Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Chapter 3:
Martin enjoyed the relative quiet of the consulting room after the interrupted breakfast. As much as he treasured his family, sometimes he needed a bit of space and solitude. He also had a lot to think about still from his conversation with Leonard Maitland. He was glad that Louisa hadn't picked back up on that topic, because he wasn't sure he was ready to discuss it yet. Martin still had a bit of Christmas Eve's glow of having dodged death and feeling appreciated by his family, which also made him somewhat introspective.
Martin thought about what Leonard had said, about how Louisa and James wanted him around even though he was a miserable bugger. That he was loved by his family was something he had previously accepted intellectually, but he hadn't really internalized it before. Martin assumed his newfound feeling of mild contentment was able to take root because it had been paired with the highly emotional event of feeling pleased to not be dead.
The hypothermia incident was the second time in a year that Martin had realistically confronted his mortality. Both involved actual physical impact: the torn brachial artery near Arthur Collins' farm and the exposure near Leonard Maitland's. Certainly, there was some element of danger when Stewart almost fired a gun at him or when he was held hostage by both Terry Glasson's unmedicated schizophrenic friend Jonathan and Annie Winton. But those didn't actually involve injury and somehow seemed easier to dismiss. Or suppress.
The whole village had a sense of the near miss of the brachial artery, as there was hospitalization involved. Not so in the case of the hypothermia. Not even Leonard likely realized the near thing that was, as Martin's recovery was affected by the simple application of the heat of a fireplace. Martin shuddered a bit remembering the hallucination of his mother and her statement that James resented him already. "But that's not true, " Martin thought. "James was delighted by the lantern parade and riding through the village next to me in Leonard's sleigh/tractor contraption." It occurred to Martin that driving the sleigh could not be classified as "miserable bugger" behavior.
He didn't get to cogitate for long, as there was a light knocking on the door. The interruption wasn't entirely unwelcome, so Martin said, "Come through, um, I mean, come in."
Louisa walked in and asked, "Martin, can I talk you into a Christmas Day walk? There's just enough time before we need to head to Ruth's."
Martin sighed inside his head but didn't show anything to Louisa. He'd learned the hard way that indicating impatience with attending social functions wasn't cherished in his marriage. Still, Ruth was family so this wouldn't be too bad. He pasted a neutral to slightly pleased expression on his face and said, "Yes, fine. Some air and exercise will do us all good and it is reasonable weather for the 25th of December."
With that, the family proceeded to bundle up and head up Roscarrock Hill to the windy bluffs.
-ooOOoo—
Midafternoon, the Ellinghams loaded up tote bags with their contributions to Ruth's Christmas feast and headed to her home, pushing Mary in the buggy. James was old enough to take on buggy pushing on the flat ground of the village, while Louisa handled it on the hilly parts. Martin managed the numerous colourful tote bags, feeling rather self-conscious, and he was pleased there were few people about to witness it.
Ruth answered the door with an apron on and a crooked grin on her face. "Happy Christmas, family," she stated, with little fanfare. If you knew her though, you could tell that she was pleased to see them.
Louisa exclaimed, "And Happy Christmas to you too, Ruth," while giving her a hug. "Thank you again for hosting. We've already been interrupted once by patients who didn't want to wait until the surgery reopened. If we're lucky, we'll manage to get in an afternoon of peace. James, give Aunt Ruth a hug." James dutifully gave Ruth a stiff hug, no doubt a learned behavior from his father, thought Louisa.
"Aunt Ruth," acknowledged Martin. "Martin," Ruth replied. Despite the terseness of the standard Ellingham greeting, there was a sense of fondness there if one knew what to look for.
Between Ruth's cooking and Martin and Louisa's contributions, the Ellingham Christmas feast was plentiful and festive, although way too unhealthy for Martin's liking. Still, he understood the holiday was once a year and there was nothing to be gained by complaining. There were enough options for him to make up a plate of healthy food for himself and he managed to keep the worst items off James Henry's plate without causing a scene. He almost managed to keep the look of dietary disapproval off his face when noting what Louisa and Ruth were eating. Ruth had the good sense to be a peacekeeper and jumped in before Louisa had a chance to retort. "Martin, yes, we know this is not the best, but note that Louisa and I will be the ones paying for it, with tighter clothes and indigestion. Just let us enjoy it without a fuss."
"Mmm, " grunted Martin, which was the best he could do to suppress what he felt.
Louisa chimed in. "No Martin, the appropriate word is mmmmmmmm. This is delicious, Ruth. Thank you for having us. It really is nice to be out of the surgery and together with family on Christmas. What have you got planned for the time between Christmas and New Years?"
"I have agreed to play some chess with Al Large. We used to play out at the farm, but haven't had the time since he's been running the Crab. I think he's feeling a bit nervous about impending fatherhood and really is using chess as an excuse to talk. I don't have mothering instincts or skills, but I think he might view me as having a bit as a female perspective, having grown up without his mother. It should be interesting…"
"Perhaps Morwenna is acting unusual, and Al doesn't understand that it may just be hormonal. He may think instead it's psychological and is consulting you in a professional capacity."
Louisa shot Martin "the look". The "it's all hormonal" comment still stuck in her craw. She was starting to get a bit impatient with Martin, between the disapproval over what she ate and the sting of old memories of insensitive comments. She was also perseverating over James' stiff hug. As much as she loved Martin, she didn't want to see some of his less social characteristics get passed on to James, let alone to Mary. She couldn't stop a snarky comment. "A child of Al and Morwenna will no doubt grow up to be well adjusted socially and be able to fit in with anyone around here. They are both so warm."
Martin felt the implied criticism, but made no comment, understanding silence was the safest course. Ruth observed this interaction with both curiosity and concern. She actually agreed with Martin, but decided discretion was the better part of valor and kept her opinion to herself. For once.
Martin, Louisa, and the children bid goodnight to Ruth after consuming far too many sweets and headed back to the surgery. James was quite excited, no doubt due to a combination of sugar and overtiredness. He had done a great deal of running on their walk. Mary was out like a light in the buggy. It didn't take long to arrive home.
"Up you go, James. Time to get ready for bed. It's well past your bedtime, but it was a fun time at Aunt Ruth's, wasn't it?" asked Louisa.
"Yes, Mummy. I think I liked the afters the best."
"Well, brush your teeth, wash up, and get into your pajamas and we'll be up shortly to tuck you in."
"Yes, good."
Louisa thought, "That sounds just like Martin, which isn't bad, really. It's just how Martin agrees, there's nothing gruff about it." She said, "Ruth seems to be well, doesn't she Martin? She has really settled into the village and seems more relaxed since selling the farm."
"Mmm, yes. The farm was more Auntie Joan's thing. Ruth always seemed out of place there. She would buy veg in town when she had perfectly good crops! That made no sense."
"Well, Arthur Collins seems to have settled in, despite coming from a career in high finance. Of course, hiring some of the local lads to do most of the work probably has a lot to do with it. They tell me he follows them around and helps though and seems to be trying to learn how to do things correctly."
"Right, yes." Martin said, but he was thinking about Arthur Collins. Arthur seemed to be an intelligent person who spoke clearly and listened well, although he didn't always take medical advice. He at least had the decency to admit when he was stupid about ignoring his doctor, though, and hadn't done it since he injected himself with bovine serum with his arm in a sling. Martin roused himself from his thoughts and said, "I'll go up and see to James. I'm sure he wants to see you too, Louisa. Will you take care of Mary?"
"Yes, Martin, of course."
The children were settled into their respective beds, finally giving Martin and Louisa some time to themselves with no demands on them. Louisa took the opportunity to take a quick shower and change into her pajamas, while Martin read some of the latest BMJ until she came back downstairs.
"Happy Christmas, Martin," Louisa said, taking a seat next to Martin on the sofa.
"Mmm, yes," Martin replied.
"Between the Christmas Eve lantern parade and the ride in the sleigh, the gifts, and today's walk and dinner with Ruth, I think James had a lovely Christmas. You helped give him that, Martin."
"It was all somewhat unavoidable. I needed a ride into town with my car wrapped around a tree, and all Leonard had available was that, that thing. Without an overcoat, the only option I had was that ridiculous red robe. There's no way it would have been safe for me to let myself get chilled again."
"Martin," Louisa huffed, "Just take the win. What you did was to make your son very happy on a Christmas he'll always remember fondly. Unlike your childhood Christmases. Well done you."
"Mmm," Martin grunted. But he did admit to himself that it felt a bit good.