Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Buffalo Pictures. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 1:

The aroma of burning pine branches is normally a welcome thing, but in this case it was mixed with the odour of burning plastic and wet ash. Al Large had had the smart idea to cut the support lines for the town Christmas tree so that the burning mess of it could fall into the Platt towards the water rather than setting the whole village ablaze. The Fire and Rescue Services made short work of it, although none of the members was charmed by a call out on Christmas Eve to Portwenn.

As Christmas Day dawned with sunny skies and a brisk December wind, Martin and Louisa were glad no one seemed aware that the lantern that had set the tree on fire was the one launched in memory of, or perhaps in good riddance to, Martin's horrid mother Margaret. Agatha was still in hospital, so she could not admonish Louisa or Penhale about the danger of ignoring proper procedures in getting council approval for the Lantern Parade. Louisa suggested that a hefty donation to the Fire Brigades Union was in order.

Martin carefully deposited three large eggs into a saucepan, covered them with water, and put the pan on the hob. He toasted slices of bread for soldiers and, as a nod to Christmas day, fried up some bacon because Louisa and James were both partial to it. Mary Elizabeth would have some cereal and pureed fruit. It wasn't long before he heard Louisa coming down the stairs with James. Seeing two people he loved more than life itself made him think twice about the fat and salt content in the bacon, but there was no way at this point to hide the aroma and pretend it didn't exist. Who knows, he could think of it as part of some animal sacrifice for the birthday of Sol Invictus.

"Martin, I would very much like to hear about what happened yesterday. I was so concerned when I hadn't heard back from you in so long, with the weather turning bad. I'm afraid I also alarmed Ruth," Louisa said.

Martin replied, "I was on my way to Leonard Maitland's when a turkey appeared out of nowhere! I swerved to avoid it and slid right into a tree, knocking my head on the steering wheel because, OF COURSE, the one time the AIR BAG WOULD HAVE BEEN USEFUL, IT DIDN'T DEPLOY, EXCEPT AS A TARDY INSULT."

"I did notice that scrape on your forehead, but you seemed okay when you arrived, somewhat spectacularly, I must say, into the Village."

"Yes, Louisa, my head is fine. The whole experience of hypothermia was much worse, particularly as I am so familiar with its progression. It was a bit of a near thing. It was good to find the Maitland house and warm up. Idiotic turkey!"

"Well, you made James' Christmas, isn't that right, James. I think he was despairing of seeing Santa in a happy situation when you drove in on your 'sleigh'. Quite a contraption, really." Louisa remembered with a smile the motorized sleigh bearing Father Christmas, with Martin at the wheel.

"Yes, right."

"It took quite a while for you to fix Leonard up, it seems. Was he seriously ill?"

"Um, Louisa, .."

Louisa sighed. "Yes Martin, I know you can't discuss your patients."

"Ah", thought Martin, "At least Louisa in this instance didn't need to be reminded." Martin automatically continued to monitor the eggs and toast to ensure they would be cooked perfectly. "Well, this isn't really betraying any medical detail; he and I had a bit of a conversation."

At that moment, the egg timer rang and Martin plated the family breakfast. Before sitting down to join James and Louisa, they could hear Mary Elizabeth starting to stir.

Martin said, "I'll get her. You can start in on breakfast with James." Martin charged up the steps, retrieved Mary, gave her a nappy change, a quick clean, and a new outfit. Whilst upstairs, he also took the opportunity to change out of his pajamas and dressing gown, putting on a dark grey suit with a red tie. In the meantime, Louisa prepared Mary's cereal and fruit, and then the four Ellinghams sat down for their Christmas brunch.

After the meal was finished and James was busy playing with his Christmas gifts in another room, Louisa tilted her head at Martin curiously. "You mentioned a conversation with Leonard. A conversation with a patient? That's, ah, not something I expected."

"Well, um, the, ah, incident with the car and the hypothermia did wear me out quite a bit, and, um…."

"I would have thought that might make you more irritable…"

"YES, Louisa, I know. I'm still processing what he and I talked about, but Leonard is more insightful than I expected."

"Leonard?!"

"Yes, Leonard Maitland. This shouldn't surprise you, I used his full name before."

"Actually Martin, not only did you correctly remember his whole name, but you called him by his first name. Doesn't that seem a little unusual to you? Maybe you did hit your head hard." Louisa said this last with a bit of a smirk.

"No, Louisa, I am not concussed! My pupils are even and I don't even have a headache and…"

"Joke, Martin, it was a joke."

"Ah, right. But you should never joke about medical conditions. I wouldn't." Martin looked a wee bit perturbed at the thought.

Louisa acknowledged the point, "Right. Okay. So, what did you two chat about in your little tete a tete that took so much time?" There was a bit of exasperation in her voice.

"It wasn't really that long. He told me how much he disliked Christmas until his wife, who loved it, died. She died a few years ago, if you recall."

"He doesn't act like a man who dislikes Christmas. In fact, I'd say he actually loves it. He pours a lot of energy and money into making yoyos for the children and I can't imagine what it took to create that sleigh…."

"Louisa, yes, but that was just a way to introduce what he really wanted to say. He observed that I was hesitant to leave. I seemed to, ah, put up artificial barriers to -"

"Excuses?"

Louisa, please, I don't know how to explain this and it doesn't help that you interrupt."

Louisa thought for a moment. Martin typically only has trouble expressing himself when there is some sort of emotion wrapped up in what he wants or needs to say. He is so truthful and direct. With this much stammering, there must be more to the story. "Sorry, Martin. Go ahead."

"He thought I hated Christmas, like he did." Martin paused.

Louisa thought about saying something encouraging, but decided silence would be better for Martin.

"In truth, my early Christmases were microcosms of my whole childhood. All in one day, I could be excited, get a gift, such as it was, have the smallest inkling I might matter to my parents, just to Find Out That THEY LEFT ME HOME ALONE." The last bit came out in a rush, with a combination of sorrow and anger.

At that point, there was a loud rapping on the surgery door.