Author's Notes:

Doc Martin is the property of Buffalo Pictures. This work of is for amusement only and no infringement of any legal rights is intended.

I am grateful for the most excellent sharp and fresh eyes of simplyred for reviewing this work and thereby helping to make it more simply-read (sorry) for your enjoyment.

- Erroneous

Going Home

Initial Verse I

Gather ye love and live carpe diem!

For toils of worms so quick are decay,

Entombed within a grim mausoleum.

Lo! crawls not time with life lived delay.

Chapter 1

"Really Martin, I'm fine," Louisa responded while biting back the weariness in her voice for having been asked for the thousandth time already. Recollection of months past when she'd longed for Martin to voice such genuine concern had just washed over her an instant before.

"Actually, I'm better than fine. It feels like a great weight has been lifted. You know like- off my back, off my kidneys, off my bladder… It's so nice for a change to go for a pee and, well you know, actually go for a pee…" Louisa said beaming a smile to Martin as she shuffled back to the edge of her bed from visiting the loo and changing out of her hospital garb.

"So then, shall I get the car?" Martin asked in a low voice so as not to wake the baby who was slumbering deeply within his arms.

"Everything's nearly ready. Yes, we'd better take our chance before he's hungry again. The nurse is getting a wheelchair and some help sent over to load our things," Louisa said looking around the much adorned room.

"But you can't go quite yet…"

"Why's that?" Martin asked without taking his eyes off the sweet peaceful face of his newborn son. An instant later the flash of the camera for the umpteenth time answered the question for him.

"How many of you does it take to discharge a patient?" Martin remarked looking up to see a clutch of hospital personnel suddenly standing before them. Some of Martin's irritability, which had softened in the last couple of days, had begun to show itself again.

There had been a steady stream of medical staff stopping by during their stay that seemed unrelated to any medical necessity. Of course Martin had yet to realize that they had just invented reasons to look in on him, Louisa, and the baby. Word had spread that that Dr. Ellingham had actually managed to reproduce and those who were familiar with him or his reputation, even beyond Truro hospital, had come to see for themselves. Indeed the hospital cafeteria would be abuzz for weeks with the fact that not only was it true, but that a most beautiful baby with a most beautiful mum was involved.

"Right," Martin remarked satisfyingly to no one really, considering that it quickly brought about the desired effect of scattering all but those necessary to help.

The time had come again for surgeon and Dr. Martin Ellingham to make an appearance. He stood and extended his deft and steady hands of a surgeon. Cupped within those hands, held even more delicately than one of the vital organs that he customarily held together with the innate life that it sustained, was his days old son that he tenderly passed into the waiting arms of his mother.

"Then I'll see you downstairs in say, fifteen minutes then?"

…

Louisa said some last goodbyes and best wishes to the other new mothers on the ward whom she'd befriended. Beyond her warm and friendly personality, these friendships had been forged in short order by the same traits that had made her such an effective head teacher in Portwenn. That had included a fierce concern and advocacy on their behalf when attention or attitude had proved lacking from an overwhelmed medical staff. In a couple of instances, she'd shown herself quite ready to combat dismissive doctors and consultants. In one particular case, she'd even come to enlist Martin's aid for a patient suffering abdominal pain that would have otherwise needlessly gone under the knife. That alliance had revealed to Louisa that there was value to Martin's brusqueness and tactlessness when turned against aloof and disdainful medical professionals who might insist that they always knew better.

Louisa had regaled her fellow patients and the medical staff alike with her stories of how she had not quite given birth in the back of a taxi, however… Those tales had also included how she had wrested control of the run-away taxi, and how she herself had been rescued by her knight who'd come to her in pursuit. After having delivered the baby in a pub and during transport to hospital with their healthy and thriving, if slightly pre-term newborn, Louisa had lost more blood suffering primary postpartum haemorrhaging. Yet thanks to aggressive treatment, in which Martin had played no small part, now all was well. Other than an extended hospital stay, the only other consequence was her continued dietary and supplementary treatment for anemia.

It had been Dr. Edith Montgomery's good fortune that she had not had to face Louisa in her role as fierce warrior armed as a new mum during her hospital stay. At that time Louisa had forthrightly asked Martin about Edith. In a rare display of his forthright understanding of Louisa's right to know, he had told her, "You will have no further dealings with Dr. Montgomery, and neither will I." It was a subject that she had intended to discuss at greater length with Martin while confined to hospital- along with one or two other subjects that had been on her mind, including a clearer understanding of Martin's haemophobia status. However, preoccupations with the demands of feedings, rest, doctors, rest, visitors, feedings, and rest had meant largely postponing those intentions. She was thinking maybe time would finally allow on their drive back to Portwenn. In the meantime, she wryly hoped that perhaps Martin's phobia of the red-stuff had been replaced by a phobia of a certain red-head.

…

"Dr. Sanjay, hello," Louisa said with some slight surprise since they'd both spoken to her earlier at length and had already said their goodbyes preparing for their discharge.

"Miss Glasson, I know you're on your way out but I just wanted to remind you to please call me personally anytime should you have any more questions or should any concerns arise."

"Thank you. You've already done a great job of explaining everything including what the Haemotologist discussed with us- then of course Martin couldn't help himself from saying everything all over again."

"Of course. Do remember that my husband is a surgeon too- and all we talked about earlier. There were times when our kids were born that he couldn't help himself being a pest… it turns out that it's part of what makes him a great dad," Dr. Sanjay confided in her.

…

From the hospital car park, Martin drove his Lexus to the pickup area at the front of the hospital. Following a minor deviation in the birth plan, the baby seat and the loads of essentials had come to hospital after being retrieved from Louisa's by Auntie Joan. Martin had installed the baby seat earlier after he'd studiously read all the instructions and had fastidiously checked its seatbelt and had made all the adjustments. Also previously he'd had to set about picking up the last fragments of shattered glass that remained from the broken vodka bottle littering the floor of the backseat. To Martin's great relief, the precious golden statue that it had struck had remained intact. He'd feared worse when he'd heard that crash as he was racing to Louisa in peril riding with Tommy of Tommy's ill-fated Taxi.

Martin's golden statue was a Medicine Buddha, also known as Bhaiṣajyaguru, and it was no mere collectable statuary. It was in fact revered by some for being instilled with great healing powers; by others it was esteemed for its ability to concentrate their own healing abilities on the path to enlightenment; to others still it served as a fount for relief for all the suffering they had come to endure. Over his years in Portwenn it had assuredly come to mean a great deal to Martin. Now it was safe and sound again behind its own seatbelt, back from where it had been moved previously to make room for Tommy as they had sped him to the pub- lest he literally die for a drink.

With the car readied in position, Martin opened the boot in preparation for receiving the collection of flowers in place of the emptied moving boxes and suitcases that had already went back to Portwenn courtesy of Aunt Joan's truck. He carefully checked all of the car seat positions and adjusted his mirrors for the trip and took another look around the inside of the car to ensure that everything was in order.

With a deep breath, he took a moment to remind himself of how just a few days ago everything had changed with his life's course being altered when he had stopped to save Tommy's wife. Just moments before he had been setting off for a new life in London very much alone. Shortly thereafter, he was forced to face his greatest fear of forever losing the true love of his life- whether or not they could ever be together, with the sight of Louisa and Tommy's crashed taxi. Instead this course of events had brought him to Louisa's side to welcome into the world the brand new life that they'd made.

Martin corrected himself out loud, "Three. New. Lives."

…end of Chapter 1