I say to get the elephant off my chest.
"Why would someone speak ill of me? Who from London knows me well enough to speak badly of me here to my friends?"
"Do you recall our problem this past winter and where that problem lives?"
"Nooo… He wouldn't do that. Would he be that vindictive when he was the one that started it and wouldn't listen to a thing I said?"
"According to his friends - yes. He was visiting his mother while his friends spoke about you in the pub. The village put them in their place, with a few broken noses, and black eyes and Morweena broke a bottle over someone's head to protect Bert. I believe I saw a bloody tooth on the floor but can't swear whose mouth it came out of. Not one of the village residents showed up this morning with fight-related injuries. Bert has bruising along his right side from the impact of his weight forcible slammed into the bar."
I could see the tears start to slide down Louisa's cheeks and walk over to embrace her. Melanie hands her a few tissues and left the room, giving us a moment.
"You're sure Bert is okay?" she muttered.
"Yes, I checked him out last night, Morweena call for an ambulance as I requested. He was seen by doctors at the hospital and the report I received said nothing was broken. The doctor put in a side note, I guess as a joke, that his padding saved him."
"As a thank you, we should have dinner at his restaurant tonight."
"Louisa, do we have to?"
"Yes, we do."
"Well we will need to do it another evening, Morweena spoke to Al this morning and said that the restaurant is closed for a couple of days. Bert is resting."
"Then we will go to the Crab tonight. Most of the people that defended me will be there and I want to thank them."
I roll my eyes and understand that Louisa needs to do this.
"I will call the aunts and make it a family affair. But first, let me make you lunch," I say as I kiss the top of her head.
ME/LE
The Ellingham family, including both aunts, was ordering their meal when an unexpected visitor approached their table.
"Good evening Doctor Ellingham," announced Sally Tishell.
Three sets of eyes looked at the woman dressed unusually from her normal skirt, blouse covered by a sweater outfit, she wore black stockings, a dress covered in flowers cut lower than normal showing more than Joan had ever seen from this woman. Her medical collar had a vibrant burgundy scarf tied around it, she wore make-up, and she had styled her hair.
"Mrs. Tishell," I responded, looking at her with my usual 'ole God, what does she want now' expression.
It is the women sitting around me who fully noticed the difference in her attire, I really couldn't be bothered.
"Doctor Ellingham, have you read the newest article in the MRHA this month?"
"Ahh, no, and now is not the time to discuss it. I am having dinner with my family. Call the surgery and schedule an appointment."
"Sally, dear. Stop bothering the doctor and let them eat, our table is ready," Clive Tishell announces to his wife.
"Ohh, all right… Later Doctor Ellingham," Sally bats her eyes at me and gives her fingers a little wave as her husband pulls her away.
"What in the world was that?" asks Ruth.
"Sally Tishell, the chemist. The man is her husband. Their marriage is not normal as he works on the rigs and is gone for many months out of the year. Sally is a lonely woman. Don't you remember, I told you all about her after she showed up during your talk with Martin at the surgery?"
"Yes, I remember now. She is dressed differently than the last time I saw her. I guess with her husband home she dressed up for him."
Ruth watches the couple as they sit down and the husband did everything possible to get his wife's attention off our table. Finally finished with her inner medical evaluation of the couple, Ruth joined in the conversation at her table. She noticed that her nephew was laying out four small note cards on the table and wondered what kind of game he was starting.
"Martin, what are these?" she finally asked.
"Ruth, weren't you listening? These have shown up at his surgery the last few months," Joan explains.
"Martin asked if I knew who would be sending these to him, but I can't think of a soul. I don't know who reads Shakespeare or Camus regularly. They wouldn't have to if all they wanted were some quotes, they can easily look them up on the internet," Louisa says.
"So you think there is a woman in this village, other than Louisa, that is fantasizing about you?" Ruth asks while her eyes move back over the table currently occupied by the Tishell's.
"Ruth, Martin doesn't pay any attention to anyone. It took him forever to realize Louisa wanted to have a relationship with him," Joan blurts out.
Louisa and I were equally blushing, I noticed.
"Let me see these romantic quotes", Ruth states as she turns the cards around. "Do you know in what particular order each note was delivered?"
"No, only this one," I say as I point to the note from this morning. "I found it this morning at the front door before our regular mail delivery. So someone could have delivered it late Saturday through to early this morning."
"Marty, there was no mail on Saturday, the truck broke down and never made it into the village. So our timeframe is extended to Friday after the surgery closed," Joan added.
"Let's see what we have," says Ruth.
'In thy face, I see honor, truth and loyalty'
'I give away myself for you and dote upon the exchange'
'I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest'
"Well those are all Shakespeare," Louisa says.
'Blessed are the hearts that can bend, they shall never be broken'
"That is the one from today and the person changed authors with Albert Camus. As Louisa points out the person could have found these on the internet. Louisa, who do you think it is?" Ruth asks.
"If I thought of anyone it would be Carrie Wilson but she sold the hotel and moved away so she isn't a factor anymore."
"Louisa when was she ever a factor? I have only ever had eyes for you."
"So you never noticed her in those slinky low-cut dresses with way too much cleavage showing or the way she fawned over you?"
"She was neurotic, hypochondriac, that drank too much coffee, and had that obnoxious little dog that she always left in my car."
"She was after you until you killed that poor thing," Louisa pouts.
"That was an accident. She should have kept a better eye on that dog."
Ruth watches this interaction between her nephew and his wife with great interest.
Laughing Joan joined the conversation, "Oh Marty, she left it with you so you would return Princess Tinkles, so she could flirt with you."
"Joan, don't start that conversation. I don't want that image in my mind again."
"Let's just say that Martin's response to something he saw. Remember Ruth I told you about Edward and the confusion I was feeling with the medication that Marty put me on. He yelled in his surgery, so everyone could hear, 'osteoporosis and sexual intercourse on kitchen tables don't mix'. I hope that image stays with you forever, Martin Ellingham."
"Yes, I remember now," Ruth says.
Louisa is completely confused by what she has heard. She looks around the table and mumbles that maybe she should not have gotten Martin drunk so they could have had sex on his kitchen table.
Joan and Ruth burst out laughing.
Looking at her nephew Ruth says, "Didn't you end up sleeping with a dog instead of Louisa?"
"Yes, that's the incident. I sent you the picture Ruth."
"Why do your aunts know about these incidents and I don't?" Louisa asks.
"Joan, I am sorry for yelling at you, but we are getting off the subject."
We are interrupted by our waitress delivering the food. Ruth quickly grabs the note cards before they are seen. Once everyone received their meal and started eating, Louisa continues her thoughts.
"If it was someone that has lived in the village since you became our GP, wouldn't they have made a move before now? I mean I was gone for almost six months, did anyone during that time try to get your attention… I mean romantically speaking."
"No."
"Again we are expecting him to notice a woman coming on to him," Joan seriously says.
"Who is new to the village, let's say in the last six months?" Ruth asks.
It is quiet as each person tries to think of a new person in the village. The only noise is Phillip talking to his food before he consumes it.
"Melanie came back near the end of March," Joan says. And you found her in your bed once Marty. What is she now eighteen or nineteen years old?"
"She was injured, I stabilized her shoulder, and she developed Stockholm syndrome," I say with some embarrassment.
"I watch the way she watches you, Marty. She still has a crush on you."
"No, she doesn't."
"She idealizes you, Martin. This goes no further than our ears. Melanie had a difficult first year at Uni in London. A guy from a class they shared made it seem he loved her. I don't think she was knowledgeable in those ways. All he wanted was sex. He was pressuring her constantly about how much he loved her until she gave in. They went to a party together and he introduced her to all his friends, and during the introduction he acted like her pimp, telling his friends what he got her to do. She left school the next day and doesn't plan on returning. She believes Martin is the type of man she is looking for – kind, gentle, and loving. Melanie got very upset with some of the teachers at the school one day. We were meeting about my reduced schedule and the discussion moved to complaints they had about you, Martin. They thought you were driving me crazy because you were always calling the school or coming to the school checking up on me. She lost her temper telling them they were the crazy ones. Complaining when a man is willing to cook, clean – do just about anything and everything for the woman he loves. She continued saying that if more men were like the Doc… and then she just stopped talking and left the room."
I never expected Melanie to come to my defense.
"The teachers kept up their rant against you, Martin. They thought you were keeping me from the school, from my job. I told them that it wasn't my husband that was keeping me from my job but my health, the health of my twins that I am carrying."
"Another mentioned how she couldn't understand why I married Martin. So I explained… to most of them that you are rude, and boring, and will never get past those qualities to see the real you.
"Yes qualities that he shoves in your face," Joan says.
Louisa rolls her eyes and continues. "They take the rudeness personally but Martin doesn't try to be rude. I gave them an example… Umm, Linda said her mum thought Martin was rude for saying 'he would call her an undertaker the next time she didn't follow her diet instead of the ambulance'. Linda's mum is a diabetic but Linda didn't know. Her mum never told her."
"Louisa, how do you know that Mrs. Smyth is a diabetic?"
"She was picking up a prescription one day, she and I spoke while Mrs. Tishell filled her prescription. She said you explained to her the seriousness of her illness including the diet that she didn't always follow. She enjoys certain foods that weren't on her diet and I remember the day her mum was very ill and you called for an ambulance. But they can never remember the times you save their lives, Martin. Oh, I got off the subject."
She takes a drink of water before continuing.
"Melanie came back into the room as I was talking. A teacher asked her what she meant. Melanie told them that my obstetrician put me on a diet and that Doc Martin was making sure Louisa followed it. Remember Martin she is there every morning and watches everything you do for me and Phillip. She sees the real Martin Ellingham and wants to find someone just like you. We talk every day. She did not send these notes to you."
"Sounds like we are back to square one," Ruth states.
"Louisa, thank you," I say softly. "I would like to continue this discussion at home without my aunts."
I take her hand and squeeze it and I receive a smile in return.
My aunts miss our quiet conversation as they have their own. While Louisa was talking, Joan and Ruth were able to watch Sally Tishell and were comparing their thoughts. They decided they would talk more in private at the farm later that night.
End of Chapter
*According to Google Ngram Viewer (for the "British English" corpus), gaol was more popular than jail until the mid-19th century, and the two words were used with a similar frequency from then until the mid-20th century, and that jail is the common spelling today.
**William Shakespeare was an English poet, dramatist, and actor often called the English national poet and considered by many to be the greatest dramatist of all time. The quotes are from different pieces of his work.
Albert Camus was an Algerian-born French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature.