Mornington-By-Mere – (35) Doctor, Doctor

 

Mornington-By-Mere is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.

It is a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12^th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.

But Mornington-By-Mere was not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale and there were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road and Dulcets Lane which formed the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside and The Pottinger’s lived at number 5 Brooke Side Cottages.

Sister and brother, Kate and Gary were tree surgeons, who like their father and uncles before them, worked exclusively for the Mornington Estate which kept them busy enough tending to the health and welfare of upwards of 25 thousand trees.

 

On a bright Wednesday morning in May when both Kate and Gary had the day off and they set off on the short walk into the village.

Gary had a Doctor’s appointment and Kate was going to do a bit of shopping and then Gary was taking her for lunch at the Old Mill Inn for her 38^th birthday.

They walked along the riverside path until they reached the Manor Bridge and then they parted company with Gary crossing the Street to the doctor’s surgery and Kate went to each of the shops in turn.

 

It was his first visit to the Mornington Surgery since he was a boy, when he had attended with all the usual childhood ailments but since reaching adulthood he had no need to go.

The reason for the visit that day was quite routine, he had surgery on his knee the year before, for which he had gone private, and his insurance company needed another Doctor, not connected to the hospital that performed the procedure, to sign him fit to work above ground level which was crucial for a tree surgeon.   

 

The reception area for the Doctors, Dentist & Orthodontic Surgeries sat in an extension between the two buildings.

Because Mornington was such a small village none of the practices were open full time but Baron St George, the head of the Mornington Estate heavily subsidized all three as well as the small Chemist shop, which shared the Doctors premises.

He walked up to the desk and, Katie Parsons, the receptionist told him he would be seeing Dr Goman-Smith and directed him to the waiting room.

Although he knew the name there was no indication of age or gender, so as he sat there flicking through the array of periodicals a picture formed in his head of the unknown doctor which he pictured to be either some geriatric in a tweed suit and waistcoat or a 1970s Russian women’s hammer thrower.

 

His name was called after about fifteen minutes and he walked down the corridor and through the open door and was greeted not by a geriatric old man, nor by a Russian hammer thrower but rather by a very attractive female Dr, who was emitting a very exotic perfume every time she moved and he made a quick appraisal, an attractive face, blue eyes, soft shoulder length brown hair, 5t 3 or 4, late thirties, nice figure, everything where it should be and equally proportioned.

“Good morning Mr. Pottinger” she said as she perused his notes “take a seat”

“Morning Doctor” He replied as he sat, then almost as soon as his bum hit the seat she said.

“Sorry, let’s have you up on the table”

He got up and proceeded to climb onto the table when she said

“Ok let’s have the trousers off first”

So he got off the table and dropped his trousers and got back on again feeling more than a little pissed, sit down, get up, get down and get up again.

As soon as he settled on the table she said

“Well I can see straight away you have full movement in the joint and you’re not favouring your other leg which is good”

Which was when he realized that the sit down, get up, get down and get up again was just to test his knee without giving him a chance to think about what he was doing.

After that she began a more detailed examination of the knee which was when he started to notice a little bit of hint of pink bra strap, a glimpse of lace edging inside her blouse, the silhouette of its contents, neat hips and the beautifully round buttocks which when he became conscious that he was getting aroused.

“You’re kidding me” he said in his head

“Is that all it takes, a whiff of expensive perfume and a glimpse of lingerie?”

His unexpected arousal made getting off the table a little more difficult than it should have been.

“I know she’s attractive but behave yourself” he instructed telepathically and also started thinking about cricket which  normally worked, but he found himself thinking about women’s cricket and they were wearing pink lingerie and nothing else but their shoes, gloves, hats and pads.

“I hope she doesn’t check my blood pressure” he thought

“Well that all looks fine” She said then added “do you have any swelling?”

“Pardon” he said rather dry mouthed

“In your knee, do you ever have any swelling?”

“No, no never” he said

“Any pain or discomfort otherwise?” asked the doctor

“It aches sometimes in the damp weather”

“Sadly that happens to us all and has nothing to do with the surgery” she said and smiled

“Ok get your trousers on”

Once he was redressed and seated she looked up from her computer and asked

“So what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a tree surgeon”

“Really?” she asked and he nodded

“Well I’m very happy with the knee so I have no reservations about giving the green light to your Insurers that you are fully fit to resume climbing trees”

“That’s great, thanks doctor,” he said as he got up to leave.

“Obviously if you do develop any problems with it just come back and see me,” she added finally and smiled

“Thanks again Doctor” he said and returned her a smile and left.

Sarah continued to smile after he had left, she had noticed his arousal on the table and it amused her to think she could still have that effect on a man, and a good looking man to boot.

 

Gary was well tanned well-toned and well-groomed but was not a tall man, measuring five foot six and a quarter, a full inch and three quarters shorter than his sister, which was something she never let him forget and always referred to him as her “little brother”.

Despite the height difference they were alike in almost every other way, blue eyes, chestnut coloured hair, broad smiles and infectious laughs.

 

When he left the surgery he was looking flushed after the embarrassment of his body behaving like a teenager.

However if the lovely doctor had noticed his untimely arousal she never showed any sign of it.

He consoled himself with the fact that he was unlikely to run into her again, which on one hand was a shame because she was lovely, but on the other, she was married and he didn’t do that.

 

What Gary was unaware of as he went off in search of the birthday girl was that Sarah Goman-Smith also lived in Manorside.

It was on Dulcets Road in Brewery House where she lived with her ex-husband Daniel.

It was a curious arrangement, they had been divorced for two years, but there was no hatred, betrayal or estrangement they just simply fell out of love.

They were still the best of friends, which they agreed that they perhaps should have stayed as such and not married in the first place.

But because they were still friends and enjoyed each other’s company and as neither of them had anyone else they decided to continue living together.

Sarah worked for the Dancingdean Health Centre in Shallowfield while Daniel worked at the Sharpington Jubilee Surgery.

She liked working for the Health Centre because she spent three days a week in Shallowfield and two in Mornington.

 

Gary found his sister outside Addison’s Bakery where he could see she was laughing and joking with a tall, slim man with neat black hair.

He had dark eyes and a huge toothy smile and it looked very much like Kate was flirting with him and he appeared to be flirting back.

 

He crossed the road and approached the laughing pair.

“Hi Kate are you ready for that lunch” he said and the man looked a little crestfallen.

“Hi Gary” she said “I just need to get some stamps from Norman’s”

“This is my brother Gary” she said and the man’s expression lifted

“Gary this is…”

“Brian” he responded and shook Gary’s hand “Pleased to meet you”

“Likewise”

“Well enjoy your lunch and the rest of your birthday” Brian said and shook her hand and it was long and lingering.

“Thank you, goodbye” she said and headed towards the Post Office & General Store to buy stamps but Gary noticed she kept glancing over her shoulder.

 

They sat at a table in the Old Mill Inn and he said

“He seemed nice”

“He was alright I suppose” she replied coyly

“Only alright, you were flirting with him like it was an Olympic sport”

“No I wasn’t” she retorted

“And he was flirting back” Gary said

“He was not” she said “Was he?”

He smiled and made her blush and then she changed the subject

“So how did you get on at the doctors?”

“Excellent” he replied “A clean bill of health”

“That’s great news” Kate said “They must have really put you through your paces, you looked very flushed when you came out”

“Ah there’s a very good reason for that” Gary said and then he went on to tell her all about the attractive doctor and his embarrassing arousal and she roared with laughter.

 

It was the first Friday in June and Kate and Gary were going up to Abbottsford for a few days.

They had a big family christening on Sunday at St Dunstan’s Church when their cousins triplets were being baptized.

So it was one not to miss, but as it was at the 9.30 service and they didn’t want the hassle of traveling up on the day so they decided to put up at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel the night before.

However Gary was then given a ticket to the Downshire versus Surrey one day match at the Abbottsfield cricket ground so he suggested going on Friday and staying two nights so they would have the whole of Saturday in town so he could go to the match and Kate could go shopping at the Phoenix Shopping Centre and she jumped at the chance.

 

Gary and Kate were not the only Mornington residents planning a weekend away, the Goman-Smiths and the Kane’s were also going to be in Abbottsford for the whole weekend though not all for the same reasons.

So when the Pottinger’s set off after work on Friday evening their fellow villagers were already there.

 

While they were still working among the Mornington Estate woodland, Brian Kane and Daniel Goman-Smith were both at the offices of Bramstock, Goodman, Crossfield and Bushe though quite independently.

Daniel had a meeting with one of the Solicitors, Rhonda Kane, to discuss an inheritance, while Brian was there to take his sister to lunch.   

However Sarah Goman-Smith, on arriving in town took the opportunity for a spot of retail therapy in the Phoenix Centre.

She didn’t often have the time to spend shopping in places like Abbottsford, with the big name stores, so the thought of spoiling herself was very tempting so she took full advantage of the time she had and come the end of the day she had found it very therapeutic and among her many purchases were some delicious items of lingerie.  

 

The Pottinger’s got stuck in the Friday night traffic and finally arrived at the Hotel at 9 o’clock by which time the Kane’s and the Goman-Smiths had already gone out for the evening.

Brian and Rhonda were dining at a trendy nouvelle cuisine restaurant off Castle Street called The Wooden Slipper which served high flavour, low-calorie, and substance lacking dishes, where minor celebrities are known to dine.

The food was good, if you like tiny artistic arrangements the size of a Hors d'oeuvre, on a slab of welsh slate but there wasn’t enough to live on.

So when it was time to leave they were almost hungrier than when they arrived, so they went into town and shared a kebab.

 

The Doctors Goman-Smith meanwhile went to The Empire Theatre to watch a revival on An Inspector Calls followed by a fish supper.

But back at the hotel, Gary and Kate ordered sandwiches from room service and got an early night.

 

On Saturday morning everyone was up early and availed themselves of the full English breakfast but due to a miracle of timing all three couples managed to avoid each other.

 

Gary was ready to go far too early so left for the cricket ground on foot while the Goman-Smith’s left an hour later in a cab.

Kate who planned to spend much of the day in cultural pursuits had a measured start to the day and as she was leaving the Hotel Brian Kane was just walking into the gym with his sister Rhonda.

After a good workout he had an hours swim and she had a sauna and then she spent the rest of the day being pampered and preened, massaged, manicure, pedicure and hair in fact you name it and she had it.

Brian though had coffee and read the papers before he went out.

 

It was a glorious June day and there was a good crowd at the Cricket Ground and Gary Pottinger and the Goman-Smith’s were among them though due to the numbers they were oblivious to the others presence.

Downshire were in great form and won the match by sixty runs and the delighted fans disgorged onto the streets of Abbottsford in great spirits even before the tea interval.

 

When they got back to the Hotel Sarah went straight up to her room for a long soak while her ex-husband Daniel went for a swim.

 

Gary had decided to return to the Hotel on foot and stopped for a pint or two along the way and when he got back, there was a message waiting for him from Kate to say she was meeting up with a friend.

“Oh well” he said philosophically after all it wasn’t like they had any definite plans anyway.  

So he showered and changed and then went out to the first fast food joint that he came to which happened to be a an Emperor Burger Bar and he ordered the biggest one he could see on the menu with fries.

It was a real treat because his sister Kate was always trying to get him to eat more healthily but in the spirit of out of sight, out of mind, he enjoyed every morsel.    

And having sufficiently filled his defiant craving with reconstituted meat, saturated fats and carbohydrates he ambled his way back to the Hotel.

 

He was sitting at the bar at the Regents Hotel, drinking a large Gin and Tonic and doing a spot of people watching, but the bar was so empty that he exhausted that exercise in less than five minutes and so he turned his thoughts to a lovely brunette and it was just when he was preoccupied with that image in his head when a voice broke in.

“Gary Pottinger?” it asked and he turned around and the voice belonged to an attractive looking woman, pretty face, blue eyes,

soft shoulder length brown hair, 5t 3 or 4, early thirties, nice figure, everything where it should be and equally proportioned, wearing a black cocktail dress, black tights and heels, whom he didn’t recognize.

She clearly recognized him however so he looked at her more closely and then the penny dropped.

“Dr Goman-Smith” he responded

“Do you mind if I join you?” she asked.

“Not at all” he said “please” and gestured to the neighboring stool, it was ironic really that he hadn’t recognized her especially because she was the lovely brunette he was thinking of.

“Can I get you a drink?” he asked

“Thank you, yes,” she said and to the barman who had miraculously appeared he said

“White wine please”

“And for you sir?” he asked

“I’ll have the same again please”

While they waited for their drinks she asked

“How’s the knee Gary?”

“It’s very good, no problems at all Doctor”

“That’s good, now please call me Sarah, I try to play down the Doctor bit when I’m out, otherwise people have an annoying habit of telling me about their complaints”

She said and she laughed a rather delightful laugh.

That was when he noticed the wedding ring, which was to him what Kryptonite was to Superman.

He had a strict rule about fishing in another man’s pond, a rule which he had on no other occasion broken all though there had been offers.

But he thought there was nothing wrong with having a drink with a beautiful woman and indulging in some polite conversation.

So over a drink or three he explained how he ended up at the Regents Hotel after a great day at the Cricket and how he was abandoned by his sister.

“How funny” she said “I was at the Cricket as well and I was stood up by my ex-husband”

“Ex-husband?” he asked looking at the ring

“Oh that, I only wear that to keep from being hit on every five minutes by undesirables” she said and slipped the ring off and put it in her bag.

She then went on to explain about how she and Daniel had remained friends and shared the details of their rather unconventional living arrangements.

“What about you?” she asked

“Single, never married, live and work with my sister”

“So she’s a tree surgeon like you” she said

“No I’m a tree surgeon like her” he replied and he smiled

By the time they got to the fourth drink they were the only two customers left and they were getting a bit loud.

“So do you swing from trees like Tarzan?” She asked

“Not so much swing as dangle” he replied and she laughed loudly.

“It’s a living” he said and laughed too

It was shortly after that when they got the distinct impression that the barman had had enough even if they hadn’t.

The convention is that the staff are obliged to keep the bar open all the while guests are wanting a drink but in reality they had to close at some point and you could still get a drink from the night porter if you wanted a nightcap.

So they bade the long-suffering barman a good night, even though it was almost 3 am and headed, somewhat unsteadily towards their rooms.

Accompanied by raucous laughter they stumbled into the lift and finding herself unable to press the button for the floor that she actually wanted she decided to hit them all and giggled as she did it.

When they reached the third floor Sarah announced

“This is me, I am home”

He was on the fourth floor himself but the code of chivalry dictated what he must do.

“I will see you to your door dear lady” he said attempting a bow

“You are too kind Sir Knight” she responded trying to curtsy and almost fell over.

 

Gary walked Sarah rather unsteadily to her door and once she had managed to finally use the swipe card correctly and open the door she announced.

“Nightcap” and before he had chance to decline she dragged him into the room where after some intense negotiations it was decided that coffee was the order of the day rather than the contents of the mini bar.

 

Sarah kicked of her shoes and threw her bag on the sofa while he made the coffee but before the kettle had boiled Sarah tottered up to him and put her arms around him.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea” he said

“Why?” she slurred “I noticed the effect I had on you at the surgery”

“Ah, yes that was very embarrassing” he admitted turning to face her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“So don’t you like me then?” she asked

“Very much” he replied and put his hands on her waist.

“So kiss me then?”

Gary duly obliged and in an instant his mouth was on hers and her lips were soft, her mouth was hot and her intention was clear.

Sarah’s hands began to claw at her shirt dragging it free of his waistband with great urgency which Gary took as a sign to call things to a halt.

“Couldn’t you be struck off for snogging a patient?”

“I’ll risk it” she replied and tried to kiss him again.

“So will I” he said

“Good”

“But I think we should wait until we are both clear headed” he said 

“Wow, you’re a gentleman as well” she exclaimed “And now I want you even more”

Sarah looked up at him and gave him a lopsided smile and then the alcohol finally caught up with her and she went spinny headed so Gary steered her over to the bed and lay her down.

He lay the covers over her and sat on the side of the bed and held her hand for five minutes before kissing her forehead and standing up and walking over to the desk.

 

It was 4 am when he got back to his room and he managed three hours sleep before he had to get up again.   

But despite his late night and a shortage of sleep he had a spring in his step the next morning when he met Kate in reception.

 

Gary and his sister were tucking into the buffet at the christening party when Sarah woke up and tentatively lifted her head off the pillow.

“Ow” she exclaimed and lowered her head again.

As she lay there at the mercy of a throbbing head the events of the night before replayed in her head.

“Oh God, I blew it, I threw myself at him and he rejected me” she said “I’m so embarrassed”

 

She lay there wallowing in self-pity for the next half an hour until she felt revived enough to get up and face the day or at least the afternoon.

But as she got up she noticed a note sitting on the other pillow.

Cautiously she picked up the note and unfolded it and read the contents.

 

Sarah

Thanks for a fun evening.

I really enjoyed the kiss!!!

And I look forward to doing it again, after dinner on Tuesday?

7.30 At the Old Mill Inn?

Call me if your busy, my number’s on the back.

Gary x

 

“I didn’t blow it after all” she said and hugged her pillow